Palestinian militants committed war crimes during the 2014 conflict in Gaza by killing both Israeli and Palestinian civilians using indiscriminate rockets, Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] reported [text, PDF] Thursday. The report provides evidence that in July and August 2014, several rockets were fired from Gaza City towards Israel and landed in refugee camps. During the 50-day conflict, according to the report, more than 2,100 Palestinians were killed, most of which were civilians. Also killed were 66 Israeli soldiers and six civilians. AI alleges that the Palestinians’ launching of unguided rockets toward civilian areas is a breach of international law. Although the Palestinians claimed that the Israeli military was responsible for the attack, an expert for AI has concluded that the projectile used in the attack came from a Palestinian rocket. AI also alleges other violations by Palestinian militants during the conflict, including storing rockets and other weapons in civilian buildings such as UN schools and launching attacks near locations where hundreds of displaced civilians were taking shelter.

The Israel-Palestine conflict [HRW backgrounder] continues to be a significant international legal issue. Earlier in March Flavia Pansieri, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, told [JURIST report] the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that human rights violations “fuel and shape the conflict” in the occupied Palestinian territories. In February a jury for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York found [JURIST report] the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority [official websites] liable for the terrorist attacks that took place in Israel between 2002-2004 and killed 33 people, including Americans. In November the UNHRC urged Israel to investigate [JURIST report] alleged violations committed by its forces during the recent conflict in Gaza. In September Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli military of committing war crimes [JURIST report] by attacking schools where hundreds of displaced Palestinians sought shelter. Also in September the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center asked the International Criminal Court to open an investigation [JURIST report] into alleged war crimes committed by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.