Israel: "Exceptions"

Prisoners of war dead: investigations against soldiers

An Israeli soldier in action in the Gaza Strip (symbolic image)(Bild: APA/AFP/Israeli Army)

According to the top military prosecutor, Israel has initiated investigations against soldiers in 70 cases since the beginning of the Gaza war almost eight months ago. The cases involve alleged offenses such as looting, violence and the death of prisoners from Gaza, said Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the attorney general of the armed forces, at a legal conference in Eilat on Monday.

Israel is fighting against enemies who do not care about martial law, said the lawyer. She criticized the request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. She rejected the accusation of starvation of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip as well as the accusation of the targeted killing of civilians.

"Thorough and vigorous" investigations promised
"In war, incidents also happen that give rise to suspicions of violations of the laws of war and military orders," Tomer-Yerushalmi said at the same time. However, these are exceptions. "Such suspected cases are investigated thoroughly and vigorously." The army's investigations are professional and independent, she emphasized.

Lawyer fears damage to image
In February, the lawyer warned Israeli commanders in a letter about possible illegal acts by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza war. There are "cases of unacceptable behavior that deviate from the army's values and orders", she wrote at the time. These included "inappropriate statements that encourage unacceptable phenomena, the unjustified use of force, including against prisoners, looting, including the use or removal of private property without operational necessity, and the destruction of civilian property". These are acts by individuals that are contrary to the values of the Israeli army. However, they caused serious strategic damage to the international reputation of the State of Israel and its army.