Direct targeting of civilians
Civilians are also directly targeted by IDF troops who, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, “use violence, at times gross violence, against Palestinians unnecessarily and without justification.” During the IDF’s devastating assault on Jenin refugee camp in April 2002, for instance, medics and ambulances were fired on, with a 57-year-old wheelchair-bound man being shot and run over by a tank, according to Human Rights Watch.
In May 2004, Israeli tanks and helicopters fired on peaceful demonstrators in the Gaza Strip, shelling continuing, according to HRW, “as protestors sought to evacuate the wounded.”
According to the Health Development Information and Policy Institute (HDIP), 82% of Palestinians killed since the start of the most recent intifada have been civilians.
HRW said: “The Israeli military has fostered a climate of impunity in its ranks by failing to thoroughly investigate whether soldiers have killed and injured Palestinian civilians unlawfully or failed to protect them from harm.”
B’Tselem said this “has led to a trigger-happy attitude”, and “extensive harm to Palestinian civilians.”
