Daily Alert Archives

Hamas' Human Rights Violations in the 2021 Gaza War

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Amelia Navins and Lenny Ben-David - From a young age, Palestinian children are indoctrinated by the Palestinian leadership to seek death through war. For example, the daughter of a Hamas official was recorded saying, "If we die, we will die as Martyrs for the sake of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa." Such indoctrination is reinforced in summer camps for children and culminates in the conscription of children into military units, in direct violation of international humanitarian law. In the course of the 2021 Gaza War, Hamas launched 4,300 rockets at Israeli civilians in a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, which calls to protect civilian populations during military operations. Article 25 of the 1907 Hague Regulations specifically prohibits attacks or bombardment of towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings that are undefended. Hamas unapologetically uses its own civilians as human shields. On May 12, 2021, UN Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland told the UN Security Council, "Hamas and other militants' indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates international humanitarian law, is unacceptable, and has to stop immediately." It is vital that Hamas be held accountable for its illegal actions in international forums and international courts of law. Without doing so, there will be no justice for those who have suffered from the grave human rights abuses committed by Hamas. Amelia Navins is a student at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Lenny Ben-David served 25 years in senior posts in AIPAC in Washington and Jerusalem, and as Israel's Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington.
2021-07-01 00:00:00
Full Article