Israel launches eight new probes into Gaza war

Following claims made by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups, the Israeli army announced it will be pursuing eight new investigations into incidents that occurred during the Gaza war, a spokesperson tweeted.

In a statement posted on its blog, the military said the Military Advocate General’s (MAG) decision adds to five separate criminal investigations that commenced earlier in September.

While more than 100 “exceptional incidents” have been reported, almost 85 are going through “various stages of review.”

In a 19-page statement, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported, Israeli forces provided details on the incidents where there is suspicion of violation of international law.

An airstrike allegedly targeting a Hamas official that killed 27 Palestinians, including two pregnant women, 19 minors and a four-months-old infant, is one of the incidents being investigated.

Media reports suggest that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) failed to warn the residents of the attacks, in violation of the practice and policy it had adopted during the war, the Haaretz reported.

“The factual findings and materials collated by the Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism and presented to the MAG, indicated the existence of grounds for a reasonable suspicion that the incident involved a deviation from the rules and procedures applicable to IDF forces. As a result, the MAG has ordered a criminal investigation into the incident,” the statement said.

Two separate incidents on July 25 linked to the killing of an ambulance driver are also being investigated. The statement attributed the decision to investigate to the same reason in the above incident in addition to a lack of sufficient information from NGOs and reports.

“The findings and the material collated by the FFAM did not provide sufficient information as to the allegations arising from the reports and the NGO's claims. As a result, the MAG has ordered a criminal investigation into the incident.”