Israel killed Gazans waving white flags

"The Israeli military should conduct thorough, credible investigations into these deaths to tackle the prevailing culture of impunity," HRW said in the 63-page report.

It pointed out that the 11 were only a small fraction of the total death toll in the December-January Israeli offensive. Palestinian medics and human rights groups say more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed, including more than 400 children under 16.

The report said that the Israeli Army in each case failed to take "feasible precautions" to distinguish between civilians and armed fighters prior to attacking. In some cases, fire was opened on civilians with premeditated intent, the report added.

It cited a case in which two women and thee children were standing in front of their home after a soldier ordered them out. At least three of them were holding pieces of white cloth when a soldier opened fire, killing two girls aged two and seven and wounding the third girl and their grandmother.

In five of the seven incidents detailed in the report, Israeli soldiers shot at civilians who were walking down the street with white flags, trying to leave areas of fighting. Reacting to the report, the Israeli military said its soldiers were obligated to avoid harming anyone waving a white flag but that in some cases Hamas fighters had used civilians with white flags for cover; Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.