Amnesty International demands war crimes probe of Israel over Gaza buffer zone

NGO issues report into IDF’s clearing of buildings near Israeli border to create a buffer after October 7th invasion, accuses Israel of ‘war crimes’ and demands international investigation.

By World Israel News Staff

A UK-based self-described human rights organization is calling for an investigation into the Israeli military, accusing the IDF of committing “war crimes” by establishing a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip near the Israeli border.

In a report published Thursday, Amnesty International documents the razing of structures inside the Gaza Strip near the Israeli frontier, as part of the IDF’s efforts to establish a buffer zone, following the October 7th invasion of Israel.

Using bulldozers and manually laid explosives, the Israeli military has unlawfully destroyed agricultural land and civilian buildings, razing entire neighbourhoods, including homes, schools and mosques.

“Using bulldozers and manually laid explosives, the Israeli military has unlawfully destroyed agricultural land and civilian buildings, razing entire neighbourhoods, including homes, schools and mosques,” the left-wing non-governmental organization charged.

Israel, the Amnesty International report continued, has cleared a strip of land roughly 1 to 1.8 kilometers (0.6 – 1.1 miles) wide along Gaza’s border with the Jewish state.

Planned after thousands of Gaza terrorists managed to approach the Israeli border fence and breach Israel’s defenses on October 7th, Israel’s military drew up plans for a buffer zone along the frontier to prevent a repeat of last year’s invasion.

Amnesty International acknowledged the defensive nature of the buffer zone, but accused Israel of ignoring its “obligations under international law” in the manner in which it was established.

“Israel’s measures to protect Israelis from attacks from Gaza must be carried out in conformity with its obligations under international law, including the prohibition of wanton destruction and of collective punishment.”

The establishment of the buffer zone “should be investigated as the war crimes of wanton destruction and of collective punishment,” the organization argued.

Shortly after the Amnesty International report was published, international human rights attorney and CEO of The International Legal Forum ARsen Ostrovsky excoriated Amnesty over its call for a war crimes probe, and highlighted the group’s lack of response to the execution of six hostages by Hamas terrorists last week.

“Six Israeli hostages were executed in captivity last week by Hamas in Gaza. Amnesty said NOTHING still. Yet now you choose to attack Israel? You are a disgrace. You are a sham. You are rooted to the core in Jew-hatred.”

Amnesty Internationalgaza stripIDFwar crimes case