By DPA,
Tel Aviv/New York : Israel Tuesday rejected a UN report that held it responsible for civilian deaths and damages in Gaza earlier this year, saying it did not “intentionally fire” at UN installations and charging that Hamas used civilians as shields.
A summary of the report, delivered by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, said investigators found that Israeli missiles killed 30 to 40 Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the Jabalia school in Gaza Strip, where hundreds of others had taken refuge during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The incident was one of six where the Israeli military was found responsible for deaths and damages by a three-member board of investigators. In another three incidents, no blame was placed.
“The committee has preferred the claims of Hamas, a murderous terror organisation, and by doing so has misled the world,” Israel said in a statement from the foreign ministry.
“The State of Israel rejects the criticism in the committee’s summary report, and determines that in both spirit and language, the report is tendentious, patently biased and ignores the facts presented to the committee.”
Israel charged that Hamas “deliberately” chose to position its fighters in congested built-up areas, putting the lives of Palestinian civilians “at risk” and “cynically and manipulatively” using them as human shields”.