Satellite footage documents Gaza destruction

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Three weeks of Operation Protective Edge decimate parts of Saja'iyya neighborhood; Palestinians note damage worse than any previous IDF operation.

Elior Levy
Published: 07.28.14, 12:29

Satellite footage published by Ynet showed the destruction wrought by 21 days of fighting in the Gaza neighborhood of Saja'iyya and the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The photos, taken by the Pleiades satellite for the United Nations, capture the areas before and after the operation, focusing on Saja'iyya – nicknamed the "Dahieh of Gaza."


Before and after: Sajaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza (Photo: Ronen Solomon)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4551060,00.html

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1. From the article...

An overall look at the picture shows the damage in Saja'iyya is greater than that caused by the Israeli Air Force strikes in Beirut's Dahieh suburb during the Second Lebanon War.

If anyone is unfamiliar, here's a before / after image for that...



Pinpoint, precision targeting... of every building in the area?

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2. Unspeakable acts. n/t

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3. Video blog: Footage posted on the net since fighting in Gaza began, July 2014

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4. 25 July 2014 Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers

What does Amnesty International think of the resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council on 23 July? What should happen next?

Amnesty International welcomes resolution S-21/1 to establish a commission of inquiry and notes that the wording allows the commission to investigate violations of international law by all parties to the current conflict. The commission of inquiry represents an important opportunity to break the cycle of persistent impunity for crimes under international law in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). In order to be effective the commission of inquiry must be thorough, independent and impartial, and look into violations by any party to the conflict. It must be adequately resourced and have unrestricted access to all relevant areas. Amnesty International urges all states – including all EU member states, who abstained on the resolution – to co-operate with the commission as required.

What are the key obligations of the parties to the conflict during the hostilities under international humanitarian law?

During an armed conflict, all parties – whether state or non-state armed forces – must respect international humanitarian law, which aims to protect civilians by regulating the conduct of all sides in hostilities. States also continue to have an obligation to respect international human rights law during a conflict.

Under international humanitarian law, all sides in an armed conflict must distinguish between military targets and civilians and civilian structures, and direct attacks only at the former. Deliberate attacks on civilians or civilian objects – such as homes, medical facilities, schools, governmental buildings – that are not being used for military purposes are prohibited and are war crimes. Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks (where the likely number of civilian casualties or damage to civilian property outweighs the anticipated military advantage to be gained) are also prohibited.

All sides must take necessary precautions in attack to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects. This includes giving civilians effective warnings ahead of attacks, and cancelling or suspending an attack if it becomes apparent that the target is civilian or that the attack would be disproportionate. They also must take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks. For example, warring parties should avoid endangering civilians by storing ammunition in, and launching attacks from, populated civilian areas.

What are the different patterns of violations by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip that Amnesty International has identified since Israel launched Operation “Protective Edge” on 8 July 2014?

Israeli forces have carried out attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians, using precision weaponry such as drone-fired missiles, as well as munitions such as artillery, which cannot be precisely targeted, on very densely populated residential areas, such as Shuja’iyyeh. They have also directly attacked thousands of homes. Israel appears to consider the homes of people associated with Hamas to be legitimate military targets, a stance that does not conform to international humanitarian law.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israelgaza-conflict-questions-and-answers-2014-07-25