Israelis ‘used child as human shield’

Two Israeli soldiers have been convicted of using a Palestinian child as a human shield during Tel Aviv’s onslaught against the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said on Sunday that the soldiers were responsible for the offenses during the December 2008-January 2009 conflict.

The soldiers were convicted of inappropriate behavior and overstepping authority for ordering an 11-year-old boy to search bags suspected to have been booby trapped, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
The incident occurred during a search conducted by Givati soldiers in southern Gaza City in January 2009.
More than 1,400 Palestinians, among them women and children, were killed during the Gaza war.
Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) criticized Israel for failing to probe the alleged war crimes committed by its forces.
The committee of independent experts appointed by the UNHRC said that Israel’s investigations into allegations of law and human rights violations have been inadequate.
The mission was set up after a UN-mandated report by South African judge Richard Goldstone accused Tel Aviv of having committed war crimes during the conflict.

AGB/TG/HRF