Human Rights Watch: Israel’s justifications for killing journalists are "evidence of war crimes"

Human Rights Watch, which maintained a conspicuous silence during Israel’s eight consecutive days of intensive bombing of Gaza last month, has issued a report unambiguously condemning Israel’s targeting of Gaza journalists during the November attacks.

The New York-based group investigated four Israeli attacks on journalists and media facilities in Gaza, finding that Israel “violated the laws of war by targeting civilians and civilian objects that were making no apparent contribution to Palestinian military operations.”

Toddler killed

Two media workers and a toddler were killed and ten members of the press were wounded in the four attacks, according to Human Rights Watch. The two-year-old boy who was killed, Abdelrahman Naim, lived across the street from one of the media towers which were targeted by Israel. His mother, Najal Naim, told Human Rights Watch:

Abdelrahman was playing here [in the living room]. I heard the missile hit the tower; all the glass in the apartment broke, and some of the pieces came in. Mohamed, my son, was playing with Abdelrahman and two nephews. A small piece of shrapnel hit his chest, and he died immediately. Blood came from his mouth and nose. He made no sound.

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