NEW YORK: The Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli forces on Monday of firing on and killing civilians in the southern Gaza town of Khuzaa in apparent violation of the laws of war in several incidents between July 23 and 25.

Deliberate attacks on civilians who are not participating in the fighting are war crimes, the HRW said in a statement. Seven Pales­tinians who had fled Khuzaa described to Human Rights Watch the grave dangers that civilians had faced in trying to flee the town, near the Israeli border, to seek safety in Khan Younis.

These included repeated shelling that struck apparent civilian structures, lack of access to necessary medical care, and the threat of attack from Israeli forces as they tried to leave the area. “When will there be justice for the civilians in Khuzaa, who suffered shelling for days, then faced deadly attacks by Israeli soldiers after being ordered to leave the town,” said Sarah Leah Withson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2014