The IDF practice of firing a missile at a civilian home to warn the occupants to leave the building before a larger attack, has been caught on film. Amnesty International has decried “roof knocking,” saying it in no way constitutes an “effective warning.”
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A YouTube video uploaded on Saturday shows how a Palestinian house is struck by a warning shot before being destroyed by a full missile attack.
Prior to the strike the occupants of the building reportedly received a call from the IDF, warning of an imminent attack.
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces released a recording of a phone call made to a Gaza resident. The call was made on Saturday, warning of an impending strike.
An IDF operator is heard starting the conversation with, “Hi, do you speak Hebrew? How are you? Is everything okay?” He then proceeds with information that the IDF needs "to target the building that is located close to you."
“We are trying to make sure before we strike the target, that there are no civilians in the vicinity.”
“In five minutes we will strike the target,” he concludes.
Amnesty International has condemned the “knock on the roof” technique in an appeal to the UN to investigate possible violations committed by Hamas and the IDF during Operation Protective Shield.
UN must urgently investigate war crimes in Israeli-Gaza conflict – Amnesty Intl
“There is no way that firing a missile at a civilian home can constitute an effective ‘warning.’ Amnesty International has documented cases of civilians killed or injured by such missiles in previous Israeli military operations on the Gaza Strip,” said Philip Luther Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International.
Watch the latest report from Gaza by Harry Fear:
Over a hundred Palestinians have been killed in the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza and Amnesty documents that at least 24 children and 16 women were among the casualties.
“Swift UN action is needed as lives hang in the balance,” said Luther. “The international community must not repeat previous mistakes, standing by and watching the devastating consequences for civilians of both sides.”
Amnesty has also urged for an embargo on all Israeli and Palestinian military groups in an effort to bring a halt to the conflict.
The Israeli government says that it does not target civilians in its strikes and claims that members of Hamas are using the Palestinian civilian population as a human shield.