New Delhi: The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza and condemned its military response to Hamas – calling it “a criminal policy of revenge.”

The nonprofit organisation, based in Jerusalem, strives to document Israeli human rights violations and end Israeli occupation. In its statement Tuesday, B’Tselem said, “Hundreds of homes already lie in ruins, including residential towers reduced to rubble and houses that collapsed on top of inhabitants.”

Since the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel on Saturday, Israeli officials have expressed a position of forceful retaliation. Tuesday morning, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson R Adm Daniel Hagari said “hundreds of tons of bombs” have been dropped on the Gaza Strip already and that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy.”

Haaretz reported the death toll in Israel rose to 1,200 killed and 2,400 wounded on Wednesday, day five of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In Palestine, Haaretz said 950 have been killed and 5,000 wounded.

B’Tselem said Hagari’s order “to prefer damage over precision has also been carried out,” saying “more than 180,000 people have been internally displaced. Roads and public buildings, including schools and medical clinics, have been damaged by airstrikes.”

Among the people killed in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) found 290 were children. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said at least 13 entire families have been killed and 60% of people wounded are children and elderly.

In a situation report released Wednesday, UNRWA said only 11 out of 22 UNRWA health centers across the Gaza Strip are currently able to provide primary healthcare services.

“Hospitals are functioning only partially,” B’Tselem said. “Some were damaged by bombing, and all are severely lacking medical equipment and fuel for electric generators.”

Netanyahu's 'farce'

B’Tselem also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s command for Gaza’s residents to “leave now” a “farce with no bearing on reality.”

The human rights group said, “the Gaza Strip is closed off on all sides and the residents have no way out. There are no shelters and no way to seek cover from airstrikes.”

While Hamas militants rule the Gaza Strip, Israel has maintained a land, air and sea blockade on Gaza since 2007 which is also enforced by Egypt, trapping over 2 million Palestinians inside the territory.

“Contrary to what Israeli ministers are implying, this policy is not new, but has been implemented towards Gaza for many years,” B’Tselem said. “The death, destruction, pain and horror it has wrought have led to nothing but more horror.”

As part of Israel’s “complete siege,” B’Tselem said Israel has disconnected Gaza from the power grid, causing the population to rely on a small local power plant for electricity, which could run out of fuel in a few days. The group also said water is in short supply and that since almost all water extracted in Gaza requires desalination or purification to drink, the water supply also relies on electricity.

"The decision to imprison Gaza even more tightly than usual has also been implemented. The crossings are closed and goods cannot be brought in," it noted.

“There is no justification for these actions, which constitute war crimes openly ordered by top Israeli officials,” B’Tselem said. “Even in the face of horror and terror – intentionally harming civilians, their property and civilian infrastructure is always prohibited.”

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