Israel military's top lawyer warns troops over 'improper conduct' in Gaza
Action may be taken against soldiers who have crossed criminal threshold with unjustified use of force, looting.
An Israeli soldier stands in an apartment during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo]
The Israeli militarys top lawyer has issued an unprecedented warning to troops against improper conduct in Gaza which includes the unjustified use of force and looting among other criminal actions.
Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the military advocate general, issued the warning in a letter on Wednesday, as reported by the Haaretz newspaper, saying it was difficult to exaggerate the severity of the soldiers actions over nearly five months of the war.
Their actions include inappropriate statements that encourage unacceptable actions, the unjustified use of force, destruction of civilian property and looting, according to Tomer-Yerushalmi, which were in violation of orders and had crossed the criminal threshold.
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Conduct of war
The letter comes amid rising international pressure on Israel over a no-limits offensive that has devastated the Gaza Strip. In recent weeks, several countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Ireland, have warned Israel to halt its plans for a ground offensive in the border city of Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are currently sheltering.