Livni: We will provide legal protection for our soldiers

Israel will provide legal protection for officers and soldiers who participated in the war on Gaza in case they are prosecuted, a senior minister said on Tuesday.

Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Minister of Justice, wrote on Facebook: “I must emphasise to officers and soldiers of the army that the State of Israel will provide legal protection from internationally prosecution.”

She said the assault on Gaza was “legal and according to our values, Israel is a democratic state which examines its actions during and after every operation.”

Palestinians have vowed to pursue Israel legally following the war on Gaza which lasted 51 days and killed 2,145 Palestinians, and injured more than 11,000 others, according to official Palestinian figures.

In a statement sent to the Anadolu news agency on Tuesday, Hamas said: “We call on human rights organisations and humanitarians to quickly move the lawsuits to international criminal courts against the leaders of the Zionist occupation who have committed horrific massacres and war crimes against innocent civilians, children, women and the elderly, and wiped out entire families.”