Families of Israelis killed in Gaza war demand inquiry

Families of Israelis who were killed and wounded during the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza are demanding an inquiry into the performance of the political and military Israeli leadership before, during and after the offensive, Quds Press reported on Monday.

The families sent a letter on Sunday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him to form a committee to carry out the investigation. Copies of the letter were sent to President Reuven Rivlin, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee (FASC) MK Avi Dichter.

Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” began on the 8th of July 2014 and lasted 7 weeks. Over 2300 Gazans died as a result of Israeli actions, with the Israeli military suffering 66 deaths during the ground invasion phase of the operation.

The letter urged the FASC to probe the offensive in light of the reservations of many officials, which had been made public.  It added that there was an acute need for an investigation because the FASC did not publish the findings of the previous inquiry that was conducted after the offensive.

The families also raised concerns over the “lack of transparency” and alleged “pressure” that was put on the FASC not to publish the findings of the previous report.

In their letter they pointed out: “The State of Israel, and us as its citizens, face tough challenges. Therefore, you, who stand at the top, are obliged to undertake measures to learn objective lessons by an external and independent committee which is authorised to look into and investigate every incident.”

They maintained that any the investigation should be totally transparent in order to guarantee their basic right to know the truth.