Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza
The group points to attacks against three UN-run schools. Yesterday, the Israeli military announced its own investigation. The UN says both Israel and Hamas violated humanitarian principles.

New York (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Human Rights Watch, a New York-based international human rights group, says Israel committed war crimes in the latest Gaza fighting.

The charges come in a report following an investigation the group carried out into attacks on or near three UN-run schools in Gaza (pictured).

The Israeli military had no immediate comment. However yesterday, it announced its own probe into two high-profile cases: the killing of Palestinian children on a Gaza beach and the shelling of a United Nations school.

Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields, storing weapons in and between civilian homes, mosques, schools and hospitals as well using them as staging grounds to launch rockets.

The UN, which has accused both Israel and Hamas militants of violating the rules of war, has appointed a commission of inquiry to look into the fighting.