BICOM

Two Israeli human rights NGOs have challenged the legality of the IDF’s rules of engagement on the Gaza border at the High Court of Justice.

Lawyers representing the NGOs Adalah and Yesh Din argued that the IDF’s rules of engagement should be changed so that live fire can only be used on targets that constitute an immediate danger and that live fire therefore cannot be used against Palestinians attempting to break through the Gaza border fence or damage critical security infrastructure.

The lawyer representing the state said: “The security forces’ rules of engagement in the area of the security barrier are in line with Israeli law and international law” its added that the riots on the Gaza border are “part of the armed conflict between the Hamas terror group and Israel” and not civilian demonstrations.

During demonstrations over the past four weeks, thousands of rioters have thrown firebombs at Israeli soldiers, used kites to lift firebombs over the fence and set fire to Israeli crops and repeatedly tried to break through the security fence. The IDF have said Hamas is using the protests as cover to damage to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks and that the army’s instructions are to open fire at demonstrators who engage in violence, or who attempt to break through the border fence.

According to Gaza’s Hamas run health ministry, 44 Palestinians have been killed  since 30 March and more than 1,500 injured. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported that 32 of these individuals were members of different terrorist organisations.

The court is set to reconvene next week.