Israel’s recent airstrikes on Gaza have been described as disproportionate and have been widely criticized by the international community. However, analysis by CNN has now confirmed that the Israeli military has actually targeted specific areas that it directed civilians to go to in order to avoid conflict areas.
According to the analysis by CNN, the Israeli military sent text messages, made phone calls, and even sent leaflets and drone-mounted loudspeakers to thousands of residents in Northern Gaza warning them to evacuate their homes before air strikes began. In addition, Israeli military personnel broadcast warnings into the besieged territory.
While not all targeted areas were actually struck by the Israeli military, the analysis shows that many of the sites park and other locations that were evacuated did suffer from airstrikes.
This information casts doubt on the claims from Israel that the airstrikes are a response to the rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel. Instead, it appears as though Israeli forces have deliberately targeted areas that it warned civilians to evacuate from.
This is not the first time that Israel has employed such tactics, as it has come under fire for targeted airstrikes in the past as well. However, this latest evidence suggests that such tactics may be becoming more widespread.
The news has further exacerbated the already tense situation between the two sides in the conflict, with global calls for an end to the violence continuing to mount. It remains to be seen whether this new information will lead to any change in tactics from either side, or if the fighting will continue despite the evidence of unfair targeting of civilians by the Israeli military.