Tuesday June 30, 2009 19:17 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

A new report brought out by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday reveals that Israel violated international laws of war during the recent Gaza war, by carrying out attacks on civilians with guided missiles from aerial drones.

Muhammad al-Habbash holds photos of his daughter Shaza and niece Isra, both killed by an Israeli drone-launched missile on January 4th - photo by Marc Garlasco /HRW

“ The attacks, with one of the most precise weapons in Israel's arsenal, killed civilians who were not taking part in hostilities and were far from any fighting”, the report stated.

The 39-page report “Precisely Wrong: Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-Launched Missiles” describes six specific incidents resulting in the death of 29 Palestinian civilians, among them eight children. Israeli and Palestinian human right groups have reported a total of 42 drone attacks that killed 87 civilians.

Human Rights Watch criticized Israel for failing to take all feasible precautions to verify that the targets of the missiles were actual combatants, as required by the laws of war:

"Drone operators can clearly see their targets on the ground and also divert their missiles after launch," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report. "Given these capabilities, Israel needs to explain why these civilian deaths took place."

In the six cases documented in the report, Human Rights Watch couldn’t find any evidence that Palestinian fighters were present in the immediate area of the attack at the time. None of the civilians who were killed were moving quickly or fleeing the area, so the drone operators would have had time to determine whether they were observing civilians or combatants, and to hold fire if they were unable to see the difference.

In three of the cases, drones fired missiles at children playing on rooftops in residential neighborhoods, places that were not even close to any ground fighting at the time. Human Rights Watch found no evidence that would suggest that the children were acting as spotters, relaying Israeli troop locations, or trying to launch a rocket from the roof.

On December 27, 2008, the first day of the Israeli offensive called "Operation Cast Lead," a drone-launched missile hit a group of university students that were waiting for a bus on a crowded street in a residential area in the centre of Gaza City, killing 12 civilians. The Israeli military has failed to explain why it targeted these students with no known military activity in the area at the time.

“ The technological capabilities of drones and drone-launched missiles make these violations even more egregious” , Human Rights Watch said. “Drones carry an array of advanced sensors, often combining radars, electro-optical cameras, infrared cameras, and lasers. These sensors can provide a clear image in real time of individuals on the ground during day and night, with the ability to distinguish between children and adults”.

The missile launched from a drone has its own cameras that allow the drone operator to observe the target from the moment of firing until it strikes its target. If doubts arise about a target, the drone operator can redirect the weapon elsewhere.

The drones used by the Israeli military have video-recording devices, that record everything that is seen on the screens of the operator. Every Israeli drone missile strike during Operation Cast Lead would therefore be registered on video. In its report, Human Rights Watch calls upon Israel to provide the recorded video footage and other documentation of its attacks in which civilians were wounded or killed.

Israel refused any request to cooperate on the report and has failed to conduct reliable investigations into its operations itself. In April the Israeli army released a report of an internal investigation that stated that it “operated in accordance with international law” and that only “a very small number” of “unavoidable” incidents occurred caused by “intelligence or operational errors”.

The Israeli army has made known that it views the report that was published today as unreliable, saying they are part of Gaza’s propaganda campaign. However it didn’t respond to the specific content of the report and it did not speak about releasing the video footage that could make clear once and for all if Israel indiscriminately killed civilians.