Human Rights Watch urges Israel to probe Gaza "white flag" deaths

The New York-based lobby group said other governments should press for prosecutions under international law over incidents in the conflict, if the Jewish state and Gaza's Islamist authorities failed to act themselves.

Human Rights Watch said it had statements and other evidence indicating 11 unarmed people, including five women and four children, were shot dead while in groups waving white flags.

"These casualties comprise a small fraction of the Palestinian civilians wounded and killed," it said.

"But they stand out because, in each case, the victims were standing, walking or in slowly-moving vehicles with other unarmed civilians, and were trying to convey their non-combatant status by waving a white flag.

"All available evidence indicates that Israeli forces were in control of the areas in question, no fighting was taking place there at the time, and no Palestinian forces were hiding among the civilians or using them as human shields."