Israeli authorities have opened criminal investigations into the deaths of 11 Palestinians who were killed during protests along the Gaza border over the past year, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday.
The Israeli official briefed journalists in Geneva to rebut allegations contained in a U.N. human rights report issued last week.
The United Nations human rights panel said two weeks ago that Israeli troops had killed 189 Palestinians and wounded more than 6,100 at protests from March 30 to December 31. The report alleges Israeli soldiers intentionally fired on civilians and could have committed crimes against humanity at the border.
The senior Israeli official said full-fledged criminal investigations in such cases are opened if "reasonable grounds" of suspicion of criminal misconduct are found.
"If we find somebody violated the law, there will be consequences, but a war crime has to be intentional."
Under Israeli rules of engagement, live fire can be used only if there is a real and imminent threat from individuals or a mob, and only as a last resort, the official said.
"Each and every bullet received authorization of an experienced commander at the scene," he said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the U.N. report after its release and accused the 47-member body of "an obsessive hatred of Israel."
