Ashkenazi: Next war on Gaza would include attacks on densely populated areas

Israeli chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi said on Tuesday that Israel’s next battle would be waged also on Gaza Strip and would include confrontations in densely-populated areas.

During a graduation ceremony of a new batch of ground forces, Ashkenazi, one of many Zionist officials who committed war crimes in Gaza, added that his troops would resume their attacks on densely populated areas, villages, cities, mosques, hospitals, kindergartens and schools because, he claimed, “the enemies want to impose this way of fighting on Israel”.

He highlighted during his speech that the Israeli army would provide support for all Israeli officers in case they were arrested or prosecuted because of the Goldstone report.

The Israeli occupation authority launched a vicious war on the Gaza Strip late December 2008 that extended for three weeks ending in January 2009 during which 1,500 Palestinians were killed 82% of them civilians while 5,400 others were wounded other than inflicting vast destruction to the Strip’s infrastructure, buildings, public facilities and lands leading to the displacement of thousands of citizens.

For his part, Israel’s deputy war minister Matan Vilnai told the Hebrew radio on Wednesday that Israel will have “no choice” but to invade Gaza if Palestinian militants step up rocket attacks.

Vilnai said that his army was fully prepared for such a probability regardless of the Goldstone report. The UN report by the South African Justice Richard Goldstone said that Israel had committed war crimes in its war on Gaza.