Hamas accuses Israel of trying to evade int'l court over war crimes

Gaza Strip-ruling Islamic Hamas movement accused Israel on Monday of trying to evade from taking its leaders to international courts for committing war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
  
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that punishing two senior Israeli army officers for targeting civilians during the latest Israeli war on the Gaza Strip is "a pre-emptive action to escape from the international court."
  
"The Israeli move came before the adjournment of the findings in the fact-finding Goldstone report to the (United Nations) Security Council, which will be later taken to the International Criminal Court," said Barhoum.
  
He said the Israeli claim of punishing two senior Israeli army officers for committing war crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip "is a clear evidence and official recognition of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip."
  
The Israeli media earlier on Monday reported that the Israeli army commander of southern Israel had reprimanded two officers for attacking civilians' areas in Gaza. The reports didn't give what kind of punishment it was.
  
Israel waged last winter the 22-day military operation called " Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,440 Palestinians, 70 percent of them civilians, according to Palestinians.
 
 Barhoum called on the international community and the human rights groups "to enhance taking the leaders of the enemy to International Criminal Court and sue them for committing awful war crimes against innocent civilians."
 
Meanwhile, Ismail Radwan, a Gaza-based Hamas leader told Xinhua that "the leaders of the Israeli occupation must be taken to International Criminal Courts for committing awful war crimes against innocent civilians."
  
"The Israeli punishment of the two officers is certifying what has been mentioned in the Goldstone report that massacres had been committed against women and children," said Radwan.
  
In November, the UN General Assembly endorsed the UN fact- finding Goldstone report that accused both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes and asked the two sides to conduct independent probes of the charges before Feb. 5.