State Comptroller Judge (ret.) Yosef Chaim Shapira decided on Wednesday to launch an investigation into the decisions of the IDF military echelon during Operation Protective Edge, as well as into the IDF and government's mechanism of inspection.
The decision comes following accusations of IDF "war crimes" in Gaza during the operation to defend Israel's civilian population from the terror war launched by the Hamas terrorist organization.
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has already appointed a committee to investigate Israel over the allegations; Israel and the US have both rejected the three-man committee headed by Prof. William Schabas, a Canadian law professor known for his blatant bias against Israel.
Shapira's office stated that the investigation will be conducted to check whether international law and Israeli Supreme Court rulings were adhered to in the operation, as well as prior conclusions drawn from reports and civilian committees.
Additionally, the investigation will look at the security system's performance in context of the Hamas terror tunnels, with the main focus of the investigation being on the state's provision of security to its citizens.
Other areas falling under the scope of the investigation include the Homefront Command's preparedness during the operation in terms of policy and protection, as well as the arrangements of deterrence, shelter solutions for citizens, and the treatment of populations in conflict areas, as well as the state's publicity policy.
The office noted that it has received dozens of petitions and complaints recently, stating "this is a complicated task. Therefore the State Comptroller ordered the conduction of an inter-regimental investigation."
Despite the charges against Israel, an in-depth analysis from Israeli sources revealed that some 900 of those killed in Gaza, accounting for 47%, were terrorists. Such a ratio of combatant to non-combatant casualties - roughly 1:1 - would be almost unprecedented in the history of urban warfare.