Special Reports: Palestine-Israel Conflicts >>
Israeli defense establishment has decided to give more accurate details in warnings issued to Palestinians before air strikes in order to help residents of the to-be-hit area to flee, local news service Ynet reported Wednesday.
In hearings held recently on Operation Cast Lead by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier this year in Gaza, military sources, including representatives from the military prosecution's international law department, agreed that more specific information, such as more accurate timetables for strikes to be carried out and escape routes, should be given, the report said.
From now on, fliers distributed by the IDF will also be more detailed in order to make it clear to civilians that their lives are in danger and give them a chance to flee, said the report.
It added that it was also determined in the hearings that the military made multiple efforts to prevent civilian casualties in January's Operation Cast Lead.
During the offensive, over 200,000 phone calls were made to Palestinian homes in Gaza and thousands of fliers were distributed in order to warn civilians of IDF air strikes.
The calls were made as part of the IDF's procedure to avoid civilian casualties while striking militant groups' headquarters and cells operating from within or under residential buildings.
The decision came following harsh waves of international criticism against Israel's actions in Gaza and threats to open international legal proceeds for alleged war crimes, said the report.