Rights groups cry whitewash over army's Gaza probe

JERUSALEM – Human rights activists, some charging whitewash, demanded an independent war crimes probe after Israel’s military on Wednesday cleared itself of wrongdoing over civilian deaths in the Gaza war.

Army commanders acknowledged “rare mishaps” during the three-week offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers, including an airstrike that killed a family of 21. However, they said Israel did not violate international humanitarian law and that Hamas is to blame for civilian deaths, because it used Gazans as human shields.