With the conflict between Hamas and Israel On everyone’s lips, some defensive and offensive strategies have returned to the center of the scene. Iron Dome, the anti-aircraft system that uses missiles to intercept rockets, mortars and other threats launched against Israeli cities, is likely to be the most impactful. However, many comments have also been generated around a technique called roof knocking.
He roof knocking It is, in simple terms, a method that Israel uses to “warn” that a specific target in Gaza is about to be bombed. This modality was created with the intention of giving civilians time to flee from the building or construction that is about to be attacked. Thus, they say, they intend to avoid as many casualties as possible among people who have no connection with the confrontation.
Of course the technique is no stranger to controversy. Its use has been the subject of criticism by international organizations, and it has even been classified as a war crime. The Israeli authorities consider this a legal practice. And they assert that their goal is to minimize possible civilian casualties by launching bombings against locations that Hamas uses as hideouts or to store weapons.
He roof knocking in action
Days ago, the use of roof knocking by Israel went viral after recording an episode live on TV. The journalist Youmna El Sayed was reporting the events in Gaza for the network Al Jazeera, when an explosion occurred on the roof of a residential building behind them. Minutes later, the building was completely destroyed.
He roof knocking consists in throw low-explosive devices on the roof of the site to be bombed. According to the Israelis, this alert gives Palestinian civilians a few minutes to escape before the actual attack occurs.
There is no official record of how much time local residents have to evacuate and take cover. However, different reports on the use of this technique mention a range of between 3 and 15 minutes since the first explosive falls on the roof and the final destruction. In some episodes, the Israeli intelligence and security services communicate by telephone or SMS with the inhabitants to make them flee before the imminent arrival of the fighter-bombers.
The first records of the use of roof knocking during the bombings on Gaza date back to at least 2006. Since then, Israel has used this technique in virtually all missions in which it targeted Hamas. We talk about operations Cast Lead (2008/2009) and Pilar Defensivo (2012), as well as the war conflict in mid-2014.
The images seen in recent days make it evident that the modality is still used. Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the policy of roof knocking “will no longer be the norm”. Thus, he hinted that, from now on, airstrikes on Gaza will occur without warning. “This is a very broad definition and our interpretation of it is not limited. We don’t want to define it further, but [Gaza] It won’t be Hamastan,” asserted.
A controversial “warning”
Beyond the accusations for the alleged commission of war crimes—and even crimes against humanity—for the use of roof knockingone of the points that is most criticized about this technique is the inability of civilians to know if it is really an alert, or if the bombing is already underway.
In 2014, Philip Luther, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa programmes, It was very hard with Israel for the use of this modality. “There is no way that firing a missile at a civilian home can constitute an effective ‘warning’. Amnesty International has documented cases of civilians being killed or injured by these types of missiles in previous Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip,” he said. so.
Although the use of roof knocking is associated with Israel and its bombings on the Gaza Strip, The United States has also implemented it. In 2016, The Telegraph reported that the Americans resorted to this practice before bombing a building used by the Islamic State to store money in Mosul, Iraq.