Israeli soldiers on trial

Two Israeli soldiers went on trial in a military court, because of using a nine-year-old Palestinian boy to check for booby-traps in Gaza war.

The two soldiers, both staff sergeants in the Givati infantry brigade, are charged with acting “in breach of military norms” for forcing the boy to open bags they feared might be rigged with explosives.

A defendant told that he felt he and his comrade were being made scapegoats for international outrage over Israel’s use of force in the offensive, in which about 1,400 Palestinians were killed, among them 400 minors.

“They were looking for someone to blame in front of the entire world,” the soldier said. “Sadly it was people who really didn’t do anything.”

The military said that it began its investigation of the incident in June. It said the probe was unrelated to a UN fact-finding mission which was visiting Gaza at the same time.