By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

Former Israeli president Shimon Peres, who is responsible for the massacre of almost 4,000 Palestinians, has died after two weeks of illness following a stroke.
The war criminal held numerous official positions in the Zionist regime during his seven decades of political life. He served as president (2007-2014) and as the regime’s premier and military chief.
Under Peres, nearly 4,000 Palestinian lives were lost during two wars launched by the Israeli regime between 2007 and 2014. In the second war, which began on July 8, 2014 and ended on August 26, some 11,100 people – including women and children - were also injured.
That all this massacre was deliberate is beyond dispute. What's tragic is that war criminals like Peres were never brought to justice in The Hague – despite damning evidence,  reports and testimonies from many Israeli soldiers who confirm that not only did they deliberately kill civilians, but that they were explicitly ordered to do so, particularly in Gaza.
According to these reports, civilian infrastructure, homes, schools and hospitals were deliberately attacked without any clear operational justification: "Israeli troops were ordered to shoot people on sight. They shelled homes and reduced neighbourhoods to rubble as part of a deliberate policy of force protection that cost the lives of Palestinian civilians.”
It’s all the reason why the International Criminal Court in The Hague should still step in to investigate. There is another clear reason for this too: Amid talk of Israeli soldiers ordered to deliberately murder Gaza civilians, Israeli army commanders talk up an even bigger civilian toll in the third war.
Along similar lines, the United Nations and numerous human rights organizations and aid groups have equally exposed Israeli war crimes committed during the previous wars. They say Israel deliberately defied, and continues to defy, international law, adding that the world community should hold Israel accountable for war crimes.
However, like Peres, no Israeli soldiers, commanders or politicians have ever been held accountable for their war crimes. The Israeli regime has resisted international human rights investigations, from Amnesty International and the United Nations to the International Criminal Court in The Hague – thanks largely to America’s vetoes and unconditional support at the UN Security Council.
Before it’s too late and before more Israeli war criminals like Shimon Peres and Ariel Sharon die, international law dictates that these world bodies are still duty-bound to at least investigate the Israeli soldiers’ testimonies and those of human rights groups to ensure veracity and  justice for the long-suffering people of Palestine.
It is well past time for a more robust and transparent investigation and outside review about the Israeli war crimes in the two wars. That’s the only way to move forward and prevent Israel from committing similar systematic war crimes in the future.