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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Majority of Gaza Victims Were Civilians: Rights Group

252 children among casualties of Israeli operation, group concludes

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(Newser) – The majority of casualties in Israel's operation in Gaza last winter were civilians, a human rights group has concluded, contradicting the official stance of the Israel Defense Forces. According to the NGO B'Tselem, which conducted extensive interviews and has compiled a list of victims' names, 1,387 Palestinians died in the three-week war, of whom 773 were civilians. Of those, 252 were under the age of 16—almost three times the official number.

A further 248 victims were Hamas policemen killed in early bombing raids; they are considered combatants by the IDF, but B'Tselem says they were not fighting and should be counted as civilians. The organization tells Haaretz that its researchers combed every possible source of information, both Israeli and Palestinian, but that it was refused access to the IDF's own casualty list. Nine Israelis were also killed during the operation, including three civilians.

Palestinians children climb through the rubble of a building destroyed during the war in January 2009, at the devastated area east of Jebaliya in the northern of Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 15, 2009.
Palestinians children climb through the rubble of a building destroyed during the war in January 2009, at the devastated area east of Jebaliya in the northern of Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 15, 2009.   (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians sit next to the rubble of the Taha Mosque, which was destroyed during Israel's military offensive in January, before Friday prayers in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, June 5, 2009.
Palestinians sit next to the rubble of the Taha Mosque, which was destroyed during Israel's military offensive in January, before Friday prayers in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, June 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Palestinian school girls climb on the ruins of a building that was destroyed during January's Israeli offensive in Jebaliya, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, March 12, 2009.
Palestinian school girls climb on the ruins of a building that was destroyed during January's Israeli offensive in Jebaliya, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, March 12, 2009.   (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
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RockyPneumonia
Sep 9, 09 6:58 AM CDT
How many of those victims were not in apartment houses, et. al., that were being used by Hamas as headquarters or as bases for rocket attacks? Reply
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Citrixguy
Sep 9, 09 7:02 AM CDT
B'Tselem - Often lists militants as civilians and is widely seen as an extreme pro-Palestinian group. before reading too much into their report, you take into consideration their bias Reply
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wwwonderer
Sep 9, 09 11:38 AM CDT
How many Israelis were killed? The last number I saw was something around 13. This is MASSIVE overreaction. If I smack you, you can not kill my entire neighborhood and claim self defense. I wonder where new settlements might be planned. I believe every nation has a right to DEFEND itself. It just is insulting to mount aggressive offense and pretend it was defense. Reply
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Stuart
Sep 9, 09 12:39 PM CDT
If I shoot at your children day after day after day after day are you telling me you are just going to sit there and wait until I kill one bfore you react? Or is your 'logic' the numbers of dead? Cops kill far more criminals than criminals kill cops. Obviously that means the cops are 'overreacting' to crime. Or WWII whn more Nazis were killed than Americans. Obviously the Americans overreacted. Israel warned Hamas to stop the rocket attacks for months and months and Hamas refused. War sucks but Hamas should have thought of that BEFORE they started one. Funny how since the war, the rocket attacks have ceased. I guess its a lesson so simple even a 'militant' can understand.
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OWLWOMANXXXX
Sep 9, 09 1:13 PM CDT
Stuart and so now after that genocide to pay for the 13 Isrealite who were killed by Hamas the Isrealites have a right to settle the West bank when they were told not to.by the rest of the world? Does this give them the right to snub their noses to the rest of us and do what they want to??and when the Palestinians finally fight back..they will be massacared again....this is not my idea of Christianity...Did you know that Isreal has these people pinned in between them and the sea...and what food ,water or supplies they get is entirely up to Israel..doesn't seem fair to me Reply
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