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Thoughts On Israel's Air Strikes, Part 2
Following up on my earlier observations about the accuracy of the Israeli air strikes, Reuters quotes Ismail Haniyeh acknowledging 15 civilians killed in the past two days, from a death count the same wire report puts at 290.
Hamas estimated that at least 15 women and some children had been killed in the past two days. "Palestine has never seen an uglier massacre," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said.
It's regretable that 15 women and children died, but Hamas owes the Palestinians an explanation for putting obvious combat targets like launchers, weapon stockpiles, arms factories and training centers in and around civilian areas.
Bottom line: 94.8 percent of the casualties, according to Hamas estimates, were combatants. How is that a massacre?
Related reading: How Does This Operation Rank in the History?
Posted at
09:09 PM
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I wish Honest Reporting the very best at this time.
Posted by: Chas Newkey-Burden at Dec 28, 2008 9:30:00 PM
Some media outlets, such as the Washington Post, are deliberately trying to make it look as if there is a high civilian casualty rate by declining to report the low numbers or estimates of low numbers of civilian casualties -- or even general statements indicating that most casualties have been of Hamas. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/27/AR2008122700324.html
This is typical of the Washington Post. In fact, another media watch group that limits itself to monitoring the Washington Post, Eye On The Post, currently is featuring a petition to the Washington Post seeking closer scrutiny by management over the anti-Israel bias of its reporters and editors. Anyone wishing to sign on to this Petition can find it at:
http://eyeonthepost.wsone.com/bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=1
Posted by: Robert Samet at Dec 28, 2008 11:27:19 PM
Well, with nearly 300 killed, you could call it a massacre. Not that the killing wasn't justified.
The loss of civilian life is extremely regrettable. Having served in the army, I know to what extent Israelis go to avoid harming civilians. It's about the same as the Palestinians' effort to kill civilians.
Posted by: Jerry at Dec 28, 2008 11:27:19 PM
Hamas' own Haniyeh agreed that perhaps as many as 94.5% of all casualties were fighters.
Posted by: Edmund X. DeSatan at Dec 29, 2008 7:09:54 AM
In the Haniye quote 15 refers to the number of WOMEN AND CHILDREN killed, not the number of CIVILIANS. I assume that not all men are terrorists. Still, the number of civilian casualties is surprisingly low, considering the circumstances.
Posted by: Sus Katan at Dec 29, 2008 1:31:00 PM
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