Gaza conflict claims hundreds of Palestinians' lives
Will Conroy
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Opinion
This past month, more conflict sparked in the Middle East when rockets were launched, reportedly from Hamas, into Israel. This came after the unilateral cease-fire that was agreed upon in June of 2008 expired on December 19. Some are now referring to what started as a "minor conflict" as the Gaza Massacre.
There are still conflicting reports of what sparked tensions between Israel and Hamas in late December, but one fact that is slowly becoming irrefutable is the excessive and inhumane retaliation by Israel. It launched its military assault on the Gaza Strip on December 27. The operation was codenamed 'Operation Cast Lead.'
Resulting death toll numbers vary in Gaza, but they are much higher than the Israeli death toll. The UN and Israel's Ministry of Foreign affairs concluded, as of January 18, that the death toll from the recent conflict was nine dead Israelis and 1,314 dead Palestinians, 412 of whom are children as well as tens of thousands of injuries. Before the ground incursion that began on the evening of January 3, the number of Palestinians killed was just over 488.
Israel and Gaza are both continually making war crimes accusations, but the evidence continues to build pointing at Israel as the offender. Press TV reported on January 4, that traces of depleted uranium were found by Norwegian medics in Gaza during the assault. The medics told Press TV correspondent Akram al-Sattari that, "some of the victims who have been wounded since Israel began its attacks on the Gaza Strip on December 27 have traces of depleted uranium in their bodies." The White House declined to comment on whether an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza was a justified measure.
Later in the month, on January 22, Press TV reported that UN special rapporteur Richard Falk made a frightening comparison of the actions taken on the strip, after he "called for an independent inquiry into Israel's violation of international humanitarian law." Falk said Israel's actions against the besieged Gazans are reminiscent of "the worst kind of international memories of the Warsaw Ghetto." This is not hard to imagine as Palestinian civilians, including women and children, were "locked inside" the war zone and forced to try to take shelter.
There are still conflicting reports of what sparked tensions between Israel and Hamas in late December, but one fact that is slowly becoming irrefutable is the excessive and inhumane retaliation by Israel. It launched its military assault on the Gaza Strip on December 27. The operation was codenamed 'Operation Cast Lead.'
Resulting death toll numbers vary in Gaza, but they are much higher than the Israeli death toll. The UN and Israel's Ministry of Foreign affairs concluded, as of January 18, that the death toll from the recent conflict was nine dead Israelis and 1,314 dead Palestinians, 412 of whom are children as well as tens of thousands of injuries. Before the ground incursion that began on the evening of January 3, the number of Palestinians killed was just over 488.
Israel and Gaza are both continually making war crimes accusations, but the evidence continues to build pointing at Israel as the offender. Press TV reported on January 4, that traces of depleted uranium were found by Norwegian medics in Gaza during the assault. The medics told Press TV correspondent Akram al-Sattari that, "some of the victims who have been wounded since Israel began its attacks on the Gaza Strip on December 27 have traces of depleted uranium in their bodies." The White House declined to comment on whether an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza was a justified measure.
Later in the month, on January 22, Press TV reported that UN special rapporteur Richard Falk made a frightening comparison of the actions taken on the strip, after he "called for an independent inquiry into Israel's violation of international humanitarian law." Falk said Israel's actions against the besieged Gazans are reminiscent of "the worst kind of international memories of the Warsaw Ghetto." This is not hard to imagine as Palestinian civilians, including women and children, were "locked inside" the war zone and forced to try to take shelter.