Gaza: Nearly 300 Palestinian children killed, says UN

[Galraedia]

At least 296 Palestinian children and adolescents have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza against Hamas on July 8, the United Nations said on Saturday.

"Children make up for 30 percent of the civilian casualties," said the UN children's agency Unicef, adding that the toll was based on deaths which it was able to verify and was likely to rise.

"The number of child casualties during the last 48 hours may rise as a number of incidents are pending verification," it said in a statement.

Unicef stressed that its figures were "cross-checked to the best extent possible in the current situation... subject to change based on further verifications."

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/11007940/Gaza-Nearly-300-Palestinian-children-killed-says-UN.html

According to the UN, back in July, 80% of Palestinians killed in the Israeli offensive were civilians.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/10967279/UN-80-per-cent-of-Palestinians-killed-in-Israeli-offensive-are-civilians.html

[blkmusclmachine]

1. Paid for with US Tax Dollars, too. (Even though there's no money for Main Street USA!)

[BillZBubb]

2. But how many of them were "telegenic"?

That's what's important according to Netanyahu.

[sabrina 1]

3. I've never heard a more ghoulish comment than Netanyahu's regarding the tragically

dead children of Palestine. THAT more than anything else, is something he should never be allowed to forget.

He has said some pretty disgusting things in his time, such as when asked about 9/11 eg. He responded that it 'will be good for Israel'. This monster of a man has insulted this country, stated that a terror attack on this country is 'good for Israel' and still, WE SEND HIM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!! What is going on here?

[BillZBubb]

4. Agreed. nt.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. From now on, to me, he's Bibi the Butcher

When I read those words about telegenically dead people, I assumed that Bibi resigned from the human race. Off to The Hague with him. There can be no hope for such a warped man.

[hifiguy]

35. Netanyahu and his right-wing compatriots/enablers

are monsters in human form.

[Uncle Joe]

5. I wonder how many of them were "professional refugees"?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017206783




Thanks for the thread, Galraedia.

[sabrina 1]

8. Disgusting, glad we canceled HBO. I haven't seen his show in

more than a year and don't miss it.

[Uncle Joe]

9. I agree with Maher on a couple of issues; global warming and the so called "War on Drugs" but I

believe he couldn't be more wrong or callous on the issue of Israel's oppression and abuse against the Palestinians.

It's a self-perpetuating cycle and I don't believe Netanyahu's government wants to break that pattern.

If one incident happens he instantly uses it in a knee-jerk fashion to kill any possibility of a ceasefire and eventual peace talks because it would lead to a free and independent Palestinian Nation.

As of yesterday Hamas sent cease fire negotiators to Egypt and Netanyahu won't even go so far as to talk to them, that tells me where he's coming from.

I'm convinced all he wants is war and domination, and the most extreme elements in his party want Palestinian resources and land as well.

[former9thward]

13. Hamas rejected the Egyptian ceasefire.

Their negotiators have no interest in negotiating. Israel has no interest in Gaza land and there are no resources. Why did they leave it several years ago if they wanted it?

[Uncle Joe]

17. Hamas sent negotiaters to Eygpt yesterday, but Netanyahu's government refuses to talk to them.

Gaza has great natural gas resources.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/war-and-natural-gas-the-israeli-invasion-and-gaza-s-offshore-gas-fields/11680

A year following “Operation Cast Lead”, Tel Aviv announced the discovery of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Eastern Mediterranean “off the coast of Israel.”

At the time the gas field was: “ … the most prominent field ever found in the sub-explored area of the Levantine Basin, which covers about 83,000 square kilometres of the eastern Mediterranean region.” (i)

Coupled with Tamar field, in the same location, discovered in 2009, the prospects are for an energy bonanza for Israel, for Houston, Texas based Noble Energy and partners Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration and Ratio Oil Exploration. (See Felicity Arbuthnot, Israel: Gas, Oil and Trouble in the Levant, Global Research, December 30, 2013

(snip)

What is now unfolding is the integration of these adjoining gas fields including those belonging to Palestine into the orbit of Israel. (see map below).

[sabrina 1]

23. I had a feeling there was more to this than just 'national security'.

Thanks Uncle Joe, this explains a lot.

[hifiguy]

36. Follow the money, as usual.

No Gazans, no Palestinian claims on said gas rights. Worthy of Darth Cheney.

[oberliner]

45. Hamas negotiators don't talk to Netanyahu or anyone from the Israeli side

To say "Netanyahu's government refuses to talk to them" is preposterous. There is no scenario where Hamas would allow any of it's people to talk to anyone from Netanyahu's government. They do not allow such a thing.

[Uncle Joe]

55. Whether direct or indirect, Hamas sent their neogtiaters to Cairo, Netanyahu's government didn't

http://en.ria.ru/politics/20140803/191664661/Hamas-Delegation-Arrives-in-Cairo-for-Indirect-Truce.html

Hamas Delegation Arrives in Cairo for Indirect Truce Negotiations

MOSCOW, August 3 (RIA Novosti) – Delegations representing Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have arrived in the capital of Egypt, Cairo to hold negotiations on a Gaza truce via Egyptian and US mediators, Reuters reported Sunday.

According to the agency, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns will also take part in the negotiating process.

(snip)

Israeli authorities said Saturday that they would not send their representatives for the talks.

(snip)

[oberliner]

62. Israeli delegation arrives in Cairo for cease fire talks, source says

Live updates [Tuesday]:

8:32 P.M. An Israeli delegation consisting of three people arrive in Cairo for cease-fire talk, a source tells Haaretz. The delegation landed at the airport and was taken by Egyptian intelligence straight to the talks, the source says. (Jack Khoury)

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.608928

You should be aware that Hamas representatives refuse to talk to Israel directly but rather use Egypt or PA reps as go-betweens.

And Israel has sent representatives to Egypt for the same purpose as noted above.

[Uncle Joe]

66. Then Netanyahu's government changed since I made my post but your own link has contradictions

as to the timing of Israel's negotiators arriving in Cairo.

The body of the story differs from the headline which you posted.

The Israel Defense Forces withdrew its the last of its forces at 8 P.M. and said it has demolished all of Hamas' known tunnels, some of which have been used to breach Israel's border and carry out attacks.An Israeli delegation is expected to leave for Cairo in the next few days to negotiate a more permanent agreement, with Egyptian mediation. A Palestinian delegation, including members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, was already in Cairo.

Of course the main point is Israeli negotiators are either there or on the way in the "next few days" this is good.

As my post implied I don't care whether the parties hold direct talks or use mediators as go betweens, this is still a positive development.

[oberliner]

6. Absolutely horrible

Heartbreaking.

[ReRe]

10. Life means nothing...

... to terrorist governments.

The world weeps for all the families who are losing their children, family members and friends.

[riverwalker]

11. the children

do a Twitter search for "Gaza Ice cream".


#GazaUnderAttack

[hrmjustin]

12. That is the count of who they found so far. When they go through the rubble God knows what

horrors they will find.

[former9thward]

14. It is a count from Hamas propaganda.

The UN has no independent people going around counting bodies.

[hrmjustin]

15. Are you saying that the count is a lie?

[former9thward]

19. I'm not there.

Hamas lies all the time. What the "count" is I don't know.

[hrmjustin]

22. Both sides have lied st times. I believe the count.

[sabrina 1]

24. And why does the 'count' matter at all? If even ONE precious child

died due to the despicable arrogance of those in charge of this, it is ONE TOO MANY. I can't imagine looking at the bodies of children and worrying more about how the NUMBERS might affect our favorite politicians. If we ever get to that point, we are definitely beyond hope as human beings.

[Skidmore]

28. Well stated, sabrina 1. nt

[former9thward]

30. Then you don't believe in war.

War is unavoidable and collateral damage -- civilian deaths -- are unavoidable in any modern war. But if you don't believe in war, just say so. Don't dance around the subject by talking about children.

[Galraedia]

32. Except this isn't a war...

It's a massacre. Something Israel has been doing to the Palestinian people long before Hamas even existed. Israel complains of rockets, but Palestinian homemade pea shooters have killed only 28 people since 2001. Israel just turned 40% of Gaza into a wasteland and killed close to 2,000 Palestinians in less than a month. They've fired at U.N. schools, bombed hospitals, and leveled entire neighborhoods with complete disregard for the lives of the unarmed civilians living there.

[former9thward]

37. How many Hamas have been killed?

Last edited Mon Aug 4, 2014, 05:26 PM - Edit history (1)

Don't you find it strange that figure is never given. But they know exactly how many "civilians" have been killed. We are told all those deaths are civilian. Apparently Israel has not been able to kill even one member of Hamas...

[Galraedia]

38. Actually it is given. It's the remaining 20%.

[former9thward]

40. Oh yeah the old 82% figure.

The exact same percent that we were told were civilian in the 2008-09 war.

[onenote]

60. If the Israelis were "indiscriminate" or "targeting" children, how does one explain the fact

that while somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of the Gaza population is under 15 years of age (and obviously the percentage is higher if children includes those between 14 and 17). But children account for 17 percent of the deaths in Gaza. Now, I believe that even one innocent person, adult or child, dying as collateral damage is horrible. But the facts don't support the allegations, so often made here at DU, that Israel is intentionally trying to kill children or that it is indscriminate in where it fires. While Israel has made efforts to avoid civiliand casualties (warning people in advance to evacuate, etc.), those efforts have not done enough to prevent civilian casualties, a situation for which Israel bears responsibility.

[Galraedia]

63. Israel warned them not to leave their homes before blowing them up in them.

That's a fact. And you honestly believe that Israel is going to tell the Palestinians where and when they're going to attack? Common sense would tell you that's bullshit. That defies the whole reason for bombing in the first place.

[onenote]

64. Bullshit.

Let's see a link to back up your charge. I'll supply links to back up my statement.

There would be a far more dead if Israel hadn't made efforts to warn Gazans to get out of harm's way (although, as I said, Israel bears responsibility for the fact that it has continued to target areas adjacent to civilian locations when its clear that it's missiles are causing deaths among those civilians).

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/13/thousands-flee-gaza-israel-bombing



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2691302/Watch-Israels-controversial-knock-roof-air-strike-warning-condemned-human-rights-groups.html

[Galraedia]

65. Terror in Gaza: 57 seconds after ‘warning,’ Israel destroys a house

#t=70

Israel claims it is warning civilians about missile strikes by “roof knocking.” Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner made that claim to a credulous Wolf Blitzer last night on CNN. We tap harmlessly on roofs, he said, so the residents can leave.

Max Blumenthal just tweeted the video above:

See how Israel “warns” Gazans it is going to bomb their homes and imagine the terror.

You can see that the purported mortar “knock” takes place at the beginning of the video; Haaretz posted the video with these headlines: “Israel’s ‘roof knocking’ in Gaza captured on video. Residents document how Israel Air Force drops mortars on the roofs of homes before destroying them with bigger bombs.”

Read more: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/seconds-warning-destroys.html

[onenote]

67. That's supposed to prove that Israel told people to stay in their homes?

You have some serious reading comprension problems.

And as I said, I hold Israel responsible for its causing civilian casualties. But the instance you cite doesn't negate the undeniable fact that in many many Gazans have been able to escape Israeli attacks because of warnings given by the Israelis. The fact of these warnings has been confirmed by the UN and numerous news sources. http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_sitrep_09_07_2014.pdf

As for the video, I do have a couple of questions:

First, why is the building that is struck with the live round not the same building that received the "warning" strike 57 seconds earlier? One possibility: that building was warned previous to the commencement of the video and the video ends before the "warned" building is struck. Why does this seem like a reasonable possibility? Well, for starters, why was the video being filmed even before the first warning strike unless the folks doing video had some reason to think that there was going to be a strike in the vicinity.

I'm open to another explanation if you can offer one.

[sabrina 1]

42. War is NOT unavoidable. I don't believe in war for profit, do you? The only time

war is justified is when there is an imminent threat to a nation. This is not a war, it is an occupation of a people and collective punishment for an entire people, the vast majority of whom are VICTIMS, not aggressors. It is a war CRIME.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. UNICEF is an arm of Hamas propaganda?

If not, what would be their motive for informing the world of Israeli atrocities?

[former9thward]

20. UNICEF is not counting anything.

Death tallies are given to the UN by the Palestinian Health Ministry. Hamas runs the Health Ministry. Also the UN gets information from an NGO, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. As of July 27 the Center gave the precise statistic that 82% of deaths were civilians. Well guess what? In the 2008-2009 Gaza War the Center also gave the 82% statistic. When minutely exact statistics are provided in chaotic circumstances it means the statistics are garbage.

[sabrina 1]

25. Do you believe the numbers of Israeli soldiers who have died then?

Another terrible tragedy caused by Netanyahu, all those lives, much like our own troops sent to fight for Cheney, our Netanyahu, taken for no reason at all.

[former9thward]

31. Who are our troops fighting for now?

Cheney has been gone for 6 years.

[sabrina 1]

41. Do you believe the 'count' on Israeli soldiers killed in Netanyahu's brutal assault on

Gaza? You said you don't beleive the 'count' of the number of Palestinian children killed. I am asking you, do you also not believe the 'count' on the number of Israeli soldiers killed?

[former9thward]

43. It is far easier to count soldiers than "civilians"

who may not be "civilians". Do you doubt the soldier death toll?

[sabrina 1]

44. The topic was dead children, who are

generally not easily confused with adults. You expressed doubts about the number of dead CHILDREN.

I would think it is as easy to count children as it is to count soldiers.

I doubt neither the child or the soldier death toll.

It was not I who expressed doubt, just to remind you, it was you.

[former9thward]

46. Yes, I do doubt it.

Hamas lies. Hamas is the one counting. It is in their interest to inflate numbers so others will carry on their propaganda.

[sabrina 1]

48. I suppose I don't blame anyone for not wanting to believe it, it is a terrible

thing to have to accept. But it is not just Hamas who is doing the counting, so horrible a nightmare as it is, it appears to be tragically true.

[hrmjustin]

51. I can't tell you how many dead children I saw on twitter.

I believe the count.

[former9thward]

53. Faked photos.

Hamas has been caught by the BBC and others using photos from horror movies and Syria and saying it was Gaza.

A report by the BBC shows that Palestinian supporters are using fake images to illustrate the suffering in Gaza.

Some of the images are of the current situation in Gaza, but a #BBCtrending analysis has found that some date as far back as 2009 and others are from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-28198622

http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/07/15/hamas-uses-horror-movie-still-of-headless-girl-in-miniskirt-to-depict-gaza-casualties-on-social-media-warning-graphic-video/

http://unitedwithisrael.org/fake-images-on-social-media-blame-israel-for-violence/

[hrmjustin]

54. I see what you are doing. I think this conversation is over.

[former9thward]

56. I'll bet it is.

[bemildred]

21. The entire UN is basically a tool of the coming Islamic World Revolution, see?

[Galraedia]

33. Funny considering the UN basically gave Israel to the Jewish people when it split Palestine

after World War II.

[bemildred]

34. What the UN did was more approve the creation, so to speak.

Recognize the result. But statehood was won in a war, the Israeli war of independence. Sovereignty is taken, not given.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War

[DanTex]

47. LOL. Yes, obviously the UN is lying.

[former9thward]

50. The UN is not doing any counting.

Try again. They get their information from Hamas.

[redqueen]

57. " the toll was based on deaths which it was able to verify and was likely to rise. "

They are not just repeating what they're told.

This is a conservative estimate of the slaughter that Israel is currently engaging in.

[former9thward]

58. Verify how?

You seem to think the UN has a bunch of independent observers running around a war zone counting bodies. They do not.

[redqueen]

59. And you seem to think they're counting every picture Hamas sends as ample evidence. nt

[DanTex]

61. Wherever the UN gets their info, obviously they find it credible or they wouldn't be publishing it.

Sorry, I'll take the word of the UN over the word of some anonymous war crimes apologists posting on the internet.

[4now]

18. I am absolutely stunned.

I knew that the IDF was killing a lot of children but I didn't think it would be so many.
I just really don't understand the reason for killing so many children.
Do they not have anything like our navy seals? Are they just dropping bombs from the sky without concern for the civilians?

[NightWatcher]

26. They had Hamas rockets in their pockets at the time

Sure, they were huddled in a school or hospital at the time, but....

[Skidmore]

29. This is stunning.

Right up there with the "little snakes" extermination called for by yet another member of the Knesset. It is disgusting beyond measure.

[sabrina 1]

49. Those are the rantings of a deeply disturbed individual. Surely he has been

removed from his position in what we are told, is the only Democratic government in the ME? Shameful, frightening. And silence so far from the US.

[jberryhill]

52. What does having a democratic form of government have to do with it?

There's no magic which keeps democratically elected governments from doing horrific things. Think of those people in Texas who keep re-electing Louis Gohmert, or the ones in Minnesota who keep re-electing Michele Bachman.

[LeftishBrit]

39. Just awful.