4 children killed as Israel shells Gaza beach

[bemildred]

Four children on the beach in Gaza City were killed in an Israeli raid on Wednesday, raising the overall death toll in the coastal enclave to 213, the emergency services said.

All four were on the beach when the attack took place, in what initially appeared to be shelling from the sea, according to AFP correspondents who witnessed the attack from a nearby hotel.

Several injured children took refuge at the hotel, they added.

The latest violence took Wednesday’s death toll to 16, and raised the overall number of dead in Gaza after nine days of violence to 216, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. More than 1,560 have been wounded.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/4-children-killed-as-israel-shells-gaza-beach/

[IronGate]

1. If only the terror org, Hamas, had accepted the Egytian cease fire proposal like Israel did.

The terror org. Hamas is solely responsible for these deaths by rejecting the cease fire out of hand and continued to fire rockets into Israel even after Israel had halted all operations.

[kjones]

5. Collective punishment huh?

[IronGate]

6. When the terror org Hamas hides among the civilians,

launches rockets from civilian areas, uses civilians as human shields, what do you think is going to happen?
The terror org Hamas wants those civilian casualties for the propaganda value against Israel, they don't give 2 shits about the Palestinian people.

[kjones]

9. See my post that should be getting to you....now. Further down the page.

[IronGate]

11. You flatter yourself unnecessarily,

nothing you say is getting to me, I have the truth on my side in that the terror org Hamas rejected the cease fire and continued to fire rockets into Israel, do those civilian deaths are wholly the responsibility of the terror org Hamas.

[kjones]

12. Obviously didn't bother reading. Glad you're taking a serious set of events so seriously. nt

[geek tragedy]

33. "wholly" you keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. nt

[IronGate]

34. Well then, you would be wrong.

Definition of wholly (adv)

Bing Dictionary
whol·ly
[ hṓlee ]
1.completely and entirely: totally and in every way or to the fullest extent
2.solely and exclusively: solely and to the exclusion of all other things

[geek tragedy]

39. the claimthat Hamas is 100% responsible for Israel's actions

and that Israel bears absolutely no responsibility for its own actions is quite possibly the dumbest thing said in I/P in quite some time.

Congratulations on the singular achievement.

[IronGate]

41. Did the terror org Hamas reject the cease fire?

Yes they did, so that would make them wholly responsible for those 4 youths deaths.

[geek tragedy]

43. repeating nonsense doesn't make it any less nonsensical nt

[IronGate]

46. What nonsense?

Would those 4 youths still be alive if the terror org Hamas had accepted the cease fire and stopped firing rockets at Israel?

[geek tragedy]

50. Would they be alive had Israel not killed them?

You seem completely unable to process the idea that more than one party may be to blame.

[IronGate]

54. Would they still be alive if the cease fire had been accepted by the terror org Hamas? nt.

[geek tragedy]

60. .

http://www.politicsforum.org/images/flame_warriors/flame_77.php

Stone Deaf is one of the few truly invincible Warriors because nothing can shatter his impenetrable armor of non recognition. His primitive battle strategy is maddening effective; he simply refuses to acknowledge any arguments he doesn't like. Kung-Fu Master can hammer away with devastating blows, Cyber Sisters can screech in full throat and Profundus Maximus can expound until he drops, but Stone Deaf remains utterly oblivious as he advances his dogged and often repetitious attacks. In the early stages of battle a wide array of Warriors will fling themselves at Stone Deaf, but inevitably they fall back exahusted or lose interest when they see that their best weapons have no effect. His only real enemy is Admin, who has the power to eject him from the discussion forum.

[IronGate]

62. A selfie? nt.

[HooptieWagon]

32. Hamas is hiding on a beach?

Are they disguised as sea shells ?

[cali]

22. If only Israel hadn't turned Gaza into an open air prison from the time they left

If only they weren't fomenting anger by expanding settlements. If only Israel didn't treat Palestinians in the WB in a day in and day out humiliating and dehumanizing way. Hamas sucks, but it didn't come to power in a vacuum.

[Shaktimaan]

31. Did they?

If only Israel hadn't turned Gaza into an open air prison from the time they left

The circumstances under which Israel left hardly left Gaza an open air prison. They were entirely advantageous to the gazans, and met Israel's responsibilities according to their agreement with the PA. What exactly do you think was problematic with the details of gaza's situation when Israel left in 2005? It was only a few hours after the withdrawal that the rioting began and the rockets started. What exactly do you believe warranted those acts?

Hamas sucks, but it didn't come to power in a vacuum.

That's true, but every analysis of that election put the rationale for Hamas' success on Fatah's corruption, not on Israeli policies.

[hrmjustin]

26. I am sorry but Israeli bombs did the deed so they have plenty of blame.

[IronGate]

35. I'm sorry, but I disagree with you.

Those 4 youths would still be alive if the terror org Hamas had accepted the cease fire instead of outright rejecting it.

[hrmjustin]

36. that is true that if they did that they would be alive but IDF pulled the trigger and are...

... responsible for it.

[IronGate]

37. The IDF wouldn't have pulled that trigger if the terror org Hamas had accepted the cease fire,

so that makes the deaths of those youths the responsibility of them.

[hrmjustin]

38. So the IDF has no responsibility for murdering 4 children?

[geek tragedy]

42. Welcome to I/P, where nothing Israel does is ever Israel's fault. nt

[hrmjustin]

44. Thanks. Just seems like odd logic to me.

[geek tragedy]

48. Remember the people who hated the Dixie Chicks for criticizing Bush

and the Iraq war?

They didn't just disappear into thin air.

[IronGate]

49. Why is it odd logic?

Those youths would still be alive if the cease fire had been accepted by the terror org Hamas, that's fact.

[hrmjustin]

51. yes but Israel actually killed them.so how the hell are they not to blame?

[IronGate]

55. Because Israel would not have fired that missile if the terror org Hamas had honored the

cease fire.

[hrmjustin]

57. Can we agree that Israel fired the missle?

[IronGate]

59. I never disputed that,

what I'm saying is that Hamas is responsible for their deaths because they refused to honor the cease fire and continued to fire on Israel, if they had accepted the cease fire and not kept firing their rockets, those 4 youths would still be alive.

[hrmjustin]

63. if I killed four children I would feel responsible.

[IronGate]

65. I would too,

but I would also realize that if not for the instrangience of Hamas, those youths would still be alive.

[hrmjustin]

66. Hamas is no innocent but neither is Israel.

[IronGate]

68. There are no innocents on either side, but I put 90% of the blame on Hamas

for this whole mess.

[hrmjustin]

70. I am not qualified to give percentages but they both have their sins.

[IronGate]

72. Of that, we are in agreement. nt.

[4now]

83. They take no responsibility for their actions

and must blame anyone but themselves.

[IronGate]

45. IMO, this particular case, no, because those youths would still be alive but for

the terror org Hamas outright rejecting the cease fire and continuing to fire rockets at Israel.

[hrmjustin]

47. I don't understand why you are trying absolve them from this.

The murdered civilians and that should not be forgotten.

[IronGate]

52. Those youths are dead wholly because the terror org Hamas refused to honor

the cease fire and continued to shoot at Israel, if the cease fire had been accepted, the fact is that they would still be alive.

[hrmjustin]

53. Why did they fire on them?

[IronGate]

56. They didn't fire on those youths per se,

they fired on what they thought was a rocket launching position, which wouldn't have happened if the terror org Hamas had accepted the cease fire.

[hrmjustin]

58. Were those children launching rockets?

[IronGate]

61. Probably not,

but there may well have been members of the terror org Hamas in the vicinity firing rockets, they are known to hide their launching positions among civilians.

[hrmjustin]

64. How old were they?

[IronGate]

67. I thought I read they were in the 10 yo range.

As I said, I doubt they were the target, they were in the wrong place in the wrong time, which wouldn't have happened but for Hamas rejecting the cease fire, which, BTW, Israel had accepted and had suspended operations.

[hrmjustin]

69. Those children were murdered and I think all the people responsible should be blamed, not just some.

[IronGate]

71. We'll just have to disagree on the level of responsibility.

In the meantime, thanks for the civil debate, it's refreshing to be able to disagree without the name calling and insults that these types of conversations often descend into.

[hrmjustin]

73. Your welcome and my prayers for peace.

[BillZBubb]

75. Utter Hogwash.

Just because there is no ceasefire doesn't give the Israelis a free pass to murder children--unless it seems you are an Israeli fanatic.

[IronGate]

81. Now there's an intelligent reply.

[bemildred]

2. Israeli strike kills 4 Gaza youths on coastal road

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed four youths and wounded seven other people on a coastal road near a beach in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Kedra says the four killed Wednesday were all under the age of 18, and some adults were wounded.

The strike follows a resumption of Israeli bombings and Hamas rocket attacks after the failure of an Egyptian attempt to forge a cease-fire in the 9-day conflict.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-16-11-18-16

[IronGate]

3. The failure of that cease fire is wholly the reponsibility of the terror org Hamas,

if they had accepted it instead of outright rejecting it, those people would still be alive.

[kjones]

8. Your reasoning leaves something to be desired

"The failure of that cease fire is wholly the reponsibility of the terror org Hamas."

Why do civilian casualties seem to be hovering around 75% then? I mean, you can say
"Blah blah blah, human shields," but people know that's bluster from both the IDF and
Hamas. I highly doubt these children were as eager to die as some people seem to want
them to be.

Someone is either a bad shot, or doesn't care.

Bup bup bup! No! I know, don't care, already know Hamas is bad and doesn't care about
civilians, don't need to be told again. That's settled and out of the way, tell me why the
IDF is cool with this. It can't be "But, but Hamas doesn't care about civilians! Why should
we." We don't define ourselves by our enemies, if we did, we'd all be no better than them,
we'd all be terrible people.

I'm aware that accidents happen, but if accidents are happening at an 80% rate, we ask
questions.

[IronGate]

10. Did the terror org Hamas reject the cease fire or not?

[kjones]

13. Words can be read too, you know?

I guess that answers the question, the IDF defines itself by Hamas as
far as you're concerned.
Not a good thing, to lower yourself to their level.

[BillZBubb]

78. Calling it "reasoning" is absurd.

There is no reasoning in his BS opinion. Like all Israel apologists, he'll say anything to try to bury the truth.

[cali]

23. I have nothing but contempt for opinions rooted in nothing but blind partisanship.

It smacks of, well, ugly sentiments.

[King_David]

4. Awful

Not sure how Hamas goes to sleep at night.

[Fozzledick]

7. In tunnels, deep underground.

They're not about to subject themselves to the conditions they've created for the civilian population of Gaza.

[geek tragedy]

17. same way IDF apologists do, by blaming the other side for every bad thing

their side does

[King_David]

18. Zahal apologists?

[geek tragedy]

40. as is the pattern, the only thing that upsets some is not the dead kids but rather the possibility

that someone might criticize Israel for killing them.

[hrmjustin]

27. I wonder how the people who pulled the trigger to those bombs can live with themselves.

[bemildred]

14. Israel army 'hopes' there were targets near Gaza beach

So far the Israeli military are saying very little about this attack beyond the fact that they are investigating it.

And that's because that they know potentially of the ramifications in terms of international opinion about this conflict are very, very serious indeed.

When I asked a spokeswoman for the army whether they were targets nearby she said, rather nervously, "we hope so."

In Tel Aviv today the Israeli Prime Minister said Hamas bears the responsibility for the failure of the cease fire that it has closed the door on peace and Hamas therefore are to blame for the civilian casualties.

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-07-16/israel-army-hopes-there-were-targets-near-gaza-beach/

[Jefferson23]

20. Shit. n/t

[bemildred]

21. Pretty much.

Just a matter of time, once the shooting starts.

[bemildred]

15. Israel's position on 'moral high ground' over Gaza conflict comes under question

n the court of international opinion, this is how Israel wins a battle and still manages to lose the war.

Four boys playing innocently on a beach blown apart by high-tech weaponry.

The Israeli Defence Force says its investigating.

The few facts we know so far could not be worse.

http://www.itv.com/news/2014-07-16/israels-position-on-moral-high-ground-over-gaza-conflict-comes-under-question/

[bemildred]

16. Israeli Attack Kills Four Children Playing Soccer, in View of Journalists

Four children were reportedly killed by an Israeli attack on a Gaza Strip beach on Wednesday. Journalists from The Washington Post, Guardian, and NBC News witnessed the incident, and some even administered first aid to victims.

In his first-hand account written for The Guardian, Peter Beaumont describes the scene:

There is a deafening explosion as it hits a structure on the pier, a place we have seen hit before, where fishermen usually store their nets. Behind the smoke, I see four figures running, silhouettes whose legs are pumping raggedly. They clear the smoke. From their size it is clear they are a man and three young boys. . .

Only afterwards do we discover there are four others who are dead, all children, lying on the wall. I am shown a picture of one of the dead boys, his skin scorched and bruised. Their names are released later: Ahed Bakr, aged 10; Zakaria, 10; and two other boys from the Bakr family, both named Mohammad, aged 11 and nine.

Beaumont reports that he and other journalists and bystanders “clean[ed] and dress[ed] the wound” of a young boy who was hit in the chest by shrapnel. In a tweet, Beaumont wrote that a “gunner appears to have adjusted to hit survivors.”

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2014/07/israeli-attack-kills-four-children-gaza-beach

[bemildred]

19. An eyewitness account of the attack that killed four children on Gaza beach

When the first missile hit the retaining wall of the small Gaza Harbor, shortly after 4 P.M this afternoon, Peter Beaumont was just finishing an analysis piece before filing to his newspaper, The Guardian in London. Beaumont, the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent was sitting on the beach-facing terrace al-Deira Hotel.

"The internet works better there than in the rooms so a lot of us do our writing there. So I literally was looking in that direction when I hear an almighty bang and saw an explosion on the pier wall," he told Haaretz.

Beaumont, who has been in Gaza for the last nine days, said that during the time he has been at the hotel, that area of the harbor has been hit by the IDF "at least three times." Following the explosion, "on the retaining wall there were puffs of smoke and we saw four people running along it. They ran all along until they reached the beach and jumped down. They were turning and running towards us and through the smoke you can see they were children." The second explosion came about forty seconds after the first and around thirty meters away. According to Beaumont "there was no warning signal or sound of airplanes before the explosions."

The second explosion was right behind the group of three children and one young man who were running in the direction of the hotel. "You couldn't mistake them even through the smoke, it was obvious they were children. The oldest one who was thirteen looked to me as if he was eight. These were dinky raggedy fisherman kids wearing shorts."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.605568

[Lithos]

24. Sad

And the children continue to pay. Not just these four, but those on both sides who are growing up in an increasing sea of violence hate. I am fearing another generation lost.

L-

"You've Got To Be Carefully Taught," (Lyrics from South Pacific.)

You've got to be taught to hate and fear,
You've got to be taught from year to year,
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

[vanlassie]

25. I have never been here to this forum. I just want to check in to say

that this incident has made me feel ill. Public opinion MUST be turning against Isreal over this sort of travesty. They were a bunch of ten year olds, for fuck sakes.

[BillZBubb]

76. Public opinion should have turned against Israel decades ago.

This is nothing new. At any rate, I suspect there will be little change in public opinion.

[vanlassie]

80. I'm sure you are right and it is disgusting.

Those kids were nine and ten.

[yeoman6987]

28. Why on Earth did they not continue with the cease fire

Israel was all about it but for some reason Hamas did not want to have a cease fire after two hours. What is the deal? Now tomorrow they are going to try again, but is Hamas really going to follow the cease fire? So frustrating on so many sides.

[Jefferson23]

29. Fear grips Gaza hospital bombarded repeatedly by Israel

SHEJAIYA, Gaza Strip (AFP) -- At Al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital near Gaza City, a handful of doctors and nurses hover over paralyzed patients, wondering how to protect them from more air strikes as threatened by Israel.

The patients lie mostly inert in beds lined up in the hospital's reception, where staff moved them after an Israeli rocket crashed into the fourth floor.

The staff have appealed to international agencies for protection, and say the hospital is known to the Israeli army.

But it was hit again on Tuesday night.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=713717

[shaayecanaan]

30. more at link

https://news.vice.com/article/israeli-airstrikes-kill-4-children-on-gaza-beach

[bunnies]

74. Hamas made em do it!

Or so I read on DU.

[BillZBubb]

77. That's always the response of the Israeli apologists, who are numerous. nt.

[bunnies]

79. Yep.

OMG Hamas uses human shields! Israel has no snipers and must bomb / plow / destroy the entire area to get one guy!

[Jefferson23]

82. In memoriam:

Artist Amir Schiby created this in tribute to Mohammed, Ahed, Zakaria and Mohammed Bakr. 4 boys killed
on Gaza beach on July 16, 2014.

[Jefferson23]

84. Amani Badawi from the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City describes life under airstrikes, July 20

My husband, Usama Badawi, and I have four children: Diaa, 16, Hanaa, 15, Muhammad, 12, and Ibrahim, 9. We live in a three-room apartment in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City.

Since the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip began three days ago, we’ve stayed at home. My husband works at UNRWA and the management gave him orders to stay at home because of the war. I thank God that school is out and the children are at home.

There’s hardly any movement anywhere. In our neighborhood, there are no cars or pedestrians out in the street at all. Everyone is indoors, following the news on TV and social media or on the radio when there’s no power. Every 24 hours, the power goes off for eight hours.

Last night I couldn’t sleep a wink because of what’s happening and the awful things I saw on TV, like the al-Haj family whose house was bombed yesterday and most of them were killed. They showed an elderly woman killed with a spoon in her hand, while she was eating her Ramadan morning meal. She died sitting at the table.

I keep thinking about my children and what might happen to them. I keep checking the different spaces around the house, looking for a safe room, but there isn’t one. All the rooms have large windows that look out over the street except the kitchen, which is in the center of the apartment. So we decided to sleep in the kitchen. My son Diaa insisted on sleeping in his bed, but when he heard the bombings he came running into the kitchen with his mattress and blanket to sleep with us. There was no room in the kitchen for another mattress so he slept between the other two kids. They slept right up against each other – that is, when we finally managed to sleep, because the bombings just don’t stop, day and night.

http://www.btselem.org/testimonies/20140720_amani_badawi

[Jefferson23]

85. 'Tank shells were falling like hot raindrops'

Survivors of Shujayea bombardment recount horror tales amid frantic search for lost family members.

Mohammed Omer Last updated: 21 Jul 2014 10:25

Shujayea, Gaza - Mahmoud al-Sheikh Khail, 36, one of the few survivors from Shujayea, stood nervously at the gates of al-Shifa hospital waiting for the next ambulance to arrive. His frightened eyes spotted an ambulance making its way through the crowd with difficulty.

The ambulance doors opened and the dead are lifted off. He burst into tears as he recognised a familiar small face and shouts out: "Samia al-Sheikh Khail!" Three-year-old Samia’s body has been torn to shreds by an Israeli tank shell. Yet, she is still recognisable despite the burns.

Khail learnt that the body remains wrapped in white burial shrouds are his cousins. He collapses: "We were trying to run but the tank shells were chasing us wherever we went," he told al Jazeera.

"Around 6am, I was inside my house. I heard the neighbours screaming for help after a blast. I managed to get outside to try to rescue them but it was a massacre: Woman and children all torn into small pieces."

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/shells-were-falling-like-hot-raindrops-201472152230596636.html

[bemildred]

87. Anyway, so you see why I use the word "demented"? nt

[Jefferson23]

88. On point description, yes. n/t

[Jefferson23]

86. Kerry makes mic gaffe on Gaza

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared to criticize Israel in candid remarks caught on an open microphone between television interviews Sunday.

Kerry was heard talking about Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza to a State Department official identified as Jonathan Finer just before appearing on the "Fox News Sunday" political talk show.

"I hope they don't think that's an invitation to go do more," Kerry says. "That better be the warning to them."

A frustrated Kerry then says: "It's a hell of a pinpoint operation, it's a hell of a pinpoint operation," in apparent frustration over the civilian toll in the Israeli operation.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=715031