Israeli army killed 951 Palestinian children and minors since September 2000
Palestine Times
6/29/2006
The Israeli occupation army and paramilitary Jewish settlers have killed 951 Palestinian children and minors and have injured in varied degrees 18,811 others since 28 September 2000 when the al-Aqsa intifada broke out, according to an official report issued Sunday, 25 June, by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The report is based on death certificates issued by Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which Palestinian health officials say assures its accuracy and reliability.
The largely statistical report which covers the period from 28 September 2001 to 20 June 2006 showed that 387 children and minors were killed in the West Bank while 564 others were killed in the Gaza Strip.
It also showed that numbers of children and minors killed by the Israeli army were particularly higher in the first years of the intifada with 187 killed between 28 September and 31 December 2000; 231 killed in 2001; 176 in 2002; and 180 in 2003.
In 2004, only 61 Palestinian children and minors were killed by the Israelis, and in 2005, the figure stood at 84.
So far this year, 32 Palestinian children and minors have been killed, according to the report. The numbers of the injured follow a similar pattern—high during the first three years of the intifada and then significantly lower since the start of 2004.
As to the age class of the victims, the report pointed out that 18 were 1 year or under; 42 between 1-4 years; 75 between 5-9 years; 255 between 10-14 years; and 561 between 15-18 years.
The report showed that of the injured, 11,937 were from the West Bank while the rest (or 6,874) were from the Gaza Strip. Of the total injured, at least 7.5% sustained permanent physical disabilities.
The report didn’t cover the psychological and mental damage sustained by children and minors.
Other studies, especially by the GazaCenter for Mental Health, presented staggering figures of children suffering from the psychological impact of the violence, with manifestations such as neurosis, depression, phobias, panic, and post-traumatic stress.
Furthermore, the report pointed out that 12 children and minors were killed by the Israeli army from 1 May to 20 June 2006, while 117 other children and minors were injured, some critically, during the same period.
Some of the high-profile killings of Palestinian children took place along the Gaza beach on 9 June when an Israeli artillery shell exterminated six member of the Ghalia family, including four children. Three more Gaza children were killed a few days later when an Israeli warplane fired an air-to-ground missile into a crowded street in downtown Gaza, killing nine people including at least three children.
All the figures cited in the report are of children and minors below the age of 18, according to Dr. Riyad Awad, head of the HealthInformationCenter, who prepared the report.
“I am ready and willing to answer any questions with regard to the report. I can tell you that the information contained in the report is 100% accurate,” Awad told Palestine Times.
The report put the overall number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupation forces and paramilitary Jewish settlers since the onset of the Aqsa uprising six years ago at 4,234, including 1,945 in the West Bank, 2,193 in the Gaza Strip, 82 not registered and 14 in Israel proper.
The overall number of the injured is 57,369, including 32,379 in the West Bank, 15,555 in the Gaza Strip, 8,435 unregistered and 1,000 in Israel proper.
The Israeli B’tselem human rights organization put the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army over the past six years at 3,448, including 700 children and minors under the age of 18.
According to a B’tselem report issued on 10 June, 1,651 of the Palestinian victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time they were killed.
It is believed that of the estimated 1,000-1,100 Israelis killed by Palestinians during the same period, around 100 of them were children and minors.
Israeli sources put the number of Israelis injured by Palestinians at 6,000, the vast bulk of which are believed to have sustained minor injuries, including shock and mental trauma.
Most of the Israeli civilian casualties occurred as a result of suicidal (or martyrdom) operations inside Israel carried out by Palestinian human bombers.
Israeli leaders and spokesmen, seeking to maintain a higher moral ground vis-à-vis the Palestinians, insist—especially when talking to foreign media—that Israeli forces don’t deliberately target Palestinian civilians, especially children.
However, human rights organizations, including Israel’s B’tselem, argue that when civilian casualties are so numerous, intent becomes largely irrelevant.
Besides, Palestinian advocates argue that when ‘mistakes’ continue to happen nearly on a daily basis, it means they are policy.
6/29/2006
The Israeli occupation army and paramilitary Jewish settlers have killed 951 Palestinian children and minors and have injured in varied degrees 18,811 others since 28 September 2000 when the al-Aqsa intifada broke out, according to an official report issued Sunday, 25 June, by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The report is based on death certificates issued by Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which Palestinian health officials say assures its accuracy and reliability.
The largely statistical report which covers the period from 28 September 2001 to 20 June 2006 showed that 387 children and minors were killed in the West Bank while 564 others were killed in the Gaza Strip.
It also showed that numbers of children and minors killed by the Israeli army were particularly higher in the first years of the intifada with 187 killed between 28 September and 31 December 2000; 231 killed in 2001; 176 in 2002; and 180 in 2003.
In 2004, only 61 Palestinian children and minors were killed by the Israelis, and in 2005, the figure stood at 84.
So far this year, 32 Palestinian children and minors have been killed, according to the report. The numbers of the injured follow a similar pattern—high during the first three years of the intifada and then significantly lower since the start of 2004.
As to the age class of the victims, the report pointed out that 18 were 1 year or under; 42 between 1-4 years; 75 between 5-9 years; 255 between 10-14 years; and 561 between 15-18 years.
The report showed that of the injured, 11,937 were from the West Bank while the rest (or 6,874) were from the Gaza Strip. Of the total injured, at least 7.5% sustained permanent physical disabilities.
The report didn’t cover the psychological and mental damage sustained by children and minors.
Other studies, especially by the GazaCenter for Mental Health, presented staggering figures of children suffering from the psychological impact of the violence, with manifestations such as neurosis, depression, phobias, panic, and post-traumatic stress.
Furthermore, the report pointed out that 12 children and minors were killed by the Israeli army from 1 May to 20 June 2006, while 117 other children and minors were injured, some critically, during the same period.
Some of the high-profile killings of Palestinian children took place along the Gaza beach on 9 June when an Israeli artillery shell exterminated six member of the Ghalia family, including four children. Three more Gaza children were killed a few days later when an Israeli warplane fired an air-to-ground missile into a crowded street in downtown Gaza, killing nine people including at least three children.
All the figures cited in the report are of children and minors below the age of 18, according to Dr. Riyad Awad, head of the HealthInformationCenter, who prepared the report.
“I am ready and willing to answer any questions with regard to the report. I can tell you that the information contained in the report is 100% accurate,” Awad told Palestine Times.
The report put the overall number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupation forces and paramilitary Jewish settlers since the onset of the Aqsa uprising six years ago at 4,234, including 1,945 in the West Bank, 2,193 in the Gaza Strip, 82 not registered and 14 in Israel proper.
The overall number of the injured is 57,369, including 32,379 in the West Bank, 15,555 in the Gaza Strip, 8,435 unregistered and 1,000 in Israel proper.
The Israeli B’tselem human rights organization put the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army over the past six years at 3,448, including 700 children and minors under the age of 18.
According to a B’tselem report issued on 10 June, 1,651 of the Palestinian victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time they were killed.
It is believed that of the estimated 1,000-1,100 Israelis killed by Palestinians during the same period, around 100 of them were children and minors.
Israeli sources put the number of Israelis injured by Palestinians at 6,000, the vast bulk of which are believed to have sustained minor injuries, including shock and mental trauma.
Most of the Israeli civilian casualties occurred as a result of suicidal (or martyrdom) operations inside Israel carried out by Palestinian human bombers.
Israeli leaders and spokesmen, seeking to maintain a higher moral ground vis-à-vis the Palestinians, insist—especially when talking to foreign media—that Israeli forces don’t deliberately target Palestinian civilians, especially children.
However, human rights organizations, including Israel’s B’tselem, argue that when civilian casualties are so numerous, intent becomes largely irrelevant.
Besides, Palestinian advocates argue that when ‘mistakes’ continue to happen nearly on a daily basis, it means they are policy.
posted by Hanan Elbadry at 11:10 AM
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