PARIS — The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it had discovered shocking scenes — including small children next to their mothers corpses — when its representatives gained access for the first time to parts of Gaza battered by Israeli shelling. It accused Israel of failing to meet obligations to care for the wounded in areas of combat.
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U.N. and Red Cross Add to Mounting Outcry on Gaza War (January 9, 2009) In response, the Israeli military did not comment directly on the allegation. In a statement, it accused Hamas, its foe in Gaza, of deliberately using Palestinian civilians as human shields and said the Israeli Army works in close cooperation with international aid organizations during the fighting so that civilians can be provided with assistance.
The Israeli military in no way intentionally targets civilians and has demonstrated its willingness to abort operations to save civilian lives and to risk injury in order to assist innocent civilians, the statement said, promising that any serious allegation would need to be investigated properly, once such a complaint is received formally, within the constraints of the current military operation.
In an unusually blunt criticism, the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross said it had been seeking access to shell-damaged areas in Zeitoun in the east of Gaza City since Saturday but the Israeli authorities granted permission only on Wednesday — the first day that Israel allowed a three-hour lull in the attacks on Gaza on humanitarian grounds.
The statement said a team of four Palestine Red Crescent ambulances accompanied by Red Cross representatives made its way to Zeitoun Wednesday where it found four small children next to their dead mothers in one of the houses. They were too weak to stand up on their own. One man was also found alive, too weak to stand up. In all, there were at least 12 corpses lying on mattresses.
In another house, the statement said, the rescue team found 15 other survivors of this attack including several wounded. In yet another house, they found an additional three corpses. Israeli soldiers posted at a military position some 80 meters away from this house ordered the rescue team to leave the area which they refused to do. There were several other positions of the Israeli Defense Forces nearby as well as two tanks.
Because of berms built by Israeli forces, the ambulances could not enter the area so the children and the wounded had to be taken to the ambulances on a donkey cart, the statement said.
The statement quoted Pierre Wettach, an International Red Cross representative for Israel and the Palestinian areas, as calling the incident shocking.
The Israeli military must have been aware of the situation but did not assist the wounded. Neither did they make it possible for us or the Palestine Red Crescent to assist the wounded, he was quoted as saying.
The statement said the international Red Cross believes that in this instance the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded. It considers the delay in allowing rescue services access unacceptable
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Cease fire? You make Hamas leaders laugh. In fact, they regard their only victory until now as the large civilians killed by Israel and the ability to cause more dead by their survival. Obviously those are murderers creatures that sees themselves as representative of God upon Gaza soil will not regard their own people lives as a factor in Gods will. And: The good people of Gaza has the responsibility to act on behalf of themselves. Throw the Hamas out.
shaylubi 3 years ago
Pray for all the Children, Christians and the Jewish people.
Also pray for all the ungodly Heathens to Repent.
They that support Israel will be blessed by God.
Israel is blessed by God above all other countries.
Men have no power but that which is given them by God.
The compassion and mercy of god is not the same as mans.
God is preparing Israel for the day of the coming of Jesus Christ.
Note:
Muhammad child molester: watch?v=tHJaLzpI3Ao
Islam child sex: watch?v=HjFYBKokFgM
Nhgube 3 years ago