18 Civilians Killed By Israeli Shells

Israel 'Regrets' Civilian Deaths, Hamas Ends Truce, Calls For Revenge Attacks Against U.S.

(CBS/AP)  An attack witnesses say came from an Israeli tank — reportedly misguided — has, according to Palestinian officials, killed 18 people from an extended family, wounding another 60 people.

The Wednesday attack in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun was followed by angry denunciations from the ruling Palestinian Hamas party, saying that Israel must "cease to exist."

"After this barbaric operation, Israel proved that it's not a humane state," Hamas government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said. "It's a state that believes in killing, and therefore this state should cease to exist."

"I saw people coming out of the house, bleeding and screaming. I carried out a young girl covered with blood," said 35-year-old Rahwi Hamad, a witness to the strike. "We saw legs, hands, parts of heads stuck to the wall. There was a smell of blood and the stench of burnt bodies."

A young man, standing in the bloodied alleyway, said an infant girl had been blown to pieces. "I tried to look for her head, I tried to look for her head," he shrieked, then sank to the ground, weeping.

Weeping relatives gathered outside the homes. One man dipped his hand in victims' blood and smeared it all over his face. "God avenge us, God avenge us," he wailed.

Khaled Radi, a health ministry official, said all the dead belonged to the al-Athamna family. About 60 people were wounded, including 26 children, the ministry said.

Both Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed regret at the loss of civilian life and offered humanitarian and medical assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli army said it had fired artillery at suspected rocket launching sites early Wednesday, but the targets were far from the apartment compound.

Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, head of Israel's southern command, told Channel 2 TV that the initial investigation showed that the target was about 500 yards from the apartment buildings.

"Our estimate is that it was something connected with the aiming devices, or the alignment, or the balance between them, or our radar's location of the shell hit... Our investigation is concentrating on these points," he said.

Israel's weeklong offensive in northern Gaza, which continued despite forces withdrawing from the area on Tuesday, has killed at least 60 Palestinians, most of them militants.

Hamas chief, Khaled Mashaal, said hours after the attack that Palestinian militants had abandoned their truce with Israel and would resume attacks on the Jewish state.

Meanwhile, Hamas' military wing changed its longtime focus on Israel as the sole target of attacks against perceived enemies of the Palestinian people, calling on Muslim supporters worldwide to wage attacks against American targets in retaliation for the United States' support of the Jewish state.

"America is offering political, financial and logistic cover for the Zionist occupation crimes, and it is responsible for the Beit Hanoun massacre. Therefore, the people and the nation all over the globe are required to teach the American enemy tough lessons," Hamas said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

While critical of the United States, Hamas has always focused its violent campaign of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli targets. Wednesday's threat signaled that the group is identifying with global Islamic extremist movements, such as al Qaeda.

Hamas' political wing, led by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, claims it is independent of the military wing. But the two entities both report to the group's secretive leadership, headquartered in Syria, and frequently coordinate with each other.

Hamad said the group had no intention of attacking American targets.

"Our battle is against the occupation on the Palestinian land. We have no interest to transfer the battle," he said, though he said America was indirectly responsible for Wednesday's bloodshed because of its support for Israel.

"We urge the Arab nation and the governments of the Arab countries to protest the world's silence and the American bias," he said.

The United States, like Israel, considers Hamas a terrorist group.

CBS News correspondent Robert Berger says the attack came after Palestinian rockets hit the major Israeli city of Ashkelon, though Israel said it does not deliberately target civilians.

"The Israeli operation throughout the Gaza Strip will continue as long as Qassam rockets land in Israel, as long as the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip continues, as long as the Hamas government chooses for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to continuously provoke Israel," Eisin said.

The European Union's Executive Office called the Wednesday strike "profoundly shocking."

"The killing this morning of so many civilians in Gaza, including many children, is a profoundly shocking event," said E.U. External relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

"Israel has a right to defend itself, but not at the price of the lives of the innocent," she said in a written statement.

[titocordero]

To Grazinggoat

You're still an idiot.

[grazinggoat]

I'm impressed, Cocorico, by your persistance and thourough search for details. You look only at the tree without looking at the forest, as you took so much energy to teach to me how to spell jewish. Flagrant Lack of global vision. That confirms my assessment of a$$hole for you.

[titocordero]

Grazinggoat, when you called me a wise man the body of your comment seemed to suggest the oppsoite. See that's what's wrong with you hipocrites. You think people are dumb. Furthermore Jewish is spelled J-E-W-I-S-H and not J-E-W-S-I-H. The way you spelled it. If you're going to post a comment in the American media learn how to spell first.

Alex818 I don't know where in my comment did you read even an implication that I equate Arabian people with fanatical Muslims or Jewish people with Zion. Did you even read my comment or are you just jumping on Grazingoats bandwagon 'cause you did not agree with my comment. You and Grazingoat give off the impression that you wake up in a new world everyday. I think the one that needs to do the research is you Alex18. When I mentioned and I quote "This age old hatred against the jewish people" that's exactly what I meant, 'cause when the suicide murderers strap on a bomb and get on a bus or enter a busy shopping plaza it's not the Zionist goverment standing beside them when they yell god is great and detonate those explosives it's innocent jewish and arabian woman, children and civilians who are getting killed. Sad to say but whatever honor there is in their cause pales by their extremely careless methods in trying to bring that cause into fruition. By continuing on this path the only thing they are going to bring is the end of the world and if you and Grazinggoat don't see this then your ignorant and I'm telling you so....

[grazinggoat]

sunstar7
How did Israel recognize Hamas (a democratically elected government)? Is it by strangulating it, not transferring the Palestinian taxes and knocking it off, by cutting the relationship, with the Palestinian Authority? Is it by imprisoning the government members and killing (assassinating) its leaders? All under close recommendations and complicity of our beloved GWalking-LiarBush...

[grazinggoat]

titocordero,

First I recall my calling you a wise person, you're just an a$$hole because you seem not to have any respect to others' opinion and try to diminish them... Second, I re-invite you to read more about the conflict that has gone through since the last establishement of the State of Israel. Not before. Because before this event, it used to be a peaceful land and JEWSIH, MOSLEM and CHRISTIAN PALESTINIANS were living altogether and marriages were occuring between the three religions very peacefully. Hamas or whatever the power in place have never sought the destruction of JEWS.

The ones who have bashed and KILLED the six million Jews (6,000,000) were the Peaceful modern CHRISTIANS in the middle of EUROPE (who now are preventing TURKEY from joining in, just because they are moslem).

Remind you also that he who is taking the other's land here happens to be Israel, by practicing the most condemned practices in United Nations (Ethnic cleansing, Wall erecting, civilian killing (and then they regret... maybe should they compensate) (look at the pictures in this report)

[alex818-2009]

TO titocordero you talk about the arabs as evil peope who just want to kill the jews. another thing is it hasnt been for hundreds of years that arabs didnt like the jews. its not even about that why dont you do some research and find out who they really hate.Its the zionists, it gives a bad name to te jews when the jews dont even like the zionists. read more into it. you say that the arabs did this to themselves, are you stupid do you even know how they came into power of what they did to them . they are the real terrorists . i want you to go on you tube and look at all the jews against the zionist state of isreal and you tell me what you think. People open your eyes its a holy place for christians, jews, and muslims. and people that are from other countries cant come and visit only if your last name is schwartz or james . ive tried visiting jerusalem but they didnt let me for the fact that my dad is syrian.im half syrian and half mexican. so i see how the world is corrupted in these corporations and the greed of these corps. im tired of it and it needs to be stoped before it gets out of hand.

[titocordero]

You seem to have the mentality of a goat if you can't see the hipocrisy. These people claim to want peace with Israel while exclaiming to the world that Israel needs to be wiped off the map. There's nothing heroic about what's happening in the middle east. Where's the heroism in blowing yourself up, intentionally taking inncoent lives with you in the belief that a god will reward you with heaven. Their poverty and misery is of their own doing. There are plenty of wealthy Islamic countries that can lend a better hand to their so called brothers but they choose not to just to have an object and justify this age old hatred against the Jewish people.
So you can sit there and write fantastic phrases such as "Barbaric Israeli bombardment" to describe the Israeli reaction to the Palestinian Terrorist cowards strikes against them...because let me tell you that what the Israelis are doing is in retaliation to the Palestinian provocation. It does not take a rocket scientist or first hand knowlege to know what these people (Hamas) are after. The total destruction of the Zionist nation. Again and I want you to understand this that innocent loss of life is hard to accept but it becomes truly eveil when that innocent loss of life is totally intentional........So I say to you my goatminded friend why don't you crack a book and find out why the Palestinian people are in the situation their in.

[wolf563]

The Jews have been fighting for freedom for a long long time . STOP FIREING ROCKETS AT THEM AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS . Hamas the instigater ,trouble maker, liers, cheets, Hide behind children to do there dirty work . Perhaps THE OVENS where used on the wrong ones

[kcstan11]

I thought that the JEW SOB's did not target civilians? The UN gave them Israel ... maybe it's time that the UN takes it back from them and ... suddenly PEACE breaks out in the middle-East. Then ALL people get access to the Palestinian Holyland, the way it was prior to 1948.

[ayyash-2009]

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/312/5/a/no_comment_by_islamicboy.jpg

see this pic :(
and no comment

[ayyash-2009]

"You people dont see the real picture, they civilians are the fighters there fighting for there own freedom"

yes Alex
first thing I don't realize that u beleive the israeles in what they said
our palestinian people didn't have any thing to fight but some rocks and hand-made rockets
they didn't start the fight .. but the occubation and israeli emperialism began
For us as Arab .. we beleive in fighting for our freedom even death
We will not leave our land,rights and holy mosques and remains in the israeli hands
We are sure that our war isn't against America or american people
our war Against our anime .. those who stole every thing we have in palestine
please try to have some justice and don't beleive all what media and press show
:) finally I greated this community and CBS and say - the islamic greting -
al salam 3alaykom
or
peace be upon you

[sunstar7-2009]

I am commenting because unlike you I have information outside the media. I have been to Israel twice and listened to both Arab and Jewish civilians.

The media does not give a complete view of the story and is often biased. For example, in this story it is not mentioned until the very end that this attack by Israel was a RESPONSE to Qassam rockets fired into a major city in Israel. Who really attacked whom? Also, I learned in Israel that it is well documented that Hamas frequently uses civilian sites for the firing of rockets, violating international law. Second, I learned the firing of Qassam rockets into Israel is so frequent that Israeli school children have real rocket drills. Would you like your children constantly ducking under their desks wondering if this one will hit their school? Stop the moral equivalency. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel at all and consistently targets Israeli civilians. Israel recognizes Hamas and has showed willingness to pursue the peace process (Oslo Accords). Israel as a sovereign nation has the right to defend itself against attack - a right recognized by the international community. Hamas on the other hand is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the US.

Let us not forget that this recognized terrorist group has now "called on Muslim supporters worldwide to wage attacks against American targets." Unless you want this problem on your door step, I suggest you consider carefully who you condemn and who you support!

[sunstar7-2009]

I am commenting because unlike you I have information outside the media. I have been to Israel twice and listened to both Arab and Jewish civilians.

The media does not give a complete view of the story and is often biased. For example, in this story it is not mentioned until the very end that this attack by Israel was a RESPONSE to Qassam rockets fired into a major city in Israel. Who really attacked whom? Also, I learned in Israel that it is well documented that Hamas frequently uses civilian sites for the firing of rockets, violating international law. Second, I learned the firing of Qassam rockets into Israel is so frequent that Israeli school children have real rocket drills. Would you like your children constantly ducking under their desks wondering if this one will hit their school? Stop the moral equivalency. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel at all and consistently targets Israeli civilians. Israel recognizes Hamas and has showed willingness to pursue the peace process (Oslo Accords). Israel as a sovereign nation has the right to defend itself against attack - a right recognized by the international community. Hamas on the other hand is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the US.

Let us not forget that this recognized terrorist group has now "called on Muslim supporters worldwide to wage attacks against American targets." Unless you want this problem on your door step, I suggest you consider carefully who you condemn and who you support!

[esmehcb]

To Anyone thinking of posting an opinion:

Don't.

You (like me) do not have access to all the facts, you have not carefully studied the history, you can not even name the top five leadership figures in the two camps fighting eachother, you have absolutely no idea what the true day to day political motivations of the groups are let alone the other actors in the conflict and their sub groups... the only information you have is what the media
It is maybe painful to admit but you actually don't have an accurate understanding of most of what happens in your world...
Such issues like most others can only be properly commented on by impartial informed representative institutions.
we currently have no such institutions. Our founding fathers didn't think to create randomly selected citizen juries to spend time studying important issues (say one jury of 30 for each department a few for international affairs) with the power to gather ALL the relevant facts and opinions and comeup with a unanumous summary opinion which the rest of us can read in three minutes and know that this is probably what we would have said had we had access to all the information and spent time on it.

Such an institution would have no power. Just the ability to tell us what an average informed and fair person would have said.

After Reading this... have a look at the next news story and ask yourself, don't you wish you could have read the opinion of such a jury at the end of that article?

[jimc52]

Having read both sides here, I am disgusted. Both Jews and Arabs have lived together in peace before...and can again...if you can find it in both your hearts to listen 1). To the Torah and 2). To the Koran. You both know Abraham is your common ancestor. There is only One God whose name is both Yahweh and Allah. What ever happened to "Love thy neighbor as thyself?" Does God again have to teach you both how to act like human beings? Look at yourselves! Such a sorry lot, both of you! I tell you this, God is disgusted with you both. God is disappointed that even after 5000 years, you have not learned the one principle that God asks of you: LOVE ONE ANOTHER! There is no one more special than another and every single one of you, Jew and Arab, is just as special. Let this be a warning to you both...God is Witness to your hearts, your minds, your thoughts and your deeds. No evil deed shall go unrecorded.

[kailumego1]

Alexis818, it takes people like you to enlighten the rest of us about this historical context, in which our media has surreptitiously chosen to omit.

Unfortunately, we hear only one side, however, the real issue is "terrorism" and how radical fundamentalist groups are jeopardizing the freedom and democracy of the world.

And it doesn%u2019t matter if it is Arab or Israeli, to wantonly attack another group because of religious or cultural differences is insane.

People have a right to worship or practice their own unique individuality, whether it is cultural or religious beliefs, without the usurpation of power or molestation of others.

Religion is supposed to emanate peace and love not violence and atrocities, or else that religious belief needs an %u201Coversight%u201D.

I don%u2019t live in this region and could probably never understand the sentiment, however, as a lover of humanity, I don%u2019t like seeing men, women and children%u2019s bodies carried out in body bags, because of intolerance and bigotry.

It saddens me to see any human tragedy, and that goes for Israelis and Palestinians.

[kailumego1]

First, excellent poem rudyh4, it's a pity, a real pity, that life between neighbors has to be reduced to vehemence, intolerance, and wanton, savage acts of violence.

Unfortunately, this feud has been longstanding, for millenniums, over cultural and religious differences.

It%u2019s a double shame that innocent lives on both sides have become collateral damage, of this madness.

When I first saw the news report I shook my head in disbelief, this was an act of terrorism, plan and sim[ple]. How can any rational and sane human being viciously attack innocent people, without any remorse or afterthought, on both sides?

[kailumego1]

This war between the Israelis and Palestinians, is like the longstanding feud between the Hatfield and McCoy%u2019s, however, the unfortunate, innocent men, women and children have been and continue to be caught in the middle of this insanity.

What is wrong with this picture?

God created all mankind, and, notwithstanding, the argument made by some, he doesn%u2019t have favorites, we are all a part of his creation.

And no decent human being can watch this savage attack on humanity and feel absolutely nothing behind it.

A mere I%u2019m sorry doesn%u2019t cut it, a family has just been wiped out, and I don%u2019t care what insults or ridiculous comments Khaled Mashaal, as wanting Israel to vanish from existence, doesn%u2019t justify killing those innocent civilians.

They are all terrorists those who initiate and those who act out of revenge or retaliation.
Eighteen people were viciously murdered and sixty wounded, maimed body parts scattered and smeared on the walls, this should be enough the turn the stomach of anybody.

THIS IS INSANE!!!!!

[aleajenna]

To Yaffael

Let me guess, you're a zionist. A cancer that needs radiation.

Yoor tribe will never sleep soundly.

[yaffaeli]

puh leez every time the arabs go out its with the specific intent of KILLING yes killing innocent children and woman. HOw dare they cry foul now