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Last update - 18:52 03/03/2008
Rights Group: More than 50% of Gaza casualties weren't militants
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Gaza Strip, B'tselem, IDF

The human rights organization B'Tselem on Monday said in a statement that more than half of the Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip in Israel Defense Forces operations in recent days did not take an active part in the fighting. This statement came after the IDF Chief of Staff issued a statement saying that 90 percent of those killed were in fact armed militants.

In their statement, B'Tselem outlined a string of incidents in which IDF allegedly killed innocent bystanders in the course of military operations aimed at battling the escalating rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.

According to data gathered by B'Tselem, 106 Palestinians were killed between February 27 and march 3. Fifty four of them were civilians who didn't take part in the fighting, and 25 were under 18, the statement said.
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The human rights group cites as an example an incident that occurred on Thursday, in which four children were killed and two others were wounded in an Israel Air Force strike targeting rocket launchers. The children had been playing soccer in a street east of the Jabaliya refugee camp. The organization's inquiry into the incident revealed that the Qassam launcher may have been situated 100 meters from the site of the strike, and no militants were harmed in the strike.

Another incident cited by B'Tselem is the death of a brother and sister aged 16 and 17 while they were watching the violence from the window of their home east of Jabaliya. According to witnesses, the two were shot in the head and the chest.

B'Tselem expressed concern over the high number of civilians, especially children, who have been killed recently in the Gaza Strip. "Israel has a right to defend its citizens from rockets, which are in themselves a war crime, and it is what it must do," the organization wrote. "Israel must do so within the confines of the law, which must conform to the criteria of differentiation and proportionality as defined by international humanitarian law."
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  1.   Why the `rights groups` just don`t get it. 19:01  |  Mark 03/03/08
  2.   according to the IDF every Palestinian is a militant by default 19:05  |  Leona 03/03/08
  3.   so what? to *harbor* `militants` is to *be* `miltants`. 19:08  |  frenz 03/03/08
  4.   B`Tselem - people you can trust - :) 19:16  |  17 03/03/08
  5.   Quislings 19:16  |  Joshua 03/03/08
  6.   How can this be right 19:25  |  Jim 03/03/08
  7.   B`Tselem are fools. Hamas is firing behind civilians 19:29  |  Ken Jurist 03/03/08
  8.   and israelis victims 19:44  |  victor sondos 03/03/08
  9.   GOD BLESS B`TSELEM AND ITS WORK 19:45  |  JH 03/03/08
  10.   B`tselem report 19:49  |  kevin Morrow 03/03/08
  11.   To B`tselem. Please explain 19:51  |  Altalena 03/03/08
  12.   Children 19:53  |  Alfred 03/03/08
  13.   B`Tselem`s rules of "gunmen" 19:54  |  William 03/03/08
  14.   B`Tseleem bunch of incipid grannies 19:58  |  Adrian de Klerk 03/03/08
  15.   Really makes no difference. Learn from US in WWII. 20:06  |  common sense 03/03/08
  16.   civilians by day.... 20:09  |  alan 03/03/08
  17.   Guilty as charged 20:12  |  Miche Norman 03/03/08
  18.   B`Tselem 20:14  |  Fredy Ross 03/03/08
  19.   Insanity 20:16  |  shai 03/03/08
  20.   Do any B`tselem live in Sderot? 20:17  |  Aaron Kinsberg 03/03/08
  21.   Who knew?Sun Tzu that`s who knew. 20:19  |  Gideon Reader 03/03/08
  22.   Btselem traitors 20:19  |  David 03/03/08
  23.   12 women and 22 children dead out of 116 20:27  |  Michael 03/03/08
  24.   insulting B`Tselem 20:28  |  bingbong 03/03/08
  25.   It does not matter what they say 20:34  |  Kris 03/03/08
  26.   Guess what, 100% of Israeli casualties from Qassams are civilians 20:37  |  Cynic 03/03/08
  27.   where is the proof 20:37  |  Seth J. Frantzman 03/03/08
  28.   Who Cares 20:38  |  Ron 03/03/08
  29.   B`tselem 20:41  |  MaryRose 03/03/08
  30.   B`tselem says you must lay down and die Israel 20:45  |  MaryRose 03/03/08
  31.   100% of Sederot victims weren`t militants 20:47  |  Burned Liberal 03/03/08
  32.   surprise surprise 20:48  |  phil 03/03/08
  33.   Rights Group 20:49  |  Oleg 03/03/08
  34.   where is the proof 21:02  |  Moe 03/03/08
  35.   B`Tselem must know a Hamas with and without a weapon 21:02  |  Shepherd 03/03/08
  36.   "Official" figures of Hamas NOT lies? 21:03  |  GZLives 03/03/08
  37.   "the screams of traitor, quisling etc..." 21:06  |  GZLives 03/03/08
  38.   Clickdick 21:06  |  Oleg 03/03/08
  39.   people watching gunfight from window as a show? 21:07  |  Mark 03/03/08
  40.   OK, so does this confirm that Israel targeted rocket launchers? 21:07  |  David 03/03/08
  41.   I wouldn`t believe the IDF for one nano-second in a millenium 21:08  |  Chalanau, Tova 03/03/08
  42.   #18, Kris, did you read? Hamas comitting war crimes, not Israel 21:10  |  David 03/03/08
  43.   civilians 21:21  |  marc 03/03/08
  44.   Criminals and baby killers 21:24  |  M.O. 03/03/08
  45.   Im an Israeli citizen But very Ashamed! 21:26  |  we breed hatred. 03/03/08
  46.   If 60 years ago B` Tselem would have "ruled" Israel....... 21:27  |  Swiss (Dino) 03/03/08
  47.   They HIDE among civilians! 21:40  |  Mike 03/03/08
  48.   "did not take an active part in the fighting" 21:49  |  Weasel Radar 03/03/08
  49.   The intent of killing 21:53  |  Sam 03/03/08
  50.   Shoot the messenger 21:56  |  Aaron Levitt 03/03/08
  51.   This is to be expected, but is unfortunate 21:57  |  Shlomo 03/03/08
  52.   Fighters when alive suddenly become civilians after they`re dead 22:01  |  McQueen 03/03/08
  53.   civilian casualties: blame Hamas terrorists 22:01  |  notsurprised 03/03/08
  54.   Perfidy 22:02  |  MaryRose 03/03/08
  55.   Proportionate response 22:18  |  Gilbert Held 03/03/08
  56.   27 M.O.you forgot to add that our heroes turned & ran when they 22:18  |  lakshmi 03/03/08
  57.   my theory 22:20  |  vik 03/03/08
  58.   B`Tselem 22:20  |  Dan 03/03/08
  59.   B`tselem 22:37  |  Reuven 03/03/08
  60.   Palestinians terrorists violate Internat.Humanit.Law 22:39  |  sam 03/03/08
  61.   50% non-militant 22:41  |  shimon Apisdorf 03/03/08
  62.   The hypocracy of btselem 22:43  |  Adrian de Klerk 03/03/08
  63.   So B`Sheker is embedded with Hamas and knows everything 22:56  |  Genuine Tosefta 03/03/08
  64.   michael in the uk "i`d be amazed if among all the chaos and 23:12  |  terrornator 03/03/08
  65.   So B`Sheker is embedded with Hamas and knows everything 23:14  |  Genuine Tosefta 03/03/08
  66.   So B`Sheker is embedded with Hamas and knows everything 23:15  |  Genuine Tosefta 03/03/08
  67.   So B`Sheker is embedded with Hamas and knows everything 23:15  |  Genuine Tosefta 03/03/08
  68.   So B`Sheker is embedded with Hamas and knows everything 23:17  |  Genuine Tosefta 03/03/08
  69.   betsalem and pure gobbledegook 23:17  |  v hardman 03/03/08
  70.   DOES B`TSELEM REALLY EXIST? 23:22  |  VICTIMSofARAB TERROR 03/03/08
  71.   i bet any palestinian that died of natural causes,car wrecks, 23:25  |  terrornator 03/03/08
  72.   B`Tselem 23:28  |  Dan 03/03/08
  73.