Gaza News: Where Is It?
On Tuesday, a misfired rocket hit the home of a Palestinian family in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. The family’s 6-year-old son was killed by shrapnel, while other Palestinian civilians, including five children, were wounded. They included the wife and four children of former Palestinian Minister and PLC member, Hisham Abdel Raziq who were visiting at the time.
The incident did not make headlines. There were no editorials excoriating the perpetrators. In fact, the event received only passing mention in most of the Western media. Why? Because the rocket was fired by Palestinians.
Had an Israeli counter-terrorism operation in the Gaza Strip accidentally killed a Palestinian child and wounded 10 other people, including five children, especially from the family of a cabinet member, it very likely would have been a prominent news story spurring editorials critical of Israel. But inadvertent killings by Palestinian terrorists targeting civilians within Israel are deemed less newsworthy.
Other recent Palestinian attacks went similarly underreported. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR):
This incident came less than 24 hours following a similar incident, when a rocket hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 22:15 on Monday, 1 August 2005, a home-made rocket went astray and hit the reception department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, damaging the water network and the solar energy system.
And from Reuters AlertNet:
On August 3, a bomb exploded at the Gaza City home of the PA’s chief justice, Zahir al-Surani. It caused no casualties.
And:
On Monday, Attorney-General Hussein Abu Asi was unhurt in an explosion which ripped off the door to his house in Gaza City and damaged an outer wall.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights condemned the acts, particularly the “repeated mistakes” resulting in Palestinian deaths. Invoking international law regarding protection of civilians, the human rights group called upon Palestinian “resistance groups”–- not to stop their targeting of Israeli civilians — but merely to refrain from launching attacks in areas where Palestinian civilians could be hurt.
PCHR strongly condemns such acts and remains gravely concerned at repeated mistakes in firing those rockets hitting civilian areas and endangering civilians. PCHR also reminds the Palestinian resistance groups of their responsibilities with regard to protection of civilians in keeping with international law, and calls on them to abstain from launching any military activities from inside or near civilian areas.
(Hat tip: David Krusch)
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