Israel is investigating the deaths of four children in the Gaza Strip which have been attributed to their air strikes, of which pictures are quickly spreading.
But Israel is clear that if these deaths were caused by Israeli air strikes, it is the fault of Hamas for using Palestinians as human shields:
ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS – IDF Spokesman, Brigadier General Moti Almoz addressed reports of four Palestinian Arab children being killed in an IAF airstrike on Wednesday, noting that the accidental deaths were the result of Hamas using civilians as human shields.
“Hamas is hiding among civilians targets,” Almoz said, on Channel 2. “Hamas continues to make cynical use of civilian casualties and we will continue to operate within a civilian environment.”
The IDF is still conducting an internal investigation on the reports.
If true, he said, “the fact that uninvolved civilians were killed is a tragic event. It is important to remember the cynical use of civilians by Hamas in Gaza, which holds them hostage by encouraging them to stay in the line of fire as Israel take out terrorist targets.”
“As demonstrated numerous times in recent days, the IDF has no intention to harm civilians caught in the reality of fighting between Israel and Hamas,” he continued.
Because of these deaths, the UN has asked for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire from both Israel and Hamas. Israel has agreed to it, Hamas has not:
YNET – After an incident in which four children were killed on a beach in Gaza, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, asked Israel for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Defense ministry sources said Israel was expected to accept the request, which has been also been made during previous operations. Israel will most likely cease fire for five hours on Thursday between 10 am and 3 pm. Hamas has yet to announce its intentions for the humanitarian ceasefire.
Defense ministry officials said that the ceasefire as not only for humanitarian needs, but also for the residents of the Gaza Strip to see the massive destruction wrought by the IDF strikes.
You can read the details on the four children at the Ynet link above. But because Hamas has intentionally chosen to use their people as human shields and told them not to evacuate areas where Israel is conducting bombing campaigns, I’ve decided not to post the ’emotional details’ here.
These deaths, however tragic, are the fault of Hamas and we will not be a part of their propaganda campaign here.