Israel Kills 12

In retaliation for the death of six IDF soldiers earlier this week, Israeli soldiers not only destroyed homes and streets within the neighborhood of Zeitoun, they refused to allow rescue workers, aid, and journalists into the area:

In the Rafah refugee camp, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, at least 12 Palestinians were killed and scores wounded as troops searched for the remains of five soldiers blown up by Palestinian fighters. The bodies were ripped apart and spread across a wide area.

Israel closed internal checkpoints, leaving thousands of Palestinians stranded and making it impossible for aid workers and journalists in Gaza to assess the effect of the Israeli incursion in Rafah. Journalists were refused permission to enter the Gaza Strip.

The remains of six soldiers killed in Gaza City on Tuesday were returned to Israel under an agreement brokered by Egypt.

Now before we dismiss this as business-as-usual, let’s take a look at the real damage:

Paul McCann, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said that in 48 hours in Zeitoun, 15 people had been killed and 226 injured. Sixteen families had been made homeless and a further 32 families had had their homes damaged. He said it was not yet possible to asses the damage in Rafah.

The question now remains as before. Why does the IDF continue to punish Palestinian civilians for the acts of Islamic terrorists? At best, the Israelis are being sloppy. At worst (and this is more than likely the case), the Israelis really don’t care. A terrorist is a Palestinian is a terrorist after all. . .