Oops!

An appropriate disclaimer for Gaza children: Don't play near rocket launchers, you could get hurt (or killed).

Apparently those three kids WEREN'T connected at all to terrorists, and were just frolicking near an area where Qassams are launched. And in typical Israeli fashion, anything around is obliterated, including innocent civilians.

"...[T]he probe, which was launched immediately after the incident, determined that the children were playing tag near the launchers, as revealed by army footage recording the incident. The video reportedly shows the children - who appear as figures whose age cannot be determined - approaching the launchers and then moving back, in a way that could be seen as suggesting that they were loading the launchers with rockets."

Tag. The IDF declared you 'it'. But the Haaretz contradicts itself:

"The video does show one of the figures to be a child, army sources said, but this happened so close to the moment of impact that the troops were unable to abort in time."

Didn't they just conclude that the ages could not be determined? And yet an army source indicates that one of the figures is a child.

A peak into the comments is one that is ghastly. Here we have Gili from Montreal:

"IDF were acting based on the best information available to them. Beyond that there is no one to blame by [sic] the terrorists who cynically use children as human shields for their attacks."

No one to blame? I seem to recall that children were killed not by "terrorists" but by Israeli soldiers. Oh, and that human shield chicanery is getting old. Let's make some breaking news for you Gili, the IDF is not absolved from such a accusation either. Is there a moral equivalence for this odious act of terrorism? Does that mean Israel are terrorists too?

Hausman from Sussex cannot be outdone:

"No one but Hamas is to be blamed for what happen. They went out of their way to put launchers near where children were playing."

Hamas determines where children play now? Stretching their power a bit there. Not even the most ardent Islamofascist could control such a thing. Children play wherever and whenever. I wonder if Hausman ever had a kid? Or even knew one. Or better yet, if he knew how densely populated the Gaza Strip is lately. I shall post a rebuttal from another commenter:

"They cannot play near their houses because the IAF might hit a car passing by, and they cannot play on the streets because hamas and fatah militants might shoot them.. and god they cannot play in a park or a playground because there isn`t any. Why is anybody surprised they grow up to be terrorists?"

Thanks Yasir from Canada.

The cake has to go to Dan from Haifa. Let's indulge ourselves shall we.

"Three young Palestinian cousins were killed on Wednesday in northern Gaza when Hamas fired rockets at innocent Israelis across the border, operating from within Palestinian community in the vicinity of children.

The practice of firing rockets and operating in civilian areas has been a great asset for Hamas in its terror war against Israel. Although using civilians as human shields is defined as a war crime, Hamas is happy to create a moral nightmare to a humane army such as the IDF. For Hamas, any Palestinian that is killed is used as a great propaganda tool. Furthermore, Hamas is known to fake and stage fictitious stories and `evidence` in order to blame Israel of killing innocent civilians.

The irony, of course, is that Hamas has murdered intentionally more Palestinian civilians in one month than Israel unintentionally in 5 years."

Where do these people come from? (Israel) A "humane army"? Let's retool here for a moment. "For Israel, any Israeli that is killed is used as a great propaganda tool." Way to go Einstein, think these up yourself? In any conflict, whether it be American, Afghani, Iraqi, Sudanese, Somali, Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, etc., THEY ALL USE CASAULTIES to help their cause. What better fuel is it than seeing people being slaughtered by your enemy?

I know these are only on the comments section but there is no hint of a source. Unlike myself, who loves sources, I do well to dispell the myth that our friend Dan here concocts. (I'm sorry, I still can't stop scratching my head at the "humane army".)

Of course, I consulted B'Tselem for some eye opening statistics on casaulties. Nevermind the notion that he leaves out the part when Israel INTENTIONALLY murder Palestinian civilians. That's just a slight omission isn't it? The Palestinians are the only ones capable of targeting civilians. Not for the "humane army". How could someone make such a claim though? Just a brief look at the B'Tselem table and the number is so heavily one on side that this distinction is too stupid to contemplate.

Dan has got it so wrong. B'Tselem adds up 189 casaulties by Israel just THIS YEAR! The list is extensive of how they were killed. But last year had the number at 656! I wonder if he could distinguish which ones the IDF did not "intentionally" murder?

Whereas for the Hamas? B'Tselem does distinguish who were killed. But the highest number for one month is at 160. Israel already has 189 for this year. What would be the point of adding up another four years of IDF massacres? It would dwarf the number of 160. And how many could be attributed to Hamas alone? Wasn't Fatah part of that civil war in the Gaza Strip also? Weren't they also responsible for some deaths? So that number could be even LOWER.

This guy just strikes my heart. Atilla Karagozoglu manages to fit Iran into the picture:

"I WİLL DESTROY ISRAEL??? I WİLL NUKE ISRAEL??? SUCH A DEVILS THEY ARE???
OHHHHHWOOOOOOYUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. WHY I NEVER HEAR ANY PEACE TALKINGS FOR PEACE?

HE WANTS TO BE HERO? CARTOON HERO. OLIVER STONE WILL MAKE HIS MOVIE??? CARTOOON HERO.

IRANINANS WONT BRING ANY HERO.

NO WAY. HERO ONLY CAN COME WITH US."

Now how annoying was that? Yeah, he will nuke Israel. It's still not proven they have an nuke at all. Who has the nuke again? Ahhhh. It's the other country starting with an I: Israel, who is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The only cartoons that they depict are ones posted by fucking Danish newspapers.

Talking peace is one thing, actively seeking it is another. Theatre to placate the masses will not fool us forever.

Tosefta from Tveria:

"Tragic accidents such as the present one easily happen in today`s situation. But the IDF probably understands its mistaken MO by now. If the launchers have little value, why should the terrorists even risk themselves to retrieve them. The Qassam rocket itself is much larger than the launcher so it can be seen from the air even better than the launcher. The IDF should only hit people who are next to Qassams, not next to the launcher after the fact."

Maybe those Qassam rockets aren't so expendable if they are trying to retreive them.

The IDF does understand the mistake through a public relations perspective: in the overall grand scheme of usurpation of 100 % of Palestine, it's all part and parcel of the bigger picture. They may have admitted their folly this time around, only perhaps through intense pressure from the international community, or in fear of a backlash from human rights organisations. But there will be no accountability. It has been stated before, the IDF has impugnity in the Gaza Strip, thanks to the Sharon "disengagement".

Policing those Qassams is a lost cause until Israel engages with Hamas, or relinquishes the occupation, or maybe not even to that extent. Perhaps some relief might slow down the desperate fire from those who are humiliated hourly, aka opening up the Rafah border or cease the embargo and let people live their lives as normal (in the Gaza Strip). Addressing the ROOT causes of why they are pissed off might help ease the pain instead of the perpetual violence that riddles this conflict. But that can only happen if Israelis want to give up anything for genuine peace, not phony dententes that enable Israel to encroach more land in the West Bank.