Israel Matzav: Gaza schoolyard lie exposed

Gaza schoolyard lie exposed

Remember that Gaza schoolyard - run by UNRWA - in which 40 'innocent civilians' were allegedly killed by Israeli fire in January? If you follow that link, you will see that I was already questioning the UNRWA account the next day (as was the IDF). Soccer Dad blogs the IDF's final report on the incident.

337. The IDF's 'investigation of the incident found that, on 6 January 2009, an IDF force operating in the El-Attatra-Jabaliya area came under an effective barrage of 120mm mortars launched from a site about 3.5 km. from the force. The launching site was situated only 80 metres west of the UNRWA school. The mortar attack lasted for almost an hour, with one mortar being fired every few minutes. As reported in the media, local residents later confirmed that mortar fire was coming from the vicinity of the school.

338. Soon after the source of fire was detected, a scouting unit was dispatched to confirm the location. Approximately 50 minutes after the mortar attack had begun, two independent sources cross-verified the location of the mortars. Only subsequent to this, and after verification of a safety margin of at least 50 metres between the target (i.e., the identified source of mortar fire) and the UNRWA school, did the force respond to the ongoing barrage, by using the most accurate weapon available to it -- 120mm mortars. [In other words, the IDF risked its soldiers lives to send them into the school's vicinity to visually verify the source of the fire before they responded. And they continued to absorb the mortar fire for nearly an hour while waiting for that verification. CiJ]

339. The IDF force that was under attack fired four mortars, about 5-10 minutes after the cross-checked identification of the source of fire, and while Hamas mortars were still being fired towards the forces. The IDF response succeeded in stopping the Hamas mortar attack. Indeed, as a result of the response, five Hamas operatives were killed. The effectiveness of the mission in achieving its military objective is thus indisputable.

340. The IDF acted to defend the lives of soldiers under fire, in order to stop continuing mortar attack. The defensive action targeted an identified source of mortar fire which represented a concrete and immediate threat to the force. The IDF executed the responsive fire with as much precision as possible, given the available munitions. Indeed, the fact that all the Israeli shells landed outside the school grounds demonstrates the care Israel took not to hit the school itself, consistent with its obligations under the Law of Armed Conflict.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Gaza schoolyard lie exposed