How satisfying it is to see Israel’s claims about Hamas deliberately storing weapons in residential areas is now being backed up by the Palestinians themselves – to wit, 133 Palestinian NGOs who have denounced this dangerous and cruel practice by Hamas. The story is here: “Palestinians accuse Hamas of storing weapons in residential areas,” by Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, July 24, 2021:
Palestinian factions and human rights organizations have called on Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to stop storing weapons in residential areas following another explosion that killed one person and injured 14 others on Thursday [July 21].
They also demanded a thorough investigation into the explosion in order to hold those responsible accountable.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip said that the explosion took place in a warehouse used by Hamas for storing weapons.
The “warehouse” was, in fact, an ordinary three-story residential house in the Al-Zawiya market area in the middle of Gaza City. Scores of civilians would have been in and around the house at all times.
Hamas said it has launched an investigation into the explosion, but has not provided any details….
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza views the explosion incident with grave seriousness, as there have been repeated incidents of internal explosions in houses in overcrowded residential neighborhoods for various reasons in the past, which resulted in the killing of a number of civilians and the destruction of homes and public and private properties,” the statement read.
From the Palestinian horse’s mouth: “there have been repeated incidents of internal explosions in houses in overcrowded residential neighborhoods” which “resulted in the killing of a number of civilians.” This was not the first such explosion of a Hamas weapons warehouse that killed civilians, but only the latest of many, all of which could have been avoided had the terror group placed its weapons well away from residential areas. But the terror group has always insisted on maximizing the danger to Palestinian civilians, by warehousing weapons in their midst, in the hope of avoiding Israeli attacks.
“Accordingly, Al-Mezan reiterates its call for a comprehensive and serious investigation into this incident and other similar events, to publish the results of the investigation publicly, and to take the necessary measures to ensure that it does not recur in order to preserve the lives and property of citizens.”
The “necessary measures to ensure that it [such an explosion] does not recur” would mean an entire overhauling of Hamas’ policy on weapons warehousing would have to take place. The weapons would be moved from populated places and placed far from civilian areas — where of course they will be more easily detected by the IAF. As far as Al-Mezan goes, that’s just too bad.
The Palestinian NGO Network, an umbrella organization comprising 133 member organizations, also called for a “serious and transparent” investigation into the explosion. “The Network stresses the need to expedite the provision of all forms of assistance and support to those affected,” the group said. “It also stresses the need to announce the results of the investigation and to take serious measures to prevent such explosions from happening again.”…
It looks like the Palestinians are at the end of their tether, fed up with Hamas’ practice of deliberately storing its weapons ammunition in the midst of civilian areas where the danger of unintended explosions and civilian casualties is high. And they are now making public their pent-up fury, even though their complaint about the terror group’s practices echoes, and buttresses, the claims made by Israel about Hamas.
Fadel Al-Manasfeh, a Palestinian writer, echoes the Israelis: “Hamas chooses popular markets as a safe place for its ammunition warehouses because it knows that Israel does not target such places.” The Israelis try to pinpoint their attacks on these warehouses so as to minimize civilian casualties, and before launching them the IDF makes sure to warn civilians to leave the immediate area, through telephone calls, emails, and the “knock-on-the-roof” technique. Not all the civilians always leave in time, and sometimes the hoped-for precision of the bombing is not achieved. But Israel never deliberately “targets” civilian areas. Al-Manasfeh has it right: “Israel does not target such places” as those “popular markets” within or near to which Hamas stores its ammunition and weapons.
The next time the Jewish state is attacked in the UN Genera Assembly for causing “civilian deaths,” Israel’s ambassador should read out the Jerusalem Post article posted above, taking care to point out that the Palestinians themselves have accused Hamas of deliberately storing their weapons in civilian areas, in the hope that either Israel will be forced to refrain from attacking or, if it does decide to attack, any civilian casualties that result – Hamas doesn’t give a damn about what happens to them – will make Israel look bad. Let the Ambassador read out to the General Assembly what the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has to say about this latest explosion at a house in the midst of the Al-Zawiya market area, and why the 133 Palestinian NGOs have called for a thorough investigation, and what the Palestinian writer Fadel Al-Manasfeh said about the terror group Hamas’ practice of deliberately placing weapons in civilian areas (like markets), because it knows that Israel would be unlikely to target them. Having read all that out – quoting only Palestinians themselves – he can then tell the stunned Assembly (and the furious delegate from the “State of Palestine”) that “I rest my case.”
mortimer says
The Pallies cynically store their weapons near busy places frequented by civilians. If anything goes wrong with the weapons, the damages, deaths or woundings may be blamed on the Israelis.
The Pallies are intentionally placing civilians in harm’s way and thereby using civilians as HUMAN SHIELDS. That is considered a war crime.
James Lincoln says
mortimer,
The Pallies are trying to draw a distinction between themselves and Hamas.
Pretty thin…
gravenimage says
Likely so. Still glad to hear Hamas being taken to task.
Walter Sieruk says
It shouldn’t be forgotten and always kept in mind that the use of a strong power on military might is important and necessary to send the hostile and murderous jihadists of Hamas a message to stop engage rocket jihad terrorism in the only language the they are able to understand, which is the message of brute force of airstrikes on Hamas bases.
There is a problem caused by the Hamas terrorists which is that those despicable jihadists of Hamas deliberately hide among the civilians using them as “human shields.”
Therefore is innocent civilians are killed in the airstrikes is the fault of Hamas.
Walter Sieruk says
The jihadists of Hamas base their anti-Jewish beliefs on the Qu ‘ran which reads the are Jews are “apes and pigs” 2:65. 7:166. 5:60. Likewise. Hamas jihadists base their murderous violence against the Jewish people by the violent and deadly instruction found in the Qu ‘ran, 2:191. 4:89. 5:33. 9:5. 111,112, 123. 47:4.
Furthermore, the very foundation of and for Islam is the Qu ‘ran ,this leads to very important question: “Is the Quran the Word of God or is it a fabrication of a man. Thus, is the Quran the truth or a fiction and a hoax ?”
The answer is clearly given on pages 145 through 157 in THE ISLAMIC INVASION by Robert Morey in which he wrote a section on the Qu ‘ran with its self-contradictions. Just two of the many he cited are the following “The Quran differs on whether a day is a thousand years or fifty thousand years in God’s sight’ and “Who was first to believe? Abraham or Moses [Sura 6:14 versus 7:143]?
The above is inconsistent and illogical. Further, Morey wrote about “The fact that Judaism and Christianity broke up into different sects was used in the Qu ‘ran to prove that they are not of God [Suras 30:20-32. 42:13, 14]. Yet Islam has broken up into many warring sects and therefore cannot be true if the Qu ‘ran is right.” Moreover, Morey in his book shows many more contradictions and absurdities in the Qu ‘ran, there are and how Muhammad incorporated extra Biblical and Jewish folklore along with pre-Islamic Arabian myth and parts of Zoroastrian and Hindu stories into the Qu ‘ran.
Moreover, the Muslims claim that “the Qu ‘ran is the direct, literal word of God unmodified in any way by the Prophet who uttered them at the bidding of God.” Nevertheless, in the book UNVEILING ISLAM by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Eethi Caner has shown that the Quran was modified in the following account on pages 45. “Muhammad felt the need to improve on the words of Allah, since he changed Allah’s wisdom for his own on several occasions. A hadith tells of the nonchalant emendations of Muhammad:’
On a number of occasions he [a scribe] had, with the Prophet’s consent changed the closing words of verses. For example, when the prophet had said ‘God is mighty and wise ‘ Adbollah b. Abi Sarh suggested writing down ‘Knowing and wise’ and the Prophet answered that there was no objection. Having observed a succession of changes of this type, Adbollah renounced Islam on the grounds that revelations, if from God could not be changed at the prompting of a scribe such as himself. After his apostasy he went to Mecca and joined the Qorayshites.”
Other writers reveal that later Muhammad and his people did go war with the Qorayshites and he personally killed Abdollah. Obviously Abdollah knew too much and Muhammad wanted Abdollah’s knowledge to die with him.”
In conclusion, the Qu ‘ran is not only a fiction also a hoax and therefore the entire foundation of Hamas is based on lies and falsehood of that bogus “holy book.”
gravenimage says
Palestinians Accuse Hamas of Storing Weapons in Civilian Areas
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Good to see some of the “Palestinians” actually speaking out about this.