Israel's Qana report claims civilians used as shields
The Israeli military’s inquiry on the bombing of a building in the south Lebanese village of Qana that killed at least 28 civilians admits a mistake, but charges that Hezbollah guerrillas used civilians as shields for their rocket attacks, according to a statement released early today.
Israeli planes attacked an apartment house in Qana in the early hours of Sunday. The house collapsed, and rescue workers pulled the bodies of civilians, most of them women and children, out of the rubble.
An international outcry led Israel to call a halt to its airstrikes in Lebanon for 48 hours and increased pressure to agree to a ceasefire in its three-week offensive against Hezbollah.
In a statement summarising the inquiry report, the Israeli military said Israel did not know there were civilians in the building. “Had the information indicated that civilians were present … the attack would not have been carried out,” the statement said.
The bombing followed guidelines regarding attacking “suspicious structures” in villages where civilians have been warned to evacuate, the statement said, adding that Hezbollah forces “use civilian structures inside villages to store weaponry and hide in after launching rocket attacks”.
The statement said more than 150 rockets have been launched from Qana and the area around it since July 12, when the current conflict erupted.
As a result of the incident, the statement said, the guidelines would be evaluated and updated.
The chief of staff of the Israeli military. Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, apologised for the loss of civilian life but charged that Hezbollah “uses civilians as human shields and intentionally operates from within civilian villages and infrastructure”.
Yesterday, Human Rights Watch said an initial death toll for Qana of 54 was incorrect. The international group listed the names of 28 known dead from the attack and said that 13 others were missing and might still be buried under the rubble.
Human Rights Watch called for an impartial international investigation of the incident.
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