Israeli attacks on a hospital and refugee camp playground in Gaza on July 28 brought the total of Palestinian dead to 1,200, with more no doubt to come. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just promised his people "a prolonged campaign" in Gaza. If it is, Israel may find itself considered, even by Americans, a pariah state.
Children on a playground will undoubtedly again be among the victims. Those killed on Monday, the Israeli Defense Forces say, were not killed by them, but by Hamas missiles aimed at Israel. Diligent readers will recall that last week's attack on the UNRWA school at Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, killing 16 women and children and wounding more than 100, was also a matter of "Hamas rockets or mortar shells falling short," as the IDF explained to London's Financial Times.
Later in the day, the explanation was changed to one of Israeli forces responding to "intense fire from the school area," intending to eliminate the threat. U.N. Refugee Works officials said they had informed the Israelis 12 times of the school's coordinates, pleading for permission from the IDF to evacuate the civilians, which never was given.
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