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Hamas Used Kids as Human Shields

(Jerusalem Post) Yaakov Katz - Hamas gunmen used Palestinian children as human shields, and established command centers and Kassam launch pads in and near more than 100 mosques and hospitals during the Gaza operation last year, according to a new Israeli report released by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. A sketch of the village of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza discovered by IDF troops details the extensive deployment of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and snipers inside and adjacent to civilian homes. Another sketch was found for the Atatra neighborhood in northern Gaza City. "By placing all of their weaponry next to homes, by operating out of homes, mosques and hospitals, by firing rockets next to schools and by using human shields, Hamas is the one responsible for the civilian deaths during the operation," said Col. (res.) Reuven Erlich. One Hamas cell transported rockets on the back of a wagon in which children were also sitting. In other cases, Hamas fighters disguised themselves as women carrying babies. IDF officers provided testimony that a vast majority of Hamas fighters were dressed as civilians, and Hamas videos showed fighters wearing civilian clothing while firing mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at IDF troops. The report reveals that Hamas used almost 100 mosques inside Gaza to fight against the IDF, with videos and photographs of dozens of mosques that were used by Hamas to store weapons, function as command centers, or whose grounds were used to fire rockets into Israel. It also provides evidence that Hamas hid weaponry and senior operatives inside at least eight hospitals in Gaza.
2010-04-02 08:25:46
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