The Qana Incident

1
The Qana Incident

• July 30th 2006

2
Background of Events in Qana

• Since the beginning of the present conflict, the
  village has served as a shelter for escaping
  terrorists and a center of rocket attacks against
  Israel.
• Over 130 rockets have been launched from the
  vicinity of the village towards northern Israel.
  More than 50 rockets were launched from within
  the village itself.
• Launchers are routinely situated in close
  proximity to residential buildings while carrying
  out their attacks against Israel.
• A regional HQ of Hizbollah was also located in
  the village, from which many terrorist activities
  were planned and carried out.

3
Background of Events in Qana (cont.)

• Furthermore, weapons depots and logistics sites
  were located in the village itself, used as
  supply sources for Hizbollah.
• The civilian population in the village was warned
  and was requested to temporarily vacate the
  village.
• It should be reminded that the IDF is still
  conducting an inquiry into the events in order to
  understand what exactly happened.
• Within this context, for instance, is the issue
  of the 7 hours gap between the bombing of the
  building and the time when the evacuation of the
  injured began.
• Allegations have been made that in fact,
  Hizbollah prevented the evacuation of the injured
  until the arrival of the media for purposes of
  propaganda, at the expense those injured who
  could still have been spared.
• This policy of cynical manipulation can be seen
  in the deliberate misinformation promulgated by
  Lebanese sources concerning the number of killed,
  inflating the number from the 26 quoted by the
  ICRC to 60 reported by the Lebanese Ambassador to
  the UN.

4
Map of Rocket Launching from Qana towards
northern Israel
5
Comments

• The death of civilians in Qana is a tragedy
  regardless of the specific circumstances of their
  death. The State of Israel and the IDF have
  expressed their deep and genuine sorrow over the
  loss of life of innocent civilians amidst the
  ongoing confrontation with the Hizbollah.
• While nothing can reasonably justify the death of
  civilians, it is nevertheless imperative to be
  reminded of the larger context in which this
  tragic event took place - the context of war.
• The IDF did not choose to begin this conflict.
  Hizbollah launched an unprovoked cross-border
  attack into Israeli territory, killing 3 IDF
  soldiers and taking 2 others hostage, followed by
  a constant barrage of rocket fire (close to
  2,000) aimed INTENTIONALLY against Israeli
  civilian population centers, in contradiction to
  every basic principle of civilized behavior.
• Qana has long been a hot-bed for Hizbollah
  activities against Israel, with approximately 130
  rockets having been fired against Israel over the
  past few days. In order to spare unnecessary
  injury of innocent civilians in the village, the
  IDF has taken a number of precautions aimed at
  protecting these civilians, including the aerial
  dispersal of fliers calling for their temporary
  relocation outside of the area.

6
Comments

• THE IDF DOES NOT TARGET CIVILIAN ASSETS. The IDF
  is carrying out a determined campaign to thwart
  Hizbollah terrorist attacks against Israel, in
  any and all forms, as well as destroy Hizbollah
  infrastructure that would otherwise allow it to
  continue these terrorist attacks the day after a
  cease-fire is reached.
• The presence of civilians was not known to the
  IDF in light of the repeated warnings given to
  the village residents. The IDF would not have
  attacked this target, despite its value as a
  terrorist asset, had it known that the residents
  remained in the building. This, of course, is in
  direct contradiction to Hizbollah policy which
  purposely places its ammunition depots in
  residential buildings and hides its launchers in
  these same structures, using the civilian
  residents as unwilling human shields.
• As a result of this tragic event, the IDF has
  temporarily enacted self-imposed restrictions
  with regard to the targeting of structures in
  Lebanon. These operational limitations should
  not, however, be misinterpreted as a cease-fire.
  The IDF is still determined to achieve the
  military goals that are essential for bringing
  about the security to the residents of Israels
  northern border.