Carnage and Contradiction> Examining a Deadly Strike in Rafah
by Sarah Leah Whitson
On January 1, 2009, Israeli forces killed 16 Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military claimed that the dead were Hamas militants who had been planning an attack on Israeli forces. The Israeli military also claimed that the attack was in response to a rocket fired from Gaza that had landed in the Israeli town of Sderot.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is contradicted by eyewitnesses, Palestinian medical personnel, and the physical evidence on the ground. The Israeli military’s account is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.
The Israeli military’s account of the events in Rafah is also contradicted by the Israeli military’s own rules of engagement.