Wednesday, February 04, 2009

I Am Sorry for His Loss

Gaza doctor who lost daughters in IDF strike: Everyone makes mistakes

Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, who lost three daughters and a niece in an Israel Defense Forces strike in the Gaza Strip last month, responded Wednesday to an IDF statement confirming that it was Israeli fire that killed his daughters, thanking those responsible for investigating the incident and saying that "we all make mistakes, and we don't repeat them."

...The IDF announced earlier Wednesday that an investigation into the January 16 incident confirmed that it had been Israeli fire that killed the four girls.

"First of all, I would like to thank all those who worked, and had the courage and good conscience to shed light on the truth that I always believed. Thank you to everyone who took upon themselves to publicize this truth seeking investigation," Abu al-Aish said in an interview with Channel 2.

The Palestinian doctor went on to say "I have two options - the path of darkness or the path of light. The path of darkness is like choosing all the complications with diseases and depression, but the path of light is to focus on the future and my children. This strengthened my conviction to continue on the same path and not to give up."

Abu al-Aish did not neglect to thank the Israelis who met with him and offered him strength, saying "the love that I've received, from people I knew and people I didn't know, gave me strength."

The IDF released the conclusions of its investigation into the incident earlier Wednesday, explaining that Golani troops had been fired upon by snipers situated in the house adjacent to Abu al-Aish's home. The troops identified suspicious figures in the upper levels of the doctor's building, and deduced that they were serving as observers, directing the sniper fire from their vantage point.

Following long deliberations and assessments of the situation, the Golani commander decided to fire tank shells at the building, and when the soldiers heard the screams and realized civilians had been hit, they helped evacuate them, the investigation revealed.

The army argues further that the residents of the neighborhood were urged to evacuate the area prior to the attack via thousands of leaflets that were disseminated in the area, and that the doctor was personally asked by phone to evacuate his family from the neighborhood due to the fighting.

10 comments:

g said...

"The commander of the force gave the order to open fire on the suspicious figures. It is from this fire that the three daughters of Dr. Az A-Din Abu El-Eish were killed."

SUSPICIOUS? They fired at someone who they suspected not even having exact information? Under this excuse they can just kill every single Palestinian young man. And children around him?????????????



"The IDF is saddened by the harm caused to the Abu El-Eish family," the statement says, "but at the same time states that considering the constraints of the battle scene, the amount of threats that endangered the force, and the intensity of fighting in the area, the forces' action and the decision to fire towards the building were reasonable."

REASONABLE? By which standards? By that of a terrorist maybe.
It's really hard to see how Israel is making even a tiny effort to spare civilian life.

Suzanne Pomeranz said...

Best to see this article (and read the important letter in the talkback section posted at #1).

http://tinyurl.com/aue8oe

g said...

So is your defense the one that IDF urged them to evacuate to safety? (Hmmm, i wonder where is safety in Gaza, do you know?)
And even though IDF knew that the family didn't evacuate they still fired!!!!!!!!!

Or is it a "fact" that the doctor was a terrorist supporter or maybe terrorist himself? I bet you if they found ammunication and whatever they said they found there, it would be on the headline news.
So my opinion about Israel stays. You don't care about Palestinian children and women and men. I'll say even more, It looks like you have some hidden agenda and you are acting on it.

YMedad said...

who says they knew? they presumed, being a doctor and smart and not supporting terror that he left.

Galia, I know you're married to a Pal. but let's not get carried away.

g said...

Married to a Pal? Ok Isr.

Why won't Israel stop expanding settlements?

YMedad said...

Why should we? It's our natural right. Do I stop Arabs in Israel from expanding?

g said...

Natural right? Explain that one to me. They are illegal under international law!
Are the Arabs in Israel living illegally? Is so, they should be deported. If they are not, they they have a "natural right to expand".

Milhouse said...

I don't see the error. The army saw figures in the upstairs window, spotting for the Hamas shooters. Who were those figures, and why should we assume they were not the dead girls? What would an innocent person be doing, looking out their window during a firefight? Surely an innocent person would be taking cover.

Milhouse said...

What international law stops Jews from living in their own homeland? Or anywhere else in the world, for that matter?

g said...

Milhouse,
"What would an innocent person be doing, looking out their window during a firefight?" That's where they LIVE. And according to you, those girls are Hamas terrorists too?
"Surely an innocent person would be taking cover."
WHERE?

And you are confusing a right provided by an international law and some kind of natural right