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A dust cloud rises over the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead.
 Reuters
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Last update - 13:15 09/09/2009
Rights group: Most Gazans killed in war were civilians
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, and AP
Tags: palestinians, gaza 

The vast majority of the Palestinians killed in Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip last winter were innocent civilians rather than combatants, according to a new report to be published by the B'Tselem organization Wednesday morning. This is the opposite of what the Israel Defense Forces has said.

According to B'Tselem, 1,387 Palestinians were killed during the three weeks of Operation Cast Lead, of whom 773 were noncombatants and only 330 were combatants.

The remaining 248 were Hamas policemen killed when Israel bombed Palestinian police facilities at the start of the operation. The IDF has argued that these policemen, as armed Hamas members, should be considered combatants. However, B'Tselem noted that they took no part in the actual fighting. In 36 cases, the organization was unable to determine whether the casualties were combatants or noncombatants.
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Of the civilians killed, 320 were minors under the age of 18 and another 109 were women, the organization said.

The IDF, in contrast, claims that 1,166 Palestinians were killed during Cast Lead, of whom 709 were Hamas combatants and 295 were civilians. It said it was unable to determine the status of the remaining 162.

The IDF lists 89 children under age 16 and 49 women among the fatalities, whereas B'Tselem lists 252 children under 16 and 111 women over this age.

Unlike the IDF, however, B'Tselem listed each casualty by name, and said it had collected eyewitness testimony, death certificates or other evidence for each.

The organization's spokeswoman, Sarit Michaeli, told Haaretz that B'Tselem researchers had examined every possible source of information, from the findings of in-house IDF investigations to lists prepared by Palestinian human rights organizations. However, she said, they were unable to compare their fatality list to that of the IDF, because the army refused to give it to them.

She added that B'Tselem had identified 19 minors as combatants, but this did not come close to explaining the difference in the two sets of figures.

Nine Israelis were killed during Cast Lead as well. Four were killed by rocket fire on southern Israel, including three civilians and one soldier, while the other five were soldiers killed in combat.

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      1.   "eyewitness testimony, death certificates or other evidence" 06:46  |  A Nice Fellow 09/09/09
      2.   Define civilian, as well as how you determine combatant 06:54  |  jj 09/09/09
      3.   Hamas does not need to defeat Israel militarily to win a big ... 07:16  |  B. Gold 09/09/09
      4.   Why will IDF not release their lists? 07:22  |  Apa 09/09/09
      5.   It is illegal to prevent civilians from fleeing a war zone 07:23  |  CJ 09/09/09
      6.   i can make up a list of names too 07:24  |  vik 09/09/09
      7.   body counts 08:04  |  avrum 09/09/09
      8.   NOT A "BAD" HAUL... 08:07  |  PADDY 09/09/09
      9.   Friendly Fire 08:10  |  Tania 09/09/09
      10.   Most Israelis murdered in Palestinian attacks were civilians 08:13  |  Joe Sittizen 09/09/09
      11.   Civilians killed! 08:16  |  Ros 09/09/09
      12.   Check the names of the civilians claimed by B`Tselem 08:48  |  Zev 09/09/09
      13.   Dit BTselem check the cause of death 08:51  |  Ben 09/09/09
      14.   Civilian Deaths 08:58  |  Joe 09/09/09
      15.   Well I Watched On (I Think It Was BBC)... 08:59  |  Yosemite 09/09/09
      16.   If Hamas doesn`t wear uniforms 09:09  |  Richard 09/09/09
      17.   Civilians 09:10  |  Moshe 09/09/09
      18.   Civilians 09:12  |  Moshe 09/09/09
      19.   thank you bTselem 09:27  |  Jochai Rubinstein 09/09/09
      20.   Iranian Jew 09:32  |  Iranian Jew 09/09/09
      21.   Nothing that B`Tselem says can be trusted 09:45  |  Moshe 09/09/09
      22.   Killing the Hamas civilian police was a deliberate massacre 09:48  |  Michael 09/09/09
      23.   Yes, ILLEGAL, CJ 10:04  |  yona 09/09/09
      24.   Joe Sittizen - LOL Statistics show you`re full of BS 10:10  |  CJ 09/09/09
      25.   if Hamas didn`t rocket Israel there would have been no casualties 10:21  |  peter rouget 09/09/09
      26.   Who is really responsible? 10:33  |  Ruth 09/09/09
      27.   Woohoo someone in Israel 10:52  |  Chris Linthwaite 09/09/09
      28.   To Joe Sittizen #8 `Most Israelis murdered...` 10:58  |  Colin Wright 09/09/09
      29.   #6 Avrum 10:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 09/09/09
      30.   To #5 . I bet you could ! 10:59  |  Brendan 09/09/09
      31.   #8, Joe Sittizen 11:00  |  Fritz 09/09/09
      32.   #8 Joe Sittizen 11:02  |  Chris Linthwaite 09/09/09
      33.   TWISTING WORDS TO FIT PREDETERMINED CONCLUSIONS 11:06  |  George 09/09/09
      34.   Who is BeTselem ? 11:23  |  Left Wing Hegelian 09/09/09
      35.   But the Hamas police are combattants 11:39  |  David Plane 09/09/09
      36.   Where was heroic Hamas hiding? 11:57  |  Shalom Freedman 09/09/09
      37.   How Hamas fights is a separate 12:01  |  r cummings 09/09/09
      38.   Even if what B`Tselem says is true... 12:11  |  citizen 09/09/09
      39.   linthwaite i hear nothing from you about the killings 12:17  |  ombudsman 09/09/09
      40.   Seems that it was more than 60% civilians. 12:22  |  jens 09/09/09
      41.   Seems that it was more than 60% civilians. 12:22  |  jens 09/09/09
      42.   David Plain #18 12:23  |  northern neighbor 09/09/09
      43.   chris linthwaite there is no case in israel 12:23  |  ombudsman 09/09/09
      44.   Does this change anything ! 12:28  |  Yosi 09/09/09
      45.   Civil police are not combatants 12:31  |  r cummings 09/09/09
      46.   18 The Hamas police are not combatants and never were 12:39  |  Michael 09/09/09
      47.   no matter what 12:39  |  rm 09/09/09
      48.   Even if what B?Tselem says is true... 12:48  |  citizen 09/09/09
      49.   to #17 12:48  |  Juge 09/09/09
      50.   Egypt is also responsible 13:12  |  yona 09/09/09
      51.   Colin Wright #12 13:20  |  S 09/09/09
      52.   You can`t fire a missile out of Gaza ... 13:41  |  Jasper 09/09/09
      53.   responsibility (citizen) 13:46  |  asdsad 09/09/09
      54.   Gaza was warned many times about their 13:51  |  sean 09/09/09
      55.   Watch what we praise, oh Israel! 13:54  |  Woody 09/09/09
      56.   Btzelem statistics MAKE NO SENSE!! 13:58  |  Mark 09/09/09
      57.   Pro-palestinian sources often misidentify terrorists as civilians 14:14  |  James 09/09/09
      58.   High price for the use of human shields.Right Hamas? 14:20  |  Like it is 09/09/09
      59.   responsibility (citizen) 14:27  |  philip 09/09/09
      60.   If this statistics is right, it`s still OK 14:40  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 09/09/09
      61.   What B`Tselem should do 14:48  |  Amir 09/09/09
      62.   Colin Wright #12 (2nd try) 14:50  |  S 09/09/09
      63.   Cummings 14:56  |  rich 09/09/09
      64.   This is obvious 15:06  |  Haaretz Fan 09/09/09
      65.   CJ-you make me sick 15:08  |  Innocent Jew 09/09/09
      66.   Paddy, you lie and you know it, same as Goebels 15:14  |  Deodorizer 09/09/09
      67.   #26 Mark, read again: minors! 15:24  |  Tony Price 09/09/09
      68.   Readng the B`Tselem report 15:26  |  Christopher 09/09/09
      69.   Unfortunately... 15:34  |  Walter 09/09/09
      70.   Attack on Hamas police forces was justified 15:53  |  Meo 09/09/09
      71.   Gaza Operation 15:59  |  Leeguy 09/09/09
      72.   It took Operation Cast Lead to stop qassam rockets? 16:06  |  Siri 09/09/09
      73.   #28 Innocent Jew 16:20  |  BDS 09/09/09
      74.   LOSING ISRAEL 16:23  |  abram 09/09/09
      75.   I have been to Gaza 16:24  |  Johnny Weintraub 09/09/09
      76.   Israeli troop deaths in the Gaza War 16:26  |  VlentinBru 09/09/09
      77.   #25 sean 16:29  |  BDS 09/09/09
      78.   Colin Wright #12 (3rd try) 16:35  |  S 09/09/09
      79.   Gaza stats 16:37  |  lastexposfan 09/09/09
      80.   The IDF should lose its license to operate... 16:40  |  Dutch 09/09/09
      81.   If this report is true, it`s still OK 16:43  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 09/09/09
      82.   Re: Innocent Jew 16:44  |  Neil 09/09/09
      83.   Re: Ruth: Who is really responsible? 16:45  |  Guy from NYC 09/09/09
      84.   Michael # 23 The Hamas Executive Forces 16:46  |  Jeff Northridge 09/09/09
      85.   uncensored this time? response to citizen 16:51  |  asdsad 09/09/09
      86.   civilians? 16:51  |  shimi 09/09/09
      87.   HUMAN RIGHTS 17:02  |  SHIMI 09/09/09
      88.   To Left Wing Hegellian - Good Question - See Below 17:14  |  Eli 09/09/09
      89.   No Surprise 17:20  |  Vladek 09/09/09
      90.   Civilians will be sacrificed by Hamas and the likes of Hamas. 17:35  |  Viewer 09/09/09
      91.   "innocent Jew" - CJ is completely correct... 17:49  |  BBSNews 09/09/09
      92.   Americans and Europeans 17:53  |  AD 09/09/09
      93.   Nice try, Vladek 17:54  |  Mark 09/09/09
      94.   To Guy In NYC - No She Admits That 18:05  |  Eli 09/09/09
      95.   btselem make a report and moves on 18:07  |  ombudsman 09/09/09
      96.   To Dutch - So You Are Saying the Following Countries Should be 18:08  |  Eli 09/09/09
      97.   This is the lowest form of human behavior .... 18:08  |  Dutch 09/09/09
      98.   Jeff 34 How would you feel if 248 Israeli cops were killed?. 18:10  |  Michael 09/09/09
      99.   #41 bbs - johnboy says YOU and CJ are totally WRONG 18:12  |  CK Tan 09/09/09
      100.   one would have thought that being a member of a vilified nation 18:20  |  ombudsman 09/09/09
      101.   In case someone didn`t know yet 18:22  |  Froy 09/09/09
      102.   W H E N 18:28  |  Elai 09/09/09
      103.   asdsad 18:29  |  Jasper 09/09/09
      104.   Re: #2 Vik 18:34  |  Ice 09/09/09
      105.   Deceit 18:46  |  Carole, UK 09/09/09
      106.   Meanwhile, whoever died in Gaza died simply because 19:47  |  Murray of Montreal 09/09/09
      107.   and yet,you call it The most Moral Army !!!! 22:47  |  Tony Silver 09/09/09
      108.   If the IDF disagrees, RELEASE THEIR LIST!! 01:05  |  binny 10/09/09
      109.   B`Tselem 02:15  |  Jacques 10/09/09
      110.   RE: Guy from NYC 02:36  |  judith 10/09/09
      111.   Paddy 03:49  |  Michelle 10/09/09
      112.   David Plane #18 classification of combatants 04:17  |  Mike McKenna 10/09/09
      113.   War is war... 06:59  |  cizi 10/09/09
      114.   #53 Michell - Try to keep up, eh. 07:14  |  PADDY 10/09/09
      115.   Hamas fought in civilian clothes.Does B`Tselem count them as 07:43  |  Meo 10/09/09
      116.   Colin Wright #12 (5th try) 08:11  |  S 10/09/09
      117.   Hamas`s War 08:34  |  Ron 10/09/09
      118.   Right about civilians, wrong about "combatants" 08:47  |  Marlene N. 10/09/09
      119.   Civilians weren`t the problem 17:54  |  *BEN JABO 10/09/09
      120.   #101 Marlene N. NYC 17:55  |  *BEN JABO 10/09/09
      121.   To 120 regarding "semantics" 21:12  |  Marlene N. 10/09/09
      122.   #121 Marlene N. 02:17  |  *BEN JABO 11/09/09
      123.   Gazans killed 04:08  |  Herman Ginsberg 11/09/09
      124.   Freedom fighters fight for freedom Marlene N. 06:48  |  Meo 11/09/09
      125.   #119 And many Israeli police are reservists in the IDF, BEN JABO 07:00  |  Johnboy 11/09/09
      126.   #125 Johnboy - I would be the very laste 00:16  |  *BEN JABO 12/09/09
      127.   Joohnboy - You should have paid closer attention 00:21  |  *BEN JABO 12/09/09
      128.   #127 As should you. BEN 02:31  |  Johnboy 13/09/09
      129.   #128 Johnboy - try opening your eyes this time 00:16  |  *BEN JABO 14/09/09
      130.   #128 Johnboy - Why do I have to take u by the hand 07:16  |  *BEN JABO 14/09/09
      131.   #129-#130 This argument is simply beyond BEN`s comprehension 06:59  |  Johnboy 15/09/09
      132.   Johnboy - You`re wast4ing my time 02:58  |  *BEN JABO 16/09/09
      133.   #132 Ahem, one more thing, BEN ol` boy 08:55  |  Johnboy 16/09/09
      134.   Chris Human rights champion learn to write 09:48  |  Aby 24/11/09
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