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The '''Qana Massacre''' took place on [[April 18]], [[1996]] in the headquarters of the [[Fiji]]an battalion of [[UNIFIL]], located in the small town of [[Qana, Lebanon|Qana]], in southern [[Lebanon]]. |
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[[Image:B97-03-043.jpg|thumb|right| Qana]] |
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==Background== |
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In April [[1996]], a [[cease-fire]] that had ended the July [[1993]] fighting between [[Hezbollah]] and [[Israel]] broke down due to violations, which involved several attacks on population centers by Hezbollah. During the five weeks of fighting between [[March 4]] and [[April 10]], seven Israeli soldiers, three Lebanese civilians and at least one Hezbollah fighter were killed. The tally of injured was sixteen Israeli soldiers, seven Lebanese civilians, and six Israeli civilians(1). In response to the cease fire violations, Maj.-Gen. [[Amiram Levine]] |
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declared: "The residents in south [[Lebanon]] who are under the responsibility of Hezbollah will be hit harder, and the Hezbollah will be hit harder, and we will find the way to act correctly and quickly.(2)" Israel then through [[SLA]] radio stations, warned residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate their villages. |
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The compound came under a heavy [[artillery]] shelling by the M-109A2 155 mm guns of a nearby [[Israeli Defense Forces]] unit in response to two rocket and mortar attacks launched earlier that day (towards the unit) from nearby the compound. As a result of the shelling, 102 civilians died and more were wounded, many of them women and children, and the compound was seriously damaged. |
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===Operation Grapes of Wrath=== |
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Within forty-eight hours, Israel launched the military compaign known as [[Operation Grapes of Wrath]]. On [[April 11]], Israel bombarded Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and Beirut first, with artillary and later laser guided missiles. On [[April 13]], Israeli warships initiated a blockade against [[Beirut]], [[Sidon]] and [[Tyre]], Lebanon's main ports of entry. Meanwhile, Hizballah continuously bombarded northern Israel with [[Katyusha]] rockets. Israel continued to bomb Hizbollah installations. According to [[U.N.]] spokeswoman, Sylvana Foa, on [[April 18]], Hezbollah fired two Katyusha rockets and eight [[mortar]]s at Israel from an area 300 yards away from the [[Fiji]]an compound, 15 minutes before an Israeli unit responded by shelling the area with M-109A2 155 mm guns(3). As a result of the shelling, 102 civilians died, with more wounded. Most of the casualties were residents of nearby villages who had fled the conflict, while four were [[U.N.]] troops. |
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Most of the casualties were residents of nearby villages, which sought refuge in the [[United Nations]] compound from the fierce battle going on between the IDF and [[Hezbollah]], during [[Operation Grapes of Wrath]]. Four UN troops were also wounded. |
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==Response== |
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[[Image:QANAMAP.JPG|175px|thumb|right| U.N. Compound pictured with bombardment trejectory]] |
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Israel immediately expressed regret for the loss of innocent lives, saying that the Hezbollah position and not the UN compound was the intended target of the shelling, stating that the compound was hit "due to incorrect targeting based on erroneous data." Prime Minister [[Shimon Peres]] claimed that "We did not know that several hundred people were concentrated in that camp. It came to us as a bitter surprise." Following the attack, Lt.-Gen. [[Amnon Shahak]], Israel's chief of staff, at a press conference in [[Tel Aviv]] on [[April 18]] defended the shelling: "I don't see any mistake in judgment....We fought Hizballah there [in Qana], and when they fire on us, we will fire at them to defend ourselves....I don't know any other rules of the game, either for the army or for civilians...(4)" Both the [[U.S.]] and [[Israel]] accused Hizballah of "[[human shield|shielding]]", the use of civilians as a cover for military activities, which is a breach of the [[laws of war]]. The [[U.S. State Department]] spokesperson, [[Nicolas Burns]] stated, "Hizballah [is] using civilians as cover. That's a despicable thing to do, an evil thing.(6)" and Prime Minister [[Shimon Peres]] cited the use of human shielding to blame Hezbollah. On [[April 18]] he said, "They used them as a shield, they used the U.N. as a shield-the U.N. admitted it.(7)" |
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Israel immediately expressed regret for the loss of innocent lives, saying that the UN compound was not the intended target of the shelling, but that it was hit "due to incorrect targeting based on erroneous data." |
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==Commemoration== |
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[[Image:Flags.jpg|right|thumb| Qana Anniversary April 18th 1997]] |
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[[April 18]]th is held every year as an anniversary to commemorate the victims of the bombardment. At other times, Hezbollah has used this event to arouse ill will toward Israel and the United States, prominently marching after the relatives of the victims, or making inflammatory speeches at the event[http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/18/qana.anniversary/]. Israel sees this as a cruel expoitation of the victims by Hezbollah to use their deaths, which Israel believes Hezbollah caused, (by using the civilians as [[human shield]]s), for political propaganda. |
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Operation Grapes of Wrath was halted by Israel shortly afterwards. |
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==References== |
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*1."Lebanon: Main Events in Recent Hizbollah-Israel Violence," Reuters, April 11, 1996 |
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For many people in Lebanon, April 18 is observed as a day of memorial for the victims of the massacre. |
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*2. Shlomi Afriat, "Israel vows retaliation for Lebanon rocket attacks." Reuters, April 9, *1996. |
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*3.United Nations: Hizbollah Fired From Near U.N. Post Hit by Israel," Reuters, April 18, 1996. |
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*4."Israeli Army Chief Says UN Forewarned of Shelling," Reuters, April 18, 1996. |
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*5.Serge Schmemann, "Voicing Regret, Israeli Leader Offers a Cease-Fire," The New York Times, *April 19, 1996. |
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*6. Steven Erlanger, "Christopher Sees Syria Chief in Bid on Lebanon Truce," The New York Times, April 21, 1996, quoting State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns. |
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*7.ICRC Condemns Shelling of Civilians in Southern Lebanon," Communication to the press no. 96/14, April 19, 1996. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles18.htm Robert Fisk's dispatch] |
*[http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles18.htm Robert Fisk's dispatch] |
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*[http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/350/355/april-war/qana/ Images from the |
*[http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/350/355/april-war/qana/ Images from the massacre] |
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*[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/62d5aa740c14293b85256324005179be?OpenDocument UN report on the incident] |
*[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/62d5aa740c14293b85256324005179be?OpenDocument UN report on the incident] |
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*[http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0ce90 Israel's response to the UN report] |
*[http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0ce90 Israel's response to the UN report] |
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*[http://members.terra.net.lb/buddy/qana/home.html Info and picture about the massacre] |
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*[http://www.leb.net/qana/webdoc3.htm Name of the victims] |
*[http://www.leb.net/qana/webdoc3.htm Name of the victims] |
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[[Category:Lebanese history]] |
[[Category:Lebanese history]] |
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[[Category:United Nations]] |
[[Category:United Nations]] |
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[[Category:Massacres]] |
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[[Category:1996]] |
[[Category:1996]] |
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Revision as of 18:51, 13 June 2005
The Qana Massacre took place on April 18, 1996 in the headquarters of the Fijian battalion of UNIFIL, located in the small town of Qana, in southern Lebanon.
The compound came under a heavy artillery shelling by the M-109A2 155 mm guns of a nearby Israeli Defense Forces unit in response to two rocket and mortar attacks launched earlier that day (towards the unit) from nearby the compound. As a result of the shelling, 102 civilians died and more were wounded, many of them women and children, and the compound was seriously damaged.
Most of the casualties were residents of nearby villages, which sought refuge in the United Nations compound from the fierce battle going on between the IDF and Hezbollah, during Operation Grapes of Wrath. Four UN troops were also wounded.
Israel immediately expressed regret for the loss of innocent lives, saying that the UN compound was not the intended target of the shelling, but that it was hit "due to incorrect targeting based on erroneous data."
The UN investigated the incident in detail, concluding "while the possibility cannot be ruled out completely, the pattern of impacts in the Qana area makes it unlikely that the shelling of the United Nations compound was the result of technical and/or procedural errors".
A video recording made by a UNIFIL soldier showed an Israeli unmanned observation drone in the vicinity at the time of the shelling. The leaking of the recording caused considerable embarrassment to Israel, which had repeatedly denied the presence of a drone.
Operation Grapes of Wrath was halted by Israel shortly afterwards.
For many people in Lebanon, April 18 is observed as a day of memorial for the victims of the massacre.