Comments on: The Wounds of Gaza

By: no name

no name — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:52:06 +0000

Sure our “indispensable ally” would not commit barbaric crimes on a civilian population? With an “ally” like this, won’t have any friends.

By: Nadine Ali

Nadine Ali — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:53:16 +0000

Thank you so much for making this report available.

By: Allen Cooper

Allen Cooper — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:09:48 +0000

I’m an investigative journalist with 40 years of radio and TV work as experience and have rarely in contemporary times seen or heard of so much horror as has been done to the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. The words I hear like genocide and war crimes seem to not have been overstated. How are we to stop this horror?

By: Arab Jewish Partnership for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

Arab Jewish Partnership for Justice and Peace in the Middle East — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:29:40 +0000

First of all, thank you doctors Sittah and Ang for their courageous and valiant efforts on behalf of the suffering people of Gaza, and for sharing their experiences with the world via this blog.

I am writing, actually, to bring to your attention what I believe to be a serious factual error. In the beginning of this article, there is a reference to an alleged massacre by Israel of 35,000 Arab POW’s during the ‘67 war. Someone on our group’s listserve brought this to my attention as not sounding right. A brief search on the internet showed that there were allegations that the IDF murdered enemy soldiers, particularly Egyptian soldiers, rather than take them prisoner. While I could not find a total number on this, it appears that it was nowhere near 35,000 and even 3500 would be an excessively high number. I refer you to the following article on the subject:
http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0296/9602017.html

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

By: F Altaf

F Altaf — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:27:32 +0000

Thank you very much for this detalailed account of the situation on the ground in Gaza. It is deeply saddening to see the palestinians whose lifes are considered worthless in the eyes of the Israeli government have been used to try out a series of devastating weapons. It is very easy to forget the ongoing suffering of the palestianians after the story comes off the media, thank you very much for reminding us that they must not be forgotten.

By: Barry Hoffbrand

Barry Hoffbrand — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:34:38 +0000

For two British surgeons, Drs Ghassan Abu Sittah and Ang Swee are remarkably well informed on what happened in Gaza during the war between Hamas with Israel. Could it be that the PR department of Hamas provided a teeny bit of help with the copy, much of which is patently fabricated,for their contribution.

Their exercise in military analysis strangely makes no mention of the fact that Hamas have been waging war against Israel with rockets aimed at civilian populations for 8 years long before any “seige” and long after any “occupation” . Hamas have used dense population centres, not the leafy up-market residential areas of Gaza, for their rocket launchings, and mosques, schools and hospitals for storing armaments and combatants. The 6000 or so rockets fired at Israel and the employment of civilians as human shields both constitute war crimes.

The IDF is unique in the attempts it makes to limit civilian death and injury ( See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WssrKJ3Iqcw for an independent British military opinion)
The death and devastation in Gaza is a tragedy but Hamas has martyred its own people (and not just its Fatah opponents) in its genocidal hatred against Israel. They and their Iranian sponsors bear the responsibility for the suffering of the Gazans.

By: SHAHSHAHANI Nicolas

SHAHSHAHANI Nicolas — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:34:26 +0000

The number of Egyptian POWs executed by the Israeli army in 1967, i.e. 35,000 according to the authors seems to be highly exagerated. Despite Israel’s official denials, there is compelling evidence that the Israeli army murdered hundreds of Egyptian soldiers who had surrendered, and wee unarmed. Hundreds, but certainly not 35,000. Also, the authors write about 1.5 million tons dropped on the Gaza strip within less than a month. I guess the authors wanted to say 1,500 tons, which is already an enormous quantity for such a small packed area. These might be details, but as a proverb says, we should not forget that a spoonfull of tar can spoil a barrel of honey.
Nicolas Shahshahani, Paris, France

By: Gregory Cichy

Gregory Cichy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:23:54 +0000

Doctors who believe in “Silent Bombs”?

By: Al

Al — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:56:12 +0000

After reading the recent articles, I think this site is quickly becoming “Global Political Propaganda Network” instead of Global Health Network.

By: James Lewis

James Lewis — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:05:21 +0000

Thank you for this horrifying report. Among so many urgent and immediate humanitarian necessitites, the collection of evidence of use of unconventional and banned weaponry to discriminately target civilian population and infrastructure is of great importance. The case for trial for warcrimes and genocidal activity by the IDF and the political leaders who issued the orders is now so far beyond compelling that any avoidance or undue delay of such a trial by the international community could only imply a deep and cynical complicity in these atrocities.

The people who commit these monstrous acts, or who order or encourage others to do so, must be made to pay for their crimes within the very framework of international law that they have denied the people of Gaza. And, yes, I agree absolutely that there must be an international defence force for the Occupied Territories of Palestine to protect the people there from further terror and murder.

Well done once again to the Lancet for publishing this report.