IAF TARGETS TERRORIST, HITS CIVILIANS

ISRAEL TARGETS TERRORISTS, NOT CIVILIANS. SOMETIMES CIVILIANS ARE HARMED BECAUSE THE TERRORISTS HIDE AMONG THEM AND USE THEM AS HUMAN SHIELDS. THE TERRORISTS TARGET ISRAELI CIVILIANS DELIBERATELY.

Israel Air Force Targets Palestinian Rocket Commander - Ali Waked
An Israel Air Force strike on northern Gaza Tuesday targeted Imad Hamad, 36, a senior member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. Military sources said Hamad had planned numerous terror attacks against Israel and was involved in financing and organizing the infrastructure behind the firing of Kassam rockets at Israel. Hamad, an intelligence officer for the Palestinian police, served as Fatah commander in northern Gaza in the 1990s where he recruited and trained many fighting cells. In 2002 Hamad became active with the Popular Resistance Committees, setting up a network of contacts with Hizballah in Lebanon. In 2004 he returned to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, serving as a liaison between Hizballah and the territories.

On April 12, 2006, Hamad dispatched two terrorists who were killed on their way to carry out a suicide bombing attack at an IDF base near the security fence. He was also behind smuggling massive quantities of weapons into Gaza. In the past few weeks he planned a large-scale terror attack on the Karni crossing, as well as infiltrating suicide bombers through Sinai into Israel. (Ynet News) The IDF Spokesperson's Office said: "The operation was carried out following the ongoing rocket fire at Israel....The responsibility for the continued rocket fire lies with the Palestinian Authority leadership and the Hamas government." (Ynet News)

See also Air Force: We Saw No Civilians - Hanan Greenberg
In the attack on a Palestinian rocket cell Tuesday, two Palestinian children and a teenager were killed. A senior officer said the cell that was hit had carried out rocket attacks on Israel that morning. He explained that the area chosen to strike the vehicle was not crowded and there was almost no traffic on the road. Two missiles were fired at the same time and struck the car accurately. "We are seeking to hit only terrorists and doing everything to minimize the risk that civilians would be hit....Our role is to strike terrorists operating out of these areas so that they don't operate again," he said. (Ynet News)

See also Explaining the Killing of Civilians - Ronny Sofer (Ynet News)