26th Anniversary of Qana massacre

Over the past decades, the Israeli occupation has committed uncountable war crimes in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and other countries of the region. Reviewing the history of the region, one can’t but mention one of the biggest and most brutal massacres perpetrated by Israel in the Lebanese village of Qana.

Today marks the 26th anniversary of Qana first massacre. The anniversary of this tragic event comes amid criminal and provocative escalation by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Qana first massacre, which took place on April 18th, 1996 and killed and wounded around 250 civilians, most of them children, has been clear-cut evidence of the Israeli savage practices and hostile policies.

 The shocking images of the torn body parts and the tragedy and devastation that followed the massacre reflect the brutality of the occupation and the weakness of the global conscience which did not move to pressure the governments of major powers that sponsor and cover up Israel’s criminality to put an end to the Israeli atrocities.

 Between April 11th and 27th, 1996, the Israeli occupation launched an aggression on Lebanon, shelling a number of towns and villages, including in the capital Beirut within what it called “Operation Grapes of Wrath”. On the 18th of the same month, the occupation bombarded the headquarters of the Fijian battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, where some 800 civilians from several villages in south Lebanon sought a shelter from the Israeli shelling. 106 civilians, including many women and children were killed, and around 116 were injured.

Despite the savageness of this massacre against innocent people in Qana, international reactions were weak and shameful. The United States hurried to cover up the crime of its ally, “Israel,” by holding the victims responsible for what happened because they refused to leave their towns after the occupation authorities threaten them.

Ten years later, the Israeli occupation repeated its aggression on Lebanon in July, 2006 and committed another massacre in Qana by bombarding a building where civilians, who fled the aggression, hid. More than 55 people were martyred and dozens were injured in this massacre.

Besides Qana massacres, the Israeli occupation committed many other massacres in Sabra and Shatila, Bint Jbeil and several others areas in Lebanon, in addition to earlier massacres in Deir Yasin, Qibieh, Khan Younis and Al-Quds in occupied Palestine.

Today, the Israeli occupation continues with its crimes of killing and displacing the Palestinian people amid a continuous international bias led by Washington and the major colonial powers towards Israel.

Hamda Mustafa