The Israelis and their supporters whinge when Palestinians kill innocent Israelis, but then Israelis kill innocent Palestinians.
At least 22 Palestinians have been killed and 60 injured when Israeli forces fired on or near a crowd in the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza. Approximately three thousand people were demonstrating against a massive operation in the refugee camp in the town. Israeli forces entered the camp to attack militants and find and destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons.
Military officials acknowledged they fired four tank shells, a missile, and automatic weapons as "warning shots" to stop the protesters from approaching what officials called a battle zone. The officials claim they fired towards an abandoned structure, and not directly into the crowd. Witnesses, however, report seeing at least one explosion occur in the middle of a large group of people.
Several children were among the dead, and more than 60 people were injured, 17 seriously, Palestinian medical workers said. A BBC correspondent at the hospital described the floors as "covered in blood" as doctors feverishly worked to help the wounded. There is concern that local hospitals are not equipped to deal with the number and seriousness of the injuries.
Palenstinians claim among the dead were a 13-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister, shot dead by an Israeli sniper as they gathered laundry from their rooftop.
The White House has expressed concern over the events in Gaza today. "We are very concerned about reports from Gaza and the number of Palestinians who are said to have been injured and killed," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We have asked the government of Israel for the facts about what happened today. We will continue to follow this closely and we urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint,"
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