As Palestinians return to the remaining rubble of their homes and infrastructure after Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to a
rocket attack on the Israeli border town of Sderot, the seeds of hatred and revenge are apparent. 109 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were
wounded, including dozens of civilians, among them 18 minors. Five Israelis, including two preschoolers killed in the Sderot attack, also died. In
Jebaliya, at least 45 homes and a mosque were destroyed.
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JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) _ Palestinians retrieved belongings from the rubble of homes and work crews patched up roads and water pipes
Saturday in the aftermath of Israel"s deadliest offensive in the Gaza Strip in four years of fighting.
Tanks and bulldozers razed dozens of homes, uprooted crops and tore up roads and water pipes. The Palestinians say much of the destruction was wanton.
The army said soldiers only destroyed homes from which militants attacked them.
Latife Abu Oudeh, 55, was sitting on the rubble as her daughter-in-law carried mattresses, children"s clothing, a pink teddy bear, silverware and a
bag with cosmetics and perfume from the ruins of their house.
Abu Oudeh said her four-room house, home to 16 people, was destroyed at the beginning of the offensive. She said the family received no warning and
was sleeping when a bulldozer approached before dawn. ``My daughter was in the bathroom when she found the wall collapsing,"" Abu Oudeh said.
The family fled in a panic, she said. ``When we reached the next building, I looked back and saw my house completely demolished,"" Abu Oudeh said.
Many Palestinians in northern Gaza have said that they don"t want the militants to fire more rockets at Israeli border towns, because such attacks
provoke devastating Israeli reprisals.
However, Abu Oudeh said her heart was now set on revenge. ``I am happy rockets were fired, and I want more to be fired,"" she said bitterly, adding
that she was pleased Sderot residents were panicking over the rocket attacks.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza said that according to a preliminary count, at least 80 houses were demolished in northern Gaza during
the assault, including at least 60 in Jebaliya and 20 in Beit Lahiya. The group said dozens of homes, shops and public buildings were damaged.
Shortly before the pullback Friday, a 65-year-old Palestinian woman was shot in the head and killed by Israeli tank fire while eating a traditional
Ramadan dinner in her home, Palestinian hospital officials said.
Military sources said soldiers had opened fire in the area after being attacked by an anti-tank missile. The army also said Palestinians had fired a
rocket.
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While the strategic use of brutal military force can serve a number of purposes, including the positioning of politicians among their
constituencies and the garnering of support for fringe political groups seeking legitimacy, the deaths of Israeli and Palestenian innocents is
self-evidently an ineffective means of preventing further deaths. The stories of Israeli and Palestinian innocent bystanders killed in the offensives,
and others having their homes collapsed on them without warning, are examples of how brutal policies on both sides will breed hatred and further
violence. We seem to only be able to await the next inevitable wave of violence which will follow as surely as night follows day.
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[edit on 17-10-2004 by Banshee]