Reuters Photo Explains Large Number of Palestinian "Civilian" Casualties

Dr. Aaron Lerner 12 February 2004

A Reuters photograph taken in Shijaia in the Gaza Strip published in the
Hebrew edition of Haaretz today shows armed masked terrorists taking up
firing positions surrounded by Palestinian boys and young men.
( www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/images/printed/P120204/a.0.1202.20.2.9.jpg )

The reckless attitude of the Palestinian terrorists towards Palestinian
civilians plays a key role in the fatalities statistics as presented by the
International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the
Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya (see below).

While 40% of Israeli non-combatant fatalities 27 September 2000 through 10
February 2004 were female, only 9.3% of Palestinian non-combatants killed
were female. While Palestinian terrorist murdered 221 Israeli
non-combatants aged 45 and over, there were a total of 80 Palestinian
fatalities aged 45 and over.

The data shows that the deaths of Palestinian "Non-Combatants" is far from
the random result one would expect from the deaths of non-combatants who die
because they happened by chance to have the bad fortune to be in a
"non-combatant location (on a bus, in a cafe, etc. in the course of a normal
day).
+++

Breakdown of Fatalities in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: 27 September
2000 through 10 February 2004

Total: Palestinians 2627 Israelis 895
Female: Palestinians 119 Israelis 282

Non-Combatants killed by Opposite Side
Total: Palestinians 945 Israelis 695
Female: Palestinians 88 Israelis 277

Combatants killed by Opposite Side
Palestinians 1222 Israelis 182

People killed by actions of own side
Palestinians 338 Israelis 20

Non-Combatants below age 12
Palestinians 76 Israelis 36

Non-Combatant Males between ages 12-29
Palestinians 514 Israelis 172

Non-Combatants Aged >= 45
Palestinians 80 Israelis 221

Source: International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the
Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya
An Engineered Tragedy: Statistical Analysis of Fatalities
www.ict.org.il/casualties_project/stats_page.cfm