IN RESPONSE TO QUERY

Approximately six months ago the IDF publicized official statistics,

gathered and confirmed by the Research Division of the IDF Defense

Intelligence, citing the number of casualties during Operation Cast Lead.

According to these statistics, there were 1,166 Palestinian casualties in

the Gaza Strip, the majority of which (709) were terror operatives

affiliated with the Hamas terror organization, some of whom belonged to

other terror groups.

The "B'Tselem" report is not based on facts or on accurate statistics.

Furthermore, among its sources, B'Tselem officially states that it based its

findings, on cross referencing statistics from investigations of Palestinian

human rights groups and various websites and blogs, including those of the

militant wings of terror organizations and that of the Palestinian Police.

The discrepancy in the numbers is based on the fact that B'Tselem's sources

are organizations with a vested interest, and it does not have the tools,

nor the intelligence capabilities with which it can within a necessary

degree of confidence know the causes of death or the affiliations of these

casualties.

The Hamas terror organization is hiding these statistics so that it can play

on international public opinion so as to increase support in its violent

acts of terror. For example, the way in which Hamas "police officers" are

categorized in the report, where Hamas is presenting operatives in its

military wing as police officers whose job is to enforce law and order.

This is done in order to minimize the number of casualties amongst its

forces, while inflating the number of civilian casualties.

By shifting public attention to the number of casualties, Hamas is diverting

attention from the real issue, in which this terror organization

specifically and deliberately endangered the lives of the residents in the

Gaza Strip, where on the other hand, as much as was possible, the IDF sought

to prevent the harm of uninvolved noncombatant civilians. It should be

remembered, that the IDF engaged in Operation Cast Lead after a prolonged

period of continuous rocket and mortar fire on hundreds of thousands of

Israeli residents. The firing of these rockets was done from within

population centers in the Gaza Strip, while using the local residents as a

human shield from behind which it would launch its terror attacks.

OTR:

1. With regards to the categorization of the "police officers," information

can be found that proves their terrorist activities on the website of the

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center: www.terrorism-info.org.il.

2. An example of the double use of Hamas "police officers" in reports can be

openly seen in a statements made on June 28, in which the Hamas Minister of

the Interior, Hamad Fatahi, and also Haled Mashal himself, admitted that on

the first day alone, 400 or 500 "Hamas warriors" had died. Furthermore, as

Hamas has a policy of withholding information regarding sustained casualties

during the operation, it is possible that the number of terror operatives

who were killed is higher than the IDF's calculations.

3. It should also be stated the Manager of Emergency Services in the

Palestinian Health and Emergency Services Ministry stated that there were

approximately 1400 casualties during Operation Cast Lead. A possible

explanation for this discrepancy is that a number alone was given

unsupported by identifying names, as well as the addition of natural death

cases, which stands at approximately 400 per month in the Gaza Strip,

possibly caused by the confusion at Gaza Strip hospitals during the

operation.

4. As was explained to the organization, the IDF is unable to disclose the

methods in which it gathers such information, as it is classified.

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IDF SPOX Ann - 260309 - Gaza Strip Casualties

Vast Majority of Palestinians Killed in Operation Cast Lead

Found to be Terror Operatives

Following the publication of reports that introduced false information

originating from various Palestinian sources, and in order to remove any

doubt regarding the number of Palestinians killed in Operation Cast Lead,

the IDF wishes to introduce the accurate figures to the public. The figures

were gathered following the examination of various intelligence sources and

after the names and numbers were thoroughly cross-referenced and examined.

According to the data gathered by the Research Department of the Israel

Defense Intelligence, there were 1166 names of Palestinians killed during

Operation Cast Lead. 709 of them are identified as Hamas terror operatives,

amongst them several from various other terror organizations. Additionally,

there are 162 names of men that have not yet been attributed to any

organization. Furthermore, it has come to our understanding that 295

uninvolved Palestinians were killed during the operation, 89 of them under

the age of 16, and 49 of them were women.

The IDF wishes to emphasize that its objective during Operation Cast Lead

was to target the Hamas terror organization and not the citizens of the Gaza

Strip. It must be stressed that the fighting took place in a complex

battlefield, defined by the Hamas terror organization itself. The Hamas

terror organization placed the primary fighting scene at the heart of

civilian neighborhoods, as it booby-trapped homes, fired from schools, and

used civilians as human shields.

The IDF took extensive measures in order to prevent harming uninvolved

civilians, including the dropping of leaflets, broadcasting warnings in

local Palestinian media, and placing numerous phone calls to homes. The

procedure of making use of warning shots and the briefing of the commanders

to take extra precaution in populated areas were also among the measures

taken by the IDF.