Monday, January 05, 2009

1.5 million in a cage


U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001: 631 (source)

Death toll in Gaza in ten days: 489 (source)

One of these numbers includes 89 children and 30 women.

From Juan Cole:
CBS News broadcasts an interview with a Norwegian physician on the scene in Gaza.

He says he has seen one military casualty come into the hospital. Of 2500 wounded, 50% are women and children. Doing surgery around the clock. There are injuries you do not want to see-- children coming in with open abdomens, with injured legs, we had to amputate both of them. This is a war on the civilian population of Gaza. It is a very young population. They cannot flee. They are fenced in. They are bombing one and a half million people in a cage.

--the BB

4 comments:

Jane R said...

That was EXACTLY the sentence that struck me when I went over to Juan Cole's earlier today. (You're the one who made me aware of him, by the way, so thank you. Now I know where to go.)

Paul said...

Juan Cole is an awesome resource. Mimi has been reading him longer than I have.

Jane R said...

Ah yes, that's where I saw references to him too! My brain is not computing fully.

The word verification thingie is "torair." Sounds like a war cry. Or else something very French.

Paul said...

There are echoes of "tora, tora, tora!" but I think I shall opt for Gaelic.