Israeli shots kill Palestinian boy's school dream

Reuters (Israel) ^ | 8-16-02 | Nidal al-Mughrabi

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Israeli shots kill Palestinian boy's school dream

    By Nidal al-Mughrabi 
    GAZA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Five-year-old Ayman Fares could 
hardly wait for his first day of school but Israeli gunfire cut 
short the Palestinian boy's dreams, his mother said on Friday as 
his flag-wrapped body headed for an early grave. 
    "They stole his happiness and ours," said Sumaya Fares, 
weeping as she held up a pair of Ayman's jeans and a blue shirt 
while receiving mourners at her house at the Khan Younis refugee 
camp in the Gaza Strip, shortly before the burial. 
    Sumaya said she had already bought Ayman his school uniform 
and he was keen to begin a major new stage of his life, when 
shots fired by the Israeli army into his refugee camp district 
cut him down on Thursday. 
    "Ayman asked me to buy him a pencil, school bag and copy 
books. He was happy to be joining the school." The school year 
starts in early September in Palestinian territories. 
    Hundreds of Palestinians marched for the child's funeral on 
Friday, including several armed militants firing automatic 
rifles into the air. "Revenge is coming soon!" they cried. 
    Hospital officials said Ayman died from a bullet in the back 
of the head. Palestinian security sources said an Israeli tank 
approached a residential area on the edge of the camp and opened 
fire "without reason". 
    An Israeli army spokesman said Palestinians had opened fire 
on Israeli forces, who shot back and injured one of the men. The 
army said it had no information about the shooting of a boy. 
    The camp, flanked on two sides by a compound of Jewish 
settlements, has been a flashpoint for Palestinian-Israeli 
violence during the 22-month-old Palestinian uprising for 
independence in Gaza and the West Bank. 
    The child's grandfather, Nadid Fares, said he suffered a 
light bullet wound in the hand as he and a neighbour tried to 
get the boy's body out of the area to the hospital. 
    "There was no mistake. Soldiers knew where they directed 
their weapons," he said. 
    "People here live in terror. Israel tanks open fire daily 
against our houses and fields," added the old man, who has land 
close to the army-protected Jewish settlement of Gani Tal. 
    At least 1,503 Palestinians and 588 Israelis have been 
killed since the uprising began after U.S.-brokered negotiations 
on creating a Palestinian state stalled. 
    Palestinian human right groups estimate at least one-third 
of the Palestinian deaths have been people under the age of 18. 
Amnesty International said in a July 11 report said that about 
60 Israeli children had been killed in Palestinian attacks.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

	Activists from the Fatah youth organization, a group linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, march with automatic weapons during a demonstration supporting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on the streets of the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday Aug. 15, 2002. Activists carry Iraqi, Palestinian and yellow Fatah youth flags. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) - Aug 15 1:57 PM ET
	Activists from the Fatah youth organization, a group linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, burn American and Israeli flags during a demonstration supporting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on the streets of the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday Aug. 15, 2002. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) - Aug 15 1:57 PM ET

Mourners carry the body of slain Palestinian boy Ayman Fares for his funeral in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, August 16, 2002. The five-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by fire from an Israeli tank advancing to the edge of the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian security sources and hospital officials said. An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli forces were responding to gunfire directed at them from the camp district. He had no information about casualties. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause - Aug 16 7:29 AM ET

[Moby Grape]

Stupid, liberal, terrorist supporting news service!!!!! The headline SCREAMS bias....what about the Isreali children who were TARGETED on PURPOSE by Palestinian terrorist.

[camle]

reckon all them jewish kids that have been murdered by palestinians didn't have any dreams...

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Newspaper reports arrest of suspect in shooting death of 10-month-old Israeli -AP Breaking News
(08-16) 07:24 PDT JERUSALEM (AP) -- The army arrested a Palestinian sniper believed responsible for the March death of an Israeli baby, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. The incident set off emotional protests at the child's fune...

[thucydides]

Sorry, Reuters. These stories might play well among the Arab subscribers to your wire service, but they are a waste of time elsewhere. War is hell, but trying to stir up emotions over inevitable casualties is a waste of everyone's time.

[Movemout]

I decry the death of chidren anywhere but let there be no mistake, Pali children are dying because of their elders' foolish opposition to Israel. This journalist's bias is nauseating.

[End Times Sentinel]

"There was no mistake. Soldiers knew where they directed their weapons," he said.

Yeah, this just makes a ton of sense. The IDF, who responds to attacks initiated by the palis, taking risk of IDF casualty to minimize civilian involvement, they probably took aim at some 5 year old and deliberately gunned him down.

You can always trust the palis, especially when they’re making claims about how the IDF killed or wounded pali civilians. Remember the 2,000 dead in Jenin?

This story is complete garbage.

Another example of idiocy from Reuters, good find Oldeconomybuyer!

Stupid, liberal, terrorist supporting news service!

Well put ITB!

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

[camle]

there's a big diff between reporting a child's murder, and wallowing in it, pulling emotional heartstrings.
had the pali kid blown himself up hiw family would be rejoicing, especially if he took a few jewish kids with him.

[Stevieboy]

Unbelievable! The only reason I opened this thread was to clarify what the headline was saying: I figured it had to be a typo.

[Enterprise]

My question is "So what was his dream - to be a suicide bomber and kill other children?"

[winner45]

I love to see good palestinians.

[ThinkingMan]

While the death of a 5 year old who was excited to start school is a very sad event (I have one), it would not surprise me in the least if it was discovered that the bullet that snuffed out this child's life was fired intentionally from a TERRORIST weapon to keep the terrorists fired up. I seem to recall a story in the past few days showing that the palestinian masses are starting to get tired of strapping explosives to their sons and daughters. This type of event is just what the doctor ordered to keep them frothing at the mouth. After all, what is more despicable than the murder of a child. Arrafat- the blood of this innocent is on your hands.

[AppyPappy]

The deaths of Palestinian children are a cause for celebration around here.

Especially when they strap a bomb to themselves and blow up a pizza joint.

[robertpaulsen]

This is outrageous!! Just what the heck is Reuters trying to pull here?? They need to get with the other agencies, and only report on the deaths of Iraeli children.

[doug from upland]

In the interest of equal time:

CLICK AND READ ABOUT ISRAELI VICTIMS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Why did you post this? No one on FR cares about Palestinian children. The deaths of Palestinian children are a cause for celebration around here.

I came across this piece while searching for articles on how all conservatives want children to have unsafe drinking water.

[joltinjoe]

All you have to do is look at the name of the reporter, (a camel thumper) to know the article is a POS.

[Inkie]

Exactly. Guess what propaganda he would have learned in his lovely school and what anti-Semitic, anti-Christian bile he would have been copying into his copy book with his new little pencil.

Don't get me wrong. I feel sorry for the little guy. But his people are to blame for his early death, not the Israelis.

[BrooklynGOP]

The deaths of Palestinian children are a cause for celebration around here.

Cry me a river. Palestinian started the conflict. There is no mention of why the IDF is in the territories, nor does the kid's family blame Arafat/Fatah/Hamas, etc.