A ‘Peaceful March’ in Gaza Kills Five

Remember the Great March of Return? That took place on the Gaza-Israel border every Friday from March 30, 2018 until December 27, 2019, during which tens of thousands of Palestinians tried to breach the security fence. They hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails, and even grenades at the IDF soldiers guarding the fence. In a few cases, they managed to bring guns and shoot at the soldiers. They were demanding that Israel recognize a “right of return” of “Palestinian refugees” — really, the descendants of the real refugees whose status they had inherited — which would mean an end to Israel as a Jewish state. These demonstrations were very large, and organized by the terror group Hamas. Thirty thousand Palestinians showed up for the first march; on many Fridays following the numbers remained over 10,000. During 21 months when the Great March of Return was held, the IDF tried to keep back the crowds coming up to the fence by firing tear gas and stun guns; in some cases, when crowds were in danger of actually breaching the fence, the IDF soldiers used live fire, trying at first to stop their approach by shooting them low down on their legs. But when they felt the crowd surging, hitting them with rocks and hurling Molotov cocktails straight at them, so that their lives were in danger, they fired above the waist. During the 630 days of the Great March of Return, 223 Palestinians were killed, roughly one every third day. Given the tens of thousands of Palestinians who took part in these marches, this does not seem like an excessive use of force.

In mid-September, another march was held, starting from the Malka camp that is situated on the border with Israel. It was presented to the world as a “peaceful march,” but that description was belied by the large bomb the marchers brought with them, intending to place it where it then blow up next to IDF soldiers on the other side of the border. More on this march can be found here: “Only in Gaza are there huge bombs brought to a ‘peaceful march,’” Elder of Ziyon, September 13, 2023:

Safa  [the Palestinian new agency] reports, “Five young men were martyred and 25 others were injured this evening, Wednesday, as a result of an explosion during a peaceful march in Malka camp on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip.”

Palestine Today adds,

According to the statement of the rebel youth, a number of Mujahideen from the Engineering Unit advanced to Malka Gate to detonate a heavy-caliber explosive device, but the occupation betrayed them and opened fire where they were to plant the device. The Mujahideen were unable to withdraw, which led to the explosion of the device….

Yes, doesn’t everyone bring a large bomb along on a “peaceful march”? Well, perhaps not everyone, but the Palestinians certainly do. But this “heavy-caliber explosive device” apparently exploded after it had been so carefully planted by the “rebel youth,” the brave Islamic warriors or Mujahideen. Those IDF soldiers whom the “rebel youth” were dead set on blowing to smithereens instead “betrayed them” — how thoughtless of them — by firing on them as they were planting the explosive device. The gunfire prevented the Palestinians from retreating, and the bomb blew up before they had a chance to escape, just the way Wile E. Coyote is always hoist by his own petard of dynamite from the Acme Missile Co., when he tries, again and again, to blow up the Road-Runner. Elder of Ziyon adds:

And make no mistake, for a bomb to kill 5 and injure 25, it was quite big.

Now we have stories in the Arab media, such as the Palestinian news agency Safa, describing how the IDF had deliberately murdered five Palestinians in cold blood as they were engaged in a “peaceful march.” No mention is made in many of those accounts of the bomb blowing up, but we are told that five died “due to an explosion,” which remains unidentified. You are expected to believe that it must have been caused by the IDF. Even in the more extensive coverage by Palestine Today and similar sites, that do admit that the bomb was in fact brought by the Palestinians, there is outrage at “how the occupation betrayed them” by firing at the “rebel youths” placing the bomb. How thoughtless of the IDF! How unfair!