Qana massacre
1996 attack on civilians by the Israeli Defense Forces in Qana, Lebanon / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Qana massacre[1] took place on April 18, 1996, near Qana, a village in Southern Lebanon, when the Israel Defense Forces fired artillery shells at a United Nations compound.[2][3] The artillery barrage had been launched to cover an Israeli special forces unit after it had come under mortar fire launched from the vicinity of the compound and radioed a request for support. Of 800 Lebanese civilians who had taken refuge in the compound, 106 were killed and around 116 injured. Four Fijian United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon soldiers were also seriously injured.[4][5]
Qana massacre | |
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Location | UNIFIL compound, Qana, Lebanon |
Date | April 18, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-04-18) |
Attack type | 155 mm gun shelling |
Deaths | 106 Lebanese civilians |
Injured | 116 Lebanese civilians and 4 Fijian UN peacekeepers |
Perpetrators | Israel Defense Forces |
The attack occurred amid heavy fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah during Operation Grapes of Wrath. A United Nations investigation later stated that the Israeli shelling was deliberate,[6][7] based on video evidence showing an Israeli reconnaissance drone over the compound before the shelling. The Israeli government at first denied the existence of the drone, but then said, after being told of the video evidence, that the drone was on a different mission.[7] Israel categorically rejected the findings of the UN report concerning the incident.[8]
The incident would attract attention in later years after Naftali Bennett, the commander of the Israeli commando unit which had called in the barrage, entered politics, eventually becoming Prime Minister of Israel.