The term we came up with was “collateral damage.” It originated during the Vietnam war when U.S. forces killed civilians while targeting Viet Cong guerillas. Different from the intentional targeting of civilians by Putin in Ukraine, it was used again in Afghanistan and Iraq. Terrible shame, but it’s part of the costs of war, the generals told us.
The latest Israeli bombardment on a UN school building, ostensibly targeting Hamas militants, killed at least 33 persons who had taken shelter there. But here, no, “Oh, we’re so sorry. Didn’t mean to kill all those women and children.” No, just a defense with the claim of targeting Hamas militants planning an attack.
War has always had “collateral damage,” those in charge tell us. Terrible to be sure, but someone has to suffer, right? At least the Israelis didn’t try to sugar-coat this attack as it has others, like the one on the World Central Kitchen. Defensive bombs made in the U.S. are no different than so-called offensive bombs; they both kill and maim.
Prayer for the Day
Where are you, God, we cry, when such carnage occurs?
Is not this like the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians?
We stammer and shudder at the sights before us,
Mothers rocking their dead babies, children without limbs.
Rouse us, O Holy One, to make this war of vengeance end,
And bring us to our senses, ending our reliance on weapons.
In the name of the One who calls us to peace,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The most painful thing I have ever experienced was picking up those pieces of flesh with my hands. I never thought I would have to do such a thing.
Abu Ammar, construction worker in Gaza
Our precise strike was based on concrete intelligence from multiple sources. The terrorists inside the school were planning more attacks against Israelis, some of them imminent. We stopped a ticking time bomb.
Daniel Hagari, Israeli Military spokesman, defending the attack
How lonely sits the city that was once full of people!
How like a widow she has become, she that was great among nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks;
Among all her lovers, she has no one to comfort her;
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.
The Lamentations of Jeremiah: 1: 1-2