Mothers wail, ‘What human would ever do this?’

Dahr Jamail and Arkan Hamed

Updated Aug 9, 2006

BEIRUT (IPS/GIN) - About 55 percent of all casualties at the Beirut Government University Hospital are 15 or younger, hospital records show.

"This is worse than during the Lebanese civil war," Bilal Masri, assistant director of the hospital, one of Beirut’s largest, told IPS.

Not only are most of the patients children, but many of the injured are in serious condition, he said. "Now we have a 30 percent fatality rate here in Beirut. That means that 30 percent of everyone hit by Israeli bombs are dying. It is a catastrophe."

The fatality rate was high, he said, "because the Israelis are using new kinds of bombs which can enter shelters. They are bombing the bomb shelters which are full of refugees."

Mr. Masri blamed the "widespread and indiscriminate nature of the bombings," noting that "children are least able to run away when the bombings commence."

Those new Israeli bombs are probably American-made. Makes me proud ta be a 'mericuhn. The rest of the article is here.