Gaza: Death on the Beach

The killing of a Palestinian girl's family sparks an international outcry. But is Israel really to blame?

The explosion happened in an instant. Late in the afternoon of June 9, on a beach in Beit Lahiya, a blast of heat and shrapnel killed seven members of a family who had gathered there for a picnic: Ali Ghaliya, five of his children and his second wife. His first wife and four more of his children were wounded, as were dozens of other people. A Ramattan News Agency cameraman rode to the scene with an ambulance. After arriving, he filmed Huda Ghaliya, 10, stumbling through the carnage, wailing and beating her chest, calling out for her dead father.

Within days,...

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