The southern Lebanese town of Qana has witnessed two of the worst, appalling and unforgivable crimes in history, both carried out by the Israeli army. The first massacre took place in 1996 while the second happened just a week ago during the recent Israeli aggression 1996 : on 18 April 1996, at least 17 Israeli high-explosive artillery shells hit a UNIFIL compound near the village of Qana, in which over 800 Lebanese civilians had taken shelter. 102 civilians were killed. 2006 : On 30 July 2006, Israeli airstrikes hit a three-storey apartment building in Qana. It collapsed several hours later, killing 56 people (including 34 children) and injuring many others sheltering in the basement, according to the Red Cross. Most were killed in their sleep. 1996 : 106 were killed and around 116 others injured, the majority of which were children. Four UNIFIL soldiers were also seriously injured. 2006: 56 were killed and many others were injured, the majority of which were children. 1996 : The massacre took place as part of the 16-day "Grapes of Wrath" operation during which the Israeli army bombed Hizbullah bases in southern Lebanon, the southern district of Beirut and the Biqa. Israel's aim was to attack and eliminate the Lebanese resistance. The State Department said at the time that Hizbullah are using civilians as cover. Shimon Peres said: "They used them as a shield, they used the UN as a shield -- the UN admitted it." 2006: It took place on the 19th day of the Israeli war on Lebanon in retaliation to Hizbullah's capturing of two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. Israel claimed that Hizbullah's "relentless rocket attacks" from the area was what forced the occupation forces to carry out their barbaric attack which killed more than 800 people, a third of them children, and injured approximately 2000. 1996: Israel fired an estimated 24,000 artillery rounds at villages in southern Lebanon, and carried out well over 600 air strikes, dropping bombs on and firing rockets at purported Hizbullah targets as far north as Beirut. An initial tally by a Lebanese/French consortium of NGOs indicates that some 6,000 buildings were hit; of these, 500 buildings were destroyed and 2,500 heavily damaged. 2006: Israel waged a comprehensive air strike as well as a ground and sea bombardment with attempts for a limited ground intervention. The US provided Israel with a shipment of smart bombs used for destroying shelters. Israel used illegal weapons such as the phosphoric and cluster bombs. 1996: The massacre resulted in an immediate ceasefire and the so-called April agreement sponsored by the United States, France and Syria, under which Israel and Hizbullah agreed to avoid civilian targets. 2006 : So far no agreement has been reached as Israel refuses all calls for a ceasefire.
