Israel\'s defense establishment questions the veracity of Palestinian reports regarding the death of two Arab children in Tuesday\'s IDF operation which neutralized the Hamas command center in Shechem. Senior IDF and GSS officials note that the names of the children who were reportedly killed do not appear anywhere in Israel\'s Palestinian Population Registry. Moreover, no formal report of the details of their death has been submitted. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz said yesterday that had the IDF known that the boys were in the vicinity, the strike would not have been carried out. Former IDF Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan criticized Mofaz for his remarks, saying that from now on, the Arabs will see to it that children are present during all planning stages of terrorists attacks. Eitan added that government apologies for its actions in this war are \"stupid.\"
Regarding the possibility that the two children were killed in the Shechem strike, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said today, \"There is no war without civilian casualties... We are the only country in the world that struggles with a type of terrorism called a suicide bomber. If you send the police to stop him, he will blow himself up with the officers. If you dispatch soldiers, they will be blown up too. The only way to deal with this phenomenon is to prevent the attack before it is launched. In Shechem, we killed the masterminds behind the suicide bombings.\"
Regarding the possibility that the two children were killed in the Shechem strike, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said today, \"There is no war without civilian casualties... We are the only country in the world that struggles with a type of terrorism called a suicide bomber. If you send the police to stop him, he will blow himself up with the officers. If you dispatch soldiers, they will be blown up too. The only way to deal with this phenomenon is to prevent the attack before it is launched. In Shechem, we killed the masterminds behind the suicide bombings.\"