"We want to be martyrs too."
Perhaps unintentionally, Reuters exposes the blind adoration of death that permeates Palestinian Arab culture:
A dozen small boys, not yet teenagers, were among relatives gathered at a funeral in Gaza on Friday for a young man killed in clashes between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops.
Asked if they would learn from the death of 19-year-old Mohammed Maher Shahine, killed while watching Thursday's fighting as Israel stepped up an offensive in the strip, the boys answered almost with one voice.
"No. We want to be martyrs too," they said, seemingly oblivious to the danger of following around bands of gunmen as they battle more powerful Israeli troops, who are backed by tanks and helicopters.
The Palestinians, despite all evidence to the contrary, continue to claim that those killed in the attacks were innocent civilians:
The crowds watching the funerals said most of those killed on Thursday were civilians, but as the bodies were carried past, mourners also described many as fighters killed in battle.
"He was a Qassam launcher," explained one mourner as the body of Ahmed Abu Askar was born aloft through the crowd, saying he and two others had tried to fire a rocket at Israel.
The blame for any deaths that are civilians can be traced back to the Palestinians themselves:
During Thursday's clashes, which came as Israeli troops battled to build a buffer zone to prevent the rocket fire, small children followed Palestinian fighters at every turn, greatly increasing the risk of civilian casualties.
The boys at Mohammed's funeral, taking place under a green awning provided by Hamas, said they would like to go and watch the next clashes, if there were any.
Meanwhile, "militants" continue to indiscriminately launch Kassam rockets into Israel (via Clarity & Resolve):
Two Kassam rockets fell on Sderot on Friday afternoon. One of the Kassams fell in the city's central market, wounding seven. Three people were hit by shrapnel from the rocket, while four were in shock. Three of the wounded were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital.
Civilians have abandoned Bayt Lahiyah to the "gunmen" who make war on Israel.
According to the Palestinians, the town of Beit Lahiya is almost desolated, apart from gunmen in its allies who are exchanging fire with IDF soldiers. The town is suffering from severe electricity blackouts, and there has been no electricity supply to most of its parts since the IDF began its northern Gaza Strip operation.
The apparent strategy of Palestinian leadership is to hope the Israelis, pursuing justice on behalf of a kidnapped citizen and the attempted murder of civilians, will eventually grow tired of firing upon the brainwashed cannon fodder that Hamas, Fatah, and other groups throw onto the streets of Gaza.
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