VOA标准英语2009年-Israeli Rights Group Says Most Gaza Offens

A leading Israeli human rights group says most of the people killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza eight months ago were civilians² - many of them children. Those findings contradict statistics from the Israeli military, which has said most of the casualties were militants³.
　
Palestinian civilians and medics run to safety during an Israeli strike over a UN school in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, 17 Jan 2009

The organization behind the report, B'Tselem, is considered a leading human rights group in Israel. Its findings are in line with those of major rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which also issued reports in the months since Israel launched its 22-day assault on militants in Gaza.

B'Tselem says 773 of an estimated more than 1,300 people killed in the offensive, dubbed⁴ Operation Cast Lead, were civilians, including 320 children under the age of 18. It says 330 combatants were killed.

B'Tselem's director, Jessica Montell, tells VOA her group's figures suggest the army has underreported the number of civilian¹ casualties.

"The cases themselves warrant scrutiny⁵, introspection, I think, on the part of Israeli society and criminal investigations⁶, as well, regarding conduct of Israeli forces. I would say what is almost as disturbing is the picture put forward by the Israeli military," she said.

Israel's army has all along disputed allegations that its forces wantonly killed large numbers of innocent people. The military's casualty figures say 709 of those killed were combatants. The official figures say 295 civilians died.

Israel Defense⁷ Forces spokesman Captain Elie Isaacson says the military used overt⁸ and covert⁹ intelligence sources to gather its casualty statistics.

"There's no way that a human rights organization can possibly have the means, can possibly have the techniques, and the resources we have, in order to get the most accurate possible statistics, he said. "We know that they rely on all sorts of Palestinian sources many of whom have a vested interest in making the numbers of civilian casualties appear higher than they are."

Israel says its forces operated in accordance to international law during the assault, which targeted Islamist militants who had been launching rockets and other attacks at communities in southern Israel for years.

The aim of the Israeli operation in December and January was also to weaken Hamas, the Islamist group that seized power in Gaza after Israel withdrew its forces and settlements from the enclave.

The offensive enjoyed wide support among Israelis, and reports like that of B'Tselem have drawn¹⁰ the attention mainly of leftists in the country. But, B'Tselem's Jessica Montell says the continued reports of atrocities¹¹ warrant action by Israeli society as a whole.

"Of course, the residents of southern Israel who were living in bomb shelters for months, and even years, have a right to live also in safety and dignity," she said. "It is a very essential conversation, that Israel needs to conduct, among ourselves, of what is justified¹², what is necessary, what is legal and moral, and what even is effective in order to keep our citizens safe."

Since the Israeli assault, rocket attacks from Gaza have continued, but in fewer numbers than before the operation.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

9 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。