Most Palestinian killed in recent conflict were combatants

Dr Orla Lynch (Letters, September 9), deprecates Israel’s counter-attacks on military targets as "violence inflicted on Palestinians via direct and indirect punishment".

The Hamas government in Gaza initiated the recent conflict by its indiscriminate shelling, for many years, of Israeli towns near the border. They used rockets and mortars located in, or adjacent to, homes, hospitals and UN-run shelters, which Israel was then compelled to silence. Though Israel warned civilians to evacuate, the Hamas authorities did all in their power to make them stay.

At least half of those killed, including children, were combatants engaged in launching rockets, though Hamas called them civilians because they did not wear military uniforms. Of the remainder, many died as a result of rockets exploding on their launch pads or falling short within Gaza, or were ‘executed’ as suspected Israeli spies.