Date & Time: Monday 22 July 2002; 12:20 a.m.

Location: El-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City

Victims: 9 children killed, 4 adult civilians killed, 150 civilians injured including 15 very seriously, Salah Shehada and Zahir Nassar from Al-Qassam Brigades.

Murder Weapon: US-manufactured F-16 fighter Jet dropping a one-ton bomb on a densely-populated residential neighborhood (30 houses destroyed).

Criminals: Some of the criminals responsible for the crime are: Ariel Sharon (command responsibility), Benyamin Ben-Eleizer (command responsibility), Avi Dichter (command responsibility), Yuval Diskin (head of Shin Bet assassinations unit), unidentified pilot of F-16 dropping the bomb, Palestinian traitor (detained by PNA).

On the eventful night of 22 July 2002, the weather was very hot in the densely-populated El-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza. The packed houses of 2-4 stories only added to the heat. Some chose to go on the roofs to get a fresh breath. Others were putting their children to bed.

A Palestinian traitor (now detained by the PNA) made a cell phone call to his occupation’s Shin Bet (internal security) operator confirming the place of Salah Shehada. The call was the final screw in a long process of planning for murder. A passerby heard the conversation and marked the traitor.

Earlier, Brigadir General Mike Herzog, military secretary for the minister of defense, called his boss, Benyamin Ben-Eleizer, who was on a short private visit to London. He informed him that a suitable military opportunity has presented itself. After asking a few questions, the minister of defense gave his approval to carry out the operation.

After Ben-Eleizer’s approval, the general headed to the prime minister’s office in Al-Quds and presented the plan to him. The head of military intelligence, general Aharon Ze’ev Firkash, said that Shehada was in a newly-built 2-story house. He showed Sharon aerial pictures of the target.

They discussed the target in detail, and Avi Dichter the head of the Shin Bet (internal security apparatus) informed them that Shehada was in the house with 2 other men, his wife and young daughter. There was reference to the surroundings being inhabited by other people; but that didn’t get much discussion time. The recommendation was to use an F-16 strike to ensure the fulfillment of the intended goals. The recommendation was accepted!

A few minutes after the traitor’s call, the neighborhood weighed down by the heat was transformed into a chaotic scene of destruction and murder. Blown up houses and rubble mingled with human blood and flesh; Whole families were torn apart; and hundreds of civilians were killed and injured. An occupation F-16 dropped a one-ton bomb on Gaza City.

Twenty minutes later, Sharon received a preliminary report about the strike indicating the destruction of the house. However, Shehada’s death wasn’t confirmed. At 2:30 a.m. Yu’ab Galant, Sharon’s military secretary, gave his boss the confirmation of the target’s death.

Back in El-Daraj, an area slightly less than 1 sq. kilometer was transformed to rubble. People were looking for bodies and extracting torn remains and transporting them to the hospital. Abu Mohammad Matar came out of what remained of his house and cried. Then he screamed, “They killed my wife and children. My family is dead….” His youngest daughter of 2 months was killed. And only one of his 5 children survived. Other families had similar tragedies to tell, each losing one or more to death or injury.