Massacre of the Chaldeans

Qana Massacre, on April 18, 1996, was a mass killing that occurred when the Israeli military bombed a refugee camp in the village of Qana in southern Lebanon, which was sheltering Palestinian civilians under the protection of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Over 100 civilians were killed in the attack. This strike was part of Israel’s large-scale military operation named Operation Grapes of Wrath, conducted under the orders of then Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and involving intense aerial and ground bombardment across southern Lebanon for 16 days.

^{Mourning at the Qana Massacre Graveyard (}Anadolu Agency⁾

The majority of Palestinian civilians in the UN camp in Qana were women and children. During the artillery bombardment carried out by Israeli forces on the day of the attack, 106 civilians were killed and more than 150 were injured. Some sources record the death toll as 109. UN officials found Israel’s claim that the attack was “accidental” insufficient and concluded that the strike was deliberately carried out.

Despite international outcry following the massacre, no serious sanctions were imposed on Israel. The United Nations launched an investigation into the incident, but member states of the Security Council failed to reach consensus on condemning Israel. This situation sparked serious debates about the effectiveness and impartiality of civilian protection under international law.

Qana resident Hasan Ibrahim Kreyha, an eyewitness to the events, described the scene as follows: “Bodies were everywhere—in the streets, in the square, on the roads. The arms and legs of my friends and neighbors were torn apart.” Gunnar Brandsdal, a former Norwegian officer serving with UNIFIL, stated that an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle was present in the area during the attack, proving that Israel was aware of the location. According to Brandsdal, footage from the drone was later leaked and generated widespread repercussions in international media.

Ten years later, in July 2006, during Israel’s new military operation against Lebanon, the village of Qana was targeted once again. In this second attack, a three-story building in Qana was bombed, killing more than 60 civilians, including 37 children. This event is known in literature as the Second Qana Massacre and has turned Qana into a significant symbol in international literature on war crimes.

The Qana Massacre is regarded as a grave violation of the obligation to protect civilians under international law. Targeting a shelter under UN protection constitutes a clear breach of the Geneva Conventions. However, the failure of subsequent investigations to yield meaningful accountability has made this case one of the most prominent examples cited in critiques of international impunity.