Qana Airstrike

Qana Airstrike

The 2006 Qana Airstrike (also referred to as the 2006 Qana Massacre or Second Qana massacre) was an air strike carried out by the Israel Air Force (IAF) on a three-storey building in the small community of al-Khuraybah near the South Lebanese village of Qana on July 30, 2006, during the 2006 Lebanon War in which 28 civilians were killed, of which 16 were children. The air strike was carried out following dozens of incidents in which Katyusha rockets were launched from the village and its surrounding areas, and residents were warned to leave. Israel halted air strikes for 48 hours following the attack, amid increasing calls for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.

Initial media reports stated that more than 50 people, including 37 children, had died, though later reports revised this to a lower figure of 28, including 16 children, with 13 people reported missing. Residents dug through the rubble with their hands, searching for survivors as bodies were removed. Video broadcast by Arab TV showed the bloodied bodies of women and children who appeared to be wearing nightclothes.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the bombing was an attempt to stop Katyusha rockets being fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel from the village over a two-week period. Lebanese prime minister Siniora accused Israel of war crimes and asked, "Why, we wonder, did they choose Qana yet again?" Kofi Annan urged the United Nations Security Council to condemn the attack.