Hundreds go wild in streets of Beirut

In Qana, corpses continue to be rescued from rubble. In Beirut, demonstrations condemning Israel's massacre. Demonstrators demand Hizbullah take revenge on Israel, vandalize UN building in city

Ali Waked |Published: 07.30.06 , 15:29

Men and women shouted and lamented "massacre, massacre!" to the cameras in Qana on Sunday. Hundreds of protestors went wild in the streets of Beirut.

Reports of dozens killed by a building that collapsed in Qana as a result of an Israeli air strike in the area poured in on Sunday. According to Lebanese sources, there were upwards of 50 dead, many of them children.

Protestors taking out anger on UN building (Photo: AP)

Under the remains of the building, many civilian victims were trapped. Medical professionals and journalists tried to aid in the extrication of corpses and injured from the ruins. The massive destruction created around the buildings that were bombed prevented ambulances and advanced medical equipment from entering the area. Red Cross workers, out of breath from their efforts, said that the work was made much harder because the ruins necessitated that the work be done entirely by hand. Some also feared that the IAF was making more sorties into the area.

One by one, the bodies were taken out and reporters were choked up and teary-eyed at the sight of the destruction. One woman was screaming: "My three children have been killed!" One man removed the blanket covering his daughter's dead body and asked: "Is this a Hizbullah fighter? Are these missiles?" Many men yelled in the streets: "It's America, it's Israel."

According to one of the neighbors, the house that was bombed was a children's shelter. The residents who agreed to speak said that there were two families who funded the shelter because of its proximity to the mosque. All the residents denied Israeli claims that Hizbullah fighters roamed the streets or that rockets were shot from their neighborhood.

In Beirut, a demonstration of hundreds of civilians condemning the massacre Israel carried out and the Arab regimes that stand idly by is being held. The demonstrators, carrying flags of Hizbullah, are attacking UN representatives, are destroying property in the UN building, and are calling out in favor of Hizbullah and its leader. Even Rice received a barrage of juicy insults hurled by the protestors, who warned her not to dare come to Lebanon. The demonstrators called upon Hizbullah to take revenge on Israel for the event and swore their loyalty to Nasrallah. Hizbullah representatives spoke before the crowd. As of now, a large number of security forces is acting to disperse the crowd.

President of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud, fiercely condemned the IDF's attack on Qana. In a conversation with al-Jazeera, Lahoud said: "Israel's leaders are not thinking of peace, only of killing and destruction. Does the international community want Israel to turn Lebanon into the next edition of Kosovo?"

Fouad Siniora, prime minister of Lebanon, explained in a press conference following the air force's bombing of Qana: "This is no mistake. This is an event that keeps repeating itself."