By Laila El-Haddad in Gaza
Monday 26 December 2005
Palestinians liken it to a bomb dropped directly over their heads leaving them shaking and shocked; human rights groups call it collective punishment; and the Israeli military says it is a necessary, and relatively benign, military response.
The sonic boom is the Israeli army's latest weapon of choice employed over the Gaza Strip as retribution for rockets fired by Palestinian resistance groups into Israel.
Low-flying F-16 fighter jets break the sound barrier above populated areas, creating thunderous shock waves which shake buildings, break windows, blow off doors, and cause widespread panic, fear, and hysteria.
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Shabtai Gold of Physicians for Human Rights in Israel, who filed a joint claim against the sonic booms with the Israeli High Court, says: "It's wrong to use it against civilian populations. That's the bottom line. It's not proportionate, and it has no justification because it's a collective punishment"
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