2 jan 2009
why we are staying
Israeli authorities benevolently announced that today, January 2nd, the 7th day of Israel’s air attacks throughout Gaza, internationals would be permitted to leave through the Erez crossing.
As I write, the radio reports the latest attack: a drone rocket targets an area near Al Quds Open university in Khan Younis, killing 3 young girls from the same family, al Astal, between the ages 10-13, I’m told.
1:30 pm I write from the Al Shifa hospital ICU staff room, where I’ve just seen another recently-dead patient, 13 years old. “He died as a result of his different injuries: internal bleeding,and the most important injury, brain trauma, brain matter out,” Dr. Rami tells me. “He arrested, we administered CPR for 30 minutes and no response.”
The next bed contains a woman in her thirties, unconscious, injured in the 1st day of attacks as she went to her work.
As I write, the radio reports the latest attack: a drone rocket targets an area near Al Quds Open university in Khan Younis, killing 3 young girls from the same family, al Astal, between the ages 10-13, I’m told.
1:30 pm I write from the Al Shifa hospital ICU staff room, where I’ve just seen another recently-dead patient, 13 years old. “He died as a result of his different injuries: internal bleeding,and the most important injury, brain trauma, brain matter out,” Dr. Rami tells me. “He arrested, we administered CPR for 30 minutes and no response.”
The next bed contains a woman in her thirties, unconscious, injured in the 1st day of attacks as she went to her work.
Another bed holds a youth, Mohammed,15, injured yesterday afternoon in the bombing of al Farooq mosque and the house of a nearby politician, Abu Narr.
“The boy was returning to his house. The injury was to his head: head trauma, massive injury, shrapnel in the foot, in the back. The most dangerous injury is in the head. The patient is unconscious now, under sedation, connected to the ventilator. His case is too critical, too critical.” |
2:40 pm “Now another child died, in the operation room,” a nurse tells me. Mohammed Abu Aju, 13 years old, explosive wounds, in Shejaiee. “He was in the street, ” I’m told. “He was hit around 1 pm. He had head trauma, amputation of the lower limbs, shrapnel wounds all over –more than 100,” he tells me.
We discuss the unfathomable situation here, how incredible it is that it’s gone this far, that it began at all.
“My brother is a policeman, not hamas, not fatah, just a policeman. He worked as a policeman before Hamas came to power, and he continued. Thankfully, he wasn’t near any of the many targeted police stations on Saturday, he is alive,” one of the ICU nurses tells me.
Approximately 435 internationals are said to have left, from what journalists have told me, but I have no intention of doing so, we have no intention of doing so.
Here are some reasons why we stay:
Israel not only controls who is unable to leave Gaza, but who is unable to enter Gaza. Since November 4, Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza, making a minor exception for a few days in early December. At present, with the over 420 dead, over 2,100 injured and the many civilian homes and buildings destroyed, there is an urgent need for foreign journalists.
I’ve seen the demolished houses, mosques, universities, water lines. I’ve seen the newly-homeless, asking where they will live now that their home is rubble, now that the winter cold combines with rain, now that there are continually drones, helicopters and F-16s overhead.
I’ve heard the accounts of recently-killed: the 5 girls living next to a targeted Jabaliya mosque; the 2 boys collecting wood; the 55 year old mother of my friends; the 9 and 12 year old girls who stopped in a grocery store after school and were killed by the missile which targeted the police station across the street ["One girl had shrapnel injuries all over her, it took a long time for her to die from her internal injuries," the ICU doctor tells me. The other, he says, "lost half of her head and a shoulder" in the blast (at just after 11 am, the time when many civilians are on the streets)], and the 50 year old father of a patient in the nearby hospital, also killed; the family attempting to work collecting scrap metal, even despite the siege, despite the air invasion, blown to piece and burned.
I’ve felt the terrifying impact of missiles landing 30 metres from a thin-walled ground-floor room hearing the screams of terrorized families trapped in their homes, 50 metres from a thin-walled apartment room, 100 metres from hospital buildings windows already shattered. I’ve been rocked awake night after night, if I’ve fallen asleep, by missiles outside of whatever building in whatever region I stay: Gaza City, Jabaliya, beside the port… I avoid the coastal road where Israeli naval boats continue to fire upon Gaza, but I walk under buzzing drones every day and night, under the warplanes, leaving one truly feeling like a target, no matter where we are.
I’ve heard time and time and time again, “They call us the terrorists, yet it’s our kids, our wives, our mothers, our brothers dying. What can we do? This is our life,” from Palestinians, even before the attacks, when it was Israel’s siege on Gaza that was the most urgent factor. Now that urgency is amplified beyond imagination by the on-going attacks.
1.5 million Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip are unable to run from, escape from, these illegal attacks. My life, internationals lives, are no more important than Palestinians’ lives. We will stay on during their suffering, in solidarity and to document the illegal acts Israel is doing, the war crimes Israel clearly does not want the world to see, to understand, and is preventing journalists from reporting. To see, to understand, means to stop Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, its contravention of international humanitarian law and international law.
[facts below according to the latest stats journalists are publishing. Again, bearing in mind that the attacks CONTINUE and the dead and injured are still being brought in from new attacks, absolute numbers are presently impossible. Certainly the numbers may be higher]
*428 dead from Israel’s indiscriminate missile attacks throughout the Gaza Strip
*2100 injured, many of these critically-so, standing death, lasting brain damage, lasting internal problems, amputations
Of the dead and injured, significant numbers of civilians: children, women, elderly, and innocent men who have been targeted.
*2 emergency medical personel targeted, killed; 15 further injured
* at least 8 mosques targeted, destroyed
*a park in Rafah targeted, killing two civilians (22 and 33 years old) and injuring 10s
* 3 different universities targeted, including Islamic University, repeatedly targeted.
* schools targeted, including a secondary school
* UN schools suffering damage from targeting near the schools
*a kindergarten targeted
*charitable societies, providing life-skills training, targeted
We discuss the unfathomable situation here, how incredible it is that it’s gone this far, that it began at all.
“My brother is a policeman, not hamas, not fatah, just a policeman. He worked as a policeman before Hamas came to power, and he continued. Thankfully, he wasn’t near any of the many targeted police stations on Saturday, he is alive,” one of the ICU nurses tells me.
Approximately 435 internationals are said to have left, from what journalists have told me, but I have no intention of doing so, we have no intention of doing so.
Here are some reasons why we stay:
Israel not only controls who is unable to leave Gaza, but who is unable to enter Gaza. Since November 4, Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza, making a minor exception for a few days in early December. At present, with the over 420 dead, over 2,100 injured and the many civilian homes and buildings destroyed, there is an urgent need for foreign journalists.
I’ve seen the demolished houses, mosques, universities, water lines. I’ve seen the newly-homeless, asking where they will live now that their home is rubble, now that the winter cold combines with rain, now that there are continually drones, helicopters and F-16s overhead.
I’ve heard the accounts of recently-killed: the 5 girls living next to a targeted Jabaliya mosque; the 2 boys collecting wood; the 55 year old mother of my friends; the 9 and 12 year old girls who stopped in a grocery store after school and were killed by the missile which targeted the police station across the street ["One girl had shrapnel injuries all over her, it took a long time for her to die from her internal injuries," the ICU doctor tells me. The other, he says, "lost half of her head and a shoulder" in the blast (at just after 11 am, the time when many civilians are on the streets)], and the 50 year old father of a patient in the nearby hospital, also killed; the family attempting to work collecting scrap metal, even despite the siege, despite the air invasion, blown to piece and burned.
I’ve felt the terrifying impact of missiles landing 30 metres from a thin-walled ground-floor room hearing the screams of terrorized families trapped in their homes, 50 metres from a thin-walled apartment room, 100 metres from hospital buildings windows already shattered. I’ve been rocked awake night after night, if I’ve fallen asleep, by missiles outside of whatever building in whatever region I stay: Gaza City, Jabaliya, beside the port… I avoid the coastal road where Israeli naval boats continue to fire upon Gaza, but I walk under buzzing drones every day and night, under the warplanes, leaving one truly feeling like a target, no matter where we are.
I’ve heard time and time and time again, “They call us the terrorists, yet it’s our kids, our wives, our mothers, our brothers dying. What can we do? This is our life,” from Palestinians, even before the attacks, when it was Israel’s siege on Gaza that was the most urgent factor. Now that urgency is amplified beyond imagination by the on-going attacks.
1.5 million Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip are unable to run from, escape from, these illegal attacks. My life, internationals lives, are no more important than Palestinians’ lives. We will stay on during their suffering, in solidarity and to document the illegal acts Israel is doing, the war crimes Israel clearly does not want the world to see, to understand, and is preventing journalists from reporting. To see, to understand, means to stop Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, its contravention of international humanitarian law and international law.
[facts below according to the latest stats journalists are publishing. Again, bearing in mind that the attacks CONTINUE and the dead and injured are still being brought in from new attacks, absolute numbers are presently impossible. Certainly the numbers may be higher]
*428 dead from Israel’s indiscriminate missile attacks throughout the Gaza Strip
*2100 injured, many of these critically-so, standing death, lasting brain damage, lasting internal problems, amputations
Of the dead and injured, significant numbers of civilians: children, women, elderly, and innocent men who have been targeted.
*2 emergency medical personel targeted, killed; 15 further injured
* at least 8 mosques targeted, destroyed
*a park in Rafah targeted, killing two civilians (22 and 33 years old) and injuring 10s
* 3 different universities targeted, including Islamic University, repeatedly targeted.
* schools targeted, including a secondary school
* UN schools suffering damage from targeting near the schools
*a kindergarten targeted
*charitable societies, providing life-skills training, targeted
Understanding the Gaza Catastrophe
For eighteen months the entire 1.5 million people of Gaza experienced a punishing blockade imposed by Israel, and a variety of traumatizing challenges to the normalcy of daily life. A flicker of hope emerged some six months ago when an Egyptian arranged truce produced an effective ceasefire that cut Israeli casualties to zero despite the cross-border periodic firing of homemade rockets that fell harmlessly on nearby Israeli territory, and undoubtedly caused anxiety in the border town of Sderot.
During the ceasefire the Hamas leadership in Gaza repeatedly offered to extend the truce, even proposing a ten-year period and claimed a receptivity to a political solution based on acceptance of Israel's 1967 borders. Israel ignored these diplomatic initiatives, and failed to carry out its side of the ceasefire agreement that involved some easing of the blockade that had been restricting the entry to Gaza of food, medicine, and fuel to a trickle.
Israel also refused exit permits to students with foreign fellowship awards and to Gazan journalists and respected NGO representatives. At the same time, it made it increasingly difficult for journalists to enter, and I was myself expelled from Israel a couple of weeks ago when I tried to enter to carry out my UN job of monitoring respect for human rights in occupied Palestine, that is, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Gaza.
Clearly, prior to the current crisis, Israel used its authority to prevent credible observers from giving accurate and truthful accounts of the dire humanitarian situation that had been already documented as producing severe declines in the physical condition and mental health of the Gazan population, especially noting malnutrition among children and the absence of treatment facilities for those suffering from a variety of diseases. The Israeli attacks were directed against a society already in grave condition after a blockade maintained during the prior 18 months.
As always in relation to the underlying conflict, some facts bearing on this latest crisis are murky and contested, although the American public in particular gets 99% of its information filtered through an exceedingly pro-Israeli media lens. Hamas is blamed for the breakdown of the truce by its supposed unwillingness to renew it, and by the alleged increased incidence of rocket attacks. But the reality is more clouded. There was no substantial rocket fire from Gaza during the ceasefire until Israel launched an attack last November 4th directed at what it claimed were Palestinian militants in Gaza, killing several Palestinians. It was at this point that rocket fire from Gaza intensified.
Also, it was Hamas that on numerous public occasions called for extending the truce, with its calls never acknowledged, much less acted upon, by Israeli officialdom. Beyond this, attributing all the rockets to Hamas is not convincing either. A variety of independent militia groups operate in Gaza, some such as the Fatah-backed al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade are anti-Hamas, and may even be sending rockets to provoke or justify Israeli retaliation. It is well confirmed that when US-supported Fatah controlled Gaza's governing structure it was unable to stop rocket attacks despite a concerted effort to do so.
What this background suggests strongly is that Israel launched its devastating attacks, starting on December 27, not simply to stop the rockets or in retaliation, but also for a series of unacknowledged reasons. It was evident for several weeks prior to the Israeli attacks that the Israeli military and political leaders were preparing the public for large-scale military operations against the Hamas.
The timing of the attacks seemed prompted by a series of considerations: most of all, the interest of political contenders, the Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in demonstrating their toughness prior to national elections scheduled for February, but now possibly postponed until military operations cease. Such Israeli shows of force have been a feature of past Israeli election campaigns, and on this occasion especially, the current government was being successfully challenged by Israel's notoriously militarist politician, Benjamin Netanyahu, for its supposed failures to uphold security.
Reinforcing these electoral motivations was the little concealed pressure from the Israeli military commanders to seize the opportunity in Gaza to erase the memories of their failure to destroy Hezbollah in the devastating Lebanon War of 2006 that both tarnished Israel's reputation as a military power and led to widespread international condemnation of Israel for the heavy bombardment of undefended Lebanese villages, disproportionate force, and extensive use of cluster bombs against heavily populated areas.
Respected and conservative Israeli commentators go further. For instance, the prominent historian, Benny Morris writing in the New York Times a few days ago, relates the campaign in Gaza to a deeper set of forebodings in Israel that he compares to the dark mood of the public that preceded the 1967 War when Israelis felt deeply threatened by Arab mobilizations on their borders.
Morris insists that despite Israeli prosperity of recent years, and relative security, several factors have led Israel to act boldly in Gaza: the perceived continuing refusal of the Arab world to accept the existence of Israel as an established reality; the inflammatory threats voiced by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad together with Iran's supposed push to acquire nuclear weapons, the fading memory of the Holocaust combined with growing sympathy in the West with the Palestinian plight, and the radicalization of political movements on Israel's borders in the form of Hezbollah and Hamas. In effect, Morris argues that Israel is trying via the crushing of Hamas in Gaza to send a wider message to the region that it will stop at nothing to uphold its claims of sovereignty and security.
There are two conclusions that emerge: the people of Gaza are being severely victimized for reasons remote from the rockets and border security concerns, but seemingly to improve election prospects of current leaders now facing defeat, and to warn others in the region that Israel will use overwhelming force whenever its interests are at stake.
That such a human catastrophe can happen with minimal outside interference also shows the weakness of international law and the United Nations, as well as the geopolitical priorities of the important players. The passive support of the United States government for whatever Israel does is again the critical factor, as it was in 2006 when it launched its aggressive war against Lebanon. What is less evident is that the main Arab neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, with their extreme hostility toward Hamas that is viewed as backed by Iran, their main regional rival, were also willing to stand aside while Gaza was being so brutally attacked, with some Arab diplomats even blaming the attacks on Palestinian disunity or on the refusal of Hamas to accept the leadership of Mamoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority.
The people of Gaza are victims of geopolitics at its inhumane worst: producing what Israel itself calls a 'total war' against an essentially defenseless society that lacks any defensive military capability whatsoever and is completely vulnerable to Israeli attacks mounted by F-16 bombers and Apache helicopters. What this also means is that the flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions, is quietly set aside while the carnage continues and the bodies pile up.
It additionally means that the UN is once more revealed to be impotent when its main members deprive it of the political will to protect a people subject to unlawful uses of force on a large scale. Finally, this means that the public can shriek and march all over the world, but that the killing will go on as if nothing is happening. The picture being painted day by day in Gaza is one that begs for renewed commitment to international law and the authority of the UN Charter, starting here in the United States, especially with a new leadership that promised its citizens change, including a less militarist approach to diplomatic leadership.
During the ceasefire the Hamas leadership in Gaza repeatedly offered to extend the truce, even proposing a ten-year period and claimed a receptivity to a political solution based on acceptance of Israel's 1967 borders. Israel ignored these diplomatic initiatives, and failed to carry out its side of the ceasefire agreement that involved some easing of the blockade that had been restricting the entry to Gaza of food, medicine, and fuel to a trickle.
Israel also refused exit permits to students with foreign fellowship awards and to Gazan journalists and respected NGO representatives. At the same time, it made it increasingly difficult for journalists to enter, and I was myself expelled from Israel a couple of weeks ago when I tried to enter to carry out my UN job of monitoring respect for human rights in occupied Palestine, that is, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Gaza.
Clearly, prior to the current crisis, Israel used its authority to prevent credible observers from giving accurate and truthful accounts of the dire humanitarian situation that had been already documented as producing severe declines in the physical condition and mental health of the Gazan population, especially noting malnutrition among children and the absence of treatment facilities for those suffering from a variety of diseases. The Israeli attacks were directed against a society already in grave condition after a blockade maintained during the prior 18 months.
As always in relation to the underlying conflict, some facts bearing on this latest crisis are murky and contested, although the American public in particular gets 99% of its information filtered through an exceedingly pro-Israeli media lens. Hamas is blamed for the breakdown of the truce by its supposed unwillingness to renew it, and by the alleged increased incidence of rocket attacks. But the reality is more clouded. There was no substantial rocket fire from Gaza during the ceasefire until Israel launched an attack last November 4th directed at what it claimed were Palestinian militants in Gaza, killing several Palestinians. It was at this point that rocket fire from Gaza intensified.
Also, it was Hamas that on numerous public occasions called for extending the truce, with its calls never acknowledged, much less acted upon, by Israeli officialdom. Beyond this, attributing all the rockets to Hamas is not convincing either. A variety of independent militia groups operate in Gaza, some such as the Fatah-backed al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade are anti-Hamas, and may even be sending rockets to provoke or justify Israeli retaliation. It is well confirmed that when US-supported Fatah controlled Gaza's governing structure it was unable to stop rocket attacks despite a concerted effort to do so.
What this background suggests strongly is that Israel launched its devastating attacks, starting on December 27, not simply to stop the rockets or in retaliation, but also for a series of unacknowledged reasons. It was evident for several weeks prior to the Israeli attacks that the Israeli military and political leaders were preparing the public for large-scale military operations against the Hamas.
The timing of the attacks seemed prompted by a series of considerations: most of all, the interest of political contenders, the Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in demonstrating their toughness prior to national elections scheduled for February, but now possibly postponed until military operations cease. Such Israeli shows of force have been a feature of past Israeli election campaigns, and on this occasion especially, the current government was being successfully challenged by Israel's notoriously militarist politician, Benjamin Netanyahu, for its supposed failures to uphold security.
Reinforcing these electoral motivations was the little concealed pressure from the Israeli military commanders to seize the opportunity in Gaza to erase the memories of their failure to destroy Hezbollah in the devastating Lebanon War of 2006 that both tarnished Israel's reputation as a military power and led to widespread international condemnation of Israel for the heavy bombardment of undefended Lebanese villages, disproportionate force, and extensive use of cluster bombs against heavily populated areas.
Respected and conservative Israeli commentators go further. For instance, the prominent historian, Benny Morris writing in the New York Times a few days ago, relates the campaign in Gaza to a deeper set of forebodings in Israel that he compares to the dark mood of the public that preceded the 1967 War when Israelis felt deeply threatened by Arab mobilizations on their borders.
Morris insists that despite Israeli prosperity of recent years, and relative security, several factors have led Israel to act boldly in Gaza: the perceived continuing refusal of the Arab world to accept the existence of Israel as an established reality; the inflammatory threats voiced by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad together with Iran's supposed push to acquire nuclear weapons, the fading memory of the Holocaust combined with growing sympathy in the West with the Palestinian plight, and the radicalization of political movements on Israel's borders in the form of Hezbollah and Hamas. In effect, Morris argues that Israel is trying via the crushing of Hamas in Gaza to send a wider message to the region that it will stop at nothing to uphold its claims of sovereignty and security.
There are two conclusions that emerge: the people of Gaza are being severely victimized for reasons remote from the rockets and border security concerns, but seemingly to improve election prospects of current leaders now facing defeat, and to warn others in the region that Israel will use overwhelming force whenever its interests are at stake.
That such a human catastrophe can happen with minimal outside interference also shows the weakness of international law and the United Nations, as well as the geopolitical priorities of the important players. The passive support of the United States government for whatever Israel does is again the critical factor, as it was in 2006 when it launched its aggressive war against Lebanon. What is less evident is that the main Arab neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, with their extreme hostility toward Hamas that is viewed as backed by Iran, their main regional rival, were also willing to stand aside while Gaza was being so brutally attacked, with some Arab diplomats even blaming the attacks on Palestinian disunity or on the refusal of Hamas to accept the leadership of Mamoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority.
The people of Gaza are victims of geopolitics at its inhumane worst: producing what Israel itself calls a 'total war' against an essentially defenseless society that lacks any defensive military capability whatsoever and is completely vulnerable to Israeli attacks mounted by F-16 bombers and Apache helicopters. What this also means is that the flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions, is quietly set aside while the carnage continues and the bodies pile up.
It additionally means that the UN is once more revealed to be impotent when its main members deprive it of the political will to protect a people subject to unlawful uses of force on a large scale. Finally, this means that the public can shriek and march all over the world, but that the killing will go on as if nothing is happening. The picture being painted day by day in Gaza is one that begs for renewed commitment to international law and the authority of the UN Charter, starting here in the United States, especially with a new leadership that promised its citizens change, including a less militarist approach to diplomatic leadership.
Gazans face ‘humanitarian crisis’ as Israeli raids intensify
A child arrives at Shifa hospital in Gaza City after an Israeli air strike yesterday
Aid agencies warn of looming disaster with supply shortage inflicting more suffering on families
After six days of Israeli bombardment, aid agencies say that Gazans are facing a humanitarian crisis with air strikes causing severe problems in getting food, medicine and fuel supplies to the besiegedcivilian population.
The assessment, by several international relief organisations, contradicts the statement by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, during a visit to Paris yesterday that "there is no humanitarian crisis in the Strip, and therefore there is no need for a humanitarian truce". While relief shipments were allowed into Gaza by the Israeli authorities in the days before the start of the offensive, they came after weeks of virtually no supplies getting through, the agencies point out.
The biggest difficulty is that many people are too frightened by bombing to venture out to collect food rations. Gaza officials are also unwilling to take part in food distribution because they could be considered legitimate targets by the Israeli military for working for the Hamas-run administration. Chris Gunness of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which looks after 750,000 refugees in Gaza, said: "How can one carry out proper relief work in these conditions of violence? The people of Gaza have already suffered the most stringent economic sanctions. There are obviously problems with giving out aid. Even when people want to get food for their hungry family, they are very aware of the dangers they are facing in going out."
Mr Gunness said the agency carried out food distribution yesterday. "But, as things stand now, we have only a few days supply left."
Doctors inside Gaza report that hospitals are running out of medicine and equipment as the toll of dead and injured continues to rise and puts further pressure on stretched resources. Anaesthetics, antibiotics and drugs for cancer and other long-term illnesses are in short supply along with syringes and IV fluids.
Dr Hassan Khalaf, of the main Shifa hospital in Gaza City, said that Palestinian civilians are paying a terrible price: "We are getting really badly injured people coming in every day. What is the point of saying you are allowing food in for people when you then go on to bomb them? The Israelis may say they are just attacking Hamas but I am seeing children and women coming covered in blood. What we are seeing is a war on the people. The Hamas fighters firing the rockets are at the border, they are not in the city.
"We have organised the hospitals so that different ones are looking after different types of injuries. But the common problem we face is that we are having bad shortages in lots of things, especially anesthetics and antibiotics. We are talking to the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] and I hope we shall get some help."
A serious shortage of industrial fuel is also exacerbating the difficulties for civilians after Israeli forces stopped supplies because the crossing points into Gaza were coming under regular rocket attacks, creating the danger of conflagrations. At the same time, the destruction of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt has blocked alternative routes for procuring transport diesel used by Palestinian households.
Christine Van Nieuwenhuyse, head of the World Food Programme for Gaza and the West Bank, acknowledged that a "significant amount" of food was allowed in by the Israelis before the start of the air strikes. "But we must not forget this came after weeks when hardly any food had got in at all. One of our warehouses is full but we have another one empty as it is in an area which has seen a lot of bombings.
"Our partners in Gaza are the Ministry of Social Welfare and their officials are not taking part in the distribution process because they feel they might get bombed for working for a Hamas government. This is a serious problem as is the fact that people are finding it difficult to move about. We are facing an acute food crisis."
Maxwell Gaylard, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for Gaza and the Palestinian territories, said "Gaza is facing a serious emergency, that is a fact. Food supplies have been allowed in but there are huge problems caused by the lack of industrial fuel and this is causing severe problems. To address all these problems we need a ceasefire."
Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister said "We are doing our utmost to avoid unnecessary suffering for civilians. What we cannot understand is the claim by officials from the ministries there that they cannot take part in the relief effort because they will be targeted. This is nonsense, perhaps the real reason is that it is in the interest of Hamas to ensure that food does not get to the people due to their own particular agenda."
Aid agencies warn of looming disaster with supply shortage inflicting more suffering on families
After six days of Israeli bombardment, aid agencies say that Gazans are facing a humanitarian crisis with air strikes causing severe problems in getting food, medicine and fuel supplies to the besiegedcivilian population.
The assessment, by several international relief organisations, contradicts the statement by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, during a visit to Paris yesterday that "there is no humanitarian crisis in the Strip, and therefore there is no need for a humanitarian truce". While relief shipments were allowed into Gaza by the Israeli authorities in the days before the start of the offensive, they came after weeks of virtually no supplies getting through, the agencies point out.
The biggest difficulty is that many people are too frightened by bombing to venture out to collect food rations. Gaza officials are also unwilling to take part in food distribution because they could be considered legitimate targets by the Israeli military for working for the Hamas-run administration. Chris Gunness of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which looks after 750,000 refugees in Gaza, said: "How can one carry out proper relief work in these conditions of violence? The people of Gaza have already suffered the most stringent economic sanctions. There are obviously problems with giving out aid. Even when people want to get food for their hungry family, they are very aware of the dangers they are facing in going out."
Mr Gunness said the agency carried out food distribution yesterday. "But, as things stand now, we have only a few days supply left."
Doctors inside Gaza report that hospitals are running out of medicine and equipment as the toll of dead and injured continues to rise and puts further pressure on stretched resources. Anaesthetics, antibiotics and drugs for cancer and other long-term illnesses are in short supply along with syringes and IV fluids.
Dr Hassan Khalaf, of the main Shifa hospital in Gaza City, said that Palestinian civilians are paying a terrible price: "We are getting really badly injured people coming in every day. What is the point of saying you are allowing food in for people when you then go on to bomb them? The Israelis may say they are just attacking Hamas but I am seeing children and women coming covered in blood. What we are seeing is a war on the people. The Hamas fighters firing the rockets are at the border, they are not in the city.
"We have organised the hospitals so that different ones are looking after different types of injuries. But the common problem we face is that we are having bad shortages in lots of things, especially anesthetics and antibiotics. We are talking to the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] and I hope we shall get some help."
A serious shortage of industrial fuel is also exacerbating the difficulties for civilians after Israeli forces stopped supplies because the crossing points into Gaza were coming under regular rocket attacks, creating the danger of conflagrations. At the same time, the destruction of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt has blocked alternative routes for procuring transport diesel used by Palestinian households.
Christine Van Nieuwenhuyse, head of the World Food Programme for Gaza and the West Bank, acknowledged that a "significant amount" of food was allowed in by the Israelis before the start of the air strikes. "But we must not forget this came after weeks when hardly any food had got in at all. One of our warehouses is full but we have another one empty as it is in an area which has seen a lot of bombings.
"Our partners in Gaza are the Ministry of Social Welfare and their officials are not taking part in the distribution process because they feel they might get bombed for working for a Hamas government. This is a serious problem as is the fact that people are finding it difficult to move about. We are facing an acute food crisis."
Maxwell Gaylard, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for Gaza and the Palestinian territories, said "Gaza is facing a serious emergency, that is a fact. Food supplies have been allowed in but there are huge problems caused by the lack of industrial fuel and this is causing severe problems. To address all these problems we need a ceasefire."
Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister said "We are doing our utmost to avoid unnecessary suffering for civilians. What we cannot understand is the claim by officials from the ministries there that they cannot take part in the relief effort because they will be targeted. This is nonsense, perhaps the real reason is that it is in the interest of Hamas to ensure that food does not get to the people due to their own particular agenda."
|
Day 7 of Israeli War On GazaChristine Wadi Turk
More suffocating bombings claim lives of children Day 7 of Israeli War On Gaza Death toll 435, injured 2300, disastrous humanitarian situation By Sameh A. Habeeb, A Photojournalist, Humanitarian & Peace Activist in Gaza Strip. For the 7th day in consequence, Israeli military machine pursue the suffocating air raids and shelling through the Gaza Strip. Today's bombings claimed lives of more Palestinian civilians while no militants recorded to be killed. Seven Palestinians killed today mostly children in the heavy ongoing raids. |
Dramatically the number of victims still rise to reach 435 while wounded rise up to 2300 persons. The health conditions in Al shifa' hospital still direful while not much humanitarian aids entering Gaza Strip neither through Egypt nor Israel.
The humanitarian status still the same while the rage of it EXACERBATES due to ongoing War. Basics of life still not available but with limited quantities like fuel, benzene, gasoline, flour, wheat, sugar, rice and bread. Add to that, continued power cuts up to 20 hours during the cold weather of winter.
United Nations' OCHA said that Gaza is being exposed to the heaviest war actions ever. Meantime, many protests across all EU countries, USA, Australia, Arab countries and Asian are taking place. A considerable mainstream I is being automatically formed rejecting the recent Israeli deadly War against Gaza population.
Main Israeli Military Actions in Gaza:
1- Three Palestinians killed in an Israeli air raid east of Khan Yonis City. The victims are children from Al Astal family.
2- Israeli army targets the borders with Egypt, destroyed more tunnels for food smuggling.
3- Five people injured in Israeli rocket targeted house of Musa abu Musa in Khan Yonis City. The 2-floor-house totally destroyed while some other homes around partially damaged.
4- A house for DaBabish family bombed to rubbels and 7 people wounded including an Ambulance driver.
5- Palestinian child aged 15 killed in al shijaya area due to Israeli rocket hit his area.
6- A house of four floors for Aqil family bombed by Israeli air force in Al Nusairat town mid of Gaza Strip.
7- A house hit in Rafah City and 2 floors destroyed leaving 2 Palestinians injured.
8- Airforce targets the Gaza sole airport with many heavy rockets of F16s. Medical reports say one Palestinian injured.
9- Intensive bombings from Israeli Naval forces on many targets in Gaza shore.
10- Israeli air force bombed to rubbles the western side of Gaza Valley destroying a car
11- Fadi Shebat, 10, killed in Israeli tanks shelling at Bet Hanoun northern occupied Gaza Strip.
12- A 23-year-old girl killed in Israeli bombings in Juhr El dik town mid of Gaza. Five injured.
13- Israeli artillery hit the eastern areas of Gaza City by 7 shells at least.
14- A bomb turned Al sousi mosque to rubbles mid of Gaza City.
15- Israeli Naval forces destroyed house of Abd Al Salam Abu Midain off Gaza shore.
16- A Palestinian killed in Dair Al Balah city, Awad Musbih,
17- Maan: One dead several injured as Israeli missiles land on home in Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip. 6 year-old Christine At-Turk died from her wounds sustained during the strike on Friday afternoon.
18- Foad Al-Matuq was killed and four were injured after Israeli shells hit an empty home in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
19- Missile strikes in residential areas across the Strip were reported.
20- Two homes destroyed in Rafah were leaving 7 people wounded. Many houses were affected.
21- Isareli army targets 2 training centers for Palestinian factions west of Gaza City.
22- Israeli shelling targeted a house in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood west of Gaza City.
23- Rockets targeted a cemetery eastern Gaza Strip, Rafah City. Additionally, more tunnels are destroyed.
24- Apachi helocapters raided on a car mid of AL Nusairat refugee camp. Some people killed and other wounded.
25- Israeli airforce raided on Kahlifa Mosque in the Jabalia refugee camp injuring four Palestinians.
26- Tens of Thousands of birds killed when Israeli fire targeted a farm in Gaza City.
27- Neither spare parts nor Gasoline available to operate pumps of fresh water. A great number of Palestinians don't have an easy access for fresh drinking water.
28- Palestinian factions retaliate against Israeli air raids in Gaza. Around 10 homemade rockets fired into Israel with no casualties.
29- International journalists, peace activists and organizational officers left Gaza after the Israeli notification.
30- Israeli authorities ban press from going into Gaza while a big problem of cummnictaion and citizen Journalists are not able to report.
The humanitarian status still the same while the rage of it EXACERBATES due to ongoing War. Basics of life still not available but with limited quantities like fuel, benzene, gasoline, flour, wheat, sugar, rice and bread. Add to that, continued power cuts up to 20 hours during the cold weather of winter.
United Nations' OCHA said that Gaza is being exposed to the heaviest war actions ever. Meantime, many protests across all EU countries, USA, Australia, Arab countries and Asian are taking place. A considerable mainstream I is being automatically formed rejecting the recent Israeli deadly War against Gaza population.
Main Israeli Military Actions in Gaza:
1- Three Palestinians killed in an Israeli air raid east of Khan Yonis City. The victims are children from Al Astal family.
2- Israeli army targets the borders with Egypt, destroyed more tunnels for food smuggling.
3- Five people injured in Israeli rocket targeted house of Musa abu Musa in Khan Yonis City. The 2-floor-house totally destroyed while some other homes around partially damaged.
4- A house for DaBabish family bombed to rubbels and 7 people wounded including an Ambulance driver.
5- Palestinian child aged 15 killed in al shijaya area due to Israeli rocket hit his area.
6- A house of four floors for Aqil family bombed by Israeli air force in Al Nusairat town mid of Gaza Strip.
7- A house hit in Rafah City and 2 floors destroyed leaving 2 Palestinians injured.
8- Airforce targets the Gaza sole airport with many heavy rockets of F16s. Medical reports say one Palestinian injured.
9- Intensive bombings from Israeli Naval forces on many targets in Gaza shore.
10- Israeli air force bombed to rubbles the western side of Gaza Valley destroying a car
11- Fadi Shebat, 10, killed in Israeli tanks shelling at Bet Hanoun northern occupied Gaza Strip.
12- A 23-year-old girl killed in Israeli bombings in Juhr El dik town mid of Gaza. Five injured.
13- Israeli artillery hit the eastern areas of Gaza City by 7 shells at least.
14- A bomb turned Al sousi mosque to rubbles mid of Gaza City.
15- Israeli Naval forces destroyed house of Abd Al Salam Abu Midain off Gaza shore.
16- A Palestinian killed in Dair Al Balah city, Awad Musbih,
17- Maan: One dead several injured as Israeli missiles land on home in Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip. 6 year-old Christine At-Turk died from her wounds sustained during the strike on Friday afternoon.
18- Foad Al-Matuq was killed and four were injured after Israeli shells hit an empty home in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
19- Missile strikes in residential areas across the Strip were reported.
20- Two homes destroyed in Rafah were leaving 7 people wounded. Many houses were affected.
21- Isareli army targets 2 training centers for Palestinian factions west of Gaza City.
22- Israeli shelling targeted a house in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood west of Gaza City.
23- Rockets targeted a cemetery eastern Gaza Strip, Rafah City. Additionally, more tunnels are destroyed.
24- Apachi helocapters raided on a car mid of AL Nusairat refugee camp. Some people killed and other wounded.
25- Israeli airforce raided on Kahlifa Mosque in the Jabalia refugee camp injuring four Palestinians.
26- Tens of Thousands of birds killed when Israeli fire targeted a farm in Gaza City.
27- Neither spare parts nor Gasoline available to operate pumps of fresh water. A great number of Palestinians don't have an easy access for fresh drinking water.
28- Palestinian factions retaliate against Israeli air raids in Gaza. Around 10 homemade rockets fired into Israel with no casualties.
29- International journalists, peace activists and organizational officers left Gaza after the Israeli notification.
30- Israeli authorities ban press from going into Gaza while a big problem of cummnictaion and citizen Journalists are not able to report.
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Foreign passport holders in Gaza decide to stay – “We will not leave”Photo jan 1
Despite the exception that Israel is making or foreign passport holders to allow them to leave Gaza for safety, some of the foreigners have chosen to remain and share the fate of the rest of the Palestinian people. Alberto Arce (Spain) has been accompanying ambulances and reporting from hospitals; “Israel does not want witnesses to the crimes that it is committing against the people of Gaza. International journalists and aid agencies are not here. If we leave who will testify to the war crimes we are seeing. On the 28th December I looked into the dying eyes of sisters Lama and Haya Hamdan, four and twelves years old, killed an Israeli missile. |
The humanity I saw there was no different from our humanity. Are our lives worth more than theirs?” Alberto Arce – International Solidarity Movement.
South African-Palestinian Dr. Haidar Eid said; “I believe that this a historical moment. That this massacre in Gaza runs parallel to that of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacare that took place in South Africa which led to the initiation of the BDS Campaign against Apartheid. The Gaza massacre of 2009 will intensify the BDS campaign against Israeli apartheid. In Apartheid South Africa, the BDS campaign ultimately led to the release of Nelson Mandela being released from prison to later become the first black president of a democratic, muliti-racial, muliti-cultural state in South Africa. So, the BDS campaign against Israeli apartheid must result in a unitary state where all citizens will be treated as equals.” Dr Eid is a Professor of Social and Cultural Studies at Al Aqsa University, Gaza. He is also on the Steering committee of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel ( PACBI) and one of the founding members of the One Democratic State Group.
Natalie Abu Shakra (Lebanon) stated; “They did the same thing in Lebanon, but while in Lebanon some places were under heavy bombardment, some places were safe. In Gaza nowhere is safe. How can we lieace these peole behind, we will either live with them or die with them” – Natalie Abu Shakra – International Solidarity Movement
“With the Israeli ban on international journalists, the Gazan voice has been further muted. Communicating the reality on the ground with the external world is essential to highlight the illegality of Israel’s attacks. We recently started accompanying ambulances to document the attacks on medical personnel, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention. I have seen and felt the suffering of families and cannot leave them, all the civilians are vulnerable to Israel’s attacks. We intend to stay and continue exposing the nature of Israel’s attacks on the Gazan people. ” Jenny Linnel – International Solidarity Movement
“Israel not only decides who can leave Gaza, but also who can enter. I have seen the demolished houses, mosques, universities and have felt the impact of terrorizing missile attacks in civilian areas. I have seen the dead children and heard the screams of families trapped in their homes as Israel bombs 30 meters away. The Gazan people, all 1.5 million of them, are unable to escape these illegal attacks. Our lives are no more important than theirs and we will stay during their suffering in solidarity and to document what Israel is preventing foreign journalists from revealing.” Eva Bartlett – International Solidarity Movement
“Palestinians of Gaza have been isolated from the world by the Israeli imposed siege. Now we are being given the opportunity to leave, an unavailable option for the Gazan people. Staying here, in solidarity with Gazan families, is crucial during this horrific increase in Israeli violence. I have witnessed the effects of the siege, I have seen the ongoing violence towards the civilian population. We will continue to stand with the victims of Israel’s illegal policies.” Sharon Lock – International Solidarity Movement
“I believe I have a responsibility to be here in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are enduring crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel. If the international community will not act to stop this physical, psychological and political war on the entire population of Gaza, then international observers, journalists and activists are needed here in Gaza. We must witness, document and stop wherever possible, the war crimes being committed by Israeli occupation forces against the people of Gaza. Israel doesn’t want witnesses to its’ crimes against humanity, but the people of Gaza do. They keep telling me, ‘Please, tell the world what is happening to us, we can’t believe what is happening to us. They fear the worst, everybody here is terrified and terrorized. I will not be leaving, it is the Israeli occupation forces that need to abide by international law’ and leave Palestine.” Ewa Jasiewicz – Free Gaza Movement
“The opening of the Eres Crossing should be used to transport international observers and medical supplies into Gaza, not out. We have seen firsthand the deaths caused by the siege and more recent bombings. I have lost many friends because of Israel’s illegal military actions. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and will continue to document the atrocities. As international observers, we have the responsibility to ensure that the international community has access to the reality of Israel’s attacks on Gaza.” Vittorio Arrigoni – International Solidarity Movement
International Human Rights Activists have been accompanying ambulances in the Gaza Strip since the murder of medic Mohammed Abu Hassera and Doctor Ihab Al Mathoon by Israeli missiles on the 31st December. The international activists were at the Kamal Adwan hospital, Beit Hanoun, as Dr Mathoon died.
Human Rights Activists staying in Gaza:
South African-Palestinian Dr. Haidar Eid said; “I believe that this a historical moment. That this massacre in Gaza runs parallel to that of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacare that took place in South Africa which led to the initiation of the BDS Campaign against Apartheid. The Gaza massacre of 2009 will intensify the BDS campaign against Israeli apartheid. In Apartheid South Africa, the BDS campaign ultimately led to the release of Nelson Mandela being released from prison to later become the first black president of a democratic, muliti-racial, muliti-cultural state in South Africa. So, the BDS campaign against Israeli apartheid must result in a unitary state where all citizens will be treated as equals.” Dr Eid is a Professor of Social and Cultural Studies at Al Aqsa University, Gaza. He is also on the Steering committee of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel ( PACBI) and one of the founding members of the One Democratic State Group.
Natalie Abu Shakra (Lebanon) stated; “They did the same thing in Lebanon, but while in Lebanon some places were under heavy bombardment, some places were safe. In Gaza nowhere is safe. How can we lieace these peole behind, we will either live with them or die with them” – Natalie Abu Shakra – International Solidarity Movement
“With the Israeli ban on international journalists, the Gazan voice has been further muted. Communicating the reality on the ground with the external world is essential to highlight the illegality of Israel’s attacks. We recently started accompanying ambulances to document the attacks on medical personnel, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention. I have seen and felt the suffering of families and cannot leave them, all the civilians are vulnerable to Israel’s attacks. We intend to stay and continue exposing the nature of Israel’s attacks on the Gazan people. ” Jenny Linnel – International Solidarity Movement
“Israel not only decides who can leave Gaza, but also who can enter. I have seen the demolished houses, mosques, universities and have felt the impact of terrorizing missile attacks in civilian areas. I have seen the dead children and heard the screams of families trapped in their homes as Israel bombs 30 meters away. The Gazan people, all 1.5 million of them, are unable to escape these illegal attacks. Our lives are no more important than theirs and we will stay during their suffering in solidarity and to document what Israel is preventing foreign journalists from revealing.” Eva Bartlett – International Solidarity Movement
“Palestinians of Gaza have been isolated from the world by the Israeli imposed siege. Now we are being given the opportunity to leave, an unavailable option for the Gazan people. Staying here, in solidarity with Gazan families, is crucial during this horrific increase in Israeli violence. I have witnessed the effects of the siege, I have seen the ongoing violence towards the civilian population. We will continue to stand with the victims of Israel’s illegal policies.” Sharon Lock – International Solidarity Movement
“I believe I have a responsibility to be here in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are enduring crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel. If the international community will not act to stop this physical, psychological and political war on the entire population of Gaza, then international observers, journalists and activists are needed here in Gaza. We must witness, document and stop wherever possible, the war crimes being committed by Israeli occupation forces against the people of Gaza. Israel doesn’t want witnesses to its’ crimes against humanity, but the people of Gaza do. They keep telling me, ‘Please, tell the world what is happening to us, we can’t believe what is happening to us. They fear the worst, everybody here is terrified and terrorized. I will not be leaving, it is the Israeli occupation forces that need to abide by international law’ and leave Palestine.” Ewa Jasiewicz – Free Gaza Movement
“The opening of the Eres Crossing should be used to transport international observers and medical supplies into Gaza, not out. We have seen firsthand the deaths caused by the siege and more recent bombings. I have lost many friends because of Israel’s illegal military actions. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and will continue to document the atrocities. As international observers, we have the responsibility to ensure that the international community has access to the reality of Israel’s attacks on Gaza.” Vittorio Arrigoni – International Solidarity Movement
International Human Rights Activists have been accompanying ambulances in the Gaza Strip since the murder of medic Mohammed Abu Hassera and Doctor Ihab Al Mathoon by Israeli missiles on the 31st December. The international activists were at the Kamal Adwan hospital, Beit Hanoun, as Dr Mathoon died.
Human Rights Activists staying in Gaza:
Alberto Arce – Spain
Ewa Jasiewicz – Poland/Britain Dr. Haider Eid – South Africa Sharon Lock – Australia |
Vittorio Arrigoni – Italy
Jenny Linnel – Britain Natalie Abu Shakra – Lebanon Eva Bartlett – Canada |
From the Kabariti kids
I’ve been asked to send some messages to a couple of the worldwide rallies on Saturday (yay!), and decided that I would much prefer to let Palestinians speak for themselves, especially some of the 50% of Gaza’s population who are under 18 years old. (If you can only remember one statistic, that’s the one you want.) I slept last night in a sea of blankets with the Kabariti girls, and thank goodness, there were less attacks on the port than the night before and they could get a little sleep. They have provided me with very neatly written messages to you, which I promised would be on this page before their bedtime. So here you go:
From Suzanne, 15 (in English):
“The life in Gaza is very difficult. Actually we can’t describe everything. We can’t sleep, we can’t go to school and study. We feel a lot of feelings, sometimes we feel afraid and worry because the planes and the ships, they hit 24 hours. Sometimes we feel bored because there is no electricity during the day, and in the night, it is coming just four hours and when it comes we are watching the news on TV. And we see kids and women who are injured and dead. So we live in the siege and war.”
From Fatma, 13 (in English):
“It was the hardest week in our life. In the first day we were in school, having the final exam of the first term, then the explosions started, many students were killed and injured, and the others surely lost a relative or a neighbour. There is no electricity, no food, no bread. What can we do – it’s the Israelis! All the people in the world celebrated the new year, we also celebrate but in a different way.”
From Sara, 11 (in Arabic, translated by Habeeb, 18):
“Gaza is living in a siege, like a big jail: no water, no electric power. People feel afraid, don’t sleep at night, and every day more people are killed. Until now, more than 400 are killed and more than 2000 injured. And students had their final first term exams, so Israel hit the Ministry of Education, and a lot of ministries. Every day people are asking when will it end, and they are waiting for more activist ships like the Dignity.”
From Darween, 8 (in English):
“I am a Palestinian kid
I won’t leave my country
so I will have lots of advantages
because I won’t leave my country
and I hear a sound of rockets
so I won’t leave my country.”
Meriam is four. Her siblings asked her, “what do you feel when you hear the rockets?” And she said, “I feel afraid!”
I’ve been asked to send some messages to a couple of the worldwide rallies on Saturday (yay!), and decided that I would much prefer to let Palestinians speak for themselves, especially some of the 50% of Gaza’s population who are under 18 years old. (If you can only remember one statistic, that’s the one you want.) I slept last night in a sea of blankets with the Kabariti girls, and thank goodness, there were less attacks on the port than the night before and they could get a little sleep. They have provided me with very neatly written messages to you, which I promised would be on this page before their bedtime. So here you go:
From Suzanne, 15 (in English):
“The life in Gaza is very difficult. Actually we can’t describe everything. We can’t sleep, we can’t go to school and study. We feel a lot of feelings, sometimes we feel afraid and worry because the planes and the ships, they hit 24 hours. Sometimes we feel bored because there is no electricity during the day, and in the night, it is coming just four hours and when it comes we are watching the news on TV. And we see kids and women who are injured and dead. So we live in the siege and war.”
From Fatma, 13 (in English):
“It was the hardest week in our life. In the first day we were in school, having the final exam of the first term, then the explosions started, many students were killed and injured, and the others surely lost a relative or a neighbour. There is no electricity, no food, no bread. What can we do – it’s the Israelis! All the people in the world celebrated the new year, we also celebrate but in a different way.”
From Sara, 11 (in Arabic, translated by Habeeb, 18):
“Gaza is living in a siege, like a big jail: no water, no electric power. People feel afraid, don’t sleep at night, and every day more people are killed. Until now, more than 400 are killed and more than 2000 injured. And students had their final first term exams, so Israel hit the Ministry of Education, and a lot of ministries. Every day people are asking when will it end, and they are waiting for more activist ships like the Dignity.”
From Darween, 8 (in English):
“I am a Palestinian kid
I won’t leave my country
so I will have lots of advantages
because I won’t leave my country
and I hear a sound of rockets
so I won’t leave my country.”
Meriam is four. Her siblings asked her, “what do you feel when you hear the rockets?” And she said, “I feel afraid!”
GAZA: 2 January
Hatem Shurrab says more international food aid is arriving in Gaza
A week is a long time when you live in a place that is cut off from the outside world and are surrounded by death, devastation and destruction.
It is seven days since the attacks were launched on Gaza and in that time hundreds of people have been killed and many more injured. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights among the dead are 51 children and 14 women.
When I do manage to snatch the odd hour of sleep I wake up hoping to find that all of this has been a bad nightmare and that Gaza is back to being a place full of life. It seems that the situation we are in now is not going to end anytime soon and the nightmare will go on.
The bombardment continues and I hope it stops so that people can go out and bury the dead.
The numbers of people who went to attend the Friday prayer today was much less than any other Friday prayer I can remember.
Mosques are located in the heart of communities and often close to government buildings. These mosques have closed their gates, something unheard of in the Middle East - a mosque being closed on a Friday.
Long bread queues
Today I managed to have a snatched conversation with a woman who was on her way to buy some bread from one of the few bakeries open on Gaza's Wihda Street.
Um Nasir is a mother of five children; the eldest is 17 years old. She told me she was widowed and her husband had been killed during an air raid on Gaza some three years ago.
She told me that she hides in the basement of her house with her children when the bombing attacks start. Every night the children sleep on mattresses close to their mother.
Um Nasir had to wait for over an hour to get her bread but she said she felt lucky she didn't have to spend more than an hour queuing.
She said she was terrified to be away from her children and was eager to get back to them in the case the bombs started dropping again.
Um Nasir is one of thousands of Gazan women who are worried for the safety of their children and are trying their best to keep their families safe and keep some kind of normality in their homes.
While we were talking I discovered that two of Um Nasir's children are being sponsored by Islamic Relief and this makes life a little easier for her as she survives with very limited resources.
Islamic Relief has a large orphans sponsorship programme and individuals from around the world provide Islamic Relief with donations so we can assist these youngsters.
The office in the UK told me that many people have been calling to find out if the children are safe and how they can help them.
The good news is that some aid is now arriving in Gaza through Israel's borders and this has given the Islamic Relief aid team a much needed energy boost. We hope to step up our work on the ground and reach more people in the coming days.
A week is a long time when you live in a place that is cut off from the outside world and are surrounded by death, devastation and destruction.
It is seven days since the attacks were launched on Gaza and in that time hundreds of people have been killed and many more injured. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights among the dead are 51 children and 14 women.
When I do manage to snatch the odd hour of sleep I wake up hoping to find that all of this has been a bad nightmare and that Gaza is back to being a place full of life. It seems that the situation we are in now is not going to end anytime soon and the nightmare will go on.
The bombardment continues and I hope it stops so that people can go out and bury the dead.
The numbers of people who went to attend the Friday prayer today was much less than any other Friday prayer I can remember.
Mosques are located in the heart of communities and often close to government buildings. These mosques have closed their gates, something unheard of in the Middle East - a mosque being closed on a Friday.
Long bread queues
Today I managed to have a snatched conversation with a woman who was on her way to buy some bread from one of the few bakeries open on Gaza's Wihda Street.
Um Nasir is a mother of five children; the eldest is 17 years old. She told me she was widowed and her husband had been killed during an air raid on Gaza some three years ago.
She told me that she hides in the basement of her house with her children when the bombing attacks start. Every night the children sleep on mattresses close to their mother.
Um Nasir had to wait for over an hour to get her bread but she said she felt lucky she didn't have to spend more than an hour queuing.
She said she was terrified to be away from her children and was eager to get back to them in the case the bombs started dropping again.
Um Nasir is one of thousands of Gazan women who are worried for the safety of their children and are trying their best to keep their families safe and keep some kind of normality in their homes.
While we were talking I discovered that two of Um Nasir's children are being sponsored by Islamic Relief and this makes life a little easier for her as she survives with very limited resources.
Islamic Relief has a large orphans sponsorship programme and individuals from around the world provide Islamic Relief with donations so we can assist these youngsters.
The office in the UK told me that many people have been calling to find out if the children are safe and how they can help them.
The good news is that some aid is now arriving in Gaza through Israel's borders and this has given the Islamic Relief aid team a much needed energy boost. We hope to step up our work on the ground and reach more people in the coming days.
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Days: Jan 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - Dec 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27