5 jan 2009
Try not to cry
Israel attacks international media building in Gaza City
10pm, 5th January 2009, Gaza City: A high-story building housing international media outlets in Gaza City has been targeted by the Israeli military. Seven rounds were fired from an apache helicopter into the building in which international media which houses international media outlets such as Reuters.
Canadian Human Rights Activist Eva Bartlett was inside the building as it was attacked;
“It felt like the building was about to collapse. The attack was a few floors above where we were, but it felt like the building was going to come down.
Israel has denied the international media access to Gaza, now they are targeting those who are attempting to tell the world what is happening here. Israel does not want the world to see it’s crimes.” Eva Bartlett – International Solidarity Movement
Israel has maintained it’s ban on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip, despite an Israeli Supreme Court ruling stating that they should be permitted.
International Solidarity Movement and Free Gaza Movement volunteers have been working to document the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Canadian Human Rights Activist Eva Bartlett was inside the building as it was attacked;
“It felt like the building was about to collapse. The attack was a few floors above where we were, but it felt like the building was going to come down.
Israel has denied the international media access to Gaza, now they are targeting those who are attempting to tell the world what is happening here. Israel does not want the world to see it’s crimes.” Eva Bartlett – International Solidarity Movement
Israel has maintained it’s ban on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip, despite an Israeli Supreme Court ruling stating that they should be permitted.
International Solidarity Movement and Free Gaza Movement volunteers have been working to document the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
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Israel: Gaza Ground Offensive Raises Laws of War ConcernsAs an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza gets underway, both Israeli and Palestinian forces must address heightened civilian protection concerns because of likely combat in densely populated urban areas, Human Rights Watch said today.
Both sides must stringently abide by the laws of war, including taking all feasible measures to avoid harm to civilians and facilitating access for humanitarian workers and medical personnel. Human Rights Watch investigations of previous ground operations in Gaza and the West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found evidence of unlawful killings by Israeli forces. In addition, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired rockets or conducted other military operations from densely populated areas, placing civilians at risk of serious harm. |
"An Israeli ground operation in Gaza will likely mean intense combat in densely populated areas, where the threat to civilians is substantial," said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division.
"The IDF and Hamas must take concrete steps to minimize the fighting's impact on civilians or the results could be catastrophic."
The IDF's last major ground operation in Gaza, from February 27 to March 3, 2008, killed 107 Palestinians, more than half of whom were civilians, and wounded more than 200. Two Israeli soldiers died.
Human Rights Watch's detailed field investigation of that operation found serious violations by the IDF, including the killing of a wounded man getting treatment in an ambulance, the shooting deaths of two civilians on donkey carts, and the shooting and wounding of two men in IDF custody. In two cases, tank crews opened fire on unarmed civilians. All of these incidents took place in an area that was firmly under the control of the IDF. Palestinian medics and ambulance drivers also faced restrictions on their ability to treat the wounded and dead - both civilians and combatants - and came under fire that killed one medic.
In February-March 2008, as on other occasions, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups placed civilians at risk by firing rockets and mortars from densely populated areas and storing weapons in civilian structures. Those acts, too, violate the laws of war.
Human Rights Watch said that during past hostilities both sides have failed to take adequate steps to remove civilians from areas where there was fighting, putting them at unnecessary risk. A senior IDF legal advisor recently told Human Rights Watch that it is still standard procedure for IDF troops to detain civilians in houses in which the IDF deploys, thus exposing them to danger of attacks from Palestinian forces.
Past IDF ground operations raise additional concerns. Human Rights Watch's on-the-ground investigation of the April 2002 IDF ground operation [PDF] in Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank found that at least 22 of the 52 Palestinians killed were civilians, including some as the result of unlawful or willful killings by the IDF. The IDF used armored bulldozers to demolish residents' homes to clear the way for armored vehicles, but in some cases the destruction extended well beyond any conceivable military objective.
The IDF blocked the passage of medical personnel and vehicles into Jenin refugee camp for 11 days, and IDF soldiers repeatedly fired on ambulances.
During Jenin and other ground operations, Israeli soldiers have at times forced civilians, sometimes at gunpoint, to accompany IDF troops during their searches of homes, forcing them to open doors and perform other dangerous tasks in violation of the laws of war. A 2005 Israeli Supreme Court ruling banned this practice.
A central problem has been the lack of accountability for past violations of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said. The IDF told Human Rights Watch that it had not opened any investigations into potentially unlawful deaths from the March 2008 Gaza operations, called Operation Warm Winter, although it was investigating three reported cases of theft by Israeli soldiers. Similarly, Hamas has done nothing to hold accountable those who have deliberately and unlawfully fired rockets into, or from, civilian areas.
"Failing to punish soldiers for serious abuses sends a terrible message to those fighting in Gaza that future abuses too will be ignored," said Stork.
More than 400 Palestinians in Gaza have died in fighting over the past week. According to the United Nations, about one-quarter of them are civilians. Palestinian rocket fire has killed three Israeli civilians in the same period.
To minimize civilian casualties during the ground offensive in Gaza, Human Rights Watch urged the IDF and Hamas and other Palestinian forces to implement the following recommendations:
To the IDF:
"The IDF and Hamas must take concrete steps to minimize the fighting's impact on civilians or the results could be catastrophic."
The IDF's last major ground operation in Gaza, from February 27 to March 3, 2008, killed 107 Palestinians, more than half of whom were civilians, and wounded more than 200. Two Israeli soldiers died.
Human Rights Watch's detailed field investigation of that operation found serious violations by the IDF, including the killing of a wounded man getting treatment in an ambulance, the shooting deaths of two civilians on donkey carts, and the shooting and wounding of two men in IDF custody. In two cases, tank crews opened fire on unarmed civilians. All of these incidents took place in an area that was firmly under the control of the IDF. Palestinian medics and ambulance drivers also faced restrictions on their ability to treat the wounded and dead - both civilians and combatants - and came under fire that killed one medic.
In February-March 2008, as on other occasions, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups placed civilians at risk by firing rockets and mortars from densely populated areas and storing weapons in civilian structures. Those acts, too, violate the laws of war.
Human Rights Watch said that during past hostilities both sides have failed to take adequate steps to remove civilians from areas where there was fighting, putting them at unnecessary risk. A senior IDF legal advisor recently told Human Rights Watch that it is still standard procedure for IDF troops to detain civilians in houses in which the IDF deploys, thus exposing them to danger of attacks from Palestinian forces.
Past IDF ground operations raise additional concerns. Human Rights Watch's on-the-ground investigation of the April 2002 IDF ground operation [PDF] in Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank found that at least 22 of the 52 Palestinians killed were civilians, including some as the result of unlawful or willful killings by the IDF. The IDF used armored bulldozers to demolish residents' homes to clear the way for armored vehicles, but in some cases the destruction extended well beyond any conceivable military objective.
The IDF blocked the passage of medical personnel and vehicles into Jenin refugee camp for 11 days, and IDF soldiers repeatedly fired on ambulances.
During Jenin and other ground operations, Israeli soldiers have at times forced civilians, sometimes at gunpoint, to accompany IDF troops during their searches of homes, forcing them to open doors and perform other dangerous tasks in violation of the laws of war. A 2005 Israeli Supreme Court ruling banned this practice.
A central problem has been the lack of accountability for past violations of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said. The IDF told Human Rights Watch that it had not opened any investigations into potentially unlawful deaths from the March 2008 Gaza operations, called Operation Warm Winter, although it was investigating three reported cases of theft by Israeli soldiers. Similarly, Hamas has done nothing to hold accountable those who have deliberately and unlawfully fired rockets into, or from, civilian areas.
"Failing to punish soldiers for serious abuses sends a terrible message to those fighting in Gaza that future abuses too will be ignored," said Stork.
More than 400 Palestinians in Gaza have died in fighting over the past week. According to the United Nations, about one-quarter of them are civilians. Palestinian rocket fire has killed three Israeli civilians in the same period.
To minimize civilian casualties during the ground offensive in Gaza, Human Rights Watch urged the IDF and Hamas and other Palestinian forces to implement the following recommendations:
To the IDF:
- In the conduct of military operations, take constant care in accordance with the laws of war to spare the civilian population.
- Issue clear rules of engagement that adhere strictly to the laws of war prohibition against attacks that target or indiscriminately harm civilians and the requirement to distinguish at all times between civilians and combatants.
- Adhere to the prohibition against disproportionate attacks by not launching any attack that may be expected to cause harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects that would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
- Ensure the unhindered movement of medical personnel and ambulances to carry out their duties and of wounded persons to access medical care. Any restrictions on movement for genuine security grounds must be temporary, subject to regular review, and imposed only to the extent absolutely necessary.
- Do not make coercive use of civilians to facilitate military operations, such as by using them as "human shields." Avoid compelling Palestinian civilians to remain inside homes or other structures taken over by the IDF for military operations.
- Take all necessary steps to ensure that the civilian population has access to sufficient food, medical care, and other essential humanitarian goods and services.
- Provide troops with non-lethal means to deal with possible crowd-control situations.
- Allow journalists and humanitarian agencies access to Gaza and ensure that any restrictions on access and movement for genuine security grounds be temporary, subject to regular review, and only imposed to the extent absolutely necessary.
- In the conduct of military operations, take constant care in accordance with the laws of war to spare the civilian population.
- Cease all deliberate and indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli population centers.
- Take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population under their control against the effects of attacks, including by avoiding conducting military operations from or locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas, and, to the extent feasible, removing civilians from the vicinity of military objectives.
- Do not use civilians as "human shields" by using them for the purpose of protecting combatants or other military objectives from attack, or to favor or impede military operations.
- _________________________
- An Israeli ground operation in Gaza will likely mean intense combat in densely populated areas, where the threat to civilians is substantial...The IDF and Hamas must take concrete steps to minimize the fighting's impact on civilians or the results could be catastrophic."
Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division
Gaza: wounded people dying while waiting for ambulances
As the number of casualties continues to rise in the Gaza Strip, the ICRC is focusing on arranging safe passage for Palestine Red Crescent ambulances, which collect the wounded and transport them to hospitals.
Ambulance movements are coordinated with the Israeli authorities and Palestinian factions in order to make sure that Palestine Red Crescent workers are not caught in the hostilities.
Tragically, in most instances it takes hours before the ambulances can reach the wounded.
" Some wounded people simply die while waiting for an ambulance, " said Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC office in Gaza. " This is of course absolutely appalling. The ambulances must reach the injured as fast as possible. "
In some other cases, ambulances cannot reach the wounded at all because of the ongoing fighting and shelling.
In addition, many health workers cannot reach their workplaces in hospitals because of the ongoing fighting. This places additional strain on available medical staff, who are already exhausted. Most hospitals report that their emergency rooms and intensive care units are overwhelmed. At least two hospitals are set to run out of fuel for their generators, which are now the only source of power available to run medical equipment. The ICRC will try to arrange safe passage for fuel tankers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) to these hospitals.
" Hospitals, medical staff and ambulances must be respected at all times. Ambulances must have access to all areas in order to evacuate the wounded, " said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Water supplies for half a million people about to run out
Ambulance movements are coordinated with the Israeli authorities and Palestinian factions in order to make sure that Palestine Red Crescent workers are not caught in the hostilities.
Tragically, in most instances it takes hours before the ambulances can reach the wounded.
" Some wounded people simply die while waiting for an ambulance, " said Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC office in Gaza. " This is of course absolutely appalling. The ambulances must reach the injured as fast as possible. "
In some other cases, ambulances cannot reach the wounded at all because of the ongoing fighting and shelling.
In addition, many health workers cannot reach their workplaces in hospitals because of the ongoing fighting. This places additional strain on available medical staff, who are already exhausted. Most hospitals report that their emergency rooms and intensive care units are overwhelmed. At least two hospitals are set to run out of fuel for their generators, which are now the only source of power available to run medical equipment. The ICRC will try to arrange safe passage for fuel tankers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) to these hospitals.
" Hospitals, medical staff and ambulances must be respected at all times. Ambulances must have access to all areas in order to evacuate the wounded, " said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Water supplies for half a million people about to run out
The situation in regard to the water supply is alarming. Because of the disruption of four power lines that normally bring electricity from Israel to Gaza City, 10 of the 45 wells in the city are no longer functioning. Two wells have been damaged by air strikes and the remaining wells are set to shut down in the coming two to three days, when their support generators will run out of fuel.
" If the power supply is not restored immediately, half a million residents of Gaza City will be completely deprived of water, " warned Javier Cordoba, the ICRC's water and sanitation coordinator. " Ensuring safe access for technicians to repair the power lines is now an urgent priority, " he said.
ICRC activities
" If the power supply is not restored immediately, half a million residents of Gaza City will be completely deprived of water, " warned Javier Cordoba, the ICRC's water and sanitation coordinator. " Ensuring safe access for technicians to repair the power lines is now an urgent priority, " he said.
ICRC activities
The ICRC's war-surgery team, consisting of two doctors and two nurses, was able to cross into Gaza today. It will be helping surgeons at Shifa Hospital to treat complicated injuries.
The ICRC continues to coordinate safe passage for Palestine Red Crescent ambulances and for technicians attempting to repair essential services such as the power lines that provide electricity from Israel to Gaza. |
- The ICRC has brought new supplies of blood and 1,000 doses of tetanus toxoid vaccines into Gaza. Hospitals had completely run out of these vaccines, which are potentially lifesaving for patients with dirty wounds or needing an operation.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that its ambulances assisted 46 casualties during the 24 hours from Sunday to Monday noon. Included in this figure are 15 fatalities. The Palestine Red Crescent underlines that it received other calls for help that it could not respond to because of the ongoing hostilities.
The Magen David Adom continued to provide humanitarian support for people living in southern Israel, which is under daily rocket attack. It has distributed brochures over the past few days informing the population about basic first-aid procedures and about stress symptoms in order to minimize their effects.
The Magen David Adom reports a total of four killed and 335 injured (13 severely) since the beginning of the conflict. In addition, 243 inhabitants have been treated for anxiety attacks.
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BBC Interview with the Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza
From doctor Mads Gilbert in Gaza: Thanks for your support. They bombed the central vegetable market in Gaza city two hours ago. 80 injured, 20 killed. All came here to Shifa. Hades! We wade in death, blood and amputees. Many children. Pregnant woman. I have never experienced anything this horrible. Now we hear tanks. Tell it, pass it on, shout it. Anything. DO SOMETHING! DO MORE! We're living in the history books now, all of us! |
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Mobile clinics bombedThree mobile health clinics, run by DanChurchAids partner organisation, have been destroyed in an Israeli air strike.
The organisation Union of Healthcare Committees, initiated by Palestinian doctors and nurses, has recently bought three small trucks, and equipped them to function as mobile health clinics in Gaza. As part of the emergency response in Gaza, DanChurchAid was going to support an upgrade of the vehicles, so they could be used as basic ER’s, providing much needed intensive care to wounded in Gaza. The vehicles destroyed by Israli bombings. |
We have just received news that all three mobile clinics were bombed and rendered useless on the night of the 5th of January. The vehicles were parked by the Union of Healthcare headquarters and all were clearly marked with red crosses and the caption “Mobile Clinic”.
”We had the possibility of helping the wounded and suffering, because the vehicles have been present and ready inside Gaza. This possibility of emergency aid is now in ruins. We are deeply chocked that the Israeli air strikes directly prevent the humanitarian aid effort.”, says Henrik Stubkjær, Secretary General of DanChurchAid.
DanChurchAid have granted additional funds for purchase of a new vehicle for Gaza, but equipping it as mobile clinics and deploying them in areas where help is needed will take time.
We are also looking into the possibility of supplying additional mobile clinics.
”We had the possibility of helping the wounded and suffering, because the vehicles have been present and ready inside Gaza. This possibility of emergency aid is now in ruins. We are deeply chocked that the Israeli air strikes directly prevent the humanitarian aid effort.”, says Henrik Stubkjær, Secretary General of DanChurchAid.
DanChurchAid have granted additional funds for purchase of a new vehicle for Gaza, but equipping it as mobile clinics and deploying them in areas where help is needed will take time.
We are also looking into the possibility of supplying additional mobile clinics.
Israel: Allow Media and Rights Monitors Access to Gaza
Total Ban on Foreign Journalists Since Offensive Began
Israel should immediately allow journalists and human rights monitors access to Gaza, Human Rights Watch said today. Their presence can discourage abuse by warring parties and help save lives.
Human Rights Watch urged the Israeli government to abide by an Israeli high court ruling on December 31, 2008 and allow foreign media into Gaza. The presence of journalists and human rights monitors in conflict areas provides an essential check on human rights abuses and laws-of-war violations, Human Rights Watch said.
Since early November 2008, when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began to deteriorate, the Israeli government has sharply restricted access to Gaza for foreign journalists and human rights monitors, and none has been permitted entry since the current military campaign began on December 27. Israeli journalists have been denied access to Gaza for the past two years because of an Israeli government policy prohibiting Israeli citizens from entering Gaza on security grounds.
"Journalists and rights monitors should be allowed into Gaza to investigate and report on the conduct of both sides," said Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch. "Israel's excessive restrictions on access to Gaza only end up impeding this deterrent effect and placing civilians at greater risk."
According to the United Nations, Israeli attacks had killed more than 430 Palestinians in Gaza, about one-quarter of them civilians, prior to the onset of Israeli ground operations on January 3. Palestinian rockets launched into Israel have killed three Israeli civilians in this period.
The Israeli High Court ruled on December 31, 2008, that the Israeli government should allow 12 foreign journalists into Gaza. The government said it will allow eight journalists into Gaza every time it opens the border at the Erez crossing, but so far the crossing has remained closed to entry. The decision by the High Court came in response to a petition by the Israeli Foreign Press Association, which represents more than 400 members from the world's leading international print and electronic media. The association called the ban "an unprecedented restriction of press freedom" on Israel's part.
On November 21, 22 executives from the world's major news organizations, including the Associated Press, BBC, CNN, and Reuters, sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, complaining about the "prolonged and unprecedented denial of access to the Gaza Strip for the international media."
The restrictions create a very different reporting atmosphere than that during Israel's last major war, the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon in July-August 2006. At that time, the media and human rights organizations were able to report on the conflict from both sides.
International human rights law, applicable during armed conflict, upholds the right to freedom of expression of journalists and human rights monitors. States may restrict freedom of expression to protect national security, but only as permitted by law and as necessary for genuine and specific security reasons. This principle is elucidated in the 1995 Johannesburg Principles on National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information:
"Any restriction on the free flow of information may not be of such a nature as to thwart the purposes of human rights and humanitarian law. In particular, governments may not prevent journalists or representatives of intergovernmental or non-governmental organizations, which monitor adherence to human rights or humanitarian standards, from entering areas where there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations of human rights or humanitarian law are being, or have been, committed. Governments may not exclude journalists or representatives of such organizations from areas that are experiencing violence or armed conflict except where their presence would pose a clear risk to the safety of others."
"The presence of journalists and human rights researchers is not just about the right to information," Abrahams said. "Independent monitoring during an armed conflict can discourage misconduct and save lives."
________________
"Journalists and rights monitors should be allowed into Gaza to investigate and report on the conduct of both sides...Israel's excessive restrictions on access to Gaza only end up impeding this deterrent effect and placing civilians at greater risk." Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch
Israel should immediately allow journalists and human rights monitors access to Gaza, Human Rights Watch said today. Their presence can discourage abuse by warring parties and help save lives.
Human Rights Watch urged the Israeli government to abide by an Israeli high court ruling on December 31, 2008 and allow foreign media into Gaza. The presence of journalists and human rights monitors in conflict areas provides an essential check on human rights abuses and laws-of-war violations, Human Rights Watch said.
Since early November 2008, when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began to deteriorate, the Israeli government has sharply restricted access to Gaza for foreign journalists and human rights monitors, and none has been permitted entry since the current military campaign began on December 27. Israeli journalists have been denied access to Gaza for the past two years because of an Israeli government policy prohibiting Israeli citizens from entering Gaza on security grounds.
"Journalists and rights monitors should be allowed into Gaza to investigate and report on the conduct of both sides," said Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch. "Israel's excessive restrictions on access to Gaza only end up impeding this deterrent effect and placing civilians at greater risk."
According to the United Nations, Israeli attacks had killed more than 430 Palestinians in Gaza, about one-quarter of them civilians, prior to the onset of Israeli ground operations on January 3. Palestinian rockets launched into Israel have killed three Israeli civilians in this period.
The Israeli High Court ruled on December 31, 2008, that the Israeli government should allow 12 foreign journalists into Gaza. The government said it will allow eight journalists into Gaza every time it opens the border at the Erez crossing, but so far the crossing has remained closed to entry. The decision by the High Court came in response to a petition by the Israeli Foreign Press Association, which represents more than 400 members from the world's leading international print and electronic media. The association called the ban "an unprecedented restriction of press freedom" on Israel's part.
On November 21, 22 executives from the world's major news organizations, including the Associated Press, BBC, CNN, and Reuters, sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, complaining about the "prolonged and unprecedented denial of access to the Gaza Strip for the international media."
The restrictions create a very different reporting atmosphere than that during Israel's last major war, the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon in July-August 2006. At that time, the media and human rights organizations were able to report on the conflict from both sides.
International human rights law, applicable during armed conflict, upholds the right to freedom of expression of journalists and human rights monitors. States may restrict freedom of expression to protect national security, but only as permitted by law and as necessary for genuine and specific security reasons. This principle is elucidated in the 1995 Johannesburg Principles on National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information:
"Any restriction on the free flow of information may not be of such a nature as to thwart the purposes of human rights and humanitarian law. In particular, governments may not prevent journalists or representatives of intergovernmental or non-governmental organizations, which monitor adherence to human rights or humanitarian standards, from entering areas where there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations of human rights or humanitarian law are being, or have been, committed. Governments may not exclude journalists or representatives of such organizations from areas that are experiencing violence or armed conflict except where their presence would pose a clear risk to the safety of others."
"The presence of journalists and human rights researchers is not just about the right to information," Abrahams said. "Independent monitoring during an armed conflict can discourage misconduct and save lives."
________________
"Journalists and rights monitors should be allowed into Gaza to investigate and report on the conduct of both sides...Israel's excessive restrictions on access to Gaza only end up impeding this deterrent effect and placing civilians at greater risk." Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch
Gaza walks
To walk in Gaza city now is to walk through a ghost town, passing shells of buildings, rubble-filled streets, closed shops, and streets barren of life.
Before Israel’s attacks across the Gaza Strip’s densely-populated civilian areas began on December 27th, Gaza was a different scene: it was stifled under a siege which deprived Palestinians of medicine, wheat, food products, cooking gas, clean water, electricity, education and movement, and which had turned Gaza into a region without import or export, without an economy, food-aid dependent, and with a dire medical crisis –hospitals suffered with poor machinery missing replacement parts, with absences and shortages of over 300 types of medicines, and with the electricity cuts which necessitated back-up generators running on frequently-unavailable petrol, putting incubators and life-saving ventilators at risk.
But Palestinians in Gaza still walked the streets, still frequented the parks and public spaces, still pursued education within the Strip and had weddings. On any given day, the main street, Omar Mukthar, would be crowded with taxis heading along the east-west road, kids going to and from school, shoppers, and vendors.
Walking Omar Mukthar now is an eerie experience, as is walking along the coastal road, or on many of Gaza’s streets, in Jabaliya’s neighbourhoods, to the Red Crescent hospital…
In the first days after the missiles hit police stations, mosques, civil administration buildings, Municipal buildings, cars, houses, iron and metal workshops, and universities across the Gaza Strip’s tiny length, people walked carefully, avoiding the bombed sites, very aware they could be re-bombed. Avoiding, also, potential sites: more mosques, police stations or anything police-related still standing, and places that had received bomb scares.
But now its gotten to such a point, all over Gaza is so completely and thoroughly bombed, that the initial detours we took are pointless: there are simply too many bombed-out buildings and sites to bother avoiding the street.
The number of slaughtered civilians in Gaza rises by the hour. It would seem an exaggeration to state this, but since the ground invasion began on Saturday, conservative figures put the number of dead at 82 (others at 90), 573 dead since the December 27th air-strikes began. And this does not include the most recent house-bombings which have occurred in two areas in the north, as well as in the south.
Figures of injured are now at over 2,700, and many of the injuries I have seen and medical staff have told me about are brain trauma (shrapnel in the brain), complete dismemberment and burning, amputations of one or more limbs, gaping holes in the body, internal damage and internal bleeding. More than one doctor has stated that the type of missiles Israel is using seem to be designed to kill immediately or later: if the person is not blown apart, then he/she dies from shrapnel poisoning later, be it days later or even months later, doctors have told me.
In the first days after the initial air-strikes, I visited a neighbour, had coffee. His phone rang, it was a friend with a one year old daughter. I’d seen the routine before: S. would hold the phone close and make noises at the baby, encourage her to baby-talk to him. His adoration was evident, though his own kids are far away, in the West Bank, he separated from them.
This night, when I visited, he began the routine, happy to tease her. But the phone cut. The lines had gotten worse, perhaps interference from the hundreds of drones and many warplanes and helicopters clogging the skies. I’d watched as he re-dialed the friends number. His posture was usually straight, proud, but was now slumped, tired. That was 10 days ago.
He spoke with the baby’s father about the lack of fish on the market now. Under siege, the markets were already deprived of vegetables, basic goods, luxuries…But there were at least some comparatively-expensive fish and meat to be had. Some. But S., who has money, cannot even find fish now. The fishermen have stopped going out, the Israeli warships patrolling closer than ever. While Israeli naval boats routinely surrounded, or fired upon Palestinian fishing boats as it was before the December 27th attacks, there was some pretense at legitimacy: “they’re fishing outside their waters” was the standard line (although the Palestinian fishermen had the right to fish up to 20 miles out, Israeli authorities regularly imposed a six or less mile limit).
But now, with attacks full-scale and incessant, there’s no need to make up excuses. And everyone knows it. No one ventures out to fish, and those unfortunate who live along the coastline suffer the navy’s shelling.
I know, I stayed a few nights in our apartment across from the coast, heard and felt the explosions like those all over Gaza.
Now, the tunnels are destroyed. The siege continues, along with the criminal air and land attacks. Bread lines are hopeless, long, pointless. The falafel shop which had managed, and had survived the bombing of the mosque across from it and across from Shifa hospital (survived but with significant damage to the building) has not survived the bread crisis.
So a bombed population already besieged, with no where to run, shot and shelled when running no where, already deprived of medicines and medical care, is now on a new level of starvation, deprivation of water (70 % of people are without), and continues to be psychologically-terrorized by the air activity and bombing.
Where to walk? Anywhere, it doesn’t really matter.
Before Israel’s attacks across the Gaza Strip’s densely-populated civilian areas began on December 27th, Gaza was a different scene: it was stifled under a siege which deprived Palestinians of medicine, wheat, food products, cooking gas, clean water, electricity, education and movement, and which had turned Gaza into a region without import or export, without an economy, food-aid dependent, and with a dire medical crisis –hospitals suffered with poor machinery missing replacement parts, with absences and shortages of over 300 types of medicines, and with the electricity cuts which necessitated back-up generators running on frequently-unavailable petrol, putting incubators and life-saving ventilators at risk.
But Palestinians in Gaza still walked the streets, still frequented the parks and public spaces, still pursued education within the Strip and had weddings. On any given day, the main street, Omar Mukthar, would be crowded with taxis heading along the east-west road, kids going to and from school, shoppers, and vendors.
Walking Omar Mukthar now is an eerie experience, as is walking along the coastal road, or on many of Gaza’s streets, in Jabaliya’s neighbourhoods, to the Red Crescent hospital…
In the first days after the missiles hit police stations, mosques, civil administration buildings, Municipal buildings, cars, houses, iron and metal workshops, and universities across the Gaza Strip’s tiny length, people walked carefully, avoiding the bombed sites, very aware they could be re-bombed. Avoiding, also, potential sites: more mosques, police stations or anything police-related still standing, and places that had received bomb scares.
But now its gotten to such a point, all over Gaza is so completely and thoroughly bombed, that the initial detours we took are pointless: there are simply too many bombed-out buildings and sites to bother avoiding the street.
The number of slaughtered civilians in Gaza rises by the hour. It would seem an exaggeration to state this, but since the ground invasion began on Saturday, conservative figures put the number of dead at 82 (others at 90), 573 dead since the December 27th air-strikes began. And this does not include the most recent house-bombings which have occurred in two areas in the north, as well as in the south.
Figures of injured are now at over 2,700, and many of the injuries I have seen and medical staff have told me about are brain trauma (shrapnel in the brain), complete dismemberment and burning, amputations of one or more limbs, gaping holes in the body, internal damage and internal bleeding. More than one doctor has stated that the type of missiles Israel is using seem to be designed to kill immediately or later: if the person is not blown apart, then he/she dies from shrapnel poisoning later, be it days later or even months later, doctors have told me.
In the first days after the initial air-strikes, I visited a neighbour, had coffee. His phone rang, it was a friend with a one year old daughter. I’d seen the routine before: S. would hold the phone close and make noises at the baby, encourage her to baby-talk to him. His adoration was evident, though his own kids are far away, in the West Bank, he separated from them.
This night, when I visited, he began the routine, happy to tease her. But the phone cut. The lines had gotten worse, perhaps interference from the hundreds of drones and many warplanes and helicopters clogging the skies. I’d watched as he re-dialed the friends number. His posture was usually straight, proud, but was now slumped, tired. That was 10 days ago.
He spoke with the baby’s father about the lack of fish on the market now. Under siege, the markets were already deprived of vegetables, basic goods, luxuries…But there were at least some comparatively-expensive fish and meat to be had. Some. But S., who has money, cannot even find fish now. The fishermen have stopped going out, the Israeli warships patrolling closer than ever. While Israeli naval boats routinely surrounded, or fired upon Palestinian fishing boats as it was before the December 27th attacks, there was some pretense at legitimacy: “they’re fishing outside their waters” was the standard line (although the Palestinian fishermen had the right to fish up to 20 miles out, Israeli authorities regularly imposed a six or less mile limit).
But now, with attacks full-scale and incessant, there’s no need to make up excuses. And everyone knows it. No one ventures out to fish, and those unfortunate who live along the coastline suffer the navy’s shelling.
I know, I stayed a few nights in our apartment across from the coast, heard and felt the explosions like those all over Gaza.
Now, the tunnels are destroyed. The siege continues, along with the criminal air and land attacks. Bread lines are hopeless, long, pointless. The falafel shop which had managed, and had survived the bombing of the mosque across from it and across from Shifa hospital (survived but with significant damage to the building) has not survived the bread crisis.
So a bombed population already besieged, with no where to run, shot and shelled when running no where, already deprived of medicines and medical care, is now on a new level of starvation, deprivation of water (70 % of people are without), and continues to be psychologically-terrorized by the air activity and bombing.
Where to walk? Anywhere, it doesn’t really matter.
GAZA: 5 January
Gazans face crippling shortages and constant blasts, Hatem Shurrab says
For the second day we have had to postpone our planned aid distribution. The security situation gets worse by the hour, making it very difficult to go out on the streets and deliver aid.
Homes are without water and electricity. Gazans have only been receiving water once a week for the last six months. But the electricity is down, which means the water cannot be pumped up.
This is very dangerous. As well as the obvious danger of being without water, there are added health issues and the possibility of the spread of disease.
Gaza is now divided due to the presence of the Israeli army and it is pretty much impossible to travel to the central areas.
My Islamic Relief colleagues who work with orphans are in the middle of Gaza - it is now very difficult to reach this area.
The inability to travel safely is severely affecting the aid effort. Only today I was at a bread queue talking to ordinary Gazans. Explosions could be heard in the background.
I met one woman who had been queuing from 0730 to 1030. But others had been queuing for up to 10 hours - such is the shortage. One man I met told me he was taking shifts with his brother in the bread queue in order not to lose their place.
Others I met just broke down in tears when I began speaking to them - it seems they had no words left.
For the second day we have had to postpone our planned aid distribution. The security situation gets worse by the hour, making it very difficult to go out on the streets and deliver aid.
Homes are without water and electricity. Gazans have only been receiving water once a week for the last six months. But the electricity is down, which means the water cannot be pumped up.
This is very dangerous. As well as the obvious danger of being without water, there are added health issues and the possibility of the spread of disease.
Gaza is now divided due to the presence of the Israeli army and it is pretty much impossible to travel to the central areas.
My Islamic Relief colleagues who work with orphans are in the middle of Gaza - it is now very difficult to reach this area.
The inability to travel safely is severely affecting the aid effort. Only today I was at a bread queue talking to ordinary Gazans. Explosions could be heard in the background.
I met one woman who had been queuing from 0730 to 1030. But others had been queuing for up to 10 hours - such is the shortage. One man I met told me he was taking shifts with his brother in the bread queue in order not to lose their place.
Others I met just broke down in tears when I began speaking to them - it seems they had no words left.
I often feel like I am saying the same thing again and again
I often feel like I am saying the same thing again and again, but the humanitarian situation is nothing short of desperate. Our colleagues in the UN are calling it a humanitarian crisis. Each day in Gaza it feels like it can't get any worse - but it does. People just don't know what to do or expect. |
I ask you to imagine how you would feel if you found yourself in a situation where you and your loved ones had little food, water and no electricity. And all the time the sound of explosions - bombs, missiles and tank fire - can be heard everywhere.
Ten long days and nights the people of Gaza have been living with fear - we are exhausted and every day brings more violence and more misery.
Ten long days and nights the people of Gaza have been living with fear - we are exhausted and every day brings more violence and more misery.
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