27 july 2014
Killed Sunday, July 27
- Ikram ash-Shimbari, 23, Gaza City, died of earlier injuries.
- Yusef Jamil Sobhi Hammouda, 16, Gaza City, died of earlier injuries.
- Ibrahim Khalil ad-Derawi, 27, central District.
- Ala Nahedh Matar, 26, central District.
- Hazem Fayez Abu Shammala, 33, central District
- Issam Abdul-Karim Abu Sa’ada, Khan Younis.
- Ahmad Abu Sweirej, 23, Nusseirat, Central Gaza.
- Mohammad Abu Haroun, 29, Nusseirat, Central Gaza.
- Fadi Baraka, Gaza, child, died of earlier injuries.
- Baha’ ed-Deen Ahmad Sa’id, al-Maghazi, died of earlier injuries.
- Yousef Abed Shehada al-Masri, 24, Shuja'eyya, Gaza.
- Khaled Abdul-Sattar Samhoud, Khan Younis.
- Jalila Faraj Ayyad, Gaza City.
- Essam Ibrahim Abu Shab 42.
- Mohammad Siyam, 15, Rafah.
- Hussein Hasan Abu an-Naja, 65, Khan Younis.
- Imad Jami al-Abed al-Bardaweel, 44, Gaza.
Palestinian volunteers at Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital load a body bag with the remains of children on a stretcher, on July 21, 2014, after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City
Inside Ashraf al-Qidra's cramped office in Shifa hospital, the phone never stops ringing, with news flooding in of the latest victims of Israel's devastating 20-day military operation.
With over 1,060 people killed and more than 6,000 wounded, counting the dead is a full-time occupation for the 41-year-old spokesman for Gaza's emergency services.
Since the operation began on July 8, Qidra has been sleeping just two hours a night on a mattress in his office, his staff updating him round the clock on the latest victims of the Israeli offensive, his phone constantly ringing with journalists seeking details of the latest toll.
He lies down for a rest, but his much-needed siesta is swiftly interrupted as an aide rushes in.
"Doctor Qidra, there are many many dead and injured in a shelling on Shuhada hospital!" exclaims a breathless assistant.
The 41-year-old immediately begins scribbling down notes as phones ring and a wireless radio crackles with news of more death and injury across war-torn Gaza.
He calls the hospitals, coordinating efforts to keep track of the wounded.
"There's no safe place from the Israeli shelling," says Qudra, a tall man with a neatly-trimmed beard who has been doing the job for four years.
"They targeted Al-Wafa hospital, Shahada hospital and the European hospital, which I feared would happen," he said.
"I don't doubt they'll hit this hospital at some point," he says, watching out the window as an ambulance unloads more of the wounded.
"The enemy has gone beyond insane, there's disaster after disaster."
Unpaid for months
Figures released by the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA indicate nearly three quarters of the victims were civilians and around a quarter of them children.
And it says 18 hospitals, clinics and medical centres have been hit and damaged by Israeli shelling.
Israel has lost 43 soldiers, and three civilians have been killed by cross-border projectiles.
Al-Shifa is the largest of Gaza's seven hospitals, all of which have been working around the clock since the Israel operation began on July 8 with the aim of eradicating cross-border rocket fire, which later expanded into a ground operation.
A call comes in on the landline -- five more dead and at least 70 wounded, among them doctors and paramedics in a strike on Shuhada hospital in Khan Younis.
The phone rings again. But this time it's his wife.
Qidra cracks a rare smile and asks after his four children, reassuring them that he's still safe and well.
He has seen his family only once in the past three weeks.
"I miss them," he admits.
And like many ordinary Gazans, he struggles to support them.
Despite his crucial role, Qidra, who recently qualified as a doctor, has not been paid for several months.
Until two months ago, he was spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry, but the Islamist movement -- which administered Gaza until handing over responsibility to a Ramallah-based government in June -- ran out of funds to pay its government workers.
But he does not consider himself allied to Hamas, insisting his work is a humanitarian duty.
"I believe strongly in my humanitarian mission," he says of a job which involves answering around 700 phonecalls per day.
Emotional impact
Every evening, he holds a news conferences at the hospital at which he reads out the figures and names of the victims.
But long before, every detail is meticulously recorded in near-constant postings in Arabic on both Twitter and Facebook.
For journalists covering the conflict, Qudra is the sole source of information. With numbers rising so quickly, sometimes by 100 deaths per day, it would be an impossible task to independently verify every casualty.
Qidra insists his numbers add up.
"The statistics we use and publish are accurate and objective," he says, proud but weary.
His first experience of a major conflict between Israel and Hamas was in November 2012 when 177 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed in an eight-day confrontation.
This time, he admits, the conflict has definitely affected him emotionally.
"I see corpses and body parts all the time," he says.
"But what really gets to me is the sight of women and children who've been killed in shellings."
Inside Ashraf al-Qidra's cramped office in Shifa hospital, the phone never stops ringing, with news flooding in of the latest victims of Israel's devastating 20-day military operation.
With over 1,060 people killed and more than 6,000 wounded, counting the dead is a full-time occupation for the 41-year-old spokesman for Gaza's emergency services.
Since the operation began on July 8, Qidra has been sleeping just two hours a night on a mattress in his office, his staff updating him round the clock on the latest victims of the Israeli offensive, his phone constantly ringing with journalists seeking details of the latest toll.
He lies down for a rest, but his much-needed siesta is swiftly interrupted as an aide rushes in.
"Doctor Qidra, there are many many dead and injured in a shelling on Shuhada hospital!" exclaims a breathless assistant.
The 41-year-old immediately begins scribbling down notes as phones ring and a wireless radio crackles with news of more death and injury across war-torn Gaza.
He calls the hospitals, coordinating efforts to keep track of the wounded.
"There's no safe place from the Israeli shelling," says Qudra, a tall man with a neatly-trimmed beard who has been doing the job for four years.
"They targeted Al-Wafa hospital, Shahada hospital and the European hospital, which I feared would happen," he said.
"I don't doubt they'll hit this hospital at some point," he says, watching out the window as an ambulance unloads more of the wounded.
"The enemy has gone beyond insane, there's disaster after disaster."
Unpaid for months
Figures released by the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA indicate nearly three quarters of the victims were civilians and around a quarter of them children.
And it says 18 hospitals, clinics and medical centres have been hit and damaged by Israeli shelling.
Israel has lost 43 soldiers, and three civilians have been killed by cross-border projectiles.
Al-Shifa is the largest of Gaza's seven hospitals, all of which have been working around the clock since the Israel operation began on July 8 with the aim of eradicating cross-border rocket fire, which later expanded into a ground operation.
A call comes in on the landline -- five more dead and at least 70 wounded, among them doctors and paramedics in a strike on Shuhada hospital in Khan Younis.
The phone rings again. But this time it's his wife.
Qidra cracks a rare smile and asks after his four children, reassuring them that he's still safe and well.
He has seen his family only once in the past three weeks.
"I miss them," he admits.
And like many ordinary Gazans, he struggles to support them.
Despite his crucial role, Qidra, who recently qualified as a doctor, has not been paid for several months.
Until two months ago, he was spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry, but the Islamist movement -- which administered Gaza until handing over responsibility to a Ramallah-based government in June -- ran out of funds to pay its government workers.
But he does not consider himself allied to Hamas, insisting his work is a humanitarian duty.
"I believe strongly in my humanitarian mission," he says of a job which involves answering around 700 phonecalls per day.
Emotional impact
Every evening, he holds a news conferences at the hospital at which he reads out the figures and names of the victims.
But long before, every detail is meticulously recorded in near-constant postings in Arabic on both Twitter and Facebook.
For journalists covering the conflict, Qudra is the sole source of information. With numbers rising so quickly, sometimes by 100 deaths per day, it would be an impossible task to independently verify every casualty.
Qidra insists his numbers add up.
"The statistics we use and publish are accurate and objective," he says, proud but weary.
His first experience of a major conflict between Israel and Hamas was in November 2012 when 177 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed in an eight-day confrontation.
This time, he admits, the conflict has definitely affected him emotionally.
"I see corpses and body parts all the time," he says.
"But what really gets to me is the sight of women and children who've been killed in shellings."
Israel resumed its bombardment of the Gaza Strip for the 20th day on Sunday afternoon, as Hamas leader Meshaal stressed that the group was ready to "coexist with the Jews" but would not tolerate "occupiers."
The Israeli assault on Gaza continued after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to renew a ceasefire agreed to earlier in the day after he claimed Palestinian militants had violated earlier truces.
At least two Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes and shelling from land and sea on Sunday evening, as the total Palestinian toll in the deadly assault hit 1,032 with more than 6,200 injured. Israeli forces have also killed 11 Palestinians in solidarity protests across the West Bank.
Of the total, 13 Palestinians were killed Sunday morning by Israeli forces during the ceasefire, while 117 bodies were recovered on Saturday as medics had access to large areas that had been off-limits during an agreed-upon humanitarian ceasefire that lasted 16 hours.
On Sunday afternoon, after the expiration of that ceasefire, Hamas announced that all militant groups would be respecting a 24-hour ceasefire beginning at 2 p.m.
But after Israeli airstrikes continued and officials announced their rejection, rocket fire resumed from the Gaza Strip, injuring one Israeli civilian.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military's death toll in the conflict hit 43 overnight, while three civilians in Israeli have been killed as well.
'I'm ready to coexist with the Jews'
Hamas continued to insist that any lasting ceasefire must be based on an Israeli lifting of the blockade on Gaza, with leader Khaled Meshaal warning that Palestinians cannot coexist with their neighbors while their land is occupied in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
On Saturday, Meshaal was interviewed by US broadcaster PBS in the Qatari capital Doha while in Gaza the party was under assault from Israeli forces in renewed fighting.
A full version of the interview will be broadcast late on Monday, but excerpts were revealed on Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation."
Asked by veteran interviewer Charlie Rose whether he could foresee living beside Israelis in peace, Meshaal said only a future Palestinian state could decide whether to recognize Israel.
"We are not fanatics, we are not fundamentalists. We are not actually fighting the Jews because they are Jews per se. We do not fight any other races. We fight the occupiers," he said.
"I'm ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and the Arabs and non-Arabs," he said. "However, I do not coexist with the occupiers."
Pressed on whether Palestinians could recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state, Meshaal reiterated Hamas' position -- the group does not recognize Israel.
"When we have a Palestinian state then the Palestinian state will decide on its policies. You cannot actually ask me about the future. I answered you," he said.
"But Palestinian people can have their say when they have their own state without occupation."
Hamas declared a 24-hour ceasefire on Sunday, but fighting continued in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces would push on with attempts to destroy the group's tunnel network.
Cautious calm
On Sunday evening, Israeli airstrikes and shelling continued in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip as well as in Jabaliya and parts of the eastern Gaza Strip, with the army saying in a statement around 8 p.m. that they had struck 40 "targets" since the end of the ceasefire.
In Khan Younis -- the site of heavy fighting in recent days -- a cautious calm prevailed, as Israeli airstrikes and shelling had not yet resumed to pre-ceasefire levels.
The calm, however, has repeatedly been interrupted by Israeli airstrikes.
Issam Abu Shab was killed and two others injured in a strike on a motorbike in Khan Younis on Sunday evening, Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Ahmad Abu Sa'da died of injuries sustained in a strike on Khan Younis.
Mohammad Ahmad Siyam, 12, on Sunday died of wounds sustained in an Israeli attack on Gaza earlier.
Two Palestinians were also injured in naval and artillery shelling on Gaza on Sunday evening.
Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the area, which increased sharply after Israel launched a massive assault across the West Bank that it said was an attempt to "crush" Hamas.
That operation -- which began in June and ended in early July -- left nearly a dozen Palestinians dead, more than one hundred injured, and a thousand more in Israeli jails.
The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli siege since 2006 since Hamas was democratically elected into power by the Palestinian people, and has been subject to frequent bombardments.
A 2008-9 assault killed 1,400, while a 2012 killed nearly 200. The vast majority in both cases were civilians, and Gaza-based rights groups estimate around 80 percent of present casualties are non-combatants as well.
Israeli airstrikes launched at Jabaliya in northern Gaza
Israeli airstrikes launched at Jabaliya in northern Gaza on Sunday evening.
The Israeli assault on Gaza continued after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to renew a ceasefire agreed to earlier in the day after he claimed Palestinian militants had violated earlier truces.
At least two Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes and shelling from land and sea on Sunday evening, as the total Palestinian toll in the deadly assault hit 1,032 with more than 6,200 injured. Israeli forces have also killed 11 Palestinians in solidarity protests across the West Bank.
Of the total, 13 Palestinians were killed Sunday morning by Israeli forces during the ceasefire, while 117 bodies were recovered on Saturday as medics had access to large areas that had been off-limits during an agreed-upon humanitarian ceasefire that lasted 16 hours.
On Sunday afternoon, after the expiration of that ceasefire, Hamas announced that all militant groups would be respecting a 24-hour ceasefire beginning at 2 p.m.
But after Israeli airstrikes continued and officials announced their rejection, rocket fire resumed from the Gaza Strip, injuring one Israeli civilian.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military's death toll in the conflict hit 43 overnight, while three civilians in Israeli have been killed as well.
'I'm ready to coexist with the Jews'
Hamas continued to insist that any lasting ceasefire must be based on an Israeli lifting of the blockade on Gaza, with leader Khaled Meshaal warning that Palestinians cannot coexist with their neighbors while their land is occupied in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
On Saturday, Meshaal was interviewed by US broadcaster PBS in the Qatari capital Doha while in Gaza the party was under assault from Israeli forces in renewed fighting.
A full version of the interview will be broadcast late on Monday, but excerpts were revealed on Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation."
Asked by veteran interviewer Charlie Rose whether he could foresee living beside Israelis in peace, Meshaal said only a future Palestinian state could decide whether to recognize Israel.
"We are not fanatics, we are not fundamentalists. We are not actually fighting the Jews because they are Jews per se. We do not fight any other races. We fight the occupiers," he said.
"I'm ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and the Arabs and non-Arabs," he said. "However, I do not coexist with the occupiers."
Pressed on whether Palestinians could recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state, Meshaal reiterated Hamas' position -- the group does not recognize Israel.
"When we have a Palestinian state then the Palestinian state will decide on its policies. You cannot actually ask me about the future. I answered you," he said.
"But Palestinian people can have their say when they have their own state without occupation."
Hamas declared a 24-hour ceasefire on Sunday, but fighting continued in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces would push on with attempts to destroy the group's tunnel network.
Cautious calm
On Sunday evening, Israeli airstrikes and shelling continued in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip as well as in Jabaliya and parts of the eastern Gaza Strip, with the army saying in a statement around 8 p.m. that they had struck 40 "targets" since the end of the ceasefire.
In Khan Younis -- the site of heavy fighting in recent days -- a cautious calm prevailed, as Israeli airstrikes and shelling had not yet resumed to pre-ceasefire levels.
The calm, however, has repeatedly been interrupted by Israeli airstrikes.
Issam Abu Shab was killed and two others injured in a strike on a motorbike in Khan Younis on Sunday evening, Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Ahmad Abu Sa'da died of injuries sustained in a strike on Khan Younis.
Mohammad Ahmad Siyam, 12, on Sunday died of wounds sustained in an Israeli attack on Gaza earlier.
Two Palestinians were also injured in naval and artillery shelling on Gaza on Sunday evening.
Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the area, which increased sharply after Israel launched a massive assault across the West Bank that it said was an attempt to "crush" Hamas.
That operation -- which began in June and ended in early July -- left nearly a dozen Palestinians dead, more than one hundred injured, and a thousand more in Israeli jails.
The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli siege since 2006 since Hamas was democratically elected into power by the Palestinian people, and has been subject to frequent bombardments.
A 2008-9 assault killed 1,400, while a 2012 killed nearly 200. The vast majority in both cases were civilians, and Gaza-based rights groups estimate around 80 percent of present casualties are non-combatants as well.
Israeli airstrikes launched at Jabaliya in northern Gaza
Israeli airstrikes launched at Jabaliya in northern Gaza on Sunday evening.
Israel army: 40 strikes on Gaza since end of ceasefire
Israel army: 40 strikes on Gaza since end of ceasefire
Israel army: 40 strikes on Gaza since end of ceasefire
Truce violations List of names Pictures of martyrs
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
