28 july 2014
Jalila Ayyad's widower George still had a black eye and bloodstains on his shirt as he processed ahead of her coffin, hours after the Israeli airstrike that destroyed their home.
Jalila, 60, was the first Christian casualty of a bloody Gaza war.
She is also survived by two sons, but one could not be at her funeral because he is in hospital with serious wounds suffered in Sunday afternoon's Israeli strike.
The simple coffin -- white with a black cross -- was carried reverently down the marble stairs of the cemetery, and into the chapel of the Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City.
"She died under the rubble," said Jalila's nephew, Fuad Ayyad.
"Both her legs were crushed after the house collapsed with her, her husband and son inside."
An Orthodox priest in a black gown read passages from the Bible and swung an incense receptacle, as the coffin was set down beneath an ornate ceiling of gold leaf images of saints, their names written in Arabic and Greek.
An icon of the Virgin Mary was placed upon Jalila's coffin, and some two dozen relatives sang "Hallelujah" as the afternoon call to prayer rose from the minaret of the adjacent mosque.
Her funeral was a somber affair, but momentarily took on a political dimension when one member of the parish picked up a microphone and railed against Israel's bombardment of the small Palestinian coastal territory.
"This Palestinian Arab Christian woman died in shelling by the Israeli occupation," the speaker shouted angrily.
"There are massacres here every day. This is what happens to the Palestinian people. Where's the world, where's the international community in all this?"
"The bombs hit and kill -- they don't discriminate between civilian or militant," he said.
Dwindling Christian community
Jalila, 60, was the first Christian casualty of a bloody Gaza war.
She is also survived by two sons, but one could not be at her funeral because he is in hospital with serious wounds suffered in Sunday afternoon's Israeli strike.
The simple coffin -- white with a black cross -- was carried reverently down the marble stairs of the cemetery, and into the chapel of the Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City.
"She died under the rubble," said Jalila's nephew, Fuad Ayyad.
"Both her legs were crushed after the house collapsed with her, her husband and son inside."
An Orthodox priest in a black gown read passages from the Bible and swung an incense receptacle, as the coffin was set down beneath an ornate ceiling of gold leaf images of saints, their names written in Arabic and Greek.
An icon of the Virgin Mary was placed upon Jalila's coffin, and some two dozen relatives sang "Hallelujah" as the afternoon call to prayer rose from the minaret of the adjacent mosque.
Her funeral was a somber affair, but momentarily took on a political dimension when one member of the parish picked up a microphone and railed against Israel's bombardment of the small Palestinian coastal territory.
"This Palestinian Arab Christian woman died in shelling by the Israeli occupation," the speaker shouted angrily.
"There are massacres here every day. This is what happens to the Palestinian people. Where's the world, where's the international community in all this?"
"The bombs hit and kill -- they don't discriminate between civilian or militant," he said.
Dwindling Christian community
A relative, George Ayyad, agreed wholeheartedly. He dismissed the idea that Jalila's death would force more of the already dwindling Christian population out of Gaza.
"If we leave, that's exactly what the Israelis want. Anyway, where are we supposed to go? This is my homeland," he said.
"We Christians have been in Gaza for more than 1,000 years, and we're staying."
Her nephew Fuad was not so sure.
"Things like this make me want to just get out of here," he said.
Gaza's Christians have dwindled in number to around 1,500, most of them Greek Orthodox, out of a predominantly Sunni Muslim population of 1.7 million in the densely packed enclave.
The Christian community in Gaza City, like its counterparts elsewhere in the Middle East, has been shrinking because of both conflict and unemployment.
The ancient Mediterranean seafront city once had a thriving Christian community, especially under British-mandated Palestine that ended in 1948 with the creation of Israel.
Jalila's coffin was carried into the small church cemetery, which was itself hit by an Israeli shell earlier in the week, and lowered into the ground.
The community's first casualty was born in Jerusalem and also had French nationality, the family said.
The war has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, most of them civilians including a large number of women and children, 43 Israeli soldiers and three civilians inside Israel.
"Today ... another human being, an innocent one, has lost her life," Archbishop Alexios said.
"If we leave, that's exactly what the Israelis want. Anyway, where are we supposed to go? This is my homeland," he said.
"We Christians have been in Gaza for more than 1,000 years, and we're staying."
Her nephew Fuad was not so sure.
"Things like this make me want to just get out of here," he said.
Gaza's Christians have dwindled in number to around 1,500, most of them Greek Orthodox, out of a predominantly Sunni Muslim population of 1.7 million in the densely packed enclave.
The Christian community in Gaza City, like its counterparts elsewhere in the Middle East, has been shrinking because of both conflict and unemployment.
The ancient Mediterranean seafront city once had a thriving Christian community, especially under British-mandated Palestine that ended in 1948 with the creation of Israel.
Jalila's coffin was carried into the small church cemetery, which was itself hit by an Israeli shell earlier in the week, and lowered into the ground.
The community's first casualty was born in Jerusalem and also had French nationality, the family said.
The war has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, most of them civilians including a large number of women and children, 43 Israeli soldiers and three civilians inside Israel.
"Today ... another human being, an innocent one, has lost her life," Archbishop Alexios said.
US President Barack Obama urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel and Hamas ignored calls for a truce and the raging conflict entered its third week Monday.
But after a day of strike and counter-strike, mutual attacks seemed to lull in the first hours of Monday, the beginning of the Muslim Eid festival ending the month-long fast of Ramadan, as world leaders pushed for an elusive ceasefire.
Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and "made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement" brokered by Egypt.
According to a White House statement, the US president stressed the need to "ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarization of Gaza," while reiterating "serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives."
Israeli media meanwhile said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet was holding a meeting extending from Sunday evening into Monday to discuss the next steps in Gaza.
Earlier, fighting renewed apace, as Israel pounded Gaza with aerial, naval and artillery bombardments after a night of rocket fire from Hamas.
The two sides had observed a 12-hour humanitarian pause on Saturday, giving Gaza medics a chance to pull bodies from rubble they had not been able to reach under fire.
But Hamas rocket fire prompted Israel to abandon an extension of that truce Sunday, and subsequent Hamas calls for another ceasefire were ignored by both sides, as world leaders pushed for a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Neither side has agreed to the truce demands of the other, in a conflict that has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, 43 Israeli soldiers and three civilians inside Israel.
A controversial incident on Thursday when a UN school acting as a shelter was shelled, killing 15 people, drew fierce condemnation from Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
The Israeli army confirmed on Sunday it had hit the school, but said it was a "single errant mortar" round, denying that people were killed "as a result of (army) operational activity".
Meanwhile Obama's Secretary of State John Kerry was still working for Israel and Hamas to agree to further halts in the bloodshed ahead of hoped for Egypt-led peace talks, a US official said.
Israel rejected a Kerry-proposed ceasefire earlier in the week, and Hamas has resisted truce efforts by Cairo, which has made an enemy of the Islamist group that is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood that Egypt has designated a "terrorist" organization.
Crippling blockade
Israel insists that it will continue its mission to destroy Hamas tunnels used to launch attacks, and Hamas wants a lifting of the crippling Gaza blockade that has been in place for eight years.
Although Hamas said its militants would halt their fire from 1100 GMT Sunday in response to a request from the United Nations, there was no response from Israel.
At least 50 rockets from Gaza hit Israel after the reported truce went into effect, the army said, with another nine intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.
A military spokeswoman told AFP that since the July 8 start of its military operation, over 2,000 rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza hit Israel, with another 492 intercepted.
"They are violating their own ceasefire," Netanyahu told the CNN news network.
In a separate interview with CBS, he said Israel would not allow "a ruthless terror organization ... to decide when it's convenient for them to stop for a moment, rearm, and continue firing."
New Israeli attacks on Sunday killed 11 people across the territory, raising the Palestinian toll on day 20 of Israel's devastating military campaign to 1,031.
UN chief Ban urged "both the Israelis and Palestinians to extend, for an additional 24 hours, the humanitarian ceasefire that was in effect and mostly observed until early this morning (Sunday)," a statement from his office said.
In Rome, Pope Francis pleaded for an end to the bloodshed which has killed mostly civilians, around a quarter of them children.
'Stop, please stop!'
"Stop, please stop! I beg you with all my heart," he said in the weekly Angelus prayer.
Exiled Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal said his group could not coexist with Israel as long as it occupied Palestinian land.
"We are not actually fighting the Jews because they are Jews," he said in remarks broadcast Sunday. "We fight the occupiers."
"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."
Rights groups say the vast majority, some 80 percent of Palestinians killed, have been civilians.
But after a day of strike and counter-strike, mutual attacks seemed to lull in the first hours of Monday, the beginning of the Muslim Eid festival ending the month-long fast of Ramadan, as world leaders pushed for an elusive ceasefire.
Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and "made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement" brokered by Egypt.
According to a White House statement, the US president stressed the need to "ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarization of Gaza," while reiterating "serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives."
Israeli media meanwhile said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet was holding a meeting extending from Sunday evening into Monday to discuss the next steps in Gaza.
Earlier, fighting renewed apace, as Israel pounded Gaza with aerial, naval and artillery bombardments after a night of rocket fire from Hamas.
The two sides had observed a 12-hour humanitarian pause on Saturday, giving Gaza medics a chance to pull bodies from rubble they had not been able to reach under fire.
But Hamas rocket fire prompted Israel to abandon an extension of that truce Sunday, and subsequent Hamas calls for another ceasefire were ignored by both sides, as world leaders pushed for a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Neither side has agreed to the truce demands of the other, in a conflict that has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, 43 Israeli soldiers and three civilians inside Israel.
A controversial incident on Thursday when a UN school acting as a shelter was shelled, killing 15 people, drew fierce condemnation from Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
The Israeli army confirmed on Sunday it had hit the school, but said it was a "single errant mortar" round, denying that people were killed "as a result of (army) operational activity".
Meanwhile Obama's Secretary of State John Kerry was still working for Israel and Hamas to agree to further halts in the bloodshed ahead of hoped for Egypt-led peace talks, a US official said.
Israel rejected a Kerry-proposed ceasefire earlier in the week, and Hamas has resisted truce efforts by Cairo, which has made an enemy of the Islamist group that is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood that Egypt has designated a "terrorist" organization.
Crippling blockade
Israel insists that it will continue its mission to destroy Hamas tunnels used to launch attacks, and Hamas wants a lifting of the crippling Gaza blockade that has been in place for eight years.
Although Hamas said its militants would halt their fire from 1100 GMT Sunday in response to a request from the United Nations, there was no response from Israel.
At least 50 rockets from Gaza hit Israel after the reported truce went into effect, the army said, with another nine intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.
A military spokeswoman told AFP that since the July 8 start of its military operation, over 2,000 rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza hit Israel, with another 492 intercepted.
"They are violating their own ceasefire," Netanyahu told the CNN news network.
In a separate interview with CBS, he said Israel would not allow "a ruthless terror organization ... to decide when it's convenient for them to stop for a moment, rearm, and continue firing."
New Israeli attacks on Sunday killed 11 people across the territory, raising the Palestinian toll on day 20 of Israel's devastating military campaign to 1,031.
UN chief Ban urged "both the Israelis and Palestinians to extend, for an additional 24 hours, the humanitarian ceasefire that was in effect and mostly observed until early this morning (Sunday)," a statement from his office said.
In Rome, Pope Francis pleaded for an end to the bloodshed which has killed mostly civilians, around a quarter of them children.
'Stop, please stop!'
"Stop, please stop! I beg you with all my heart," he said in the weekly Angelus prayer.
Exiled Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal said his group could not coexist with Israel as long as it occupied Palestinian land.
"We are not actually fighting the Jews because they are Jews," he said in remarks broadcast Sunday. "We fight the occupiers."
"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."
Rights groups say the vast majority, some 80 percent of Palestinians killed, have been civilians.
The Israeli army on Sunday confirmed firing a mortar round into a Gaza UN shelter where 15 people died on Thursday, but denied killing anyone at the site.
Briefing journalists on the findings of an internal military enquiry into the incident at a UN school in Beit Hanoun, spokesman Lt.-Col. Peter Lerner said militants "in the vicinity" of the school fired mortar rounds and anti-tank rockets at Israeli forces.
The army responded with mortar fire, sending a stray round into the compound.
"A single errant mortar (round) landed in the courtyard of the school," he said. "The courtyard was completely empty" at the time of the incident, he added.
"We reject the claims that were made by various officials immediately following the incident, that people were killed in the school premises as a result of (Israeli army) operational activity," he added.
An AFP photographer who went to the scene saw blood spattered on the ground and Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said 15 people died in the blast and at least another 200 people were injured.
"Many have been killed -- including women and children," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement, adding that he was "appalled."
Lerner suggested the victims may have been hit in fighting raging elsewhere and "brought to the compound after injury" for first aid or shelter.
Briefing journalists on the findings of an internal military enquiry into the incident at a UN school in Beit Hanoun, spokesman Lt.-Col. Peter Lerner said militants "in the vicinity" of the school fired mortar rounds and anti-tank rockets at Israeli forces.
The army responded with mortar fire, sending a stray round into the compound.
"A single errant mortar (round) landed in the courtyard of the school," he said. "The courtyard was completely empty" at the time of the incident, he added.
"We reject the claims that were made by various officials immediately following the incident, that people were killed in the school premises as a result of (Israeli army) operational activity," he added.
An AFP photographer who went to the scene saw blood spattered on the ground and Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said 15 people died in the blast and at least another 200 people were injured.
"Many have been killed -- including women and children," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement, adding that he was "appalled."
Lerner suggested the victims may have been hit in fighting raging elsewhere and "brought to the compound after injury" for first aid or shelter.
Palestinian dies of wounds suffered on July 11.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that an elderly Palestinian man was killed, late on Sunday at night, and another Palestinian was injured, after the army bombarded an area east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The sources said the slain Palestinian has been identified as Hussein Hasan Abu an-Naja, 65, and that the wounded Palestinian in the same attack suffered a serious injury.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said another Palestinian, identified as Imad Jami al-Abed al-Bardaweel, 44, died at the Shifa Medical Center of wounds suffered on July 11, 2014, in Gaza.
The Ministry said Israeli missiles and shells have killed 1035 Palestinians, including 236 children, 93 women and 47 elderly, since Israeli launched its assault against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, on July 8th.
Israeli missiles have injured at least 6233 Palestinians, including 1994 children and infants, 1169 women and 257 elderly, dozens are facing life-threatening injuries.
More than 138 wounded Palestinians have been moved to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip, due to the seriousness of their injuries.
The Ministry of Health said Khan Younis district witnessed the largest number of casualties with 306 Palestinians killed, followed by Gaza 297 killed, 189 in northern Gaza, 129 in the Central District, and 111 in the Rafah district in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
As for the geographical locations of the wounded Palestinians, the Northern District of Gaza witnesses the largest number of injuries with 1912 Palestinians wounded, following by Gaza 1853, Central District 851, Khan Younis, 906 and Rafah 711.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that an elderly Palestinian man was killed, late on Sunday at night, and another Palestinian was injured, after the army bombarded an area east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The sources said the slain Palestinian has been identified as Hussein Hasan Abu an-Naja, 65, and that the wounded Palestinian in the same attack suffered a serious injury.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said another Palestinian, identified as Imad Jami al-Abed al-Bardaweel, 44, died at the Shifa Medical Center of wounds suffered on July 11, 2014, in Gaza.
The Ministry said Israeli missiles and shells have killed 1035 Palestinians, including 236 children, 93 women and 47 elderly, since Israeli launched its assault against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, on July 8th.
Israeli missiles have injured at least 6233 Palestinians, including 1994 children and infants, 1169 women and 257 elderly, dozens are facing life-threatening injuries.
More than 138 wounded Palestinians have been moved to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip, due to the seriousness of their injuries.
The Ministry of Health said Khan Younis district witnessed the largest number of casualties with 306 Palestinians killed, followed by Gaza 297 killed, 189 in northern Gaza, 129 in the Central District, and 111 in the Rafah district in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
As for the geographical locations of the wounded Palestinians, the Northern District of Gaza witnesses the largest number of injuries with 1912 Palestinians wounded, following by Gaza 1853, Central District 851, Khan Younis, 906 and Rafah 711.
PM Erdogan: “Eventually the right will prevail and the oppressor will go to hell”
Turkish Prime Minister and presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed Turkish constituents, over the weekend, acknowledging that the world's Muslims have been observing a sad Ramadan with Israel perpetrating genocide in Gaza. In an exclusive interview with CNN, on Friday, he accused Israel of being a terror state and criticized the world's so-called democratic countries for favoring the Israeli operation.
“As we always say, eventually the right will prevail and the oppressor will go to hell," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, at an election rally in Diyarbakir.
“Each of us will be praying for the safety and well being of our oppressed brothers in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere in the world on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr," he said, according to Al Ray.
At least 1,000 Palestinians have been killed – mostly civilians – and more than 6000 injured in Israel's brutal offensive, now into its third week.
During an exclusive interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson, on Friday, Erdogan slammed Israel for being a terror state and criticized the world's so-called democratic countries for favoring the Israeli operation.
He said: "They're creating a wave of terror with what they're doing now. Israel's position in Palestine is apparent."
During the interview, Erdogan recalled a meeting with former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon in Tel Aviv, when Sharon used the expression: "The most enjoyable moments of my life are those when I was on top of tanks in Palestine."
PM Erdogan said, "I can never forget this. Of course, it clearly displays the viewpoint of one human towards another."
He reffered to meetings both with George Bush and Barack Obama, as well, noting how they always alude to a two-state structure in the region called "Israel-Palestine", saying, "However we are now facing such a picture, it's beyond comprehension that Israel is still defended by the West, and the world is silent about it," Erdogan said. "Therefore, Turkey cannot and will not remain silent."
Relations between Ankara and Jerusalem became strained after a raid on the Turkish-owned vessel, the Mavi Marmara, in May of 2010, to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Nine Turkish citizens were killed in the raid.
See related IMEMC articles: Worldwide Outrage Over Israeli Genocide on Gaza
Turkey Accuses EU & Muslim World of Hypocrisy Over Gaza
Turkish Universities Condemn Gaza Massacre
Turkish Prime Minister and presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed Turkish constituents, over the weekend, acknowledging that the world's Muslims have been observing a sad Ramadan with Israel perpetrating genocide in Gaza. In an exclusive interview with CNN, on Friday, he accused Israel of being a terror state and criticized the world's so-called democratic countries for favoring the Israeli operation.
“As we always say, eventually the right will prevail and the oppressor will go to hell," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, at an election rally in Diyarbakir.
“Each of us will be praying for the safety and well being of our oppressed brothers in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere in the world on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr," he said, according to Al Ray.
At least 1,000 Palestinians have been killed – mostly civilians – and more than 6000 injured in Israel's brutal offensive, now into its third week.
During an exclusive interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson, on Friday, Erdogan slammed Israel for being a terror state and criticized the world's so-called democratic countries for favoring the Israeli operation.
He said: "They're creating a wave of terror with what they're doing now. Israel's position in Palestine is apparent."
During the interview, Erdogan recalled a meeting with former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon in Tel Aviv, when Sharon used the expression: "The most enjoyable moments of my life are those when I was on top of tanks in Palestine."
PM Erdogan said, "I can never forget this. Of course, it clearly displays the viewpoint of one human towards another."
He reffered to meetings both with George Bush and Barack Obama, as well, noting how they always alude to a two-state structure in the region called "Israel-Palestine", saying, "However we are now facing such a picture, it's beyond comprehension that Israel is still defended by the West, and the world is silent about it," Erdogan said. "Therefore, Turkey cannot and will not remain silent."
Relations between Ankara and Jerusalem became strained after a raid on the Turkish-owned vessel, the Mavi Marmara, in May of 2010, to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Nine Turkish citizens were killed in the raid.
See related IMEMC articles: Worldwide Outrage Over Israeli Genocide on Gaza
Turkey Accuses EU & Muslim World of Hypocrisy Over Gaza
Turkish Universities Condemn Gaza Massacre
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Stop Israeli attacks, pay health staff
Beit Hanoun
Last night Beit Hanoun Hospital came under heavy Israeli shelling while 80 people, including medical staff, three patients, two International Solidarity Movement volunteers, and many civilians were trapped terrified inside. One Swedish activist received cuts to the head, and another person received minor injuries, although the hospital was severely damaged.
Numerous calls for help throughout the afternoon and evening by the Deputy Minister of Health Gaza to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were fruitless. Intervention by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry eventually achieved an undertaking by Israeli military after midnight not to fire directly upon the hospital. All those inside were finally evacuated to safety this morning under the aegis of the Ministry of Health after the commencement of the 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire.
Beit Hanoun is the second Gazan hospital to have been evacuated and completely closed down in 48 hours due to damage from Israeli strikes, the other being Al Durrah paediatric Hospital in Gaza City, where a toddler in the intensive care unit was killed on Thursday night.
The ceasefire also allowed the retrieval of bodies from beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed overnight during the heavy bombardment of Beit Hanoun; 32 bodies have been found at this time.
Shujeiyah
Almost a week after the Shujeiyah massacre bodies still lie beneath the rubble, decomposing in the summer heat as hope of finding further survivors vanishes.
Although 40 more bodies have already been retrieved today, it is unlikely that the 12-hour ceasefire will enable the retrieval of all of the dead. Civil defence personnel do not have the requisite equipment to recover bodies from collapsed buildings, such as diggers, jackhammers, pulleys and winches, or protective wear to safeguard health risks. The longer the bodies are left to decompose, the greater the public health risk.
Khan Yunis
Paramedic Muhammad Matar al-Abadlah, 32, was killed while attending victims in the Khan Younis governate, in yet another Israeli attack on medical personnel.
The situation in Khuza’a remains very difficult. The Israeli occupation forces are still not allowing rescue teams to retrieve dead bodies despite the humanitarian ceasefire.
In other areas of Khan Younis, 23 bodies have been retrieved.
Health Sector Personnel
Health workers are exhausted, many having worked 24 hours a day for two weeks, snatching a few minutes sleep as and when they can.
They are working under extreme conditions of severe resource constraints, massive workloads, and constant exposure to gross trauma, compounded by very real threat to their own health and safety. Seven health personnel have been killed and 16 injured since July 6 in attacks on their homes, places of work or in transit.
Sixty percent of Gaza’s health sector employees have not been paid since April, and have only received a half salary between August 2013 and March 2014. These workers are trapped between their conscience and professionalism, and their family responsibilities, adding another level of stress to the extreme conditions under which they are working.
The Ministry of Health Gaza calls upon all responsible bodies to immediately resolve the problem of staff salaries, to recognise their selfless and valiant contribution to the lives and well-being of the sick and wounded, and enable them to meet their obligations.
The Ministry of Health Gaza also reiterates its demands for an immediate cessation of Israeli attacks on Gaza, particularly its civilians, health facilities and personnel.
Contacts:
Dr Yousef AbuAlrish, Deputy Minister of Health: +972 597 918 339
Dr Medhat Abbas, Director General, Ministry of Health: +972 599 403 547
Beit Hanoun
Last night Beit Hanoun Hospital came under heavy Israeli shelling while 80 people, including medical staff, three patients, two International Solidarity Movement volunteers, and many civilians were trapped terrified inside. One Swedish activist received cuts to the head, and another person received minor injuries, although the hospital was severely damaged.
Numerous calls for help throughout the afternoon and evening by the Deputy Minister of Health Gaza to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were fruitless. Intervention by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry eventually achieved an undertaking by Israeli military after midnight not to fire directly upon the hospital. All those inside were finally evacuated to safety this morning under the aegis of the Ministry of Health after the commencement of the 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire.
Beit Hanoun is the second Gazan hospital to have been evacuated and completely closed down in 48 hours due to damage from Israeli strikes, the other being Al Durrah paediatric Hospital in Gaza City, where a toddler in the intensive care unit was killed on Thursday night.
The ceasefire also allowed the retrieval of bodies from beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed overnight during the heavy bombardment of Beit Hanoun; 32 bodies have been found at this time.
Shujeiyah
Almost a week after the Shujeiyah massacre bodies still lie beneath the rubble, decomposing in the summer heat as hope of finding further survivors vanishes.
Although 40 more bodies have already been retrieved today, it is unlikely that the 12-hour ceasefire will enable the retrieval of all of the dead. Civil defence personnel do not have the requisite equipment to recover bodies from collapsed buildings, such as diggers, jackhammers, pulleys and winches, or protective wear to safeguard health risks. The longer the bodies are left to decompose, the greater the public health risk.
Khan Yunis
Paramedic Muhammad Matar al-Abadlah, 32, was killed while attending victims in the Khan Younis governate, in yet another Israeli attack on medical personnel.
The situation in Khuza’a remains very difficult. The Israeli occupation forces are still not allowing rescue teams to retrieve dead bodies despite the humanitarian ceasefire.
In other areas of Khan Younis, 23 bodies have been retrieved.
Health Sector Personnel
Health workers are exhausted, many having worked 24 hours a day for two weeks, snatching a few minutes sleep as and when they can.
They are working under extreme conditions of severe resource constraints, massive workloads, and constant exposure to gross trauma, compounded by very real threat to their own health and safety. Seven health personnel have been killed and 16 injured since July 6 in attacks on their homes, places of work or in transit.
Sixty percent of Gaza’s health sector employees have not been paid since April, and have only received a half salary between August 2013 and March 2014. These workers are trapped between their conscience and professionalism, and their family responsibilities, adding another level of stress to the extreme conditions under which they are working.
The Ministry of Health Gaza calls upon all responsible bodies to immediately resolve the problem of staff salaries, to recognise their selfless and valiant contribution to the lives and well-being of the sick and wounded, and enable them to meet their obligations.
The Ministry of Health Gaza also reiterates its demands for an immediate cessation of Israeli attacks on Gaza, particularly its civilians, health facilities and personnel.
Contacts:
Dr Yousef AbuAlrish, Deputy Minister of Health: +972 597 918 339
Dr Medhat Abbas, Director General, Ministry of Health: +972 599 403 547
Hamas: "Ready to coexist with Jews, but not 'Occupiers'"
On Friday, a draft of US Secretary of State John Kerry's ceasefire proposal was shown to Israeli officials. The draft apparently called for the opening of border crossings between Gaza and Israel and included measure to ensure "the economic livelihood" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
According to Haaretz, the document, which was titled "Framework for Humanitarian Ceasefire in Gaza," also said that a lasting truce would make possible the "transfer of funds to Gaza for the payment of salaries for public employees."
Related: Gaza Strike Against Ongoing Salary Neglect
The proposed ceasefire would also "address all security concerns", stipulating that Israel would not be allowed to continue destroying tunnels during the initial ceasefire and making no explicit mention of the demilitarizing Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials were apparently shocked after reading the draft, according to Ma'an, saying that it ignored Israel's security concerns.
"We succeeded in foiling that document and now we are discussing other options," Haaretz quoted officials as saying.
One of Kerry's associates is said to have responded:
"There is no paper and no proposal. The draft was based on the Egyptian proposal that Israel wholeheartedly supported. So if they are opposed, they are opposed their own plan."
Israel refused to work with the ceasefire proposed on Friday, agreeing instead to a 12-hour humanitarian truce which started Saturday at 8am.
Israel resumed its assault on Gaza for the 20th day on Sunday afternoon, killing ten Palestinians in attacks on Sunday.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashal spoke Sunday with PBS interviewer Charlie Rose. In the interview, Mashal stressed that the group was ready to "coexist with the Jews" but would not tolerate "occupiers."
During a continuation of Saturday's temporary ceasefire, the Israeli army killed at least ten Palestinians.
See also: PCHR: Temporary Ceasefire Reveals Mass Destruction in Beit Hanoun, Sheja'eyya
Israeli forces have also killed a number of Palestinians in solidarity protests across the West Bank over the past several days, jailing even more.
This afternoon, after the expiration of the previous temporary ceasefire, Hamas announced that all militant groups would be respecting a 24-hour ceasefire, beginning at 2pm.
Israeli airstrikes continued, however, as officials announced their rejection to any permanent ceasefire deal currently on the table and, thus, resistance rocket fire resumed from the Gaza Strip as well.
One Israeli civilian was injured. 43 Israelis have been killed during "Operation Protective Edge", all of them soldiers apart from three civilians.
Over a thousand Palestinian deaths have been reported in the past 20 days, with many still unidentified , most of which are accounted for by heavy, indiscriminate assaults on civilian neighborhoods, municipal facilities, end even hospitals.
Hamas insists that any lasting ceasefire must begin with lifting the blockade on Gaza, with leader Khaled Mashal warning that Palestinians cannot coexist with their neighbors while their land is occupied.
Gaza has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2006, leading to frequent humanitarian crises. Backed by Egypt, Israel tightened the blockade in 2007, following an election victory by Hamas. Israel does not even respect their own impositions on Gaza's fishing industry and frequently fires on Palestinian fishermen, often damaging or even confiscating their equipment.
Charlie Rose asked Khaled whether he could foresee [Hamas] living beside Israelis in peace. He responded that only a future Palestinian state could decide upon [Hamas'] recognition Israel.
He said: "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...
I'm ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and the Arabs and non-Arabs. However, I do not coexist with the occupiers.
...Palestinian people can have their say when they have their own state without occupation."
Further pressed on whether Palestinians could recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state, Mashal 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.
A full version of the interview is to be broadcast late Monday.
Editor's note: Any current reference to a "future Palestinian state" obviously implies recognition of an Israeli state, as well.
On Friday, a draft of US Secretary of State John Kerry's ceasefire proposal was shown to Israeli officials. The draft apparently called for the opening of border crossings between Gaza and Israel and included measure to ensure "the economic livelihood" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
According to Haaretz, the document, which was titled "Framework for Humanitarian Ceasefire in Gaza," also said that a lasting truce would make possible the "transfer of funds to Gaza for the payment of salaries for public employees."
Related: Gaza Strike Against Ongoing Salary Neglect
The proposed ceasefire would also "address all security concerns", stipulating that Israel would not be allowed to continue destroying tunnels during the initial ceasefire and making no explicit mention of the demilitarizing Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials were apparently shocked after reading the draft, according to Ma'an, saying that it ignored Israel's security concerns.
"We succeeded in foiling that document and now we are discussing other options," Haaretz quoted officials as saying.
One of Kerry's associates is said to have responded:
"There is no paper and no proposal. The draft was based on the Egyptian proposal that Israel wholeheartedly supported. So if they are opposed, they are opposed their own plan."
Israel refused to work with the ceasefire proposed on Friday, agreeing instead to a 12-hour humanitarian truce which started Saturday at 8am.
Israel resumed its assault on Gaza for the 20th day on Sunday afternoon, killing ten Palestinians in attacks on Sunday.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashal spoke Sunday with PBS interviewer Charlie Rose. In the interview, Mashal stressed that the group was ready to "coexist with the Jews" but would not tolerate "occupiers."
During a continuation of Saturday's temporary ceasefire, the Israeli army killed at least ten Palestinians.
See also: PCHR: Temporary Ceasefire Reveals Mass Destruction in Beit Hanoun, Sheja'eyya
Israeli forces have also killed a number of Palestinians in solidarity protests across the West Bank over the past several days, jailing even more.
This afternoon, after the expiration of the previous temporary ceasefire, Hamas announced that all militant groups would be respecting a 24-hour ceasefire, beginning at 2pm.
Israeli airstrikes continued, however, as officials announced their rejection to any permanent ceasefire deal currently on the table and, thus, resistance rocket fire resumed from the Gaza Strip as well.
One Israeli civilian was injured. 43 Israelis have been killed during "Operation Protective Edge", all of them soldiers apart from three civilians.
Over a thousand Palestinian deaths have been reported in the past 20 days, with many still unidentified , most of which are accounted for by heavy, indiscriminate assaults on civilian neighborhoods, municipal facilities, end even hospitals.
Hamas insists that any lasting ceasefire must begin with lifting the blockade on Gaza, with leader Khaled Mashal warning that Palestinians cannot coexist with their neighbors while their land is occupied.
Gaza has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2006, leading to frequent humanitarian crises. Backed by Egypt, Israel tightened the blockade in 2007, following an election victory by Hamas. Israel does not even respect their own impositions on Gaza's fishing industry and frequently fires on Palestinian fishermen, often damaging or even confiscating their equipment.
Charlie Rose asked Khaled whether he could foresee [Hamas] living beside Israelis in peace. He responded that only a future Palestinian state could decide upon [Hamas'] recognition Israel.
He said: "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...
I'm ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and the Arabs and non-Arabs. However, I do not coexist with the occupiers.
...Palestinian people can have their say when they have their own state without occupation."
Further pressed on whether Palestinians could recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state, Mashal 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.
A full version of the interview is to be broadcast late Monday.
Editor's note: Any current reference to a "future Palestinian state" obviously implies recognition of an Israeli state, as well.
