17 nov 2012
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Ahmad al-Ja’bari Abu Mohammed 52, killed nov 14 2012
Israel has chosen to attack Gaza in order to avoid reaching a longer-term peace settlement that was being negotiated with the help of Hamas’ military leader Ahmen Jabari, who was assassinated in an Israeli attack Wednesday, says Israeli activist. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin spoke to RT confirming that Ahmen Jabari was involved in peace settlement negotiations with Israel and was due to send Hamas’ version of a peace draft to Baskin on Wednesday evening before he was killed. |
RT: So you're saying that a draft of a permanent truce agreement already existed. What went wrong then?
Gershon Baskin: It was initially drafted 8 months ago. It was presented to the Israelis, Hamas, Egyptian intelligence and the UN for deliberation.
Both Israelis and Hamas decided not to agree. Over the last months the ceasefires got shorter and shorter and the intensity of the fighting increased. And I decided together with my counterpart in Hamas, we were instrumental in negotiating a prisoner exchange deal that led to freedom of Gilad Shaid, the Israeli soldier held in captivity by Mr. Jabari, we decided to push forward.
My Hamas counterpart wrote a new version of the draft and he was presenting it to Hamas leaders. In fact on Wednesday morning he was presenting it to Ahmed Jabari himself. I was supposed to receive later that evening the copy of the draft in Arabic for me to deliver to the Israelis who were waiting for it along with Egyptian intelligence.
RT: Why do you think Israel approved the assassination of the Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari?
GB: There is a legitimate argument within the Israeli security assessment on whether or not making a truce with Hamas strengthens Hamas at a time when we know Ahmed Jabari and his colleagues are not peace activists. They don’t want peace with Israel they are committed to Israel’s destruction. For tactical reasons they had decided that a ceasefire was in their interests because each round of violence brings about the death of 10 and 25 combatants in Gaza and they didn’t see any value when no real damage was happening to Israel from their rockets attacks.
So they wanted to at least have a time-out, where they could reconsider new moves. Some Israelis thought that by having a truce with them would strengthen them. There were people who believed that what we need to do is systematically weaken Hamas, so they would fall out of power. And there are those that believe we need to create deterrents strong enough that Hamas won’t attack Israel. The rocket attacks on the civilian population in Israel are intolerable and they needed to take action.
I believe personally that we tried everything, we have assassinated leaders, we assassinated military commanders, we have put on an economic siege, we have bombed them, and we have tried everything except a dialogue, except an attempt to reach an understanding with mechanisms for verification and for compliance with the involvement of Egyptian military intelligence. I think it has a chance to work. But now we have to postpone it for some time.
RT: What is Israel's endgame here? What are they hoping to achieve?
GB: I don’t know how you define an end game at this point. They stated that the aim is to create deterrence. How do you determine that you created enough deterrence? Is it when you have killed enough people? Destroyed enough of the infrastructure? Destroyed enough buildings? I don’t know how you define it. What we have here is a bigger chance of escalation for a ground operation. We have to recall that Hamas rockets that they shoot into Israel are what we call a statistical weapon. They usually fall into open space, but they can fall onto a school bus, supermarket, apartment building and we can have major casualties. And if it does happen we will have a ground operation.
Gershon Baskin: It was initially drafted 8 months ago. It was presented to the Israelis, Hamas, Egyptian intelligence and the UN for deliberation.
Both Israelis and Hamas decided not to agree. Over the last months the ceasefires got shorter and shorter and the intensity of the fighting increased. And I decided together with my counterpart in Hamas, we were instrumental in negotiating a prisoner exchange deal that led to freedom of Gilad Shaid, the Israeli soldier held in captivity by Mr. Jabari, we decided to push forward.
My Hamas counterpart wrote a new version of the draft and he was presenting it to Hamas leaders. In fact on Wednesday morning he was presenting it to Ahmed Jabari himself. I was supposed to receive later that evening the copy of the draft in Arabic for me to deliver to the Israelis who were waiting for it along with Egyptian intelligence.
RT: Why do you think Israel approved the assassination of the Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari?
GB: There is a legitimate argument within the Israeli security assessment on whether or not making a truce with Hamas strengthens Hamas at a time when we know Ahmed Jabari and his colleagues are not peace activists. They don’t want peace with Israel they are committed to Israel’s destruction. For tactical reasons they had decided that a ceasefire was in their interests because each round of violence brings about the death of 10 and 25 combatants in Gaza and they didn’t see any value when no real damage was happening to Israel from their rockets attacks.
So they wanted to at least have a time-out, where they could reconsider new moves. Some Israelis thought that by having a truce with them would strengthen them. There were people who believed that what we need to do is systematically weaken Hamas, so they would fall out of power. And there are those that believe we need to create deterrents strong enough that Hamas won’t attack Israel. The rocket attacks on the civilian population in Israel are intolerable and they needed to take action.
I believe personally that we tried everything, we have assassinated leaders, we assassinated military commanders, we have put on an economic siege, we have bombed them, and we have tried everything except a dialogue, except an attempt to reach an understanding with mechanisms for verification and for compliance with the involvement of Egyptian military intelligence. I think it has a chance to work. But now we have to postpone it for some time.
RT: What is Israel's endgame here? What are they hoping to achieve?
GB: I don’t know how you define an end game at this point. They stated that the aim is to create deterrence. How do you determine that you created enough deterrence? Is it when you have killed enough people? Destroyed enough of the infrastructure? Destroyed enough buildings? I don’t know how you define it. What we have here is a bigger chance of escalation for a ground operation. We have to recall that Hamas rockets that they shoot into Israel are what we call a statistical weapon. They usually fall into open space, but they can fall onto a school bus, supermarket, apartment building and we can have major casualties. And if it does happen we will have a ground operation.
By Mohammed Omer
Wednesday begins normal enough. The regular policeman at the Al Sarayya junction conducts traffic from his usual spot. Families rush about collecting supplies, and shopkeepers tidy up.
A mother urges her children, distracted by something tantalizing, to move faster.
To the west, the sun begins to set. A slight Mediterranean breeze scented with the salt and seaweed stirs as the residents of Gaza prepare for the evening meal. I’m going with a group of my journalist colleagues to select an invitation card for my wedding. The lady in the shop starts to show me the cards, and then…
BOOM! A missile explodes across the street, The mostly residential road of Al-Khidma Al-Ammah turns black. A fireball the size of a small car shoots down the middle of the street, dissipating nearly 100 feet away. Dust, grease, and concrete rain down as residents of the area rush toward any shelter they can find. But none exists. As the breeze parts the black cloud, an ominous vision emerges. A car is engulfed in flames, its Kia logo barely visible, the metal liquefying from the heat. Inside the occupants burn. The smoke, fueled by oil, petrol, and rubber grows denser and black. It smells of burning tar mixed with flesh.
Onlookers stare, ears ringing from the blast. Others move toward the burning car to help survivors—if there are any. As they approach a macabre patchwork of severed limbs and disemboweled entrails greet them. Moving closer, there’s a portion of someone’s head. On a nearby building, four stories up, a scrap of unidentifiable flesh sticks to the wall—a testament to the awesome power of the missile blast.
Residents of the street rush into their homes, each grabbing buckets of water. Women run carrying children away from the terror. The first ambulance arrives, and the Kia continues to burn. Not much can be done for the victims inside. They’re dead.
Within minutes, emergency vehicles arrive. Nobody knows how many passengers were in the car. Identifying those killed will be difficult given the messy remains. As the fire and ambulance crews do their work, a witness thinks he recognizes the license plate. As he speaks, he begins crying.
Firemen continue to battle the fire, as paramedics sift through the burning wreckage. One firefighter pulls out the remains of fingers clutching a white blood-soaked satchel. Neighbors and witnesses join the emergency workers in the grim task of collecting body parts and burnt flesh from the scene. As more charred body parts are pulled from the wreckage, the identity of one of the victims becomes clear. The crowd murmurs in disbelief… “It’s Abu Mohammed…”
The target of the Israeli missile strike this Wednesday, November 14, was later identified as Ahmad “Abu Mohammed” Al-Jabari. Al-Jabari was a leader of the Iz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. (Mohammed Al-Hums, his assistant, was also in the car, and died, too.) But Al-Jabari was more than just a military man. Al-Jabari was one of Israel’s closest allies within Hamas and he had just completed brokering a truce with Israel three hours before his murder.
Al-Jabari, born in 1960, was Israel’s man inside Hamas to contact about putting ceasefires in place. Al-Jabari was considered a moderate who carried significant influence. Ha’aretz, Israel’s leading English language newspaper, recently reported that Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, a mediator between Israel and Hamas who worked with Al-Jabari in negotiating the release of a captured Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit, stated that Al-Jabari’s assassination came just hours after Al-Jabari had received the draft of a permanent truce agreement with Israel. The draft of the agreement received by Al-Jabari included mechanisms for maintaining the ceasefire. “Al-Jabari was interested in a long-term ceasefire; he was not interested in these repeated rounds of attacks with Israel,” Gershon Baskin said.
If Baskin’s claim is accurate—and no compelling evidence has emerged to suggest otherwise—Israel assassinated the very man it was indirectly working with to obtain peace, after an agreement had been achieved yet before it could be implemented.
The airstrike comes after weeks of on-and-off fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.
Wednesday begins normal enough. The regular policeman at the Al Sarayya junction conducts traffic from his usual spot. Families rush about collecting supplies, and shopkeepers tidy up.
A mother urges her children, distracted by something tantalizing, to move faster.
To the west, the sun begins to set. A slight Mediterranean breeze scented with the salt and seaweed stirs as the residents of Gaza prepare for the evening meal. I’m going with a group of my journalist colleagues to select an invitation card for my wedding. The lady in the shop starts to show me the cards, and then…
BOOM! A missile explodes across the street, The mostly residential road of Al-Khidma Al-Ammah turns black. A fireball the size of a small car shoots down the middle of the street, dissipating nearly 100 feet away. Dust, grease, and concrete rain down as residents of the area rush toward any shelter they can find. But none exists. As the breeze parts the black cloud, an ominous vision emerges. A car is engulfed in flames, its Kia logo barely visible, the metal liquefying from the heat. Inside the occupants burn. The smoke, fueled by oil, petrol, and rubber grows denser and black. It smells of burning tar mixed with flesh.
Onlookers stare, ears ringing from the blast. Others move toward the burning car to help survivors—if there are any. As they approach a macabre patchwork of severed limbs and disemboweled entrails greet them. Moving closer, there’s a portion of someone’s head. On a nearby building, four stories up, a scrap of unidentifiable flesh sticks to the wall—a testament to the awesome power of the missile blast.
Residents of the street rush into their homes, each grabbing buckets of water. Women run carrying children away from the terror. The first ambulance arrives, and the Kia continues to burn. Not much can be done for the victims inside. They’re dead.
Within minutes, emergency vehicles arrive. Nobody knows how many passengers were in the car. Identifying those killed will be difficult given the messy remains. As the fire and ambulance crews do their work, a witness thinks he recognizes the license plate. As he speaks, he begins crying.
Firemen continue to battle the fire, as paramedics sift through the burning wreckage. One firefighter pulls out the remains of fingers clutching a white blood-soaked satchel. Neighbors and witnesses join the emergency workers in the grim task of collecting body parts and burnt flesh from the scene. As more charred body parts are pulled from the wreckage, the identity of one of the victims becomes clear. The crowd murmurs in disbelief… “It’s Abu Mohammed…”
The target of the Israeli missile strike this Wednesday, November 14, was later identified as Ahmad “Abu Mohammed” Al-Jabari. Al-Jabari was a leader of the Iz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. (Mohammed Al-Hums, his assistant, was also in the car, and died, too.) But Al-Jabari was more than just a military man. Al-Jabari was one of Israel’s closest allies within Hamas and he had just completed brokering a truce with Israel three hours before his murder.
Al-Jabari, born in 1960, was Israel’s man inside Hamas to contact about putting ceasefires in place. Al-Jabari was considered a moderate who carried significant influence. Ha’aretz, Israel’s leading English language newspaper, recently reported that Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, a mediator between Israel and Hamas who worked with Al-Jabari in negotiating the release of a captured Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit, stated that Al-Jabari’s assassination came just hours after Al-Jabari had received the draft of a permanent truce agreement with Israel. The draft of the agreement received by Al-Jabari included mechanisms for maintaining the ceasefire. “Al-Jabari was interested in a long-term ceasefire; he was not interested in these repeated rounds of attacks with Israel,” Gershon Baskin said.
If Baskin’s claim is accurate—and no compelling evidence has emerged to suggest otherwise—Israel assassinated the very man it was indirectly working with to obtain peace, after an agreement had been achieved yet before it could be implemented.
The airstrike comes after weeks of on-and-off fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.
Hameed Younis Abu Doqqa 11 nov 8 2012
Ten days ago, on November 7, an Israeli airstrike killed a 12-year-old boy playing soccer in the street in Gaza.
Afterward, an Egypt-brokered ceasefire went into effect. But it only lasted two days. Israel’s assassination of Al-Jabari within three hours of his receiving the draft of a permanent truce agreement with Israel has angered many, including the Egyptian officials responsible for negotiating the ceasefire, who have stated that Al-Jabari was a man who was responsible for saving the lives of many Israelis and Palestinians.
Palestinian militant groups in Gaza have retaliated by firing homemade rockets, some of which for the first time reached the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Three Israelis have been killed and several injured, according to Israeli sources.
In retaliation to these bombings, the Israeli military expanded its operation using high tech guided missiles, F-16 fighter jets to bomb building after building in civilian areas. They call this new campaign “Operation Pillar of Defense.” In an official statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: "Hamas and the terror organizations decided to escalate their attacks on the citizens of Israel over the last few days.
We will not accept a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by the terror of rockets. No country would accept this, Israel will not accept it. Today, we hit Hamas strategic targets precisely." Netanyahu continued, "We will continue to do everything necessary to defend our citizens."
The White House has thrown its full support behind Israel's military attack. Yesterday, November 16, the White House took the unusual tactic of releasing a White House memo entitled “Updates for the American Jewish Community,” which was sent out by email. It reiterated the Israeli position but made no mention of Palestinian casualties, the timeline and cause of the escalating conflict, nor the significance of Al Jabari’s assassination given his involvement in brokering a truce. The communication removed all information that would provide any context to the reality of the past three days as well as the fact that Israel chose to break the truce of two weeks, not Hamas, by killing a negotiator.
For many Gazans, this latest Israeli attack brings back memories of “Operation Cast Lead,” which occurred during Christmas in 2008-2009, during the ‘lame-duck’ period between George Bush and Barack Obama’s presidency. During that holiday season, 1,500 Palestinian men, women, and children were killed and thousands more injured, leaving huge destruction of infrastructure that has yet to be repaired.
Today, Saturday, the skies of Gaza are filled with Israeli fighter jets, attack helicopters, and unmanned drones armed with high tech missiles and artillery tank shells. They are firing on East Rafah, Khan Younies, Gaza City, and north of Gaza. From the sea, Israeli warships pound the coast of Gaza. Missiles are falling every few minutes in an area about the size of Manhattan. The number of innocent dead, including children, grows higher. The latest victim is a 10-month old baby girl by the name of Haneen Tafesh. The loss of her life pushes the death toll to 41, a total that includes 12 children, four women, and three elderly men. Another 300-plus have been injured by Israel forces.
For those without an army, navy, or air force, nor ‘the right to defend’ themselves, it is a sleepless night. Families huddle terrified as the sky fills with the sounds of bombs. No one knows when this will end. On the boarder, Israeli troops have amassed with tanks, bulldozers, missiles, and planes. Israeli papers report that 75,000 reservists have been called up. Their leaders have been warning for several months that an invasion of Gaza is necessary. For people in Gaza, the only question is if and when it will occur, and when it’s over, how many more will be dead?
Ten days ago, on November 7, an Israeli airstrike killed a 12-year-old boy playing soccer in the street in Gaza.
Afterward, an Egypt-brokered ceasefire went into effect. But it only lasted two days. Israel’s assassination of Al-Jabari within three hours of his receiving the draft of a permanent truce agreement with Israel has angered many, including the Egyptian officials responsible for negotiating the ceasefire, who have stated that Al-Jabari was a man who was responsible for saving the lives of many Israelis and Palestinians.
Palestinian militant groups in Gaza have retaliated by firing homemade rockets, some of which for the first time reached the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Three Israelis have been killed and several injured, according to Israeli sources.
In retaliation to these bombings, the Israeli military expanded its operation using high tech guided missiles, F-16 fighter jets to bomb building after building in civilian areas. They call this new campaign “Operation Pillar of Defense.” In an official statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: "Hamas and the terror organizations decided to escalate their attacks on the citizens of Israel over the last few days.
We will not accept a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by the terror of rockets. No country would accept this, Israel will not accept it. Today, we hit Hamas strategic targets precisely." Netanyahu continued, "We will continue to do everything necessary to defend our citizens."
The White House has thrown its full support behind Israel's military attack. Yesterday, November 16, the White House took the unusual tactic of releasing a White House memo entitled “Updates for the American Jewish Community,” which was sent out by email. It reiterated the Israeli position but made no mention of Palestinian casualties, the timeline and cause of the escalating conflict, nor the significance of Al Jabari’s assassination given his involvement in brokering a truce. The communication removed all information that would provide any context to the reality of the past three days as well as the fact that Israel chose to break the truce of two weeks, not Hamas, by killing a negotiator.
For many Gazans, this latest Israeli attack brings back memories of “Operation Cast Lead,” which occurred during Christmas in 2008-2009, during the ‘lame-duck’ period between George Bush and Barack Obama’s presidency. During that holiday season, 1,500 Palestinian men, women, and children were killed and thousands more injured, leaving huge destruction of infrastructure that has yet to be repaired.
Today, Saturday, the skies of Gaza are filled with Israeli fighter jets, attack helicopters, and unmanned drones armed with high tech missiles and artillery tank shells. They are firing on East Rafah, Khan Younies, Gaza City, and north of Gaza. From the sea, Israeli warships pound the coast of Gaza. Missiles are falling every few minutes in an area about the size of Manhattan. The number of innocent dead, including children, grows higher. The latest victim is a 10-month old baby girl by the name of Haneen Tafesh. The loss of her life pushes the death toll to 41, a total that includes 12 children, four women, and three elderly men. Another 300-plus have been injured by Israel forces.
For those without an army, navy, or air force, nor ‘the right to defend’ themselves, it is a sleepless night. Families huddle terrified as the sky fills with the sounds of bombs. No one knows when this will end. On the boarder, Israeli troops have amassed with tanks, bulldozers, missiles, and planes. Israeli papers report that 75,000 reservists have been called up. Their leaders have been warning for several months that an invasion of Gaza is necessary. For people in Gaza, the only question is if and when it will occur, and when it’s over, how many more will be dead?
Three Palestinian civilian were injured, one critically, on Saturday evening, by Israeli troops gunfire in the village of Al Nabi Saleh near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Villagers organized a protest in solidarity with Gaza and against the Israeli continued attacks on the coastal region which is so far claimed the lived of 42 Palestinians and left 400 others injured.
People marched from the village and reached the road leading to the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Halmish. Israeli soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets and forced people back into the village.
Later soldiers invaded Al Nabi Saleh and fired live rounds and tear gas at residents homes, three men were injured by soldiers’ live ammunition. Among those injured was 31 years old Rishdi Al Tamimmi who sustained critical wounds and was moved to Ramallah city hospital for treatment.
Witnesses told IMEMC that soldiers were firing live ammunition at residents randomly. Local youth clashed with the invading forces and managed to force them out of the village.
Al Nabi Saleh organizes a weekly protest against the Israeli wall and settlements constructed on local farmers lands.
on Friday three Palestinian civilians were injured; many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when troops attacked the weekly protest in the village of Al Nabi Saleh.
Villagers organized a protest in solidarity with Gaza and against the Israeli continued attacks on the coastal region which is so far claimed the lived of 42 Palestinians and left 400 others injured.
People marched from the village and reached the road leading to the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Halmish. Israeli soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets and forced people back into the village.
Later soldiers invaded Al Nabi Saleh and fired live rounds and tear gas at residents homes, three men were injured by soldiers’ live ammunition. Among those injured was 31 years old Rishdi Al Tamimmi who sustained critical wounds and was moved to Ramallah city hospital for treatment.
Witnesses told IMEMC that soldiers were firing live ammunition at residents randomly. Local youth clashed with the invading forces and managed to force them out of the village.
Al Nabi Saleh organizes a weekly protest against the Israeli wall and settlements constructed on local farmers lands.
on Friday three Palestinian civilians were injured; many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when troops attacked the weekly protest in the village of Al Nabi Saleh.
2 Women, 6 Children Killed, 381 Including 107 Children and 64 Women Injured
Palestinian Civilian Deaths Rise to 17, Including 2 Women and 6 Children, and 381 Wounded, Including 107 Children and 64 Women.
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in the course of the offensive on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for the fourth consecutive day has increased to 37, including 17 civilians.
The civilian deaths include 6 children and 2 women. Additionally, 394 Palestinians, including 381 civilians, have been wounded – this number includes 107 children and 64 women. Dozens of civilian and governmental facilities have been also destroyed. Israeli airstrikes over the past 24 hours have been intense and severe, and have targeted civilian and governmental facilities located in densely-populated areas, causing civilian causalities, contrary to Israeli forces’ claims that they do not target civilians and civilian property. Israeli missiles have also hit populated houses.
The latest developments since the press release issued by PCHR yesterday noon, 16 November 2012, have been as follows:
The Northern Gaza Strip:
Since Friday evening, 16 November 2012, Israeli forces have launched 47 airstrikes, targeting agricultural plots, open areas, a house, and a garden. As a result of these attacks, 2 Palestinian civilians, including 1 woman, have been killed, and 64 civilians, including 27 children and 12 women and a member of a Palestinian armed group, have been wounded.
The 2 civilians were killed on Friday noon, when an Israeli warplane attacked a number of civilians who were in the garden of a house belonging to Ghazi Abed Salman on Beit Lahia main road. They were identified as: Tahreer Ziad Salman, 22, and Mohammed Talal Saad Salman, 27.
Another 3 civilians were wounded in the attack. In a serious development, this morning, Israeli warplanes fired 3 missiles at a house belonging to Suleiman Abdul Hamid Salah near al-Khulafa Mosque in Jabalya town. The house was destroyed with its residents inside, and 31 civilians, including 12 children and 7 women, were wounded.
The wounded include 12 residents of the house. Additionally, dozens of nearby houses were heavily damaged.
Gaza City:
Israeli forces have launched dozens of airstrikes on Gaza City, targeting governmental and civilian facilities and other objects mostly located in densely-populated areas.
The targets have included the building of the Council of Ministers in the west of the City, which was completely destroyed and a number of nearby houses damaged; the building of the police command in the center of the City, which was completely destroyed and a number of nearby houses damaged;
the building of the Civil Department of the Ministry of Interior in the south of the City, which was attacked for the second time, causing damage to al-Quds Hospital and a number of public and UNRWA school; and Palestine Stadium in al-Remal neighborhood in the center of the City, which was extensively damaged.
As a result of an Israeli airstrike on Friday evening, Younis Kamel Tafesh, 55, was killed while he was riding his bicycle in al-Zaytoun neighborhood when Israeli warplanes bombarded a farmland in the area. Additionally, a member of a Palestinian armed group died this morning of wounds he had sustained on Friday evening when Israeli forces bombarded al-Shujaiya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
In other attacks, 16 Palestinian civilians, including 3 women and 7 children, and a member of a Palestinian armed group were wounded.
The Central Gaza Strip:
Israeli forces have launched 26 air strikes and some marine attacks on the central Gaza Strip, targeting farmlands, space areas, two houses, a motorcycle and a mosque.
The mosque was completely destroyed, and a number of nearby houses and two UNRWA schools were damaged. As a result of these attacks, 8 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, were killed, and 18 civilians, including 5 women and 4 children, and a member of a Palestinian armed group have been wounded.
The 3 civilians were killed together with Ahmed Mohammed Jaddou Abu Jalal, 34, a leader of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas); they were sitting near Abu Jalal’s house in al-Maghazi refugee camp, when an Israeli warplane fired a missile at them. The civilian victims were identified as: Amjad Mohammed Jaddou Abu Jalal, 33 (Ahmed’s brother); Ziad Farhan Suleiman Abu Jalal, 23; and Hassan Salem Abu Hmaile, 28.
Khan Yunis:
Israeli forces have launched 16 airstrikes, targeting agricultural areas. On Friday morning, a member of a Palestinian armed group was killed, and another wounded, when Israeli warplanes bombarded a farmland area in al-Satar al-Gharbi area in the north of Khan Yunis.
Four members of Palestinian armed groups and 1 child were also wounded as a result of 2 separate airstrikes in the west and east of Khan Yunis.
Additionally, an Israeli airstrike targeted the yard of the campus of the Islamic University in Maan village, east of Khan Yunis.
Rafah:
Israeli forces have launched 45 airstrikes on Rafah, including 20 that targeted the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, where the tunnels are located.
Other airstrikes targeted 3 houses belonging to members of Palestinian armed groups, farmlands, open areas, and members of Palestinian armed groups.
As a result of these attacks, 4 members of Palestinian armed groups and 1 civilian have been killed, and 24 civilians, including 2 women and 6 children, have been wounded. 7 of the wounded civilians, including 1 child, were hit by shrapnel while they were inside their houses when Israeli forces bombarded a house belonging to Mohammed Abu Shammala, a leader of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades. 7 civilians, including 1 woman and 2 children, were wounded when an Israeli missile targeting a motorcycle near al-Farouq Mosque in al-Shaboura refugee camp did not hit its target.
On Saturday morning, 17 November 2012, a Palestinian civilian, Awadh Hamed al-Nahhal, 29, was killed when Israeli forces targeted and killed 3 members of Palestinian armed groups in al-Zohour neighborhood in the north of Rafah. Earlier, another member of a Palestinian armed group, Mukhles Mahmoud Edwan, 30, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Bader area in the west of Rafah.
As a result of the Israeli attacks, dozens of houses and civilian facilities have been damaged.
PCHR reiterates condemnation, expresses utmost concern for these crimes, and:
1- Warns of deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of this continuous Israeli military escalation, threats to expand military operations, and the continued tightened closure of the Gaza Strip; and
2- Calls upon the international community to act immediately to stop these crimes, and renews the call to the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligation under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure that it is respected at all times, and their responsibilities under Article 146 to pursue perpetrators of serious violations of the Convention, which are determined in Article 147, which lists violations of the Convention amounting to war crimes.
Palestinian Civilian Deaths Rise to 17, Including 2 Women and 6 Children, and 381 Wounded, Including 107 Children and 64 Women.
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in the course of the offensive on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for the fourth consecutive day has increased to 37, including 17 civilians.
The civilian deaths include 6 children and 2 women. Additionally, 394 Palestinians, including 381 civilians, have been wounded – this number includes 107 children and 64 women. Dozens of civilian and governmental facilities have been also destroyed. Israeli airstrikes over the past 24 hours have been intense and severe, and have targeted civilian and governmental facilities located in densely-populated areas, causing civilian causalities, contrary to Israeli forces’ claims that they do not target civilians and civilian property. Israeli missiles have also hit populated houses.
The latest developments since the press release issued by PCHR yesterday noon, 16 November 2012, have been as follows:
The Northern Gaza Strip:
Since Friday evening, 16 November 2012, Israeli forces have launched 47 airstrikes, targeting agricultural plots, open areas, a house, and a garden. As a result of these attacks, 2 Palestinian civilians, including 1 woman, have been killed, and 64 civilians, including 27 children and 12 women and a member of a Palestinian armed group, have been wounded.
The 2 civilians were killed on Friday noon, when an Israeli warplane attacked a number of civilians who were in the garden of a house belonging to Ghazi Abed Salman on Beit Lahia main road. They were identified as: Tahreer Ziad Salman, 22, and Mohammed Talal Saad Salman, 27.
Another 3 civilians were wounded in the attack. In a serious development, this morning, Israeli warplanes fired 3 missiles at a house belonging to Suleiman Abdul Hamid Salah near al-Khulafa Mosque in Jabalya town. The house was destroyed with its residents inside, and 31 civilians, including 12 children and 7 women, were wounded.
The wounded include 12 residents of the house. Additionally, dozens of nearby houses were heavily damaged.
Gaza City:
Israeli forces have launched dozens of airstrikes on Gaza City, targeting governmental and civilian facilities and other objects mostly located in densely-populated areas.
The targets have included the building of the Council of Ministers in the west of the City, which was completely destroyed and a number of nearby houses damaged; the building of the police command in the center of the City, which was completely destroyed and a number of nearby houses damaged;
the building of the Civil Department of the Ministry of Interior in the south of the City, which was attacked for the second time, causing damage to al-Quds Hospital and a number of public and UNRWA school; and Palestine Stadium in al-Remal neighborhood in the center of the City, which was extensively damaged.
As a result of an Israeli airstrike on Friday evening, Younis Kamel Tafesh, 55, was killed while he was riding his bicycle in al-Zaytoun neighborhood when Israeli warplanes bombarded a farmland in the area. Additionally, a member of a Palestinian armed group died this morning of wounds he had sustained on Friday evening when Israeli forces bombarded al-Shujaiya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
In other attacks, 16 Palestinian civilians, including 3 women and 7 children, and a member of a Palestinian armed group were wounded.
The Central Gaza Strip:
Israeli forces have launched 26 air strikes and some marine attacks on the central Gaza Strip, targeting farmlands, space areas, two houses, a motorcycle and a mosque.
The mosque was completely destroyed, and a number of nearby houses and two UNRWA schools were damaged. As a result of these attacks, 8 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, were killed, and 18 civilians, including 5 women and 4 children, and a member of a Palestinian armed group have been wounded.
The 3 civilians were killed together with Ahmed Mohammed Jaddou Abu Jalal, 34, a leader of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas); they were sitting near Abu Jalal’s house in al-Maghazi refugee camp, when an Israeli warplane fired a missile at them. The civilian victims were identified as: Amjad Mohammed Jaddou Abu Jalal, 33 (Ahmed’s brother); Ziad Farhan Suleiman Abu Jalal, 23; and Hassan Salem Abu Hmaile, 28.
Khan Yunis:
Israeli forces have launched 16 airstrikes, targeting agricultural areas. On Friday morning, a member of a Palestinian armed group was killed, and another wounded, when Israeli warplanes bombarded a farmland area in al-Satar al-Gharbi area in the north of Khan Yunis.
Four members of Palestinian armed groups and 1 child were also wounded as a result of 2 separate airstrikes in the west and east of Khan Yunis.
Additionally, an Israeli airstrike targeted the yard of the campus of the Islamic University in Maan village, east of Khan Yunis.
Rafah:
Israeli forces have launched 45 airstrikes on Rafah, including 20 that targeted the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, where the tunnels are located.
Other airstrikes targeted 3 houses belonging to members of Palestinian armed groups, farmlands, open areas, and members of Palestinian armed groups.
As a result of these attacks, 4 members of Palestinian armed groups and 1 civilian have been killed, and 24 civilians, including 2 women and 6 children, have been wounded. 7 of the wounded civilians, including 1 child, were hit by shrapnel while they were inside their houses when Israeli forces bombarded a house belonging to Mohammed Abu Shammala, a leader of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades. 7 civilians, including 1 woman and 2 children, were wounded when an Israeli missile targeting a motorcycle near al-Farouq Mosque in al-Shaboura refugee camp did not hit its target.
On Saturday morning, 17 November 2012, a Palestinian civilian, Awadh Hamed al-Nahhal, 29, was killed when Israeli forces targeted and killed 3 members of Palestinian armed groups in al-Zohour neighborhood in the north of Rafah. Earlier, another member of a Palestinian armed group, Mukhles Mahmoud Edwan, 30, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Bader area in the west of Rafah.
As a result of the Israeli attacks, dozens of houses and civilian facilities have been damaged.
PCHR reiterates condemnation, expresses utmost concern for these crimes, and:
1- Warns of deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of this continuous Israeli military escalation, threats to expand military operations, and the continued tightened closure of the Gaza Strip; and
2- Calls upon the international community to act immediately to stop these crimes, and renews the call to the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligation under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure that it is respected at all times, and their responsibilities under Article 146 to pursue perpetrators of serious violations of the Convention, which are determined in Article 147, which lists violations of the Convention amounting to war crimes.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported, Saturday, that four Palestinians were killed during the ongoing Israeli assault against Gaza; 8 have been killed since dawn hours Saturday while at least 41 have been killed Since Wednesday evening; the number of wounded Palestinians exceeds 400.
The sources said that the Israeli Air Force fired missiles into the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp, killing three Palestinians and wounding three others.
The slain Palestinians have been identified as Ali Abdul-Hakim Al-Mana’ma, Osama Abdul-Jawad, and Ashraf Darwish.
Medical sources reported that one resident was pronounced dead Saturday after suffering serious injuries suffered during an Israeli bombardment targeting Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza.
Earlier on Saturday, the army killed a Palestinian driving a motorcycle in Tal-Al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The resident was identified as Mokhlis Adwan, two residents were injured, including a child whose legs were severed due to the blast, medical sources reported.
Five Palestinians were killed and several others were seriously injured, when an Israeli drone fired a missile into Khirbit Al-Adas area in Rafah. Their bodies were severely mutilated; three of them were identified as Awad Hamdi An-Nahhal, Abdul-Rahman Al-Masry, and Mohammad Al-Louji.
Another resident was killed and his body was severely mutilated in northern Gaza; a woman and her four children were injured.
The army continues to bombard civilian areas, including homes and residential towers in different parts of the Gaza Strip. Soldiers also fired several shells into the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza.
Several homes were also damaged when the army fired several missiles near a mosque in Gaza city.
The sources said that the Israeli Air Force fired missiles into the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp, killing three Palestinians and wounding three others.
The slain Palestinians have been identified as Ali Abdul-Hakim Al-Mana’ma, Osama Abdul-Jawad, and Ashraf Darwish.
Medical sources reported that one resident was pronounced dead Saturday after suffering serious injuries suffered during an Israeli bombardment targeting Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza.
Earlier on Saturday, the army killed a Palestinian driving a motorcycle in Tal-Al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The resident was identified as Mokhlis Adwan, two residents were injured, including a child whose legs were severed due to the blast, medical sources reported.
Five Palestinians were killed and several others were seriously injured, when an Israeli drone fired a missile into Khirbit Al-Adas area in Rafah. Their bodies were severely mutilated; three of them were identified as Awad Hamdi An-Nahhal, Abdul-Rahman Al-Masry, and Mohammad Al-Louji.
Another resident was killed and his body was severely mutilated in northern Gaza; a woman and her four children were injured.
The army continues to bombard civilian areas, including homes and residential towers in different parts of the Gaza Strip. Soldiers also fired several shells into the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza.
Several homes were also damaged when the army fired several missiles near a mosque in Gaza city.
The Bombarded Ministerial Council Building In Gaza
Palestinian medical sources reported Saturday that a total of eight Palestinians have been killed, and several other residents have been injured, some seriously, in a fresh wave of Israeli military escalation against the coastal region.
38 Palestinians have been killed since Israel started its offensive Wednesday, while more than 335 have been injured, the casualties include several infants, children and elderly.
The Israeli Air Force fired several missiles into the Az-Zohour neighborhood, north of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing three fighters of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement.
Three more fighters were killed earlier when the army bombarded the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza.
Another resident was killed, and two were wounded when the army bombarded Rafah, and Dir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
Medical sources in Gaza reported that medics located the severely mutilated bodies of Abdul-Hakim Al-Mana’ma, Usama Abdul-Jawad, and Ashraf Darwish, who were killed in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp.
The sources added that a fighter, identified as Mokhlis Odwan, was killed and two residents were injured in an Israeli air strike in Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.
Earlier on Saturday at dawn, the army carried out an attack against Khirbit Al-Adas, north of Rafah, wounding four Palestinians, one seriously.
Three more civilians, including a woman and a child, have been injured when the army bombarded a home in Dir Al-Balah.
30 Palestinians, mainly women and children, were injured when the army bombarded a home in Jabalia An-Nizla, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Medics and rescue teams managed to remove the civilians from under the rubble.
Three Palestinians were wounded, In Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, when the army fired a missile at a motorcycle driving near the Asdaa’ Media City.
Later on, three residents were injured in a similar attack in Rafah; one of the wounded is a child.
It is worth mentioning that the army also fired four missiles into the Ministerial Building in Gaza, and bombarded the home of Ibrahim Salah, head of the Media Unit at the Ministry of Interior, in Jabalia refugee camp.
Palestinian armed groups continued to fire shells into Israel, and fired on Saturday morning 14 rockets in 15 minutes.
Four more shells were also fired into Sderot and landed in an open area; the Iron Dome system managed to intercept a missile fired into Sderot. Another shell was fired into southern Israel hitting a home.
Shells were also fired in Beny Shimon area, and one missile was fired into Be’er As-Sabe’ (Beersheba), five missiles were fired into the Eshkol regional council, and one into Mirhafim.
An Israeli military sources reported that the army carried out overnight 186 strikes in the Gaza Strip, adding that the army bombarded 830 sites in Gaza since the beginning of the escalation last Wednesday.
The ongoing Israeli military escalation against Gaza led to the death of 38 Palestinians while at least 335 Palestinians have been injured. Children, infants, women and elderly are among the slain and wounded residents.
Palestinian medical sources reported Saturday that a total of eight Palestinians have been killed, and several other residents have been injured, some seriously, in a fresh wave of Israeli military escalation against the coastal region.
38 Palestinians have been killed since Israel started its offensive Wednesday, while more than 335 have been injured, the casualties include several infants, children and elderly.
The Israeli Air Force fired several missiles into the Az-Zohour neighborhood, north of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing three fighters of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement.
Three more fighters were killed earlier when the army bombarded the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza.
Another resident was killed, and two were wounded when the army bombarded Rafah, and Dir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
Medical sources in Gaza reported that medics located the severely mutilated bodies of Abdul-Hakim Al-Mana’ma, Usama Abdul-Jawad, and Ashraf Darwish, who were killed in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp.
The sources added that a fighter, identified as Mokhlis Odwan, was killed and two residents were injured in an Israeli air strike in Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.
Earlier on Saturday at dawn, the army carried out an attack against Khirbit Al-Adas, north of Rafah, wounding four Palestinians, one seriously.
Three more civilians, including a woman and a child, have been injured when the army bombarded a home in Dir Al-Balah.
30 Palestinians, mainly women and children, were injured when the army bombarded a home in Jabalia An-Nizla, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Medics and rescue teams managed to remove the civilians from under the rubble.
Three Palestinians were wounded, In Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, when the army fired a missile at a motorcycle driving near the Asdaa’ Media City.
Later on, three residents were injured in a similar attack in Rafah; one of the wounded is a child.
It is worth mentioning that the army also fired four missiles into the Ministerial Building in Gaza, and bombarded the home of Ibrahim Salah, head of the Media Unit at the Ministry of Interior, in Jabalia refugee camp.
Palestinian armed groups continued to fire shells into Israel, and fired on Saturday morning 14 rockets in 15 minutes.
Four more shells were also fired into Sderot and landed in an open area; the Iron Dome system managed to intercept a missile fired into Sderot. Another shell was fired into southern Israel hitting a home.
Shells were also fired in Beny Shimon area, and one missile was fired into Be’er As-Sabe’ (Beersheba), five missiles were fired into the Eshkol regional council, and one into Mirhafim.
An Israeli military sources reported that the army carried out overnight 186 strikes in the Gaza Strip, adding that the army bombarded 830 sites in Gaza since the beginning of the escalation last Wednesday.
The ongoing Israeli military escalation against Gaza led to the death of 38 Palestinians while at least 335 Palestinians have been injured. Children, infants, women and elderly are among the slain and wounded residents.
Since Israel started its ethnic cleansing war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the IMEMC, as it always did and will always do, started extensive coverage on the war, revealing Israeli crimes against children and infants in the coastal region; similar to previous wars, another war started against the IMEMC, a cyber-war carried out by extremist fascist Zionists who do not want the truth to come out.
The IMEMC stands strong and firm, is and will always be committed to its principles that defend human rights, to expose the war crimes carried out against the Palestinian people, not only during this war, but throughout the years of illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
All attempts to silence the IMEMC, and any grassroots media agency, are attempts to silence the truth, to silence the real voices that refuse to submit to corporate greed and control.
The war on Gaza continues, more and more civilians, including children and infants, are being killed, murdered, massacred and burnt.
And the cyber war against us continues to expand and escalate, but we are, and will always remain strong, despite our nonexistent financial resources, we are rich with determination, and will continue to fight those Zionist hackers who attempt to silence us, and force our site offline.
They do not want you, our precocious readers around the world, to see and hear the truth, they want to kill the truth so that only corporate-run media agencies, that serve their warmongering masters continue to dominate the news, and continue to feed the public lies.
The war on Gaza continues, more children and women are being killed and injured; 30 Palestinians, including several children, have been killed since Wednesday, and more than 255 Palestinians have been injured; 100 children, women and elderly are among the wounded.
List of Palestinians Killed By Israeli shells so far;
The IMEMC stands strong and firm, is and will always be committed to its principles that defend human rights, to expose the war crimes carried out against the Palestinian people, not only during this war, but throughout the years of illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
All attempts to silence the IMEMC, and any grassroots media agency, are attempts to silence the truth, to silence the real voices that refuse to submit to corporate greed and control.
The war on Gaza continues, more and more civilians, including children and infants, are being killed, murdered, massacred and burnt.
And the cyber war against us continues to expand and escalate, but we are, and will always remain strong, despite our nonexistent financial resources, we are rich with determination, and will continue to fight those Zionist hackers who attempt to silence us, and force our site offline.
They do not want you, our precocious readers around the world, to see and hear the truth, they want to kill the truth so that only corporate-run media agencies, that serve their warmongering masters continue to dominate the news, and continue to feed the public lies.
The war on Gaza continues, more children and women are being killed and injured; 30 Palestinians, including several children, have been killed since Wednesday, and more than 255 Palestinians have been injured; 100 children, women and elderly are among the wounded.
List of Palestinians Killed By Israeli shells so far;
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1. Ahmad Al-Ja’bary, leader of Hamas’ Military Wing.
2. Mohammad Al-Hamss. 3. Ranan Arafat, 3 4. Omar Al-Mash-Harawi, 10 months. 5. Issam Abu Al-Ma’za. 6. Mohammad Al-Kaseeh. 7. Hiba Al-Mash-Harawi, 19 years old and six months pregnant. 8. Mohammad Abu Sawaween, elderly. 9. Habes Masmas. 10. Wael Al-Ghalbaan. 11. Hisham Al-Ghalbaan. 12. Rani Hammad (his wife gave birth to a boy shortly after he was killed) 13. Khaled Abu An-Nassr. 14. Marwan Abu Al-Qomsaan, elderly. 15. Waleed Al-Abadla, 4 16. Haneen Tafesh, 10 months old. |
17. Odai Jamal Nasser, 16
18. Fares Al-Basyouni, 9 19. Mohammad Eyad Sa’dallah, 4 20. Tahrir Suleiman. 21. Ayman Al-Abed Abu Warda. 22. Ismail Qandeel. 23. Younis Kamal Tafesh. 24. Mohammad Salman. 25. Amjad Abu Jalal. 26. Ziad Abu Jalal. 27. Ahmad Abu Jalal. 28. Hasan Al Hailma’. 29. Khaled Ash-Sha’er. 30. Ayman Salim. |
The Zionists do not want you to read about that, they do not want you to hear and see the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in different parts of occupied Palestine, especially in the besieged and improvised Gaza Strip.
The war, and the cyber war, goes on and we will continue our coverage of the news, we will resist, and we will continue to refuse to be silenced.
Silence is complicity, as the illegal war against the children of Gaza continues, the illegal cyber war continues, and the IMEMC will never be silenced.
Every time there is an Israeli military escalation on Gaza, cyber-attacks against the IMEMC intensify, and our determination grows stronger.
We practice our right to the Freedom of Information, Freedom of Press, that’s why we refuse corporate money, and corporate domination.
We do not have money, but we have the will and the determination to keep reporting, to keep revealing the truth, to keep telling the world that occupation is a crime, and peace can only be achieved when the occupation ends and the Palestinians receive their full and internationally-guaranteed rights as stated by numerous Security Council and United Nations resolutions.
We do not wish harm for anybody, we do not and will never support racism against any person, religions, or any nation in this world. We are all born equal and that is how we shall live.
Corporate media agencies continue to twist and ignore the truth, and continue their one-sided reporting that sides with Israel and ignores the fact that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the problem, and the very core of the conflict.
Zionists attempt to silence us, and silence grassroots media agencies, but we shall overcome and we will prevail, as we are on the side of the truth, unlike them, we are not on the side of lies and deceit.
Note: On Saturday November 17, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reported;
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in the course of the offensive on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for the fourth consecutive day has increased to 37, including 17 civilians. The civilian deaths include 6 children and 2 women.
Additionally, 394 Palestinians, including 381 civilians, have been wounded – this number includes 107 children and 64 women. Dozens of civilian and governmental facilities have been also destroyed.
Israeli airstrikes over the past 24 hours have been intense and severe, and have targeted civilian and governmental facilities located in densely-populated areas, causing civilian causalities, contrary to Israeli forces’ claims that they do not target civilians and civilian property. Israeli missiles have also hit populated houses.
The war, and the cyber war, goes on and we will continue our coverage of the news, we will resist, and we will continue to refuse to be silenced.
Silence is complicity, as the illegal war against the children of Gaza continues, the illegal cyber war continues, and the IMEMC will never be silenced.
Every time there is an Israeli military escalation on Gaza, cyber-attacks against the IMEMC intensify, and our determination grows stronger.
We practice our right to the Freedom of Information, Freedom of Press, that’s why we refuse corporate money, and corporate domination.
We do not have money, but we have the will and the determination to keep reporting, to keep revealing the truth, to keep telling the world that occupation is a crime, and peace can only be achieved when the occupation ends and the Palestinians receive their full and internationally-guaranteed rights as stated by numerous Security Council and United Nations resolutions.
We do not wish harm for anybody, we do not and will never support racism against any person, religions, or any nation in this world. We are all born equal and that is how we shall live.
Corporate media agencies continue to twist and ignore the truth, and continue their one-sided reporting that sides with Israel and ignores the fact that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the problem, and the very core of the conflict.
Zionists attempt to silence us, and silence grassroots media agencies, but we shall overcome and we will prevail, as we are on the side of the truth, unlike them, we are not on the side of lies and deceit.
Note: On Saturday November 17, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reported;
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in the course of the offensive on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for the fourth consecutive day has increased to 37, including 17 civilians. The civilian deaths include 6 children and 2 women.
Additionally, 394 Palestinians, including 381 civilians, have been wounded – this number includes 107 children and 64 women. Dozens of civilian and governmental facilities have been also destroyed.
Israeli airstrikes over the past 24 hours have been intense and severe, and have targeted civilian and governmental facilities located in densely-populated areas, causing civilian causalities, contrary to Israeli forces’ claims that they do not target civilians and civilian property. Israeli missiles have also hit populated houses.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that Ayman Salim, died of serious injuries suffered on Thursday by Israeli military shells targeting Gaza. The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli shells since Wednesday arrived to 30, including several children, infants women and elderly.
On Friday, Israeli soldiers bombarded different areas in the Gaza Strip killing four Palestinians, including Ahmad Abu Jalal, 43, a leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, his brother Majd, 33, Ziad Farhan Abu Jalal, 23, and Hasan Salem Al-Halee’, 27.
One resident, identified as Khaled Khalil Ash-Sha’er, 28, was also killed after the army fired a missile at his motorcycle, three Palestinian youths were injured in the attack, two seriously.
The Maan News Agency reported that the army also fired a missile at residents in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza, wounding several residents.
On Friday evening, the army bombarded several areas in the coastal region leading to excessive damage, while three residents were injured when the army fired missiles into the home of Mohammad Abu Shammala, a leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The army even bombarded a chicken farm in Ar-Ranna area-Ranna area in Khan Younis, wounding two residents.
A Palestinian child was injured when the army bombarded Al-Karama residential towers, north of Gaza, and was moved to a local hospital.
A woman and a young man were injured Friday in an Israeli bombardment in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza city.
Israeli soldiers also bombarded Bader Base, a training center for the Al-Qassam Brigades, west of Gaza city. Another Qassam center was bombarded in Rafah.
Dozens of homes were hit by Israeli missiles of Rafah, Gaza city, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and several areas in the coastal region, while one Palestinian was killed and four others were injured when the army fired a missile into the a street in Az-Zeitoun in Gaza city.
An Israeli drone fired a missile at a motorcycle driver near the Al-Quds Open University wounding one resident, another missile exploded near a gas station in the area.
Six more Palestinians were injured in an Israeli air strike targeting Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza.
Adham Abu Salmiyya, spokesperson of the Emergency Unit in Gaza, reported that the Israeli escalation that started Wednesday led, so far, to the death of 30 Palestinians, including several children and women, while at least 255 Palestinians have been injured, 30 seriously. 100 children, women and elderly are among the wounded.
Maan reported that Dr. Samir Al-Kahloot, working at the Intensive care Unit in Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, said that most of the injured residents suffered head or chest injuries, adding that the majority of the wounded are children and women.
On Friday, Israeli soldiers bombarded different areas in the Gaza Strip killing four Palestinians, including Ahmad Abu Jalal, 43, a leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, his brother Majd, 33, Ziad Farhan Abu Jalal, 23, and Hasan Salem Al-Halee’, 27.
One resident, identified as Khaled Khalil Ash-Sha’er, 28, was also killed after the army fired a missile at his motorcycle, three Palestinian youths were injured in the attack, two seriously.
The Maan News Agency reported that the army also fired a missile at residents in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza, wounding several residents.
On Friday evening, the army bombarded several areas in the coastal region leading to excessive damage, while three residents were injured when the army fired missiles into the home of Mohammad Abu Shammala, a leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The army even bombarded a chicken farm in Ar-Ranna area-Ranna area in Khan Younis, wounding two residents.
A Palestinian child was injured when the army bombarded Al-Karama residential towers, north of Gaza, and was moved to a local hospital.
A woman and a young man were injured Friday in an Israeli bombardment in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza city.
Israeli soldiers also bombarded Bader Base, a training center for the Al-Qassam Brigades, west of Gaza city. Another Qassam center was bombarded in Rafah.
Dozens of homes were hit by Israeli missiles of Rafah, Gaza city, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and several areas in the coastal region, while one Palestinian was killed and four others were injured when the army fired a missile into the a street in Az-Zeitoun in Gaza city.
An Israeli drone fired a missile at a motorcycle driver near the Al-Quds Open University wounding one resident, another missile exploded near a gas station in the area.
Six more Palestinians were injured in an Israeli air strike targeting Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza.
Adham Abu Salmiyya, spokesperson of the Emergency Unit in Gaza, reported that the Israeli escalation that started Wednesday led, so far, to the death of 30 Palestinians, including several children and women, while at least 255 Palestinians have been injured, 30 seriously. 100 children, women and elderly are among the wounded.
Maan reported that Dr. Samir Al-Kahloot, working at the Intensive care Unit in Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, said that most of the injured residents suffered head or chest injuries, adding that the majority of the wounded are children and women.
Video of the severely burnt body of the Infant Omar Al-Mash-Harawi (Warning; Very Graphic Videos)
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This child is dying.
Only watch this video if you have a strong stomach. This, This is what Israel does to Palestine’s children, and this is what this world not condemns, not acts about: |
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Thirty people were rescued from the rubble of the Abu Salah home in Jabalia, northern Gaza
When Israeli warplanes pulverized the home of a Hamas leader in Gaza at dawn on Saturday, onlookers could not imagine that any of his family would survive.
Witnesses said F-16 aircraft leveled the two-story home of Suliman Salah in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip in the early hours.
Neighbors feared the 22-member family would be buried alive. Omer Abu al-Qumsan, who lives next-door, said he woke to a huge explosion and saw that all remained of the house was a pile of rubble.
When TV crews arrived an hour later, civil defense crews had extricated one woman from the wreckage. Over the next hours 30 people were rescued from the site, wounded, but alive.
One member of the family, who escaped with light head wounds, said the whole family was asleep when the missiles struck.
"One minute I was sleeping, the next I found myself in hospital," he said.
Another neighbor of the Abu Salah family, Abdel Karim Mattar, said the targeting showed Israel targets densely populated areas, not just open spaces.
Mattar, whose home was also partially destroyed, blamed Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu for launching the large-scale aerial assault on Gaza to increase his election prospects amongst Israeli voters.
"The ink of Israeli elections is Palestinian blood," Mattar said.
When Israeli warplanes pulverized the home of a Hamas leader in Gaza at dawn on Saturday, onlookers could not imagine that any of his family would survive.
Witnesses said F-16 aircraft leveled the two-story home of Suliman Salah in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip in the early hours.
Neighbors feared the 22-member family would be buried alive. Omer Abu al-Qumsan, who lives next-door, said he woke to a huge explosion and saw that all remained of the house was a pile of rubble.
When TV crews arrived an hour later, civil defense crews had extricated one woman from the wreckage. Over the next hours 30 people were rescued from the site, wounded, but alive.
One member of the family, who escaped with light head wounds, said the whole family was asleep when the missiles struck.
"One minute I was sleeping, the next I found myself in hospital," he said.
Another neighbor of the Abu Salah family, Abdel Karim Mattar, said the targeting showed Israel targets densely populated areas, not just open spaces.
Mattar, whose home was also partially destroyed, blamed Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu for launching the large-scale aerial assault on Gaza to increase his election prospects amongst Israeli voters.
"The ink of Israeli elections is Palestinian blood," Mattar said.
Six Palestinians injured in Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip entered Egypt on Saturday for treatment, medics and security officials said.
Hamzah Mohammad Al-Sarsawi, 16, was evacuated with a bullet lodged in his head, Ahmad Khalid Daghmash, 21, is in a coma, and Husam Samir Al-Himsi,, 3 has 70 percent burns.
In addition, Akram Eid Mohammad Al-Qatari, 20, was brought to Egypt with a broken hip and legs, Radwan Mohammad Abu Qumsanm, 76, with a broken hip, and Sulaiman Abdul Hamid Hassan, 60, with a broken hip and left foot.
The patients were taken to hospitals in northern Sinai border city el-Arish for treatment by specialist doctors.
Egyptian planes also airlifted the most serious cases to hospitals in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
Medics say around 400 Palestinians have been wounded in four days of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Hamzah Mohammad Al-Sarsawi, 16, was evacuated with a bullet lodged in his head, Ahmad Khalid Daghmash, 21, is in a coma, and Husam Samir Al-Himsi,, 3 has 70 percent burns.
In addition, Akram Eid Mohammad Al-Qatari, 20, was brought to Egypt with a broken hip and legs, Radwan Mohammad Abu Qumsanm, 76, with a broken hip, and Sulaiman Abdul Hamid Hassan, 60, with a broken hip and left foot.
The patients were taken to hospitals in northern Sinai border city el-Arish for treatment by specialist doctors.
Egyptian planes also airlifted the most serious cases to hospitals in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
Medics say around 400 Palestinians have been wounded in four days of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
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As Israel steps up its targeting of civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip on the fourth day of an assault that began when it violated a truce on 14 November, and calls up reservists in advance of a possible ground invasion, Israeli officials are distributing a graphic that appears intended to justify in advance the bombing of Gaza hospitals and health facilities.
The graphic published by the Israeli army is a fake hospital sign that purports to show that Hamas leaders hide under hospitals and stockpile weapons there.
Ofir Gendelman, an official spokesman for the Israeli prime minister tweeted the same image in Arabic.
Ofir Gendelman ofirgendelman pic.twitter.com/1KhsmqM6
Israeli attacks on hospitals during “Cast Lead”
During “Operation Cast Lead,” its savage 2008-2009 assault on Gaza, Israel carried out widespread attacks on hospitals and health facilities. As a 2009 report by European develoment and rights organizations noted:
A World Health Organization (WHO) assessment of 122 health facilities in Gaza revealed that 48% were damaged or destroyed during the offensive: 15 hospitals and 41 primary health care centres were partially damaged; two primary health care centres were destroyed; and 29 ambulances were partially damaged or destroyed.
And during the 2008-2009 invasion, as The Electronic Intifada reported, Israeli forces killed 16 medical rescuers, four in one day alone. Another 57 were injured.
UN investigators find no evidence to back Israeli claims
The UN-commissioned Goldstone report examined the Israeli claims. On page 142, the report says that Israel alleged that:
Hamas systematically used medical facilities, vehicles and uniforms as cover for terrorist operations, in clear violation of the Law of Armed Conflict. This included the extensive use of ambulances bearing the protective emblems of the Red Cross and Crescent … and the use of hospitals and medical infrastructure as headquarters, situation rooms, command centres and hiding places.”
The commission of inquiry investigated the Israeli claims with regard to several hospitals that Israel had bombed, for example the al-Quds hospital in Tal el-Hawa, which had been hit by Israeli white phosphorus shells and high explosives.
It also looked at the flimsy nature of the “evidence” cited by Israel. In the case of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, this was “an interview with a ‘Hamas activist’ captured by Israel and an Italian newspaper article which in turn bases this assertion on a single anonymous source.”
“On the basis of the investigations it has conducted,” the Goldstone report said, “the Mission did not find any evidence to support the allegations made by the Israeli Government.”
Similarly, the report found no evidence to support frequent Israeli claims that ambulances were misused, and much evidence to contradict that claim. Israel’s Magen David Adom, its affiliate with the ICRC, even told the UN investigators that “there was no use of PRCS [Palestinian Red Crescent Society] ambulances for the transport of weapons or ammunition … [and] there was no misuse of the emblem by PRCS” (page 144).
In short, Israel has never presented any credible evidence to back up its claims, and yet it continues to produce propaganda like the “hospital sign” above to justify its very real crimes against Gaza’s already fragile health system.
Just how low can you go?
The graphic published by the Israeli army is a fake hospital sign that purports to show that Hamas leaders hide under hospitals and stockpile weapons there.
Ofir Gendelman, an official spokesman for the Israeli prime minister tweeted the same image in Arabic.
Ofir Gendelman ofirgendelman pic.twitter.com/1KhsmqM6
Israeli attacks on hospitals during “Cast Lead”
During “Operation Cast Lead,” its savage 2008-2009 assault on Gaza, Israel carried out widespread attacks on hospitals and health facilities. As a 2009 report by European develoment and rights organizations noted:
A World Health Organization (WHO) assessment of 122 health facilities in Gaza revealed that 48% were damaged or destroyed during the offensive: 15 hospitals and 41 primary health care centres were partially damaged; two primary health care centres were destroyed; and 29 ambulances were partially damaged or destroyed.
And during the 2008-2009 invasion, as The Electronic Intifada reported, Israeli forces killed 16 medical rescuers, four in one day alone. Another 57 were injured.
UN investigators find no evidence to back Israeli claims
The UN-commissioned Goldstone report examined the Israeli claims. On page 142, the report says that Israel alleged that:
Hamas systematically used medical facilities, vehicles and uniforms as cover for terrorist operations, in clear violation of the Law of Armed Conflict. This included the extensive use of ambulances bearing the protective emblems of the Red Cross and Crescent … and the use of hospitals and medical infrastructure as headquarters, situation rooms, command centres and hiding places.”
The commission of inquiry investigated the Israeli claims with regard to several hospitals that Israel had bombed, for example the al-Quds hospital in Tal el-Hawa, which had been hit by Israeli white phosphorus shells and high explosives.
It also looked at the flimsy nature of the “evidence” cited by Israel. In the case of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, this was “an interview with a ‘Hamas activist’ captured by Israel and an Italian newspaper article which in turn bases this assertion on a single anonymous source.”
“On the basis of the investigations it has conducted,” the Goldstone report said, “the Mission did not find any evidence to support the allegations made by the Israeli Government.”
Similarly, the report found no evidence to support frequent Israeli claims that ambulances were misused, and much evidence to contradict that claim. Israel’s Magen David Adom, its affiliate with the ICRC, even told the UN investigators that “there was no use of PRCS [Palestinian Red Crescent Society] ambulances for the transport of weapons or ammunition … [and] there was no misuse of the emblem by PRCS” (page 144).
In short, Israel has never presented any credible evidence to back up its claims, and yet it continues to produce propaganda like the “hospital sign” above to justify its very real crimes against Gaza’s already fragile health system.
Just how low can you go?
Office building of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City before and after the bombing
SDEROT, Israel (IRIN) -- Sderot’s streets are empty, its schools and shops closed. Residents of this southern Israeli town are accustomed to the alarm that sounds almost daily as rockets fired from Gaza land here. But the upsurge in violence in recent days is, for some, the last straw.
Benni Cohen is taking his three children to a family home further north, in Petach Tikva, 20 minutes east of Israel’s second largest city, Tel Aviv, and does not intend to come back.
"It's been ongoing for nine years,” he told IRIN. “This is not going to end. I'm not putting my children through anymore of this. We should have left (years ago).
“Seeing your children grow up under a rain of Qassam missiles is no way to live. We have 15 seconds to find shelter (when the rockets hit). Impossible.”
Across the border, in northern areas of the Gaza Strip, like in Beit Hanoun, a town hard hit by the border violence, many people have already started leaving their homes, heading for safer ground near Gaza City, according to Lydia de Leeuw, a documentation officer for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
But there too, they will not find refuge. Jihad al-Meshrawi, a BBC editor, was at the office when he got word his home in Gaza City had been hit by an Israeli airstrike. When he got home, he found his 11-month-old son and sister-in-law dead, and his brother severely burned.
“I am used to editing footage of people who have had their houses destroyed and bombed, people killed,” he told IRIN. “But I didn’t expect it to happen to me.
“They say they don’t attack civilians but we are civilians. Was my child armed?”
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 10 civilians in Gaza in the last two days. Hundreds of civilians have been wounded, it said.
The Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency response service, reported three dead, 10 serious or critical injuries, and at least 50 others treated for bruising, shrapnel wounds or trauma.
Army spokesman Yoav Mordechai told Israel’s Channel 10 that the military launched more than 200 air strikes in Gaza on 14-15 November, including one that killed Ahmad al-Jaabari, the military commander of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Armed groups in Gaza have fired rockets into southern Israel for five consecutive days. On Nov. 15, a rocket landed in Tel Aviv for the first time since the Gulf War, with more landing there in the next two days. The range of the new Fajr-5 rockets puts half of Israel's population within firing range. What was in the past nine years considered a “local hassle” for communities bordering Gaza has, in minutes, turned into a major concern.
For the first time in 20 years, Israeli authorities last night opened public bomb shelters in Tel Aviv and nearby cities. In the three hours after the rocket landed in Tel Aviv, the army launched 70 strikes on “targets” in the Gaza strip.
“No one has slept since Wednesday,” de Leeuw said.
Missiles and airstrikes continue raining down on both sides of the border. During a brief conversation by phone, IRIN heard three airstrikes in the course of a few minutes in Gaza City alone. And in Israel, one red alert is going off after another.
“We have a safety room in our apartment but I never believed we'd have to use it,” said Shira, a mother of two in Petach Tikva. “We were not at all prepared for this.”
There are differing accounts of how this round of violence started, but it is the most serious escalation since Israel’s attack on Gaza in 2008-9, which killed some 1,400 people -- almost all of them Palestinian, and at least half of them civilians.
With Israeli elections coming up, and Hamas empowered by an Islamist resurgence in the region, analysts say this violence could quickly spiral into another war.
Residents of border communities are preparing for the worst. Nadav, a student in Beer Sheva, a town in southern Israel, is considering moving to Tel Aviv for the time being to avoid what may be coming.
"It's chaotic. We have to go up and down to the shelter all night; children are crying; shops and schools are closed; weddings and events are cancelled. I hope this ends quickly.”
But no one seems to think it will. In Sderot, people stocked up on food and supplies in the few hours supermarkets opened yesterday.
At one petrol station in Gaza City, where cars lined up around the block and people queued on foot with empty fuel tanks, employees tried to limit customers to 1-2 gallons each, to ensure everyone could get at least some fuel. Several petrol stations are closed in Gaza, either for the security of their employees, or because they have run out of fuel.
PCHR’s De Leeuw described the Gaza Strip as a “ghost town”.
“If people don’t have to go out, they don’t leave their homes,” she told IRIN. “The streets are practically empty. The few cars that are driving around are driving high speed. Anything can be a target at any moment.”
Saeed Mahmoud, a Gaza businessman, has closed his shop for the last two days, preferring to stay indoors and trying to calm his family, despite his own fears.
“This is very dangerous,” he told IRIN. “It reminds me of the days of the 2008-9 war when Gaza started to be empty. I am expecting things to be worse if there is a land incursion.”
Some areas have already run out of bread -- a result, de Leeuw said, of the blockade on Gaza.
“There are no reserves. The Gaza Strip has been living off of subsistence levels for several years now. When escalations occur, there is no buffer.”
According to testimonies collected by Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights, electricity has been cut off by the government of Gaza because of a power shortage.
PHR said it has received many calls of distress in recent days, and especially hours, from medical personnel in Gaza, where hospitals lack emergency equipment and the capacity to treat the injured.
“Gaza residents are confused and anxious,” one mental health worker told PHR. “There are ongoing explosions all over the Strip. Media reports are exaggerated, and are causing great stress. People hear about Israeli casualties and fear further escalation. Queues outside bakeries and shops are very long because people fear that Israeli invasion is close. Kids are in a terrible mental state, crying from anxiety."
Another war?
The Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group of armed groups, has proclaimed the assassination of al-Jaabari as a declaration of war against Gaza. Israel, which has named this latest Operation “Pillar of Cloud” is already threatening a ground invasion. Israel's home front defense minister recently said Israel needed to “reformat” Gaza.
“We've prepped the population in the south and the population in Gaza,” Mordechai told Channel 10. “We're not limited in time.”
A military source who requested anonymity told IRIN that Israel has mobilized its troops and is aiming to recruit 30,000 reserve soldiers in the coming days, with thousands of recruitment beginning last night. On Nov. 16, Channel 10 televised thousands of reserve soldiers recruited in the south.
''Israel is not keen on a ceasefire agreement right now,” the military source said. “We have a bank of targets to take out and restore our deterrent force with Hamas.''
The timing of this violence is no accident, writes Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, a Washington-based Palestinian advocacy group. With Israeli elections around the corner, the government is under pressure to respond to an increase in the number rockets fired into Israel this year.
“(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has made his political career on security issues, but even if he hopes to limit the conflagration, it could spiral out of everyone's control,” Ibish said.
The increase in rocket fire, he added, is a result of a shift in the balance of power within Hamas, as military commanders within Gaza try to regain power from Hamas leaders in exile.
Israeli army estimates that Gaza is currently home to 10,000 primitive missiles manufactured in Gaza, with a range of 7-15 km, 2,000 Grads of 30 km range and a few dozen Fajrs capable of reaching Tel Aviv.
Still, both sides have much to lose in a full-out war, as Haaretz columnists Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff point out.
“Such an operation would put the existence of the Hamas regime in Gaza at serious risk. It’s doubtful that Israel is interested in that, either. The military preparations at this point are for local brigade operations, not for reoccupying the Gaza Strip.”
On Thursday, a Stratfor report said another offensive would likely follow the same tactics as Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9, only be more complex because of the presence of longer-range missiles in Gaza and a possibly less cooperative partner for Israel in the new Egyptian government.
And if Operation Cast Lead is any indication, the impact on civilians will be huge.
“The (current) shortages are alarming, just as the military strikes are,” de Leeuw said.
“I don’t know how Gaza is going to deal with a new military campaign against it,” she added, as another air strike echoed on the phone line.
SDEROT, Israel (IRIN) -- Sderot’s streets are empty, its schools and shops closed. Residents of this southern Israeli town are accustomed to the alarm that sounds almost daily as rockets fired from Gaza land here. But the upsurge in violence in recent days is, for some, the last straw.
Benni Cohen is taking his three children to a family home further north, in Petach Tikva, 20 minutes east of Israel’s second largest city, Tel Aviv, and does not intend to come back.
"It's been ongoing for nine years,” he told IRIN. “This is not going to end. I'm not putting my children through anymore of this. We should have left (years ago).
“Seeing your children grow up under a rain of Qassam missiles is no way to live. We have 15 seconds to find shelter (when the rockets hit). Impossible.”
Across the border, in northern areas of the Gaza Strip, like in Beit Hanoun, a town hard hit by the border violence, many people have already started leaving their homes, heading for safer ground near Gaza City, according to Lydia de Leeuw, a documentation officer for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
But there too, they will not find refuge. Jihad al-Meshrawi, a BBC editor, was at the office when he got word his home in Gaza City had been hit by an Israeli airstrike. When he got home, he found his 11-month-old son and sister-in-law dead, and his brother severely burned.
“I am used to editing footage of people who have had their houses destroyed and bombed, people killed,” he told IRIN. “But I didn’t expect it to happen to me.
“They say they don’t attack civilians but we are civilians. Was my child armed?”
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 10 civilians in Gaza in the last two days. Hundreds of civilians have been wounded, it said.
The Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency response service, reported three dead, 10 serious or critical injuries, and at least 50 others treated for bruising, shrapnel wounds or trauma.
Army spokesman Yoav Mordechai told Israel’s Channel 10 that the military launched more than 200 air strikes in Gaza on 14-15 November, including one that killed Ahmad al-Jaabari, the military commander of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Armed groups in Gaza have fired rockets into southern Israel for five consecutive days. On Nov. 15, a rocket landed in Tel Aviv for the first time since the Gulf War, with more landing there in the next two days. The range of the new Fajr-5 rockets puts half of Israel's population within firing range. What was in the past nine years considered a “local hassle” for communities bordering Gaza has, in minutes, turned into a major concern.
For the first time in 20 years, Israeli authorities last night opened public bomb shelters in Tel Aviv and nearby cities. In the three hours after the rocket landed in Tel Aviv, the army launched 70 strikes on “targets” in the Gaza strip.
“No one has slept since Wednesday,” de Leeuw said.
Missiles and airstrikes continue raining down on both sides of the border. During a brief conversation by phone, IRIN heard three airstrikes in the course of a few minutes in Gaza City alone. And in Israel, one red alert is going off after another.
“We have a safety room in our apartment but I never believed we'd have to use it,” said Shira, a mother of two in Petach Tikva. “We were not at all prepared for this.”
There are differing accounts of how this round of violence started, but it is the most serious escalation since Israel’s attack on Gaza in 2008-9, which killed some 1,400 people -- almost all of them Palestinian, and at least half of them civilians.
With Israeli elections coming up, and Hamas empowered by an Islamist resurgence in the region, analysts say this violence could quickly spiral into another war.
Residents of border communities are preparing for the worst. Nadav, a student in Beer Sheva, a town in southern Israel, is considering moving to Tel Aviv for the time being to avoid what may be coming.
"It's chaotic. We have to go up and down to the shelter all night; children are crying; shops and schools are closed; weddings and events are cancelled. I hope this ends quickly.”
But no one seems to think it will. In Sderot, people stocked up on food and supplies in the few hours supermarkets opened yesterday.
At one petrol station in Gaza City, where cars lined up around the block and people queued on foot with empty fuel tanks, employees tried to limit customers to 1-2 gallons each, to ensure everyone could get at least some fuel. Several petrol stations are closed in Gaza, either for the security of their employees, or because they have run out of fuel.
PCHR’s De Leeuw described the Gaza Strip as a “ghost town”.
“If people don’t have to go out, they don’t leave their homes,” she told IRIN. “The streets are practically empty. The few cars that are driving around are driving high speed. Anything can be a target at any moment.”
Saeed Mahmoud, a Gaza businessman, has closed his shop for the last two days, preferring to stay indoors and trying to calm his family, despite his own fears.
“This is very dangerous,” he told IRIN. “It reminds me of the days of the 2008-9 war when Gaza started to be empty. I am expecting things to be worse if there is a land incursion.”
Some areas have already run out of bread -- a result, de Leeuw said, of the blockade on Gaza.
“There are no reserves. The Gaza Strip has been living off of subsistence levels for several years now. When escalations occur, there is no buffer.”
According to testimonies collected by Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights, electricity has been cut off by the government of Gaza because of a power shortage.
PHR said it has received many calls of distress in recent days, and especially hours, from medical personnel in Gaza, where hospitals lack emergency equipment and the capacity to treat the injured.
“Gaza residents are confused and anxious,” one mental health worker told PHR. “There are ongoing explosions all over the Strip. Media reports are exaggerated, and are causing great stress. People hear about Israeli casualties and fear further escalation. Queues outside bakeries and shops are very long because people fear that Israeli invasion is close. Kids are in a terrible mental state, crying from anxiety."
Another war?
The Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group of armed groups, has proclaimed the assassination of al-Jaabari as a declaration of war against Gaza. Israel, which has named this latest Operation “Pillar of Cloud” is already threatening a ground invasion. Israel's home front defense minister recently said Israel needed to “reformat” Gaza.
“We've prepped the population in the south and the population in Gaza,” Mordechai told Channel 10. “We're not limited in time.”
A military source who requested anonymity told IRIN that Israel has mobilized its troops and is aiming to recruit 30,000 reserve soldiers in the coming days, with thousands of recruitment beginning last night. On Nov. 16, Channel 10 televised thousands of reserve soldiers recruited in the south.
''Israel is not keen on a ceasefire agreement right now,” the military source said. “We have a bank of targets to take out and restore our deterrent force with Hamas.''
The timing of this violence is no accident, writes Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, a Washington-based Palestinian advocacy group. With Israeli elections around the corner, the government is under pressure to respond to an increase in the number rockets fired into Israel this year.
“(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has made his political career on security issues, but even if he hopes to limit the conflagration, it could spiral out of everyone's control,” Ibish said.
The increase in rocket fire, he added, is a result of a shift in the balance of power within Hamas, as military commanders within Gaza try to regain power from Hamas leaders in exile.
Israeli army estimates that Gaza is currently home to 10,000 primitive missiles manufactured in Gaza, with a range of 7-15 km, 2,000 Grads of 30 km range and a few dozen Fajrs capable of reaching Tel Aviv.
Still, both sides have much to lose in a full-out war, as Haaretz columnists Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff point out.
“Such an operation would put the existence of the Hamas regime in Gaza at serious risk. It’s doubtful that Israel is interested in that, either. The military preparations at this point are for local brigade operations, not for reoccupying the Gaza Strip.”
On Thursday, a Stratfor report said another offensive would likely follow the same tactics as Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9, only be more complex because of the presence of longer-range missiles in Gaza and a possibly less cooperative partner for Israel in the new Egyptian government.
And if Operation Cast Lead is any indication, the impact on civilians will be huge.
“The (current) shortages are alarming, just as the military strikes are,” de Leeuw said.
“I don’t know how Gaza is going to deal with a new military campaign against it,” she added, as another air strike echoed on the phone line.
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Israeli Chief of the General Staff Benny Gantz has approved the expansion of Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip, Israeli TV says.
The decision was made after the regime called up about 75,000 army reservists amid increasing signs that Tel Aviv is preparing for a full ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip. The military “is gearing towards a calling in reserve forces ahead of a ground operation in the Gaza Strip,” army spokesman Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai said. “The Military Intelligence continues to make efforts to discern additional targets." |
“We're going to significantly aggravate the operation,” an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Ynet news site on Friday.
Late on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also held a four-hour emergency meeting with a number of senior ministers in Tel Aviv on widening the military offensive on Gaza.
At least 11 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in Israeli attacks on the village of Jebaliya in northern Gaza, southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah and the central district of Mughazi. Five were killed in Rafah.
More than 41 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli airstrikes against the besieged territory began on Wednesday.
Israel fabricated Gaza war reasons: Erdogan
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the Tel Aviv regime’s deadly airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip as a stunt ahead of elections.
"Before this election they (the Israeli regime) shot these innocent people in Gaza for reasons they fabricated," he told reporters in the Turkish capital city of Istanbul on Friday.
"The dominant world powers are now making the Gaza people and fighters pay, and as the Republic of Turkey we are with our brothers in Gaza and their just cause," Erdogan added.
The Turkish premier went on to say that he would speak on the phone with US President Barack Obama to discuss the ongoing airstrikes on Gaza later on Friday.
“I will have a phone conversation with Obama. I will share these thoughts with him.”
Erdogan also expressed hope that a “decision of the UN Security Council and the attitude of the dominant powers will end Israel's offensive attitude.”
"We don't have any relations with Israel left. The countries which have relations with Israel should talk to them."
The new wave of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has claimed more than 41 lives since November 14. Ahmed al-Ja'abari, the popular and influential head of the Hamas military wing, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was assassinated in an Israeli attack on his car on Wednesday.
On Friday, Ahmed Abu Jalal, a field commander of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on the central Gaza district of Maghazi.
Late on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also held a four-hour emergency meeting with a number of senior ministers in Tel Aviv on widening the military offensive on Gaza.
At least 11 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in Israeli attacks on the village of Jebaliya in northern Gaza, southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah and the central district of Mughazi. Five were killed in Rafah.
More than 41 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli airstrikes against the besieged territory began on Wednesday.
Israel fabricated Gaza war reasons: Erdogan
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the Tel Aviv regime’s deadly airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip as a stunt ahead of elections.
"Before this election they (the Israeli regime) shot these innocent people in Gaza for reasons they fabricated," he told reporters in the Turkish capital city of Istanbul on Friday.
"The dominant world powers are now making the Gaza people and fighters pay, and as the Republic of Turkey we are with our brothers in Gaza and their just cause," Erdogan added.
The Turkish premier went on to say that he would speak on the phone with US President Barack Obama to discuss the ongoing airstrikes on Gaza later on Friday.
“I will have a phone conversation with Obama. I will share these thoughts with him.”
Erdogan also expressed hope that a “decision of the UN Security Council and the attitude of the dominant powers will end Israel's offensive attitude.”
"We don't have any relations with Israel left. The countries which have relations with Israel should talk to them."
The new wave of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has claimed more than 41 lives since November 14. Ahmed al-Ja'abari, the popular and influential head of the Hamas military wing, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was assassinated in an Israeli attack on his car on Wednesday.
On Friday, Ahmed Abu Jalal, a field commander of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on the central Gaza district of Maghazi.
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The name chosen for the new war in Gaza is "operation Cloud Pillar".
A far more appropriate name would have been "Operation Short Memory" Said former Knesset member Uri Avnery, Gush Shalom activist. "Prime Minister Netanyahu is counting on the public's short memory. Netanyahu counts upon people forgetting that dozens and even hundreds of "liquidations" had been carried out and they did not solve any problem - always there was somebody replacing those who were killed, and more than once the new one was more capable and more radical. Netanyahu counts on people not remembering that four years ago Israel went to war in Gaza, killing 1300 civilians in three weeks – which otherwise did not make any significant change in the situation. |
Netanyahu counts on people failing to remember that just yesterday morning the media reported on people in the communities of the South heaving a sigh of relief at the complete cessation of missiles from Gaza. .
"Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak have taken the decision - for the second time in a row the State of Israel will conduct general elections under the shadow of war in the Gaza Strip. The cease-fire which already started to stabilize had been broken and shattered to pieces. The inhabitants of te communities of southern Israel, who just started to breathe freely, are sent right back to air raid alarms and the running to shelters.
At the price of great suffering on both sides of the border, the government's aim had been accomplished: the social issues, which threatened to assume prominence in these elections, have been pushed aside and removed from the agenda of the elections campaign. Forgotten, too, is the brave attempt of Mahmud Abbas to address the Israeli public opinion. In the coming weeks, the headlines will be filled with constant war and death, destruction and bloodshed. When it ends at last, it will be revealed that no goal has been achieved and that the problems remain the same, or perhaps got worse."
"Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak have taken the decision - for the second time in a row the State of Israel will conduct general elections under the shadow of war in the Gaza Strip. The cease-fire which already started to stabilize had been broken and shattered to pieces. The inhabitants of te communities of southern Israel, who just started to breathe freely, are sent right back to air raid alarms and the running to shelters.
At the price of great suffering on both sides of the border, the government's aim had been accomplished: the social issues, which threatened to assume prominence in these elections, have been pushed aside and removed from the agenda of the elections campaign. Forgotten, too, is the brave attempt of Mahmud Abbas to address the Israeli public opinion. In the coming weeks, the headlines will be filled with constant war and death, destruction and bloodshed. When it ends at last, it will be revealed that no goal has been achieved and that the problems remain the same, or perhaps got worse."
