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Israeli F-16s, Helicopters, and Tanks Further Drive Up the Death Toll, Casualties, and Numbers of Psychologically Wounded In Gaza I'm terrified: between the hovering F-16s, the helicopters’ bombing, and the tanks rumbling presence, there is no way to sleep. During the night, I can sleep at best two hours, sometimes a little bit more. Not much more, though, and then I am awake again, awake all day long. Not because I don't like sleeping. No, like anyone else around the world, I love and need to sleep. But the constant noise of F-16s, the memories of each day’s bloody images, and the progressively appalling and horrific conditions throughout the Gaza Strip make it challenging for me to think, let alone sleep. I wake up many times throughout the night—after having struggled to get to sleep in the first place. US-supplied Israeli F-16s and helicopters cloud the skies all day and night here in Gaza. No where, absolutely no where feels safe in Gaza! Since the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) increased their military air strikes, the situation in Gaza has been increasingly dreadful lately. Tens of people have been killed in the past few months, and hundreds injured, among them a child, a schoolboy, a pregnant woman, a farmer going to his farm, a student going to his university, and even a man who was only passing by for a moment when the Israeli helicopters and F-16s decided to bomb a car. What did this man do to get killed that way? Nothing. He did nothing. This car was targeted because it supposedly had Hamas members. Most of the time, civilians are the targets, and they are the ones who end up being killed in the so-called fight against Hamas. This is war not only against Palestinians, but against humanity. Nothing is left behind but destruction. Families no longer even consider pleasantries like going to the beach after their children have finished their exams. How they can go to school when every child remembers last summer and the family who were killed by Israel Occupation Forces while on the beach? I talked with 11 year old Bassam, from Deir Al Balah. He told me that he would love to go to the beach, but can't because his mom won’t allow him. He explained: "She fears that the Israeli warships will shoot at us, and we will be killed the same as the Huda Ghaliah family." Bassam’s mother is right. How could they enjoy the first days of summer swimming at the beach when Israeli helicopters and F-16s are hovering throughout the area, and when Israeli warships are unpredictable in their firing. At any moment, a bomb can hit. The result? Shreds of human flesh scattered everywhere. Children's clothes and sandals spread along the sand, along with the blood of the children who came to enjoy their weekend on the beach. Yes, it seems the Israeli warships won’t allow their happiness, won’t allow the children to enjoy their own beach, to swim and laugh with their families. Two Weeks of Bloodshed in Gaza: Israeli Warplanes, Tanks and Bulldozers Assail the Gaza Strip In the Gaza Strip two days ago five Palestinians were killed and eight wounded in a quick succession of five morning air strikes on buildings alleged to be used by the paramilitary Executive, part of Ministry of Interior. Life, long-since appallingly difficult and dreadful, has been rapidly worsening with the increasingly debilitating strikes and tense situation. In related news, the bodies of three Palestinians were found under the rubble of a building destroyed in an air strike in the Zaitoun area east of Gaza City. Additionally, six Palestinians were wounded, with three critically injured, according to medical sources at Al Shifa hospital. I was later told that two subsequently died. Two other Executive Force posts were attacked: one in the nearby Shati refugee camp, where the body guards of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Hanyeh live, and where another four people were wounded. An additional air strike in Rafah left a number of people injured. Yet another air strike hit the ex-settlement area in Khan Younies, with no injuries yet reported. Lately, F-16s and helicopters have been bombing even the rubble of what used to be buildings. These IOF attacks raise the death toll to the tens of Palestinians, with hundreds injured, in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the largely inaccurate home-made Qassam rockets continue to be fired from the Palestinian side, leaving one Israeli woman dead, with others injured. Following a cabinet meeting, Amir Peretz, Israeli minister of defence, pledged that regardless of a ceasefire between Hamas and Fatah splinter groups, regardless of the cessation of Qassam rockets, the Israeli onslaught of missiles and destruction in Gaza will continue. Peretz further stated Israel has a list of ‘targets’ which they will pursue, irrespective of the fact that of the over 30 Palestinians killed in attacks on alleged ‘Hamas targets’ or Qassam launching sites, over half of them were unarmed civilians with no ties to Qassam launching or armed groups. Using the same rhetoric that was heard during and after the war on Lebanon last summer, Peretz cited Israel’s “self-restraint” thus far, pledging to now end the “restraint” that has left only 30 something Palestinians dead in the Gaza Strip alone ---not to mention the various incursions, deaths, and unwarranted arrests in West Bank areas--- and instead adopt an escalated policy of targeting Gazan areas.
In the same vein, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert affirmed at his cabinet meeting that Israel is ready for a long-term confrontation, again regardless of what Hamas does or whether Hamas fires on Israeli areas. In contrast to earlier statements justifying Israel’s involvement in and invasion into the Gaza Strip, Olmert now admits a Palestinian ceasefire means nothing to Israel and is a “Palestinian internal issue.” Olmert continued with the blanket threat—much akin to the words of US President George Bush—that: “no one who is involved in terrorism is immune,” and—in echoes of the US presence in Iraq—that, “Israel will not be subject to a timetable regarding its operations in Gaza." Along the line of targeting anyone suspected of being related to acts of resistance (a.k.a. “terrorism”), according to Palestinian sources at least 33 Hamas officials—including Palestinian education minister Dr. Nasser Addin Ash-Sha'er, three lawmakers, and at least seven mayors—have been seized in overnight raids in the West Bank, particularly many from the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Interestingly, while Israeli media report on the fears and stress levels of Israelis in and near Sderot, there is little to no reporting on the effects of the Occupation on the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians who suffer incredible psychological stress from never knowing when and where will occur the next incursion, invasion, string of arrests, and random checkpoints. The million and a half civilians of Gaza alone suffer from the ever-present Israeli helicopters, F-16s, warships, and tanks, all of which repeatedly demonstrate their ability to fire at random, indiscriminately, at any given time. Thus it is that what was earlier touted as a response to Qassam rockets has now devolved into what more realistically seems to be a pre-ordained plan—just waiting for the pretext—for Israel to again invade Gaza, causing further extensive damage to infrastructure, along with untold civilian deaths. All in the sullied name of “security” and empty phrase “the war on terrorism.” This morning, while I'm writing this, Israeli helicopters, tanks and bulldozers are attacking Al Emour area between Rafah and Khan Younies. The attack is still going on up till now.
Palestinian In-fighting Continues to Divide and Rule Gaza Palestinian streets no longer feel even remotely safe, and many have been surprised at the weak efforts of both Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamic movement Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas of the largely secular Fateh movement in their unconvincing calls for a truce. Despite this week's repeated attempts, with Egyptian delegations, to make a cease-fire stick, all efforts have ended in failure and tragedy. Abbas had been planning to come to Gaza but rumors spread that some groups had plotted to assassinate him. Thus, his intended trip from the West Bank to Gaza faded in the headlines. The streets now remain unpredictable, with Palestinians living in collective fear and frustration, with no safe way to go out in the streets. The situation is even worse now that political leaders are no longer able to reign in their gunmen or the militants who set the road-blocks and target each other in the streets. Gaza’s factional, internal-fighting, which has killed more than 70 people and wounded hundreds, is the failure of the Hamas and Fateh coalition deal forged in March to address the important issue of who controls Palestinian security forces. Without a doubt, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has failed to clarify things, rendering things much worse than ever. Ghassan Zaid: "I’m scared; there's no way to go out without being shot at —I feel so scared all the time, and feel terribly about the ongoing fighting. My children no longer feel safe because of this fighting--- and I can’t take them to schools to attend their final exams,” said the 43 year old man from Gaza City, as gunfire shots rang out everywhere in Gaza City, as in Gaza Strip's north, the central area, and southern Rafah. The clashes go on and on in nearly every part of the Strip. Horrifying stories are being told which illustrate the graveness of the situation: some people tell about the senseless and often brutal way in which their loved ones were killed. The daughter of one of the slain, described her fauther's death as "slaughter" in an interview with a local radio station in Gaza. She said that her father, who was a business man, was killed by the presidential guards as he was sitting inside his house. Suddenly, militants and masked men had come to their door and asked for five minutes outside with him. But, to her relief, the men came back. Asia Al Nimir, 20, recalled: "I assumed my dad was in safe hands, and was possibly back sitting on the sofa.” She said that the soldier tauntingly informed her: "No, your dad isn't on the sofa, he's lying on the floor.” Asia had not imagined that they would kill him, as he was an independent business man, very well-respected among the local community. His house was but a few meters away from the presidential compound in Gaza. It wasn't possible to identify his body, the corpse being riddled with bullets from head to toe. She added that, causing further devastation, the militants stole her father's car, her mother’s gold, their money...Even her laptop, which she uses for her engineering courses at the university, was also stolen. Asia was in a state of shock at her father's murder, and she can still not understand the reason for his death, why he was dragged out of his house and massacred with numerous bullets. “I want to know: where is my father? Why was he killed? What for?” she asked, never to be answered. The spark which fed these fires came last week when the top Abbas
allied security chiefs moved 3,000 security officers loyal to Fatah
into the streets of Gaza City, apparently as part of a law and order
crackdown. Israeli human rights group B'tselem has strongly condemned Israel's indiscriminate civilian assault as illegal war crimes and collective punishment against Gazan citizens.
Mounting Despair, Death in the Air
The stench of blood is rife: it is awash in the streets, the markets, in homes,...all over the Gaza Strip. There are no safe havens any longer in Gaza, and even journalists on the job have been targeted. Such was the case with two Palestinian journalists who were killed during the internal fighting between Hamas and Fateh which broke out for a second day on Monday, raising the number of Palestinians killed to nine, with more than 80 wounded since gunfire exchanges erupted in Gaza City on Sunday. The cause of the recent bloodshed is said to be the killing of local Fateh militant leader, Baha Abu Jarad, and his driver by Hamas gunmen. "Gaza is a frightening place to live. I fear for the safety of myfamily and myself," said an exasperated Jalal Hemid, 38, while he hid, taking cover from the bullets flying in the streets. As one of the Palestinian National Forces Members passed by, I asked him what was going on. The masked man looked at me, replying: "More clashes; someone just got killed few minutes ago. He was standing exactly where you are now." The gunfire resumed immediately after I left the area. Monday's outbreak of shooting came just hours after officials from both sides said a new truce would take effect from 12:30 am, following the killing of four Palestinians in the worst such violence in around two months. Yet, with civilians staying holed up indoors, Gazan universities also shut down Monday morning, as university grounds are typically the site of tensions and potential clashes. Medical sources and the head of Al Shifa hospital's emergency department cite the Palestinians killed on Monday as Fateh activists: a 24-year-old bodyguard, Ala'a Shubeer, and Mohammed Al Beheisi. Adding to the destruction, Hamas gunmen torched a Fateh office in Gaza City, while a Hamas office was also set ablaze and damaged, according to Palestinian sources from both factions. Both Hamas and Fateh have accused each other of inciting the newest in-fighting, which began, as usual, in northern Gaza. Gaza's northern areas are where factional problems and disputes are most pronounced, and where it seems people are the last to be informed of any truce announcement. Many of those killed are civilians, picked-off while walking in the streets or injured during attacks on houses. These latest shootings and acts of retaliation come following Mahmoud Abbas' decision to send 3,000 of his Fateh security forces to Gaza as policement; but those forces were recalled on the weekend following complaints from Hamas, with the party stating that the factions were working on implementing a new plan to avoid further clashes. While officials promise to end the chaos, in-fighting, and clan disputes, there has been no cessation in the bloodshed and exchange of bullets. The truce has mostly been broken by factional members who don't respect law and order in the Gaza Strip. In the end, those who are paying the price are yet again the civilian population who don't know where and how to hide and who are caught, as ever, between politics and lawlessness. The troubles underscore that tensions are still running rampant in the densely-populated and tightly-constricted Gaza Strip, just months after the Fateh and Hamas signed a ceasefire and power-sharing agreement in Mecca, agreeing on a unity government and renewed a pledge for peace. The truce was widely applauded as having diverted possible escalation into an all-out civil war. Yet, with these latest resurgences of violence and chaos, Hani al-Qawasmi, the independent Minister of Interior, has resigned after only a few months in his challenging position, which includes control of the thousands of security forces. Having tried to quit two weeks earlier, he did so Monday, chastising the two factions for undermining his efforts to end the violence: "I told all parties I cannot accept being a minister without authority," he told a news conference. Meanwhile, the Israeli security cabinet has reached a nebulous agreement to allow the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to act against the shooting of Qassam rockets, as well as other alleged terrorist activities. The decision and strategy remain vague and undefined, allowing the IOF to carry out operations deeper in Palestinian territories, according to a recent Haaretz report. These decisions come as helicopters hover over parts of Gaza at low altitude, menacing citizens on the streets and in their homes, as well as the supposed terrorists the IOF are seeking. Over 15 months after international sanctions were imposed on Palestinians, Gazans remain impoverished, banned from fishing waters, afloat in a sea of chaos and virtually non-existant public infrastructure. With sewage treatment facilities, key power sources, and water storage facilities, having been ravaged last June, the resultant spiral into a hell in the streets is hardly shocking. What is shocking is that 15 months later, international governments still remains silent and complicit. What exactly will it take to end the siege on Palestinians, ease the strangling hold on livelihoods, and thereby lessen the tensions in a choking society? Will it take the incursion Israel is threatening and amassing for? Inshallah not. Today, Israel bombed a car for Palestinian National Forces today killing 9 Palestinians who were patrolling in the area. Israel toke responsobility of the attack, as medical sources confirmed at Al Shifa Hopsital that the killing was resulted by Israeli tank shells.
Celebration Ends in Shots and Shock:
One Palestinian has been fatally shot, with another six wounded, Sunday at a United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) run school in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. The incident happened when extremist gunmen opened fire on the civilians exiting school grounds, said medical sources at the Rafah Abu Yousef Al Najjar hospital. The gunmen began their shooting spree at the gate of Al Omaria school as Rafah students, parents, and teachers were departing from a festival at the school. The deceased was later identified as a bodyguard of Majid Abu Shamallah, a lawmaker from president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. Abu Shamallah has been attacked many times, but in this instance, it appears he was not the intended target. John Ging, the Gaza director of UNRWA, had attended the celebration, however news reports say that Ging was unharmed and had evacuated the area immediately at the sound of the shots. While a damaged UN vehicle was seen following the attack, no UNRWA staff have been reported injured. Three of the alleged gunmen were detained by Palestinian security forces immediately after the incident took place. Subsequently, groups of citizens filed to the police station to demand punishment for the gunmen's disrespect for law and order and for endangering civilians' safety. "As the festival was ending and the guests, parents, and pupils were leaving the school, the extremists threw two grenades and opened fire," recounted an eyewitness in Rafah who had attendended. A group describing themselves as "Salafist," a strand of puritanical Islam, allegedly sent a statement Saturday threatening to "sabotage the celebration organized by the UNRWA school." Many believe the motive for the attack stems from the co-ed nature of the celebration, the mixing of the male and female youths believed to be against the traditions and morals of Muslim society. Yet, the head of the Islamic group denies any connection to the incident. According to his radio interview, Salafies mission is to encourage good behaviour---but not via means of violence or the targeting of civilians. It is entirely possible that other groups have used the name and perceived 'extreme' image of the Salafies to tarnish their image, an image which the Salafy spokesman is determined to defend. He promised leaflets would follow with their statement of intent and innocence in the shootings. UNRWA, the largest UN agency with more than 25,000 employees in the Palestinian territories, was established to provide refugee relief in the immediate aftermath of the 1948 creation of the state of Israel, the "nakba," or catastrophe, which saw over 700,000 Palestinians forced to flee their homes, thus becoming refugees from their land. Since then, the agency has increased its services to include the education, health, and environment sectors, in addition to continuing to provide relief and social services to millions of Palestinian refugees--estimated at more than 4.3 million, living in camps in and outside of Palestine. This recent act of religious extremism harkens back to the old Gazan mentality of the early 1980s, when the fundamentalists' actions were, incredibly, much worse than this recent occurence. Conservative groups arise in Palestine, with the seeming intention of suffocating and ruining the lives of Palestinians, adding yet new nuances to their suffering. This time, however, the creative suffering does not flow from Israeli influence, but, rather, from a select Palestinian mentality. Yet, in considering these acts and their religious overtones, it is also important to consider the desperate poverty and challenges to study which only exacerbate frustrations and provide grounds for extreme ideas to flourish. This reality is no celebration, and it seems unlikely to end anytime soon. |
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