Friday, April 25, 2008

In Gaza: No shoe nor a drop of fuel

Siege imposed on the Gaza strip has become the first concern for Palestinian citizens who live in the biggest jail ever in this world.

Those civilians are severely suffering from the Israeli collective punishment policy which influences them day and night in all life facets.- -
This black list includes thousands of raw materials and food stuff in a flagrant violation of all human laws and charters.
I took a round in Al zawya popular market mid of Gaza City where owners of shops locate. The place was so miserable and smell of garbage spreads everywhere. The shops were nearly empty either of customers or goods!
More:http://gazatoday. blogspot. com/2008/ 04/in-gaza- no-shoe-nor- drop-of-fuel- siege.html
or http://tinyurl. com/3la5fq http://freegaza. ps/english/

Friday, April 18, 2008

الحصار يشتد ويحصد المزيد من مرضى القطاع



"الحملة الأوروبية": رفض إدخال غاز "النيتروز" لمشافي غزة قرار بالإعدام لمئات المرضى

بروكسيل ـ18 نيسان/ أبريل 2008

حذّرت "الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة" من تداعيات توقف المستشفيات في قطاع غزة عن إجراء العمليات الجراحية للمرضى والجرحى، بعد أن نفد غاز "النيتروز"، اللازم في التخدير عند إجراء كافة العمليات، بسبب امتناع الاحتلال الإسرائيلي عن إمداد غزة بهذا الغاز.
وقال الناطق الإعلامي باسم الحملة ماضي عرفات، في تصريح له من بروكسيل اليوم: "إن رفض إسرائيل إدخال غاز النيتروز يعني إصدار حُكم إعدام على مئات المرضى الذين يحتاجون إلى عمليات جراحية، لا سيما في ظل استمرار العدوان الإسرائيلي والتهديد باجتياح واسع للقطاع".
وأضاف: "إن القطاع الصحي مُهدد بالانهيار، في حين أن الكارثة الإنسانية قد بدأت في قطاع غزة، في ظل استمرار الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بمنع دخول الأدوية ومستلزمات وزارة الصحة"، مشيراً إلى أن الوضع الصحي في غزة "خطير للغاية، وينذر بحالات موت جماعية للمرضى وجرحى العدوان الإسرائيلي المتواصل على غزة".
ولفت عرفات الانتباه إلى أن "خطر الموت يتهدد قائمة كبيرة من المرضى من أصحاب الأمراض الخطيرة والمزمنة، والتي تحتاج إلى إجراء عمليات جراحية عاجلة، ويمنعهم الاحتلال من مغادرة القطاع لتلقي العلاج، نتيجة الحصار، وإغلاق كافة معابر القطاع منذ عدة أشهر".
وكانت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية، التي أعلنت عن توقف إجراء العمليات الجراحية في المستشفيات، قد نبّهت من أن "كارثة صحية ستدمر وستزهق أرواح الكثير من المرضى"، وقالت "إن إسرائيل تزرع الموت داخل مستشفيات قطاع غزة".
ودعت "الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة" المؤسسات الطبية الدولية إلى التحرك لإمداد غزة بما تحتاجه من أدوية ومستلزمات طبية، لا سيما في ظل استمرار العدوان الإسرائيلي على غزة. مناشدة في الوقت ذاته الرئيس المصري حسني مبارك التدخل شخصياً والإسراع في فتح معبر رفح، الذي يعتبر المنفذ العربي الوحيد لقطاع غزة، والذي يمكنه أن يمنع وقوع كارثة إنسانية محققة.
كما طالبت كافة المدافعين عن الحرية والعدالة وحقوق الإنسان، ممثلي الأديان والمؤسسات الدينية، والمثقفين والإعلاميين، وقوى المجتمع المدني؛ أن يرفعوا أصواتهم عالياً لرفض الحصار الجائر الذي يطال المواطنين الفلسطينيين، معتبرة ذلك التزاماً إنسانياً وأخلاقياً مفروضاً على أصحاب الضمائر الحيّة في أوروبا والعالم أجمع.
هذا ومن المقرر أن ينظّم اعتصام جماهيري حاشد أمام البرلمان الأوروبي في العاصمة البلجيكية بروكسيل، يوم الثلاثاء القادم (22/4)، للتضامن مع أهل غزة وللضغط من أجل رفع الحصار، وذلك بمبادرة من "الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة" و"مركز العودة الفلسطيني".

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

عندما تصبح الحياة مرهونة بكمية الوقود
أمام أعين العالم .. مرضى غزة ينتظرون دورهم على "مقصلة" الحصار


بروكسيل ـ15 نيسان/ أبريل 2008

أطلقت منظمات حقوق الإنسان، العاملة في قطاع غزة، نداءات استغاثة عاجلة لإنقاذ حياة مليون ونصف المليون نفس بشرية تعيش في شريط ساحلي ضيق محاصر من جميع الاتجاهات منذ ما يزيد عن عامين، وشدد الحصار عليه قبل نحو عشرة أشهر.
وازداد تشديد الحصار الخانق قبل نحو أسبوع بمنع سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي تزويد قطاع غزة بالوقود بمختلف أشكاله، بما في ذلك الوقود الذي يمكّن المستشفيات من العمل على إنقاذ حياة ما يزيد عن ألف ومائتي مريض يعانون من أمراض خطيرة ومزمنة، حيث باتت حياة هؤلاء المرضى مرهونة بما يتوفر من وقود.

"إعدام" جماعي وصمت عالمي

حالة الصمت على عملية "الإبادة الجماعية" التي يتعرّضون لها أمام أعين العام أجمع، قوبلت باستهجان واستغراب من أبناء قطاع غزة المحاصرين، وذلك في الوقت الذي بات المريض ينتظر الدور الذي يُؤخذ فيه إلى "مقصلة" الحصار لينفَّذ فيه حُكم الإعدام عبر شاشات التلفزة العالمية دون أن يحرّك أحداً ساكناً.
وتؤكد وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية وجود مئات المرضى الفلسطينيين المصابين بأمراض خطيرة ينتظرون الموت وينتظرون الحصول على أرقام في سجلات الوفاة الفلسطينية، بسبب منع قوات الاحتلال لهؤلاء المرضى بالسفر إلى الخارج لتلقي العلاج، وكذلك فرض تلك القوات للحصار الخانق والظالم ومنع الأدوية واستهداف القطاع الصحي بشكل متعمد ومقصود.
هذا الحال؛ جعل رئيس "الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة"، أمين أبو راشد، يعتبر أن الساعات الحالية تجعل المجتمع الدولي والعالم أجمع "شاهداً على كارثة إنسانية تتشكّل بشكل متسارع، عبر انهيار ما تبقى من نظام الخدمات العامة ومقومات الحياة اليومية والرعاية الصحية في شتى مناطق قطاع غزة، بل ويجعلنا شهوداً على عملية إعدام جماعي بحق الفلسطينيين"، كما قال.
ولم تلق نداءات الاستغاثة والمناشدات العاجلة التي أطلقت من المنظمات الحقوقية ومن وزارة الصحة في قطاع غزة، حتى الآن، أذناً صاغية ولم تقابل بتحركات عملية لكسر الحصار، بل إن الفلسطينيين، الذين فَقدوا أمام أعينهم، وفي ظل عجزهم، 133 من مرضاهم لعدم توفر الدواء ومنعهم من العلاج في الخارج بسبب الحصار الإسرائيلي، بدؤوا يتساءلون باستهجان، "كم يحتاج العالم أن يموت من الفلسطينيين المرضى ليبدؤوا بالتحرك لنجدتهم؟!".

انهيار الأوضاع الصحية ينذر بكارثة

"قطاع غزة يعيش على شفى كارثة صحية وإنسانية خطيرة، بل انعدمت فيه كافة مظاهر الصحة، وانتزع من المواطن الفلسطيني كل ما يمكن أن يضمن له العيش بحياة صحية آمنة"؛ كان ذلك تحذيراً أطلقته وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية، ونداء أطلقت عليه "قبل الكارثة"، ومناشدات تتواصل من أجل منع عمليات "إعدام جماعية" بحق مئات المرضى خلال الأيام القادمة إن استمر حصار غزة ومنع الوقود من الدخول.
واستناداً إلى التقارير الرسمية؛ فإن عدد الأصناف التي رصيدها صفر من الأدوية في قطاع غزة وصلت إلى 55 صنفاً، وأن عدداً كبيراً من الأجهزة في المستشفيات تعطلت بشكل كامل أو جزئي بسبب عدم إمكانية إيجاد قطع لها".
ولفتت النظر إلى أن عدداً كبيراً من أطفال غزة، بنسبة 70 في المائة، يعانون من سوء تغذية بسبب الحصار المفروض على القطاع الصحي بشكل أساسي، وأن ثلث ضحايا هذا الحصار الإسرائيلي هم من الأطفال المرضى وبينهم أطفال لم يتجاوز عمرهم الشهرين، كما أن عدداً كبيراً من الأطفال يعانون ازدياد حالاتهم النفسية الصعبة، والمشاكل الاجتماعية التي يتعرضون لها نتيجة الفقر والحصار.
وتشير التقارير الطبية الفلسطينية الرسمية إلى أن عدد مرضى السرطان والقلب في مستشفيات قطاع غزة بلغ (1220) مريضاً موزعين على مستشفيات الشفاء والأوروبي والنصر، موضحاً أن 730 من هؤلاء المرضى مصابين بالسرطان.

غزة .. مقبرة جماعية

هذا الواقع المرير في قطاع غزة المحاصر يجعله مكاناً خصباً لمقبرة جماعية لمئات المواطنين المرضى والجرحى، وذلك في حال انقطع التيار الكهربائي بسبب عدم توفر الوقود، والذي من شأنه أن يوقف تغذية المستشفيات بالطاقة اللازمة لتشغيل الأجهزة الطبية، ما قد يعني حالات وفاة جماعية للمرضى في أقسام العناية المركّزة ولأولئك الذين يعتمدون على أجهزة التنفس الاصطناعي وغسيل الكلى، فضلاً عن حاضنات الأطفال الخُدّج.
وحذّر وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية في تقاريرها من أنه إن لم يتدخل أحرار العالم وأبناء الأمة العربية والإسلامية بصورة سريعة لوضع حد لمأساة المرضى الناجمة عن هذه الممارسات والإجراءات الإسرائيلية؛ فإن غزة مهددة بأن تتحول إلى مقبرة جماعية مقترنة بالصمت الدولي عن تلك المأساة.
وكانت "الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة" قد حذّرت من حالات "الموت الجماعي" لمرضى الحالات الصعبة في قطاع غزة، خلال الأيام القليلة القادمة، إذا استمر منع الوقود عن غزة.
وقالت في نداء عاجل، صادر عنها في بروكسيل: "إن خطر الموت يتهدد قائمة كبيرة من المرضى من أصحاب الأمراض الخطيرة والمزمنة، وذلك بعد أن توفى 133 مريضاً جراء عدم تلقيهم العلاج بسبب عدم توفر الأدوية، ومنعهم من مغادرة القطاع لتلقي العلاج، نتيجة الحصار الإسرائيلي المشدد، وإغلاق كافة معابر القطاع منذ عدة أشهر".
ولفتت "الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة" الانتباه إلى أن الحصار أحكم حبله على رقاب المرضى الفلسطينيين في غزة، فسيارات الإسعاف التي تعمل على نقل جرحى العدوان الإسرائيلي والمرضى توقفت عن العمل لنفاد الوقود، والأطباء الآن غير قادرين على الوصول إلى أماكن عملهم لشح وسائل النقل، والمرضى على أسرة المرض يحيطهم خطر الموت في أي لحظة.

أكبر سجن في العالم

ويواجه قطاع غزة منذ قرابة سنتين حصاراً شاملاً، هدّد ما تبقى للفلسطينيين فيه، من فرص الحياة الإنسانية اللائقة. ومنذ مطلع الصيف الماضي تم تشديد ذلك الحصار المفروض على القطاع ذي المساحة الصغيرة المكتظة بالسكان، فأصبح يضيِّق الخناق على السكان القاطنين هناك بشكل صارخ، ومعظمهم من اللاجئين الذين يعيشون في مخيّمات بائسة.
لقد حوّلت سياسة الحصار التي تتبنّاها حكومة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، قطاع غزة الذي يعيش فيه مليون ونصف المليون نسمة إلى أكبر سجن في العالم، بكل ما تعنيه كلمة سجن على أرض الواقع. ولم يعد أيّ من سكان القطاع يتمكن من مغادرة القطاع تحت أي ظرف من الظروف، حتى بالنسبة للحالات المرضية المستعصية والطلبة والطالبات الدارسين في الخارج ومزاولي الأعمال المختلفة فضلاً عن الصحافيين ومراسلي الإعلام ومسؤولي الوكالات والجمعيات الإنسانية.
ويشمل الحصار أيضاً منع تدفق العقاقير الطبية والمستلزمات العلاجية والتجهيزات الطبية، وكذلك المواد الغذائية والتموينية والمساعدات الإنسانية، فضلاً عن إمدادات الوقود والطاقة الخارجية التي يعتمد القطاع عليها اعتماداً كلياً، علاوة على المستلزمات الصناعية الأوّلية ومواد البناء والكثير من السلع والاحتياجات اللازمة لمعيشة السكان.
لقد أنشأت حالة الحصار المشدّدة المفروضة على قطاع غزة، وقائع مأساوية ذات أبعاد كارثية، وبخاصة على قطاعات الصحة والتغذية والتعليم والعون الإنساني، كما أدت إلى شلل تام في المرافق الصناعية والقطاعات الاقتصادية، وتسبّبت في أزمة متفاقمة في سوق العمل الذي كان يعاني في الأصل من معدلات بطالة قياسية هي الأعلى عالمياً.

لمزيد من المعلومات:
The European Campaign to end the siege on Gaza
الحملة الأوروبية لرفع الحصار عن غزة
www.freedomforpalestine.org

للاتصال: 0031613644444
info@freedomforpalestine.org

Monday, April 14, 2008

No Ambulance, Call the Radio

By Mohammed Omer

GAZA CITY, Apr 12 - "I am bleeding uncontrollably, I need an ambulance." That was not a call to emergency services, it was an appeal broadcast live on radio in Gaza City.

Who knows whether there will ever be an ambulance or not. But this way the ambulance services still hear the appeal broadcast on Al-Iman FM Radio Station, one of few independent radio stations in Gaza. And if the emergency services cannot help, someone else who hears the appeal might.

The ambulance dispatcher announces he cannot get the ambulance to the man. An Israeli bulldozer is blocking the road, and an Israeli tank on a hilltop has been firing at the ambulance, he says. Nobody can say if anyone else got to help the man. But at least his SOS could have been heard.

Appeals again went on air after the Friday attacks on Bureij refugee camp, where the death toll climbed to 16 by the weekend. The deaths included six children among nine people killed Friday. Again, ambulance crews confirmed they could not reach many of the injured. But the appeals were made on radio for all to hear.

A man called from east of Jabaliya refugee camp asking for an ambulance for his wife about to deliver. The radio host asked his location, and that of Israeli tanks. "I can't look from the window to see," he said. "They will shoot me if I do."

A lady called to ask an ambulance to clear the remains of a body lying on the door. IPS confirmed later that it was the body of Abdelrazek Nofal, who was 19. He was blown to bits by an Israeli tank shell.

Someone else called from Bureij asking for ambulance, and for food and water. "My mother needs to be in hospital urgently," he called the radio station to say. Another difficult mission, with the Israeli troops patrolling the area.

The appeals are heard on radio day after day. No one can say what follows the appeals in each case. But the live broadcasts on the radio can be a lifeline – or at the least, a line of hope. Where emergency services and aid agencies are not listening in, the radio then calls them.

"It brings tears to my eyes," says radio host Khaled al-Sharqawi. "I can sometimes hear shooting, and women and children screaming, asking for ambulances, and the ambulances cannot reach them."

Emergency services keep the radio on, if only to go in when it's safe to bring out bodies. On one recent mission, said Ahmed Abu Sall, who works as a volunteer medical worker, "we were shot at by an Israeli tank. Two bullets hit the wheels."

This mission succeeded, as several do. But it can be a long haul to call and wait. Often, cell phone batteries run out as people call again and again with the appeals for help.

The Palestinian Telecommunications Company has given the radio station a toll-free number. That makes calling easier, but the radio statiion has to be on guard also against mischief. Hosts do what they can to check sources and credibility before putting an appeal live on air.

Not every call is a medical crisis. "In such cases we call human rights organisations," Sharqawi told IPS. "But they usually tell us they cannot help people on the ground."

Most people working at the radio station are young volunteers. And Al-Iman isn't the only one; several other local radio stations have begun now to hear and to broadcast live appeals for help. http://www.freegaza.ps/english/

Friday, April 11, 2008

شهداء و28 جريحا في الغارات والتوغل الاسرائيلي في شرق مخيم البريج وخان يونس


غزة - علاء المشهراوي- وكالات- ارتفعت امس حصيلة العدوان الإسرائيلي الى تسعة شهداء من بينهم 4 أطفال و 28 إصابة اثنتان منهما بحالة خطيرة جدا.
اخر الشهداء كان منذر أبو هويشل احد عناصر القسام التابعة لحماس فقد استشهد في غارة جوية اسرائيلية مساء أمس على مخيم البريج وأصيب اثنان آخران جراء القصف لمجموعة من المقاومين شرق المخيم.وقالت مصادر طبية أن دبابات اسرائيلية قصفت بقذيفة مدفعية على الأقل تجمعا للمواطنين ، بالقرب من مدارس وكالة الغوث شرق مخيم البريج أدت الى سقوط خمسة شهداء وأكثر من خمس إصابات بعضهم في حالة الخطر الشديد.والشهداء هم جهاد أبو زبيدة 19 عاماً وشهاب أبو زبيدة 17 عاماً ويوسف المغاري 16 عاماًوعبد الرازق نوفل 17 عاما كما تم التعرف علي هوية الشهيد يوسف سرحان 13 عاما متاثرا بجراحة التي اصيب بها في القصف الاسرائيلي شرق البريج .
غزة - علاء المشهراوي- وكالات- ارتفعت امس حصيلة العدوان الإسرائيلي الى تسعة شهداء من بينهم 4 أطفال و 28 إصابة اثنتان منهما بحالة خطيرة جدا.
اخر الشهداء كان منذر أبو هويشل احد عناصر القسام التابعة لحماس فقد استشهد في غارة جوية اسرائيلية مساء أمس على مخيم البريج وأصيب اثنان آخران جراء القصف لمجموعة من المقاومين شرق المخيم.وقالت مصادر طبية أن دبابات اسرائيلية قصفت بقذيفة مدفعية على الأقل تجمعا للمواطنين ، بالقرب من مدارس وكالة الغوث شرق مخيم البريج أدت الى سقوط خمسة شهداء وأكثر من خمس إصابات بعضهم في حالة الخطر الشديد.والشهداء هم جهاد أبو زبيدة 19 عاماً وشهاب أبو زبيدة 17 عاماً ويوسف المغاري 16 عاماًوعبد الرازق نوفل 17 عاما كما تم التعرف علي هوية الشهيد يوسف سرحان 13 عاما متاثرا بجراحة التي اصيب بها في القصف الاسرائيلي شرق البريج .

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

وفاة 5 مرضى جراء الحصار في أقل من 24 ساعة..


عرب48/ ألفت حداد ورأفت الكيلاني
أعلنت اللجنة الشعبية لمواجهة الحصار عن وفاة الحالة الخامسة من المرضي نتيجة الحصار المفروض علي قطاع غزة في أقل من أربع
وعشرين ساعة بسبب عدم توفر العلاج في قطاع غزة وبسبب منعهم من السفر لتلقي العلاج.
كما وأعلنت اللجنة عن وفاة المواطن أحمد محمد "58" عاماً من منطقة بير النعجة بجباليا بسبب معاناته من مرض السرطان وعدم توفر الجرعات الكيماوية اللازمة للعلاج ومنعة من العلاج في الخارج.كما توفيت قبله بساعة المواطنة خديجة أحمد أبو أحمد "65" عاماً مصابة بمرض السرطان من حي الزيتون بغزة ولم يستطع ذووها الحصول على تصريح لعلاجها خارج غزة المحاصرة.وكان الفتى محمود محمود حمادين ( 16 عام(من بلدة بيت حانون بمرض السرطان, مشيرة أن الفتى توفي نتيجة منعه من تلقي العلاج أو السفر للخارج في حين لا تتوفر بغزة أي أدوية لمرض السرطان الذي يحتاج إلى جرعات كيماوية تحد من انتشاره بجسم المريض.وكانت اللجنة قد أعلنت أمس عن وفاة مواطن آخر لم يتمكن من الحصول على تصريح للعلاج داخل الخط الأخضر.
كما أعلن اليوم عن وفاة المواطن إسحاق ديب عويضه "32" عاماً مخلفاً وراءه خمسة من الأطفال, بعد معاناة لستة أشهر مع مرض السرطان الذي امتد من المعدة إلى الرئتين.وأفادت اللجنة أن ذويه بذلوا جهدا"كما قال احد أقاربه" لتحويله للعلاج إلى داخل الخط الأخضر فكان الرد على مرتين "علاجه موجود بغزة",مضيفة أنه لم يسمح له بالعلاج في إسرائيل ولم يتلق جرعة كيماوية واحدة تحد من زحف المرض إلى كافة أنحاء جسمه، في حين تفتقر غزة إلى علاج مرض السرطان بالكامل.وحسب اللجنة الشعبية لمواجهة الحصار فإن وتيرة تساقط ضحايا الحصار ترتفع بسبب ارتفاع معدل الرفض لتحويلات المرضى إلى الداخل المحتل من قبل قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي.وحذرت من أن الموت يتهدد مئات المرضى وهناك من يصب بمرض مفاجئ ولا يستطيع أطباء غزة علاجه لنقص الدواء بسبب الحصار المفروض علي غزة.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

ارتفاع عدد الضحايا من المرضى جراء الحصار الإسرائيلي الجائر على قطاع غزة إلى 120 مواطناً


غزة1-4-2008وفا- أعلنت مصادر طبية، الليلة، استشهاد مواطن مريض بسبب منعه من قِبل سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي من مغادرة قطاع غزة لتلقي العلاج اللازم في الخارج.
وذكرت تلك المصادر لــ 'وفا' أن المواطن سيف الدين محمود الشوبكي (49 عاماً)، من سكان مدينة غزة، انضم إلى قافلة الشهداء من المرضى الممنوعين من السفر، بعد معاناة من مرض عضال.
وباستشهاده يرتفع عدد الشهداء من المرضى جراء الحصار الإسرائيلي الجائر المفروض على قطاع غزة منذ عدة أشهر إلى مئة وعشرين مواطناً.
هذا ويتهدد خطر الموت قائمة كبيرة من المرضى من أصحاب الأمراض الخطيرة والمزمنة، جراء عدم تلقيهم العلاج بسبب عدم توفر الأدوية، ومنعهم من مغادرة القطاع لتلقي العلاج، نتيجة الحصار الإسرائيلي المشدد، وإغلاق كافة معابر القطاع منذ عدة أشهر.
وكان119 من المواطنين بينهم عدد من الأطفال قضوا جراء منعهم من السفر لتلقي العلاج في الخارج بسبب إغلاق المعابر الناتج عن الحصار الإسرائيلي الخانق المضروب على قطاع غزة عُرف منهم: إبراهيم أبو نحل (سنة وأربعة شهور)، نعمة علُّوش (27 عاماً)، نمر شحيبر (79 عاماً)، وحيد صالح (46 عاماً)، طلعت أبو حطب (49 عاماً)، عبد القادر أبو عامر (46 عاماً)، بسام حرارة (36 عاماً)، نظمي عاشور (50 عاماً)، محمود أبو طه (23 عاماً)، عايدة عبد العال (31 عاماً)، نائل الكردي (22 عاماً)، سنا محمد الحاج (ستة شهور)، أمير اليازجي (تسعة أعوام)، يسرى العمارين (53 عاماً)، ليلى عليوة (51 عاماً)، جميل حمد 46 عاماً)، منى نوفل (37 عاماً)، جميل عيسى (36 عاماً)، فاطمة البطّة (45 عاماً)، إبراهيم حمادة (55 عاماً)، فاطمة عيَّاش (55 عاماً)، محمد صنع الله (56 عاماً)، فاطمة هنيّة (53 عاماً)، جابر الطلاّع (33 عاماً)، رويدة شكشك (54 عاماً)، إسماعيل الغرابلي (37 عاماً)، زهير بدر (49 عاماً)، عائشة أبو غنيمة (51 عاماً)، روان دياب (13 شهراً)، أحمد حسين أبو حرب (55 عاماً)، فاطمة عبد العال (59 عاماً)، ناصر عوض مهرة (60 عاماً)، محمود محمد علي أبو حسنة (55 عاماً)، بديعة الصعيدي (54 عاماً)، الرضيعة حلا زنّون (ثلاثة شهور)، راضي محمود أبو ريدة (54 عاماً)، صبحي أبو رزق (52 عاماً)، آمال يونس صبيح أبو بنات (35 عاما)، روان نصّار(15عاماً)، دعاء عادل عمران (18 عاماً)، علاء أنور حرز الله (26 عاماً)، زهيرة خليل رضوان (49 عاماً)، ندى إياد الآغا (13 عاماً)، أحمد كامل الداية (59 عاماً)، دلال أحمد عودة مسلَّم (57 عاماً)، يوسف إياد أبو مريم (خمس سنوات)، عائشة أبو وردة (53 عاماً)، عواطف رمضان إبراهيم (52 عاماً)، نادية أبو زهري (65 عاماً)، رزان محمد عطا الله (6 سنوات)، مصطفى محمد صليح (55 عاماً)، فوزي إسماعيل العقّاد (69 عاماً)، دعاء هاني حبيب (خمسة أشهر)، صفيّة شاهين (60 عاماً)، محمد محمود خضر (61 عاماً)، مريم زهدي جودة (32 عاماً)، محمد مرزوق أبو طه (45 عاماً)، عائشة إسماعيل الجمل (73 عاماً)، محمد هاشم خليل الفرَّا (65 عاماً)، ميرفت نعيم حجازي (25عاماً)، يوسف حسين زعرب (50 عاماً)، محمد عطيّة جودة (57 عاماً)، رندة إبراهيم أبو عودة (19 عاماً)، حسن خليل سِلمي (60 عاماً)، محفوظة راغب شرّاب(51عاماً)، يحيى مصطفى الجمل ( 53عاماً)، خليل حرب أبو هلال (60عاماً)، إبراهيم أبو جزر (سنتان)، شيرين عبد الله إسماعيل أبو شوارب (10 سنوات)، محمود ناهض حسين (14 عاماً)، حمدة محمد النجّار(50عاماً)، عطاف العامودي(52عاماً)، فاطمة أبو طه (55عاماً)، ناجي حمدان قشطة (36 عاماً)، حماد ماهر أبو حامدة (شهر ونصف)، محمد عوني جاد الحق (29عاماً)، مصلح محمد قلجة(75عاماً)، فاتن مجدي الحفناوي(10 سنوات)، رتيبة الخطيب(40عاماً)، حنان عيسى علي(34عاماً)، آمنة حسين المدهون(60عاماً)، نور الدين محمد ماضي (14 عاماً)، جودة محمد عبيد (56 عاماً)، عرفات إبراهيم أبو عودة (23 عاماً)، نادية يوسف العمري (28 عاماً)، أحمد محمد الشريف(80عاماً)،منيرعلي مخيرز (49عاماً)، مُهاب محمد أبو جيّاب (45 عاماً)، يوسف عثمان فروانة (63 عاماً)، فتحية أبو وردة (40 عاماً)، خديجة محمد العقاد، ريم فؤاد البطش (32 عاماً)، عبد العظيم عودة خضر (60 عاماً)، سعيد العايدي (عامان)، محمد أحمد الهندي ( 52عاماً) أحمد محمد لبّد (47عاماً)، شهاب محمد خليف (عشرون يوماً)، رياض صبحي عاشور(55عاماً)، ومحمد أمين أبو وطفة(12عاماً)، محمد صالح مطير (53عاماً) ورأفت محمود الغلبان ( 43عاماً)، فاطمة سالم المقادمة، إيمان أمين صافي (أربع سنوات)، سلسبيل إبراهيم طباسي(9أشهر)، ابتسام توفيق أبو موسى (28عاماً) أحمد محمد النوري( 60عاماً)، ميسرة أبو حطب (65 عاماً)، محمد بارود(68عاماً)، شفيق محمد أبو الكاس(45عاماً)، محمد برهوم(5سنوات) لطيفة عطية محمد أبو شاويش(50عاماً)، زينب محمد بشير (55عاماً) المسن يوسف محمد المدهون، جازية زكي أبو هلال (65عاماً)، الرضيع يوسف وسيم مشتهى.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Gaza Mayhem



Dear friend,

Gaza strip has been deepening down in an endless bloody round of violence. Around 120 people, 1 third of them are children killed in an obvious massacre. Below you can find some links about reports I did for some media outlets abroad.

Canada Real News:
http://therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisdataswitch=0&thisid=1071&thisview=item Gaza conflict escalatesSameh Habeeb: More than 100 (118) Palestinians killed in Israeli attackTuesday March 4th, 2008Sameh Habeeb is a Palestinian journalist based in Gaza City

Greece Key Radio (Sky Radio)
http://www.skai.gr/master_avod.php?id=75092&lsc=2

BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7263142.stm


Your feedback will be highly appreciated!
Sam-- Popular Committee Against Siege(PCAS),PCAS Manager,Sam AK Gaza - PalestineMob:00972598873055http://uk.f257.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Freegaza.ps@gmail.comhttp://uk.f257.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Action.palestine@yahoo.comWebsite: http://http://www.freegaza.ps/english ÇááÌäÉ ÇáÔÚÈíÉ áãæÇÌåÉ ÇáÍÕÇÑÛÒÉ- ÝáÓØíä
http://freegaza.ps/english/

Monday, March 03, 2008

The Gaza Holocaust......


Saturday, March 01, 2008

Gaza "Holocaust"?




Gaza "Holocaust"?
Israeli air strikes have killed more than 30 Palestinians, including six children, in the past few days. After one rocket hit an apartment building and another one landed near a school, wounding a 17-year-old girl Israel has activated its early warning system in the town of Ashkelon for the first time. The day before, a college student was killed in a rocket attack on Sderot"The more [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai told Israeli army radio. The "holocaust" is a term rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi genocide during World War II.In an equally surprising statement, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas accused Hamas of helping Al Qaeda militants enter the Gaza Strip."Al Qaeda is present in Gaza, and I'm convinced that they (Hamas) are their allies," Mr. Abbas said in an interview with the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat.
Watch Video

Sunday, February 24, 2008

A worldwide 5-minute-darkness for Gaza Strip

Palestinian Committee Against Siege (PCAS)

February 23, 2008

Millions of people in the participating countries of the Global day for Gaza Strip lived in darkness for 5 minutes in solidarity of with poor besiege people.
Around 86 cities and towns involved in this step to help the civilians in the Gaza strip.

Reporters of PCAS in UK, France and some European countries reported that most of the main cities, completely or partially switched the lights off in a response of PCAS’s call for a global day of actions to end Gaza Siege.

In France, around 10 cities marked the occasion today to convey their full support for the people of Gaza and they turned the lights off to experience what Palestinians are living now.Michelin Gurege, ISM member and PCAS coordinator in France said that all people across French cities showed that the Palestinian cause is one of their common concerns."My spirits became high while I was having a tour in these cities seeing Palestinian flags everywhere," Michelin said.It’s remarkable that around 70 countries took part in this Global day and actions are still ongoing till this moment (CET 20.00).
Russia and France witnessed ten actions of protests in nearly 10 cities for each. In Ukraine about 9 cities participated as well.
In Europe, 2 or 3 cities in most of the countries marked the occasion.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Gaza I Weep for Thee





02.20.08
Forwarded by Asem Judeh


Gaza, I weep for thee. You see, I stand over here shackled and chained and all I can do is weep. For when I scream, my screaming falls on deaf ears. When I rant and I rave I am viewed with suspicion.

My kin and my neighbors all wonder and aloud, "why do you protest the killing of vermin?"" Vermin?" I asked and the chorus responded, " the Palestinians are vermin and terrorists!" But why should that be? Israelis are free but, not Palestinians.

The Palestinians live in! camps. Concentration camps that are really the holding pens of sheep being prepared for slaughter. When the last Palestinian is slaughtered, will anyone REMEMBER? Anyone? Will anyone care? ANYONE! Oh Gaza , I weep for thee.
Weeping is all that I can do for you see, over here I am shackled and chained to my opinion that the killing of innocent men, women, and children is genocide. Oh mommy, I said the 'g' word and used that 'g' word in association with Israel. I might just have well taken a shotgun and shot a lawyer.

Genocide on Palestine by Israelis. I am a pariah and a criminal and I am a "supporter of terrorism!"
Because I questioned the slaughter of Palestinians. Well, whoops and sorry. That must have been my bad! Oh Gaza , I weep for thee! You are lost and dying and NO ONE CARES AND NO ONE LISTENS! My kin and my neighbors are blind to the horror and will NOT hear the crying of innocents being led to slaughter. My land is lost and my nation is lost and my kin are lost and my neighbors are lost.
A very great man once said, "it is better to die on one's feet in the battle for justice than to die on one's knees begging for mercy!" So let it be written, so let it be done.
Oh Gaza , I weep for thee. Stand up and die at the hands of Israel! Someday maybe in one hundred years or five hundred years, someone somewhere, will read of your slaughter and ask the hard questions that our world today ignores. "Why were the Palestinians left to be slaughtered at the hands of an unjust Israel and the complicity of our world?"


Oh Gaza, I weep for thee. You see, I am shackled in chains of censorship and mistrust. The weeping is all that I CAN do.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2437&Itemid=31
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Monday, February 18, 2008

IOF Escalates Acts of Murder and Destruction in the Gaza Strip

Reference: 16/2008

Date: 17 February 2008
Press Release IOF Escalates Acts of Murder and Destruction in the Gaza Strip;

Al MezanCalls for Urgent International Protection for the Civilians in the GazaStripThe IOF has escalated its acts of murder and violence against the civilianpopulation and their properties in the Gaza Strip. On 17 February 2008, theIOF killed four people during incursions and air attacks in Rafah. One ofthe victims was a police man, 28-year-old Ibrahim Salman Hussein Sabbah. Hesuffered from shrapnel wounds all over his body and died immediately. Threeother
s were injured in the same attack.At approximately 10:30am, on 17 February 2008, an IOF drone fired a missilethat landed near the UNRWA clinic on Be'r Sahy Street in Al Shouka villagein eastern Rafah. As a result, 33-year-old Abed As Salam Mohammed Salama AbuSusein, a member of the national security forces, and 23-year-old Nasser AliAbd Al Razek Abu Shabab were killed. At approximately 10:40am the same day,the IOF opened fire at 24-year-old Abd Al Karim Mohammed Hassan Al Ghalbanduring an incursion east of the Rafah crossing. While he was near his homein Al Shouka village he was shot in the chest and died.According to Al Mezan's preliminary investigations, at approximately 8:50pm,on 15 February 2008, a massive explosion in a residential house took placein Block 7 of Al Bureij refugee camp, located in central Gaza Strip. Thehouse belongs to 41-year-old Attallah Ayman Ahmed Fayed. The blast resultedin the killing of eight people, including one woman and one child, namely:o 41-year-old Ayman Atallah Fayed;o 37-year-old Marwa Azzam Fayed, his wife;o 12-year-old Basma Ayman Fayed, his daughter;o 17-year-old Ali Ayman Fayed, his son;o 5-year-old Ayoub Ayman Fayed; his son;o 17-year-old Zakaria Nabil Al Kafafy;o 16-year-old Talal Salah Abu Oun; ando 24-year-old Atallah Samir Ismail, while he was walking in thestreet.The explosion in Al Bureij also caused the injury of 57 people, includingtwenty children and twenty-two women. Two of them were reported to havesustained serious injury. The explosion also destroyed six residentialhouses completely. Sixty other homes were damaged severely, and tens ofothers received minor damages.According to preliminary investigations and other information given instatements by IOF ministers and military officials, it is believed that theIOF are responsible for this terrible incident. The most important fact inthis incident is the scope of the damage, which recalls the crime thatoccurred in the Ad Darraj neighborhood. On 22 July 2002, the IOF shelled AdDarraj and killed16 persons and destroyed eight houses completely. Theshelling also caused damage to nearby residential homes. The only differencebetween these two crimes is that the IOF admitted their responsibility forAd Darraj. The IOF Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at that time, described itas one of their greatest successes. It is not the first time that the IOFdenied responsibility for their offenses, and in fact, they tried to get outof dozens of similar crimes previously. On 9 June 2006, they shelled BeitLahiya beach, during which seven members of the Ghalia family were killed.It should be noted that the official statements made by the IOF admit theirintention to continue their escalation of aggression on the Gaza Strip.Among them, the Israeli Minister of the Interior, Meir Sheetrit, declared on10 February 2008, that the IOF is able to exterminate an entire neighborhoodin the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that their forces have done so in asouthern suburb of Beirut. This statement was made just five days prior tothe Bureij shelling. Beside the statements made by the Israeli DefenseMinister, it was reported that Israeli intelligence agencies will carry outoperations secretly.Al Mezan Center for Human Rights renews its repeated demands for theinternational community to uphold their moral duty and responsibility toprotect Gazans, especially in relation to the Fourth Geneva Convention forthe Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War. Al Mezan warns theinternational community of the consequences of the IOF's widespreaddestruction of densely populated areas. Statements of IOF military leadersreinforce the Center's fears, in which they declared to wipe out residentialareas entirely, despite the consequential deaths of thousands of civilianvictims.End

Saturday, February 09, 2008


please double click on picture

تجرى لأول مرة في الأراضي الفلسطينية: زرع جهاز داخلي لقلب مريض محاصر في غزة

غزة - مراسل القدس - تمكن أطباء فلسطينيون من إجراء عملية لزراعة جهاز "صدمات" في قلب مريض فلسطيني في غزة لأول مرة في الأراضي الفلسطينية، وذلك بعدما منعه الحصار من السفر لتلقي العلاج. وأجرى العملية الدكتور أكرم أبو فول، رئيس قسم قسطرة القلب في مستشفى "سوروكا" في بئر السبع، وهو من فلسطينيي الداخل، بحضور طاقم طبي مساعد في مركز جولس للقسطرة.وقال الدكتور فايز شقليه، مدير مركز جولس لقسطرة القلب في غزة، إن المريض شعبان أبو عبيد (42) عاماً، من سكان دير البلح، كان يعاني من خطر توقف القلب في أي لحظة، ولم يتمكن من السفر بسبب عدم إعطائه التصاريح اللازمة لمغادرة القطاع.وأضاف شقليه لرامتان أن المريض أبو عبيد ينتظر منذ ثلاثة أشهر والخطر يتهدد حياته، إلا أنه وبعد التنسيق تم توفير المعدات اللازمة لإجراء العملية، حيث تمت زراعة جهاز "صدمات" داخل القلب لأول مرة في الضفة والقطاع. وأشار إلى أن تكاليف العملية بلغت ما يزيد عن عشرين ألف دولار، بسبب ارتفاع سعر الجهاز الذي تم تركيبه. وأعرب عن أمله أن تكلل هذه العملية بالنجاح، خاصة وأن الدكتور أبو فول متخصص في جراحة القلب، وأجرى بالإضافة إلى عمله في مستشفى سوروكا عدداً من العمليات بالتعاون مع المركز وبشكل متكرر.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Gaza Diary: Not a life for children


By Omar, a humanitarian worker in partnership with Oxfam

Feb 7, 2008

"Why us? Why are we cold? What is happening?" my children ask all the time.They are six and two. When they ask for chocolate and I cannot give it to them, they ask why. I explain to them that it is because of the closure but this does not explain things any further to them, they still ask "Why? Why us?"What they least understand is why their lives are being affected by something which they are not responsible for.It is hard for me to explain.
I am 37 years old and have spent my whole life under occupation. My father was a refugee from Barbara, my original village. He said to me the other day, "Son, we have never lived in a situation like this before.
I hope that this will be the last time that we live like this, forever".But people live in hope. They believe even after all this time that peace will return to us.
It has been five days now since I have had a shower. This is due to a lack of power to fuel the water system and to the hectic times that are upon us.It is the winter season and we are all beginning to get very cold. Without electricity, all my family and I can do to stay warm it to huddle around a gas lamp. We cover ourselves in sheets. Sometimes, I warm some water for my children to immerse their hands or feet in. But there is very little that we can do apart from hope that this will be the last time that we live like this.
The cold makes it difficult for us to get to sleep but even when we manage to, the blasts of Palestinian and Israeli rockets wake us throughout the night.
The tremors and explosions scare my children so much that they now sleep with my wife and me.They are so small and vulnerable and also very confused. They come home from school talking of Hamas and Fatah but they do not understand the situation.This is not a life for children. It is not for anyone.Stress and anxietyI try as best as I can to divert their attention away from the crisis that is continuing to unfold before them - I take them to the sea or to a relative's home.I cannot even turn on the television because we have had no electricity for five days.
To find out what's going on or whether or not there will be military operations I ask my colleagues in Jerusalem to keep me updated.I also call my family every few hours to find out if they are okay.
My children live in an area of violence and hear on a daily basis people arguing, complaining and shouting about the situation. To be honest, they need some professional support for their stress and anxiety but of course this is not available to us.Like many other children living in Gaza, they can rarely get away from the crisis, even while they sleep.
This situation is affecting a lot of children. The other day when I went to my kid's school the teacher said that 70 per cent of the children were failing their exams.The stress of the situation, whether children realise it or not, will effect their education. It is not great for school work or anything at all.
A lack of good quality food, clean drinking water, milk, sleep, fear and cold are just some of the issues that the children of Gaza face. The adults, too.There is already little hope for the future for the children of Gaza but without education, they really have nothing, Education is the only capital that we have for our future.
My third child is due in March. This is just two months away.As a father and a husband I am worried - really worried for my wife and my unborn child. How can she deliver a child when there is no electricity and little supplies in the hospitals?Will she and our third child suffer as a result? These are some of the questions that keep me awake at night.Speaking about this makes me want to cry, not just for my family but also for the people of Gaza.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Israel cuts off electricity in Gaza; thousands plunged into darkness


Gaza – Ma'an – Israel cut off part of the electricity supply to Gaza City on Friday evening, plunging thousands of people into darkness, according to Jamal Al-Dardasawi, the head of public relations and information at the electricity company in Gaza. Israel cut off the vital electricity supply line, known as the 'Baghdad line', claiming there are problems with that particular line.
Al-Dardasawi pointed out that the Israeli electiricity supply company have ben intermittently cutting off electricity since last Tuesday morning, leaving thousands of Gaza City residents battling bitter cold weather, without any means of heating.
He added that the Baghdad line is particularly important for dozens of health centres, primarily Al-Shifaa Hospital in Gaza City. Al-Dardasawi appealed to humanitarian and international human rights organizations to intervention before lives are lost.
The tiny Strip is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and already endures power outages up to 24 hours a day. Gaza's electric transformers have been bombed by the Israeli military.

Friday, January 25, 2008

People Power

By the late Ismael Shamout

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A young girl from Gaza teaches us a little about the racist zionist...

Sit down and watch....Make sure there's a box of tissues close by
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AHMDUFRVQOg

Just Added A San Diego Demo on Friday 1/25


Emergency San Diego Demonstration!BREAK THE SILENCE ON GAZA NOW!Stop US Complicity! End All US Aid to the Zionist State!
Meet Friday (1/25) at 3:00 PM
At the corner of Broadway and Front Street,downtown in front of the Federal Building.
Demo from 3:00 to 5:30 PM.
Called by : Al-Awda San Diego, The Free Palestine Alliance, and The NationalCouncil of Arab Americans.
Co-sponsor : International Action Center (IAC-SD).

Video of Palestinians at Rafah Crossing

Monday, January 21, 2008

Coalition Calls for Emergency Protests Jan.26 in Anaheim, Wash., San Francisco


End the Criminal Israeli Siege of Gaza NOW!
Stop the Collective Punishment of the Palestinian People!

Coalition Calls for Emergency Protests Jan. 25-26 in 
Washington, San Francisco, Anaheim and other cities

The A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, joins with the National Council of Arab Americans (NCA), Free Palestine Alliance(FPA), Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Palestinian American Women’s Association(PAWA), Al-Awda Palestine Right to Return Coalition and other anti-war and progressive organizations in calling for emergency protests demanding an immediate end to the Israeli blockade and siege of Gaza. Protests will take place on January 25-26 at Israeli embassies, consulates, U.S. federal buildings and other locations.

More than 1.5 million Palestinian people living are suffering from life-threatening shortages of food, medicines, fuel and other vital necessities, caused by the Israeli military’s sealing-off of one of the most densely populated areas of the world. Gaza City is blacked-out at night, including hospitals. Doctors must examine patients by candlelight. 

The crisis is growing more severe by the day. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the World Food Programme, which together supply food to more than two-thirds of the population, have stated that unless the blockade is lifted they will be forced to stop operations by this weekend. A cut-off in aid would threaten an already food-deprived population with mass starvation. The great majority of Gaza residents are from refugee families, driven out of other parts of Palestine when the state of Israel was created in 1948.

The Israeli government imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Hamas party was democratically elected in January 2006. The Bush administration backed Israel’s action. Last week, Israel tightened the blockade, sealing off Gaza, supposedly because of Palestinian attacks by the military wing of Hamas. Yet, on December 23, 2007, Israel rejected Hamas call for ceasefire negotiations. Since then, Israeli air and ground attacks have killed dozens of Palestinians and wounded hundreds more in Gaza, most of them civilians. In 2007, 373 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and the West Bank, compared to just 13 Israeli deaths.  

The Israeli blockade is in clear violation of international law, which strictly forbids collective punishment and labels it a war crime. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) states in part: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.” 

Collective punishment is a war crime. Imposing a blockade on the population in Gaza is undeniably a form of collective punishment. The U.S. government, which gives billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Israel every year, shares the guilt for this war crime.

Among the cities where emergency protests will take place are:

Washington DC: Friday, Jan. 25 (time tba), at the Israeli Embassy, 3514 International Dr. N.W.

San Francisco, CA: Friday, Jan. 25, 4 6 p.m., Israeli Consulate, 456 Montgomery St. (near California)

Anaheim, CA: Saturday, Jan. 26, 1 p.m. 512 S. Brookhurst St. (Bet. Orange Ave. & Broadway)

New York, NY: Saturday, Jan. 26, 1 p.m., at the Israeli Embassy, 43rd St. and 2nd Ave.

Chicago, IL: Tues., Jan. 29, 5pm at the Lakeshore Theater, 3175 North Broadway (at benefit for the Friends of the Israeli Defense Force). Initiated by ISM, endorsed by ANSWER and others. Call 773-463-0311 for more information.

Seattle Demo: Friday, January 25, 4 p.m., Westlake Park, 4th & Pine Sts.

If you are planning your own protest, please let us know so we can post information about your event on the ANSWER website.

 

AL-Haq Action Alert: End the Siege of the Gaza Strip

AL-HAQ ACTION ALERT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ref.: 01.2008E

21 January 2008

 

End the Siege of the Gaza Strip

 

On Sunday 20 January 2008, Israel’s ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip, including the blocking of fuel supplies, forced Gaza’s only power plant to shut down, plunging over 800,000 Palestinians into darkness. According to the General-Director of the plant, the shortage of electricity caused by the lack of fuel will affect the provision of medical care and water and sanitation services. On Sunday morning, the Gaza Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, which normally operates 130 wells as well as sewage treatment plants, stated that if the fuel supply is not restored by Tuesday, these services will cease to function throughout the Gaza Strip. Since Friday 18 January, Israel has also closed all Gaza’s border crossings and blocked all humanitarian aid, except in exceptional circumstances. With some 80 percent of Gaza’s population requiring food aid, the impact of these measures will be catastrophic. This escalation has also been accompanied by an intensifying of Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip in the first 19 days of 2008, costing the lives of 69 Palestinians, including four children and eight women, and the injury of over 190.

 

Israel’s current policy in relation to the Gaza Strip and its 1.5 million inhabitants constitutes an unmitigated violation of international humanitarian law including, but not limited to, Israel’s obligation as an Occupying Power to, at a minimum, ensure the basic needs of the population under its effective control, and the prohibitions on collective punishment, coercion and unlawful reprisals.

 

Israel’s current policy and recent actions have shown a casual disregard for the lives and dignity of the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, treating their suffering and the violation of their fundamental rights as little more than an inconvenience that will earn gentle reprimand from the international community and Palestinian National Authority, but will otherwise be irrelevant. With the intolerable conditions and constant state of fear that the Gazan population is now forced to live under, it is time for this position to change. Israel must not be allowed to shield itself from the implementation of its international legal obligations, nor should the international community shy away from enforcing such implementation. Inarticulate fears of disrupting a “peace process” that exists only in vague declarations and diplomatic handshakes, that treats the Gaza Strip as separate from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Palestinians as a divided people, cannot be an excuse for allowing the continued siege of the Gaza Strip. In fact, if any “peace process” is to succeed, the conclusion reached must embody a sense of justice. This requires, as an unavoidable starting point, that the fundamental rights of all parties be recognised and protected.

 

Al-Haq therefore calls upon,

 

  • Israel to immediately cease all military operations in the Gaza Strip and to end its policy of collective punishment, including the opening of border crossings to allow the movement of goods and people, and restoring the supply of fuel and humanitarian aid.

 

  • the Palestinian Liberation Organisation to establish Israel’s obligations under international law in respect of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, including ending the collective punishment and ensuring access to essential medical services, food and water and sanitation, as an integral part of any negotiations.

 

  • regional organisations and individual states to take concrete measures, including economic and diplomatic sanctions, to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law.

 

  • all international agencies, including the UN, present in the OPT to actively draw the attention of international decision makers to the impact of Israeli policies on the Palestinian civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

 

  • the UN Secretary-General immediately bring the situation in the Gaza Strip to the attention of the Security Council.

 

  • concerned individuals and civil society groups to raise Israel’s violations of international law with elected officials in their home counties.

 

  • Palestinian armed groups to immediately cease the launching of rockets targeting civilian population centres in Israel.

 

The Missiles that the zionists stopped in Gaza


Sunday, January 20, 2008

All Out to Break the Siege of Gaza Now!




At this time, when outright Zionist criminal actions are directed against the Palestinian Arab people of Gaza, amounting to mass starvation, spreading of disease and suffocation in the most vile manner, we ask what does it take for the Palestinian Authority and Arab regimes to break their servitude and have some courage and an ounce of dignity - just an ounce?

We will get right to the point: this leadership is corrupt to its core and has sold every ounce of its dignity. Nothing is left! It is time for the Palestinian people and for the Arab masses to hold these war criminals and profiteers accountable.

Zionist actions are well known to our people - from Deir Yassin, to Kufr Qasem, to Sabra and Shatila, to Qana, to Janin, to Gaza and a whole lot of suffering and death in between. But the overt servitude by Arab leaders that has now reached outright complicity in the starvation of children and the killing of the sick and needy is a new low below which there is no lower filth. It is time for Zionist war criminals and their Arab servants to be held accountable.

The fig leaf charade of UN Security Council meetings amounts to nothing.
At the very least:

1. Egypt must open the Rafah crossing and immediately send adequate fuel, food and medicine at any cost. Not doing so is a but another blot of shame in that regime's history.
2. All political, economic and diplomatic relationships and normalization steps with the Zionists must be terminated.
3. Zionist leaders and their Arab servants must be tried for war crimes.

We call on all people to hold mass mobilizations worldwide to break the siege on our beloved people. We also call for holding war crimes tribunals for all responsible.

It is time to isolate and expose all those who continue to benefit from our misery while shedding crocodile tears; and, certainly, it is time to hold them accountable for their devastating crimes.

Let history record that the voice of our people can never be silenced and that our cry for freedom will surely pierce through all bastilles of hunger.

All Out to Break the Siege of Gaza Now!
Enough is enough!

The Free Palestine Alliance - USA
January 20, 2008

النفط العربي لا يشعل شمعة في غزة


الظلام يلف غزة

فلسطينيون يتناولون الطعام على الشموع في غزة
In the 21Th Century, the Palestinians go back to using candles for light

Picture by AF

Break the Silence on Gaza....

For Immediate Release
January 20, 2008

BREAK THE SILENCE ON GAZA!DON'T DELAY! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, calls on its chapters,supporting organizations and individuals to organize to break the silenceabout the ongoing Israeli war crimes being committed against Palestinians inGaza.
Organize street actions and protests, community meetings anddelegations to religious leaders and educators. Call and write the media andyour congressional representatives.
People of the world watch in horror as the racist state of 'Israel', withthe support and encouragement of the US government, engages in a genocidalproject to eliminate the indigenous Arab people of Palestine.

The world community has denounced the government of 'Israel' for using itsmilitary for the purpose of collectively punishing the civilian populationof the Gaza Strip, a clear war crime and violation of the 4th GenevaConventions.

The only power plant in Gaza was shut down today leaving the1.5 million inhabitants without electricity, water, or any functionalmedical facilities.Palestinians continue to endure starvation, aerial bombings, US CIAinterventions, and Israeli army brutality.

This murderous endeavor hascaused the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians and the alreadyfragile economy of Gaza has been decimated.

NO FOOD, NO WATER, NO BREAD!

appeal to all people living in the US:SPEAK OUT TO DEMAND ONCE AND FOR ALL AN END TO THE SIEGE OF GAZAAND THE OCCUPATION OF ALL OF PALESTINE!ORGANIZE STREET ACTIONS AND PROTESTS, CALL AND WRITE THE MEDIA ANDYOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES.ORGANIZE COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND DELEGATIONS TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS ANDEDUCATORSDONATE TO HELP THE PEOPLE IN GAZA!

For information to contact your congressional representatives, go tohttp://www.congress%20.org/congressorg%20/home
For writing to the media, go to http://newslink.org/ for contact information.
To make a donation to help the people in the Gaza Strip go tohttp://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and simply follow the instructions.Please indicate that your donation is for the GAZA EMERGENCY FUND.BREAK THE SILENCE ON GAZA!DON'T DELAY! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return CoalitionPO Box 131352Carlsbad, CA 92013, USATel: 760-685-3243Fax: 360-933-3568E-mail: http://us.f807.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=info%40al-awda.orgWWW: http://al-awda.org/Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largestnetwork of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian humanrights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ofthe United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRCare tax-deductible.To make a donation simply go tohttp://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and simply follow the instructions.

Death and Darkness in Gaza, People are dying, Help us!




A humanitarian crisis is underway as the Gaza Strip's only power plant began to shut down on Sunday, and the tiny coastal territory entered its third full day without shipments of vital food and fuel supplies due to Israel's punitive sanctions. The Gaza Strip's power plant has completely shut down on Sunday because it no longer has the fuel needed to keep running .


One of the plant's two electricity- generating turbines had already shut down by noon. This will drastically reduce output to 25 or 30 megawatts, down from the 65 megawatts the plant produces under normal conditions.


By Sunday evening the plant will shut down completely, leaving large swaths of the Gaza Strip in darkness.

Omar Kittaneh, the head of the Palestine Energy Authority in Ramallah, confirmed that by tonight, the one remaining operating turbine will be powered down, and the Gaza power plant will no longer be generating any electricity at all. "We have asked the Israeli government to reverse its decision and to supply fuel to operate the power plant", Dr. Kittaneh said. "We have talked to the Israeli humanitarian coordination in their Ministry of Energy . We say this is totally Israel's responsibility, and that reducing the fuel supplies until the plant had to shut down will affect not only the electrical system but the water supply, and the entire infrastructure in Gaza – everything." After months of increasingly harsh sanctions, Israel imposed a total closure on the Strip's border crossings, even preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid.


The Israeli government says the closure is punishment for an ongoing barrage of Palestinian homemade projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip. "Famine"180 fuel stations have shut down after Gaza residents to buy gas for cooking. A Palestinian economist Hasan Abu Ramadan said the current humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip will be deepened by the blockade on fuel and food supplies. He warned that Gaza Strip could go from a situation of deep poverty to all out famine, disease, and malnutrition. Abu Ramadan said that more than 80% of the Strip's 1.5 million residents have been surviving with the help of food aid from international organizations such as UNRWA for Palestinian refugees.International condemnation Most international actors in the region believe there already is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, the Undersecretary- general for humanitarian affairs John Holmes, who said at a press conference at UNHQ in New York on Friday that "This kind of action against the people in Gaza cannot be justified, even by those rocket attacks".

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed particular concern, in a statement issued later on Friday through his spokesperson, about the "decision by Israel to close the crossing points in between Gaza and Israel used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Such action cuts off the population from much-needed fuel supplies used to pump water and generate electricity to homes and hospitals".


The UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied territories, John Dugard, also issued a much sharper statement on Friday, saying that Israel must have foreseen the loss of life and injury to many nearby civilians when it targeted the Ministry of Interior building in Gaza City.

This, and the killings of other Palestinians during the week, plus the closures, "raise very serious questions about Israel's respect for international law and its Commitment to the peace process", Dugard said.

He said it violates the strict prohibition on collective punishment contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention, and one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law: that military action must distinguish between military targets and civilian targets.

Source:
Maan

http://www.freegaza.ps/
http://us.f807.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=freegaza.ps@gmail.com

Saturday, January 19, 2008

If you are suffering from : no Income , no Electricity, no Water and no Gas ,then , for sure,
you live in the Gaza Strip

US says it's all in self defence.......

The United States of America today described the zionist's massacre in the Gaza Strip that have left more than 35 people dead and scores injured this week, as "legal self-defence"
The spokesperson of the US State Department Shaun McCormack said, "There have been zionist military operations which fall in the category of legal self-defence, and they [zionists] have the full right of self-defence."
I am sure that Abbas and company agree with this American position......I bet you that you'll never hear a word against this outrageous statement ,by Abbas or his lackeys ........ You will lose if you bet me on this one.......

Friday, January 18, 2008

Don't cry for me.......


Some of the destruction that happened today in Gaza.......
And you thought that the F-16 are harmless...

Damn you PA leadership , Arab Leaders, World community leaders ,and damn you UN ......


Gaza is burning ......
The West Bank is burning....
The Palestinian people are being butchered as if they are sheep with no one paying any attention to them.....
The zionists invaders are using all they have to inflect the most harm and damage against Palestinians and Palestine....
The PA leadership ,aka ,zionist caretakers ,are planning for a meeting with the zionist early next week ,as if they do even hear of what's going on all over occupied Palestine....
The Arab leaders are still admiring the pictures they took on the red carpet with Dabilluo ,and care less about their people ,so why care about the Palestinian people.....
The so called world community leaders ,including the UN and what it should stand for , do not give a damn and are no where to be found so we can hear what they think.
The media , or do start me talking about the media.....
The Palestinian people have no doubt ,that if it doesn't get worse ,it will not get better....
They also know ,that this PA leadership ,aka zionist caretaker, is part of the problem ,just like the zionists and their supporters , and they all will fail in their efforts to destroy the will of our people to achieve liberation and freedom ,just like everyone else in this world.....
The Palestinian people believe that there's a light at the end of the tunnel ,and that victory will be ours .......and hopefully sooner than all of our enemies think...

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Israel's InhumanCrime Against The World
By Mary Sparrowdancer
c. 2008 by mary sparrowdancer1-14-8

(Part One of a multi-part feature focusing separately on the horrors endured in Gaza, and the West Bank.)
Weeping father carries child slaughtered by invading Israeli military forces in a Gaza civilian village.
The world's current political warlords lord themselves over us while openly demonstrating they have no regard for our opinions, our choices, our votes or our protests. They speak convincingly through their propaganda media machines about "freedoms" when in fact, liberty is their enemy and they are working hard in a futile attempt to destroy it. They do not realize, however, that liberty belongs to us, and it is not theirs to destroy. They speak of lawfulness, while swaggering in utter defiance of all laws of civility. They speak of terrorists and point fingers elsewhere, when they are the actual terrorists who have murdered and displaced millions of civilians since 2001. They speak of their humanitarian treatment of prisoners, when in fact they are consumed and entertained by violence and torture that would put Ancient Rome to shame. Nowhere are prisoners more shamefully treated than in the Gaza Strip, and this treatment is being funded and made possible by US dollars.
The Gaza Strip is bordered on the south by the sands and eternal mystique of Egypt, on the west by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, its inviting beaches a place where dreams of peaceful tourist resorts once flourished, and on the east it is bordered by what used to be Palestine. In 1948, Israel announced itself a state withinPalestine, and began systematically forcing the Palestinians off their ancestral lands in order to build Jewish-only settlements. (1)
For almost two years, the Israeli military forces have completely surrounded Gaza. Israel has built tall, ugly walls around the borders of Gaza, including the border between Gaza and Egypt. The Israeli military forces patrol and attack the civilians of Gaza from the air with US helicopters, F-16s, and with drones. Israeli/ US tanks and bulldozers attack from the ground, storming through Gaza villages and refugee camps, destroying homes and killing more Palestinian victims. Israeli gunboats sit poised in the once peaceful waters off Gaza's shore, intent upon shelling unarmed fishing boats and massacring families daring to enjoy picnics on the beach. With all Gaza borders tightly closed, and with no way out by land, sea or air, approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza making it the largest and most inhumane prison on earth.
In September of 2007, after sealing all of the borders, Israel declared the civilian population imprisoned in the Gaza Strip a "hostile entity," and as such justifiedIsrael' s next plan to block the delivery of all supplies including water, food, soap, paper, textiles, fuels and electricity. At this moment the civilians trapped within the closed borders of Gaza, most of them refugees, await their fate at the hands of the Israeli military force. This is a military force that is funded by the US, and it is a force from which the civilians cannot now defend themselves, nor have they ever been able to defend themselves.
Palestinian man tries to carry a wounded friend after invading Israeli military forces shelled villages in Gaza. July 2006 Photo by Mohammed al Zaanoun, photojournalist armed only with a camera.
In speaking with photojournalists Mohammed al Zaanoun, and Mohammed Omer via email yesterday, I asked if the people of Gaza had access to clean water. The answer received from both was, "No."
"Dear Mary," Mohammed al Zaanoun wrote, "Gaza has many problems now, such as the electricity was cut off, and they [Israel] will not allow food and water to enter and many young are infected and dying due to closure of crossings."

(check http://www.currenti ssues.tv/ mohammad- az-zanoun. jpg for pictures)

At this time, therefore, the 1.5 million people trapped in Gaza have little or no access to clean water. Building supplies to repair water pumps and homes that have been bombed, shelled and bulldozed by Israeli forces are denied passage through the closed borders. Electricity is denied. Free trade beyond the borders is blocked. Transfer of emergency relief funds into Gaza is denied.
Cement is denied, leaving Gazans unable to even properly bury those already murdered by Israeli forces. Soap is denied. Postal service is denied. Bottled water is denied. Medications are denied. The sick are denied access to medical care across the blocked borders, as Mohammed pointed out. During the past three months, 70 of the desperately ill and innocent waiting for "permission" from Israel to cross the border for medical care have died. In 2007 alone, the Israeli forces slaughtered 290 people outright in Gaza, including children (this does not include those slaughtered in the West Bank). Now Israel is starving the remaining 1.5 million in Gaza, while also denying them access to clean water. (2)
One might wonder what the people of Gaza have done to provoke such a barbaric demonstration of hatred, racial rage and collective torture that is being displayed by the Israeli military forces.
While the published reason is that some Palestinians in Gaza have fired homemade, primitive Qassam rockets towards an Israeli settlement (while glossing over the fact that this settlement was built on land stolen from the Palestinians) , we now know that much of what is promoted in the mainstream US news is far from the truth. A more careful search reveals that Israeli Defense Minister, Yaakov Toran, is quoted as saying, "we need to remember that Qassams are more a psychological than physical threat.
Statistically they cause the fewest losses. . . " (3)
Qassams, which were first fired into Israeli settlements in 2002, are extremely inaccurate, short-range homemade rockets, and when they are fired from Gaza, they are generally fired in the direction of the Israeli settlement of Sderot. Sderot is located upon the ashes of the Palestinian village of Nadj. According to Dr. Walid Khalidi, the Palestinian inhabitants of Nadj were driven out when this village was ethnically cleansed by Israeli settlers in 1948, the year Israel announced its statehood. In Dr Khalidi's book, "All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated By Israel in 1948," Najd is said to be one of 418 ethnically cleansed villages. Not a trace of this peaceful farming community remains, but in the ashes of this village and the other 417 racially cleansed villages, there is a hint of the true reason behind the Israeli overkill, its frantic rage, and its racial violence against the Palestinian refugees. (4)
According to international laws regarding the Right of Return of refugees to their homes, the Palestinian refugees must be permitted to return to their own ancestral lands or be compensated justly for what was taken from them by Israel. The simple truth is that Israel, with its ever-mutating Swiss cheese borders, cannot remain in existence if this law is enforced. Israel cannot possibly give back all that it has taken from the Palestinian refugees, because every Israeli settlement that is dotting what was once the Holy Land, is built upon land stolen from the Palestinians. Incredibly, the only "Right of Return" law that Israel acknowledges, is the right of any Jewish person on earth to "return" to a land where neither they nor their ancestors have ever stepped foot, and call it home. (5) (6)
Therefore, one must ask a critical question. In order to protect the scattered-around "state" of Israel and all of its illegal settlements and rather than abiding by the international Right of Return laws, are the Israeli forces instead attempting to destroy as many Palestinian refugees as possible? One of the largest concentrations of Palestinian refugees is now being held captive, starved, deprived of water, bombarded daily, and slowly murdered through neglect and the withholding of basic needs inGaza.
Bush recently visited Israel, at which time he was "thanked" by Olmert for the $30 Billion package of US funds promised to Israel.
For those of us who are increasingly opposed to the activities of the state of Israel (as well as the activities of the US war machine abroad), this "gift package" is the equivalent of forcing all Americans into aiding and abetting what now appears to be a true terrorist state. Forcing Americans to support Zionist Israeli military and its host of illegal terrorist activities is an abomination. Americans should not have to helplessly watch as Zionist politicians in the US government hand US money over to the brutal, racist state favored by all Zionists. This is especially egregious because numerous US politicians have dual citizenships in both the US and Israel and enjoy frequent lavish trips and vacations to "Israel," the land forcefully taken away from the Palestinians. No one can support the state of Israel while also upholding his or her oath of office to support and uphold the US Constitution. (7)
This Christmas was bleak in Gaza. There were no winter clothes or toys to buy, and almost no money with which to buy goods. There were few sweet treats for the children. There was little food.
There was little medicine. There is no clean water. But, there was something else that remains in abundance, something that has never been taken away from the Palestinians. It is something that one can see well in the Palestinians if one takes a moment to look. It is something that continues to leave me in awe as well as with a profoundly growing respect.
The Palestinians have been patiently asking the world for help in ending the Israeli occupation of their homes and lands for 60 years now. Despite the fact that little help has been given to them and they remain refugees without human rights in their own land, there is something about them. Even after 60 years, they have not been broken in spirit. They have remained steadfast, patient, and still somehow in possession of a sense of humor that allows a ready smile, but they are also not ashamed of weeping when their hearts are broken. They have never given up, and they are determined to live in peace again on their ancestral lands - but there is something even more: They are filled with grace. Blocked from selling even their beautiful flowers abroad by the inhumane US and Israeli border closures, poverty stricken, jobless through no fault of their own and possessing almost nothing now, they gave each other those flowers for Christmas. (8)
Christmas in Gaza was also bleak for my friend, Mohammed al Zaanoun, although to date I have never heard him complain about his own situation even when I have asked him about it. With the typical grace shown by many Palestinians, he does not focus attention upon himself or his own suffering. With rare and brief exception, I have only heard him speak on behalf of others whose suffering he has witnessed and photographed. I, however, am aware of his personal suffering.
That was carnage the Israelis did not want the world seeing, and so they stopped the unarmed cameraman with typical Israeli force.

As Mohammed photographed and documented the July 2006 Israeli military attack on Gaza civilians as shown in the opening photos of this article, he was struck by Israeli fire first in the face and hand, but he continued photographing. He was then targeted and gunned down by an Israeli shell fired directly into his abdomen.
Upon impact, the shell fragmented into over 100 pieces inside him. Mohammed fell to the ground and as rescue workers ran to help him, he told them to save his camera.
"There are photos in the camera that bear witness to the truth," he said. "They will help awaken the world," Mohammed said.
They helped awaken me.
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mary sparrowdancer is an independent journalist and author of a bestselling book about the return of the Messiah, "The Love Song." www.sparrowdancer. com Please feel free to copy this article about Gaza and send it to anyone in need of an awakening.
Mary is committed to helping Mohammed receive the reconstructive surgeries that he still desperately requires. If you would like to help, contributions for Mohammed can be sent via paypal to her email addresssparrowdance r1@earthlink. net - or her mailing address in care of Tenth Moon Press, 529 East Jennings Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Please earmark them "For Mohammed." Mary wishes to thank Congressional Candidate Mark Yannone, (AZ, Congressional District 3) for his input regarding oaths of office, and his brief, one-word comment suggesting that I include the photos in this article. He said, after looking at them, "Jesus."
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References:
1.Gaza map. (1/14/2008)
http://images. nationmaster. com/images/ motw/middle_ east_and_ asia/ natural_resources. jpg
2. 2007 Statistics. (1/14/2008)
http://www.btselem. org/english/ Press_Releases/ 20071231. asp
3. Yaakov Toran talks about qassams. (1/14/2008)
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3222783,00. html
4. Najd. (1/14/2008)
http://umkahlil. blogspot. com/2006/ 06/sderot- built-on- ashes-of- ethnically.html
5. UN Human Rights Resolution 194. (1/14/2008)
http://domino. un.org/unispal. nsf/361eea1cc083 01c485256cf60060 6959/ c758572b78d1cd00852 56bcf0077e51a! OpenDocument
6. International laws. (1/14/2008)
http://www.hrw. org/campaigns/ israel/return/ crsr-rtr. htm
7. Thanks for the $30 Billion (1/13/2008
http://www.lebanese -forces.org/ vbullet/showthre ad.php?t= 29111
8. Flowers for Christmas (1/13/2008)
http://bbsnews. net/article. php/200801071214 00252
9, Rense.com

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Demonstrations like this should take place everywhere

17 Palestinian killed and at least 30 wounded in Gaza in less than 4 Hours

PCHRPalestinian Centre for Human Rights
Press Release




Ref: 3/2008
Date: 15 January 2008
Time: 12:30 GMT

IOF Escalate Attacks against the Gaza Strip:
17 Palestinians Killed and at Least 30 Others Wounded in Gaza City in Less Than 4 Hours

On Tuesday morning, 15 January 2008, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 17 Palestinians, including 5 civilians, and wounded at least 30 others, 5 of whom are in a serious condition, during an incursion into the al-Shojaeya and al-Zaytoun neighborhoods of east Gaza City. The incursion continued until noon. Preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR indicate that most of the victims were killed by tank shells, and that IOF troops used excessive lethal force without regard for the lives of Palestinian civilian living in the affected areas.

PCHR strongly condemns these latest crimes, and continues to be gravely concerned about the escalation of attacks by IOF against the Gaza Strip. PCHR calls upon the international community to immediately intervene in order to stop these crimes, as well as repeated Israeli threats to invade the Gaza Strip en masse, which will undoubtedly cause even more destruction, including deaths and injuries, to the Palestinian civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

According to the preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 08:00 on Tuesday, 15 January 2008, IOF heavy military vehicles moved nearly 3,000 meters into Palestinian areas around Malaqa Square, which lies between al-Shojaeya and al-Zaytoun neighborhoods in the east of Gaza City. IOF then indiscriminately opened fire at anything that moved within the area. A number of militants from the Palestinian resistance clashed with IOF, and the IOF responded by firing tank shells. As a result, 5 Palestinian militants were killed:

1) Rami Talal Farahat, 30.
2) 'Aahed Sa'dallah 'Ashour, 27.
3) Mahmoud 'Ata Abu Laban, 21.
4) Hussam Mahmoud al-Zahhar, 22.
5) Saleem 'Abdul Haq al-Mdallal, 20.

IOF continued to indiscriminately shell Palestinian houses and agricultural areas. As a result, 3 Palestinian farmers were also killed:
1) As'ad 'Eissa Radwan Tafesh, 65;
2) Marwan Sameer 'Ouda, 22.
3) Sa'id Mustafa al-Sammouni, 50.



Another 2 civilians, including a student, were also killed during the incursion:
1) Ayman Fadel Malaka, 35, a car trader who was in the car market located neat the affected area.
2) 'Abdul Salam 'Atiya Abu Laban, 19, a student.

In addition, 30 Palestinians, including a woman, were wounded by the IOF gunfire. The conditions of five of those wounded during the incursion is described as "serious" by medical sources.

IOF withdrew from the area at approximately 12:30. Soon afterwards, Palestinian ambulances rushed to al-Shojaeya and al-Zaytoun. Medical personnel found the bodies of 7 militants from the Palestinian resistance who had been killed by IOF during the incursion.

The victims were identified as:
1) Mohammed Majdi Hejji, 20.
2) Sakher Saleem Zwayed, 27.
3) Mustafa Yahia Selmi, 20.
4) Mos'ab Saleem Selmi, 21.
5) 'Abdullah Taleb Salem, 23.
6) Mohammed Sabri Hana, 20.
7) Khamis Abu Sawawin, 25.

PCHR is gravely concerned about this continuing escalation in attacks by IOF, and therefore:

1) Condemns these crimes, which are part of a serious of continuous crimes committed by IOF in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) with total disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians, considering them a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian civilian population in violation of article 33 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
2) Stresses that IOF do not pay attention to the principles of necessity and proportionality when using their full-fledged arsenal against members of the Palestinian resistance, who are sometimes present in densely populated areas.
3) Calls upon the international community to immediately intervene to stop such crimes, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention, Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, to fulfill their obligation under article 1 of the Convention to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, as well as their obligation under article 146 to search for and prosecute those who are responsible for perpetrating grave breaches of the Convention, as such breaches constitute war crimes according to article 147 of the Convention and the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I).

Public Document
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For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org