A Bloody Day in Gaza: Over 230 killed, hundreds injured
http://mwcnews.net/content/view/27529/26/
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/sameh.habeeb/TodaySMasscre#.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2008/12/27/sameh-habeeb-a-bloody-day-in-gaza/
More than 230 killed, hundreds injured due to Israeli bombings against Gaza
Israel is phoning civilians requesting they evacuate houses or they will be bombed
More bombings taking place Now
Casualties up to 230
Israeli army targets Al Shifa' hospital and a mosque
Gaza Strip, 27 Dec, 2008- Saturday morning started as usual but dramatically changed by 11AM. Sixty Israeli F16s bombarded around 100 police stations, civil and governmental offices across Gaza Strip. The bombardment which simultaneously took place left (at the time of writing)160 people killed and around 3 hundred wounded. A number of wounded is expected to die while many corpses still lie under the rubble of buildings.
Palestinian victims were an amalgamation of policemen and civilians who were visiting some police stations for civic affairs. Al Jawazat police station witnessed the bloodiest Israeli attack in which around 70 were killed, mostlypolicemen. The victims of police of Al Jawzat were holding a graduation ceremony for new young police groups.
A family of 9 members, 15 young children, and some women were killed but not recognized. The Ministry of Health is not able to recognize the ID's of casualties. Tawfiq Jaber, Director of Gaza police was killed in the air raids along with Ismail El Jabari head of the security section in the police. Governor of central Gaza governorates and camps was killed as Israel hit his car.
Ma'waya Hasanian, head of Emergency and Ambulances said that around 230 people were killed and 200 injured. He added that a big number of victims were civilians from women, children and old people. Civilian cars referred wounded civilians to the hospitals due to lack of medical cars and vehicles.
Gaza hospitals announced inability of receiving the wounded due to lack of medical equipment and tools. Corpses of Palestinians were thrown on the corridors, rooms and units of hospitals. Meanwhile 2-3 wounded victims shared one bed due to lack of medical equipment, a result of the Israeli siege imposed 2 years ago. Basim Nai'm, Health Minster in Gaza said that Gaza medical sector needs tens of kinds of medical equipment and tools. A number of 70 wounded were referred to an Egyptian hospital.
According to Naser Al laham, Chief-Editor of Maan News Agency said that around 60 Israeli warplanes carried out the Massacre which surprisingly took place in Gaza.
The raids targeted all areas of Gaza Strip, cities, villages and towns. The hit cities are Gaza, Rafah, Khanyonis, Nusairat, Maghazi, Bait Lahia, Jabalia, Bait Hanoun. Refugee camps of Jabalia, Al Shati', Rafah an mid areas were targeted as well. Some of the destroyed compounds included Palestinian prisoners under penal detention for criminal issues.
The Israeli bombings flagrantly violate all laws which call for protecting civilians. This was so obvious from the number of civilian casualties. The brutal bombings happened in time of school children were going home, after a normal day of study. A considerable number of children were killed, but medical soruces didn't announce official numbers in this respect. Identities of killed people are still unknown but a very few ones.
On the other side, Israel officially announced the start of a full-scale military operation in Gaza. She has called on settlers to go down to bunkers bordering Gaza after 1 Israeli was killed and several injured in a homemade rocket fired from Gaza.
Israeli official Television broadcasted footage of the settlements hit by Gazan fighters and ironically ignored what's happening in Gaza. The television stated that today's military operations is the start of a long-term massive war action against Gaza. Israeli army named the operation in Gaza "Lead Pouring Out" which entirely means surprisingly decapitation of Palestinian factions in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared the 20 square kilometers of Gaza a "special military zone." The classification is one degree below a declaration of total war against an enemy state. The announcement was made Saturday morning.
Israeli Channel 10 announced that the current situation does not amount to a declaration of war, but the operation against the Gaza Strip is intended to last throughout Saturday and perhaps into Sunday. It asserted that Israel prepared an operation that could take several weeks. Preparations have also been taken to contain any expected response in the West Bank.
Ehud Barak said that this operation would roll out in all Gaza's areas and it will last for a longer time. He vowed of a painful military strike of Hamas pointing out "there is a time for peace and time for War." According to Barak the operation aims at toppling down Hamas government and stopping the homemade rockets.
Maan Agency reports: Israeli sources also asserted that the operation would not topple Hamas, but rather will ensure that homemade projectiles from the Gaza Strip will stop. This was confirmed in a statement released by the Prime Minister's office as well.
Regional efforts are being exerted to put pressure on Israel to immediately stop the war crimes perpetrated in Gaza. Turkey expressed its deep anger towards the surprising actions done by Israel. Turkish government held a meeting to discuss the possibilities of reaching a truce. Premire of Turkey, Abdallah Gul, condemned the Israeli brutal actions in Gaza.
Meanwhile Syrian President, Bashar Al Asad, Yemeni Presdient Ali Abdallah Saleh called for an immediate meeting for Arab league to discuss Gaza's situation. Additionally Qatar and the Sudan called on that too. An expected session for the United Nations would be heled upon a request from Arab countries.
On the popular level, demonstrations took place in the West Bank cities, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. Lebanese people protest in front of the Egyptian embassy in Beirut considering it has part of the siege on Gaza.
Israel warcraft still hovers on low distance on Gaza vowing of a hot night!
To Be Continued.
Sameh A. Habeeb, B.A.
Photojournalist & Peace Activist
Humanitarian, Child Relief Worker
Gaza Strip, Palestine
Mob: 00972599306096
Tel: 0097282802825
E-mail: Sam_hab@hotmail.com
Sameh.habeeb@gmail.com
Skype: Gazatoday, Facebook: Sameh A. habeeb
Web: www.gazatoday.blogspot.com
Daily Photos:http://picasaweb.google.com/sameh.habeeb
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19 comments:
Sickening. Absolutely sickening. Why is it that Israel is so hungry for war and destruction?
What can we do to raise awareness?
hello julia and everyone.
i'm sorry you see a little country that has been struggling to survive against powerful forces of hate as 'hungry for war' but you're avoiding the daily rocket attacks that terrorize the people of israel everyday. hamas has an armed, trained, and prepared army and they choose to attack israel and talk about it in pride.
i don't wish to see people fight in a place that is holy for so many people, but hamas has to fight for peace not for rockets.
Where is the change promised by Obama? How is possible that change when the lobbies of Israel have put a lot of money in his campaign? I hope someday someone judge as a criminals people like Javier Solana and our coward European politics.
Rockets attacks? Have you read how live the people in the ghetto of Gaza? How fight for peace when they have Gaza with a heavy Boycott, without light, water, hospitals destroyed, a political interventionist, political and economic blackmail...The true terrorist is the estate of Israel and his insanity.
Remember Varsovia and all the resolutions of ONU that Israel fail with arrogance. That rockets are domestic. The attack of Israel with almost 300 civils die and 800 hurt it's a genocide disproportion. It's like demand peace and respect when the Jewish were eliminated by nazis or the Kurds by Sadam. It's no sense.
Stop to produce films like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and other Lists and look the present, the children of the present that grown without family and without other possibility that to fight instead of live.
Tomàs
Barcelona
palestinians have suffered from ghastly meager living conditions for decades and hamas is propagating those conditions by investing their funds into making and firing deadly rockets. when they do use their money towards good purposes, education for example, they spend their time teaching hate and breeding violence.
it's not surprise that a person doesn't want to help a neighbor who hates and threatens. there is a deep cultural hatred among these neighbors which will not be solved by rockets, air bombs, and discontinuing living supplies. but it's up to both sides to stop hating. that is something they can each choose.
the comparison to systematic annihilation and massacre is unbalanced. israel is retaliating to daily threats of violence, sheer acts of terror, that hamas created and approved: the daily firing of deadly rockets. hamas chose to purchase, create, and fire those rockets and they could have stopped them. they chose to endanger their own people. hamas could have chosen to find a way to coexist with their neighbors but instead they chose deadly rocket attacks. israel has a right to protect itself from terror, just like every other country.
a great film that depicts the saddening reality of trying to live a life caught between poverty and terror is Paradise Now. it shows that there is tremendous cultural divides to figure out to get to peace. air bombs and rockets are not one those solutions.
-Massacre.
-That’s not war, or an answer. -It’s just an assassination in cold blood. The great "solution" of Israel?
-It’s like a terrorist killing indiscriminating in a shop.
-Illegality (read the different resolutions from ONU like 242).
-Are you waiting Iran follow the rules that Israel, the chosen one, has ignored always?
-Are you sure is unbalanced? Look the reports. I call it genocide.
-Deadly rockets? It’s ridiculous. Take a look of the images of the destruction in Gaza.
-Free-Kill 300 civils is making the zone more explosive and dangerous and don’t help to construct any future. 300 families badly hurt and hungry of war. Good politic.
-Israel don't want the peace and the defense is just a pretext. Without conflict they don't receive economic favors and donations of usa government.
-Israel has exhausted all the credit. They didn’t learn anything from Holocaust; in fact they are applying similar methods. Gaza is today a camp of concentration. Have you visited it?
Hamas is a consequence of Israel politics and missiles, the consequence of the desperation of thousand of Palestinians expelled from his houses, without horizon. I'm not defending HAMAS, I'm only supporting all the palestinians that face the terror of a criminal estate every day of his existence. Has nothing to do with religion or politic ideas, just with lives. They live with a REAL TERROR everyday. It’s frivolous right away talk about terror in the Israeli side. A Palestinian father that loss his family has nothing, nothing from government, because the money is in a party that didn’t’ win the elections, nothing from international right, because this is violated for Israel with regularity, because they are poor in front of the opulence of Israel. Who cares?
You talk about money but during decades the Israeli government has private the Palestinians all kind of business. Controls and more controls make all business a failure. Let’s clear! The Israeli government has only one objective: forced to Palestinians to leave Gaza. If Hamas doesn’t exist, they will create it. Israel has the power and must lead with good manners, but they provoke the conflict because they need the conflict as Hamas need the deads. And don’t forget that Hamas, yes a party that don’t recognize Israel, has made more for the community of Gaza that past governments that had the recognition of Israel and the USA. For this reason, the people choose them with a huge majority. The Palestinians said also NO to the corruption. But is difficult adjust the budget when your hospitals are destroyed, the centrals of light, water, other buildings, etc.
I have seen Paradise Now. I just saying the same that write Norman G. Finkelstein in his book. The Jewish are not the only that have suffered a holocaust. There are disproportional conflicts, genocides of the present that must attract the attention of all the medias. Conflicts to resolve. The past for learn and look the present with answers, not just to commit the same errors.
Just hope that the international community, if they want to maintain some of credibility (I think they have 0), condemn the massacre and demand responsibilities.
Also to encourage to Sameh Habeeb to continue report from Gaza. Today in Madrid has been protests in front of Israeli embassy and tomorrow in Barcelona there are schedule a concentration of condemnation due the massacre.
Best regards from Barcelona.
Tomàs
Tomas has said everything I wanted to say. If there are so many people in the international community that have these opinions why is Israel allowed to continue to make the lives of the Palestinian people a living hell? Because it serves their own purpose. How can they use the lives of these children and civilians to maintain their place in the world. How does the international community turn a blind eye to whats going on and how do other governments allow this disparity of violence to continue? I don't understand why Israel is also purported to be the victim in media coverage when it is so clear that they are the instigators and the most inhumane of all. Do the ordinary citizens of Israel know the real truth as to what is happening in Palestine on a daily basis. Would they be able to take the cruelty and live in the conditions imposed in Gaza and not retaliate? I think not. We have to let our own governments know that we will not support these atrocities anymore. We have to demand that they speak for their public and denouce what Israel is doing.
Thank you for sharing your reports. I wish that we could do something to stop the inhumane, evil acts happening to you and to all Palestinians. Stay strong and safe.
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
Hope God and men stop war.All of this is the horror as part of the human beings.How to help from here ,my country - Colombia, that has also known about massacres and death???We have not been able to make people be aware of the right everybody has to live,we have not been able to respect the most priceless thing:life,we have not been able to make people undertand Palestinians are suffering as much as my people.
Payers for all.
Martha
I have a Question for all of You!
The mideast has been a troubled spot for centuries and I don't understand why? There are people that call them selves Palestinians and others than call them selves Israelies. It is my understanding that neither has unique historical rights to where they Live. I know that the Jewish people settled in the area and so did the Arab people. What is sad is that they both have such closed minds that say that they have thousands of years of rights to thier own land. Research says and Ancient Egyptian texts called the entire coastal area along the Mediterranean Sea between modern Egypt and Turkey R-t-n-u (conventionally Retjenu). Retjenu was subdivided into three regions and the southern region, Djahy, shared approximately the same boundaries as Canaan, or modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories, though eastern areas including Syria. Egyptian texts of the temple at Medinet Habu, record a people called the P-r-s-t (conventionally Peleset), one of the Sea Peoples who invaded Egypt in Ramesses III's reign. This is considered very likely to be a reference to the Philistines. The Hebrew name Peleshet (פלשת Pəléshseth) usually translated as Philistia in English, the coastal region north and south of modern Gaza which was occupied and settled by Philistine invaders from across the sea. Early archeological textual reference to the territory of Palestine is found in the Merneptah Stele, dated c. 1200 BCE, containing a recount of Egyptian king Merneptah's victories in the land of Canaan, mentioning place-names such as Gezer, Ashkelon and Yanoam, along with Israel, which is mentioned using a hieroglyphic determinative that indicates a nomad people, rather than a state. I think that mothers and fathers in both of these worlds teach thier children to HATE rather than looking for commonality in human existance. These hatreds are mostly religious based. I have studied world religions for many years and believe we should look not at the differences but look to what we have in common. Think about this - Centuries before Arabs and Jews and Palistinians were around we were all just - Human Beings living on the same small ball in space scraping for existance. We have totally forgotten this, in our quest for Selfishness and Self Righteousness. I feel sorry for all of the people in this region as there NEVER will be peace - Just because nobody really want it, except on their own terms.
Allahuakbar!!!I was a member of Hamas here we are only waiting for seconds destruction of Israel and the United States, we are here only seconds to wait for a laugh to the United States and Israel, here we still have a weapon is everyone dont know, weapons that can destroy a lot of strength and how great power in any period of time only a seconds.Our member never and will never be less, because one strengths of one member of our is the same as the strength of a thousand U.S. soldiers and Israel.we still have (Allah) the greatfull .hay israel, Jewish , and U.S. you will be watching your destruction.by HAMAS Allahuakbar!!!
Allahuakbar!!!
will never have strength except with the help of Allah.
hey Israel and israel sincere friend (the Jews and the U.S. who are involved in the plan oppression Palestinian nation) you must remember that Allah will not let you out of He curse and anathema.
wait wrath of Allah
Allahuakbar!!!
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