Saturday, July 4, 2009

Writing again after six months

For nearly six months, I've been occupied with tens of things that prevented me from posting and writing in my blog. However, I did never think of quit or stop. After the Israeli war, I was working in the damage survey as an engineer and part of the UNRWA team of damage survey to assess the type and size of damage that was caused by the war to the refugees shelters and houses in Gaza Strip. At the beginning, I was working in Khanyounis area which has less damage comparing to the other areas like north and east of Gaza city. Afterward, I was transfered by my supervisors to the northern parts of Gaza Strip, mainly Jabalia. I visited most of the invaded and damaged areas. My job was such unique experience that give me the chance to see and feel the suffer of my people by hearing their stories during the war, watching their damaged left behind houses..etc....

Saturday, January 31, 2009

12 days after the war

After 12 days of the agreed cease-fire between Palestinian brigades and Israel in Gaza, situation is still unstable. On humanitarian level, situation is a disaster. Thousands of people who lost their houses still have no place to go. Size of destruction discovered is beyond the imagination of anyone. All relief actions that have been taken are still on the primary stage and offer those poor vulnerable people only basic aids. The reconstruction operations are still pending due to the closure of all crossing points. Only few goods are allowed to enter Gaza, leaving the Gaza strip in a miserable shape; taking into account the huge impacts of the war and the continuous siege which was and still very stricky since 20 months in arrow. Despite all that, wounds and sadness stories of the war victims have become the fever of the media and press. Gaza has become the target of many Arabs and Muslims who came to support and relief the people in here. People and charity associations from Turkey, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Algeria, and others arrived and took hundreds of tours around to see the destroyed areas as well as governmental structures.
Many international NGOs, such as UNRWA and UNDP have already started assessing the damage rapidly to measure the size and type of damage occurred and try to figure out something that may help. Talking about the huge destruction that touches almost everything in Gaza, numbers can talk specifically more than words:
4000 houses had been totally demolished.
17,000 houses had been partially damaged.
95 mosques have been damaged (45 of them are totally destroyed)
one hospital for the red crescent had been totally burned and some hospitals and health centers had been partially damaged.
all ministries and presidential buildings have been totally destroyed (including police stations and gov. ministries compound).
3 municipalities have been partially damaged.
Islamic university have a core damage in one of its main buildings, which is scientific labratories building, as well as other buildings. The estimated cost of repair is nearly 15 million US$.
the list is too long and can never end. However, end of suffering for the people in Gaza have not showed up yet.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Day Twenty of the war in Gaza



The 20th day of the Israeli war on Gaza was the most aggressive and bloody day of the war. After the withdrawal of the Israeli armor tanks from Tal Al-Hawa neighbor early morning of Friday, Gazans discovered huge damage and destroying to the area. In addition, 24 dead bodies were found. The results of this invasion was:

1- Burning and causing huge damage to the Palestinian Red Cresent center as well as Al - Quds hospital next to it. The hospital hosted nearly 300 injuries and patients. The burning took place after an Israeli open fire and shelling of the area.

2- Burning of UNRWA main warehouse and losing most of food and fuel supply that UNRWA was using to aid and relief nearly 750,000 Palestinians as well as hospitals and municipalities.

3- Assassination of the former interior minister and third man of Hamas Said Syam. The rid also resulted in killing of 10 Palestinians.

4- Destroying of the main police station of Khanyounis after an Israeli night rid by Israeli’s F16 warplanes.

5- Destroying of several houses and a mosque in Rafah area near the Egyptian borders after an Israeli night rid.

6- Death toll on Gaza is now : 1300 dead (345 of them are children and 100 are women) and 4700 injuries (50% of them are children).

The targeting of the UN HQ in Gaza was made while the Security general Ban Ge Mon visiting Jerusalem. Ihud Barrak, the Israeli defensive minister said it was a big mistake.

The talks about cease fire remain as talks on the stage, taking into account that Israel continues its war using every weapon it has, no mattar if it is internationally banded or not and without any care to the voices of millions around the world whom are protesting and saying no to the war.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Said Syam..we will never forget you


Gaza's interior minister Said Syam assassinated along with his son and brother in Gaza by Israeli warplanes. According to sources, Syam was just leaving a car with his son beside a house that belongs to Syam family in Gaza when an Israeli warplane assassinate him. 6 palestinians were killed in this attack..that incidence took place one hour ago. The event came after the huge invasion of the Israeli army that took place early morning and still ongoing. The Israeli armor tanks invaded Gaza city from the south-western parts of the city. The army continued to shell the city randomly causing huge damage to the buildings and houses. Even the UN HQ of Gaza was hit and its warehouse that includes food and fuel stores were burned.

Syam was one of the biggest leaders of Hamas in Gaza. He was considered as the third man of Hamas in Gaza. He is also a parliment member of the PLO.

Israel uses to assassinate Palestinian resistance leaders for the past 60 years. However, this has never made any deference. The resistance continues and Israel will never achieve what is seeking for by such dirty actions

Monday, January 12, 2009

day No.15 of the war in Gaza

Today is the 15th day of the Israeli war in Gaza. Pictures which came out from Gaza showed the volume of the disaster and the crime which are made by Israeli forces. In addition, testimonies of several international NGOs like: UN, Human rights watch, ICRC, and many other NGOs have been screaming because of what they witnessed and saw. One example, the ICRC members said that they found 4 children crying on their mothers bodies for 4 days. These children were found in a house that was hit by Israelis and Israelis entered the house and saw the children and give no aid to them. The Israelis also left those children inside the house and prevented anyone from outside from approaching the house.
Such incidence is only one sad story of hundreds that are discovered and will be discovered as soon as this war end. On the battle field, Israeli army is not progressing at all. After 15 days of military operations, the Israeli army is still unable of stopping Palestinian rockets from falling on Israeli cities and can’t even make any success in any axis of invasion on the land.
Talking in numbers can give clear image about situation. After 15 days of the war, the situation is like below:
1- More than 800 Palestinians (230 child and 80 woman), most of them are civilians.
2- Nearly 3500 Palestinian is injured (400 of them is serious), most of them are also civilians.
3- Nearly 400 houses were demolished. In addition, all governor and security buildings were destroyed including Parliament, ministries, municipalities, police offices, universities, charity associations, factories, schools, mosques, and others.
4- on the Israeli side, 700 rockets reached many Israeli cities on the zone of 60 Kms causing minor damages and some of casualties as well as injuries.
5- Also on Israeli side, nearly 30 Israeli soldiers were killed and 110 were injured.
Considering the followings above, it is clear that the announced goals of this war from the Israeli side are still far away from reaching. Rockets have not stopped, Hamas is not weak or destroyed, and Israeli army is achieving nothing in Gaza but killing more civilians and children and destroying more houses.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Dirty war of Israel in Gaza

Today is the eleventh day of the war on Gaza. Number of casualties has reached its highest ever. 650 were killed and more than 3000 were injured, 400 of them are serious. Tens of air strikes nearly committed by Israeli air forces targeting almost everything in Gaza Strip. Security and police buildings, government and ministries, charity associations of Hamas, municipalities, universities, mosques, houses, and others were hardly and aggressively hit during these 11 days. in addition, the invasion which is ongoing for its third day has not reached any reasonable achievement on land. the Israeli army leaders have become very nervous and they are targeting civilians aggressively in a very bloody action no matter where they are. The new bloody targets of the eleventh day is three UNRWA schools which have been opened by UNRWA as a sort of evacuation and shelters for refugees who escaped from then invaded areas running for their lives. However, the Israeli airplanes came after them and killed dozens of people in these schools (mostly children and women). By such actions, Israel is trying to put more pressure on the Palestinian resistance to force them to accept a cease fire with an Israeli conditions. However, this resistance, which showed a strong example of holding its positions and preventing Israeli army from progressing forward in any axis within the invasion areas to the north and east parts of Gaza Strip, this resistance is not showing any mark of giving up or sticking to what Israelis want, taking into account that such thing would be considered as a betray to the blood of those victims. On the Israeli side, Israeli journalists have started talking about what is going on and would such operations bring any peace or stopping rockets from falling on Israeli heads and cities, as up to date rockets are still launching from Gaza, causing big shame to the Israeli leadership that is achieving nothing but more victims and destruction and leaving 1.5 milion palestinian without food, electricity, and water for nearly 2 weeks.Such war is considered as a very dirty war where an army is killing as much as an army can of civilains and innocents with no reason but putting pressure on fighters to stop fighting. This army is just as cawerd as it can be because they fail to get any victory by fighting face to face so they can now celebrate their victory over the civilains skulls and blood.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

War in Gaza



After six days of the war that was launched by Israel on Gaza, number of casualties has reached its highest ever. 420 were killed and more than 2000 were injured, 250 of them are serious. Tens of air strikes were committed by Israeli air forces targeting almost everything in Gaza Strip. Security and police buildings, government and ministries, charity associations of Hamas, municipalities, universities, mosques, houses, and others were hardly and aggressively hit during these six days. The announced goals of Israel are changing the security situation in Gaza and remove or at least weaken Hamas. However, these goals remain unreached and still away from achieving in the near future. The sequence of killing Palestinians varies from policemen to children and women. The war in Gaza has another face which was and still witnessed in Israeli cities by feeling and experiencing the Grad rockets falling on many cities on a range between 40-60 Kms away from Gaza Strip. The Palestinian resistance has targeted many Israeli cities for the first time ever. People in Gaza are suffering from the deteriorated humanitarian situation that is due to collapse completely. No fuel, no electricity supply, no food, and no medical supplies because of the siege and closure that is forced by Israel as well as Egypt. Some humanitarian and medical aids were allowed to enter Gaza through Kerm Shalum and Rafah but these aids are barley covering the huge shortage of everything in Gaza.
The Arabian and Islamic and even international image outside Gaza is showing huge support and sympathize on the people level. However, on the official level, the image is shameful.
Despite all that and in all meanings, this war will change the Palestinian Israeli conflict face forever.