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.

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.

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.

Hebron..settlers victim

The violence in Hebron is a never end story. It has started long time ago after the Israeli occupation that took place in 1967. since that time, Israeli authorities took every needed action to enhance and increase the Jewish population and touch by building big settlements and taking many lands that belong to Palestinians by force. When it comes to Hebron, it is always about history and religion for both Jewish and Muslims. The core issue for such conflict is always the old city of Hebron and specifically, the Ibrahim Mosque (according to Jews it is called Abraham cave), which is the heart of the old city. Both sides agree that this place belongs to the prophet Ibrahim (or Abraham). However, both sides claim that the prophet belongs to them. Israeli authorities have already built many settlements in Hebron since 1967 and those settlements are considered as biggest settlements in the West Bank, such as Keryat Arba. In addition, settlers took by force many Palestinian houses inside the old city and created what is known as the Jewish neighbor. Those settlers are mostly trouble makers and they have been abusing the Palestinian population under the protection of the Israeli army. The religious settlers also took by force part of the Ibrahim mosque and turn to a Jewish temple. However, one of the biggest abuse events was the bloody massacre of the Ibrahim Mosque "also called Al- Haram Al – Ibraheme massacre" that was committed by one of Keryat Arba settlers Barokh Goldshtayen in 1995. The settler entered the mosque early morning while the prayers were praying Al – Fajer pray and open shooting on them, killing and injuring most of them. That particular incidence increases hate feelings to those settlers by Palestinians. The sequence of settler's violence against Palestinians in Hebron continued to become a part of the life in Hebron and take so many faces and use hundreds of tools including, burning Palestinians houses, destroying of olive farms, using of guns and weapons against Palestinians, ..etc. recently, the settlers occupied a building in Hebron that belongs to a Palestinian resident by force and kicked out that building residents by force. This incidence took place two weeks ago causing the Palestinians – settlers to reach its fever and resulting in killing of two Palestinians and injuring of tens of them. March last year, in what Israel's High Court of Justice called a quasi-military operation, some 150 students at a yeshiva (a school for Jewish religious study) took over that building on behalf of the settler association. They say it was empty; the owner claims they used force to empty it. Last month the High Court ordered the state authorities to remove the settlers and lock up the building pending a legal ruling on its rightful ownership. That was the main reason behind the conflict fever that was raised recently.

Traveling dream of Gazans

Traveling around for any purpose has become a far away dream for people in Gaza. The story started 2 years ago on 25th June 2006 when the kidnapping incidence of Israeli soldier Shalit took place. After that particular incidence, Israel decided to prevent the European international observers whom were observing the Rafah crossing point according to Rafah crossing agreement that were signed between Israel and PA in September 2005. however, the only window that Gaza has to pass to the world, which is Rafah, was not closed completely. The year 2006 witnessed few opening times coordinated by Egyptian side to allow Palestinian passengers whom came to visit their relatives in Gaza to travel out. Situation had become worse after 14th June 2007 when Hamas took over Gaza Strip ruling. After that date, all parties (PA, Israel, Egypt, and EU) agreed to close Rafah crossing completely claiming that one of the parties, who is PA, is no longer there. All Palestinians in Gaza, including students, sick people, visitors, and others were prevented from traveling out of Gaza Strip. In August 2008, some Palestinian fighters exploded the border wall and made some big holes in it, allowing thousands of Palestinians to cross over and enter Al – Araesh city of Egypt. The situation remained for nearly 10 days with some control and organize by both Egyptians and Hamas police and then it was closed again. Since that time, Rafah crossing was opened few times to allow humanitarian cases, few sick people, and few students to travel. However, thousands of Palestinians are still not allowed to travel, taking into account that Rafah crossing is the only lung that Gaza has to breath. More over, Israeli strong siege ever has make situation more worse, limiting Palestinian options to almost zero, taking into account that only few Palestinians can cross Erez, the Israeli crossing point from Gaza to Israel, whom are only UN and ICRC members and staff, and some of international NGOs members. However, Erez has tend to be a point where used as crossing point for internationals and people whom are not locals. For the time being and perhaps for the near future or even for an unknown period, traveling remains a sort of a dream that may never come true for Gazans.

Israeli assassinations in Israeli eyes

New report published by Ha'aretz, one of the biggest and widely distributed newspapers in Israel, about Israeli army assassinating operations. Report said The Israeli army has been assassinating wanted West Bank Palestinians in spite of the High Court of Justice's guidelines.High-level military officials approved assassinations in the West Bank, "even when it could have been possible to arrest the targets instead," according to the Ha'aretz report. This means of course a sort of a field and quick execution process. Army officers authorized the killings in advance; "in writing, even if innocent bystanders would be killed as well," the report goes on to say. The assassinations policy also runs contrary to what the military had been telling the High Court, "as they were subject only to minimal restrictions" prior to a court ruling that demanded otherwise. Ziad Malaisha, who was killed on 20 June 2007 near Jenin was published in the Israeli newspaper as an example of one such mission. The obtained document, which is a preliminary paper called "Operation Two Towers," details a mission planned by Israeli commander Yair Naveh. Though it insists that "the mission is arrest," the document allows for the army to kill any of three Islamic Jihad members.On 12 April, the same commander approved the killing of just one of the three, as well as "another two people at most." According to a spokesperson for the Israeli army's office, the plans to kill Islamic Jihad members would only be implemented if arrests failed, but that the "alternative is preferable."
Israeli assassination operations had been widely considered as an effective tool against Palestinian activists during second Intefada and resulting in killing big leaders of Palestinian fractions, such as Salah Shehada "former general leader of Al – Qassam brigades, armor arm of Hamas", Ahmad Yassin, Abd Al- Aziz Al – Rantesee "leaders and members of Hamas finders, Abu Ali Mustafa "leader of Al- Jabha Al- Shabyya", and others. During these opertions, many civilian Palestinians including women and children were killed.

such tool or process is usually considered by terrorists, thugs,..etc. However, it is considered by state like Israel that called itself as the only democratic state in its region. what a silly and discasting statement.

Impact of the recent crisis on us

As everyone knows, we’re lying under a very strong Israeli closure that has badly affected our life as Palestinians as well as our work here in Gaza. For nearly 20 days, nothing is allowed to enter Gaza Strip even the basic needs. Shortage has occurred in all levels and touched every single detail of our life. Main shortage is occurring in food and power supplies. Due to the absence of industrial fuel, the only power plant in Gaza is shut down since 10 days, leaving more than 50% of Gaza Strip areas without any power supply. Population in Gaza city, which is the biggest in Gaza Strip (around 550,000 capita) and the most influenced and infected population with this crisis, have electricity supply for 2-3 hours a day. Due to that condition, water supply, which is directly linked to power supply, suffer huge shortage and people in Gaza city receive water one time a week for less than 6 hours, taking into account that you may have electricity supply but at the same time have no water or the opposite. For the multi-story and high building, it is a disaster because once you don’t have electricity then for sure you have no water.
When it comes to crisis, Gaza people have good experience in facing such problems and difficulties. However, this time it seems that it is away beyond their capabilities. They have even stopped receiving any external aids from UNRWA or any other agencies due to the shortage that UNRWA and other agencies’ stocks suffer. Due to the shortage in cooking gas and flora, all bakeries in Gaza city are closed and there is no more bread available for the people to buy except those who have some flora and make it at their houses. I’m trying to draw a general image about the situation in Gaza but even from the work point of view, our work in the office had been tremendously affected by the current circumstances. We have stopped our usual habit of having breakfast together at office because of the absence of the bread as well as Falafel and other usual food stuff which we use to have. Today, one of my colleague suggested that we can eat some fruits. I went to the fruit shop and tried to buy some apples but I found out that the price has doubled and became very expensive. Our office hours had been reduced due to the shortage of electricity to reach 3-4 hours a day. Even if we’ve electricity that does not mean that we have internet connection, especially for members like me whom are using PC and not laptop. Experiencing such hard circumstances is not new for us but to be honest, this time is the hardest one.