International Solidarity Movement Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.
By Sharon in Gaza
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Last night E rode with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jabalia, where attacks have continued to be very heavy, and was witness to the collection of three martyred folks – one was 24 year old caretaker of the American school, whose body was in a terrible state as a result of the school being bombed during the night.
Our Jabalia friends, F’s family, had further near misses during the night and were very distressed, so E went to see them this morning. She found that Israel had dropped leaflets in the area announcing that everyone must leave their houses because they will be destroyed. So F’s family have today left behind what must now seem like the comparative safety of their basement. But E met the neighbours, who have ten children, and are not leaving – because they simply have nowhere to go. And also, Sara’s husband from F’s family is not leaving the neighbourhood, though he won’t stay in the empty house. I guess he’s just had enough, and perhaps only wants to join his wife in paradise.
Our local colleague Mo told us of a teenager from his youth group who died yesterday. 16-year-old Christian girl, Christine Wade’a al Turk, died of a heart attack brought on by a severe asthma attack, resulting from the stress of the ongoing strikes.
Bombing across the road from me at the port this morning destroyed further boats, filling the sky with thick black smoke. One wonders what the point is. V and I will be with Jabalia’s Red Crescent Service tonight.
THANK YOU for today’s rallies! I’ve made a new section on on the blog called Gaza Solidarity Worldwide, please post any reports there you’d like to share.
Shortly after I got this far with this draft, we had to go to Ramattan for a press conference stating that though 400 internationals left yesterday, many of us are remaining to stand beside our Palestinian friends. And to state our belief that Israel wants no outside witnesses to its next actions, and perhaps no possibility of being called to account for the deaths of any inconvenient Westerners. At about 5pm the rumour reached us that the army’s ground incursion was about to begin, and we dropped everything else to run to the Red Crescent in Jabalia…
