20 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza
Israeli attacks on Gaza are not limited to trying to kill people. Sometimes, they bomb things just to destroy them, pointless destruction. On the morning of August 19th, 2011 Israeli warplanes bombed Kateeba. Kateeba is a large unfinished building near Al Azhar University. It has a giant green lawn, one of the few green spaces in Gaza, and is a popular place for people to hang out at night. They pass the evening talking, smoking, and enjoying the green grass and the cool air. Kateeba doesn’t have walls, just five unfinished floors. You can see through the entire building, it is empty.
The bomb penetrated the top two floors before exploding. Windows were shattered for hundreds of meters around. The mosque next door had its windows shattered, windows were shattered at Al Azhar University, windows were shattered in all of surrounding apartment buildings. The green lawn is covered in rubble. Perhaps Kateeba will remain standing as just another windowless memorial to Israeli attacks on Gaza.