Category: Features - Page 218 - International Solidarity Movement

Six members of the same family killed by Israeli shell in Jabaliya

10th January 2009 – Jabaliya, Gaza:

An international Human Rights Activist, working with medical teams in northern Gaza, today assisted in the collection of six members of the same family killed by an Israeli shell.

British citizen Ewa Jasiewicz, a co-ordinator for the Free Gaza Movement, said, “This morning at 11:40 at Mahmat Street in West Jabaliya. I accompanied an ambulance to pick up members of the Abu Rabu family after six of them had been killed by an Israeli tank shell. Many others had been injured. While we were picking up the family and injured I saw a donkey cart full of dead bodies.

Everyone we meet has lost someone., whether it be a family member, friend or neighbour. It’s getting closer.” Ewa Jasiewicz (Britain/Poland) – Free Gaza Movement

Those of the Abu Rabu family killed were;

Yusri Abu Rabu (30)

Sufian Abu Rabu (22)

Randa Abu Rabu (38)

Sameed Abu Rabu (20)

Sami Abu Rabu (25)

Ramz Abu Rabu (30)
“In the past few days the horrors I have seen include a hospital being shelled, a medic being shot and visiting schools housing refugees after these were shelled. What I see here is nothing short of a massacre. By agreeing to upgrade relations with Israel despite it’s genocidal policies European governments have given Israel a green light for this mass murder.” Alberto Arce (Spain) – International Solidarity Movement

International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists have also been active with Red Cross evacuation teams.

“I was working from Al-Quds hospital during the ‘ceasefire’. We traveled a few hundred metres into a known ‘no-go’ zone because of the ceasefire. We called for people to come out and over forty did while we collected three dead bodies. Immediately as the ceasefire ended the Israelis fired a shell directly over our heads. People started to panic.

We only managed to evacuate four houses as the Israelis have not allowed us to access more people.” Sharon Lock (Australia) – International Solidarity Movement

“They massacred two year old Amal, four year old Suad and and six year old Samer with their tanks during what they call a ceasefire. We do not believe them and their ceasefire” Natalie Abu Shakra (Lebanon) – International Solidarity Movement

South African citizen, Dr. Haidar Eid, Professor of Social and Cultural Studies at Al Aqsa University Gaza, commented on the failed UN Security Council resolution;

“What was needed from the UN Security Council was a demand that Israel abide by international law and international humanitarian law, with a demand for the withdrawal of Israeli troops at least to the 1967 borders. Instead the resolution ignored the occupation and siege, which are the true root of the problem, and treated the resistance to the occupation as the root of the problem. The resolution equates the victim and the victimiser, the oppressor and the oppressed.”

“In March 2008 Matan Vilnai, the Israeli minister of war, threatened the people of Gaza with a holocaust. Because there was no outcry from the international community at the time this is now what is taking place.

However I believe from the reaction of the people around the world, this atrocity will in fact lead to the end of the despotic regimes in the Arab world, the end of Israeli apartheid and the creation of one secular, democratic, multi-national state.” Dr Haidar Eid (South Africa/Palestine).

ISM and Free Gaza Movement activists are currently working night shifts with Palestinian medics.

The Gazan Holocaust: Bil’in demonstrates in solidarity with Gaza

As a gesture of solidarity, residents in the West Bank village of Bil’in demonstrated against the current holocaust on Gaza in outfits symbolic of the clothing worn by victims of the Nazi holocaust.

The Israeli army used several new weapons, one of which is a bullet filled with an unknown chemical substance, against the demonstrators. Five individuals, including a member of Bil’in’s popular committee, were arrested and later released.

“Stop the holocaust,” chanted the residents of Bil’in during today’s protest, held in solidarity with the Gazan people. After the Friday prayer, Palestinian, international and Israeli activists gathered to voice their opposition to the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.

Wearing clothing similar to prisoners in Nazi camps, protestors traded the Star of David badge for a Gaza Strip badge.

“The outfits and insignia are a visual remembrance to the parallel conditions of the Jewish holocaust and the Gazan holocaust. Indiscriminate killing of members belonging to an ethnic group that was put and is trapped in a ghetto: Gaza is the present day concentration camp,” stated Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a member of Bil’in’s popular committee. Protesters hoped to send a message to the world: the international community is ignoring another holocaust.

Israel uses the 'scream' weapon on Bil'in demonstration in solidarity with Gaza

The demonstrators marched through the streets of the village, towards the Apartheid Wall. An effort to condemn Israeli war crimes against the population of Gaza was met with tear gas, new bullets containing an unknown chemical substance and new bullets termed “0.2”, from Israeli soldiers. The new bullets that contain an unknown chemical substance are round and green and explode upon impact. Several protesters were injured including Muhammad Nabil Abu Rahmeh who had to be taken to Ramallah Hospital for treatment after he was shot at with the new 0.2 bullet. The small bullet went through his leg, causing great damage to muscle. Also injured by rubber bullets were a photographer from Al Jazeera International, Yase Ashal Mahmud Yasen and a child named Nashmi Aburahma.

Soldiers also entered through a road gate into Bil’in and arrested Muhammed Khatib, a member of Bil’in’s Popular Committee, Ashraf Abu Rahma, Samer Ataya and two Israeli activists. They were released later in the day.

The ongoing siege on Gaza, illegal under international law, was intensified when Israeli occupation forces began attacking Gaza with air strikes, shelling from the navy and a ground invasion. The military incursion on Gaza has already led to the death of over 781 people and injury of another 3,300.

Israel continues to indiscriminately attack on the densely populated Gaza Strip: a 40km by 7km remnant of historical Palestine with 1.5 million residents. Even Israeli officials are drawing comparisons to the Nazi inflicted holocaust.

Speaking to Israeli army radio, the Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai said, “the more Qassam [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, [the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger shoah because we will use all our might to defend ourselves.” Shoah is the Hebrew term for the Jewish holocaust.

Today’s action was a reminder to the international world about the consequences of letting Gazan massacres go unnoticed. As proven by a history that was constructed because of willful ignorance during the Nazi inflicted holocaust, ignoring the Israeli inflicted holocaust on the Palestinians of Gaza is not an option.

Israeli air-strike destroys Gazan medical centre

In the early morning of January 5th, Israeli F16 planes bombed a medical center for the Union of Health Care Committees in Gaza City. The attack completely destroyed the two-story building along with three trucks equipped as mobile clinics that were parked nearby. These mobile clinics had operated as field hospitals for the northern and central areas of the Gaza Strip and they were being used to treat the mass casualties from the ongoing Israeli air-strike and invasion.

The cost of the mobile clinics exceeded 1.5 million USD, which was funded by the Spanish organization Asecop. The attack on the UHCC medical center has followed the pattern of Israeli targeting medical teams in Gaza. Over the past nine days, at least six medics have been killed and several others injured. Ambulances have also been fired on or completely destroyed by Israeli shelling.

In response to this recent attack, the UHCC has stated, “we request from the entire international humanitarian and organizations to take a serious action to stop this massacre and protect the civilians and medical crews, and work for bringing the Israeli criminals to international trial for what they are committing against Gaza.”

Israeli army shoot resident of Ni’lin in back of the neck with live ammunition

A 20 year old resident of the village of Ni’lin was shot in the back of the neck by Israeli forces at around 5:30am.

Mohammed Srour was shot in the neck with live ammunition as Israeli forces invaded the village, coming from the construction site. He is
currently in Sheikh Zaide hospital where his condition is not severe. Another resident, Nabil Nafar, was beaten by Israeli forces who broke his upper arm. Two more residents were hit by rubber-coated steel bullets and were treated in the village.

7 Israeli jeeps and around 70 soldiers invaded the village at around 3am, firing live ammunition, tear-gas, rubber-coated steel bullets. Confrontations between residents and the invading army around the village mosques occurred as residents awoke to pray.

The army invaded the house of Akil Nafar, causing much damage to his house. However, no arrests were made.

On the day of Ahmed’s funeral, Israeli army leave 17 year old brain-dead

On the 30th July, the villagers of Ni’lin said goodbye to of ten year old Ahmed, taking his body from Ramallah to his funeral in Ni’lin.

Photos courtesy of Activestills

Later that afternoon about 200 villagers gathered near the checkpoint in Ni’lin and many of them confronted the seven jeeps, with about 50 soldiers, who had taken position there. Seventeen people were injured, three of them in the head by rubber bullets. Late in the evening one of them, Yousef Ahmad Youkis Amira, was declared brain dead.

Ahmed Hosam Mousa, who was killed in Ni’lin the 29th of July, was taken out of the hospital in Ramallah at about 10 am Wednesday the 30th of July. His ambulance came to Ni’lin together with a long procession of cars around midday. About 40 cars joined in the caravan and thousands of people had gathered in Ni’lin to meet them. The people went out of the cars in the settler road and walked by foot through the checkpoint where about 10 soldiers were watching them.

When parts of the crowd had passed the soldiers shot teargas and rubber bullets and some stones were thrown. The crowd scattered for a while, but rejoined and most people walked to the village center. The body was carried into the house for a last goodbye and after that to the mosque where more people could say goodbye. The procession then marched to the ground where Ahmed was buried.

About 4.30 in the afternoon about 200 villagers went up to the checkpoint where the Israeli army met them by throwing teargas canisters and sound bombs, as well as shooting rubber bullets. The clash kept on until about nine o’clock in the evening when it had turn dark and the army ended it by pointing searchlights at the Palestinians from a bulldozer at the same time as they were throwing teargas. The Palestinians then went back into the village.

The Israeli army used several times their jeep which can shoot sixteen teargas-canisters at the same time and they aimed at peoples heads when they were shooting rubber bullets. Eight people were hurt by rubber bullets. Three of them in the head. The three who were hurt in the head were sent to Ramallah hospital. One of them, Yousef Ahmad Youkis Amera was declared brain-dead in the evening, but kept alive in a respirator. He is not expected to survive. He is seventeen years old.

At about midnight 45 jeeps are blocking the entrance to Nileen with roadblocks.