Tag: Air Strike - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

Short stories from Gaza

5th August 2014 | Sarah Algherbawi | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

These are short stories from Gaza, a brief picture of our suffering. Reality is much more painful. The description under each photo consists of facts published on news agencies and social media. For each photo I also wrote a story. Some of the photographed people we have seen on TV, others I know their friends or relatives, and the narrative is mine from my knowledge of their circumstances.

Behind numbers, many stories are hidden and buried!

I was happy, a beautiful bride, preparing for my wedding and a house with my beloved fiancé, my soul mate…I was engaged for 13 months, and supposed to get married in August 2014. He promised to make me happy for the rest of my life…

Now, I’m alone. He never lied. He didn’t have the chance to meet his promised. He was killed.

I was happy with my wedding ring. I couldn’t believe that the woman I have always dreamed of was finally my wife. I even took a picture of the ring and put it as my profile picture on Facebook. I was going to be a daddy – my wife was pregnant when I was killed…

I wish that I could see my son. I wish he knew me. I don’t even know whether the baby is a boy or a girl… but I think he will be a boy and will hold the name of his father, Khaled…

I was a journalist, too. I was killed only for doing my job.

I had a brother. We used to fight too much. Mom had always begged us to stop fighting and making noise. We played together and spent a lot of time with each other. I never thought I would lose him this fast! I loved him very much. I didn’t tell him that. I thought I would have ages to do so…

I only wish I’d had the chance to tell him before he was killed. I can’t understand why he’s gone. He was just a kid like me. He didn’t do anything bad to others!

We witnessed a war. Our parents didn’t allow us to go out and play. We told them that we’re just children – why would they hurt us? We were very bored! We didn’t go out for weeks…

Dad told us to play on the roof. He thought it was a safe place. We had so much fun, before we were killed there.

We had a mom and a dad. They loved us very much. Mom was waiting for the war to end to take us to the market and buy us new uniforms for school and new clothes for Eid. They promised to teach us whatever we wanted, and take care of us until we grew up…

Mom always wished to attend our weddings and see our children…

The war is not over. Eid came, and they were not present. They were killed. We’re alone now. Who will take care of us?

I was pretty. My friends at school used to feel jealous of me. I always felt that I was a princess…

I don’t know what happened. I don’t even understand what they are saying. I heard doctors saying that something called fragments hurt me. I don’t even want to understand. I only want my beautiful face back!

I had a beautiful daughter. I spoiled her and loved her like no father in the world could do…

I always dreamed of her wedding day, how she would look. Would any man on earth love her the way I do?! I asked God to give me health and long age until that moment came…

It never came to my mind that she would die before I did.

They killed my daughter.

They took my soul.

I was scared to death!

Gaza Ministry of Health: “Al Najar Hospital in Rafah evacuated as Israeli genocidal rampage continues”

1st August 2014 | Gaza Ministry of Health | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

The Ministry of Health Gaza announces the closure of Al Najar Hospital in Rafah, due to Israeli shelling in the vicinity compromising its ability to guarantee the safety of patients and staff.

The hospital has now been evacuated, bringing to four the number of government hospitals closed by Israeli attacks in the past three and a half weeks.

El-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital, the only specialist rehabilitation hospital in Palestine, was forced to evacuate on July 17th, and completely destroyed on July 23rd.

Al Durrah Paediatric Hospital was forced to evacuate on July 24 because of damage caused by an Israeli strike next to it, and closed.

Beit Hanoun Hospital was evacuated on July 26 after several hours of direct and indirect shelling overnight, and closed.

Israeli attacks on hospitals are a gross breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as are attacks on civilians.

At least 65 people have been killed in the Rafah attacks, more than 350 wounded, and the attacks are still ongoing.

The Ministry of Health Gaza calls on the United Nations, the international community and people of good conscience everywhere to take concrete action to bring an immediate end to the ongoing Israeli attacks on medical facilities and personnel, and massacres of Gaza civilians.

Shells fall on Rafah on Friday (photo from Ma'an Images). — Shells fall on Rafah on Friday (photo from Ma’an Images).

UPDATED: Israeli military announce they will bomb al-Shifa hospital in Gaza

1st August 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Updated August 5th:

International volunteers, along with ISM activists, are continuing to stay in al-Shifa hospital four days after it was threatened to be bombed by the Israeli military.

“From experience, we cannot trust the Israeli military to not attack during this ceasefire. Temporary ceasefire or not, we take the threat against al-Shifa seriously and we will remain inside the hospital until we’re no longer needed.” Stated Fred Ekblad, Swedish ISM activist in al-Shifa Hospital.

After the hospital received a threat by phone, they evacuated all staff and patients inside the threatened building, and were forced to move them back into the main site, although it is already near capacity with wounded men, women, and children. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as of August 4th, 1865 Palestinians have been killed and a further 9536 have been wounded.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on August 2nd that at least five hospitals and 34 clinics had been forced to shut down due to damage or continuing hostilities in the immediate area. At least 15 medical and emergency staff have been killed in the line of duty, and dozens have been injured.

*******

Al-Shifa hospital has received a phone call telling them a building of the hospital will be bombed.

At 16:30, the hospital received a call from an unlisted number, stating a building needed to be evacuated immediately.

The building is being used for overflow patients, and is directly across the road from the main hospital building. It is part of the hospital site, but building work has yet to be completed.

The hospital is now in the process of evacuating all staff and patients inside.

“I’d like to say that Israel’s threats to bomb Gaza’s largest hospital have reached a new low, but in light of it’s relentless atrocities and civilian massacres over the last 25 days, it’s hardly unexpected.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist now in al-Shifa hospital.

Since July 25^th, international volunteers from countries including Spain, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Venezuela have begun a constant protective presence in various locations at the al-Shifa Hospital.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as of July 29th, there have been 34 attacks against Gazan medical facilities since this latest Israeli military assault began 25 days ago.

Gaza Ministry of Health: “Israeli attack on crowded market during ceasefire is ‘barbarity personified'”

30th July 2014 | Gaza Ministry of Health | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Ministry of Health Gaza is outraged at the Israeli massacre perpetrated during the so-called humanitarian ceasefire, when F-16s fired missiles into the crowded Shujeiyah market as hundreds took advantage of the lull to buy food and supplies.

At least 17 people have been killed and 200 injured.

“This atrocity is barbarity personified,” said Director General, Ministry of HealthDr Medhat Abbas.

Not satisfied with exterminating entire families in their own homes, not satisfied with killing people praying in mosques, not satisfied with killing patients, staff and visitors in hospitals, not satisfied with killing ambulance drivers as they retrieve the dead and injured, not satisfied with killing women and children sheltering in UNRWA school, the Israeli death machine now blatantly attacks a crowded public market DURING a humanitarian ceasefire, in an unrivaled cruel and cynical exercise of savagery and barbarism.

The Ministry of Health Gaza condemns this latest atrocity in the strongest possible terms, and considers that any further prevarication by the international community can only be seen as complicity in the increasingly barbaric and clearly genocidal war crimes being visited on the citizenry of Gaza.

The Ministry demands immediate international intervention to bring the rogue ‘state’ of Israel under control, and an immediate end to its carnage in Gaza.

Photo by Ma'an News — Photo by Ma’an News

Gaza: Black sky turns orange

30th July 2014 | Charlie Andreasson | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Since July 25th, international volunteers, including activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and other groups have begun a constant protective presence in various locations at the al-Shifa Hospital. Below is a journal extract from an ISM volunteer during his shift at the hospital on July 28th.

There had been shelling during my shift in al-Shifa. My shift began at 7PM, and in the distance I registered the sounds as everybody else does here in Gaza, I heard the drones without trying to see them. I left Joe [another ISM activist] alone in the hospital; I went in a car for an interview and came back again. The shelling from the sea grew closer. But I couldn’t stay awake for 24 hours just to listen to the noise, nobody can, and I tried to sleep for a few hours.

Then the thunder started, and the black sky turned bright orange, the hospital shook a little, and some windows shattered. I send a short text to the media coordinator for the Ship to Gaza-Sweden saying that this is following me, thinking about el-Wafa hospital, Beit Hanoun hospital, and now al-Shifa. But we weren’t hit. Not this time.

The morning came, we were released by the next shift, and I passed some of the nights targets on my way home. I took a few photos and carried on. There’s so much destruction now that I hesitate to take any more pictures of it. In some areas it is now rare to see an undestroyed building. But of course they claim all of this is to create silence and ‘security’ for Israel, seeing the destruction left behind, I don’t think so.