Tag: Gaza - Page 33 - International Solidarity Movement

Human rights defenders under live fire, one dead

20th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

The Israeli military just shot a Gazan man trying to reach his family, during an announced ceasefire. He was with a group of municipality workers and international human rights defenders who were attempting to retrieve injured people in the Shajiya neighbourhood.

The international activists and municipality workers are being fired at by the Israeli military. The young man who was killed can be seen in green t-shirt. — The international activists and municipality workers are being fired at by the Israeli military. The young man who was killed can be seen in a green t-shirt.

“We all just watched a man murdered in front of us. He was trying to reach his family in Shajiya, he had not heard from them and was worried about them. They shot him, and then continued to fire as he was on the ground. We had no choice but to retreat. We couldn’t reach him due to the artillery fire and then he stopped moving.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist in Gaza. “Shajiya is a smoking wasteland. We just passed two bombed out ambulances.”

The Israel military has also shelled Red Crescent ambulances as they attempted to retrieve injured people in the Shajiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City. A ceasefire was announced, during which injured and dead people, could be evacuated from the area, in which at least 60 people have been killed today.

“They said we would be able to evacuate the injured from the disaster zone, but they have been shelling ambulances,” stated Dr Khalil Abu Foul of the Palestinian Red Crescent, speaking from Shajiya.

Now, the international volunteers, including some from the U.S., the UK, and Sweden, are in a rescue centre on the outskirts of Shajiya.

‘Jews Against Genocide’ hold memorials for killed Palestinian children in front of Israeli govt buildings around the world

19th July 2014 | Jews Against Genocide, posted here | Occupied Palestine

Jews Against Genocide (JAG) held a memorial service in front of the Knesset for Palestinian children killed by Israel in its current attack on Gaza. A pile of bloody dolls was placed at the Israeli Parliament and at other locations around the world. In addition to Jerusalem, memorials were held at the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, in front of the Israeli Consulates and embassies in Madrid, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. Other memorials will be held in different locations around the world in the coming days. JAG set aflame to the pile of dolls covered in red paint at Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust memorial museum, on July 12th.

“Jews Against Genocide” protest outside the Knesset.

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in Copenhagen.

JAG spokesperson Miko Peled, an Israeli writer, human rights activist, and author of “The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” stated, “At least 39 children have been killed, and the number continues to rise. I call on people of conscience around the world to support the Palestinian struggle and unite to call for an end to the apartheid regime in Palestine.”

JAG Member Ilan Pappe author of “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” Professor at the College of Social Sciences and International Studies in the United Kingdom, director of the university’s European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies wrote, “Cessation of the incremental genocide in Gaza and the restitution of the basic human and civil rights of Palestinians wherever they are, including the right of return, is the only way to open a new vista for a productive international intervention in the Middle East as a whole.”

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in Madrid.

JAG member, Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a professor at Hebrew University, the co-initiator of the Russel Tribunal on Palestine, and a Laureate of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Human Rights stated, “The international community has not done enough to stop the Israeli regime of occupation… As a result, Israel does not pay any price for seriously violating international law and human values… We, the citizens of Israel and the stateless people of Palestine, cannot bring about the end of the occupation or stop the bloodbath by ourselves… We need you to prosecute the Israeli government and army, we need you to boycott Israeli economy and culture, we need you to urge your government to stop profiting from the occupation…”

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in Stockholm

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in San Francisco

El-Wafa hospital staff attempted to retrieve medicine

19th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement| Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Hospital staff and international activists, from the U.S., Sweden, and the UK, attempted to travel to the recently bombed el-Wafa hospital, in an attempt to retrieve salvageable medical supplies.

When they arrived at the hospital it was, “still smoking from the attack this morning.” Stated U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist, Joe Catron. The staff and activists were forced to retreat.

Charlie Andreasson, Swedish (ISM) activist, states, “We were waiting to get clearance from the Red Cross to go back to el-Wafa. This is urgent because without medicine, the patients cannot receive proper treatment, and coordination through the Red Cross has not been possible. ”

Previous attempts by the Red Crescent to enter the Shajaiya neighbourhood to retrieve wounded people from this area were met with live ammunition from the Israeli army. El-Wafa hospital is just outside of Shajaiya.

On July 17^th, the Israeli military fired rockets and shelled the hospital, forcing patients to be evacuated to Al Sahaba medical complex.

Basman Alashi, executive director of el-Wafa hospital told ISM, “Due to the emergency evacuation we were forced to move quickly, and had to leave behind important medication, supplies are now running low.”

The embassies of the international activists were informed by the ISM, and asked to do everything in their power to fulfil their responsibility to ensure that Israel respects international law and does not target this delegation of Palestinian and international human rights defenders.

The staff and internationals may try to retrieve supplies again, for now it was impossible.

Israeli military shells Gazan el-Wafa hopsital

18th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday at 20:40 the Israeli military contacted el-Wafa hospital in Gaza and stated, “Why don’t you care about your family? Why don’t you care about your patients?”

Some of the staff at el-Wafa hospital (Photo by Charlie Andreasson).

The receptionist replied, “Sir, you can’t bomb the hospital. We cannot move the patients.”

Several minutes later, two rockets were fired at the hospital, and two more shortly after. The fourth rocket penetrated through the concrete walls.

The shelling then began heavily, hitting the hospital from all sides. Nurses ran through the halls screaming.

Dr. Basman Alashi, executive director of el-Wafa hospital, stated, “They are going to destroy the hospital.” Soon after the hospital lost electricity.

Alashi stated, “If these patients die, I hold Netanyahu personally responsible for their souls.”

All but four of the 17 patients were evacuated. Two of the four remaining patients were dependent on oxygen and were unable to be immediately moved. There were also four staff members and two Spanish international activists inside el-Wafa.

Patients at el-Wafa, forced to be evacuated (Photo by Charlie Andreasson). — Patients at el-Wafa, forced to be evacuated (photo by Charlie Andreasson).

At 21:45, the Israeli military called the Red Cross and asked them to contact el-Wafa to ask how much time was needed to evacuate the rest of the hospital. Alashi told them that he needed two hours to fully evacuate the hospital.

The last shelling occurred at 22:00 and the last patient was evacuated at 22:45 to Al sahaba medical complex.

According to Dr. Basman Alashi, “There were no physical injuries but emotionally, it is indescribable for the staff.”

El-Wafa Elderly Nursing Home shelled by the Israeli military

16th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Charlie Andreasson | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

After a night of heavy shelling in the area, the day is dawning in Gaza. The clock ticks pass 08:00; past the evacuation time the Israeli military gave to el-Wafa hospital the previous evening.

The patients were not evacuated; there is nowhere for them to go. The entire Shajajia area where the hospital is located, with a population of around 100,000 inhabitants, has also been ordered to evacuate, as well as other areas around the Gaza Strip. For so many people to move to other areas cannot be done, and without shelter they can only rely on God and their luck.

During the night’s bombardment, when el-Wafa hospital shook several times with explosions, suspicions were raised that the hospital had been hit. In fact, the building close by, el-Wafa Elderly Nursing Home was shelled by the Israeli military.

The upper part of the Nursing Home was peppered with machine gun fire and non-explosive grenades penetrated the concrete walls.

Lying on the floor lay the used grenades, business cards from the world’s “most moral” army.

The news that gradually circulates tells the story of a violent night in Gaza, with Israeli air strikes across the Strip. The number of deaths has now risen to over 200, higher than the death toll of the last war two years ago. From a window in el-Wafa hospital, the characteristic clouds of smoke, sand, and dust rise towards the sky.

The violence will apparently continue for another day.