25th July 2014 | Charlie Andreasson | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
At 9 AM local time, a missile targeted a family home in central Gaza City. The house appeared to have been evacuated, but the shockwave and construction material that was thrown demolished a two-storey house across the street.
Although we were 100 meters away a thin, black dust was raining over us.
Photo by Charlie Andreasson
According to Ismael who lives in the house, it is home to six families from several generations. There were possibly as many as 60 people in the building at the moment of the strike. Many of them had recently escaped the indiscriminate bombing campaign in Shajiya.
I saw people running out from the house, some of them barefooted, running over shattered glass and stones. One woman was carrying two small children, with a third close to her. Another person was carrying a lifeless child, and then there were two men who were helping an older man escape; he was bleeding a little from his mouth and nose. According to Ismael the child had fainted, and the older man had fallen after parts of the ceiling collapsed on top of him.
Photo by Charlie AndreassonPhoto by Charlie Andreasson
I asked Ismael what he was going to do now. He shrugged his shoulders and said that it was going to be all right, but he turned his face away when he said it.
25th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
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.
At 2:30 PM this afternoon, a press conference will be held at al-Shifa regarding the Israeli attacks on the health and emergency sector in Gaza.
According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, six out of Gaza’s 13 hospitals have already been severely damaged. One, el-Wafa rehabilitation hospital, has been completely destroyed. Two medical clinic and 12 ambulances have been completely destroyed, seven other clinics have been damaged, 12 medical staff members have been injured, and four have been killed.
Dr. Medhat Abass, Director General of the Ministry of Health told the International Solidarity Movement that, “People are terrified. No where is safe. The hospitals are not safe. The streets are not safe. Homes are not safe. The children and the wounded are not safe. Wounded people leave the bombed areas in ambulances and the ambulances are targeted and hospitals are targeted. There are no red lines.”
“Israel’s ruthless onslaught against Gaza’s hospitals, clinics, and ambulances has pushed its health care sector, already struggling under siege, to the breaking point. With deaths and injuries, including those from Israeli attacks on medical facilities, rapidly mounting, al-Shifa is a red line the world cannot allow Israel to cross.” Stated Joe Catron, a U.S. ISM activist now in al-Shifa.
“They [the Israeli military] are targeting medical facilities, the wounded, the sick, and our children, all over the Gaza Strip. They want us to know that no where is safe.” Stated Dr. Basman Alashi, the executive director of el-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital. El-Wafa was repeatedly bombed and shelled by Israeli forces, forcing the evacuation of all patients and staff on the 17th then attacked by the military once again on the 23rd, completely destroying it.
“With so many hospitals already dysfunctional due to attacks by the Israeli Occupational Forces, we are deeply concerned with how to safeguard al-Shifa Hospital. It is already overwhelmed with wounded and dying people. If Israel continues bombing, patients are going to end up on the street, as there will be nowhere else for them to go. If anything happens, let it be known that the world was forewarned and did nothing to stop this.” Stated Rina Andolini, a UK volunteer now in al-Shifa.
23rd July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
On the 21st July at 2:17 PM, the IDF spokesperson released an image on twitter showing an aerial picture of a building marked as ‘Al-Wafa’ hospital. In the image there is a red circle, which they designated as the location from which a M75 rocket was launched.
The building in the picture marked ‘Al-Wafa’ hospital is in fact not the el-Wafa hospital but the Right to Life Society.
Photo by ISM
“Israel has targeted our hospital based on false and misleading claims. They are targeting medical facilities, the wounded, the sick, and our children, all over the Gaza Strip. They want us to know that nowhere is safe.” Said executive director of el-Wafa hospital, Dr. Basman Alashi.
Photo by ISM
Photo by Geoview (http://ps.geoview.info/alwafa_medical_rehabilitation_hospital,41253994w)
According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, seven out of 13 hospitals, including el-Wafa, have been severely damaged.
Al Atatra Medical Clinic and 12 ambulances have been completely destroyed, seven other clinics have been damaged, 12 medical staff members have been injured, and three have been killed.
El-Wafa hospital was bombed once again by the Israeli military today after Dr. Alashi, received two phone calls from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN). They passed a message from the Israeli military that, “there are activities in the hospital and the Israeli military may take a bigger action against el-Wafa.”
Dr. Alashi explained to both callers that the hospital is empty; all patients were evacuated on the 17th of July and that the hospital holds seven million dollars worth of essential medical equipment, as well as two safes that were irretrievable during the emergency evacuation.
“I will hold Israel personally responsible for seven million dollars if they have destroyed the hospital. It has already been bombed and shelled, I don’t understand what they are trying to achieve.” Dr. Alashi stated to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
Ally Cohen, media coordinator for the ISM states, “anyone on the ground in Palestine knows that the Israeli military are constantly releasing completely fabricated information and reports. The only difference in this case, is that we can prove it.”
Yesterday, international and Palestinian volunteers accompanied Civil Defence and other rescue crews, as well as family members, into Shajiya neighbourhood in Gaza. They attempted to locate survivors of overnight and ongoing shelling by the Israeli army. A young Palestinian man in a green shirt hoped to find his family. He was shot by an Israeli soldier while crossing an alley between buildings. Two additional rounds struck him as he lay injured on the ground. His dead body could not be retrieved.
The ambulance shown in the video was shelled by the Israeli military, killing paramedic Faud Jaber.
Dr Mona el-Farra of the Red Crescent Society in Gaza told ISM that, “The Israeli military is targeting medical facilities. 77% of medical facilities in Gaza have sustained damage, some of which have been completely destroyed.”
“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.
20th July 2014 | Rina Andolini | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
There was a ceasefire today for 3 hours – so some of us internationals went to the area which I refer to as the ‘Death Zone’ – Shajiya, we went to see if we could help with the masses of injured amongst the rubble.
The Death Zone is unlike any destruction I have seen in my life – there is no place left without bombing, shelling or sniper shots. Total devastation.
Photo by Joe CatronA destroyed ambulance (photo by Joe Catron).
We reached and there was a beautiful brother who was looking for his family. Doing our job, we made the decision collectively to help find the brothers family amongst the annihilation.
Unfortunately, the danger starts, there is constant bombing very very very close by, drones literally above our heads and sniper shooting. We are ducking and diving, and weaving in and out of the rubble and destruction.
Photo by Joe Catron
We have so much to worry about – 1- to find this brothers family, 2- to not get struck on the head by falling debris from the tops of buildings/houses, 3 – to ensure our safety from the Israeli Occupational Forces.
This is not a joke, this is what happened. I was there and I was in the middle of it along with the five other members including the brother who lost his family.
We were pretty much in the line of fire. However, this was not expected as we were under the impression that we had a ceasefire window to go and do our work and come back safely.
There was cover as we were walking but then, there was a clear opening….and we heard the first shot towards us. It missed us, but it split the group.
I was on the far side with Mohammed and the brother. And on the opposite side, there was Joe, Charlie and Fred. The brother was slightly near the opening and there was a second shot at 15.27 and he fell to the ground.
Nobody could help him, he was in two arms reach, and we could not go to him as the Israelis were shooting and there is no doubt in my mind that the rest of us would have died if we did try to go to him.
Photo by Joe Catron
We could not even give him something to hold on to, we were just surrounded by rubble and cables that possibly were live. The mind was not at its most clearest of points right then.
Then there was a third shot at him, and a fourth that missed him. The second shot to the brother was what killed him. Yet, they shot him again. Four shots in total.
Our dear brother – dead, inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon [may he rest in peace]. The Israeli Occupational Forces murdered him. And what for?
Why, during a ceasefire were attacks being carried out against the Palestinian people?
I hear Charlie say, ‘ find something anything…” and Mohammed and I shouted, “he is already dead”.
There were four shots in total, miss, hit, hit, miss. Shrapnel flying everywhere.
THEY MURDERED OUR BROTHER.
We are all witnesses to this murder of an ordinary human being, a beautiful brother, who was merely looking for his family. He must have been about 20 years old., with piercing light eyes.
We still do not know his name but we are trying our best to find out.
My last words to him were “slow down, brother, slow down” – but he wanted his family. He wanted his lost family, and the Israelis killed him for that.
Photo by Joe Catron
Who are the murderers here?
We are blessed that we made it out of the Death Zone alive. The brother will be a shaheed [martyr] and he died in the last 10 days of Ramadhan. May Allah grant him the highest ranks of jannah [heaven]. Ameen.
Image shows our brother, from the back, in Shajiya, in the green t shirt – a short while before his murder.
