29 December 2008 (the third day of bombing)
Oxfam’s Mohammed Ali continues to report from his home in Gaza City on the third day of the Israeli military offensive. According to the news and medical sources 345 Gazans have been killed, 1600 injured, and 220 are in a critical condition.
It is the third night of the Israeli offensive operation, which is killing and injuring civilian Hamas Police and other Gazan civilians – 62 women and children are reported to have been killed so far.
As was the case last night, my two young children, my wife, and my sister-in-law and I all slept in our living room, which lies in the centre of our flat. The night was not too different to any of the previous nights with Israeli jets hitting dozens of buildings - an average of one air strike every five minutes in Gaza city alone.
My wife, sister in-law and I watched the news on TV, at 1am breaking news announced that the Israeli military had hit a mosque in Jabbalia refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip. We were shocked to hear that the shelling caused a civilian’s house to collapse, killing five sisters and injuring all eleven family members. We cried together in the knowledge that no one, not even us, was safe from the Israeli air strikes, every one of us could be hit.
Hitting the Islamic University of Gaza
We barely slept… whenever the children fell sleep, a huge explosion shook my home. 500 metres from us the Israeli air strikes hit the Islamic University buildings as well as Gaza harbour. The Islamic University of Gaza is the university that I graduated from and cherish. When I heard that the Israeli F16 missiles had destroyed it, I felt as though my good memories had also been obliterated.
The sound of the strike was almost deafening and my two young children cried once more. Immediately, I called one of my sisters who lives close to the university. She was crying along with her five children and told me, “We are so scared …I don’t know where to go … what to do…the explosion shook our entire building… we were all sleeping.”
I listened to her but could not find the words to reassure her, how could I? It is obvious that no one is safe.
Nightmares
After a long and exhausting night, I finally tried to get some sleep, it was around 4am. All my family were sleeping and I could see the tears in their resting eyes. I must have just fallen asleep when I awoke from a horrific nightmare where I found myself between shelling and killing and could not figure out what to do with myself.
At 6:30am my eldest son of 15 months woke up crying, after that I did not sleep. At 9am we went to have our family breakfast, I was still in a state of shock, the long night of air strikes and nightmares haunting me. I kept my dream to myself not wanting to worry my family further.
All of them had a terrible nights sleep. My brother and his wife spent the night close to the wall in their room, thinking it would provide them with some cover in the event of an attack on their home. At 3am all of a sudden my father awoke my mother, telling her that there was shelling and the windows of the room were shattered. Fortunately, it was just a nightmare.
Power blackout
At 6:00am the power shutdown completely, after almost twelve hours, it returned. We spent the day listening to the radio, and trembling at every sound of the strikes. One of them hit a fire station in Khanyounis refugee camp, just 70 – 80 metres away from my grandma’s home. As soon as we heard the news my mother cried. I immediately called my uncles to find out if everyone was OK. The explosion severely shook their home shattering most of the windows but all of them were OK.
Happy New Year Gaza
While sitting with my family listening to the radio and the news, my mind wandered and I thought about the New Year. Only two days before the Israeli military operation, my wife asked me, where do you plan to go for New Year’s eve, and I told her “maybe we can take the children to go for dinner with our friends.” Now, in the third day of the Israeli offensive attack against Gaza, I believe that my answer should be revised. We’ll probably watch the rest of the world happily celebrating New Year’s Eve, while all of us in Gaza mourn the causalities caused by the Israeli air strikes. The world will watch us all scared and dying and the day after we’ll watch them celebrating their New Year.
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Tags: Conflict, gaza, gazablog, israel, occupiedpalestinianterritories
Your account is heartrending. While the world debates the causes of this crisis and apportions blame in whatever direction, we must not forget there are families such as yours, really really suffering. It certainly brings home how little my family has to worry about in comparison. My family will think of your family as we mark the New Year, and we truly hope that 2009 will bring better things for you.
December 30th, 2008 at 2:48 pmI agree with Sophie. Someone must put an end to the suffering of the ordinary Gazans including women and children. I’ve seen some pictures from Gaza, it is absolutly shocking and devestating.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:03 pmMY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU AND ALL IN GAZA AT THIS PRESENT HORRIFIC TIME. WE, IN THE UK, ARE SO FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN PEACE, AND RELATIVE FINANCIAL COMFORT WITH ALL MOD CONS WHICH WORK AND FULLY STOCKED SHOPS. I FEEL SO GUILTY AT NOT BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING POSITIVE TO HELP STOP THIS SENSELESS BOMBING BY THE ISRAELIS.
MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU AND ALL I CAN DO IS WATCH THE NEWS REPORTS, AND WORRY CONSTANTLY ABOUT WHAT SORT OF WORLD WE ARE ALL DESCENDING INTO.
GOOD LUCK FOR A QUIETER AND MORE PEACEFUL NIGHT TONIGHT.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pmDear Mohammad,
I can relate to what you’re going through having lived through the 1982 Israeli invasion of lebanon, although your situation must be a lot more terrifying.
Back then i was only a child, but I still remember how on a regular school dar, my life and that of many more changed forever. How the Israeli killing machine introduced itself to the Beirut skies, pulverizing tall buildings, destroying structures which were reduced to being nothing more than a pile of rubble.
This is how i came to associate Israel with terror and utter lust for destruction and bloodshed.
We soon were besieged, bombed from the air, land, sea. Deprived of water and food, subjected to daily threats through dropped leaflets. We were cornered and completely abandonned by the rest of the world.
It pains me to see that the same is happens again and again
All my prayers for you and your family and may God keep you all safe and well.
Marwan Zeineddine
December 30th, 2008 at 7:24 pmLondon, UK
My prayers are for everyone in this conflict, for peace and a swift resolution.
I for one will donate to emergency funds and will be spending tonight sending emails to politicians and anyone else I can think of - what more can the ordinary man do? We are all impotent and yet want to do something to stop it all.
May God intervene and bring people to their senses.
December 30th, 2008 at 7:56 pmisn’t it a bit cowardly to take pot shots at people who are caged up like the people of gaza?
December 30th, 2008 at 11:16 pmNo - my friend. Do not think we are all so heartless to feel festive as the Gazans suffer. I can sleep - I am lucky but it is not easy. I am so ashamed of our Government. First it supported the illegal invasion of Iraq and continues to support Israel.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:00 amBut there are many worldwide protests. There are many protests around the UK and a big ‘Hands off Gaza’ protest in London on Saturday 3 Jan. I know this won’t help you sleep or eat but please know that many around the world are praying for you all. I have been praying for Gaza long before this obscenity and I will add all your names in my prayers. Praying for Gaza every few minutes - and good to know that a high profile US politician Cynthia McKinney was on the Free Gaza boat this week delivering aid.
Lots of love to you Mohammed and all your loved ones, friends, neighbours, everyone in Gaza. You are all constantly in my thoughts and heartfelt prayers.
It is 1am here in the UK and I can’t sleep wondering how you all are in Gaza.
Lots of love and hugs especially to the children
I have to respond to Sophie’s comment. The blame for this massacre lies first of all with Israel and US. If robbers break into your home, steal your belongings, kill some of the occupants, return to repeat the crime whilst the Police and Community stand by and do nothing, the surviving occupants have no choice but to defend themselves. I recommend you read :
Israeli air strikes represent massive violations of international law - by Richard Falk - US Jewish Lawyer, Special Rapporteur to the UN expelled from Israel last week:
December 29, 2008, 8:45
The Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Convention, both in regard to the obligations of an occupying power and in the requirements of the laws of war.
Those violations include:
Collective punishment – the entire 1.5 million people who live in the crowded Gaza Strip are being punished for the actions of a few militants.
Targeting civilians – the air strikes were aimed at civilian areas in one of the most crowded stretches of land in the world, certainly the most densely populated area of the Middle East.
Disproportionate military response – the air strikes have not only destroyed every police and security office of Gaza’s elected government, but have killed and injured hundreds of civilians; at least one strike reportedly hit groups of students attempting to find transportation home from the university.
Earlier Israeli actions, specifically the complete sealing off of entry and exit to and from the Gaza Strip, have led to severe shortages of medicine and fuel (as well as food), resulting in the inability of ambulances to respond to the injured, the inability of hospitals to adequately provide medicine or necessary equipment for the injured, and the inability of Gaza’s besieged doctors and other medical workers to sufficiently treat the victims.
Certainly the rocket attacks against civilian targets in Israel are unlawful. But that illegality does not give Israel any right, neither as the occupying power nor as a sovereign state, to violate international humanitarian law and commit war crimes or crimes against humanity in its response. I note that Israel’s escalating military assaults have not made Israeli civilians safer; on the contrary, the one Israeli killed today after the upsurge of Israeli violence is the first in over a year.
Israel has also ignored recent Hamas’ diplomatic initiatives to re-establish the truce or ceasefire since its expiry on December26.
The Israeli air strikes today, and the catastrophic human toll that they have caused, challenge those countries that have been and remain complicit, either directly or indirectly, in Israel’s violations of international law. That complicity includes those countries knowingly providing the military equipment including warplanes and missiles used in these illegal attacks, as well as those countries which have supported and participated in the siege of Gaza, which itself has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.
I remind all member states of the United Nations that the UN continues to be bound to an independent obligation to protect any civilian population facing massive violations of international humanitarian law – regardless of which country may be responsible for those violations. I call on all member states, as well as officials and every relevant organ of the United Nations system, to move on an emergency basis not only to condemn Israel’s serious violations, but to develop new approaches to providing real protection for the Palestinian people.
Professor Richard Falk, United Nations Special Investigator for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:19 amMy heart goes out to all the poeple in Gaza. They are experiencing a different kind of fireworks tonight.
January 1st, 2009 at 12:02 amI sit here this morning with fear and shame in my heart. Shame at what the world lets happen to the people in Gaza.Shame also that israeli people allow their government to behave in this manner. I am an ordinary housewife/teacher who has spent years teaching children my own and others about the awful attrocities of war.My son lives in poland now and writes extensively about the plight of the jews. We read their accounts of the terrible atrocities that were committed in the hope that they will never happen again. Yet here I see israel commiting dreadful atrocities.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:59 amMy thoughts are with you and your family this morning.
What can we do to help make it stop
January 4th, 2009 at 8:01 am