Elena Qleibo is an Oxfam programme manager in Gaza. She has lived and worked in Gaza and the West Bank for 20 years. Originally from Costa Rica, she had the opportunity to leave Gaza as the bombing started but decided to stay in her home.
Fifteen minutes ago Israeli helicopters dropped leaflets saying we should move to the centre of the city as they are going to start bombing the edge. They said they don’t want to create an inconvenience. That’s a joke after the bombardment we have had in the last week. They have done this before, in the north and east of Gaza, to frighten people. Nobody in my building is moving.
The bombing is very heavy. I’m having a cup of coffee and trying to write something and I can hear the explosions, it’s very very strong.
There’s been no electricity for the past three days. We are much better off than many people, we have a generator and a well and we still have fuel. The generator was running for an hour so we have water. There are people near us who haven’t had water for a week. People are going around trying to buy generators and find fuel to pump water.
Today I saw UN trucks coming from the Karni crossing. The problem is people are terrified of going out to the distribution point because the bombardment is so erratic. Also the trucks can’t reach the areas where the fighting is.
I spoke to people who only have two or three days food left. I am well prepared, I have a week’s worth of vegetables and other food to last me ten days, but people with less money aren’t able to stockpile food.
This morning there were people on the streets but at 3pm today (MON) the leaflets were dropped and the bombing started in some areas so now there’s no one on the streets.
I’ve been speaking to people in the refugee camps inside Gaza where the fighting has been heaviest and they are catatonic. They’re paralysed. They don’t know what’s happening to them and are just sitting waiting to see what’s going to happen. It’s all been very sudden and because it’s so massive everybody is very shocked. Children are having a lot of problems - they are crying and wetting the bed and not sleeping.
People in the outside world might think this is normal for Gaza, but it’s not. People here never thought Israel would launch such a bloody attack. People are very despondent.
I’m very sad that Gazans are suffering.
I’m even sadder that over the past eight years Israeli children have been targeted day and night by rockets and because they don’t seem appealing enough to you nothing has been done by the international community, though the children have been wetting the bed at the sound of a slammed door. They also have never been able to play outside for all of their little lives.
All this has been happening while Israel has been supplying Gaza with food, electricity, water, medicines and fuel. What more could they have asked from people that they were shooting at daily?
January 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am[...] Qleibo works for Oxfam in Gaza, and posts at the Oxfam blog: Fifteen minutes ago Israeli helicopters dropped leaflets saying we should move to the centre of [...]
January 6th, 2009 at 3:44 pmisreal has had a blockade on gaza for 18 months theve had to dig tunnels to stay alive.as for rocket attacks hamas has killed four isrealies with the last attacks and eight hamas have died trying to fire these homemade bombs as acts of defiance.if isreal is so perfect why do they have to starve 1.5 million civillians and build a 9 metre concrete wall along their border.there both wrong
January 6th, 2009 at 6:13 pmwe will keep launching rockets at you while you send the
IDF to blow up public buildings and bomb UN funded
schools and kill civilians.
This seems to be the current situation as i understand it
January 6th, 2009 at 6:51 pmWhile I hate any type of military action, I find it upsetting that we are not told about the 6,000, yes that is 6,000 rockets fired at Israel by Hamas and how they deploy their weapons in populated areas & actively target Israeli schools.
I seriously hope the violence stops, but people have to realise, the Palestinians are not the only victims in this complex issue.
January 6th, 2009 at 8:02 pmYes. It is all very sad. But the peope of Israel are able to move elsewhere if they wish. The people of Gaza have no where to go. They are already refugees and they have no refuge. The world considers it barbaric when refugees are treated with hostility anywhere else in the world. Israel prevents even the UN from providing Gazans with humanitarian assistance!
January 6th, 2009 at 9:02 pmLook at this from a humanitarian perspective! This is not a time for comparisons. Aid is being stopped by the Israelis. Israel has one of the worlds largest military. They are killing innocent civillians and it is not a by product of their offensive against Hamas. It is deliberate and barbaric. Children are paying the highest price. there is no safe haven for them to flee to.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:20 amthe countries condemning israel is simply not enough. they are simply words. they need to actively offer support to Gaza. this will be enough to stop israel from continuing its unlawful attack on gaza. These countries offer to support the palestinians will be a sufficient threat to the israelis.
At least there are leaflets dropped , were as tehre has been no prior warning to any of 6000 rockets fired at Israel
January 8th, 2009 at 1:20 pmThe ball is in Hamas court. No country will not deploy its power and resources to defend itself against lunatics-either by means of actual war or blockades. People of Gaza should wonder with openness and sincerity of mind why have Hamas leaders fled to Lebanon and Syria and continued their war rhetorics from the safe haven of these countries when the common people of Gaza are dying and sustaining terrible injuries. The war is avoidable. Renounce violence, embrace peace, then you will find peace to the disappointment of the rogues in Syria, Iran etc who dont want you to have peace.
February 1st, 2009 at 3:01 am