Another e-mail from my supervisors collegue in Gaza; each one sheds more light on the situation there. I am wondering how dropping dangerous chemicals and demolishing villages is fulfilling the Israeli stated mission of simply ‘ending the firing of Hamas rockets’. For the fouth most powerful army in the world, and for a military power that has access to the most state of the art weaponry, there is no reason for this to continue as it has unless the goal is to take over the territory and stake their claim.
The ratios of those on either side of the conflict speak for themselves – the only people who need to suffer are those the Israeli government is authorizing. I am not saying who is right on either side of the conflict from its beginnings… there is a world of blame on either side. In this situation, with how the Palestinians are being treated…. there is no way any one will convince me it is not planned and intentional to fulfill an unstated purpose that only the international community are able to stop.If you read the accounts from within the borders of Israel you will see that there are many there to who feel helpless to stop this advance and the philophies of discrimination behind them: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/15/israel-arab-parties-banned-from-participating-in-elections/.
Dear all,
I hope this e-mail finds you well…
This e-mail is the third one since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Initially I sent the first one to tell some of my friends and colleagues that I am safe and sound. Later more people were added to the e-mail list……………..
I am still safe and sound, and living in Banisuhaila, one of the eastern villages of Khanyounis city, in the southern area of Gaza Strip. In my last e-mail I wrote that we had electricity for a couple of evenings. It was the first time to have electricity since 17.00 o’clock evening till the done of the next day. Well,,, Now I set in one Internet coffee that operates with its own generator, as the whole Khanyounis have only received electricity for a couple of hours during the last two days…
Two days ago, the Israeli army invaded Khuza’a, the village in the very eastern side of Khanyounis. The invasion started in a very dramatic way. Suddenly bombs from F16, Helicopters, and tanks were hitting every where in that village. Khuza’a has a population of eleven thousand people, most of them are farmers. With the fields turning into one big hell, people who had not left the village yet, started seeking heaven in the near village of Abassan, or in my village. Thousands of people appeared in the streets and tried to escape death. Many of those people refused during the last week to leave their homes. They knew that there will be an attack, as the attacks which happen almost each single night on the eastern side of the whole Gaza Strip, but either they have no place to go, or thought that its possible to stay home. Monday evening bombs where causing fires to many of the houses of that area. Interestingly these bombs where not causing much of the damage for the houses, but they were spreading white smoke that burns anything it faces. Many of the small one-floor buildings were in fire, many of the people had various skin burns. It was not only interesting for the farmers to know what type of bombs those are, it was interesting for physicians to know too. I believe it should be interesting for the international community to know about this white material…
Nasser Hospital in Khanyounis reported that over 50 people were injured, and one woman was killed.
For us, in our village, listening to the explosions, and looking at the fires and smoke was very terrifying. As the electricity transformers which supply khanyounis were destroyed during the first minutes of that attack, we could only use our mobile phones (if equipped) to listen to the radio. We were waiting for the sunrise to know what exactly happened. How is Khuza’a. What about her kind people and her green lands!
Unfortunately when the morning came, another story was developing.. During the heavy bombardment of Khuza’a, the tanks managed to circle the village, and to separate it from Khanyounis. The roads between Khuza’a and Abassan was closed with tanks. Then, the Israeli bulldozers started to demolish many houses in that village. People who managed to stay at home during the evening were facing the tanks in there houses. For the whole day… the tanks were destroying houses… initially ambulances where not allowed to enter the village. After many requests some ambulances where allowed to go. We spent the whole day waiting for that invasion to stop. We were only counting the dead and the injured people. We did not know if they will move more to the west or not… Are they going to do the same thing with Abassan, then Banisuhaila or not!!! We were just waiting… We could do nothing else… SHAME ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY…
With the sunset, things became calm… roomers which later became facts said that the tanks have returned back… that the invasion to the village is over… It left many of the building destroyed, all farm lands burned, and above all…. 11 dead people, and tens of injured. The very first man that died during that bloody day was 75 years old… What was his mistake!!! or what was his crime!.
Today… coming to this Internet shop, I see strange faces in the streets. Even people who are known to me looked strange. People walk not knowing where to go, or what to do… Others are simply setting in the streets and asking each other… any news! any development… and most importantly a lot of people carrying covers or mattresses walking from one place to the other… trying to find some place till they can return home… An old man said…” this reminds me of 1948… but at I never saw such war, or such damage… or what are we meant to do?”
I believe that the events that happened in the small village of Khuza’a have been repeated many times during those 19 days… Gaza city which has a population of more than four hundred thousand people is currently surrounded by tanks. From the north east, north west, south east, and south west. The tanks never stopped shelling the buildings. F16 fighters and helicopters never disappeared from the sky… and of course, no electricity for 18 days. Stores and shops are empty. Bakeries are not working… and most importantly,, no safe place…
Now I need to go to my wife and children… and I should tell you that the generator stopped here 10 minutes ago…. apparently electricity returned to some parts of Khanyounis.
Best…
Yasser
