Jabhad Posted November 8, 2006 Dark clouds raining blood over Beit Hanoun – November 8, 2006, 36 minutes and 50 seconds ago. By Yousef Alhelou Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip - One day after the Israel army declared that it had pulled out and completed Operation Autumn Clouds in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, at least 19 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and at least 45 were injured, as a large number of shells were fired at the town. Another five Palestinians were killed in Jenin in the northern West Bank by the Israeli army. The series of incidents began at 6 a.m. when eyewitnesses said that dozens of tank shells and missiles landed simultaneously in a small and limited area in Beit Hanoun. Ambulances found it difficult to evacuate the wounded. According to Palestinians sources, some of the shells landed on a home, killing 11 members of one family called Al-'Athamneh, including a 9-year-old child and a 73-year-old woman. Israeli sources confirmed that artillery shells were fired on Wednesday morning. They said it was not yet known whether the matter was a technical error or a human one! Sources in Gaza reported that some of those killed were hurt after shells hit a group of civilians who arrived to help those injured in the first barrage. Residents in the area were called to donate blood as it was feared that the number of casualties would rise. Khaled Radi, a Palestinian health ministry official, said that all the dead were civilians. He said that seven children and four women were among the dead. Radi also said that at least 45 more were wounded, all civilians. Four hospitals are treating the wounded across Gaza. Emergency and first aid director in the ministry of health, Dr Moa'aweyah Hassanein, announced that the latest round of Israeli war crimes in Gaza has resulted in a new massacre in the northern town of Beit Hanoun. 19 innocent civilians, including 7 children and 4 women have been murdered brutally as they slept in their own house, he said. This brings this week’s toll alone to 83 Palestinian dead and more than 350 critically injured. In a huge demonstration outside the morgue in Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, thousands called for revenge. Hundreds of Palestinians began marching in the northern Gaza Strip, in protest at the Israeli army operation in Beit Hanoun. The protestors chanted slogans against Israel and called for retaliation. President Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day mourning period and schools were closed after the horrific massacres against civilians in Beit Hanoun. Abbas added in a statement, "this is a horrible, ugly massacre committed by the occupation against our children, our women and elderly in Beit Hanoun". "We urge and call the Security Council to convene immediately to stop the massacres committed against our people and to uphold their responsibility to stop these massacres." During an emergency meeting of the Palestinian cabinet, Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh announced that efforts to form a national unity government have been suspended after "this awful massacre." The government spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, appealed to the international community to mobilize and stop Israel carrying out such massacres against unarmed Palestinians. "Israel is a nation that has no human values and is a disgrace to the modern world," he added . Palestinian health minister Bassem Naim also referred to the series of incidents, saying that killing constitutes a policy for the Israelis. "I have no words to describe the ugly Israeli massacre in Beit Hanoun this morning. This massacre is added to another massacre which the town has only just emerged from. This morning's operation only proves that killing is Israel's aim, and this is proved by the massive fire at the medical teams arriving in the area." Naim added that another proof was the inclusion into the government of Avigdor Lieberman, who calls day and night to kill Palestinians. The Israeli army target the ambulances, paramedics and journalists to hide the facts, he said. "The massacre in Beit Hanoun proves that the Israeli government is committing war crimes against civilians," said Knesset member Talab El-Sana after the incident. "Palestinian children and women are murdered in their homes and in their beds. Olmert, Peretz and Halutz are war criminals who failed in the first war and are committing war crimes in the second war." He called for "the end of the ongoing slaughter" and said "tanks cannot kill the dream of a people aspiring to independence and freedom." Mohamed 'Athamneh, 37, said: "The Israeli army claimed that they pulled out from our town. They are not physically here but their smells and their bad image are still here. They continue their brutal horrific massacres of civilians in Beit Hanoun and in all the Palestinian territories. They want to achieve victory here after they were defeated in south Lebanon. They only understand the language of force. They are vampires who don’t know mercy. The bodies of children are scattered everywhere in the scene in pieces. God be with us! The whole world turns a blind eye." "It is the saddest scene and images I have ever seen," 29-year-old Majed Kafarnah said. "I saw people coming out of a house covered in blood. I started screaming to wake up the neighbours." Mona Al-Zanoiun, 41, said: "They destroyed our houses … they killed women and children, they are criminals. They murder us in a cold blood. Where is the international community and the Security Council to see these massacres? We do not want them to send us food; we want them to take brave actions to stop these crimes". She described what happened to the town as a "tsunami" and "destructive earthquake". Nidal Mater, 53, said: "Once again they commit massacres against civilians, but they will not break our sprit. We will not leave our land. All of us ready to die for the sake of FREEDOM". He added: "They use their arsenal to kill children and women. They are cowards … We will never forget. Where is their democracy? I just wonder, are they just human beings like us? They destroy our agriculture fields, water, electricity networks and infrastructure. We cannot recognize our streets, destruction is everywhere, and even the mosques which are considered holy places are destroyed!" Noor Masoud, 14, said ironically: "My message to the Israeli army is "well done, every day you prove to us that you are the most polite army of the world"". She was crying when she spoke and added, "If you ask the trees and walls in Beit Hanoun they will tell you how merciful the Israeli army is!! It's so funny when the Israeli government expresses its regret following this horrific awful massacre." Mahmoud Nasser, 33, said: "We rush from one mourning tent to the other because of the operation that only ended yesterday and already we have to deal with a new massacre. Difficult images, dead children, injured children with their faces torn. It's unbelievable." He added : "All of Beit Hanoun is busy with only one thing: moving the dead and wounded. All this between puddles of blood, lots of blood and body parts, next to some of the bodies were the schoolbags and sandwiches of children preparing to go to school." Um Zeyad, 42, said that she lost four children in the incident: Muhanad, Mahdi, Arafat and Saad. "I am proud to be the mother of 'shahids' [martyrs]. It is a great honour and we pray to Allah to compensate us," the bereaved mother said. She added that two days ago, "the Israeli army stole $1800 from my sister's house. Another woman who was in the same house tried to prevent hit from stealing the money. He hit her with his gun on her head and she lost consciousness. The soldier refused to allow a woman to bring water". She added that there were "42 of us, women and children, trapped in one room." I asked a man about what happened and he started crying. "It was an emotional moment", another man said. "It's normal to see a woman cry but it is very hard to see a man cry", he added. "We lost our homes, members of our family, loved ones and they destroyed our agricultural fields, citrus trees and olive trees which is our only income". He ended by saying, "Today, Palestinians are united against one enemy." ------------- Yousef Alhelou, Freelance Journalist lives in Gaza city, he can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jabhad Posted November 8, 2006 A boy crosses a pool of water stained with blood after the attack on Beit Hanoun (Reuters) Hamas vows retaliation after Israel kills 18 in Gaza Strip By Lee Glendinning and agencies Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader, has vowed to retaliate with force against a deadly Israeli strike which killed at least 18 Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip this morning. At a press conference in Damascus, hours after Israeli tanks shelled the residential district of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, the exiled Hamas chief said that the militant group had abandoned its truce with Israeli and was free to resume attacks on the Jewish state. "The truce ended at the end of 2005," he said. "The armed struggle is free to resume, and the resistance will be dictated by local circumstances." "Our condemnation will not be in words but in deeds, the resistance will respond," he added. "All Palestinian groups are urged to activate resistance despite the difficult situation on the ground. Our confidence in our military wing to respond is big. There must be a roaring reaction so that we avenge all those victims." The shells hit a row of apartment blocks in Beit Hanoun in the early hours. Witnesses said that the artillery bombardment hit at least seven houses, and eight children and five women were among those killed. Estimates suggested 54 people had been wounded. Ayman Athamna, 37, told The Times in Beit Hanoun that he had lost 15 members of his extended family, including five children, when the shells started landing shortly after dawn. "It is the saddest scene and images I have ever seen. We saw legs, we saw heads, we saw hands scattered in the street," added another witness, 22-year-old Attaf Hamad. In a rare show of unity that displayed the depth of Palestinian anger at Israel's deadliest attack on Gaza in months, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, joined forces with Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader who is Prime Minister, to donate blood. "We are giving blood for our children wounded in the Beit Hanun massacre," said Mr Abbas before he and Mr Haniya visited the bedsides of the wounded in a hospital in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. In Damascus, Mr Meshaal blamed the United States and Arab governments for the Israeli shelling attack, saying it took place "under American cover and aided by a complete Arab silence." He called for the formation of an international court to try Israeli leaders for war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said that it fired artillery shells at northern Gaza in response to militant rocket fire and was checking reports that many Palestinian civilians had been killed. It expressed regret for the civilian deaths and said that it was investigating the incident. Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said that she was deeply disturbed by the deaths, adding that it was hard to see how the Israeli strike could be justified. "I am gravely disturbed by the deaths of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, in an Israeli strike on Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip," Mrs Beckett said in a statement. "The British government has repeatedly expressed its deep concern over mounting casualties and civilian suffering in Gaza in recent months and raised these concerns with the government of Israel. "Israel must respect its obligation to avoid harming civilians. Continuing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants are also unacceptable. I call on all sides to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law and to do their utmost to avoid harming civilians, especially children." The truce that Hamas and a second militant group declared with Israel early last year had expired on December 31, but it had continued to be honoured, although with some infractions. Israel pulled its forces out of Gaza last year after a 38-year occupation. But tensions have flared since Hamas rose to power after winning Palestinian elections in January, and gunmen captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid in June. The killings follow Israel's withdrawal from the northern town on Tuesday after a week-long assault, designed to stop militants firing rockets at the Jewish state, in which 52 militants and civilians were killed. In response to the attacks, Mr Abbas ordered three days of mourning throughout the Palestinian territories. "This is a horrible, ugly massacre committed by the occupation against our children, our women and elderly in Beit Hanoun," he said in a statement. "We urge and call the (United Nations) Security Council to convene immediately to stop the massacres committed against our people and to uphold their responsibility to stop these massacres." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jabhad Posted November 8, 2006 Israel on high alert after Gaza bloodbath Jerusalem 08 November 2006 02:20 Israeli police were on Wednesday placed on alert for possible Palestinian attacks after militant groups called for a resumption of suicide bombings inside the Jewish state, a police spokesperson said. "Our forces have been placed on an advance state of alert across Israeli territory following events in the Gaza Strip," saud Micky Rosenfeld. "We are also deployed ahead of the gay parade scheduled for Friday in Jerusalem, which has already provoked numerous violent protests," he added. Israeli police chief Moshe Karadi has said 12 000 officers will be deployed to keep order in Jerusalem during the homosexual parade. A Hamas leader called for renewed suicide attacks while a Palestinian government spokesperson said Israel should be wiped off the face of the Earth after 18 people were killed when Israeli shells fell in northern Gaza. A spokesperson for the rival Fatah party also called for a resumption of suicide attacks inside the Jewish state following the attack. The last suicide bombing in Israel was in Tel Aviv last April when nine people were killed in an attack claimed by the radical Islamic Jihad faction. Mahmud Assaly, director of the Beit Lahya hospital, said Israeli shells had struck several homes. The identity of the victims was not immediately known. Five houses were destroyed in the north-western part of the town, which has 30 000 residents. Resident Ataf Ahmed (22) fled after the first shell hit a house. "I ran away and saw a second shell strike the houses. A shell fell on people who had ran out into the street," he said. Regret Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed regret on Wednesday and offered humanitarian assistance to the wounded. Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Peretz in a statement jointly "expressed their regret over the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Beit Hanoun". They "offered the Palestinian Authority urgent humanitarian assistance and immediate medical care for the wounded," the statement said. Peretz informed the premier "that he has ordered an urgent investigation into the matter and a halt to artillery fire in the Gaza Strip until the completion of the inquiry into the circumstances, the background and the considerations that led to the tragic results." 'Profoundly shocking' The European Union's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner expressed shock on Wednesday at the killing of the Palestinians. "The killing this morning of so many civilians in Gaza, including many children, is a profoundly shocking event," she said in a statement. "Israel has a right to defend itself, but not at the price of the lives of the innocent," she said, and called for the "utmost restraint" from Israel and the Palestinians. The deaths bring to 5 553 the number of people killed since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, the vast majority of them Palestinians, according to an Agence France-Presse count. - Sapa-AFP Related articles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jabhad Posted November 8, 2006 source: http://www.somaliaonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=edit_post;f=9;t=007279;reply_num=000003;u=00006356 Israeli shelling kills 18 in Gaza Water stained with blood filled the street where the shells landed At least 18 Palestinians have been killed and 40 wounded by Israeli tank fire in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, Palestinian sources have said. Palestinian officials said a barrage of tank shells hit civilian homes, and women and children were among the dead. Many of the dead were members of the same family Israel has expressed regret for the civilian deaths and says it is investigating the incident. Palestinian leaders have called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to force Israel to stop military raids. Later on Wednesday, at least one Palestinian was killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical source said. Several others were reported to have been wounded in the missile strike. Beit Hanoun and Gaza residents speak about the deaths In pictures The Palestinian prime minister, Hamas's Ismail Haniya, denounced the Israeli attack as an "awful massacre" and said talks on forming a Palestinian unity government would be suspended. The shelling was condemned across Europe and the Middle East. The European Union expressed "profound shock", and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference accused Israel of war crimes. Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz ordered the halt in artillery attacks and called for an urgent inquiry into the incident, while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered humanitarian assistance to the wounded. Palestinian hospital officials said 13 of the dead belonged to the same family, and two of them were women and six were children. It is the saddest scene and images I have ever seen Eyewitness Attaf Hamad In pictures: Tank attack Town stunned by shelling The Israelis withdrew from the town on Tuesday following a major offensive centred in Beit Hanoun. More than 60 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in a week-long operation that Israel says was aimed at stopping militant rocket fire into Israel from Gaza. TV footage from Beit Hanoun showed the victims being taken to hospital in their nightclothes, some with terrible injuries. FOUR MONTHS OF GAZA DEATHS Total: 247 fatalities 155 civilian deaths 57 deaths of children 996 wounded, including 337 children (34%) Source: Physicians for Human Rights (28 June to 27 Oct) In quotes: world reaction "It is the saddest scene and images I have ever seen. We saw legs, we saw heads, we saw hands scattered in the street," 22-year-old eyewitness Attaf Hamad told Reuters news agency. Palestinian leaders announced three days of national mourning throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A local Hamas leader has called for the group to resume suicide bombings inside Israel, a policy suspended two years ago by the main militant factions. "Israel should be wiped from the face of the Earth. It is an animal state that recognises no human worth. It is a cancer that should be eradicated," said Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman for the Hamas-led government. Shots were fired at the European Union office in Gaza City in an apparent retaliation, Palestinian authorities said. Many of the dead were members of the same family Israeli forces also killed a 17-year-old civilian near Jabaliya refugee camp, hospital officials in Gaza said. Earlier, in a separate incident, five Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli army raid near the West Bank town of Jenin. The deaths came as a US-based human rights group condemned the high number of Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli forces in the last four months. Physicians for Human Rights said nearly 63% of the 247 fatalities from Israeli fire in Gaza between 28 June and 27 October were civilians and more than a third of those civilians were children. Israeli officials repeatedly say the army takes care to avoid civilian casualties, but PHR said the shelling of densely populated areas in Gaza was tantamount to deliberately killing civilians. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
