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Gaza Under Attack: International eyewitnesses call for action

Nov 14, 2012 08:20 pm | Internationals in Gaza

img 6047 Large fire caused by an Israeli airstrike on a house in Tel al Hawa, Gaza City on Wednesday evening, November 14 2012. (Photo: Lydia De Leeuw)

Wednesday, 14 November 2012, Gaza City

Beginning at 3:35 pm today, the Gaza Strip has been shaken by several  Israeli army attacks from drones, apaches, F-16s, and naval vessels.  One of the first people killed was Ahmed al-Jabari, chief of staff of  Hamas’ military wing. Palestinian factions vowed revenge, and their  armed wings have fired dozens of rockets towards Israel. Since the first  attack this afternoon, Israeli forces have carried out more than 50  airstrikes across the Gaza Strip resulting in at least eight fatalities,  including two young children and a woman pregnant with twins. The Ministry  of Health also reports that more than 90 people have been injured.

img 5991 Part of the car Ahmed al Jabari was driving in when he was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Thalatini area, Gaza city, (Photo: Lydia De Leeuw)

Fears are growing that Israel may launch a large-scale ground offensive,  a fear fuelled by the dropping of Israeli leaflets in North Gaza warning  of an imminent overland invasion in the area, as well as the ongoing  attacks.

Israel launched its ‘Operation Pillar of Defence’  this afternoon with the targeted killing of al-Jabari in an airstrike  on a car in the Thalatin area in the east of Gaza City. Al-Jabari’s  aide, Mohammad Al-Hams, who was also travelling in the car, suffered  injuries and later died in hospital. Following this attack, a series  of airstrikes was launched, targeting civilian areas throughout the  Gaza Strip.

In the early evening, Israeli warships encroached into the Gaza sea  and took position close to the shore, firing towards land. At approximately  8:00 pm, Israeli naval forces fired between 12 and 15 shells northwest  of Beach Camp in Gaza City.

Many expect that the offensive will continue for several days, since  the Israeli Prime Minister has declared that he is prepared to expand  the operation. In a news conference earlier today, Israeli Defence Minister,  Ehud Barak, said, “[t]he provocations we have suffered and the firing  of rockets to the southern settlements within Israel have forced us  to take this action. I want to make clear that Israeli citizens will  not suffer such actions. The targets are to hit the rockets and to harm  the organisation of Hamas.” However, the majority of the victims of  these attacks have been civilians. People in Gaza have stocked up on  food and fuel and taken shelter in their homes, and the staffs of most  international organisations have been placed under curfew.

img 6019 Injured civilians are brought into al Shifa hospital during a series of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, November 14 2012 (Photo: Lydia De Leeuw)

Hospitals throughout the Strip have been inundated with victims of  the attacks. Speaking in a press conference outside al-Shifa hospital,  Dr. Mafed el-Makha el-Makhalalaty, the Minister for Health, explained  that hospitals are suffering shortages due to the ongoing closure of  the Gaza Strip and the increased attacks over the last week, in which several children were killed. Today’s attacks have left hospitals depleted of medicines and  medical supplies.

img 6003 Injured civilians are brought into al Shifa hospital during a series of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, November 14 2012 (Photo: Lydia De Leeuw)

The people of Gaza are being subjected to ongoing drone strikes, air  strikes, tank shellings, and naval fire in this indiscriminate and disproportionate  military offensive. Trapped within the Gaza Strip, they are easy targets  of remote-controlled warfare, waged from buzzing drones and roaring  F-16s.

We call on people of conscience around the world to stand up against  this unlawful aggression against Palestinian civilians.

The international community must take urgent action to put a stop  to these violent attacks.

For further information, please contact:

Adie Mormech (British)  +972 (0) 592280943

Adriana Zega (Italian)   +972 (0) 597241318

Gisela Schmidt Martin (Irish)  +972 (0) 592778020 blipfoto.com/GiselaClaire

Joe Catron (United States)  +972 (0) 595594326 twitter.com/jncatron

Julie Webb-Pullman (New Zealand)  +972 (0) 595419421 todayingaza.wordpress.com

Lydia de Leeuw (Dutch)  +972 (0) 597478455 asecondglance.wordpress.com

Meri Calvelli (Italian)                                      +972(0)598563299

We are a group of internationals living in the Gaza Strip, working  in the fields of journalism, human rights, education, and agriculture.  We seek to defend and advocate for the rights of Palestinians in the  context of the Israeli occupation and military operations. Besides being  eyewitnesses ourselves, we gather our information from our personal  networks across the Gaza Strip, from local media reports, medical staff,  and local and international NGOs in Gaza.

We verify the information we send out and hope our reports will contribute  to accurate media coverage of the situation in Gaza.

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Comment by Vincent L. Guarisco on November 15, 2012 at 7:21am

Also, you may find thus useful (Vince):

Worldwide protests against Israeli aggression in Gaza Nov 14, 2012 08:32 pm | Adam Horowitz

britain 1 600 A protest in London in 2009. (Photo: AFP)

Here is a list of Emergency Global Actions for Gaza being planned around the world. Please tweet @southsouth or @riverdryfilm or email southissouth@gmail.com to add events to the list.

THURSDAY, 15 Nov
Alexandria (Egypt) | Qaid Ibrahim, 12:00 p.m. Ann Arbor (USA) | Campus Diag, in front of Hatcher Graduate Library, 3:00 p.m. Austin (USA)  | I-35 and 12th Street (overpass), 2:00 p.m. [link] Atlanta (USA) | Israeli Consulate, 4 p.m. [link] Beirut (Lebanon) | Cola, 10:00 a.m. Belfast (Ireland) | City Hall, 7:00 p.m. Boston (USA) | 4:30 p.m., Copley Square [link] Bradford (UK) | 4.30 p.m. [link] Brighton (UK) | Outside EcoStream HQ, 12:00 p.m. [twitter] Brighton (UK) | Victoria Gardens, 5:30 p.m. [link] Cairo (Egypt) | Omar Makram, 12:30 p.m. Cairo (Egypt) | Arab League, 4:00 p.m. Chicago (USA) | Outside Obama HQ, 130 E Randolph Street, 4:00 p.m. [link] Dublin (Ireland) | Israeli Embassy, 5:30 p.m. George Mason University (USA) | The North Plaza, 1:30 p.m. [link] Jerusalem (Palestine/Israel) | Outside Hebrew University, 12:00 p.m. Leeds (UK) | Parkinson Steps, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, 1:00 p.m. [link] London (UK) | Israeli Embassy, 5:30 p.m. [link] Los Angeles (USA) | UCLA, Meyerhoff Park, 11:30 a.m. [link] Los Angeles (USA) | Israeli Consulate, 11766 Wilshire Boulvard, 4:00 p.m. [link] [link] Manchester (UK) | Piccadilly Gardens, 5:00 p.m. [link] Montreal (Canada) | Hall Building, Concordia University, 5:00 p.m. Nashville (USA) | Centennial Park, 3:00 pm [link] New York (USA) | Israeli Consulate, 42nd Street & 2nd Ave, 5:00 p.m. [link] Nottingham (UK)| Nottingham Market Square, 5:30 p.m. [link] Olympia (USA) | Red Square at Evergreen State College, 12:00 p.m. [link] Oxford (UK)  | Cornmarket Street, 4:00 p.m. [link] Paris (France) | Ministry of Justice, 6:00 p.m. [link] Princeton (USA) | Princeton University, outside of Frist Campus Center, 12:30 p.m. San Diego (USA) | US Federal Building, 880 Front Street, 4:30 p.m. [link] San Francisco (USA) | Israeli Consulate, 5:15 p.m. [link] Santiago (Chile) | Croatian Stadium (Vitacura 8049) to Israel Stadium, 8:00 p.m. [link] Seattle (USA) | Henry Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Avenue, 4:00 p.m. [link] Sydney (Australia) | Parmatta Town Hall, 6:00 p.m. [link] Toronto (Canada) | Israeli Consulate, 180 Bloor Street (E. of St. George TTC), 6:00 p.m. Tunis (Tunisia) | In front of the National Theatre, 11:00 a.m. Tunis (Tunisia) | Front of all Trade Association Buildings (Sa7et Mohamed Ali) 1:00 p.m. Vancouver (Canada) | The Art Gallery, Hornby and Robson Streets, 5:00 p.m. [link] Washington D.C. (USA) | Israeli Embassy, 3:30 p.m. (tbc)
FRIDAY, 16 Nov
Albuquerque (USA) | UNM Bookstore, 5:00 p.m. [link] Birmingham (USA) | 1400 University Boulevard, 1:30 p.m. [link] Cairo (Egypt) | Tahrir Square Calgary (Canada) | City Hall, 3:00 p.m. [link] Cincinnati (USA) | MLK Boulvard and Clifton Avenue, 4:30 p.m. [link] Cleveland (USA) | Public Square, 4:30 p.m. [link] Houston (USA) | Intersection of Westheimer & Post Oak Boulevard, 4:30 p.m. [link] Manchester (UK) | Picadilly Gardens, 5:00 p.m. Ottawa (Canada) | Israeli Embassy, 50 O’Connor b/w Queen and Albert, 12:00 p.m. [link] Perth (Australia) | Murray Street Mall, Perth City, 5:30 p.m. [link] Philadelphia (USA) | Israeli Consulate, 19th and JFK Boulevard, 12:00 p.m. [link] Pittsburg (USA) | U.S. Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Avenue, 5:00 p.m. [link] Sacramento (USA) | Federal Building, 5th and I Street, 4:30 p.m. San Francisco (USA) | Israeli Consulate, 4:00 p.m. [link] Seoul (Korea) | Israeli Embassy, Kabool Bulding, 149 Seorin-dong, 110-726, 1:00 p.m. Washington D.C. (USA) | March from State Department, 6:00 p.m. Wellington (New Zealand) | Cuba Mall, by the Buckets, 12:00 p.m. [link]
SATURDAY, 17 Nov
Aukland (New Zealand) | Aotea Square, 2:00 p.m. [link] Cardiff (UK) | Aneurin bevan Statue, Queen Street, 2:00 p.m. [link] Edinburgh (UK) | Charlotte sq, 12:00 p.m. [link] Melbourne (Australia) | Bourke St Mall, 12:30 p.m. [link] Nottingham (UK)| Nottingham Market Square, 5:30 p.m. [link] Oslo (Norway) | Israeli Embassy, 3:00 p.m. [link] Stockholm (Sweden) | Israeli Embassy 3:00 p.m. [link] [PREVIOUSLY] WEDNESDAY, 14 Nov
Bethlehem | Manger Square, 7:30 p.m. Istanbul | al Fateh Mosque, 9:00 p.m. Jerusalem | Damascus Gate, 7:00 p.m. London | Israeli Embassy Ramallah | al Manara Square, 7:00 p.m. Tel Aviv | Ehud Barak's doorstep, 8:00 p.m. Quebec | Hall Building, Concordia U, 1455 de Maisonneuve West, 6:00 p.m. [link]

Comment by James μολὼν λαβέ on November 15, 2012 at 7:23am

Israel's War Crimes: Completely Burnt Palestinian Child (14/11/2012)

"A picture of Palestinian child Ahmed Mashharaw

Comment by James μολὼν λαβέ on November 15, 2012 at 7:25am
Comment by Vincent L. Guarisco on November 15, 2012 at 7:28am

Hi, James -

Thank you, for adding the links to this post. I took a needed break from the computer. It's good to be back. :) 

Comment by James μολὼν λαβέ on November 15, 2012 at 7:29am

Hi Vin, good to take a break !

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