Massacre of Palestinians while the world worries on Iraq
As the world focuses on Iraq, the bodies pile up in Gaza
Justin Huggler reports from Gaza City 22 February 2003 ( Independent UK)
Is the Israeli military taking advantage of a time when the world is not paying attention to what is going on here, when media coverage is focusing on Iraq, to step up its campaign in the occupied territories?
In the past week, while the world's press focused on the UN security council and Baghdad, the violence has suddenly surged.
In six days, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli operations, chiefly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Nablus.
The dead have been a combination of unarmed civilians, armed militants, members of the legitimate Palestinian security forces and one a medic trying to reach a sick patient.
But this week's violence was not a response to a suicide bombing or an attack by Palestinian gunmen in Israel.Inside Israel, the situation has been at its most calm for months. There have been no suicide bombings. Nobody has been killed in a militant attack.
The Israeli army began this week's offensive after four Israeli soldiers were killed when Hamas set fire to an Israeli tank guarding a Jewish settlement inside the occupied Gaza Strip.
Lior Yavne, a spokesman for B'Tselem, one of Israel's most respected human rights organisations said yesterday:
"One of the only things that can restrain Israeli policy in the occupied territories is international public opinion." The upsurge in violence has been so drastic it has attracted international attention.
Sergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations commissioner for human rights, said in a statement yesterday he was "extremely concerned" at Palestinian deaths in Gaza. "Such indiscriminate use of force in civilian areas can never be justified," he said.
Even the US State Department was critical of this week's Israeli military operations.
"These casualties continue to result from Israeli military actions. We remain very concerned about civilian casualties ... especially among Palestinian children and young people," said Richard Boucher, a State Department spokesman.
Saturday A week of bloodshed began when Hamas militants succeeded in setting fire to an Israeli tank outside the Jewish settlement of Dugit in the Gaza Strip with a massive explosive charge hidden by the roadside. Desperate attempts by the Israeli army to put out the fire could not save four soldiers trapped inside.
Sunday Six Hamas militants were killed in a mysterious explosion in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian gunmen fired on the soldiers trying to arrest him and four Palestinians were killed in the gun battle. Palestinian witnesses claimed the dead men were civilians, not gunmen.
Monday Hamas activist, Riyad abu Zeid, was killed when undercover Israeli soldiers hiding in a vegetable van ambushed his car on the Gaza coast road. On the same day, 35 Israeli tanks and helicopters entered the Gaza Strip and soldiers demolished the house of Ahmad Ghadnour, another Hamas militant. Two Palestinians were killed in the gun battle .
Tuesday Mohammed al-Mur became the eighth Hamas activist to be killed in three days when he was shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Yatta, near Hebron.
Wednesday On the bloodiest day of the week, 11 Palestinians died in an Israeli incursion into Gaza City. The dead included Mundur Safadi, a Palestinian medic shot dead as he accompanied his brother, Dr Ra'ed Safadi, who was trying to reach a patient with heart problems. According to Dr Safadi, who was injured, they were deliberately shot by a sniper.
They also included three young men killed when the Israeli army demolished two buildings . The dead in the raid also included two Hamas militants and one from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who were killed in fighting, and three members of Palestinian intelligence, a legitimate security force, killed when their car was hit by machine-gunfire. The same day in Nablus, 93-year-old Mustafa abu Safieh accused an Israeli soldier of shooting his son Nasser dead in cold blood. Mr abu Safieh said they were stopped and searched by soldiers, then told to move on. As they moved away a soldier killed his son.
A second Palestinian was shot dead throwing stones at soldiers, according to Palestinians. The army said he threw a firebomb. Also in Nablus, a Welsh medical volunteer, Anne Gwynne, 65, said an Israeli soldier deliberately fired at her and a Palestinian ambulance driver she was accompanying.
Thursday In Nablus, 61-year-old Ahmad abu Zahra and his 17-year-old grandson of the same name were shot dead while on the streets of Nablus old city during a curfew, according to Palestinian witnesses.
Friday Yesterday two Palestinians were killed in attempted attacks in Gaza, both claimed by Islamic Jihad.
Massacre of Palestinians while the world worries on Iraq
As the world focuses on Iraq, the bodies pile up in Gaza
Justin Huggler reports from Gaza City 22 February 2003 ( Independent UK)
Is the Israeli military taking advantage of a time when the world is not paying attention to what is going on here, when media coverage is focusing on Iraq, to step up its campaign in the occupied territories?
In the past week, while the world's press focused on the UN security council and Baghdad, the violence has suddenly surged.
In six days, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli operations, chiefly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Nablus.
The dead have been a combination of unarmed civilians, armed militants, members of the legitimate Palestinian security forces and one a medic trying to reach a sick patient.
But this week's violence was not a response to a suicide bombing or an attack by Palestinian gunmen in Israel.Inside Israel, the situation has been at its most calm for months. There have been no suicide bombings. Nobody has been killed in a militant attack.
The Israeli army began this week's offensive after four Israeli soldiers were killed when Hamas set fire to an Israeli tank guarding a Jewish settlement inside the occupied Gaza Strip.
Lior Yavne, a spokesman for B'Tselem, one of Israel's most respected human rights organisations said yesterday:
"One of the only things that can restrain Israeli policy in the occupied territories is international public opinion." The upsurge in violence has been so drastic it has attracted international attention.
Sergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations commissioner for human rights, said in a statement yesterday he was "extremely concerned" at Palestinian deaths in Gaza. "Such indiscriminate use of force in civilian areas can never be justified," he said.
Even the US State Department was critical of this week's Israeli military operations.
"These casualties continue to result from Israeli military actions. We remain very concerned about civilian casualties ... especially among Palestinian children and young people," said Richard Boucher, a State Department spokesman.
Saturday A week of bloodshed began when Hamas militants succeeded in setting fire to an Israeli tank outside the Jewish settlement of Dugit in the Gaza Strip with a massive explosive charge hidden by the roadside. Desperate attempts by the Israeli army to put out the fire could not save four soldiers trapped inside.
Sunday Six Hamas militants were killed in a mysterious explosion in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian gunmen fired on the soldiers trying to arrest him and four Palestinians were killed in the gun battle. Palestinian witnesses claimed the dead men were civilians, not gunmen.
Monday Hamas activist, Riyad abu Zeid, was killed when undercover Israeli soldiers hiding in a vegetable van ambushed his car on the Gaza coast road. On the same day, 35 Israeli tanks and helicopters entered the Gaza Strip and soldiers demolished the house of Ahmad Ghadnour, another Hamas militant. Two Palestinians were killed in the gun battle .
Tuesday Mohammed al-Mur became the eighth Hamas activist to be killed in three days when he was shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Yatta, near Hebron.
Wednesday On the bloodiest day of the week, 11 Palestinians died in an Israeli incursion into Gaza City. The dead included Mundur Safadi, a Palestinian medic shot dead as he accompanied his brother, Dr Ra'ed Safadi, who was trying to reach a patient with heart problems. According to Dr Safadi, who was injured, they were deliberately shot by a sniper.
They also included three young men killed when the Israeli army demolished two buildings . The dead in the raid also included two Hamas militants and one from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who were killed in fighting, and three members of Palestinian intelligence, a legitimate security force, killed when their car was hit by machine-gunfire. The same day in Nablus, 93-year-old Mustafa abu Safieh accused an Israeli soldier of shooting his son Nasser dead in cold blood. Mr abu Safieh said they were stopped and searched by soldiers, then told to move on. As they moved away a soldier killed his son.
A second Palestinian was shot dead throwing stones at soldiers, according to Palestinians. The army said he threw a firebomb. Also in Nablus, a Welsh medical volunteer, Anne Gwynne, 65, said an Israeli soldier deliberately fired at her and a Palestinian ambulance driver she was accompanying.
Thursday In Nablus, 61-year-old Ahmad abu Zahra and his 17-year-old grandson of the same name were shot dead while on the streets of Nablus old city during a curfew, according to Palestinian witnesses.
Friday Yesterday two Palestinians were killed in attempted attacks in Gaza, both claimed by Islamic Jihad.
