Living By Candlelight in Gaza

The cries of condemnation go out and the "world community" does... nothing. I'm tired of words, and tired of the AmeriKan MSM's pro-Zionist bias (that's why I didn't post any of their articles today. I no longer like those pro-Zionist, enabling compliers and war-criminal liars).

Per blog policy, article photographs first.

"Collective Punishment and Slow Death in Gaza"



Mon May 12, 2008

http://www.mezan.org/site_en/siege/index.php

Reference: 55/2008

Date 11 May 2008

Press Release

IOF Murders and Collective Punishment in Gaza Continue; Al Mezan Calls for Urgent Intentional Intervention

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has continued to perpetrate more crimes in the Gaza Strip. IOF's attacks have claimed the lives of fourteen Palestinians since the beginning of May. IOF has killed 330 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip alone since the start of 2008. Moreover, the IOF has toughened its brutal blockade on Gaza, which denies the entry of fuel supplies necessary to operate the power plant, thus interrupting electricity supply all over the Strip, and severely disturbing agriculture, health and transportation sectors.

According to Al Mezan's investigations, at approximately 4.15pm on 7 May 2008, the IOF destroyed with explosives the entrance of Majdi Al-Daghma's house in Abasan Al Jadida village in the town of Khan Younis. The explosion killed 33-year-old Wafa Al-Daghma at the sight of her three children. Wafa was standing behind her house's door when soldiers detonated the door and destroyed it. As a result, she died from shrapnel wounds to her face and different parts of the body. According to an affidavit taken from 12-year-old Samira Majdi Al-Daghma, the IOF stormed into the house after the explosion, and showed no concern about the killing of her mother. They did not provide any first aid to the injured mother, covered her body with a carpet, and detained the three children in a room until 11pm that same day. Ambulances were able to collect the mother's body only after the IOF pulled out from the area.

In another attack, at approximately 1am, on 7 May 2008, the IOF penetrated 1,200 meters deep into Abasan Al-Jadida village, which is adjacent to the border line, in eastern Khan Younis. During this incursion, the IOF killed two Palestinians, injured 20 others, including a woman and a child. They also detained 60 others, destroyed seven homes completely and several other homes partially. They also razed large areas of agricultural land and destroyed four poultry farms.

On 8 May 2008, in two different attacks, the IOF bombarded two police installations in Rafah and Khan Younis, killing five policemen.

In a separate context, the IOF continues to tighten the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of fuel into it; particularly the industrial fuel used for operating the power plant in Gaza. This has caused suspension of electricity on the Gaza Strip. The fuel crisis exacerbates the problems faced by the agricultural and transportation sectors, and threatens to halt the work of the health facilities, making more imminent the spark of a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.

Al Mezan Center renews its condemnation of the IOF's escalating aggression which constitutes a grave breach of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights norms. Al Mezan emphasizes that the international community's silence encourages Israel to commit more crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Al Mezan reiterates its calls upon the International community to take urgent actions to provide effective protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip, and put an end to the Israeli violations, which mount to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also calls on the international community to intervene to lift Israel's blockade of Gaza, and bring to an end the illegal collective punishment of civilians.

End

Power outage in Gaza threatens lives of thousands

[ 11/05/2008 - 09:28 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The PA caretaker government in Gaza headed by Ismail Haneyya has warned of an imminent humanitarian disaster as a result of the power outage that affected large areas in the Gaza Strip. Taher Al-Nunu, the government's spokesman, said in a press release on Saturday night that Gaza had plunged into darkness and life came to a standstill after 80% of transport means came to a halt. "Lives of thousands of people are in real danger", he said and demanded an Arab, Islamic and international stand against such an unprecedented situation where an entire population is threatened with death. Shifting to the issue of the Rafah crossing, which was opened by Egypt for three days before patients and humanitarian cases, Nunu said that it was a step in the right direction but not enough. He explained that the crossing was in fact still closed. He said that the border terminal must be opened permanently 24 hours a day as was the case in the past. For his part, the acting PLC speaker Dr. Ahmed Bahar said that the new Israeli crime of blocking fuel supplies to Gaza necessary to operate its sole power station is a new conspiracy to inflict slow death on the Gaza people especially after it declared Gaza a "hostile entity". Bahar told the Gaza-based Aqsa TV channel that Israel was killing the Gaza population in front of the entire silent world. He appealed to the Arab and Islamic leaders to assume their historic and Islamic responsibility towards a besieged people, and asked what did those children and sick people do to deserve all this. The acting PLC speaker wondered what were the world leaders and free peoples of the world waiting for "to intervene and save a population that is dying as a result of this oppressive siege".

World should pressure Israel to abide by its commitments

[ 12/05/2008 - 11:47 AM ]

WASHINGTON, (PIC)-- Jeremy Hobbs, the Executive Director of Oxfam International, has urged the world community to oblige the Israeli occupation authority to abide by its humanitarian commitments towards citizens in Gaza Strip. Hobbs in a press release on Sunday said that the IOA should move urgently in order to avoid a health catastrophe in the Strip. He said that Israel should allow and without further delay the entry of necessary fuel supplies to the Gaza power station. He appealed to all parties to ensure safety of the Nahal Oz crossing in order to guarantee the flow of fuel and the subsequent vital health and water sectors. The Oxfam director underlined that his organization would not remain arms folded vis-à-vis the collapse of 1.5 million citizens who depend on humanitarian assistance extended to them, which was paralyzed as a result of ten months of siege.