while the media wasn't watching...
from the israeli news source haaretz.com --the emphasis , of course is deskRat
97 fatalities in Gaza, but all eyes are on Lebanon
By Avi Issacharoff
The Israel Defense Forces has killed 97 people in the Gaza Strip since the fighting began in Lebanon. Most of them were armed, and the rest were civilians - children, women, men, the elderly. The large number of fatalities suggests the IDF is engaged in indiscriminate killing under the cover of the war in the north.
Some Gaza Strip residents say, however, that the military pressure is not as bad as it was before the fighting in Lebanon began on July 12.
"The IDF is concentrating on Hezbollah," says Amjad, a Fatah activist in the Gaza Strip.
He says the problem is not the force the IDF is exerting but the absence of media coverage. "Last Wednesday 23 Palestinians were shot dead near Sajaiya, and even the Arab TV channels were busy with the nine IDF soldiers who were killed. In the past such a large number of fatalities would have raised an international storm. Today nobody counts how many Palestinians are killed."
Amjad says the IDF is acting in the strip for "reasons of public relations," not for operative gains. "What was the point of the operations in Sajaiya or al-Mirazi? [There, 15 Palestinians were killed by the IDF at the refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip]. You entered a few kilometers into the strip, shot and wounded dozens of people, including armed ones, but you did not stop the rocket fire or free [kidnapped soldier] Gilad Shalit. Israel simply wants to prove it is continuing its military activity despite Lebanon," he says.
Dozens of Palestinians have been receiving calls on their mobile phones from a blocked number since the fighting in Lebanon began. The voice on the other end, which was later replaced by a recorded message, spoke Arabic, identified the speaker as a member of "IDF headquarters."
"Welcome, you and your family are requested to leave home because the IDF intends to attack it. The house is used to hide warfare or terrorists," the voice says.
Ten days ago the IDF started destroying homes in which terror activity was suspected. The army also warned residents of neighborhoods especially close to Israel that it intended to attack rocket launching sites. Residents of several neighborhoods - east Sajaiya, east al-Mirazi, east Rafah and the neighborhood of al-Nada in the northern Gaza Strip - received warning leaflets to this effect.
"Now we must decide what to do," says Abu Jihad of Sajaiya. "It's a hard choice. I have relatives in Gaza I could stay with. But how long will it last? You can't move in with your uncles for weeks. On the other hand, staying here will put the children in great danger. Dozens of families have left al-Nada, even though it's common knowledge that Palestinian defense forces live there, not Hamas. So whom are you punishing? Like in Lebanon, you think Hamas or Hezbollah will be blamed for your acts. But no, you are. And if next to your house there?s a Jihad activist hiding a rocket - are you supposed to abandon your house because your neighbor hid a rocket?"
Hundreds of families have fled their homes in neighborhoods bordering Israel. Most found shelter with relatives; others moved into UN schools. The landlords are the main beneficiaries - rent prices in Gaza City have doubled due to the migration to the city. But the uprooted, homeless Palestinians are attracting even less attention than the large number of Palestinians killed.
97 fatalities in Gaza, but all eyes are on Lebanon
By Avi Issacharoff
The Israel Defense Forces has killed 97 people in the Gaza Strip since the fighting began in Lebanon. Most of them were armed, and the rest were civilians - children, women, men, the elderly. The large number of fatalities suggests the IDF is engaged in indiscriminate killing under the cover of the war in the north.
Some Gaza Strip residents say, however, that the military pressure is not as bad as it was before the fighting in Lebanon began on July 12.
"The IDF is concentrating on Hezbollah," says Amjad, a Fatah activist in the Gaza Strip.
He says the problem is not the force the IDF is exerting but the absence of media coverage. "Last Wednesday 23 Palestinians were shot dead near Sajaiya, and even the Arab TV channels were busy with the nine IDF soldiers who were killed. In the past such a large number of fatalities would have raised an international storm. Today nobody counts how many Palestinians are killed."
Amjad says the IDF is acting in the strip for "reasons of public relations," not for operative gains. "What was the point of the operations in Sajaiya or al-Mirazi? [There, 15 Palestinians were killed by the IDF at the refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip]. You entered a few kilometers into the strip, shot and wounded dozens of people, including armed ones, but you did not stop the rocket fire or free [kidnapped soldier] Gilad Shalit. Israel simply wants to prove it is continuing its military activity despite Lebanon," he says.
Dozens of Palestinians have been receiving calls on their mobile phones from a blocked number since the fighting in Lebanon began. The voice on the other end, which was later replaced by a recorded message, spoke Arabic, identified the speaker as a member of "IDF headquarters."
"Welcome, you and your family are requested to leave home because the IDF intends to attack it. The house is used to hide warfare or terrorists," the voice says.
Ten days ago the IDF started destroying homes in which terror activity was suspected. The army also warned residents of neighborhoods especially close to Israel that it intended to attack rocket launching sites. Residents of several neighborhoods - east Sajaiya, east al-Mirazi, east Rafah and the neighborhood of al-Nada in the northern Gaza Strip - received warning leaflets to this effect.
"Now we must decide what to do," says Abu Jihad of Sajaiya. "It's a hard choice. I have relatives in Gaza I could stay with. But how long will it last? You can't move in with your uncles for weeks. On the other hand, staying here will put the children in great danger. Dozens of families have left al-Nada, even though it's common knowledge that Palestinian defense forces live there, not Hamas. So whom are you punishing? Like in Lebanon, you think Hamas or Hezbollah will be blamed for your acts. But no, you are. And if next to your house there?s a Jihad activist hiding a rocket - are you supposed to abandon your house because your neighbor hid a rocket?"
Hundreds of families have fled their homes in neighborhoods bordering Israel. Most found shelter with relatives; others moved into UN schools. The landlords are the main beneficiaries - rent prices in Gaza City have doubled due to the migration to the city. But the uprooted, homeless Palestinians are attracting even less attention than the large number of Palestinians killed.
posted by dsekou at 7:29 AM
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