Slain in Their Homes
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
Israeli troops even targeted Gazan children while bunkering down in
their homes
CAIRO - Creeping out from the rubble of their bombed out homes in the
Gaza Strip, shell-shocked Palestinians bitterly remember how homes and walls
failed to protect family members, mostly kids, from the Israeli death.
"There must have been an Israeli sniper on a rooftop because he fired one
shot and hit her in the stomach," Raad Abu Seif told the Telegraph on Monday,
March 3.
His 12-year-old daughter Safa died in his arm inside the family home in
the Zimo Square area of Jabaliya in northern Gaza.
The father, his wife and seven children had bunkered down inside their
home when Israeli troops trudged through the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Safa was going up upstairs to join her uncle and his family when an
Israeli bullet penetrated her young body.
"She was still about four meters from a window and up on the first floor."
The horrified father rushed to the phone and called an ambulance to save
his child, but the car came under Israeli fire and was not able to reach the
house.
In a desperate attempt, Abu Seif carried the girl out of the house,
raising a white flag.
An Israeli tank fired warning shots above his head, forcing him to dive
for cover.
Shortly, the 12-year-old child breathed her last in her father's arms.
"I stroked Safa's hair," said Abu Seif, his voice hoarse.
"And then her eyes rolled backwards in her head.
"I tried to massage her heart for a minute, two minutes, three minutes, I
don't remember. And then I felt there was nothing."
My Babies
Israeli occupation forces withdrew ground troops from Gaza early Monday,
after killing at least 118 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in a five-day
deadly blitz.
Ahmed Abu Radwan, a teenager, told the Telegraph he was shot three times
when he approached the Zimo Square area to see what was happening.
Speaking from a hospital bed, he said that his neighbor Jihad Abu
Hilayel, also a teenager, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers.
But Hatem Abu Shbek said his nephew, Eyad, 16, and niece, Jacqueline, 17,
were shot in his sitting room.
He insists they were several meters from the window, accusing Israeli
snipers of deliberately targeting them.
Their mother Marfat Abu Shubak was unable to make sense of what happened.
"I want Eyad and Jacqueline," cried the bereaved mother, as she clung to
a bundle of clothes the two children once wore, huddling in one of the rooms in
the half of her house that is still standing.
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FIOE Statement on Gaza Holocaust
By Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe
The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) denounces the
atrocities committed by the Israeli Army in Gaza and calls for a responsible
and decisive stance.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza Strip has entered a dangerous
phase. We fear that there will be unprecedented atrocities against the
Palestinian population, including refugees in densely populated and defenceless
camps. For several weeks, the Israeli military have tightened the blockade
against the Gaza Strip. On 27 February, this collective punishment turned into
a military campaign. Israeli forces used aerial, land and sea bombardment
against a people completely isolated from the outside world and caused
widespread civilian deaths, including women and children, and destruction to
communities and infrastructure.
We have warned, for months, of the consequences of the crimes committed
by the Israeli Government and its war machine. Their actions indicate plans to
commit further atrocities against one and a half million people, a "bigger
holocaust" in Gaza. We condemn this grave and dangerous development. We are
shocked by and condemn Israel's Deputy Defence Minister, Matan Vilnai's
despicable threat of a "bigger holocaust" against the Palestinians. All parties
must intervene and prevent this from happening.
This threat of genocide is particularly dangerous since it comes against
a background of escalating and intensifying Israeli military activities on the
ground and high level political statements of intent to continue to wage brutal
war on the beleaguered, besieged and defenceless people of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli actions against the Gaza Strip, round the clock military
bombardment, economic blockade and complete closure, have deprived its people
of basic supplies and transformed them into prisoners in the world's largest
prison. These actions require all people of good will to stand up against the
occupying force's violations of the Palestinian population's human rights.
This is a moral, historical and humanitarian duty, as it is clear that
the Israel authorities have taken advantage of the world's silence to continue
its criminal activities and occupation, including the widespread killing of
civilians, specially children and mothers. The Israeli army is systematically
terrorizing one of the most populated areas in the world. Israeli air warplanes
never leave Gaza skies and attack homes, civilian institutions, playgrounds,
killing scores of innocent people with apparent impunity.
Therefore, we, in the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe, as
we watch these developments with great sorrow, call for the following:
1. The immediate halt to the relentless Israeli military campaigns
against the Palestinians of both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
2. The immediate end to the siege of the Gaza Strip, including the
restrictions on movement of people, goods, food aid and energy supplies and the
opening the crossings.
3. The strongest condemnation of Israel's war against Palestinian people,
especially in Gaza Strip, and the threat of a "bigger holocaust" in Gaza.
4. The support for justice for the Palestinian people and their rights to
freedom and self determination, including their efforts to get rid of the
occupation which usurps their land and assets.
5. The European Union, the European Council, European governments and the
International Community adopt positions force Israel to stop its continuous
aggression against the Palestinian people and compel it to abide by the
international conventions and stop its violations.
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Help the Helpless in Gaza
As a result of the continued blockade imposed in January, the people of Gaza
have suffered like never before. Now more than ever, LIFE for Relief and
Development needs the help of its donors to support our Gaza Emergency Relief
Campaign.
The Campaign thus far has succeeded in providing 3,000 needy Palestinian
families inside Gaza with desperately needed food in an effort to fight
malnutrition, especially among children.
In the latest phase of the Campaign, LIFE focused on supporting local Gaza
farmers who have been unable to export their crops due to the blockade. Fresh
fruits and vegetables, as well as processed farm goods like strawberry juice
and cheese, were included in the most recent batch of food baskets that reached
1,000 families throughout the Gaza Strip. These items were purchased at fair
market value from small farmers as well as from women agricultural cooperatives.
DONATING FOOD BASKETS TO FAMILIES OF 7+
$150 Feeds 1 family for 1 month
$300 Feeds 2 families for 1 month
$450 Feeds 3 families for 1 month
ANY AMOUNT IS ACCEPTED!
Additionally, one container full of new clothes, new blankets, and other
donated relief items was shipped from the US to the Port of Haifa , where it
will then be transported to Gaza .
With the support of our donors, LIFE can continue this model of dual
humanitarian relief for needy families as well as struggling farmers, and help
prevent the total collapse of the economy in Gaza .
LIFE is also continuing to accept in-kind donations of new clothes and shoes,
new blankets, medical supplies, walkers and wheelchairs, coloring books, etc.
You can participate by sending your items to LIFE's headquarters at:
LIFE for Relief and Development
17300 W. 10 Mile Road
Southfield , MI 48075
Tel: 248-424-7493
Some 80% of Palestinians living in Gaza are currently forced to rely on food
aid from the UN and NGOs like LIFE in order to survive. We ask donors to
remain engaged and not only to donate themselves, but spread the word and
encourage others to donate as well.
May God bless you, and may He have mercy on the people of Gaza and the rest of
the suffering world!
Call us toll-free to donate or for any questions
1-800-827-3543
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