*The scale of the horrors perpetrated by the IDF in these battles only emerges through testimonies after fighting ends.* by Tareq S. Hajjaj, Mondoweiss, June 30, 2024 https://truthout.org/articles/second-invasion-of-al-shujaiyya-shows-israels-brutal-and-futile-gaza-strategy/
It was noon on June 26 when the residents of the al-Shuja’iyya neighborhood east of Gaza City — one of the largest neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip inhabited by over 300,000 people — were taken by surprise as Israeli tanks rolled into their neighborhood. Residents described chaotic scenes as tanks fired indiscriminately, unleashing a barrage of shells that ripped through the area. Many hastily gathered their essentials into bags that they had prepared in anticipation of yet another round of displacement. Within hours, videos and photos circulated showing thousands fleeing in panic, fear, and tears. . . . That night, the majority of families in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood left their homes and slept in the streets, carrying everything they owned on their backs. . . . Following the Israeli withdrawal from al-Shuja’iyya two months ago, many families had returned to their damaged homes and tried to resettle amid the ruins, only to face this latest renewed invasion without warning. . . . The Israeli army did not give the civilians any warning ahead of the launch of its operation, instead using the element of surprise to storm the area with a large ground force. According to testimonies gathered by Mondoweiss from neighborhood residents, everyone was surprised by the sudden incursion. Only several hours after the raid had begun did the Israeli army drop leaflets and make phone calls to residents, ordering them to leave the Shuja’iyya neighborhood and head south. According to residents’ testimonies, the Israeli army surrounded the area and deployed very quickly. . . . This recurring pattern of incursions aims to quash resistance, having previously decimated al-Shuja’iyya in prior operations. Despite widespread destruction, residents persist in rebuilding and resisting, insisting on returning to live among the rubble of their homes. *“Mowing the Lawn” as War of Attrition* By now, a pattern has emerged in how the Israeli army operates in areas from which it had previously withdrawn after having “cleared” the resistance there. The army launches a surprise attack, kills indiscriminately, arrests people en masse, surrounds neighborhoods and inspects them house by house, and all the while engages in battle with resistance fighters that attempt to lead the invading forces into ambushes. When searching and raiding a home, arrest or execution is carried out immediately. This all lasts for several days, sometimes weeks, and the testimonies of the scale of the horrors perpetrated by the Israeli army only emerge after its activities have concluded. . . . -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#30958): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/30958 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/106967709/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
