Tuesday, 06 January 2009 10:26
RamallahOnline
 Ramallah, 06-01-09: Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative strongly condemned this morning the Israelis refusal to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza and report on the events. “This is a harsh violation of the Freedom of the Press”, he said.
Despite the Israeli official decision –publicly stated on the 1st of January this year- that foreign journalists will be allowed to Gaza, no one has been able to enter the besieged Strip. The Israeli decision is a result of a petition that was handed by the Foreign Press Association in Israel to the Israeli High Court, demanding Israel to put an end to the media blackout in Gaza, imposed since November.
Tuesday, 06 January 2009 09:54
RamallahOnline
Yossi Alper, BitterLemons.org Jan 6 2009 -(Israeli view) Israel's war with Gazan-based Hamas is a faithful expression of its broader dilemma with militant Islam. That dilemma is being played out against the backdrop of Israel's complex relations with a troubled Arab world. As with Hizballah in Lebanon in the summer of 2006, Israel is now fighting a non-state actor, backed by Iran and operating out of a sovereign no-man's land or "black hole" from which Israel had previously withdrawn unilaterally. Both the 2005 Gaza withdrawal and the current fighting reflect Israel's military problem: none of the classic strategies for dealing with a military enemy seem to work. Occupation, removal of occupation, deterrence, tit-for-tat punishment, economic blockade--all have failed. The enemy welcomes extreme hardship and loss of life ("martyrdom") and seemingly would welcome reoccupation. Anything that highlights Gazans' human suffering sells well in the Arab world and among human rights activists in the West. Any opportunity to wage a war of attrition against Israelis--soldiers and civilians, there is no difference in militant Islamist eyes--drives home the militant Islamist message that the Zionist enterprise is doomed.
Tuesday, 06 January 2009 09:28
RamallahOnline
Ola Attallah, IslamOnline.net Correspondent
Palestinians fear Israel plans to target Al-Shifa hospital, already overwhelmed with victims of its onslaught. (Reuters)
 | Palestinians fear Israel plans to target Al-Shifa hospital, already overwhelmed with victims of its onslaught. (Reuters) | GAZA CITY — Abu Khaled could not believe his ears when he heard the thundering of Israeli warplanes.
Helplessly, the panicked father put his arms around his three wounded children who laid at one of Al-Shifa hospital's rooms.
"I was petrified," he said recalling last night's nightmare.
Israeli aircraft flew over al-Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, leaving hundreds of injured and their family members fearful of a possible strike.
Abu Khaled tried desperately to calm his terrified children as they saw the jets flowing overhead and unleashing tens of light and stun bombs over the hospital's facilities.
"We could not sleep for the rest of the night.
Monday, 05 January 2009 17:25
RamallahOnline
Genevieve Fraser, RamallahOnline.com Jan 5, 2009 Eighty percent of the Gaza Strip’s 1.5 million residents are refugees or their descendents, driven from their Palestinian homes by the creation of Israel in 1948, or during the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War. After Israeli settlements vacated Gaza, Palestine in 2005, Israel essentially sealed the borders. Crops raised for international markets rotted in place and Israel maintained total control over the land, sea and air. Periodically, Israel prevents all food, fuel, and medicine from entering, and Israeli F-16s and ships fire on the population at will. Hundreds have died from these measures. According to international law, Israel still occupies Gaza and therefore maintains sovereignty. Many compare Gaza’s open air prison to the Warsaw Ghetto which preceded the attempted extermination of the Jewish people, a.k.a. the Holocaust.
Monday, 05 January 2009 01:15
RamallahOnline
Antoun Issa, RamallahOnline.com, Jan 5,2009 Antoun's online Blog can be found @ http://lebanesechess.blogspot.com The death toll in the Gaza massacre has surpassed 500. Israel has rejected an EU cease-fire and is showing no sign of halting its operations, despite growing global opposition. But for the Arab world, the strongest repercussions to this conflict will be felt in Egypt. The Egyptian leadership has taken a hiding from the Arab street for its inaction over Israel's assault on the Palestinians. Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran have removed all gloves by publicly accusing Egypt's leadership of complicity in Israel's war on Gaza.
Sunday, 04 January 2009 17:38
RamallahOnline
Sameh A. Habeeb. RamallahOnline.com News Report Ground Military Operation
Breaking News: Five Palestinians killed in a bombing targeted Mus'ab Bin Umair mosque northern Gaza Strip.
Breaking News: Five Palestinians from one family "Bakr" killed west of Gaza City. The mother was killed along with her 4 children in F16 rocket.
 Breaking News: Around 17 peoples killed in Al atatra family in Bait lahia town north of Gaza. Among est them several children, two
brothers, 20-year-old and many old men who were all killed by one rocket. Israeli tanks prevents ambulances from reaching wounded people in the same place. Among the recognized victims; Osama sliman, Mueen bu aljdya, Ahmed Abu sltan, Hamaoda Abu sultan, Ali Al sous, Muhammad Al atar, Ahmed Tantish and one from Al shalfooh family.
Breaking News: Three paramedics and ambulance staff killed by an artillery shell and F16 rocket near Shikh Ejlin area. The paramedics were in a mission of rescuing a family hit near Al mahrosa hall. The family still bleeding and no news coming up about them till thismoment.
Sunday, 04 January 2009 12:34
RamallahOnline
Nick Marouf, RamallahOnline.com
A few links to material that does not necessarily reach the mainstream media. Item # 2 is extremely graphic video taken by a mobile phone after Israel bombing a food market. There needs to be an end to the madness. This is not self-defense but cold blooded murder, This is Gaza 911. Over 500 people have been confirmed dead of which 70 are children and 27 women. Another total of 2,650 have been injured of which 270 are children and 650 are women. And let us not forget the elderly and sick that died in Gaza for lack of basic medical needs and food! The International Community needs to take immediate action by condemning Israel's war crimes against humanity, and subjecting 1.5 million Palestinians to inhumane atrocities. - Israeli father gloating about his son killing Palestinians in Gaza.
- RAW graphic video of the aftermath of an Israeli bomb dropped in Gaza.
- Voices from Gaza
- Israeli Attack on Gaza: Bombs Fall as Children Go to School
Sunday, 04 January 2009 09:11
RamallahOnline
By: Abu Yusef Civilians, especially children, are dying by the dozens now in Gaza; and being injured by the hundreds. The bombs, which have rained on the tiny coastal Strip for over a week now, are not causing every casualty directly though. Many are dying from a simple lack of basic medicines and access to health care.
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Tuesday, 06 January 2009 09:58
RamallahOnline
Yosi Beilin BitterLemons.org Jan 6 2009 -(Israeli view) In the Lebanon war, we were informed about the objectives of the operation and knew they were impractical. Now we are not told, so we have to guess. Is this about destroying Hamas? Apparently not. Beyond the nausea that this expression conveys, there is also apparently no such animal. After all, we are talking about religious leaders, political leaders, security forces but also many whose work is "dawa" or welfare: all see themselves as belonging to Hamas.
Tuesday, 06 January 2009 09:44
RamallahOnline
Ghassan Khatib, BitterLemons.org Jan 6 2009 The ground offensive that Israel started in the beginning of the second week of its war against the Palestinian people in Gaza was expected and, once the air operation had begun, to some extent wanted by both Israel and Hamas. Hamas, which was at an obvious disadvantage in the aerial phase of the war, kept threatening Israel with "serious consequences" if the land offensive should start. Israel meanwhile could not achieve its objectives by bombing from the air and a ground offensive was "unavoidable".
Tuesday, 06 January 2009 09:09
RamallahOnline
On Tuesday, the 6th of January 2009, the children of Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah held a protest against the Israeli military strike in Gaza.
Dozens of kids waved flags and carried pictures of the casualties of their Gazan neighbours. Those children know already what this is all about, as the town of Ni’lin has been facing a harsh repression against the weekly peaceful demontrations against the Wall for the last 6 months.
There, Israeli violence killed a least 3 teenagers and dozens were injured and imprisoned.  - Picture: jbphotos http://jbphotos.wordpress.com/
| A child holds a picture of Arafat Khawaja who was shot by an IDF soldier at a demonstration in the village on December 28th 2008, during the protest against the Israeli military strike in Gaza. |
Monday, 05 January 2009 17:07
RamallahOnline
Sameh A. Habeeb, RamallahOnline.com Jan 5, 2009 - News Report Ground Military Operation Random shelling and Compulsory Migration For Thousands in Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip,5, January, 2oo9- Israeli War on Gaza still rise up in various points through the occupied Gaza Strip. More civilians killed in opposition of Israeli announced aim of hitting the Hamas militants. Monday morning a massacre happened in Al Zaytoun Quarter as Israeli army gathered around 30 persons in one house and then bombed them. Medical sources said that 14 killed and 60 injured. Around 10 of them children some are women and some other youth old people. The heaviest ongoing bombing of Air forces and artillery shells pushed thousands of civilians to internally I migrate to the western areas of the Strip. Ironically, the western areas are not safer to be taken a shelter by those new refugees as Israeli naval gunboats await for them. Many bombs were fired from these vessels killing family in AlShati' camp and injured sveral other in Al Nusairat Refugee Camp. In the north of Gaza, thousands of Bait Hanon residents of and easternJabalia are leaving their homes into the western areas.
Humanitarian conditions severely exacerbated. Civilians don't have drinking water nor any kind of water for daily use. Add to that, basics of food like bread, cocking oil, rice, beans and sugar are no longer available in the markets.
Meanwhile, medical sector is totally paralyzed due to lack of human resources from cadre and doctors and a severe shortage in medicines and medical tools. The amount of victims is obviously huger than the abilities of the already arduous hospitals which suffer a siege of 18 months.
Monday, 05 January 2009 00:17
RamallahOnline
Editor: An Excellent article by Eric Margol of what is happening in Gaza. Eric Margol, http://www.ericmargolis.com/ There are two completely different versions of what is currently happening in Gaza. In the Israeli and North American press version, Hamas – "Islamic terrorists" backed by Iran – have in an unprovoked attack fired deadly rockets on innocent Israel with the intent of destroying the Jewish state. Full article can be found @ http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis131.html
Sunday, 04 January 2009 17:17
RamallahOnline
Sam Bahour, RamallahOnline.com Jan 4th, 2009 The attached photo was published in Jerusalem's Al-Quds Newspaper (Jan 4, 2009) - the caption reads:  Gaza - During her funeral in the Latin Patriarchate Church, a citizen kisses the forehead of the martyred Christine Turok (14 yrs old) who was martyred due to a heart attack from fear of the Israeli bombardment. (Reuters).
In a phone conversation today, from Gaza the Latin Patriarchate Church priest, Father Manaweil Musallam, clearly shaken, said, "her name is Christine, a tenth grade student. Her father is a doctor and she lived near the YMCA in Al-Remal area. She died of fear. Since the war started she felt apprehensive of the danger. She suffered from neurotic disorder and a hysteric situation just as many children are suffering. On Friday, during the shooting of F-16 missiles, she fell on the ground due to the dreadful sound. Her father tried to help, but he couldn't. Then he held her in his arms hoping to rescue her in the hospital, but she died before reaching there."
Sunday, 04 January 2009 09:58
RamallahOnline
By Eyad El-Sarraj
Sunday, January 4, 2009; B01 GAZA CITY How much worse can it get? After a horrifying week, the Israelis have arrived once again at our doorstep. What now? Already we have experienced so much terror and want. When the Israeli strikes first began, my wife and I were worrying about lentils. She said we could not have lentil soup for lunch because there were no lentils in the shops. Nor any rice or flour. Suddenly there was a deafening noise, followed by a succession of blasts the likes of which I had never experienced. Our house was rocking, the windows rattling in their panes. Panicked, we ran into the small hallway. My sister-in-law, who lives upstairs, joined us, frantic because her young daughter was not yet home from school. Sari, a boy from the neighborhood, banged on our door asking for shelter. He trembled as he told us that he'd been on his way home from school in a taxi when there was a thundering blast. The driver stopped the car and ran for cover. The passengers scattered in all directions. Sari found himself running aimlessly. The explosions seemed to be chasing him, he said. Suddenly, he came upon people lying bleeding in the street. He went up to a man, wanting to help him, and touched his hand. It was nothing but a piece of burnt flesh. Somebody shouted at him to get away, so he ran off.
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Islamic Relief 
Here we see Israelis in Sderot – the chief target of the homemade bombs which we are told are the cause of the current ravaging of Gaza. These Hamas "terror bombs" are so frighteningly powerful and destructive that no response against them can be "disproportionate," we are told by Israeli and American leaders; everything is justified in "retaliation," including the complete destruction of the social, civic and physical infrastructure of an entire human community, and the killing and terrorizing of innocent people. It's those homemade bombs falling on Sderot, you see; they are such an overwhelming, ever-present, inescapable threat.
