Blackout on Course of Op.; Israel Kills More Civilians
Monday, January 5, 2009
05/01/2009
Once again, Israel was incapable of defeating the Palestinian resistance fighters who were afflicting occupation soldiers a serious blow, so it turns to the innocent civilians. Israel is adopting a blackout policy on the course of the ground offensive in Gaza, the same policy adopted during July war in Lebanon in 2006.
In its last crime, and not least, Israeli occupation army committed Monday morning another massacre against the Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip and killed seven family members – a father, a mother and five of their children – in the Shati refugee camp in the western part of the Strip.
According to the Palestinian report, a shell fired by Israeli Navy ship hit the family's home and caused their martyrdom. The Shifa Hospital in Gaza reported that some of the bodies of the family members were scorched.
A separate incident took place before dawn Monday in the Zeitoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, where two family members – an elderly man and his grandson – were killed, in addition to several people who died in various incidents overnight.
The Palestinians report that more than 80 people have been killed since the Israeli occupation army launched its ground operation in Gaza, and that more than 520 people have been killed and more than 2.500 injured since the start of “Operation Cast Lead” 10 days ago.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Sunday that 107 children and youths were among the martyrs. This figure does not include the people killed in the evening and night hours, as well as those killed Monday morning.
Just before dawn two loud explosions were heard in Gaza City and shelling from naval boats off the coast could also be heard. There were also reports of artillery from Israel and navy gunboats shelling the two main north-south roads at points in central and southern Gaza.
Blasts rocked Gaza overnight after Israeli soldiers were trying to move into a northern zone. A tank shell killed three children and their mother in their home in Gaza City, medics said. An air strike killed a man as he sat in a relative's mourning tent. The Israeli air force attacked 130 targets in Gaza overnight, a spokesman claimed.
Witnesses said tanks had cut off Gaza City and the far north from the rest of the strip, which would prevent the entry of supplies and fighters from the south. Fierce clashes were also reported around the northern towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya. The occupation military admitted the killing of one soldier and wounding of 55 soldiers on Sunday after it said that in fighting overnight six troops were injured but gave no further details.
However, the Hamas resistance group confirmed the killing of 9 Israeli occupation soldiers during the ground offensive.
Also on Sunday, five members of the same family died when an Israeli tank shell hit their car near Gaza City, emergency services said. Three ambulance workers were killed when they were hit by a missile as they helped wounded victims, medics said.
Aid groups said the offensive had aggravated a humanitarian crisis for the population, who have no electricity, no water and now face dire food shortages. Hospitals were only running on backup generators.
The Israeli government fought off international pressure over its biggest military operation since its 2006 war in Lebanon. International efforts to halt the conflict sought new impetus after the UN Security Council failed to agree a statement calling for a ceasefire in closed-door consultations late on Saturday, with the United States giving strong backing to Israel.
That drew expressions of regret from UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday, who said he would be working with key players to facilitate a consensus to bring about an end to the violence.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum condemned the Security Council action as "a farce" dominated by the United States, which has strongly supported Israel.
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