[spectre] FW: Dark clouds raining blood over Beit Hanoun - By Yousef Alhelou

[Louise Desrenards]

Dark clouds raining blood over Beit Hanoun - By Yousef
Alhelou
 

Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip - One day after the
Israel army declared that it had pulled out and
completed Operation Autumn Clouds in the northern Gaza
Strip town of Beit Hanoun, at least 19 Palestinians
were killed in Gaza and at least 45 were injured, as a
large number of shells were fired at the town. Another
five Palestinians were killed in Jenin in the northern
West Bank by the Israeli army.

The series of incidents began at 6 a.m. when
eyewitnesses said that dozens of tank shells and
missiles landed simultaneously in a small and limited
area in Beit Hanoun. Ambulances found it difficult to
evacuate the wounded.

According to Palestinians sources, some of the shells
landed on a home, killing 11 members of one family
called Al-'Athamneh, including a 9-year-old child and
a 73-year-old woman.

Israeli sources confirmed that artillery shells were
fired on Wednesday morning. They said it was not yet
known whether the matter was a technical error or a
human one!

Sources in Gaza reported that some of those killed
were hurt after shells hit a group of civilians who
arrived to help those injured in the first barrage.
Residents in the area were called to donate blood as
it was feared that the number of casualties would
rise.

Khaled Radi, a Palestinian health ministry official,
said that all the dead were civilians. He said that
seven children and four women were among the dead.

Radi also said that at least 45 more were wounded, all
civilians. Four hospitals are treating the wounded
across Gaza.

Emergency and first aid director in the ministry of
health, Dr Moa'aweyah Hassanein, announced that the
latest round of Israeli war crimes in Gaza has
resulted in a new massacre in the northern town of
Beit Hanoun. 19 innocent civilians, including 7
children and 4 women have been murdered brutally as
they slept in their own house, he said. This brings
this week¹s toll alone to 83 Palestinian dead and more
than 350 critically injured.

In a huge demonstration outside the morgue in Kamal
Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, thousands
called for revenge. Hundreds of Palestinians began
marching in the northern Gaza Strip, in protest at the
Israeli army operation in Beit Hanoun. The protestors
chanted slogans against Israel and called for
retaliation.

President Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day mourning
period and schools were closed after the horrific
massacres against civilians in Beit Hanoun. Abbas
added in a statement, "this is a horrible, ugly
massacre committed by the occupation against our
children, our women and elderly in Beit Hanoun". "We
urge and call the Security Council to convene
immediately to stop the massacres committed against
our people and to uphold their responsibility to stop
these massacres." 

During an emergency meeting of the Palestinian
cabinet, Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh
announced that efforts to form a national unity
government have been suspended after "this awful
massacre." 

The government spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, appealed to the
international community to mobilize and stop Israel
carrying out such massacres against unarmed
Palestinians. "Israel is a nation that has no human
values and is a disgrace to the modern world," he
added .

Palestinian health minister Bassem Naim also referred
to the series of incidents, saying that killing
constitutes a policy for the Israelis. "I have no
words to describe the ugly Israeli massacre in Beit
Hanoun this morning. This massacre is added to another
massacre which the town has only just emerged from.
This morning's operation only proves that killing is
Israel's aim, and this is proved by the massive fire
at the medical teams arriving in the area."

Naim added that another proof was the inclusion into
the government of Avigdor Lieberman, who calls day and
night to kill Palestinians. The Israeli army target
the ambulances, paramedics and journalists to hide the
facts, he said. 

"The massacre in Beit Hanoun proves that the Israeli
government is committing war crimes against
civilians," said Knesset member Talab El-Sana after
the incident. "Palestinian children and women are
murdered in their homes and in their beds. Olmert,
Peretz and Halutz are war criminals who failed in the
first war and are committing war crimes in the second
war." 

He called for "the end of the ongoing slaughter" and
said "tanks cannot kill the dream of a people aspiring
to independence and freedom."

Mohamed 'Athamneh, 37, said: "The Israeli army claimed
that they pulled out from our town. They are not
physically here but their smells and their bad image
are still here. They continue their brutal horrific
massacres of civilians in Beit Hanoun and in all the
Palestinian territories. They want to achieve victory
here after they were defeated in south Lebanon. They
only understand the language of force. They are
vampires who don¹t know mercy. The bodies of children
are scattered everywhere in the scene in pieces. God
be with us! The whole world turns a blind eye."

"It is the saddest scene and images I have ever seen,"
29-year-old Majed Kafarnah said. "I saw people coming
out of a house covered in blood. I started screaming
to wake up the neighbours."

Mona Al-Zanoiun, 41, said: "They destroyed our houses
Š they killed women and children, they are criminals.
They murder us in a cold blood. Where is the
international community and the Security Council to
see these massacres? We do not want them to send us
food; we want them to take brave actions to stop these
crimes". She described what happened to the town as a
"tsunami" and "destructive earthquake".

Nidal Mater, 53, said: "Once again they commit
massacres against civilians, but they will not break
our sprit. We will not leave our land. All of us ready
to die for the sake of FREEDOM".

He added: "They use their arsenal to kill children and
women. They are cowards Š We will never forget. Where
is their democracy? I just wonder, are they just human
beings like us? They destroy our agriculture fields,
water, electricity networks and infrastructure. We
cannot recognize our streets, destruction is
everywhere, and even the mosques which are considered
holy places are destroyed!"

Noor Masoud, 14, said ironically: "My message to the
Israeli army is "well done, every day you prove to us
that you are the most polite army of the world"". She
was crying when she spoke and added, "If you ask the
trees and walls in Beit Hanoun they will tell you how
merciful the Israeli army is!! It's so funny when the
Israeli government expresses its regret following this
horrific awful massacre."

Mahmoud Nasser, 33, said: "We rush from one mourning
tent to the other because of the operation that only
ended yesterday and already we have to deal with a new
massacre. Difficult images, dead children, injured
children with their faces torn. It's unbelievable."

He added : "All of Beit Hanoun is busy with only one
thing: moving the dead and wounded. All this between
puddles of blood, lots of blood and body parts, next
to some of the bodies were the schoolbags and
sandwiches of children preparing to go to school."

Um Zeyad, 42, said that she lost four children in the
incident: Muhanad, Mahdi, Arafat and Saad. "I am proud
to be the mother of 'shahids' [martyrs]. It is a great
honour and we pray to Allah to compensate us," the
bereaved mother said.

She added that two days ago, "the Israeli army stole
$1800 from my sister's house. Another woman who was in
the same house tried to prevent hit from stealing the
money. He hit her with his gun on her head and she
lost consciousness. The soldier refused to allow a
woman to bring water". She added that there were "42
of us, women and children, trapped in one room."

I asked a man about what happened and he started
crying. "It was an emotional moment", another man
said. "It's normal to see a woman cry but it is very
hard to see a man cry", he added. "We lost our homes,
members of our family, loved ones and they destroyed
our agricultural fields, citrus trees and olive trees
which is our only income".

He ended by saying, "Today, Palestinians are united
against one enemy."

-------------
Yousef Alhelou, Freelance Journalist lives in Gaza
city, he can be contacted on ydamadan @ hotmail . com




Dr. Haidar Eid
Ph.D English Literature