Israel’s
Escalating Atrocities in Gaza
On January 6, the 11th day of its latest Gaza offensive (Operation Cast Lead), the Israeli air force bombed two United Nations-run schools, one in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing 42 Palestinians. After the Israeli air force dropped Arabic-language flyers in the area alerting residents there would be bombings, hundreds of unarmed civilians crowded into the two schools seeking shelter. Israel then targeted them both, claiming Hamas militants fired rockets from the school yards. Given that Israeli has barred all international reporters from the Gaza strip, it is a claim that is difficult to prove. Israeli army spokespeople, it should be noted, have a history of claiming they were responding to militant rocket fire after they deliberately bomb civilian targets.
According to media reports, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, (UNRWA), provided Israeli authorities with GPS-coordinates of all its installations in Gaza, including the two schools. UNRWA is calling for a detailed explanation.
“There’s nowhere safe in Gaza. Everyone here is terrorized and traumatized,” John Ging, the UN head in Gaza told reporters. Ging went on to blame the international community for its inaction.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, (ICRC), the situation in Gaza is a “full-blown humanitarian crisis”. The ICRC is also investigating reports that the Israeli army is targeting ICRC-affiliated medics, ambulances and stations. Four health care workers have already been killed during Operation Cast Lead, one doctor and three medics, all of whom were clearly identified as medical personnel. The ICRC is investigating reports that on January 5, an ambulance station, also in the Jabaliya camp, was attacked by the Israeli army. This follows reported attacks on January 2 on two ambulances, clearly identified as belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, by Israeli armed forces. “The missiles were clearly aimed at the ambulance,” the driver told reporters, adding it was unclear whether the Israelis were trying to hit the ambulances or just prevent them from entering a combat zone to provide assistance to the dead and wounded. Both are illegal under international law.
The latest atrocities bring the death toll in the Gaza Strip to almost 900, a number that will surely have risen by the time of publication as it is increasingly daily.
Israeli ground troops in Gaza, according to reports on Israeli TV, are seizing Palestinian men aged 18-45 and smuggling them out of Gaza for interrogation in Israel as “suspected Hamas militants”. Over 100 men have been removed from Gaza in the first four days of the Israeli ground invasion.