While the world’s attention turns toward the Obama inauguration, despite or because of severe censure at the UN Israel continues to punish collectively the hapless citizens and humanitarian workers in Gaza.
Three hospitals are bombed now – such flagrant violations of the Geneva Convention were not, as far as I know even committed by Stalin.
The medical director of al-Quds hospital has not wept since he helped evacuate several hundred people from the blazing Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) compound on Thursday night, but he says: “My heart is crying.”
He says he is standing next to the smouldering remains of a pharmacy filled with bandages, medicines and other medical supplies, describing the chaos as intensive care patients and premature babies were wheeled onto the street.
The compound was hit twice during heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Tel al-Hawa district in the west of Gaza City.
Patients were seen struggling to get out of their hospital beds
In the first incident, in the morning, the administrative building next to the hospital was hit and burst into flames. Patients were evacuated “in panic” to the ground floor, the PRC said.
At about 2200 (2000 GMT), a second building housing offices and a lecture theatre was hit. Fire spread to the roof of the hospital itself, the PRC said.
…
Staff from the hospital say they do not know exactly what hit the building, but the UN has said Israeli tank shells struck three hospitals, including al-Quds, in Thursday’s fighting.
A UN compound and a building housing journalists were also hit.
5 schools which have been acting as shelters for thousands of people have been targeted now.
John Ging, UNRWA operations chief in the Gaza Strip told a news conference held at a school his organization runs in northern Gaza Strip that the world “should consider the international law and Geneva Fourth Convention.”
The school, located in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia, was shelled by Israeli army tanks earlier on Saturday, killing two children and wounded 14 others, including a woman in critical conditions.
Israel has targeted five UNRWA schools during the military offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 60 civilians, who took refuge to 36 schools run by UNRWA allover the Gaza Strip after they fled their homes.
“Is the killing of civilians, mainly children (who took refuge) into these schools a crime of war or not?” asked Ging as he was speaking to reporters, adding “Civilians, mainly women and children who are paying the price of this war.”
He added “today two children were killed in this school, and their mother’s limps were cutoff. 14 civilians suffered from awful wounds, the world has to move and protect the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Hundreds of houses were bombarded or shelled by the Israeli army air and ground forces, where 36 thousand Palestinians became homeless after their houses were either destroyed or they fled it due to the Israeli army incursions.
“There is no safe place in Gaza, even my house. Everyone is a subject to the shelling. Those people who are sheltering into these schools are normal people who asked protection and took refuge to these schools.”
He added as he was referring to the Israeli shells “these shells are killing civilians and those who fired these shells should be taken to courts and must be sued by the law.”
Israeli hasbara in The Australian points to why these civilian facilities are targeted. Whilst confabulating phantom resistance in the civilian targets, Israel’s demented terroristic aim is revealed.
Israel was making sure the organisation understood that Hamas had been soundly defeated.
This is Stage Three of Operation Cast Lead, where the Israeli political oligarchy think that they can terrorise and crush their uppity Gazan slaves so completely they will not think of rebelling again. Thus does the fascist mindset miss the mark when assessing the reactions of its victims. Analysis of liberation and resistance movements everywhere shows us that regimes which attempt to defeat populations through terror, as the Israelis are doing by gratuitously targeting civilian infrastructure and homes will inevitably backfire and harden resistance further.
Thus are the avaricious Israeli politicians blinded by the phallic power of their military might – and their vile, inhuman tactics will rebound on them. providing yet another career opportunity to demonise whoever maybe the next leaders and population of an even more radicalised Gaza.