11 Palestinians Killed, Widespread Devastation by Invading Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza Strip

After causing 11 deaths and widespread devastation, Israeli forces withdraw from the strip 

Date: 06 / 07 / 2007 Time: 10:58

Gaza – Ma'an – 

Israeli occupation military sources on Friday announced that the operation of the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip has ended. The sources claimed that the widespread incursion into the strip aimed to cease projectile launching from Gaza towards bordering Israeli towns.

The Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the northern areas after a 22-hour invasion, which left eleven Palestinians dead and more than 25 injured, in addition to vast destruction to property and infrastructure.

A citizen of northern Gaza, Ahmad Nabahin, said that his farm and parts of his home were demolished in the raid.

On Friday the citizens of Al Bureij and Al Maghazi refugee camps in the central strip participated in the funerals of the Palestinians assassinated in the offensive.

Nine members of Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, were killed and one Hamas supporter, in addition to a member of the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades.

The incursion also left 28 injured, including a woman and her son. The woman was left in a critical condition after sustaining what was described as a dangerous injury to her head.

A journalist was seriously injured and had to have both of his legs amputated after being attacked and repeatedly shot, whilst on the floor, by the Israeli forces.

The Israeli occupation soldiers shot intensively at journalists, including the team of Al Arabiya Satellite Channel, among others.

Israeli attacks in Gaza kill 11 Palestinians 

Friday July 06, 2007 10:26 by R. P. - IMEMC Editorial Group and agencies

Israeli attacks in the area of the al-Mughazi and al-Barij refugee camps in central Gaza yesterday killed 11 Palestinians and wounded more than 25.

A man tries to help an Al-Aqsa cameraman after he was shot by Israeli occupation troops

Israeli occupation troops entered the area in the early hours of Thursday morning, and withdrew later that night. The attacks occurred about a kilometre into Gaza.

The wounded included children and a cameraman for Al-Aqsa television, a Hamas-affiliated satellite channel, who was shot numerous times by Israeli troops and later had to have both of his legs amputated.

In a separate incident, Israeli occupation troops also fired on a rooftop where several journalists, including a Reuters’ camera crew, were filming. No injuries were reported.

There were reports that Israeli troops had used ambulance workers as human shields as they exited, though an Israeli military spokesman claimed not to know anything about the incident.

Deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh condemned the attacks as a "military escalation" and a "criminal massacre", asserting the right of Palestinians to an armed response.

Sources identified nine of the Palestinians killed as members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. The tenth was identified as a member of Islamic Jihad and the eleventh as a civilian. The dead include Mohammad Seyam, 35; Ahmad Al Qeyrawani, 20; Mohammad Al Ewaydat, 23; Ahmad Abu Jalad, 20; Mohammad Abu Arqood, 23; Mahmood Noor, 22; and Mostafa Manour, 22.

Widespread condemnation of Gaza attack 

Friday July 06, 2007 12:00 by John Smith - IMEMC

Palestinian factions have expressed their condemnation of the latest Israeli attack in Gaza which has, so far, left 11 Palestinians dead and many more injured.

Hazim Abu Shanab, spokesperson for Fateh in the Gaza Strip, condemned the latest Israeli attack and called on Palestinians to unite against their common enemy. “The attack and especially the shooting of the Al-Aqsa TV cameraman reminds Palestinians that their enemy is Israel and that their weapons should be aimed against this enemy," Abu Shanab stated.

In a statement received by a Palestinian news agency, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh condemned the Israeli government for pursuing a policy of escalation and aggression in the region, noting that such a strategy aims only to “impose further difficulties and sieges, in addition to the spreading of horror and fear.”

The call for unity was echoed by both the Palestinian National Initiative and Islamic Jihad, with the former requesting that Palestinians stand “united in the face of Israeli aggressions.”

Thursday attacks on the al-Mughazi and al-Barij refugee camps in central Gaza left 11 Palestinians dead and more than 25 injured. The wounded included children and a cameraman for al-Aqsa television who was shot numerous times by Israeli soldiers as he lay wounded on the ground. The cameraman later had to have both legs amputated.

IOF troops target journalists

[ 06/07/2007 - 01:43 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- 

IOF troops targeted on Thursday journalists who came to al-Breij refugee camp to cover the Israeli incursion and subsequent clashes with Palestinian resistance. One journalist was seriously wounded.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Reuters' team and the al-Arabiya team escaped certain death when invading IOF troops fired towards them while they were covering the Israeli incursion into the Makbola neighborhood south-east of the Breij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Hanan al-Masri, correspondent of al-Arabeyya satellite television said that the IOF troops "opened intensive fire at the journalists without any justification."

She added that the al-Arabeyya team and a team of three working with Reuters had to take cover inside one of the houses in the area but the IOF troops continued to fire at them causing some damage to their equipment particularly satellite dishes. Both teams escaped injury.

Emad Ghanem, however was not that lucky. He is a Palestinian cameraman working for the Aqsa satellite television was wounded while filming the incursion and fell on the ground. But the assault against him did not stop there, as Israeli troops continued to fire at the injured journalist.

 

---

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.