IOTF troops shell Palestinian hospital with hundreds inside

[ 15/01/2009 - 12:18 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Israeli occupation terrorist forces (IOTF) on Thursday shelled a Palestinian Red Crescent hospital in Gaza city in which hundreds of patients and wounded were staying for treatment along with the medical staff and civilians who sought refuge in it.

PIC reporter said that the IOF soldiers bombarded the hospital along with the PRC offices as preliminary reports indicate that more than 700 Palestinian citizens were inside the hospital.

The PRC director warned of the serious conditions in the hospital, pointing out that the shelling was directly aimed at the hospital.

He said that fire started in the pharmacy and the second floor that comprises the hospital administration.

He condemned the IOF shelling describing it as "unjustified", and said that apparently the IOF shelling was targeting anything that moves even if they were medical or relief convoys.

Hospital under fire - Israeli snipers fire on fleeing Gazans

Date: 15 / 01 / 2009  Time:  17:34
Gaza – Ma’an –

Israeli terrorist snipers opened fire on families running to take shelter in a Red Crescent hospital in the Tel Al-Hawa area of Gaza on Thursday afternoon, witnesses said.

Sharon Locke, an Australian volunteer at Al-Quds Hospital said that when one family approached the hospital, Israeli snipers started firing at the family.

"They shot a young girl in the face and abdomen. She is now being operated on. The father of the family was shot in the leg and fell to the ground," Locke said.

“The mother was screaming that one of her daughters was still outside, behind a bush, too scared to move. Mohammed, a medic I have been working with, ran outside and carried her to the hospital," Locke said.

Locke later told Ma’an that some 600 Palestinians who had taken shelter in the medical facility have now been evacuated on foot to a nearby UNRWA school.

On Thursday morning parts of the hospital went up in flames when Israeli artillery shells struck the buildings. At the time of writing, the operations building of the hospital was still burning.

"The hospital suffered at least one direct hit this morning, and all the patients had to be moved in panic to the ground floor," said Bashar Morad, director of Palestine Red Crescent emergency medical services. The second floor of the building immediately caught fire. The hospital's pharmacy was also partly damaged. Fire brigade trucks, escorted by ICRC teams, rushed to the scene and managed to put out the fire.

"It is unacceptable that wounded people receiving treatment in hospitals are put at risk," said Jakob Kellenberger, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who just completed a three-day visit to the area that included a stop at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

***Updated at 19:03 Gaza Time

Gaza City: Two journalists injured as Israeli forces shell media office

Thursday January 15, 2009 10:59 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

Two Palestinian Journalists were injured midday on Thursday as Israeli tanks shelled a media office in Gaza City.  

Local sources reported that the Israeli tanks shelled a building where media agencies house their offices.  One of the offices caught fire, leading to the injury of two journalists working for Abu Dabi TV, an Arab satellite channel.  
The two injured were moved to nearby hospitals for treatment.  So far during the 20 day Israeli offensive on Gaza,  the Israeli Army has killed a total of five Palestinian Journalists.

IOTF troops shell UNRWA main headquarters in the Middle East

 [ 15/01/2009 - 12:14 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Israeli occupation terrorist forces (IOTF) on Thursday shelled the UNRWA main headquarters in the Middle East located in Gaza city starting fires inside the premises and wounding three of its staffers.

Adnan Abu Hasna, the UNRWA spokesman in Gaza, said that many IOF projectiles slammed in UNRWA's main premises starting fires and inflicting big damage.

He noted that the damage affected the agency's stores of humanitarian supplies, and warned that the fire might reach the fuel stores, which would lead to a disaster due the fire brigades' inability to reach the place amidst the heavy IOF bombardment.

Abu Hasna said that UNRWA decided to halt its operations in Gaza in view of the seriousness of the situation. He denounced the continued targeting of UNRWA offices despite being known to the IOTF.

The IOF troops have been trying since last night to advance into Tal Al-Hawa area in southern Gaza but were facing fierce resistance on the part of various Palestinian factions.

Field sources said that IOF tanks were advancing into the area amidst indiscriminate shelling at residential quarters, which led to tens of casualties and the displacement of hundreds of civilians.

IOF warplanes were also involved in the random bombing of the southern Gaza city suburbs in a failed attempt to occupy the city of 500,000 inhabitants.

Even graveyards were not spared Israeli terrorist bombing

[ 15/01/2009 - 01:09 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

An Israeli terrorist warplane Wednesday morning fired missiles at the Shaikh Radwan cemetery to the north of Gaza City causing massive destruction to Palestinian graves.

A large number of the Palestinians buried in this graveyard had been killed by Israel either during its current aggression on the Gaza Strip or during previous aggressions.

According to Palestinian eyewitnesses, remains of Palestinian bodies scattered around in the cemetery because of the severity of the bombing. 

The Israeli occupation airforce has so far targeted schools, mosques, civil defense facilities, ambulance cars and graveyards.

Israel stepped up this morning its white phosphorous attacks on the center of Gaza city which led to the suffocation of a large number of Palestinian citizens and started fire in a number of buildings and houses.

The PIC reporter said that Israeli warplanes fired the internationally banned white prosperous on the Omar Al-Mukhatar street and the Jala street in the Gaza city.

Palestinian sources reported that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed during fierce confrontations last night and Wednesday morning with the IOF troops in several areas of the Gaza Strip.

According to different communiqués, the Palestinian resistance fighters spearheaded by Al-Qassam Brigades killed many invading IOF troops and destroyed Israeli armored vehicles and tanks in the areas of Al-Shujaiyeh and Al-Tofah in Gaza city, Al-Attatra area in the north of Beit Lahia and the eastern area of Jabaliya. 

The Brigades of Abu Ali Mustafa, the armed wing of the popular front, said that its fighters fired four guided missiles for the first time at an Israeli personnel carrier in the north of Beit Lahiya and detonated a trench full of explosive devices at Israeli tanks in Jabaliya.

After a military operation that continued for several days during which more than 15 Palestinian citizens were killed and many others were wounded, the IOF troops withdrew from Al-Najjar area in the Khuza'a town leaving behind a trail of destroyed houses and infrastructure.

The Israeli terrorist army shells UN offices in Gaza City

Thursday January 15, 2009 12:25 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA reported that its offices were shelled in Gaza City by the Israeli terrorist army on Thursday midday.

According to UNRWA sources the offices located in Tal al-Hawa area in Gaza city sustained damage and caught fire, three UN employees were injured in the attack.

In response to the Israeli attack the UNRWA announced the halt of its operations in the Gaza Strip. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is providing 700, 000 Palestinians with their daily needs of food, since the Israeli attack on Gaza UNRWA schools became a shelter for those people that fled the Israeli shelling.

This is not the first time the Israeli army attack the UNRWA during the latest military offensive. On Tuesday of last week, a UN run school was attacked.

At least 43 civilians were killed and 100 others wounded, when the Israeli troops launched an attack on a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya. On Thursday of the same week the military attacked an aid convey for the UNRWA killing a driver and injuring another.

Earlier Rami Al-Meghari, IMEMC corresponded in Gaza, said that Israeli tanks have moved into the Gaza City center, near a United Nations relief compound. The tanks have been randomly shelling residential areas.

IMEMC Talked to Dr. Ass'ad Abu Khalaf, who live in Tall-al Hawa, he said that tanks, navel boats and jetfighters are shelling the residential area, he added that most of his neighbors have left, but still for those who have no where to go like him they stayed in their homes.

During the five mints interview over the phone with Dr. Ass'ad the studio staff of IMEMC was apple to listen to the sounds of the shells and airstrikes targeting Tall-al Hawa