KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- A Palestinian
woman was hit with a bullet in her head on Wednesday when Israeli
occupation forces (IOF) fired at farmers while working in Khuza’a to the
east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip. Local sources told the PIC reporter that
33-year-old Renad Qudaih was hit while working at her field, which is
one kilometer away from the border fence east of Khuza’a.
Woman 'shot by Israeli fire' near Khan Younis
Published yesterday (updated) 18/04/2012 21:17
GAZA CITY
(Ma’an) – A Palestinian woman was shot and injured by Israeli fire in
the southern Gaza Strip Wednesday morning, medical officials said.
The
27-year-old Rinad Qudeih was hit by a gunshot to the head when Israeli
soldiers stationed in military towers opened fire near the southern
Gaza Strip.
Qudeih was working in her family’s field when she
sustained a superficial wound in the head, witnesses said. She was
evacuated to the military hospital in Abasan village east of Khan
Younis.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers "acted to
distance" a number of suspects who approached the southern Gaza Strip's
border with Israel. She did not elaborate.
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) --
Israeli soldiers shot and injured a Palestinian farmer on Tuesday in the
southern Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
Forces opened fire from an
army watchtower toward fields in Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis, hitting
Hasan Shenyo in the leg as he worked on his land, witnesses told Ma'an.
Shenyo was taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis with moderate injuries.
An
Israeli military spokeswoman said forces identified "a number of
suspects approaching the fence" between southern Gaza and Israel.
"Soldiers acted in order to distance the suspects from the fence," she said, declining to elaborate.
The area is "frequently used by terror organizations to plant explosive devices and carry out terror attacks," she added.
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17/04/2012 - 08:10 AM ]
KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- A Palestinian man
was wounded on Tuesday morning when Israeli occupation forces (IOF)
opened fire at Khuza’a area to the east of Khan Younis, south of the
Gaza Strip. The PIC reporter said that Walid Eshneno,
27, was walking near the Khuza’a dispensary when the IOF opened fire and
injured him in his right thigh.
One year ago Vittorio Arrigoni was
murdered. Since coming to Gaza, Vik, as everyone knew him, had been a
regular at Beit Hanoun’s weekly demonstrations against the no go zone
and the occupation. Vik had devoted his life to ending the occupation.
Sadly, he did not live to see his goal accomplished. The people of
Beit Hanoun have not given up though, they continue to demonstrate, they
continue to risk their lives every Tuesday in demonstrations against
the occupation. This week, the demonstration was in memory of Vik.
We gathered at the same place we have
gathered for the last three years, on the road outside the half
destroyed Beit Hanoun Agricultural College. The early arrivals seated
on a low stone bench beside a wall on the east side of the road.
Finally, the t shirts arrived, in memory of Vik we had prepared t shirts
with his photo for everyone to wear. People quickly pulled the shirts
over their own and we gathered in the road. Bella Ciao started to play
over the megaphone. Young men with flags and a large photo of Vik led
the procession toward the no go zone. How many times had Vik taken this
walk with these people? We marched into the no go zone, we made our
way down the paths that our previous demonstrations had worn through
shoulder high thistles. No one is allowed in the no go zone on pain of
death, people are shot for even being close to the no go zone. Want was
once some of the most productive farmland in Gaza, home to large
orchards, has been reduced to a giant field of thistles. The houses
that used to do the no go zone have all been ground to dust under the
treads of bulldozers. The ethnic cleansing that gained steam after the
massacre of Deir Yassin on April 9, 1948 has never stopped in Palestine;
the land we walked on was a land that had been ethnically cleansed.
We stopped at the ditch that bisects the
no zone. The flags that we had left on previous demonstrations almost
hidden by thistles, the photos Rachel Corrie and Hana Shalabi were
gone. Sabur Zaaneen from the Local Initiative of Beit Hanoun spoke,
“From Rome, to Chicago, to Ireland, people remember Vittorio, he is not
forgotten and the struggle to which he devoted his life will continue
until the occupation disappears.” When he finished the crowd broke out
in chanting, “Vittorio is not dead,” “Vittorio is with the fisherman,
Vittorio is with the farmers.” Rosa, an Italian activist spoke,
“Vittorio is still with us, I know this, I feel it even more strongly
today, I feel it every time I go out with the fisherman.” Derrick, an
Irish activist spoke, “Vittorio was a giant, and not just in size, when
he spoke you had to listen.” I pray that the world listens, for what
Vittorio said again and again is a vital message, the occupation must
end, we must have justice, Israeli crimes must not be allowed to
continue. There really isn’t much more to say, every week we gather for
this protest, and everything that we say is basically a repeat of that,
the occupation must end, we must have justice. This we say, only this.
Nathan Stuckey is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement.
At approximately 9:30 am on Tuesday 10 April 2012, Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) opened fire at agricultural lands and residential
neighborhoods in eastern Khuza’a village, east of Khan Younis. The
firing lasted for several minutes. Two houses sustained light damages.
No casualties or injuries were reported.
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli soldiers on Monday shot and injured a
Palestinian construction worker in eastern Gaza, medics said.
The 23-year-old man was taken to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, medical officials told Ma'an.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Also
Monday, witnesses said that dozens of military vehicles, including
bulldozers, ventured 250 meters into the southern Gaza Strip east of
Khan Younis and began digging up agricultural land.
Army vehicles were also seen entering the Nahda neighborhood of Rafah in southern Gaza and patrolling the area.
At
approximately 2:30 pm on Monday 9 April 2012, Israeli Occupation Forces
(IOF) opened fire at Ahmed Hussein Hasannein, 23, as he was collecting
scrap near Malaka square east of Gaza City’s Az-Zaitoun neighborhood.
As a result, Hasannein sustained shrapnel wounds in the right hand and
foot.
At
approximately 12:05 pm on Thursday 5 April 2012, five Israeli tanks
accompanied by two armored bulldozers moved under heavy covering fire
into agricultural areas east of Jabaliya (around the Islamic Martyrs
Cemetry and the Talet Sa’ada and Abu Safiya land plots). The Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) fired several artillery shells while operating
in the agricultural areas. The firing frightened workers at the sewage
treatment pools under construction east of Jabaliya as well as farmers
tending their lands, and forced them to leave the area. Bulldozers
leveled areas that have been frequently razed before. At approximately
7:30 pm on the same day, the IOF withdrew from the area. No casualties
or injuries were reported.
At approximately 00:15 am on Thursday 5 April 2012, Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) opened fire at agricultural areas northwest of Beit Hanoun
and northeast of Beit Lahiya in North Gaza district. No casualties or
injuries were reported, but residents of the area were terrified,
particularly women and children.
At approximately 6:00 am on Monday 2 April 2012, Israeli jets dropped warning leaflets over areas near the border north of Beit Lahiya in North Gaza district. One leaflet includes a map of North Gaza, Gaza City, and Deir Al Balah districts. The leaflet also includes statements about launching of rockets against Israel and assisting the Palestinian factions. It threatens that Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) will respond with force to anyone who approaches the separation fence between Gaza and Israel. The second leaflet threatens that the IOF will open fire on anyone who approaches to within a distance of 300 meters from the border fence. The leaflet states that “anyone who approaches the fence will be forced back by all means, including opening fire… He who warns is excused.”
Celebrating the land and life in Beit Hanoun - Click here for more photos
Today, Beit Hanoun celebrated Land Day.
It is true that Land Day isn’t really until tomorrow, but tomorrow is
the Global March to Jerusalem, tomorrow, God willing, Land Day can be
celebrated on the land from which the refugees were expelled 64 years
ago. Today, Land Day was celebrated on the land that Palestinians have
managed to hold onto in Palestine. Land Day commemorates the protests
against the expropriation of Palestinian land which rocked Palestine in
1976. Six people were killed, over a hundred injured and hundreds more
arrested. In Beit Hanoun we marched under the slogan, “A united land
and a united people.”
About 50 people gathered in Beit Hanoun
to commemorate Land Day with us. People from the Beit Hanoun Local
Initiative, the International Solidarity Movement, other foreign
activists and people from all over Gaza marched with us. We marched
north out of Beit Hanoun toward the no go zone. We were going to plant
olive trees, bake bread, and dance debka. The women wore traditional
Palestinian dresses; some of the men wore traditional clothing as well.
We carried flags, posters, hoes, water and olive trees, these were our
weapons today. We didn’t actually enter the no go zone, we were working
on land near the Palestinian police post near Erez crossing. When we
arrived people immediately set to work, planting olive trees, setting up
a tent, preparing ovens to bake bread on. The mood was festive, people
sang in circles, children threw rocks into the water of a nearby ditch;
bread was eaten the moment it was taken off of the oven. While all of
this was going on others worked the land, they planted olive trees and
cleared weeds away from olive trees already growing on the land. When
we finished planting the trees young men gathered to dance debka and
sing.
One of the organizers received a phone
call. Apparently the Israeli’s had called the Palestinian police in the
nearby police station, they were threatening to shoot us if we did not
leave the land. They didn’t claim that we were in the no go zone, such a
claim isn’t necessary in the eyes of Israel, shooting Palestinians
doesn’t really need an excuse. We had no weapons, there were women and
children with us, yet soldiers 500 meters away in concrete towers
embedded in a giant concrete wall were threatening to shoot us. It
wouldn’t be either the first time the Israeli’s have shot at us, nor the
first time they Palestinians simply for being in the range of their
guns. Many people have been shot on their land in the north of Beit
Hanoun. Israeli threats did not force us to leave the area, as one of
the young men said, “This is our land, let them shoot if they want to,
this is our land and it is our right to be here.” We left when we were
finished singing and dancing. On the way back to Beit Hanoun we shared
juice and cookies, the rewards of a day of being on the land.
Nathan Stuckey is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement.
Rachel Corrie was murdered nine years ago
by an Israeli bulldozer. Hana Shalabi has spent the last 34 days on
hunger strike an Israeli prison, yet she is accused of no crime. This
was not the first time Hana has been held in Israeli prisons while being
accused of no crime. She was only recently released as part of a
prisoner exchange after being held without charges for 25 months. Hana
has said that “freedom is more important than life,” and she knows of
what she speaks.
The protesters who turn out every week for the demonstration against the occupation and the no go zone agree.
An Israeli bulldozer did not stop the
message of Rachel, Israeli prisons have not silenced Hana, and Israeli
bullets will not stop our protests. Rachel Corrie was only 23 years old
when she was killed; Hana Shalabi is 29 years old. Our protest this
week was in honor of these women and all of the strong women of
Palestine.
At
a little after eleven in the morning we set off down the road north
from Beit Hanoun and towards the no go zone. There were about 25
activists from the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative, the International
Solidarity Movement, and other international activists.
As we walked music played over the
megaphone. Flowers were in bloom everywhere, it is springtime in Gaza.
I was so enthralled by the flowers that I didn’t even think to look up
and see if the giant balloon that always floats over Gaza observing our
move was there. We walked past blooming flowers, green fields of wheat,
a few olive trees that the Israeli’s haven’t managed to destroy yet
into the no go zone.
The change was dramatic. Gaza is one of
the most densely populated places on earth, it is also very poor, any
land that can be cultivated is cultivated. The no go zone is not
cultivated; it is overgrown with thistles and weeds. It used to be one
of Gaza’s most fertile areas, full of orchards and crops. Israel
destroyed all of this, the trees were cut down, any houses in the no go
zone were bulldozed, all wells were destroyed.
We
made our way up a small path that we have cut through the thistles on
previous demonstrations to the trench which Israel has cut across the no
go zone. The trench is lined with flags from one of our previous
demonstrations, Palestinian flags and flags from many of the factions in
Palestine. We were carrying pictures of Hana and Rachel, some of us
carried posters of Rachel decorated by the kids of the Rachel Corrie
Youth Center in Rafah for the anniversary of her murder.
Sabur Zaaneen from the Beit Hanoun Local
Initiative spoke about the importance of continuing the popular
resistance and the inspiration that we all take from Hana and Rachel.
We left pictures of Hana and Rachel in the thistles as we left, perhaps
the Israeli soldiers can look out from their concrete towers on the
faces of their victims.
Nathan Stuckey is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement.
This is a blog about Gaza farmers, workers and all the civilian population living in Gaza Strip rural communities along the Green Line, suffering from daily Israeli attacks and resisting the implementation of a so called "buffer zone" by the Israeli Occupation Forces.
Note: this blog is focusing on Israeli attacks on civilians inside or around the so called "buffer zone". Attacks on resistance fighters, or attacks, usually airstrikes on civilians further inside the Gaza Strip, or along the Egypt border (apart from the eastern areas such as Al Shoka or the airport area) are usually not mentioned. For the attacks of the Israeli Navy see http://fishingunderfire.blogspot.com/
Cases of children shot whilst collecting building material or working near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel
OCHA: BETWEEN THE FENCE AND A HARD PLACE - SPECIAL FOCUS, August 2010
THE HUMANITARIAN IMPACT OF ISRAELI-IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS TO LAND AND SEA IN THE GAZA STRIP (click on image for the full report in PFD)
Al Haq: Shifting Paradigms - Israel’s Enforcement of the Buffer Zone in the Gaza Strip
List of Palestinian farmers & other civilians shot in Gaza Strip’s rural communities
List of Palestinian farmers & other civilians shot in Gaza Strip’s rural communities since the declaration of the ceasefire on the 18th of January 2009 - till September 2009 (click the image)
