PHA-Exch> Gaza 2

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: "jihad mashal" jihad at pmrs.ps

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*Palestinian Medical Relief Society***

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*Urgent action is needed now!***

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*Will the world stand by again and watch as large scale killings evolve in
front of their eyes in Gaza following Israeli air strikes?***

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*Ramallah, 27/12/08.*  This morning, Israel started a massive offensive in
the Gaza Strip, leaving behind death, destruction and intense suffering.
Medical teams, fire fighters and civilians have been working all day to safe
those buried under the rubble of destroyed houses, to transport the injured
and death to the hospitals, to extinguish the fires, to protect the
children, whilst fearing for the lives of their loved ones in the face of
renewed attacks.



At 11.30pm, Israeli military planes reached the Gaza Strip, where they
carried out heavy air strikes against the most densely populated area on the
planet, already suffering from siege for more than a year and a half.



Israeli planes slammed missiles into over thirty targets in the 360 sq km
Strip holding over 1.5 million people.



*At least 200 have been reportedly killed and 400 wounded, most of them
civilians- including women and children.* This number is expected to
continue to rise throughout the day as more bodies are uncovered from the
rubble – and more casualties succumb to their wounds. We fear this attack is
only the first of a bloody series that will aim to destroy the Gaza Strip
and its population.



When the ceasefire came to an end last week, indicators for a huge
humanitarian disaster and the outbreak of intense violence were evident.



However, the International Community failed to listen to those voices that
attempted to warn the world for an eminent crisis and equally failed to
listen to those who advocated for preventive measures to be taken to protect
the lives of over a million innocent human beings.



In the past, Israel has staged incursions into the Occupied Territories when
the attention of the world was elsewhere, thereby avoiding widespread
condemnation. And again, at a time when people celebrated their Christmas
holidays globally, Israel again used the opportunity to plan and execute an
attack when the world's attention was diverted.



If the International Community is truly committed to its International Law
and Human Rights Conventions, it has to wake up *now*, it must gather forces
*now, *and it must take its responsibility to act* *to protect innocent
people facing the imminent threat of death. Although no serious action was
taken to prevent the bloodbath, action can be taken to stop the criminal
attacks, to provide help to those who suffer, to those who lost their
families, and to those who have no sufficient medicines to cure their
injured, nor food to give to their children.



Let's remember the promise of *never again *following the genocide in
Rwanda, let's not again stand by and watch as people are slaughtered in
front of our eyes.
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