Six Hours In Buraij 8 killed and 45 Injured

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 05, 2003 15:38 by Fathi Tobail - International Press Center ftobail at sis dot gov dot ps Gaza, Palestine 00972-8-2838778

Prepared by International Press Center

The upcoming war on Iraq has limited the world's vision to this event, giving Ariel Sharon “God’s Gift”, to embark on a wide terror campaign against the entire Palestinian territories, the latest of these was the massive military offensive on the Middle Area of Gaza Strip, namely the refugee camp of Al Buraij,.........

Six Hours In Buraij 8 killed and 45 Injured

Prepared by International Press Center
Gaza
February 3, 2003

The upcoming war on Iraq has limited the world's vision to this event, giving Ariel Sharon “God’s Gift”, to embark on a wide terror campaign against the entire Palestinian territories, the latest of these was the massive military offensive on the Middle Area of Gaza Strip, namely the refugee camp of Al Buraij, which is home to about 32 thousand refugees. This military campaign ended with a blood bath, resulting in nine martyrs, including two children and a ninth months’ pregnant woman.

At about 00:30 local Gaza time, and according to local sources large Israeli forces supported by about 70 tanks and armored vehicles, covered from the air by Apache choppers, converged on the Middle Area of Gaza Strip, which include the major concentration of Palestinian refugees, namely the refugee camps of Al Maghazi, Al Bureij and Al Nuseirat. The Israeli forces advanced towards the refugee camps from two directions; the illegitimate Jewish settlements of "Netzarim" south of Gaza City, and "Kfar Darom", east of the of Deir El Balah town.

The forces sealed of the entire Saladin Road, which is the main transportation route through Gaza Strip, thus isolating these refugee camps from the outer world. The tanks then proceeded towards the entrances of Al Bureij and Al Nuseirat camps, where they opened a volley of gunfire and tank shells.
The ambulances were not able to get through the occupation forces' siege over the area, and many citizens bled to death inside their houses and in the alleyways and the unequipped UN mini clinics in the camp, could not cope with the situation.

The occupation forces began to tighten the siege, and the soldiers ordered the residents to leave their homes without taking any of their belongings, and then they blew up the houses using explosive charges, eyewitnesses said.

Eight civilians were killed during the six hours invasion, including two children and a pregnant lady in her ninth month, which was found under the rubble of her own home. 40 wounded citizens were rushed to the several clinics and health care centers in the area, several of which are in a very critical condition.

Following the pull out of the invading forces, large numbers of wounded began flooding the local clinics, and literally crowded the rooms and hallways. The doctors appealed to all the relevant organizations to intervene and aid them by providing the equipment necessary to help the large number of casualties. The clinics suffered shortages in beds, blood units, medicine and bandages and some of the critical cases bled to death, as nobody was able to help them, due to the tight blockade over the refugee camps.

The Israeli forces arrested Sheikh Mohammed Taha, 67, as well both his sons, Ayman, 31, and Abdul Rahman, 28. The forces then blew up Taha's houses, which resulted in gross damages to the neighboring houses, including the house of Shukri Al Maqadma, husband of the martyr Nuha Sweidan, 35. Their home crumbled Nuha’s house, burying her under the rubble. Her children were also dug up from underneath the house, and were only moderately wounded, as their mother protected them with her own body.

In addition to Sheikh Taha’s home, the Israeli forces blew up the houses of martyrs Mohammed Nemer, Osama Abdel Salam and Mahmoud Abu Hasanein, who were killed during attacks on Israeli military outposts. A metal workshop was also demolished, in addition to the wide destruction of the camp’s infrastructures and electricity network, which left it in total darkness for several hours.

People took to the streets trying to rescue and evacuate the wounded, as small local resistance men tried to defend the camp with what light weapons and hand-made mines.

The death toll of this massacre reached eight martyrs, including two children. The martyrs names: Tareq Mohammed Aqel, 13, Mohammed Ali Al Babli, 22, Nuha Sabri Sweidan, 35 and the fetus she was carrying, Maher Eisa Al Refa’ai, 23, Walid Al Abed Al Khatib, 24, Fadi Al Hawajri, 16, Motasem Al Khalili Aqel, 27 and an unidentified martyr.

The latest Israeli offensive on Al Buraij camp was proceeded by another one on the city of Khan Younis yesterday, in which three citizens were killed and six houses demolished, including an eight-floor building used for stacking food supplies.

These offensives against the unarmed Palestinian people wouldn’t be the last, and as long as Sharon and his rightist extremist coalition government remain the ruling power in Israel, the slaughtering of Palestinians and the eradication of their life aspects will never cease.