The Palestinian death toll is nearing one thousand as Israel continues its attack on the Gaza Strip. As Israeli troops massed around Gaza City, heavy bombing continued overnight, destroying Gaza’s old city hall and several shops in a market. At least 971 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 4,400 injured. Tens of thousands have been displaced. Around two-thirds of Gaza’s one point five million people have no electricity, and 500,000 have no access to running water. The World Food Programme says its providing aid to eighty percent of Gaza’s residents.
UN Relief Agency Pleads for End to Attack
The UN’s top relief official in Gaza, John Ging, urged Israel to end its attack.
UNRWA Director John Ging: “Please, we have to get an end to the fighting. Nowhere in Gaza is safe. The situation here is horrific for everybody. It starts with the guns falling silent. By whatever agreement, the guns must fall silent first, and then we can start to proceed and move forward. Without it’s going to be more deaths, more injury and more destruction.”
Ging also described the extent of damage to Gaza’s infrastructure.
UNRWA Director John Ging: “The ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of finance, the president’s compound and even the presidential guest house which was the former Egyptian governor’s residence prior to 1967 are all reduced to rubble. So in addition to the death toll and the injury toll, which is now deaths, above, the ministry of health reports, above 900, they report the injury figure is above 4,000, there is this massive destruction of the infrastructure of the state, the future state we were all working to build, the future state of Palestine. This is of course that something that is going to be very expensive for everybody to restore."
Meanwhile, the head of International Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger addressed Israel’s attacks on medical workers and its restrictions on evacuating wounded civilians.
International Red Cross Director Jakob Kellenberger: “This is absolutely indispensable and it is not negotiable that a medical mission in such a conflict has to be protected. The medical mission has to be protected. And it is important, I mean wounded people they can not wait for days or even many hours to be evacuated and cared for, wounded people, it must be possible for wounded people can be collected cared for and evacuated as rapidly as possible.”
Rockets Fired From Lebanon Into Israel
Meanwhile rockets have been fired from southern Lebanon into Northern Israel for the second time since Israel attacked Gaza. There were no damages or injuries. The Israeli military says it responded with artillery fire into Lebanon.
Gaza Residents: Cemeteries Running Out of Space
As the death toll rises, Gaza residents are now reporting local cemeteries are running out of space to bury the dead. Gaza resident Mahmoud al-Zinati said his sixteen year old cousin has been buried on top of a twelve-year old cousin killed by Israel two years ago.
Mahmoud al-Zinati: “When my cousin became a martyr, we came to this graveyard and other graveyards to find a place to bury my cousin in. But found no place. But, thank God, one of our cousins became a martyr two years ago. So we said we should dig up the grave so we can bury my cousin next to him.”
Israel Could Face World Court on Gaza Attack
The United Nations is reportedly preparing to consider referring Israel’s actions in Gaza to the World Court for possible prosecution. The Guardian newspaper reports the UN General Assemby will consider asking the International Court of Justice to rule on whether Israel is violating international law. The UN’s special rapporteur to the Occupied Territories, Richard Falk, says Israel’s attack could be in violation of the UN charter, the Geneva conventions, international law and international humanitarian law.
Iran: Israel Blocks Aid Ship for Gaza
Iran is claiming the Israeli navy has intercepted an Iranian ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza. According to Iranian state radio, the ship was stopped twenty miles off Gaza’s coast after leaving Iran two weeks ago. The ship was carrying food and medicine and had planned to arrive in Gaza this past weekend. Israel has blocked several humanitarian ships trying to reach Gaza, and even rammed a boat of peace activists in international waters last month.
Journalists Decry Gaza Media Killings, Ban
The Israeli government’s treatment of journalists is under growing scrutiny. The International Federation of Journalists is calling on media workers worldwide to protest Israel’s conduct towards journalists during the Gaza attack. Israeli forces have killed at least four Palestinian media workers. At least two journalists with the network Al-Alam have been arrested, a correspondent and a producer. Israel meanwhile continues to ban foreign journalists from entering Gaza. International Federation of Journalists Secretary-General Aidan White called the media crackdown “intelorable”, saying: “The systematic manipulation and control of media trying to report on Gaza and the casualties being sustained inside the territory require a concerted response from the world’s media.” BBC Correspondent Lyse Doucet also criticized the media ban.
Lyse Doucet: “There’s a great concern, of course, for the humanitarian price. There’s also a great desire to know exactly what the military operation is all about. Aside from very limited trips by journalists, we simply haven’t been allowed to get a closer look at what is a world story. It’s absolutely crucial that we should be given access to what’s been happening on the ground.”
Admin Won’t Contradict Olmert Claim on Ceasefire
Meanwhile the Bush administration is trying to downplay controversy over Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s claim he successfully lobbied President Bush not to support a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution last week. Olmert said his phone call to Bush led to the U.S. abstention. He also claimed Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was left “shamed” because she had taken part in the ceasefire talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: “He gave an order to the Secretary of State and she did not vote in favor of it—a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organised and maneuvered for. She was left pretty shamed, abstaining from voting on the resolution.”
On Wednesday, White House spokesperson Tony Fratto rejected Olmert’s claim, but didn’t offer specifics.
White House spokesperson Tony Fratto: "I’m not going to get into discuss—I know the State Department has done that; I know Secretary Rice was asked about it last night, and I don’t really have more to add to it, but there is.”
Question: “When you say reporting on this—I mean, these are actually Olmert’s words. I mean, he actually said this, so…”
Fratto: “Yes, there are inaccuracies.”
Question: “In what Olmert said?”
Fratto: “Yes."
Palestinian Youth Killed by Israeli Settler
Meanwhile in the occupied West Bank, a fifteen-year old Palestinian has been killed by armed Jewish settlers. The victim was among a group of youths throwing stones at the settlers. The boy’s father, Abu Mustafah Odeh, described when he heard of his son’s death.
Abu Mustafah Odeh: "People came and told me that a settler shot dead someone. I went to see down there and the guys told me it was my son. God bless his soul. "
Israel Bans Arab Parties from Election
In news from inside Israel, the Israeli election commission has banned two Arab parties from next month’s parliamentary elections. Israeli election officials accuse both the United Arab List-Ta’al and Balad can’t run because they practice incitement, support terror groups and refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist. The parties have denounced the ban as an act of racism and an attack on democracy. Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi said: “It was a political trial led by a group of fascists and racists who are willing to see the [parliament] without Arabs and want to see the country without Arabs.”
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