DIARY excerpts FROM RAFAH
Confused texts - no dates - vivid pictures

from Mohammed, Rafah.
The Israeli operation in Khan Yunis began with the missile strike. The Israelis said it targeted militants but Palestinians said a 55-year-old civilian was killed.

Shortly after midnight Israeli troops, tanks and bulldozers moved into Khan Yunis and began tearing down buildings.

The UN agency which cares for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said 60 families - around 230 people in total - had lost their houses or shelters.

One man said he ran with his children as the bulldozers closed in and gunfire sounded in the darkness.

"We were forced to leave the house under intensive shooting from the sky and from tanks," father of four Fathi Zaroub told the Associated Press.

"We took nothing from our belongings. We ran away in our pyjamas and we have no other refuge."

But the Israeli army said the UN's figures for the scale of the destruction were exaggerated and all the buildings destroyed were uninhabited structures used by Palestinian militants for shelling the settlement of Neve Dekalim.

the hunger strike is ended but here is a photo of protest:

Children protesting
in support of the prisoners in the Israeli jails

14 year old Majed Al Agha from Al Barahma district, West of Rafah
After 3 hours of bleeding in his surrounded home, he was killed and ambulances were unable to reach him. . That is killed during the first hours of the incursion that targeted civilians homes.

Khaled AL Baiom, 39, was seriously injured in his head during heavy shelling in the area.

Over 200 olives trees were demolished during an incursion that targeted what remained of the agricultural zones. Bulldozers and tanks moved from that area into Khanyounis City killing Yassir Al Najjar during heavy random shelling..

The story of the prisoners is still continuing. Tens of hunger strikers... They had heard of the death of a Palestinian woman in the West Bank as a result of the strike, but the children and their families are insisting on continuing their hunger strike untill they get their basic rights according to international law.

The number of people participating in the hunger strike is increasing day by day, and the tents which support the protest of the prisoners are still standing everywhere in Gaza Strip streets.

Palestinian families are accusing the Palestinian Authority of inaction about the prisoners hunger strike story. Rafah families expressed their worry towards what is happening for their prisoners in Israeli jails, and are appealing to all free people in the world to crack down on Israel and to force it to respect human rights and the international laws.

Destruction in Al Shua't niegbourhood after withdarwal

As usual Apache helicopters are hovering over Rafah skies and this indicates that this hovering is going to end but not without shedding blood.

This time the incursion targeted again Al Shoua't neighborhood with several tanks, bulldozers and Apache helicopters leaving 7 demolished buildings and three injured people, one of them seriously.

One hour ago, Abu Youisf Al Najjar hospital announced the death of 19 year old Hazim Abu Zohri who was injured during the incursion last night.Eyewitnesses said that Abu Zohri get wounded by Israeli snipers while helping relatives removed the remains of their house after it was demolished. Abu Zohri is a second year university student.

Last night also Israel apaches helicopter shelled one rocket at least targeting a militant leader in Islamic Jihad Mohammed Al Sheikh Khalil whose hand had already been amputated. This time he was slightly injured in his leg,
according medical sources in Rafah. The rocket had fallen in the wrong place over Al Kurd family building, leaving the breadwinner of the house 70 year old Jadou Al Kurd killed after sustaining a serious injury to his head, in addition to other children whom whose names are Palestine, Fouad and Marwan.

Israel announced the closure of the Rafah crossing point and a large number of travellers are not permitted to get into Gaza Strip. The crossing is usually very crowded at this time of year because of people returning after their summer vacations or to the students who had been studying abroad in other Arab countries..

Palestinian boy with his hands symbolically chained
takes part in a Rafah demonstrations in support of the hunger strike of the Palestinians prisoners

" I want my father, I want my father, I want my father, why doesn’t the world want to understand that?!" with these words began a 14 year old girl screaming at the cameras during a demonstration of support for her father and other inmates on hunger strike in Israeli jails.

Children of Rafah staged their hunger strike and are now refusing to eat, and live in tents specifically set up for protestors.

" I didn’t cook any food for my children, because we don’t want to eat when my husband is not eating in the Israeli jails," said one of the mothers, protesting for the 7th day in Rafah and everywhere in Gaza Strip and West Bank as well.

The Palestinian prisoners hunger strike that is escalating has so far seized hearts, thoughts and pens of authors, governments and newspapers in both inside and outside Palestine.

The prisoners are protesting in their jails to get their simple and basic rights or to die, which is also one of their aims in such hard and tough circumstances. The Prisoners want to be given visiting rights, as well as demanding an end to humiliating body searches and the removal of glass barriers in visiting rooms, and an end to punishment confining prisoner in tiny cells.

The Israeli government commented about the hunger strike by saying "The Palestinian prisoners can starve to death, as far as I know”, the Internal Security Minister Tazahi Hanegbi announced to the media.

Anxious to break the inmate's resolve as soon as possible Israeli prison officers were trying to tempt the Palestinian inmates with the aromas of barbecued meat and fresh backed bread, in addition to making the guards of the prisons eating Falafel sandwiches near the prisoners.

A Prisone released speaks out ....I wish if….

In an interview with released Palestinians prisoners from Rafah who prefers not to mention his name, as I asked about what kind of torture he faced in Israeli jails, " Ah, Ah, where do you want me to begin? but I think I still have som eeffectsoftortureinmybodywhereyoucanseewhatitmeansbeinginIsraelijailshesaid.FONTP

"They cuffed our legs and hands and made us hang in the roof of the rooms naked" he added. "It was one of my dreams to see the sun" he added. "Oh, I forget to tell you about the injection that they gave me which has an effect and I became a sterile" he added..

I wish if I was able to photograph what other prisoners faced from all kind of torture.... I wish if I have anything to photograph and show those people who are calling for democracy and human rights.

A child's message:

Tears were falling down from her eyes while she was giving a talk in the demonstration. She began talking about her father: my message to parents who kiss their children every morning: Where is my father? isn't it my right to have a father like your children?!, where is your heart? don’t you have feelings?! I need my father, I need my father to get back to our house from the Israeli jails." Amal is 15 years old, and she began talking while the whole crowd listened to her and was torn by what they were hearing. Amal is one of thousands of children waiting their fathers to get back from the Israeli jails.

In an interview with a 9 year old, he said: "I don’t want to eat anything, and I will not eat anything till I die or to see my father!"

It was 14:20 when Ahmed Al Hams, 17, challenged the bullets of the Israeli soldiers and went to help an injured child who was yelling: "Mom, Help, Help!". Al Hums was injured by a bullet in his heart when he went to rescue the life of an injured child who was bleeding in Yebna during the shelling.

A few days ago, 12 year old Saif Barhoum died due to the injuries sustained in his head when one of the Israeli snipers shot him during the last incursion in Al Shuaat area.

Al Hums's body arrived at the hospital already dead. The funeral came at the same time when there was a very large demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners.

Last Night Wedding Party!

Israeli Forces, accompanied by 12 tanks, 3 bulldozers and 2 apaches in the sky began shelling Hay Al Salam neighborhood. The band and the invitees were the first who left the wedding party when the apaches shot in a closed backyard in the area, and they left the musical instruments in the streets.

Abu Taha family wedding turned into a ghost area, as the streets became so empty when the bulldozers began demolishing the houses, trees and everything in their way..

The tanks and the bulldozers withdrew from the area, demolishing Al Kafrawi ice-cream factory, another café, and two water wells that provide the area with water, in addition to three demolished houses.

Tens of trees were destroyed also in the incursion and another two brothers were injured, as the Abu Youisf Al Najjar hospital said. The two brothers are 27 year old Mohammed Khafaja and his brother Khaled who were injured by a tank shell during the first hour of the incursion.

The middle of the night: the sky is black and a red light fell from the sky onto the ground, the black sky background ........Over 15 times these lights fell from the Israeli apaches warplanes targeting civilian homes at Al Shua'at and Block J areas in the beginning of the incursion. As a result of that,hundreds of families began escaping from their houses when the bulldozers and tanks began invading the area.FONTP

Medical sources at Abu Youisf Al Najjar said that 16 year old Ahmed Al Quiq was killed near the Sufa crossing point. Also two children arrived at the hospital after being injured by the bullets of the Israeli Army: 7 year old Ala Zanoun, injured in his right hand and leg, and Yara Al Bilbisi injured in her right shoulder.

It's the second incursion for the same area in less than four days, as the area is now completely devastated, even if still some houses are standing, that means they are standing only until the next incursion.

War crimes!

Over 20 tanks, 3 bulldozers and 2 apache planes participated in the last two incursions leaving 25 completely demolished houses, and 15 partially demolished, in addition to damaging the infrastructure, phone, electricity and water providers in the city..

Todays' incursion came only few hours after the EU considered Palestinian home demoliting a violation of International Law.

In Tal Al Sultan, Israeli apaches shelled the house of Eid Abu Ayash with one rocket in the upper part of his house. Abu Ayash is known as a judge at Gaza Strip's local courts.

The Isareli forces reopened the Rafah crossing point for a few days, then closed it again this morning.

...............................................

Apache warplanes and tanks began shelling Block "J" once again in a new incursion that targeted civilian buildings.

The Israeli operation in Khan Yunis began with the missile strike. The Israelis said it targeted militants but Palestinians said a 55-year-old civilian was killed.

Shortly after midnight Israeli troops, tanks and bulldozers moved into Khan Yunis and began tearing down buildings.

The UN agency which cares for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said 60 families - around 230 people in total - had lost their houses or shelters.

One man said he ran with his children as the bulldozers closed in and gunfire sounded in the darkness.

The Israeli Army withdrew from Yebna Camp in Rafah leaving 5 dead, 22 injured, and over 21 demolished buildings.

"I don’t know what they want exactly from us!" said Yasir Juda who was trying to get out his Mercedes taxi cab that was demolished under the rubble of his house. "If they want us to leave here, then it is no, because death is much easier than leaving our country."

Yassir is a pharmacist who had borrowed money from all his relatives to buy a cab and work. He has nothing, but he was not lucky to get a job as a pharmacy graduate in Saudi Arabia.

Seeing children searching under the rubble of their homes for whatever they can find is heartbreaking.

On the same day medical sources at Abu Youisf Al Najjar said that 12 year old Iman Barhoum had died from injuries to her head by Israeli random shelling.

The last incursion demolished all the infrastructure of Rafah, including phone lines, water supplies, electricity providers, trees and all the streets. There were some damages at Al Mustafa mosque, in addition to four retail shops that belonged to Rushdi Abu Taha, Sabri Abu Tiour, and Samir Daban.

Rafah Crossing:
Medical sources said today that Sabah Jamal, 40 years old, lost her baby due to lack of medical care at the Rafah crossing. Najah Ezzeden, 29 years old, was was the same, and so was Sabah Abdelwahab, 32.The Israli aramy denied entrance permission for the body of Yusra Abdelfatah, a 52 year old who died after waiting over 19 days on her way back from an operation in one of the hospitals in Cairo.