september 2004

Four Palestinians, Including a Child, Killed by Israeli Occupation Soldiers (IPC, 8/7/04).
JABALIA...BEAUTY AND HORROR IN THE SKY.

By: Sami Abu Salem
JABALIA, July 31, 2004, (WAFA)- "Uncle Sami, please go downstairs, the helicopters may kill you, now they will fire rockets," said my 10-year-old niece Tasneem while looking at the sky.
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The full moon was shedding its quiet light on the crowded houses in Jabalia Refugee Camp, north of Gaza. Pigeons cooing on the roofs of the neighbours was the only sound you can hear. A lot of families spend their nights on the roofs, escaping from the humid and hot weather.
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Last night (Friday), my two nieces, Tasneem, and Iman 8, pleaded to me to leave the roof and tosleep down stairs when the roar of helicopters shocked the silence of the calm night.
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The two sweet girls were staring into the sky trying to make sure whether helicopters would shoot missiles or not. The light of the moon revealed tens of citizens standing on the roofs, carrying small radios, questioning who would be slaughtered at the moment, or which houses will be flattened to the ground.
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Our conversation about the moon, and its dark shapes in its centre, was disrupted as well as I stopped taking pictures of the moon amid clouds.
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Tasneem and Iman held me strongly as they were terrified by the flapping of the pigeons'' wings interrupting the continued roaring of helicopters.
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"Oh my God, I thought it is a gunshot,… why pigeons are staying up late till now?" said Iman in anger.
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I calmed the two girls down and smiled, encouraging them not to be afraid of passing copters.
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"Uncle, I am not afraid of copters, I do fear missiles," said Iman in hoarse voice, "the missiles kill people and destroy houses".
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Iman, who went through downhearted moments, remembered the pictures of the victims and the destroyed houses on TV. She imagined the picture to become a fact right now on the roof.
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"Uncle, they may hit us with a missile, they kill men and children, now the missile will hit your abdomen and you will die," Iman said.
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Tasneem and Iman, who like photographing, did not pay any attention to my camera when I shot them.

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"I hate helicopters," a fact repeated several times by Tasneem during her recalling of several raids on al-Bureij Refugee Camp, south of Gaza City, where she lives.
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"Last month, the helicopters were hovering over al-Bureij, they positioned exactly over our house and began firing missiles," she said, "huge explosions and barking of stray dogs filled the camp, it is unforgettable night," Tasneem said while staring into the sky.
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Minutes after, the unseen helicopters fired two missiles towards Gaza, and opened heavy fire at houses on the edge of the Jabalia camp. The echo of the gunshots turned the area into a battle field, the two sweet girls strongly hugged me and began screaming loudly.
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I surrounded the girls with my arms and took them downstairs. Iman''s father (my brother) Ahmed 32, and his wife met us on the stairs.
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Ahmed cuddled Iman and his wife, Raeda, hugged Tasneem. I left them, got back to the roof and followed up the bombardment.
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The helicopters destroyed a batteries factory owned by al-Riashi family in Gaza City. A wedding for the family has been stopped soon after hearing bombardment.
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In addition, the bulldozers razed vast areas of agricultural lands, close to Jabalia camp, and destroyed 200 beehives.

THE WATER TANK IS ON THE ROOF.
The Israeli army shot Abedalfatha Oraby Mansoor, 35 years old and a family father, while he tried to repair the water tank on the roof of his house, which was damaged by the IDF. His wife and 7 children are in total despair.

The IDF now also destroyed the house of this family. The widow and children are homeless.

. A LETTER FROM JERUSALEM

As for me, I don't think I'm going to last till Christmas. It's getting hard on my nerves and my physical condition. Having to go through checkpoints almost daily, having to see the suffering of the people and not being able to do something is hard for me to stand.You can imagine how hard it is for the Palestinian population. The population is virtually in a prison. They can't leave their cities or visit their parents and relatives, let alone go to work. Many go through the mountains and hills seeking jobs to feed their families and continue to exist, the occupation army is always chasing them
and when caught, they are beaten, jailed and in the best cases they are sent back. My nephew broke his leg the other day while jumping over a wall running away from the soldiers. He is now in bed for the next 6 months. I don't have the money to help him or his family, which make it even harder for me to sit there without being able to do anything even to help close relatives. The restriction of movement is the worst thing imaginable and worst than a cell. People in Bethlehem for example can't go to the neighboring village or city. People run around in the city like nuts, stressed to maximum, can't find a job. The strange thing is that they are always in a hurry to go somewhere which is nowhere. They are most of the time waiting for Godot, who never comes. How absurd this existence can be. The only thing left for them is to wait and hope before they starve to death. Death to many is better than living. Those who continue to exist, they don't live. They are like ghosts lost in the torment of life without direction and help. I'm sorry to express my frustration upon you. I don't seem to have anything positive to say. These conditions imposed upon  the people make sorrow. Even under such harsh conditions people still get married and have children, celebration of life, smiling wrinkled faces,dancing like crazy and at the end of the day sleep , very late and wake up to the same ritual.

The photographs of the anonymous young man and these women above are repeated many times throughout this edition. People who have just witnessed the death of beloved relatives and friends.Photos from Aljazeerah.