13 November

During a funeral, sad moments when 18 civilans were killed at once

Palestinian children, Rima Athamneh , 1, and Ala Athamneh , 1, were killed by the Israeli tank shells in gaza togather with most of their family

Palestinian woman walking by a wall riddled with bullets and tank shells in Beit Hanoun

Mosque demolished by the Israeli bullodozers

“How long will Israel be allowed to continue to kill our women, children and old men inside their houses, villages and camps? How long should we continue to be slaughtered while the world watches?” asked Ms. Al Atamneh, one of the survivors of a family recently killed by Israeli Occupation Forces. Through a veil of tears, she then showed the damage to her house caused by Israeli tank shells. “Where is the world, God? Why are we getting killed? My little nephew, Amjad, while sleeping, was killed by the Israelis right here,” she said crying and pointing to where his bed was.

“The child was simply sleeping, possibly having a nice dream. But he never woke up. Neither were ambulance workers allowed to reach him even if there was any hope of saving him. Amjad’s arm was missing. No one could find it.”

Amjad’s younger sister was murdered by Israeli soldiers using rockets as well. Unites States made and paid tank shells splattered her little body all over the house. Her brains were all over her bed. Fingers, arms, legs and pieces of human flesh were all over the place.

"No one can believe the image—I tried to help, but I was also injured in my leg, but everyone is dead by the tank shells which hit all the child and every body, even my mother who's 70 years old woman, a woman who lived peacefully and have nothing to do with the army, she got killed, she did nothing, nothing, nothing, but she got killed by the Israeli tank shell" she added.

Even the animals, cows and goats were killed by the attack when the Israeli bulldozers demolished a small animal farm of the family. The Israeli soldiers also destroyed the van of her father which cost 11 Jordanian Deinar. She said even that would be fine as long as our children and we survive.

"I can believe it, my own mother who raise me, there was a moment where I was not able to see even look at her before she got buried" the young woman said crying. She was obviously angry. " It's not only the tanks shells, but also the drone planes which hit our house from all over see here, look here and there and see our lives—see the wholes and the damaged furniture, look at the blood in the walls, see even the Palestinian flag is a witness on the crimes"

She continued talking with a tone of anger and stress. What really angered her is the fact that the Israelis knew there were children in the house. “It was one day when the soldiers were inside our home and they imposed siege on us, they didn’t let us go out and they kept telling us to shut up or they were going to shoot us. The soldiers purposely kept scaring the children by pointing their weapons at them. The children were not even allowed to go to the bathroom while the soldiers were there.” Holding a Palestinian flag in her hands she said, “This is the reason we are being killed, we are Palestinians. The soldiers are angry because we have the flag of our country.” The Israeli soldiers told her they did not want Palestinians to live. While crying, she put the bullet-ridden Palestinian flag back on the wall saying, “But Israel who kills innocents will not kill the spirit of the Palestinians who remain alive. Shame on America which provides Israel with weapons. Shame on America for remaining silent while their Israeli allies murder innocent civilians and commit crimes against humanity. She then prepared to go to another one of many funerals in occupied Palestine.

9 November

A Palestinian woman carrying the body of her child injured by the Israeli occupation forces

A targeted car by the Israeli helicopters

Blood and human flesh is everywhere, we are getting killed

Palesinian children are looking at blood pool of their friends killed by the Isareli tank shells

Palestinian workers trying to help Palestinian man

Palestinian young men gathering around a car that was bombed by Israeli helicopters

We, Palestinians, whether Christian, Moslem or otherwise, are being killed every single day in Palestine . Our houses are being demolished, our roads being destroyed, our children being slaughtered, our lives being taken away by the Israeli helicopters, bulldozers, tank shells, and airplane rockets. Our lives are violently, yet quietly being taken away by the Israeli Occupation Forces. The murder here is loud and graphically violent, yet scarcely a whisper of these atrocities is heard through the news organizations of the West.

The situation here is completely insane. Day after day, Israelis come to our homeland and kill, kill, kill as if Gaza was a shooting gallery in a carnival. All over Gaza are leftovers of the Israeli frenzy to shoot at anything that moves. Legs and arms of innocent Palestinian children laying on streets and remaining rubble from what was once someone’s house. What was once tiny soft pliable fingers from a baby can be found hardened like rocks on Palestinian soil. One can find a piece of a head with the brains oozing out like a melon.

Our children’s blood runs through the streets of Palestine and no one cares, certainly not Israeli and Jews in America or Britain . Why do these children have to die? New born babes in Beit Hanoune were welcomed into this world by Israeli artillery fire. Israeli tanks blew up their homes while they were asleep.

Where is the American and British Press? Where is the outcry from the lands of Democracy? How many Palestinian children must be murdered, yes, murdered before someone in the West says “Enough!” What level of butchery must the Israelis rise to before the world can’t stomach the carnage anymore? Let the 13 family members hear it, even if they have to hear it in hospital refrigerators.

The blood is everywhere. In few minutes more than 21 people were killed this early morning while the children were sleeping -- 60 people were injured.

The brother of two people who were injured was heard screaming in a hospital, “Why, why, Israel is killing us, why my brother?"

Sudden strange shelling, shooting, bombing.. Where from?

No one knows from where these bullets are coming from.

Yesterday at 12 p.m., most of the areas had no electricity because of shelling.. People were leaving their houses, and many groups of women were leaving their houses even forgetting their children.

A red line appears in the dark sky and explodes in a house, and ambulances begin transferring more and more children at first, then when the area was surrounded by tanks and bulldozers they were unable to get to the injured people who were shot by the apaches and the tanks..

It was not enough for the Israeli army to kill her 12 year old, now they also demolished her house.. Her name is Hanan Abu Anza, a woman with 7 children. She was leaving her home when they killed her child a few days ago, and now her house is being demolished by Israeli bulldozers..

Soldiers are just shooting and shelling children, women and old men.. demolishing a large number of houses.. it seems like these bulldozers do not have drivers. How come? When a women is weeping and waving her white sheet to the bulldozer yet the bulldozer still does not respond to her.. This is what happened to Hana Abu Anza, when she tried to get out of her home to a safe place yesterday in Block O area..

The situations wasn’t so much different in other parts of Rafah like East Rafah, where they demolished five houses two days ago, killed an old man and arrested another, in addition to demolishing a large number of houses.

click here for photos

Hay Al Salam also was attacked, and it was the worst day for the people who are living there.. Ehab Al Arjja, Kahlil Al Aker and his uncle and son Alaa were victims of the Israeli soldiers. They planted their orange and olive trees for a year, but they were unable to reap it, as their houses, trees, and properties were demolished.. Ala Al Aker’s wife and her aunt were arrested by the Israeli soldiers in that attack when they was decided not to leave their houses..

The attack is still continuing as I write. Block area refugee camp is still under curfew and attack. The soldiers are shooting at a large number of people.. Dr. Al Mussa, the Director of Abu Yousif Al Najjar hospital said: ”There is a large number of injured people right now and we are unable to get our ambulances into those areas because Israelis soldiers are targeting us with their snipers”

This is life in the Rafah Refugee Camp..The ”bullet” is the language of the Israeli soldiers..

The attack is still continuing since yesterday night, and there is a large number of injured people, demolished homes, in addition to this old man who died of a heartattack this morning upon hearing the Apaches shelling near his home..

This is the situation in the Rafah Refugee Camps, after invading Yebna Camp in Rafah and demolished all it's houses, after Hai Al Salam area that was also demolished, and after Al Brazil refugee camp had been demolished...



Yesterday they demolished 21 houses, and killed a child, Shadi Abu Anza - 14 years old. He was killed while trying to get out of his house when Israeli bulldozers attacked. Many others were injured in the same attack.

Yes, demolishing houses has become something normal for this world.. demolishing houses means killing dreams. They are demolishing 21 newly built houses right now while the driver of the bulldozer was in his bulldozer and the people were running in the streets. It was raining heavily.

I forget many things, but I can't forget yesterday's attack which still, up till this moment, I cannot erase the image of this women who was carrying her baby child and running in the street about few meters from the Israeli bulldozers. She was running in the heavy rain, and then she stopped in the middle of the street when the small blanket that covered her baby child fell. She stopped to pick her small blanket up from the ground but the bullets were shooting all around her hands.. A question came in my mind during those moments: what did she do to deserve all this torture?

It is now raining in Rafah.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and it is really hard to understand.

Yesterday this man before me was living in his house, but this morning, his life has been completely changed when I found him living in his small tent with no clothes, water, food, electricity or anything.. just the things that they have is this tent that he got from UN which wasn’t able to protect him from the rain or the cold wither..

It is time for you just to feel in the tragedy and how living in tents during winter is going to be.

This boy is Mawia Youseif, a child whose house was attacked by IDF soldiers and occupied for about 4 days. After the Israeli soldiers withdrew from his house, he found fragments of this rocket and, as you see, I took a picture of him while playing with it —



.....

When visitors of the Rafah refugee Camp saw the camp, they thought that it was struck with an earthquake.









It seems international officials hadn't heard about Rafah. They haven't heard about those children who were seeking water day and night at a time that the Israeli bulldozers and tanks had been demolishing their water stations.



When they took their tour in the area after the partial withdrawal of the IDF, which has been attacking Rafah these past three weeks, they discovered that it's the Israeli Army which has demolished houses, demolished trees, demolished agricultural houses, demolished water stations, demolished electricity stations, cut the phone lines, killed about seventeen people and injured over one hundred twenty-four, most of them were seriously.

Peter Hansen, UNRWA spokesman, was the only person who visited the area and took a tour between the rubble of the houses after the withdrawal from Yebana Refugee Camp. When he saw these crimes he described them by saying: "We have very very significant damage to the refugee camp."



Many people are still unaccounted for and it is not known whether they were demolished together with their houses or were arrested by Israeli soldiers.

Feeling the plight of the people is something easy while walking in the camps which has all turned into rubble.

I interviewed an old woman sitting in one of the tents at sunset and she had her hand on her face. Her name is Um Ali Redwan, a 65 year old woman who has 33 members to her house which had consisted of three floors.



When I asked her about what was wrong, she answered me by saying:

"Thinking! Thinking of this time when I was yesterday with my family living in our house and now I am sitting in this tent which is not protecting me from the cold weather.

This time we lost everything. Children lost their clothes, I lost all my furniture, and all things turned to rubble. In the meantime, everyone is watching us.

My sons and their children have all become homeless, and me and my old husband who is ill also."

The tears began to fall down her cheeks and she said:

"The occupation didn’t respect this white hair...Israeli bulldozer drivers did not respect my old age and my old man's age. How I will be after this?"

Um Ali Radwan, 65 years old, has become homeless.



Tent. This word has become really famous now, spoken about by all the children in Rafah Refugee Camp.

The people go to the moon nowadays while the families in Rafah are still sleeping on the ground even sometimes without beds, just under this white sheet that is called a tent.

They had been living in their homes, but now Israeli bulldozers are partially withdrawing from the area leaving a large numbers of homeless families, and many paralyzed innocent children.

World without hearts, the majority of them have lost their feelings, lost the meaning of humanity...no values nor principles.

My brother...killed in cold blood, amidst international silence.

He was in the house when the Israeli bulldozers and tanks attacked the area and invaded the houses of our neighbors. The street was completely different and the only choices were two: either to get demolished with the house and be killed under the rubble, or to get out of the house and get killed from the shelling and shooting that doesn’t differentiate between child, old women or old man.

All are targeted.



My brother Hussam, 17 years old, was a secondary school student.

He was one of those people who chose not to get killed by being demolished with his body in the rubble of the house, so he went out of the house trying to find shelter or a safe area where he could go to. He went out of the house and immediately got killed by seven evil bullets — bullets of one of those countries who support Israeli army against children.

All American bullets, as the doctors said in the hospital.

In that moment when they killed him with seven American bullets, Wedad Al Ajrami, a 33 year old women, tried to help my brother and get him to the hospital, but they killed her also.

And now both of them have fallen.

Wedad's husband tried to help her but he was injured in his neck and all his body and now he is at the hospital seriously injured. Wedad's son tried to help his mother but they shot him and he also is at the hospital right now. Also the brother of Wedad's husband tried to help but he also got injured by the bullets of the Israeli army.

Five of them fell to the ground one after the other. The ground was full of the blood of all of the five people who were bleeding. The voice of one of the injured people was crying for help but no one heard him because of the shelling from everywhere, even from F16s and Apaches.

The ambulance driver came and it was the same situation: they tried to shoot him.

After a very long time the ambulance driver was able to carry the body of the my brother and the women in addition to three injured people, two of whom were seriously injured.

The moments can't be described when my mother got the news of the murder of my brother.

They were the worst in my whole life...when I saw my brother who was speaking with me a few hours ago, and now his face cold in the refrigerator of the hospital. I tried to talk to him but he wasn’t able to answer me. When I touched his face I began to understand things that I hate very much.

Wedad — what did she do to get killed by Israeli bullets? And now she has left behind four children, one of whom who is a baby child.

My brother got killed with seven evil bullets — why? Those trees that were demolished...those houses — why?

The drivers of the bulldozers and those iron machines didn’t answer the people who were asking the driver of the bulldozer to wait until they get out of their houses. The answer was more shelling — the bulldozers' drivers were in challenges, all of them trying to demolish and kill as many as they can.

Are there any people who hear this call? Are there any people who know about this? Are there any people who care? Are there human rights in Palestine? The questions are so many but they need answers that are not found in this world. In this world, the strong eat the weak...the same as living jungles.

Fingers just writing condolences, tongues just pronouncing all the words to express about sympathy to me WHILE their hands are still supporting Israel in the latest inventions of F16s, F15s, bulldozers and tanks.

So...Is That The Justice that Peace Makers Talk About?!

It was the worst 72 hours in our lives.

They withdraw a few meters from Yebna camp, and the people went to see their homes there. The people went to their homes thinking that they still have some. Many families arrived at their homess and found rubble mixed with their damaged furniture.

The result of the attack was 150 houses were completely demolished. Another 70 homess were partially demolished.

Thousands of trees were demolished.

Eight people killed, and another ninety-six were injured.

Most of the injured people are children and eighteen are women — four of whom are pregnant.

Over 420 families can’t live in their homes because of the attack that isn't yet over, according IDF's announcements to the media.

This morning they demolished two houses in Tal Zourb area.

I met one of the homeless families and asked the woman about that. She was in tears and said:

"I've been living here for 40 years and I never came across a day like this in those forty years. They demolished our houses with our furniture. May God damage all the ones who share in demolishing houses."

Now the families are living in tents under this very changing cold weather, waiting for relief organizations to bring them food and water.

And the question is:

Who will help these damaged homeless families and bring them water, food, and clothes — especially in a time that they have lost all things in their homes?

What is the reason that the Israelis have demolished this large number of houses in 72 hours?

These are some of the questions that many journalists are asking relief organizations.

The IDF blocked the UNRWA clinic which is located in the Yebna camp. This clinic assists and serves people in these hard times.

They demolished clothes shops located near the clinic, in addition to burning a supermarket. The area is completely closed by the bulldozers and tanks.

Right now they just killed 19 year old Zaki Al Sharif. He was killed while standing near his home in Block J area west Rafah.

Four other people were injured at the same time.

The shelling has been going on and on for three days now.

Dr. Ali Mousa, the director of Abu Yousef Al Najar hospital, said:

"The IDF used massive shells and cannons to cause a large number of injuries and most of the injured people were injured in the head and in sensitive parts of their bodies.

"If that attack is going to continue in this manner, there will be a medical crisis in all the area."

A call from the families in Palestinian Rafah —

A new massacre continues!

The F16s and Apaches are shelling innocent people. Shelling from everywhere. Every place. Every area. They shoot at large numbers of people.

They exploded two houses — the first one belonged to Mohsen Shat, and the other is not known.

In addition they demolished over fifty houses.

It's A REAL call from the families!

I heard one of the women, Um Ahmed saying:

"God we need water. Water, water! My children are going to die between my hands! Water! We need water!

Where are human rights. Where is the UN? and Mr. Anan?

We are being killed using your weapons, it's your weapons — we are all being killed all the time."

Um Ahmed was one of the thousands of people who have not had a drink of water since the morning.

We don’t have food. We can't go to hospitals. We don’t have electricity. We have injured people and cannot transfer them to their homes or hospitals.

The Israeli army announced through megaphones that people must leave the area.

They demolished many thousands of trees.

This is the third day with continuouss electricity blackout which just came back on right now so I am able now to write this.

Most areas have no electricity or water.

This is a real call by the many thousands of people here!

We are all asking for water and bread.

Many journalists have arrived in the area but couldn’t take pictures because the Israelis shot at them many times.

The Journalist Association asked all journalists in all the world to get out and publish about the crimes which the Israelis are committing against civilians.

I didn't take pictures although there are many things here because my camera is still broken since that time when the soldiers surrounded me and other journalists.

3 a.m. — October 9

I am writing this in a rush because I am afraid that the electricity will be off due to the shelling.

Right now, I am looking out of my window and writing. This is a description from my window —

The sky is full of smoke and I can not see anything except a large number of tanks and bulldozers with more F16s and Apaches.. All of these weapons right now..

The sky is covered with airplanes.

Difficult to know where the shooting is coming from.. All of them from every angle they are shooting at people leaving their houses.

Ambulances just came three minutes ago.

Children and women left their homes in their nightgowns and pajamas.

The sound of the tanks and bulldozers is very loud.

Everyone is asking themselves: "what is happening?" And all answer that what is happening is shelling and bulldozers from every direction.

Large groups of families leaving — to where?!!

We will not die in our homes.

No one is asking for help, because no one is answering us. We are all by ourselves.

The shelling is going on and on right now.

It is enough to write this for now, but I will write more if they don’t shell the electricity (power station).

This is the second attack in 48 hours. During the first attack they demolished about eleven houses and killed six people, two of whom were children.

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

A new massacre against Rafah yesterday and up till these moments.

Over 70 people were injured and another seven were killed in the attack against Rafah by the latest models of F16s, Apaches, tanks and bulldozers.

Since yesterday they have demolished many people's homes. The ambulance men were trying to get out the people who have been under the rubble and other injured people from this early morning's attack.

It was difficult for families to identify their sons.

A 14 year old child had been shot in his head and a part of his head was missing. The ambulance had to transfer him without the head because the Israeli soldiers were shooting at the ambulance men.

Most of the injured were children and women as they were trying to get out of their houses searching for shelter.

Yebna camp has a curfew and if people attempt to go out of their houses, they get shot by soldiers. If they stayed at home they will be demolished with the houses.

Now, many ambulances are trying to get the victims but the soldiers are shooting at ambulances and journalists.

Rafah currently has no food, goods, and other basic needs because the IDF divided Gaza Strip into five separated areas by military checkpoints.

Now it's hard to find milk and pharmacies for babies and children.

The attack is going on and on, and the streets are empty.

Many parents have been searching for their sons and can't find them.

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

Later in the day, Israeli sources told press people that the attack on Rafah will be for weeks.

Last week, Rafah witnessed all kinds of violence when the IDF demolished fifteen houses in Rafah, Block O area, and another eleven people were injured.

Most of the people left their houses because of the shelling from the F16s, bulldozers and tanks.

Four days ago and in less than four hours, the Israeli bulldozers demolished about twenty-five houses. The houses were demolished while people where living in them.

These crimes are happening amidst international silence and ignoring of human rights in Palestine. It seems that no-one in the world is concerned.

A very large number of bulldozers and tanks divided Rafah and all Gaza Strip into five parts when they closed the main roads.

The Palestinians are now finding other sand roads that, of course, take more time and effort — but the Israeli soldiers blocked even the sand roads.

Many thousands of students were not able to come back from their schools and the Israeli soldiers shot at them with tear gas.

These crimes came one week after the IDF shot a student and his teacher while they were in the class room. The teacher, Ismail Awad Mansour (36 years old), is a teacher at Al Omaria school. The student is named Mohammed Haider Al Boji (11 years old).

In addition, another twenty-five students who were transferred to the hospital because of the tear gas. It was a game that the soldiers played...

Israeli soldiers shot a man, Saeed Abu Azoom. An Israeli bulldozer then killed him when he was returning from the European hospital to his house.

They also shot three people — one of them is a five year old child.

Due to the last policy of dividing Gaza Strip and Rafah, most of the people were not able to get to the hospital.

This morning, ambulances were waiting to cross the new checkpoints. Over five ambulances had women who were about to give birth and couldn’t reach the hospitals.

In addition there were injured people who couldn’t arrive at the hospitals for urgent operations.

The soldiers shot one of the ambulances and threw tear gas near the students and the people who spent last night at the checkpoints, awaiting the permission of Israeli soldiers to go to their houses.

The IDF broke into Rafah Camps, and especially in Yebna camp about 500 meters from the border line. It was a different night.

The soldiers seemed to forget their fingers on their triggers. Shooting continued more than two hours and a half.

More than 7 people were injured. They were among the victims who had left their homes that had been attacked as they were sleeping.

Most of them got out in their sleeping clothes because there was no time. One minute waiting meant that they would get demolished with their houses. It's the same every night like that..

In that attack, about 16 people were injured.

Mohammed Hamdan, a 13 year old, was killed. He was injured with one bullet in his leg, and when he tried to walk the soldiers shot him again.

Three hours later they found him lying dead near his house.

Monir Kasas, 14 years old, was surrounded by tanks and bulldozers as he was holding a white flag to show the soldiers that he wanted to leave the house, but they still shot him and he fell on the ground with his white flag which was mixed with his blood.

The soldiers began shooting using cannons that are normally used to damage huge buldings and houses.

They shot about 8 people who were then transferred to the European Hospital in Gaza. Most of the injured lost some limbs.

A very large number of houses have been demolished by the time the IDF tanks withdrew.

The families went to see their homes, and found most of them demolished with all their furniture and belongings. The families as usual began sleeping in tents, flats and in UNRWA schools…

This crime just came a few hours after a game that Israeli soldiers had been playing — it was an entertainment game when the soldiers began sniping the Tal Al Sultan Primary School.

They shot an 8 year old student and a teacher.

In addition, more than 25 students were transferred to the hospital because of tear gas as a result of that entertainment game.

Israeli soldiers decided to close the school and naturally it is closed now. Even if it opens again the children would prefer not to go when there is shooting directed against them.

Sorry, I have no pictures to attach to this report because my camera was broken in one of the attacks last week.

Rachel Corrie's parents came to visit the families in the area where Rachel had died. I organized to plant olives trees with Rachel's parents in Rafah.

I bought three olive trees and went to the ISM office and wrote the labels.

The Youth Parliament Children all shared in the planting of the trees because Rachel was a member of their group, and she was an eyewitness in their court case against Sharon and his crimes.

Today, from 11 o'clock until 1:30, we were planting trees.

More than 9 journalists from different agencies such as the BBC and others were making documentary films about Rachel and her parents. They took many pictures of them while planting the olives trees. The olive trees were planted in the places that witness rush hours.

• One was planted in the centre of Rafah, in Al Awda square, near Cairo Oman Bank.

• One was planted in Al Jawzat square, in the east of Rafah.

• The third was planted across from the ISM office.

People gathered to see Rachel's parents and they promised to take care of the trees for them.

Planting an Olive Tree is one of the intiatives of the Palestine Children Welfare Fund.

I broke my camera when I fell down as I was running, and am now limping.

4:20 p.m. — September 18

Now it's 4:20 in the evening, Tuesday.

Two white Israeli trucks brought new tanks and bulldozers from Khan Younis City.

The shelling just began five minutes ago. It was directed towards cars and citizens who were walking in the streets in Tal Al Sultan area in Rafah City, south of Gaza Strip.

12:00 a.m. — September 19

Sixteen tanks and 6 bulldozers just arrived right now, at 12 midnight in Block J in Rafah.

The people as usual were sleeping despite of shelling, shooting, lack of water and other environmental problems.

Now two Israeli Apaches just came into the Rafah sky with the other watching plane which can't be seen, as this one didn’t leave the Rafah sky every night for the past 3 years.

Now I see the sky full of shelling. It has become red.

People are rushing, children are crying, and women are rushing out quickly from their houses wearing their sleeping clothes.

Ambulances are coming, and I see the faces of people terrorized, yet also relieved that help is coming now.

I don’t understand why people are leaving their homes.

When I asked one of the people what was happening, he was running away quickly as he said to me one word: "Incursion." This word means that the IDF will attack the houses and demolish them.

I am trying to go to see other families.

Now, I see a child about 6 years or so, just crying and shouting saying, "Mother! Mother!"

His mother wasn’t with him, but she was running in front of him about 10 meters. She said, "Ala'a, come on! Come on! Come on! I'm here, come on!" She was running and running and leaving her child who still saying "Mother! Mother! Mother!"

The shelling began and the people were all running more and more. Even the ambulance men were leaving the area because of the shelling.

12:50 a.m.

Now it's about 12:50 a.m., and a very large explosion just occurred.

Now I can't write anything because the electricity was just cut out when they bombed the house situated about 250 meters from the border line which divides Rafah and Egypt.

I can't see anything now.

No light. Just the light of the bulldozers and the light of the bullets in the sky.

It was a very tough moment because everyone was leaving the area, including the relief agencies and the journalists.

2:20 a.m.

At 2:30 we heard shelling and shooting in another area called Hai Al Salam neighborhood, and also in Al Brazil refugee Camp. Rachel Corrie's parents are in this area visiting the families whom Rachel had visted before the Israelis killed her.

There were also another 16 tanks and 3 bulldozers in Block J area.

I can't write or describe and take pictures without electricity, so I intend to come back and see the result of the Israeli attack in Block J when the light comes back on.

Now I moved to Hai Al Salm and Al Brazil refugee camps which is also under attack.

I found a group of soldiers attacking houses and shooting furniture, in addition to searching the houses.

All the people in Rafah area are not sleeping now, because it's hard to sleep with shelling, shooting and bombing.

Now a very loud explosion occured. It was a rocket that they shot into one of the buildings in the Camp.

4:00 a.m.

The shelling and shooting are continuing till this moment which is 4:00 o'clock in the morning.

The IDF Apaches just withdrew but the watching one is still in the sky.

The shelling from the tanks are going on and on, and people who are living in other houses are just sitting in the streets because it is hard for them to sleep while Israeli bulldozers are demolishing houses.

4:40 a.m.

Now, it's 4:40 in the morning.

Israeli bulldozers and tanks are withdrawing.

.....

I intend to go and see what they did, but it's hard because I know that they put explosives after they left the area so it will kill the people who came after them and saw what they did.

I went to Block J...

Now, I'm going to Block J again. This area has no electricity, but I can interview people and take pictures from the area.



I found the Israeli bulldozers still demolishing trees and working inside the iron wall which is the border that they have been creating for the past two years.



6:20 a.m.

Now it's about 6:20.

The Israeli bulldozers and tanks just left now, and also the watching plane just left with them...but when I moved a few meters to the area where they had been, I noticed there was one tank which had no sound and no movement.

The tank noticed the families coming back to see their houses and what had happened to them. The tank shot about 4 or 5 bullets and in less than one minute all the people left again.

When I heard the sound of the tank leave, I went again and saw the people returning once more. There were about five people who were before me in the areas, two of whom were women.

I saw a woman shouting and saying "My house!" and she fell down on the ground.

I went quickly to her and found her on the ground weeping because she didn’t find her house. It was rubble.

Ambulances, journalists, photographers and everyone else just came to Block J area.

I just began to write again.

The ambulance driver found an injured man, a 24 year old taxi driver called Ramzi Al Raie. He had injuries in his head, belly, and in different parts of his body.

Another was also injured called Abu Yousif Al Najar. Doctors described his injuries as very serious.

Also there were two houses demolished in this area, and another which was a factory that made cement for buildings. The factory belonged to Al Hlkawi family from Rafah, Block J.

The houses that were demolished belonged to Majdi Shaut and Samer Abu Naja from West Rafah.

7:30 a.m. onward

Now it's 7:30 and I see an 11 year old child called Ahmed wearing a black blouse and red shorts. He wasn't wearing any shoes. He was busy trying to get something from the rubble.

When I asked him what he was doing he answered: "I want to get out my bicycle from the rubble."

I asked him if he went to school, he said: "Yes".

I said to him "Now it's 8:45 and you didn’t go to school yet, so why is that?"

He said "Because I lost my school bag and clothes in the rubble when the Israelis demolished our house."

During this time the UNRWA officers just came to record the families whose homes had been demolished in order to deliver them tents and food.

Also now I see many journalists who were reporting and interviewing people.

I'm asking the woman whose house had been demolished, why they demolished her house, and what were her feelings.

She answered me in tears saying: "We had been living in this house for more than 20 years now, and now, in a few hours we lost it all. All our dreams have gone by this bulldozer! They demolished our houses because they are building a new border here. They demolished more than 24 houses in the last four days, and two of them belonged to our relatives.

"They demolished them while we were living in them and they are saying because of tunnels, but we don’t have tunnels. We are a family who is far away from tunnels, about 250 meters from the border line and they built the border line, so why did they demolish our house? Is that because we have no human rights like other countries?

"Where are 'human rights'? You are all saying 'human rights' and journalists talking about it and repeating it every day, so is demolishing our house one of the 'human rights' that you all speaking about?"

I promised to deliver her message out of Palestine.

The children are trying to get some things from the rubble but they can't because everything has been demolished and turned to rubble.

Now there are a few members from the International Solidarity Movement. They can not do any thing to protect people because they also get targeted since the Israelis killed the American girl, Rachel Corrie, and the British man Thomas Hurndall, and the British cameraman James Miller.

Now, many hundreds of people are living in small rooms and on streets and in tents. This is because of the large number that has been increasing every day, as many hundreds of people search for flats to rent instead of their houses that had been demolished, but they couldn't find any apartments because they are all full.

Fatema Al Kahteeb School for Refugee Students for Girls: it was a very different moment in this school when the IDF bulldozers and tanks attacked Rafah Camp and demolished more than seventeen houses (three of which were partially demolished).



Eight people were injured, one of them seriously and was transferred to Al Najra hospital in Rafah.

At that time, the students were in their second class when the IDF began shooting. The children left their schools and ran back to their homes.

The same thing happened three hours later in Tal Al Sultan area, when the IDF soldiers shot teargas and the classes of the Tal Al Sultan school, where there are many students under 12 years old [primary school] and all had difficulty breathing.

Also today (Sunday), at about 4 o'clock in the morning, more than fifteen tanks and three bulldozers attacked Block J area in Rafah and demolished seven houses, and partially demolished seven others.

This crime came after less than 48 hours when they demolished another seventeen houses.



The houses that were demolished today belonged to these families: Shat, Al Najdai, Awaja, Barhoum, Abu Hasnin, Al Najar, Al Hums and Al Jazar..innocent families that lost their houses in less than two hours.

Israeli bulldozers can demolish any house they want.

In today's attack, they demolished also the walls of Raba'a Al Adawia primary school for refugees. This is an UNRWA school which has thousands of students.

They demolished the water system networks and the telephone connections in the same area.

When I asked the people about this crime, I didn’t find the usual answer.

They just said: "They demolished houses in our area for no reason while the media is focusing on other issues, because it seems that they are in denial of the Geneva Conventions that support human rights."

Also, today:

It is Sunday morning, 7 o'clock: as usual all the students are supposed to go to their schools, but they found that the schools are closed because there are several protests and demonstrations.

One of the demonstrations was against IDF crimes in Rafah, and the others were to support president Yaseer Arafat.

It is 11:20 pm. I just arrived right now to Rafah coming from Gaza.

I had found the Abu Holi checkpoint closed. Hundreds of cars were waiting and the soldiers did not allow them to enter to their cities and homes.

It is hard, really hard, to move around.

Many people were sitting in every place where there is some shade: tree, walls, and car shades.

I went to the first cars, and taxis, to see why the IDF soldiers were blocking the roads. I held my pen and began writing and describing what was happening. The following is what I wrote:

I see five Israelis jeeps full of soldiers, and two trucks (red and blue), two bulldozers and many soldiers in the land. The soldiers were working and building new checkpoints. They are creating cement blocks.

It is really very hot here and I feel the sun really burning me.

Students are carrying their books and they have them on their heads to protect themselves from the hot sunshine. Many people are sitting near me on this cement block near the bulldozers.

I am trying to find a shade so I can sit and write and describe what I see, but I can't find any because people are everywhere. Most of them are silent, just waiting to cross this checkpoint.

The soldiers are still working now. Two jeeps just came and asked the people to go away. The soldiers began shooting 4 or 5 bullets in the air, but the people are still sitting and no one moved.

The soldiers got out of their jeeps and shot a teargas. I cannot write any more. It's too bad, and I have to leave this area because it will harm my eyes.

I moved a few meters, then the soldier shot another 5 teargases. It hurt my my eyes again, and I have been unable to write or open my eyes for the past five minutes.

Now I opened my eyes and I saw people still putting their hands on their eyes and rubbing them. It is as though they were crying.

This one women made me sad. She cannot walk because she is an old women, so she fell down from the teargas.

The soldiers got back to their work with the trucks and bulldozers.

Now I looked to my right and I saw some farm land that was recently occupied. I turned to the left. There was a group of cars for settlers and Israelis, walking in a very fast way.

I was listening to the man sitting next to me asking for water. I'm very thirsty too and didn’t drink since the morning. It is now 2 o'clock. Everyone is asking for water.

Now a women with her baby child were sitting in one of the shaded areas and she is asking for water for her child who was just waking up from sleep. She is asking everyone for water but she didn’t get it.

People are trying to get water or buy it, but no one is selling their water.

I hear the old man sitting next to me saying to one of the people: "is there any other occupation in the world that deals with people this way?" The other man answered: "yes, we hear about that. It's here in Palestine, where there is an international war against Palestine." One of the other people interrupted and said: "Where are the kind people to see us here at this checkpoint that humiliates us in this manner?"

He did not complete his sentence because they began shooting other teargas, and again, all people began running.



This time the teargas broke the window of an orange Hyundai car and people ran out of it. Gas entered in another white truck and the driver ran out.

The first cars are two ambulances which have two people who need to be in the European and Nasser hospitals.

Now Branine, a journalist for Associated Press News, got many pictures of the bulldozers and tanks. The soldiers shot the teargas and he was the first one to leave the checkpoint because of the teargas.

One of the people just saw me writing and introduced himself. He was from Human Rights Center, and he interviews people. He asked one of the people about the checkpoint, and the man asked him who he was. When he told him he was from the Human Rights Center, the man asked: "are there human rights these days in Palestine?"

Now I see an 11 or 12 year old child wearing a black jeans.

The child was getting closer and closer to the checkpoint and everyone was shouting at him to come back but he didn’t answer.

The soldiers shot a bottle of teargas, and the child carried it and threw it again at the soldiers. I think it was hot in his hand.

The soldiers are hurrying and they got into their jeeps after their eyes got burnt from the teargas that the child threw at them.



A woman began shouting to the child and saying "Mustafa! Mustafa!" She is his mother. He came back to his mother.

Now, it is 8 o'clock.

I can't write and describe any more because of the dark.

I see thousands of lights where settlers and Israelis are working, while on the other side where Palestinians are sitting, we can't turn on lights because it is forbidden.

I hear people complaining to each other and trying to call their families to tell them that they will not come home tonight and that they will sleep at the checkpoint.

At 11 pm, the bulldozers just came and opened one of the cement blocks and they permitted the first cars to enter.

Some people finally passed the checkpoint, but others will spend the night here.

Over the past three days, the shelling, shooting, bombing, and killing did not stop. Neither did the demolishing of many trees in addition to blocking the roads which forced the citizens to pay a high price for taxis and transportation.

It took many hours to wait at check points. Students had to wait more than 5 hours to cross a few meters from the checkpoints which were full of guns, cannons, and many other soldiers.

Yesterday there was shelling and shooting in block J, block O, and Tal Al Sultan near Rafah beach. The IDF arrested a Palestinian from Rafah near the border line in the airport area.

Today, 1st September is the first day for schools. Children did not buy school supplies or new clothes for their new school year.

The soldiers shot towards the children while they were going to their schools. Most of the injured people in Rafah are students, injured while on their way to their schools.

Also, this morning there was shelling and shooting everywhere in all Rafah Camps.

The people who are living on the border line left their houses because of the massive shelling. There were also intermittent blackouts, lack of water supplies, and many other environmental problems.

The IDF soldiers believe that holding a camera is the same as holding weapons. They shot at every one who carried a camera. It has become very hard to take pictures.

The agricultural areas in Palestine are now dead, being attacked since the beginning of this Intifada. Many people cannot enter their fields even if they enter after risking their lives, the IDF will not allow them to get their goods and sell them, although nowadays it is the only job for the farmers after dividing Gaza Strip into three areas.

This picture is the Salah el-Dein Gate —



It was taken from one of the corners since no one has been allowed
in this area for the past three years.

An old women died at the checkpoint near the airport, as she was on her way to Egypt for an open heart surgery. After waiting more than 5 hours at the checkpoint, she died.

On Monday, the Palestinian Authority attacked more than 4 houses in Rafah.

According to what the IDF leaders told the Palestinian Authority, there were four families in Rafah who had illegal tunnel entrances concealed inside them. In response, the Palestinians Authority fought with those four families.



The Palestinian Authority found the tunnels in those four houses and arrested all of the members in addition to shutting down the tunnels. Now, the Palestine Authority shot and fought with all these families, and they demolished some parts of their houses.



Those four houses were the only houses that tried to create illegal tunnels according to the Israelis leaders.

Shelling and the shooting continues against Rafah every night.

Yesterday they shot many people, as they aimed to shell the houses of the citizens in order to force the families to leave them, then demolished their houses and then announced that they demolished them because they were empty.

In this morning, thousands of Palestinians gathered in the UNRWA office and government offices objecting to the closure of relief organizations. The demonstration was attended by disabled people, fatherless children with their mothers, poor families and others who were asking the world not to close relief organizations that aim at serving humanity..

After the IDF left Beit Hanoun, the people there face many problems, because the infrastructure and many houses are destroyed and nobody is there to help the families.

According to the Naser hospital, the IDF killed a Palestinian today in the Khan Younis camp, and Al Aksa Hospital added that the IDF killed a 47 year-old man in Rawhi Al Haour — he was injured in his belly while he was walking to his house...

A woman just returning from one of the Israeli prisons told me that 93 women are in the Israeli prisons since the beginning of this Intifada, Seven of them are girls aged less than 17 years.

Their names are: Asmaa Mahmoud (16), Fedaa Ghannam (14), Zenab Al Sholi (14), Tamara Derbas (15), Aisha Abiat (16), Sana Amer (15), and Rabaa Hamil (14).

It is estimated that about 2,000 children were arrested during the recent intifada.



A 13 year old boy, who is now in a prison near Hebron, said to the lawyer:

"They don't allow us to drink water when we need it, and every day they hit us, and do not allow us to have a shower for two months.. Sometimes they exile the one who asks for water and food in a very small room, so this prevents all of us from asking for food or water to avoid this small exile room. The soldiers force me also to sign papers that I don't understand... I want to see my father, I want to see my mother, when will I see them, and what did I do to be in this place?!"

This week, attendants of summer camps near Rafah city visited the damaged sites of Rafah, to see the damaged airport and all destroyed houses.

Last week, the Mawasi checkpoint (road from Rafah to the beach) was opened only for 1 hour, and then closed again — nobody knows the reason for this.

Also last week, the IDF demolished olives trees in various districts of Rafah, such as Tal Al Sultan, and Block J, and they also removed the rubble of the demolished houses.



Internationals still cannot enter the Gaza Strip, because they are still not allowed to cross the Erez checkpoint.

Another problem is that thousands of university graduates and workers are unable to find any jobs. Even people with very high education, graduated at international universities with outstanding results, in most cases cannot find any jobs — not even as an unskilled workers.

Poverty now is the most common problem, many families who were victims of the IDF when their houses were demolished, received three hundred dollars from the UNRWA, which is not enough to rent a house for more than three months.

Children asking to release their fathers/brothers from imprisonment —

In Rafah, more than 200 children went with peace flags to the Mawasi checkpoint which is situated on the road from Rafah to the beach.

They asked to open this checkpoint so the people from Rafah can go to the beach, but the soldiers forced them to leave the area with rude words and refused to open the checkpoint.

Still, every day people suffer from shootings and tank movements in Rafah — the sound of it makes the children afraid.

Also, some agricultural plots were demolished.

People in Rafah are still suffering from the electricity problem, as most of the times there is no electricity, and water is the worst problem also, as well as mosquitos and the non-working sewage system.

6,000 Palestinians are still arrested in Israeli prisons.

In Rafah, 45 children of Palestinian prisoners launched a hunger strike to win their parents release.



The children are aged between 10 and 15.

It is hot and dusty in Rafah, and there is a lack of water. Rafah is close to the sea, but for three years, we were not allowed to go to the beach.

Now, since the media reported that some of the checkpoints would have been opened/removed, two buses with schoolchildren tried to go to the beach, but were stopped at the checkpoints. After many hours of waiting at the checkpoint, the children had to return. All of them were very sad, tired and depressed.

The checkpoints are still there, and nothing has changed.

The IDF continues with the Iron Wall, trying to avoid the media, so they do not allow anybody to come close to these building sites.



This week, a young man was shot, and yesterday, again many hundreds of olive trees were destroyed.

Yesterday about 12 tanks and 5 bulldozers attacked Rafah, with massive interventions of helicopters. This attack was only for the entertainment of the soldiers ... they didn't demolish houses in an organized way, but randomly destroyed everything which was in their way.

The soldiers shoot everyone in the streets, it did not matter if it was a child, an old man, or woman — they shoot at everything, and demolished all the olives trees that they found in their way.



Shelling, shooting, bombing, demolishing houses, demolishing olive trees, killing children while they are going to school...and in summer blocking the clean water, demolishing the water stations, destroying power lines, and demolishing the sewage stations...

Every day, we hear about new crimes in our neighbors' cities.

In Khan Younis City, last night, many people were injured, many houses demolished and many streets were demolished.

The same things happed in Beit Hanon, the city which is under curfew for more than a month. This city suffers from lack of food, water and many things.

So where is the peace activism? Where are these people who speak all the time about peace?

Yesterday, the IDF demolished 5 more houses in Rafah. In the Tal Zoroob area, they attacked with about 20 tanks and 5 bulldozers.

The IDF damaged the electricity stations and power lines — and when the workers come to fix it, they shoot at them, every night, so electricity is a big problem, as well as water supply.

Many people were injured, many of them children.

There is no day without shooting in Block O, Block J, Hay Al Salam, Al Brasel, the airport, Tal Zoroub, and Tal Al Sultan.

Today's photos say more then my words could say....
This is our daily life in Rafah.

The killings and demolitions go on in Rafah, every day and every night. It does not stop.

Since yesterday, another 10 houses demolished and 4 people injured, while in Gaza many people were shot.

Shoe and milk bottle of a killed baby child —

The water supply is still very limited, not enough water in many parts of Rafah.

Another attack yesterday in the area of Block O, 10 houses were demolished, and many people were injured.



It was a very bad night, shelling and shooting and many crimes... as they demolished the houses IN THE NIGHT, while people were sleeping, so it was immoral, very bad. People were running out of their houses and children were crying and asking for shelter, and crying ... TANKS!!

And nobody takes care of these homeless people.

As a result of that, today thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against the IDF crimes in Rafah, and against the crimes that the IDF did in the last night against people while they were sleeping and in a time which is called the Road Map time.

This week, there were shootings in Rafah every day and every night, they shot people and many children.. many houses were demolished..

The photo shows one of the demonstrations in Rafah — a demonstration against killing internationals — and it shows a child holding a poster of the British cameraman who was killed in Rafah.



Now there are no international media people in Rafah any more, because cameras became the enemy and target of the IDF...

There were three international peace activists who used to come to Rafah during the past 2 months, but now even they are not allowed to come any more, and so there is nobody any more to face and witness the bulldozers.

A new association was founded in Rafah these days, taking care of women and children, and they called it "Rachael Cori", in honor of the American peace activist who was killed here in Rafah a short time ago...

Now there are massive shootings again, many people are injured, in the Tal Al Sulat area, Block J and and other places in Rafah...

Children from Rafah and Beit Hanoun, this week.





Many crimes were committed...

The IDF attacked Block J in Rafah and shot 5 people up until this moment.

When the children came back from school, the tanks blocked the road, and they couldn’t go to their homes.