News and Articles

The Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has put the Israeli soldiers, the militiamen and civilians from Gaza much closer to one another, what it does boast a sharp escalation of killings in the area.

The 10 members of the family of Karam Lubna, unable to sleep due to the explosions caused by aerial bombing and by fire from Israeli heavy artillery, spent the night crowded into the hallway of his home in Gaza City.


Previous attacks have destroyed the windows of his room, leaving the icy winter air through the back door inside. Karam family has no electricity for a week and has ended in their gas cylinders. The family, including three young children under the age of four, have been eating cold beans, taken directly from cans.

"It is food for war," said Karam, 28. "What else can we do?".


Karam said she has felt threatened at all times and that his family is unable to sleep. "We continue listening to the sounds of aircraft and we do not know if we can live until tomorrow," said the woman.

As the ground offensive by Israel against Hamas, civilians in Gaza are the most exposed.


Alex Fishman, a correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot said that "the guiding principle of the army is to use overwhelming force and do everything possible to protect its soldiers, even if that results in civilian casualties."

It is estimated that two dozen civilians died hours after Israel launched its invasion of Gaza on Saturday night.


Israel said that its action trying to undermine the ability of Hamas to launch rockets at their border towns. So far, they have killed over 500 Palestinians and four Israelis. United Nations officials and Palestinians said at least 100 of the dead are civilians.

"Pay the price later on internationally by the collateral damage and the anticipated civilian casualties," the journalist Fishman.


Anas Mansour, aged 21, resident of the refugee camp of Rafah on the border between Gaza and Egypt, said that he and his family try to leave the area during Sunday. Mansour said that he slept with clothes on and with their identification cards at one of the pockets, if they should flee at full speed.

Mansour said he had seen a neighbor put in a cart pulled by a mule several mattresses and blankets, about to leave the refugee camp, but he has not decided whether it will do the same. "Where can I go?" he asked. "Everything is the same."


Suffer hardship is nothing new in Gaza, but the blockade imposed by Israel on the territory has worsened the situation in the past two months and there is an acute shortage of essential supplies and gas for cooking.

To add further hardships, the Israeli bombing started last week has damaged health infrastructure and electricity. Most residents now have no electricity and drinking water. Many businesses have closed their doors.


"When we had a site, we talked about catastrophe," said Hatem Shurrab, 24, who lives in Gaza City. "But then I began aerial bombing and now we know not what word to use. There is one word in the dictionary that can describe the situation where we are."