Voices for Creative Nonviolence received the following report from
Kathy Kelly at 11:10 a.m. on January 17. She is currently in the city
of Rafah, in southern Gaza.
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Dear Friends,
Hello from Gaza. We're in Rafah, in southern Gaza, a small town which
has been fiercely assaulted by the Israeli Air Force for the past
three weeks. Last night, we stayed in a family home about 450 meters
from the border between Egypt and Gaza. We were one block away from
the area between the border and Sea Street, (Rafah's main street).
The Israeli military had dropped leaflets over the area, warning
everyone to leave because Israel planned a fierce assault. Many
residents stay with relatives overnight, but we drove through the area
after sunset and saw numerous children playing in the streets.
Beginning at 12:30 a.m., Israel F-16s and Apache helicopters bombed
the neighborhood once every eleven minutes for about the next 46
minutes. The bombing resumed at about 3:00 a.m. and again at about
5:00 a.m. By morning six family homes were destroyed.
Throughout the day, today, the bombing has continued.
One humanitarian worker told us that he has heard of many groups
speaking about agreements that might be made but he said the only
reality is that people are buried in the ground.
Today, we visited Rafah's hospital, the Abu Yusif Al Najaar hospital,
where we briefly met several people who were injured by the bombing,
including two children and a grandmother. The hospital lacks basic
common surgical tools and the area's pharmacy was destroyed during the
first days of the bombing.
We also visited with Int'l Solidarity Movement workers who told us
that ISM members in the north need more help accompanying ambulances.
At this point, we're told it would be very difficult for us to travel
north because of roadblocks.
At the World Vision office, here in Rafah, the director told us that
not one kilo of cement had come into Rafah over the last two years.
He wondered how they would rebuild after this latest "catastrophic
and unfair war."
Several families displaced by the bombing are living in a primitive
camp, with plastic for doors, and as many as 17 people crowded into
two separate makeshift shelters, - very cramped quarters.
Very best,
Kathy
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Voices for Creative Nonviolence
1249 W Argyle Street #2, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 878-3815
E-mail: info@vcnv.org
web: www.vcnv.org
1 hour ago
