Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

985 Palestinians Killed, More than 6,000 Injured, Mostly Children, Women, Elderly of Whole Families, by Air-Land Israeli Attacks on Gaza Strip, as of July 26, 2014


Editor's Note:

Arabic TV stations, as well as Maan news agency, reported that bodies of about 85 Palestinians were recovered today from the rubble of buildings in Gaza Strip today.

The death toll since the beginning of the current Israeli war of aggression on Gaza Strip has reached 985 Palestinians, and more than 6,000, who were injured by Israeli terrorist air-land attacks on Gaza, as of July 26, 2014, 8:00 am ET.

The invading Israeli occupation forces have been targeting the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza City and other parts of Gaza Strip, in an attempt to force Palestinian resistance fighters to stop fighting and accept Israeli conditions.

This round of Israeli war crimes, massacres, and atrocities in Gaza started as a cover up and distraction from the failure of peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

This has been a very well-known Israeli tactic since 1948. In order to make people of the world forget their horrendous previous atrocities, they commit new ones, and so on.

Publishing these Israeli atrocities and war crimes serve several functions.

First, it's education for readers in countries were the media is owned or controlled by pro-Israel Zionists who do not publish them. So, making this basic information available is a service to readers, researchers, and journalists.

Second, it serves as evidence for the future trials of Israeli war criminals, in the International Criminal Court.

Third, it helps establish a record about the Zionist savagery, not only for the collective memory of the Palestinian people but for humanity as a whole, which needs to put an end to this destructive ideology, as was the case with fascism and Nazism.

 

 

Remains of 85 Palestinians Located Under Rubble of Bombarded Homes

Saturday July 26, 2014 14:37 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Despite being attacked by Israeli occupation forces, medics and rescue teams managed to locate the remains of 85 Palestinians, mainly women and children, buried under rubble of homes and buildings previously bombarded and leveled to the ground by Israeli missiles and shells, in different parts of the Gaza Strip.

Medical sources said most of the located remains were found in Al-Shuja’iya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, and Zaytoon nearby neighborhood, in addition to Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, Rafah and in Khan Younis, in the southern part. The remains are yet to be identified.

The Ministry of Health said Israel tanks and military vehicles, stationed near al-Mentar, in Gaza City, Shuja’iya, Khuza’a in Khan Younis and many other areas, are obstructing the search and rescue operations, and are preventing the families from inspecting their homes or what is left of them.

The Ministry of Health confirmed remains of 85 Palestinians have been found, and a further search could likely lead to the discovery of more civilian casualties, including children, women and elderly.

Although the temporary 12-hours “humanitarian ceasefire” started on Saturday at seven in the morning, the invading Israeli occupation army continued to operate on a different level, digging tunnels, erecting sand hills, and installing barricades, apparently preparing for a new, and possibly, a more violent round of escalation against the Palestinians.

The invading Israeli occupation army is only allowing the Red Cross, Medics and Civil Defense teams, to move around in Gaza to perform the search and rescue operations.

“The situation is horrific, destruction everywhere, dozens of bodies lying on the ground, and under rubble, especially in Shuja’iya and Zaytoon”, eyewitnesses said.

Shell-shocked residents return to find Shujai'ya in rubble

 26/07/2014, 15:45

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) --

As if struck by an earthquake, vast swathes of the eastern Gaza City neighborhood of Al-Shuja'iya have been reduced to rubble by the Israeli air-land attacks, with unknown numbers of burnt and decaying bodies buried below.

As a 12-hour ceasefire took effect Saturday, survivors began to venture out of their homes to survey what was left, while those who had fled cautiously returned to see what had become of the only homes they had ever known.

As of 2 p.m., medical teams had already recovered 85 bodies from the rubble.

Shell-shocked residents, meanwhile, wandered through the neighborhood, with one local telling Ma'an that returnees "could not even find the location of their houses."

Yasser Hamdiya, who lost four members of his family in the assault so far, came to check on his four-story building in Al-Shuja'iya.

He told Ma'an that the building used to house 22 people, but upon his return he found only a pile of stones. At least 20 neighboring buildings had been leveled as well, he said.

Others were unable to access their buildings because invading Israeli occupation army tanks were still stationed throughout the neighborhood, blocking major gates as they prepared to return to fighting when the ceasefire ended at 8 p.m.

"It seems that a tsunami has changed the geography of Al-Shujai'ya," Salim Abu Omar told Ma'an while standing in front of the rubble of the Hamdiya family home.

"There used to be streets and residential blocks in this area, but they have become a pile of rocks."

When Ma'an spoke to him, Abu Omar was waiting with the hope that he could soon visit the rubble of his own house, which he had fled from four days ago.

Located at the eastern edge of Al-Mansoura, he was afraid to return yet because Israeli military tanks were stationed in front of the rubble of his home.

Many drew comparisons between the ongoing assault on Gaza and the Nakba of 1948, when 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes in what became Israel. More than half of Gaza's people are Nakba refugees, descendants of those who were dispossessed by Israelis.

At least 120,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the current attack. Because all borders are closed, however, the vast majority have sought refuge in UN-designated shelters in zones further from the epicenter of fighting.

These refuges, however, are not necessarily safer -- an Israeli shell hit a Beit Hanoun shelter on Wednesday, killing at least 17.

Perhaps cognizant of the memories of the Nakba and Israel's denial of the right of the refugees to return to their homes, locals told Ma'an that they were afraid of Israeli intentions and were taking as many blankets with them as possible as they fled.

Meanwhile, rescue teams and paramedics continued to recover dead bodies from the debris, after they were denied access to the injured by the invading Israeli occupation forces in the days before.

At least 85 bodies have been recovered by medical authorities so far, as they rush to collect as many as possible as the 12-hour window of calm quickly approaches an end.

Al-Shuja'iya gained international attention earlier in the week, when an Israeli offensive in the area on Sunday killed more than 70 people, the vast majority civilians, in what medical officials called a "massacre."

Just Before 12-hour ‘Temporary Ceasefire’ Begins, 19 from Al-Najjar Family Killed in Israeli Airstrike

Saturday July 26, 2014 08:10 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

As in the two previous ‘temporary truces’ since the Israeli assault on Gaza began July 8th, Israeli forces stepped up their attacks on Palestinian civilians in the hours leading up to the time of the scheduled ceasefire. On Saturday morning, as the 7 am ‘temporary ceasefire’ start time was approaching, an Israeli airstrike hit a three-story home housing a number of families who had fled from their homes destroyed in Khuza’a, on Thursday.

Those killed include 16 members of the Al-Najjar family, according to the Ministry of Health.

Previously, the IMEMC had reported the deaths of six family members (see below), but as medics continue to pull bodies from the rubble, the death toll in the airstrike has increased to 19, mainy from the Al-Najjar family.

If verified, this would made the Al-Najjar family massacre the second-worst in this current Israeli aggression – the worst being the attack on the Abu Jame’ family in Khan Younis, on Sunday, July 20th, in which 25 members of the family were killed – 15 of whom were small children.

Medics have identified the bodies of:

Mutaz Hussein al-Najjar, 6.
Majed Sameer Al-Najjar, 19
Ghalia Mohammed al-Najjar, 56
Ahmad Khaled al-Najjar,14
Eman Salah al-Najjar, 20
Ulfat Hussein al-Najjar, 4
Sumayya Harb al-Najjar, 50
Kifah Samir al-Najjar 23
Rawan Khaled al-Najjar, 17
Husam Hussein al-Najjar, 7
Samir Hussein al-Najjar, 2
Eman Hasan ar-Raqeeb, Khan Younis.
Khalil al-Najjar, 59, Khan Younis.
Jona al-Najjar, Khan Younis.
Ekhlas al-Najjar, Khan Younis.
Amna al-Najjar, Khan Younis.
Ikhlas Sameer Abu Shahla, 30
Amira Hammoudeh Abu Shahla, 1
Islam Hammoudeh Abu Shahla, 4
Bara' Mahmoud al-Raqeeb, 11
Riham Fayez al-Breem, 19

An additional two bodies still await identification.

The ages and names of the victims are still being verified, but pictures from the hospital show several small children who appear to be between the ages of five and ten, whose bodies were recovered from the rubble. The bodies were badly mutilated from the bomb. Some sources have reported that 11 of those killed are children under age 10.

The bomb was dropped from a US-made F16 aircraft, which targeted the crowded three story building with apparently no warning whatsoever.

In addition to this incident, another Palestinian killed in an Israeli airstrike Saturday morning has been identified as:

Fadel Al-Tawaneh

He was targeted by an Israeli missile which hit his car while he was returning to his home al Al-Shuhada street in Gaza City. Medical sources report that his body was completely burnt when it arrived at Shifa hospital.

Just before the truce was to take effect, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that five bodies were brought in to Shifa Hospital after an airstrike in the central District of Gaza. Two were identified as:

Arafat Abu Oweily, Central District.
Abdul-Rahman Ouda at-Tilbani, Central District.

In a separate incident around the same time in southern Gaza, two people were killed:

Nidal Ahmad 'Issa Abu al-'Asal, 27, Rafah.
Salim Salaam Abu ath-Thoum, 87, Rafah.

Also Saturday morning, as the time of the ‘temporary truce’ approached, Palestinian resistance fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers at the northern border of the Gaza Strip. 3 Palestinians were reported injured. The Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were injured in these clashes, including a sergeant in the engineering division. Three soldiers were reported to be critically wounded, and over 20 others moderately or lightly wounded. The Israeli military admitted the death of 36-year-old soldier Ya'er Ashkenazi.

Entire Gaza family killed prior to ceasefire, as death toll tops 985

26/07/2014 14:34

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) --

The bodies of 85 Palestinians buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli occupation forces have been recovered since the beginning of a 12-hour ceasefire Saturday morning at 8 a.m., as medical authorities accessed areas that had been off-limits due to shelling.

Minutes before the humanitarian ceasefire went into effect in Gaza on Saturday morning, meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike left at least 20 members of a Palestinian family dead in Khan Younis refugee camp.

Al-Najjar family had fled their homes in Khuza'a, just east of Khan Younis, earlier in the day after Israeli artillery shelling there killed dozens, and they were hoping to find shelter somewhere further from the border.

Their refuge in Khan Younis, however, turned out to be anything but, as missiles fired from Israeli warplanes just before 8 a.m. completely leveled the four-story building they were sleeping in.

The airstrike killed eleven children, four women, and five men from the family, according to Palestinian medical sources.

Spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra named some of the children killed in the strike as Khalil al-Najjar, Jana al-Najjar, Samir al-Najjar, Ikhlas al-Najjar, Husam al-Najjar, Aminah al-Najjar and Eiman al-Ruqab.

The killing of the Al-Najjar family brought the death toll in Gaza since the beginning of hostilities 18 days ago to 940, with 35 killed on Saturday morning alone, according to al-Qidra.

More than 6,000 Palestinians have been injured during the same period, while Israeli attacks on solidarity protests in the West Bank have left 11 dead in the last four days, including nine in a twenty-four period ending early Saturday.

The deaths have led to an international outcry and pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire, but late Friday the Israeli cabinet rejected the idea hoping to secure a truce that would allow it to continue operations inside Gaza.

Hamas, meanwhile, has insisted that any ceasefire include the lifting of the eight-year Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the economy and led to frequent shortages of basic goods.

Israeli bombardment continues up to 7:58

As the ceasefire came into effect at 8 a.m. Saturday, rescue teams said they pulled six dead bodies from rubble in Al-Shuja'iya and a central Gaza City district.

Palestinian medical sources said that Israeli attacks on Gaza continued up until two minutes before the ceasefire went into effect. According to the sources, a 87-year-old Palestinian man Salim Abu Toum was killed at 7:58 a.m. by Israeli shelling east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Saturday morning, Ashraf al-Qidra announced the death of Abdullah Ayish Irmeilat in al-Zawayda neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip as well as 53-year-old Ismail Abdul-Qadir al-Kihk and grandson of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yasin 15-year-old Husam Abdul-Ghani Yasin in Gaza City.

The spokesman also confirmed that dead body of Fadil Atawnah was taken to Shifa Hospital completely burnt after Israeli warplanes targeted him while he was walking home in Shuhada Street in Gaza City.

Furthermore, Muhammad Hosni al-Saqqa, 26, and Islam Ibrahim al-Naji, 19 were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City. Another man was seriously injured in the attack.

Shortly after midnight, a Palestinian paramedic Muhammad Matar al-Abadlah, 32, was killed by Israeli occupation forces while he was helping victims in eastern Khan Younis district.

IOF soldiers violate ceasefire, fire at ambulance cars

[ 26/07/2014 - 11:49 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) violated the humanitarian ceasefire on Saturday morning and fired at Palestinian citizens and ambulance cars while trying to enter Khuza’a town to the east of Khan Younis.

Eyewitnesses said that after the 12-hour ceasefire went into effect at 0800 this morning, Palestinian citizens and ambulance cars tried to enter the beleaguered Khuza’a town but were confronted with Israeli bullets, which forced them and the ambulance cars to leave the area.

Citizens questioned the role of the Red Cross that should have coordinated the entry of those ambulance crews to evacuate bodies strewn in the town’s streets and started to decompose.

Palestinian medical teams managed to retrieve the bodies of dozens of victims, who were killed by Israeli gunfire in the border areas.

Around one thousand Palestinians were killed and around six thousand others were wounded in the Israeli air, land, and sea attacks on the Gaza Strip that started 20 days ago.

19 Palestinians mostly children, killed prior to ceasefire

[ 26/07/2014 - 09:35 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Nineteen Palestinians were killed at dawn Saturday when Israeli warplanes bombed al-Najar family’s home in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli artillery intensively fired shells at a residential building, belonging to al-Najar family, in Khan Younis. Nineteen family members, mostly children, were killed during the attack, medical sources confirmed.

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes targeted a home in Gaza City belonging to Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Kajak, a leader in Hamas movement. Two citizens were killed during the airstrike while 15 others were injured.

On the other hand, Israeli airstrikes continued to target Palestinian health institutions most recently was Beit Hanoun hospital for the second time within a week.

Local sources said that significant damage was caused, while dozens of injuries were reported among the patients. More than 60 patients and doctors are still trapped in the hospital, the sources added.

A foreign journalist was seriously injured during the attack on Beit Hanoun hospital.

Palestinian health ministry earlier revealed that 25 health institutions were totally or partially destroyed during Israeli airstrikes.

Along the same line, the Palestinian medic Mohamed Al-Abadlah, 32, was killed by Israeli gunfire in Qarara town east of Khan Younis, raising the number of medics killed since Israeli aggression on Gaza to seven.

Mohamed was shot dead by Israeli gunfire while trying to save an injured person. He bled to death as ambulance crews were blocked from reaching him.

A spokesman for Health Ministry said that seven medics were killed while 16 others were injured by Israeli gunfire since the Israeli aggression on Gaza started almost three weeks ago.

More than twenty Palestinians were killed in Gaza few hours before the 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire went into effect, bringing Gaza death toll to 900 martyrs since the start of the Israeli aggression 20 days ago.

Humanitarian ceasefire goes into effect

[ 26/07/2014 - 08:20 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

A 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire between Palestinian resistance and  Israeli occupation forces (IOF) has gone into effect in Gaza starting 0800 am local time Saturday.

IOF artillery barrage escalated before the ceasefire went into effect, pounding northern and eastern borders of the besieged enclave.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that the IOF intensified bombardment of Qarara to the north west of Khan Younis, south of the Strip, to cover for the evacuation of is casualties.

It said that Israeli gunboats fired, at the same time, projectiles at the beaches of Gaza.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said on Friday night that the truce was accepted following national consensus, adding that it was mediated by the UN.

The interior ministry in Gaza urged citizens and resistance fighters to remain on the alert during the ceasefire, adding that its elements will deploy in all areas and will extend assistance to all those in need.

The ministry asked citizens not to approach areas that came under Israeli shelling fearing the presence of unexploded ordnance.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has 'killed more children than fighters'

[ 25/07/2014 - 08:32 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Israel has been accused of waging "war on the children" of Gaza after it emerged that over a quarter of the dead are under 18 years old, the “Telegraph” said on its website on Friday.

“The Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, a Gaza-based human rights organization which works with the UN, has verified the deaths of 132 children between July 7 and July 21 via its field workers,” the British newspaper said.

It added, “The impact of the conflict on children has been brought home in part by social media, which has streamed distressing photographs of small, mutilated corpses around the world. One incident, in which four boys were killed while playing football on a beach, was particularly striking, partly because journalists had been playing with them shortly beforehand and witnessed what had happene”.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that investigations of cases where there were similar casualties with no apparent military objective suggested Israel had committed war crimes.

"Israeli forces' failure to direct attacks at a military target violates the laws of war," a statement said. "Israeli forces may also have knowingly or recklessly attacked people who were clearly civilians, such as young boys, and civilian structures, including a hospital – laws-of-war violations that are indicative of war crimes."  

 

List of Palestinians Killed Between 7/8 and 7/26

Friday July 25, 2014 15:25 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

This list is constantly updated due to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza since July 8th. The following 808 names have been confirmed dead. At least 5840 Injured. We realize the number of slain Palestinians is higher than this (881 as of 09:45 am Saturday 7/26, according to the Ministry of Health), but we are still awaiting confirmation of some names.

Killed Saturday, July 26

1. Husam Abul-Ghani Yassin, 15, Gaza.
2. Ismael Abdul-Qader al-Kojok, 53, Gaza.
3. Mohammad Hosni as-Saqqa, 20, Gaza.
4. Islam Ibrahim an-Naji, 19. Gaza.
5. Mohammad Matar a-Abadla, 32, Gaza.
6. Yorsa Salem Hasan al-Breem, 65, Gaza.
7. Mohammad Ahmad Abu Wadia, 19, Gaza.
8. Hani Adel Abu Hassanen, 24, Gaza.
9. Abdullah ‘Ayesh Salam Ermeilat, 39, Deir al-Balah.
10. Eman Hasan ar-Raqeeb, Khan Younis.
11. Bara' Mahmoud ar-Raqeeb, 11
12. Khalil al-Najjar, 59, Khan Younis.
13. Jona al-Najjar, Khan Younis.
14. Ekhlas Najjar, Khan Younis.
15. Amna al-Najjar, Khan Younis.
16. Mutaz al-Najjar, Khan Younis.
17. Majed Sameer Al-Najjar, 19, Khan Younis.
18. Ghalia Mohammed al-Najjar, 56, Khan Younis.
19. Ahmad Khaled al-Najjar,14, Khan Younis.
20. Eman Salah al-Najjar, 20, Khan Younis.
21. Ulfat Hussein al-Najjar, 4, Khan Younis.
22. Sumayya Harb al-Najjar, 50, Khan Younis.
23. Kifah Samir al-Najjar 23, Khan Younis.
24. Rawan Khaled al-Najjar, 17, Khan Younis.
25. Husam Hussein al-Najjar, 7, Khan Younis.
26. Samir Hussein al-Najjar, 2, Khan Younis.
27. Ikhlas Sameer Abu Shahla, 30, Khan Younis.
28. Amira Hammoudeh Abu Shahla, 1, Khan Younis.
29. Islam Hammoudeh Abu Shahla, 4, Khan Younis.
30. Riham Fayez al-Breem, 19
31. Fadel At-Tawaneh, Gaza City.
32. Arafat Abu Oweily, Central District.
33. Abdul-Rahman Ouda at-Tilbani, Central District.
34. Nidal Ahmad 'Issa Abu al-'Asal, 27, Rafah.
35. Salim Salaam Abu ath-Thoum, 87, Rafah.

Killed Friday, July 25

1. Maram Rajeh Fayyad, 26, Deir al-Balah
2. Shaima’ Hussein Abdul-Qadder Qannan (pregnant), 23, Gaza.
3. Abdul-Hadi Salah Abu Hasanen, 9, Rafah.
4. Hadi Salah ed-Deen Abu Hassanen, 12. Rafah.
5. Salah Ahmad Hassanen, 45, Rafah.
6. Abdul-Aziz Salah Ahmad Hassanen, 15, Rafah.
7. Abdul-Hadi Salam Ahmad Hassanen, 9.Rafah.
8. Mohammad Ibrahim al-Khatib, 27, Khan Younis.
9. Mohammad Samir Najjar, 25, Khan Younis.
10. Rasmiyya Salama, 24, Khan Younis.
11. Suleiman ash-Shawwaf, 21, Khan Younis.
12. Rasha Abed-Rabbo ‘Affana, 25, northern Gaza.
13. Ali Mohammad Asfour, 58, Khan Younis.
14. Eid Mohammad Abu Qteifan, 23, Deir al-Balah.
15. Eyad Nassr Sharab, Khan Younis.
16. Najat Ibrahim an-Najjar, 35, Khan Younis
17. Sharif Mohammad Hasan, 27, Khan Younis
18. Mohammad Khalil Hamad, 18, Khan Younis.
19. Mandouh Ibrahim ash-Shawaf, 25, Khan Younis.
20. Walid Sa’id al-Harazin, 5, Gaza
21. Tareq Zohdi, 22, Meghraqa, Central District
22. Salama Abu Kamil, 26. Meghraqa, Central District
23. Ahmad Mahdi Abi Zour, 25, Gaza
24. Naji Bassem Abu Ammouna, 25, Gaza
25. Imad Adnan Abu Kamil, 20, Al-Meghraqa
26. Mohammad Yassin Siyam, Zeitoun - Gaza
27. Rami Mohammad Yassin, Zeitoun, Gaza
28. Osama Salim Shaheen, 27, Khan Younis.
29. Hamada Suleiman Abu Younis, 25.
30. Mohammad Kamel an-Naqa, 34, Khan Younis.
31. Kamaal Kamel an-Naqa, 35, Khan Younis.
32. Yousef Kamal Mohammed al-Wasify, 26, Gaza City.
33. Mazin Abdeen, 23, Rafah.
34. Adnan Shahid Ashteiwi Abdeen, 35, Rafah.
35. Mohammad Abdel Nasser Abu Zina, 24, al-Zaitoun.
36. Abdul Majeed al-Eidi, 35, al-Zaitoun.
37. Mohammad Ahmed Abu Wadiya, 19, Gaza City.
38. Hani 'Adel Abu Hassanein, 24, Gaza City.
39. Yassin Mustafa al-Astal, 38, Khan Younis.
40. Yosra Salem Hasan al-Breem, 65, Khan Younis.
41. Mohammad Issa Khaled Hajji, 24, Gaza City.
42. Hasan Hussein al-Howwari, Gaza City.
43. Hosam Rabhi, Gaza City.
44. Hamed al-Bora'ey, a medic, Beit Hanoun.
45. Mohammad Matar al-'Abadla, 32, medic, Khuza'a, Khan Younis.