Seven days later and over 80 Palestinians dead, Palestinians living
inside Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip participate in the first of
a three-day mourning period to remember those killed. It was only
yesterday that Beit Hanoun residents woke to an Israeli artillery
bombardment of the worst kind since the start of Operation Summer Rains
this past June.
Beit Hanoun resident Mona Al Zanoiun wants to know where the international community and Security Council is in the midst of all this. “We do not want them to send us food; we want them to take brave actions to stop these crimes.”
Another resident, Mohamed ‘Athamneh talked about Israel’s pull out from Gaza: “The Israeli army claims to have pulled out from our town. They are not physically here but their smell, the feeling of them, is still here. They continue their brutal horrific massacres of civilians in Beit Hanoun and in all the Palestinian territories. They want to achieve victory here after they were defeated in south Lebanon. They only understand the language of force. They are vampires who don’t know mercy. The bodies of children are scattered in pieces. God be with us! The whole world turns a blind eye.”
Nidal Mater, 53, said, “Once again they commit massacres against civilians, but they will not break our spirits. We will not leave our land. All of us ready to die for the sake of freedom."
He added, “They use their arsenal to kill children and women. They are cowards…We will never forget. Where is their democracy? I just wonder, are they just human beings like us? They destroy our agriculture fields, water, electricity networks and infrastructure. We cannot recognize our streets, destruction is everywhere, and even the mosques which are considered holy places are destroyed!”
Mahmoud Nasser, 33, said, “All of Beit Hanoun is busy with only one thing: moving the dead and wounded. All this between puddles of blood, lots of blood and body parts, next to some of the bodies were the schoolbags and sandwiches of children preparing to go to school.”
A man described what happened through tears, “We lost our homes, members of our family, loved ones and they destroyed our agricultural fields, citrus trees and olive trees which is our only income. Today Palestinians are again united against one enemy."
