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July 22nd, 2014 
David Schulberg 
13
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0By Awni Farhat
I finished my first day volunteering in UNRWA schools. A mass displacement escalated in the past few days across Gaza, including up to half of Ash Shejaiyah’s residents. The cumulative number of IDPs (Internally Displaced Palestinians) has exceeded 100,000, including nearly 84,000 at UNRWA schools.
I headed to Al Shifa hospital, the main hospital in the Gaza Strip, to meet a Swedish friend. He was part of a group of internationals going out as human shields with the Civil Defence rescue workers. We went together to the Civil Defence station next to Al Shifa hospital. Moments later, they got a call that a Civil Defence crew had been attacked by Israeli artillery while they were trying to fight a fire in a house in Nite Sarim. Five of the crew were injured, including one who lost a hand. They were brought to Al Shifa, where I heard one of the injured men calling his wife;
“I’m ok, we just had a tiny problem at work but we’re all OK, don’t worry… I’ll be back home tonight”.
Walking around the gardens of Al Shifa hospital, you see dozens of families lying on the grass, making tents out of whatever clothes and cloth they managed to bring with them when they fled their homes. Some survived with only their own bodies, others lost brothers and sisters. The cries of babies and children and the sirens of ambulances are they only things you can hear. Everywhere there are pale faces with eyes full of sorrow and anger.
Ashraf Khalaf from Shejaiya neighborhood (where over 90 people were murdered by Israeli occupation forces on Sunday) in the gardens with his family, told me;
“We stayed in one corner for the whole night, they didn’t stop shelling homes and nearby buildings. We heard the screams of girls and people crying. Once the sun rose we left our homes in groups but the Israeli artillery shelling didn’t stop in the streets. My cousin was running beside me and he was killed in front of me. I couldn’t save him. I kept running holding my younger brother.”
At Al Shifa I also meet Noor Al Anker, a sweet 9 year old girl whose house was attacked during the massive Israeli artillery shelling in Al Shijia on Sunday night. Her mother, grandmother and two younger brothers were badly wounded.
Her brothers are still staying in hospital – Bilal, age 6 (11% burns) and Baraa, age 4 (20% burns) were luckily found alive under the rubble.
I went to visit Bilal in the hospital. He was there alone as his father was with Barra who was just leaving Intensive Care.
Their father, Salem Al Anqer told me;
“We were all sitting in the house.” He pauses to sigh while Bilal cries. “We heard the bombs were falling everywhere, it was impossible to leave the house during the night. I looked out of the windows and saw dead people in the street with bundles of clothes. We knew that we might be the next target for the Israeli artillery so we decided to divide into groups. This way if one got killed, others could survive. At 6.30 am they attacked our garden with a massive rocket that caused huge damage to our building. I heard more rockets fall and woke up in the hospital.”
The Civil Defence said that the three children and their mum were found buried under the rubble of their home.
I head to the hospital’s reception, to find the TV channels broadcasting the news that Al Aqsa hospital had been attacked. Five Palestinians were killed, thirty were injured and intensive care and operating theatres were badly damaged. I was shocked to hear this, and wondering what would happen if they attacked the hospital I was standing in. What would happen to these kids and other patients?
Down at the main gate of Al Shifa hospital, I could hear ambulance sirens in the distance. I heard an ambulance crew talking;
“They’ve attacked Al Qassas family in Al Remal neighbourhood. 8 were killed, all women and girls.”
I saw Meri Calvelli, an Italian friend, at Al Shifa. She told me;
“Everyone must know what happens here and take action against it. Yesterday we went to Al Shijia during the fake 3 hour ceasefire. I couldn’t go deep into the neighbourhood but what I saw in the first part of the region was very huge destruction. Bodies were lying in the streets and people were using blankets to evacuate them. The Israelis kept shooting without stopping.”
I left Al Shifa at 4.30 pm, leaving behind more sorrow, sadness, mourning and misery than a human can bear. I was lucky to find a car to take me home. The streets were deserted and drones filled the sky.
As I finish writing, 5 children among 20 Palestinians have been murdered after a massive Israeli attack hit the Isra tower in the center of Gaza city.
Israeli aggression continues for the 16 days against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. They are committing crimes against humanity and international law, wiping out entire families and annihilating residential buildings.
At least 576 Palestinians have been killed, including 149 children and 36 women. 3,600 people have been injured including 1150 children & 533 women since Israeli aggression started.
#EndIsraeliOccupation #GazaUnderAttack
#FreePalestine
132800Source Article from http://revolution-news.com/shejaiya-massacre-nowhere-to-run/
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