User:Falastine fee Qalby/Zeitoun tragedy
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| Zeitoun Incident | |
|---|---|
 Zeitoun neighborhood after attacks | |
| Location | Zeitoun, Gaza |
| Date | Started January 4, 2009 |
| Deaths | 48 |
| Perpetrators | Israeli Defence Forces |
The Zeitoun Incident refers to the Israeli military incursion, led by the Givati Brigade unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),[1] in the Zeitoun district of Gaza as part of the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict. In the Arab world, the name Zeitoun District Massacre (Arabic: مجزرة حي الزيتون)[2] is used to refer to any of the incidents in Zeitoun. A total of 48 people were killed[1] and 27 homes, a mosque and a number of farms were destroyed. Zeitoun residents believe that because the area is a natural choke point close to the Israeli border, Israeli troops turned the Zeitoun neighborhoods into a military base from which they launched their operations.[3]
Israeli forces removed families from their homes and used the buildings as outposts. Many civilians were attacked after being evacuated. The events in Zeitoun were among the most notable incidents of the conflict; according to the New York Times, although the Israelis have "razed building and upended families" throughout the Gaza Strip, Zeitoun residents were among those who suffered the most during the conflict. A report released by United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs stated that the attack on the Samouni family, who were among the Zeitoun victims, was one of the "gravest incidents" in the conflict."[4]
The Samouni Family[edit]
On January 4, the first day of the Israeli incursion in the Zeitoun district, the Samouni clan were evacuated by soldiers from their houses (most of them were later demolished[1]) and were gathered into a nearby home. They were forced to move again to another building, accumulating into 100 members in the home. On January 5, Israelis began demolishing the wall of the house. According to eyewitnesses, when one of the occupants went to alert the Israeli soldiers that people were inside, the soldiers began to shoot at the house. After a short lull, the house was shelled and hit by rockets, severely damaging the building and killing and injuring the occupants.[4] A total of 29 members of the Samouni family were killed.[1]
Another attack on family members occurred in the house across the street on January 4. According to one of the occupants, Israeli soldiers came to her house, where she and 18 other family members were evading the fighting outside, and deliberately shot at her family members.[5] Prior to the shooting, her husband presented his ID to the IDF and identified himself as the owner of the house. After he told them that he has children and pleaded for them to hold their fire, they shot him repeatedly, about 20-30 times according to witnesses. He along with his four year-old-son were killed.[1]
In another incident, a witness reported that after forcing 45 members of the Samouni family into one room, the IDF blindfolded and cuffed eight male members of the family and subsequently interrogated them. The family were then ordered outside, and three of the men were ordered by soldiers to "walk to Gaza City" and to not "come back". During the pleas of the men's wives, a soldier shot one of the men as they were leaving.[6] One killed Samouni member was found on the street on January 4. His hands were cuffed, but the circumstances of his death are not clear as there were no eyewitness accounts reported as of January 19, 2009.[1]
Most of the family members who died had been killed instantly, while others sustained wounds and were unable to receive help in time, due to the IDF's alleged refusal to allow paramedics access to the wounded.[4] One doctor said that over 100 phone calls were made by residents seeking help for the injured. While two medics were sent, they were blocked by the Israelis. The IDF rejected all other requests to have medics tend to the injured.[7] Among the wounded was 12-year old Ishaq who had sustained a leg injury in the Monday attack, but died Wednesday[4][7] On Wednesday, Israelis allowed a three-hour pause for rescue workers to come in. Paramedics found four exhausted children beside their mothers' corpses; the children were in the open for 48 hours with Israeli soldiers nearby. Due to the three-hour time limit, the Red Cross were not able to collect the dead. In addition, the Israelis restricted the entry of the ambulances forcing medics to walk and then carry the injured in a donkey cart back to the ambulances a mile away. On the following Thursday, the Red Cross stated that the Israelis did not fulfill its role in the care and vacating of the wounded as required by humanitarian international law.[7] The rest of the corpses were collected two weeks later, a day after the IDF disengaged.[1]
The IDF denied that they were targeting civilians. The New York Times reported that Hamas members launched rockets at Israel about a mile away from the residents, and that Zeitoun "is known to have many supporters of Hamas."[4] The IDF stated that their purpose was to besiege areas from where Hamas launched rockets, and that Zeitoun was one of these areas. Disputing this claim, Zeitoun residents point out that Hamas did not have much support in their area and that the residents are mostly supporters of Fatah.[6] In a statement from the IDF, an Israeli official said they are investigating the attacks but did not deny the attacks were intentional.[4][6]
The United Nation high commissioner for human rights, Navanethem Pillay, along with other international aid officials are advocating for an investigation in Zeitoun for possible war crimes.[4]
Anti-Arab graffiti[edit]
Two of the houses belonging to the Samouni clan were the only buildings that were not completely dismantled. Soldiers had occupied the homes and covered the walls with Anti-Arab graffiti. Among the slogans written in Hebrew were "Death to Arabs" and "The Only Good Arab is a Dead Arab." One slogan "1 is down, 999,999 to go" refers to Gaza's Palestinian population of one million people.[1][8] An officer from the unit that wrote the graffiti stated, "Sometimes soldiers don't differentiate between Hamas and Arabs."[7] The IDF spokesperson said that the graffiti is "against any code of behavior of the IDF or moral values" and if the graffiti were in fact real "soldiers will be punished."[1]
The Helw and ad-Daya families[edit]
Israeli soldiers stormed the home of the Helw family, shooting 55-year-old Fuad Helw in front of his family and then instructing the rest of the family, 13 members, to leave the home. The family was assured by soldiers that they would not be targeted, however, as they were walking, they came under Israeli gunfire. Three family members were injured and a one-year-old was killed.[3]
An air strike collapsed the home of Ad-Daya family, killing thirteen family members.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Nordland, Rod (2009/1/19). "The Smell Of Death". Newsweek. Retrieved 2009/2/07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "مجزرة مروعة يرتكبها الاحتلال بحق أسرة بحي الزيتون". Aljazeera. 2009/1/05. Retrieved 2009/4/07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b Khalil, Ashraf (2009/1/26). "Gaza family recounts day of horror". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009/2/07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g El-Khodary, Taghreed (2009/1/09). "For Arab Clan, Days of Agony in a Cross-Fire". New York Times. Retrieved 2009/2/07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Butcher, Tim (2009/1/19). "Gaza: Palestinian family mourns 48 dead". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009/3/29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c Woods, Elliott (2009/1/22). "Zeitoun becomes a symbol". Globalpost. Retrieved 2009/3/27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Levinson, Charles (2009/1/28). "Medics Say They Were Blocked from Hard-Hit Gaza Village". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009/3/27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ McCarthy, Rory (2009/1/19). "Amid dust and death, a family's story speaks for the terror of war". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009/3/25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "B'Tselem: Evacuate wounded trapped in buildings shelled by Israeli army". B'Tselem. 2009/1/06. Retrieved 2009/4/03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help)