worldpolitics

 This is the latest news from Gaza, where 42 innocent women and children became the victim of Israeli attacks in a UN marked schools.

In the last 48 hours Israeli soldiers have attacked three UN marked schools that has killed another 42 civilians mostly women and children. John Ging director of operations in Gaza for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief told  the Guardian newspaper 6^th of January 2009 that school was clearly marked with a UN flag and its location had been reported to Israeli authorities. 

“Three artillery shells landed at the perimeter of the school where 350 people were taking shelter, Of course it was entirely inevitable if artillery shells landed in that area there would be a high number of casualties,” Mr. Ging told the Guardian. The war on Gaza started 13 days ago by the Israeli government to stop Hamas from firing rockets into southern Israel. Israeli government said the attacks are aimed at targeting Hamas facilities but it doesn’t appear that way. Every single day more civilians and children are the victim of this war.

So far Israeli soldiers have bombarded schools, university, houses and they are continuing to justify the war, despite the fact world leaders have showing their concerns and have asked for ceasefire. According to the UN, there is a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza, there is no electricity, water, gas, and hospitals are full of injured people.  

In the first week of the war on Gaza Israeli soldiers killed over five hundred Palestinians and left over two thousands injured.  In the last 48 hours Israeli tanks begun invasion of ground force in Gaza’s second biggest city Khan Younis accompanied by intensive artillery strike.  So far over 700 Palestinians are dead more than three thousands injured and 11 Israeli dead.In another separate attack in the last 24 hours three Palestinians were killed on another school run by Unwra.

The Israeli soldiers claimed that a rocket was fired from the school by Hamas. Israeli defense minister blamed Hamas for the loss of civilians. However this claimed was rejected by the Hamas senior official Ghazi Hamad speaking to Channel 4 News with Alex Thomson on the telephone live from Gaza.

When a journalist asked if there were any Hamas fighters at the school? Mr. Hamad told channel 4 News that the school was controlled by the UN and there weren’t any Hamas members in the area. In an article published in the Guardian website on the 6^th January 2009, a Guardian journalist interviewed the UN official in Gaza John Ging.  Asked whether there were Hamas militants in the area at the time of the attack, Ging said it was the scene of clashes “so there’s an intense military and militant activity in that area.” He said UN staff vetted Palestinians seeking shelter at their facilities to make sure militants were not taking advantage of them. “So far we’ve not had violations by militants of our facilities,” he said. Ging called for an independent investigation of the strikes near UN facilities. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gaza-israel-death-un

This war has attracted millions of people around the global, there are 24 hours news coverage of the war on Gaza on TV channels, radio, online and newspapers. Although the Israeli government has banned journalists from reporting the war from inside Gaza. They are only allowed to report the war from Israel-Gaza border. Aljazeera claims to be the only news channel that reports from inside the Gaza city.

In question and answer session President elect Barack Obama showed his concern of the war in Gaza. He said that he is “deeply concerned about the conflict”, and he was monitoring the event. “The loss of civilian life in Gaza and Israel is a source of deep concern to me,” and after January 20 I’m going to have plenty to say about the issue.  Starting at the beginning of our administration, we are going to engage effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflicts that exist in the Middle East,” he said.

This war has outranged world leaders, politicians, journalists and members of the public across the globe. According to an article published in the Reuters website it reads: “Washington’s allies in Arab governments have condemned the Israeli assault, which has contributed to rising oil prices, and the always vocally anti-American Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, another OPEC member, called it a “Holocaust.”

 On Tuesday Al-Qaeda second in command Ayman al-Zawahri called upon Muslims to “hit the interests of the Zionists and Crusaders wherever and in whichever way you can.”It is feared among many people that Hamas will benefit from this war. 

It gives Hamas more popularity and support not only among the Palestinians but also across the Muslims world. It is also predicted by analysts that children of this war will have psychological effect that would bring more “uprising” or intifada against the Israeli occupation in long term. Time will decide the impact of this war.  

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