In Gaza

Four non-violent demonstrators were shot at close range with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during six simultaneous protests throughout the Gaza Strip commemorating “Land Day”.

Three of those injured come from Khoza’a, a village east of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south. The fourth, from Deir al Balah, was participating in a peaceful demonstration east of Meghazi, central Gaza. post continues

On 26 March, fighting erupted between Palestinian resistance and invading Israeli soldiers when IOF jeeps, tanks, and bulldozers invaded, supported by F-16s, Apache helicopters and unmanned drones from above.

Two Israeli soldiers were reported killed and 2 more injured. Medics with the Red Crescent report that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed, along with 1 civilian, Haitam Arafat, 22 years old, shot on his land.

Eight more Palestinians were injured, according to Muawiyya Hassaniin, director of emergency services in Gaza. The injured include Osama Abu Dagga, a child of 6 years, shot in the head while in his home 2 km from the border. He is in critical condition.
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Said Abdel Aziz Hamdan, 15, went for his first time to Gaza’s northern border area to try gathering scrap metal for re-sale. Although an area lined with Israeli military towers and notorious for Israeli soldier shooting, shelling and abductions of Palestinian workers and farmers, Hamdan did not feel he would be in danger.

“People go there everyday to gather bits of metal and concrete. The Israelis see us and know we are just working, it’s normal,” he said from his hospital bed in Jabaliya’s Kamal Adwan hospital. post continues

An Israeli military invasion, which began early this afternoon, is still on-going in Abassan, the area east of Khan Younis, say residents of the region.

When the incursion began, Jaber, from the area (Faraheen, Abassan) reported at least 2 Apache helicopters, 1 F-16 Israeli warplane, 5 tanks, 2 bulldozers and IOF soldiers invading the Abassan area east of Khan Younis.

The local radio reports that 2 IOF soldiers were killed, 2 Palestinian resistance fighters have been martyred, and many civilians from the area injured by IOF shooting and shelling. post continues

It’s one of those beautiful, sunny days, with a fresh sea breeze and people strolling on the beach…one of those days in which you can almost forget the manifold tragedies that unfold daily in Gaza under siege. Under siege for four years, really, but fully under siege since mid 2007, over 1000 days. One thousand days of compromises on basic human rights and necessities for the human beings living here. Compromises which deny the ill –the seriously ill –medical care, deny students proper study materials or access to study abroad, deny access to work outside a jobless Strip, deny dreams and hopes, breath and life.
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“Mirror” –Salem Awad

“The colors of sunset are wonderful but the sun is the most wonderful.

When the black clouds with their golden warm colors play on the sound of a bird that dialogues with the leaves of trees that were eaten by the wind and dance with a beautiful golden dress coloured by the sunset appearing in the far horizon behind the clouds I try to touch the sun before it closes its eyes to mix my brush with its colour and my white painting is the mirror.”

‘Random’ is a word a friend uses to describe Gaza. For all the truths we know and see in Gaza, after years of full-closure siege, after the 23 day Israeli massacre of Gaza and the Israeli invasions and military aggressions before and after the massacre…there are certain norms one expects to see, and does: destroyed homes, businesses, factories, cars; devastated families with one or many martyrs; a siege and massacre massacred economy; and a permanent cloud of pain, frustration and expectation in the air of Gaza. post continues

Today, the latest in growing demonstrations in the Israeli-imposed “buffer zone”, demonstrators again protested this lethal Israeli ban (shoot to kill threat) which renders roughly 30% of Gaza’s best agricultural land off-limits and under which in August 2009 the UN’s OCHA reported 33 Palestinian civilians (among them 11 children) had been killed and another 61 civilians (among them 13 children) injured.  From January 18 2009 to September 15 2009 alone, ISM reported 7 civilians (among them 4 children) killed and 28 (among them 8 children and 2 women) injured by Israeli soldiers in the border regions.
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“My grandmother was Jewish,” a voice drifts out from behind the meagre selection of second-hand clothes.

The souk al fres, a massive market in Gaza’s old district, Sahaa, carrying just about all one needs used to thrive with second-hand clothes and goods brought through open borders via Israel.  It was a thrift-shop-junkies dream. post continues

Israeli bulldozers destroyed three homes and 17 dunams of agricultural land in eastern Khan Younis on 18 February.

Electronic Intifada   By Eva Bartlett

Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the “green line” boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house.

Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Around 8am that morning, approximately five Israeli military bulldozers and upwards of 10 Israeli tanks, accompanied by more than 50 foot soldiers, invaded the farming region, according to locals.
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I’m sitting talking with a Palestinian friend about Israeli violations of international law, international human rights law, norms and standards… and he sums it up: “fish qanoon… fi oud“,  “there’s no (respect for) law… there’s oud.”

qanoon has two meanings: law… and a classical stringed instument played table-top.

so he jokes: there’s no law, just oud (the lute-like instrument).

a typical a tongue in cheek sample of Palestinian humour, and of dealing with the brutal reality.

earlier, i’m sitting with an ngo-worker and he is victorious on their find: paper, standard blank office paper.

sure, there’s paper from the tunnels, but a siege-abiding ngoer, as much as he/she doesn’t want to, must play by the zionist rules: no using tunnel products.  he’s spent half a day just trying to find ‘legal’ paper.

but the story gets more ridiculous.  i learn of the process of reciving ‘legal’ goods via Israeli crossings.  They are, as Amira Hass reported, less than 40 items.   but the absurdity of aquiring them goes like this:

fill out a form for each item.  describe it: what is a pencil.  provide a company name and an internet link to a photo of the item (photo of a pencil).  describe its useage and what you plan to do with it.

the colossal waste of time just trying to aquire basic supplies

absurdity.  fish qanoon.