Zeitoun killings: Difference between revisions
Replacing wp.OR violation with what the source says. It does not say what it was cited as saying about the specific area where the massacres took place |
|||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
| dfen = |
| dfen = |
||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''Zeitoun incident''' refers to the [[Israel]]i military incursion, led by the [[Givati Brigade]] unit of the [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF),<ref name="smellofdeath" /> in the [[Zeitoun, Gaza|Zeitoun]] district of [[Gaza]] as part of the [[2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict]]. In the [[Arab world]], the name '''Zeitoun District Massacre''' ({{lang-ar|مجزرة حي الزيتون}})<ref name="aljazeera">{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/50B9B6BB-D844-4101-8BA5-F009CC424D6C.htm|accessdate=2009-04-07|title=مجزرة مروعة يرتكبها الاحتلال بحق أسرة بحي الزيتون |work=[[Aljazeera]] |date=2009-01-05 |language=Arabic}}</ref> is used to refer to any of the incidents in Zeitoun. A total of 48 people were killed and 27 homes, a mosque and a number of farms were destroyed.<ref name="smellofdeath" /> 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.<ref name="gazafamily" /> |
The '''Zeitoun incident''' refers to the [[Israel]]i military incursion, led by the [[Givati Brigade]] unit of the [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF),<ref name="smellofdeath" /> in the [[Zeitoun, Gaza|Zeitoun]] district of [[Gaza]] as part of the [[2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict]]. In the [[Arab world]], the name '''Zeitoun District Massacre''' ({{lang-ar|مجزرة حي الزيتون}})<ref name="aljazeera">{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/50B9B6BB-D844-4101-8BA5-F009CC424D6C.htm|accessdate=2009-04-07|title=مجزرة مروعة يرتكبها الاحتلال بحق أسرة بحي الزيتون |work=[[Aljazeera]] |date=2009-01-05 |language=Arabic}}</ref> is used to refer to any of the incidents in Zeitoun. A total of 48 people were killed and 27 homes, a mosque and a number of farms were destroyed.<ref name="smellofdeath" /> 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.<ref name="gazafamily" /> A Samouni family member said there was no active Hamas resistance in the immediate vicinity.<ref name="arabclan">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/world/middleeast/10gaza.html?hp |accessdate=2009-02-07|title=For Arab Clan, Days of Agony in a Cross-Fire |work=[[New York Times]] |date=2009-01-09 |first=Taghreed |last=El-Khodary}}</ref> |
||
The events in Zeitoun were among the most notable incidents of the conflict. According to the ''[[New York Times]]'', Zeitoun residents were among those who suffered the most during the conflict. A report released by [[Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|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.<ref name="arabclan">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/world/middleeast/10gaza.html?hp |accessdate=2009-02-07|title=For Arab Clan, Days of Agony in a Cross-Fire |work=[[New York Times]] |date=2009-01-09 |first=Taghreed |last=El-Khodary}}</ref> Israeli forces also delayed humanitarian aid groups like the [[Red Cross]] from reaching wounded people in the area.<ref>[[Amira Hass]],[http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-closes-probe-into-israeli-air-strike-that-killed-21-members-of-gaza-family-1.427583 IDF closes probe into Israeli air strike that killed 21 members of Gaza family] at [[Haaretz]], 1 May, 2012.</ref> |
The events in Zeitoun were among the most notable incidents of the conflict. According to the ''[[New York Times]]'', Zeitoun residents were among those who suffered the most during the conflict. A report released by [[Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|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.<ref name="arabclan">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/world/middleeast/10gaza.html?hp |accessdate=2009-02-07|title=For Arab Clan, Days of Agony in a Cross-Fire |work=[[New York Times]] |date=2009-01-09 |first=Taghreed |last=El-Khodary}}</ref> Israeli forces also delayed humanitarian aid groups like the [[Red Cross]] from reaching wounded people in the area.<ref>[[Amira Hass]],[http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-closes-probe-into-israeli-air-strike-that-killed-21-members-of-gaza-family-1.427583 IDF closes probe into Israeli air strike that killed 21 members of Gaza family] at [[Haaretz]], 1 May, 2012.</ref> |
||
Revision as of 11:11, 2 May 2012
| Zeitoun Incident | |
|---|---|
 Zeitoun neighborhood after attacks | |
| Location | Zeitoun, Gaza |
| Date | Started January 4, 2009 |
| Deaths | 48 |
| Perpetrators | Israel 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 and 27 homes, a mosque and a number of farms were destroyed.[1] 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] A Samouni family member said there was no active Hamas resistance in the immediate vicinity.[4]
The events in Zeitoun were among the most notable incidents of the conflict. According to the New York Times, 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] Israeli forces also delayed humanitarian aid groups like the Red Cross from reaching wounded people in the area.[5]
The IDF denied that they were targeting civilians. Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs said that that at least three members of the al-Samouni family were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Some reports indicated that PIJ militants were operating in the area around the time of the conflict.[6][7][8]
The Samouni family
According to the accounts by family members, on January 4, the first day of the Israeli incursion in the Zeitoun district, the Samouni clan were ordered out of their houses (most of them were later demolished[1]) by Israeli soldiers and told to gather in a nearby home. They were forced to move again to another building, with 100 members in one 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 21 members of the Samouni family were killed.[1] Givati Brigade commander Col. Ilan Malka, having examined UAV images of the house, had concluded it harboured armed Palestinians, and ordered the air force to strike it twice with missiles, killing 21 civilians, including women and children, and wounding 19 others.[9][10]
Another attack on family members supposedly occurred in the house across the street on January 4. According to one of the local residents, 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.[11] Prior to the alleged 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 supposedly 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.[12] 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]
Researcher of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, colonel (res.) Halevi said that an examination of freely accessible Palestinian sources show that at least three members of the al-Samouni family were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad group; Tawfiq al-Samouni, who was killed on January 5, was supposedly a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative. Moreover, he suggests that the official Palestinian Islamic Jihad version of the occurrences on the days of the incident indicate that its fighters had been operating in the area against IDF. Based on the evidences, he suggests that it is plausible civilians were caught in the fighting.[6][7][8]
Local witnesses said that 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 supposedly blocked by the Israelis. The IDF rejected all other requests to have medics tend to the injured.[13] Among the wounded was 12-year old Ishaq who had sustained a leg injury in the Monday attack, but died Wednesday.[4][13] 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.[13] 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.[12] In a statement from the IDF, an Israeli official said they are investigating the attacks but did not deny the attacks were intentional.[4][12]
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Navanethem Pillay, along with other international aid officials advocated an investigation in Zeitoun for possible war crimes.[4]
Anti-Arab graffiti
Two of the houses belonging to the Samouni clan were the only buildings that were not completely dismantled. Slogans were found written in Hebrew, including "Death to Arabs" and "The Only Good Arab is a Dead Arab." One slogan "1 is down, 999,999 to go" possibly refers to Gaza's Palestinian population of around one million people.[1][14] An officer from a unit in the area stated, "Sometimes soldiers don't differentiate between Hamas and Arabs."[13] The IDF spokesperson said that the graffiti is "against any code of behavior of the IDF or moral values" and if the graffiti could be substantiated "soldiers will be punished."[1]
The Helw and ad-Daya families
According to the testimonies from the family members collected by LA Times correspondent, 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]
According to an account from Gaza residents delivered to B'Tselem, an air strike collapsed the home of Ad-Daya family, killing thirteen family members.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Nordland, Rod (2009-01-19). "The Smell Of Death". Newsweek. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ^ "مجزرة مروعة يرتكبها الاحتلال بحق أسرة بحي الزيتون". Aljazeera (in Arabic). 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ a b Khalil, Ashraf (2009-01-26). "Gaza family recounts day of horror". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h El-Khodary, Taghreed (2009-01-09). "For Arab Clan, Days of Agony in a Cross-Fire". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ^ Amira Hass,IDF closes probe into Israeli air strike that killed 21 members of Gaza family at Haaretz, 1 May, 2012.
- ^ a b Analysis: Blocking the truth behind the Gaza war, JPost, September 22, 2009
- ^ a b Blocking the Truth of the Gaza War, JCPA, September 18, 2009
- ^ a b Goldstone: ‘If This Was a Court Of Law, There Would Have Been Nothing Proven.’, The Forward, October 16, 2009
- ^ Amira Hass,IDF closes probe into Israeli air strike that killed 21 members of Gaza family, at Haaretz, 1 May, 2012.
- ^ Amira Hass,What led to IDF bombing house full of civilians during Gaza War?, at Haaretz 24 October, 2010.
- ^ Butcher, Tim (2009-01-19). "Gaza: Palestinian family mourns 48 dead". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ^ a b c Woods, Elliott (2009-01-22). "Zeitoun becomes a symbol". Globalpost. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ a b c d Levinson, Charles (2009-01-28). "Medics Say They Were Blocked from Hard-Hit Gaza Village". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ McCarthy, Rory (2009-01-19). "Amid dust and death, a family's story speaks for the terror of war". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
- ^ "B'Tselem: Evacuate wounded trapped in buildings shelled by Israeli army". B'Tselem. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-04-03.