[R-G] A Teacher of French in Gaza Witnesses the Bombardment

[Richard Menec]

http://humaniteinenglish.com/spip.php?article1110

l'Humanité in English

ORIGINAL FRENCH ARTICLE : Prof de français à Gaza, il témoigne
<http://www.humanite.fr/2008-12-31_International_Prof-de-francais-a-Gaza-il-temoigne>

By Ziad Medouk, Palestinian teacher, as communicated to Hassane Zerrouky

A Teacher of French in Gaza Witnesses the Bombardment

Translated dimanche 4 janvier 2009, par Henry Crapo

Ziad Medouk tells of the blind Israeli bombardment of all sorts of targets
and the climate of terror it is creating for a population taking refuge in
whatever shelter they can find.

Ziad Medouk is teacher of French in Gaza. Having received a grant from the
French government and a visa delivered by the French consul in Jerusalem, he
was unable to travel to France last October because the Israeli authorities
prevented him from leaving Gaza. He managed to reach us, yesterday morning,
in an email that is a veritable distress call. We reproduce it in its
entirety below. Then we reached him by telephone. He testifies.

"Israel claims that their target is Hamas. Then why is it that on Sunday
they bombarded the Faraya prison in Gaza, where they know - and moreover
everyone knows - that the Fatah militants of Mahmoud Abbas and other
Palestinian militants opposed to Hamas are detained. Of course this building
did shelter a Hamas building, but I ask myself whether Israel didn't try to
profit from the situation to rid itself also of prisoners opposed to Hamas.
In any case, the population didn't take kindly to the fact that Hamas did
not decide to free these prisoners, once the air strikes began."

Yesterday, the whole night, the bombardment continued. They were more and
more intense. The Israeli army is in the process of destroying Gaza, they
bomb everything : houses, stores, and warehouses are destroyed. We don't
sleep any more. Especially the children (Ziad has four children) . This
morning (Tuesday) sixteen missiles fell on the city in less than an hour.
The complex housing the Ministries of Labor, of Finance, of Public Works,
and Interior are largely destroyed. The day before, it was the Islamic
University that was hit by several missiles. Five of the fifteen buildings
were completely destroyed. Al-Aqsa University, where I work, situated
nearby, was also damaged. Happily there were no students there, but some
guardians and employees. Here, also, why target an educational complex ? In
what sense is it a menace to Israel ?

The streets are empty. No one goes out, and if one does, it's to go to the
cemetery to bury one's neighbors and friends, or to find provisions. Because
of the week-long strike that everyone observed, but mainly because of the
bombardment, nobody goes to work. Only the medical and nursing professions,
the ambulance drivers and civil protection personnel are active. They are
overwhelmed by the situation, and, despite being aided by the population,
they don't manage to do what would be necessary. The hospitals and health
centers, open day and night, are overwhelmed. Ambulances and personal
vehicles are continually coming and going. Adults, children, bloody bodies,
are dropped off. There are more than 400 dead and 2,000 hospitalized wounded
(those who have minor wounds are not counted, and return to their homes
after first aid).

Businesses and stores are closed. Only the bakeries are open. Early in the
morning, despite the bombs, long waiting lines form. Bread is rationed, and
is becoming scarce. Everything is lacking, especially medicine and milk
products for the children, and milk itself is becoming scarce.

Don't believe the images projected by Israeli propaganda affirming that
trucks carrying merchandise are permitted to enter Gaza. From yesterday to
today, the Israeli army permitted four semi-trailers to pass ! There were
300 per day prior to June 2007 when the Israeli blockade of Gaza began. Do
you think that four trucks are enough to feed one and a half million
inhabitants ? It's atrocious, it's horrible how we are living. And all that
the international community finds to say is that Israel has the right to
defend itself ! Against whom ? The blockade, which was more a military
siege, and these bombardments, are nothing other than a war against the
Palestinian people. That's what we believe here. And it's the population
that is paying the price. And if this continues, we will go headlong into a
humanitarian catastrophe.

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