On 13th Day of Gaza War, New Israeli Massacre on Civilians

Sunday, 20 July 2014

On 13th Day of Gaza War, New Israeli Massacre on Civilians

Local Editor

On the 13th day of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, Israeli forces committed a new massacre in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City killing at least 40 people, most of them children and women.

Emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said 40 bodies had been retrieved from the neighborhood, and at least 380 people had been wounded in shelling that was still continuing.

Ongoing fire was preventing the evacuation of many more, among them women and children, he said. "The vast majority of those killed and injured so far are civilians," he said. The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are uncovered.

Among the victims was photojournalist Khalid Hamid and paramedic Fuad Jabir.

Medical sources said seven Palestinians were killed in other areas across the coastal enclave.

The toll rose following a night of intensive bombardment of the eastern districts of Shejaiya and Zeitun as well as in Jabaliya in the north.

Residents said the heavy shelling began in Shejaiya around midnight as Israeli tanks reached the edge of the neighborhood. They said it is too dangerous for ambulances and medical teams to approach targeted areas.

“There are dead and wounded in the streets, and no one can help them,” local resident Ahmed Rabia said.

The heavy shelling has caused hundreds of panicked residents to flee to downtown Gaza City. Some have tried to find refuge with relatives, while others have headed to UN schools that have been serving as temporary shelters since the start of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip less than two weeks ago.

The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said its fighters exchanged fire with Israeli forces in Shejaiya and a nearby neighborhood.