By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter
GAZA CITY, Gaza – On January 17, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak closed Israel’s border crossings into Gaza. This decision follows a week of Israeli escalation, mainly in the form of air strikes, aimed at stopping rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. Such escalation includes an air strikes on January 18, that destroyed the building that housed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza.
The closure not only prevents people from traveling in and out of Gaza, but it also prevents the delivery of essential supplies. Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, stated that they were unable to deliver necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza, which only adds to the “already dire situation.” In addition to humanitarian aid, the closure also prevents the delivery of fuel, which Gaza is dependent on Israel for.
According to Israeli officials, this closure is a demonstration of possible actions that Israel will take if the rocket attacks continue. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Shlomo Dror, stated “It’s time that Hamas decide to either fight or take care of its population. It’s unacceptable that people in Sderot are living in fear every day and people in Gaza are living life as usual.” Israeli officials indicate that the closure will be reviewed on Sunday. In a statement on January 17, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that while Israel does not desire to harm the residents of Gaza, that Israel will continue its campaign against militants “without compromise and without pity.”
The border closure ends a week of Israeli escalation that resulted in the deaths over 30 Palestinians. While most of Palestinians causalities were militants at least five were civilians. The escalation began on January 15, when the Israeli military conducted a pre-dawn raid, described as “a routine operation to distance terrorists from the fence.” The raid involved both ground operations and air strikes. The air strikes targeted two groups of militants launching mortar shells and one car carrying militants and weapons. One militant that was killed was the son of Mahmoud Zahar, a senior leader in Hamas.
In retaliation to the Israeli operations, militant groups launched an increased number of rockets into Israel; over a 150 since Tuesday. Several landed in the town of Sderot, injuring four people. Also, in a rare sniper attack, one Ecuadorian volunteer farmer was killed.
In addition to the operation in Gaza, Israel also conducted a raid in the West Bank, on the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. On January 18, Israel’s Security Service personnel surrounded the home of Ahmed Senakreh in the Balata camp. He is wanted by the Israeli government for his involvement in the planning and implementation of suicide attacks. Senakreh was killed during the incident.
Many Gaza residents called for vengeance as they attended funerals; Zahar vowed “to answer Israel in the only language that it knows.” Abbas deplored the operation as a “massacre” and “a slaughter against the Palestinian people.” Abbas called on the US to intervene in order to preserve on-going peace talks. Earlier this week, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet to discuss core issues and US President Bush stopped in Israel and the West Bank to promote the peace talks.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Israel Orders Gaza Lockdown – 18 January 2008
BBC – Israel Closes Crossings With Gaza – 18 January 2008
CNN – Israel Closes Gaza Border, Raids West Bank Camp – 18 January 2008
Reuters – Israel Flattens Hamas Ministry in Gaza Strip – 18 January 2008
Telegraph – Ehud Olmert: “We are at War with Hamas” – 18 January 2008
AFP – Palestinians Urge US to Intervene Over Israeli Raids – 17 January 2008
Associated Press – 3 Civilians Die in Israeli Strike – 17 January 2008
Telegraph – Israeli Attack Kills 18 Palestinians in Gaza – 17 January 2008
YouTube – Gaza Violence Escalates – 17 January 2008
BBC – Fresh Gaza Air Strike Kills Three – 16 January 2008
Daily Star – Abbas Deplores Israeli “Massacre” in Gaza – 16 January 2008
Reuters – Palestinians on Strike over Israel’s killing of 18 – 16 January 2008
BBC – In Pictures: Gaza City Raid – 15 January 2008
Washington Post – 20 Palestinians, Mostly Fighters, Killed in Israeli Raids – 15 January 2008
