These eyewitness accounts were sent out by the Free Gaza Movement:
"At the time of the attacks I was on Omar Mukhtar street and witnessed a last
rocket hit the street 150 meters away where crowds had already gathered to try
to extract the dead bodies. Ambulances, trucks, cars – anything that can move
is bringing injured to the hospitals. Hospitals have had to evacuate sick patients
to make room for the injured. I have been told that there is not enough room in
the morgues for the bodies and that there is a great lack of blood in the blood
banks. I have just learned that among the civilians killed today was the mother
of my good friends in Jabalya camp."
– Eva Bartlett (Canada) International Solidarity
Movement
"Israeli missles tore through a children's playground
and busy market in Diere Balah, we saw the aftermath – many were injured and
some reportedly killed. Every Hospital in the Gaza strip is already overwhelmed with
injured people and does not have the medicine or the capacity to treat them. Israel is
committing crimes against humanity, it is violating international and human
rights law, ignoring the United Nations and planning even bigger attacks. The
world must act now and intensify the calls for Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions against Israel;
governments need to move beyond words of condemnation into an active and
immediate restraint of Israel
and a lifting of the siege of Gaza"
– Ewa Jasiewicz (Polish and British) Free Gaza Movement
"The morgue at the Shifa hospital has no more room for
dead bodies, so bodies and body parts are strewn all over the hospital."
– Dr. Haidar Eid, (Palestinian, South African) Professor of
Social and Cultural Studies, Al Aqsa University Gaza
"The bombs began to fall just as the children were on
the streets walking back from school. I went out onto the stairs and a
terrified 5 year old girl ran sobbing into my arms."
– Sharon Lock (Australian) International Solidarity Movement
"As I speak they have just hit a building 200 metres
away. There is smoke everywhere. This morning I went to the building close to
where I live in Rafah that had been hit. Two bulldozers were immediately
attempting to clear the rubble. They thought they had found all the bodies. As
we arrived one more was found."
– Jenny Linnel (British) International Solidarity Movement
"The home I am staying in is across from the preventive
security compound. All the glass of the house shattered. The home has been
severely damaged. Due to the siege there is no glass or building materials to
repair this damage. One little boy in our house fainted. An eight year little
boy was trembling on the ground for an hour. In front of our house we found the
bodies of two little girls under a car, completely burnt. They were coming home
from school. This is more than just collective punishment. We are being treated
like laboratory animals. I have lived through the Israeli bombardment of Beirut and the Israel's
message is the same in Gaza as it was in Beirut- The killing of
civilians. There was just another explosion outside!"
– Natalie Abu Eid (Lebanon) International Solidarity
Movement
"This is incredibly sad. This massacre is not going to
bring security for the State of Israel or allow it to be part of the Middle East. Now calls of revenge are everywhere."
– Dr. Eyad Sarraj – President of the Gaza Community Mental Health Centre
