[Editor's Note: Our latest update from Sameh comes in the wake of the latest Israeli invasion of Gaza. We get details on the latest situation on the ground, but we also had a chance to discuss in-depth the controversies surrounding humanitarian relief in Gaza, including the BBC's refusal to air an appeal for aid as well as allegations regarding Hamas control of funds.]
[Editor's note: In this latest update from Sameh Habeeb in Gaza, we talk about the conditions on the ground in the Gaza Strip in the days immediately after the Israelis declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew all of their combat troops. Regarding the tunnels, Sameh informs us "Israel has succeeded" in shutting down the smuggling tunnels for now. Sameh also tells us about the photos he took which you can find below.]
[Editor's note: In our latest conversation with Sameh Habeeb, we get an update on the latest ceasefire, the humanitarian situation, as well as the feelings of the Palestinian people on the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. We also got a chance to ask Sameh some of your questions. Thanks to Jeffrey, Jinjirrie, Ernie Yacub, Abdullah, Ladu, and Tim Jeffries for submitting your questions. If you've got a question for Sameh in Gaza, leave us a comment, drop us a line on twitter, or email us at Aliveingaza at Gmail dot com. We ask every single question you submit. If you didn't hear yours this time around, don't worry, we'll get it in next time.]
[Editor's Note: Despite a seemingly endless trail of technical difficulties, we're very excited to bring you a new update from our correspondent in Gaza, Sameh Habeeb. In it he answers all of the questions you've submitted to us covering such topics as the Israeli military, public opinion of Hamas, and more details on the rumored use of "human shields." But first we begin with an update on the latest ceasefire. Special thanks to Matt Jackson for the transcript]
Download Interview with Sameh Habeeb
This is Ultimate Josh here with Small World News and we’ve got Sameh Habeeb who is Alive in Gaza. Sameh what can you tell us about what’s happening. Obviously the big thing on everyone’s mind is the ceasefire. Have you noticed anything? Is there less attacks?
Sameh Habeeb: Yes the Israeli ceasefire is a unilateral ceasefire it started yesterday 2 am Middle East time. With the first minutes and in the first hour of that ceasefire the clashes between the Palestinian fighters and Israeli Army took place in the Eastern part and Northern part of Gaza City leaving some people injured. After that the Israelis used the first response in the Eastern part of [Ell?] at the [Fahtah?] area. In the daylight the Palestinians moved out of their houses in which the day started to [sound of explosion?] get normal in many parts of the Gaza City. But two Palestinians were killed by the Israelis despite of that ceasefire. One of those who were killed, a child, they were going to their house to inspect and to have a look after what has happened from the Israeli devastation. And after that, I have toured into many areas in the Gaza Strip and was touring in these areas. I have, like, witnessed a very massive devastation in the regions that the Israelis were having their military ground operation. I got into Tal al-Hawwa Northern areas, the Eastern areas and [the sea?] I’ve seen like an earthquake stormed the region from the heavy devastation from the Israeli army in the place. Also, now, midday two airstrikes from the F-16s took place in retaliation of some Palestinian rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. In the wake of those two rockets Palestinians and the Palestinian factions, all except the Palestinian Front Liberation, announced a ceasefire for one week if the Israelis will go out from the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation is still the same. Therefore, people are not able to deal with the problems they have: the crossings are still not open, humanitarian aid not getting into the Gaza Strip, but something which is light, very light getting for the UNRWA, and people need thousands of trucks [talked over]
UJ: Now you said the crossings are still closed? Yesterday in Washington, Israeli Foreign Minister Livni insisted that the crossings were in fact open and you’re saying they’re not open?
SH: Yes they are not open! Israel is opening them for around 40 to 60 trucks out of the normal day which is 7, 6 to 700 so it’s nothing …
UJ: I see
SH: … you are speaking about one million and a half they need everything they need food they need commodities they need goods they need materials and now what is getting in is not enough. And now we are getting into another stage which is rebuilding Gaza and how will you be rebuilding Gaza without opening the crossings? Now many [folks ?] are just [sure?] enough that the crossings will be opening soon after having a deal with the Hamas faction and the Israelis and we are waiting the next weekend people are waiting in a [tender?] hope what will be happening soon in order to overcome the devastation. Many families turned homeless, thousands are still living in the UNRWA school waiting for something. Palestinians need urgent help and urgent supplies at this moment from food, cover, water and other basic needs. Still power not [coming on?] the Gaza Strip is [filled?] we have the problem water, fuel, gas, and other stuff like that. So all in one, the ceasefire is still in the first stages, Palestinians do need more, do need open the crossings, do need everything get into the Gaza Strip to overcome all burdens and troubles. And also one thing that happened today the paramedics found around one hundred dead bodies and they expect that they will find about around another one hundred under the ruble of their houses. Among those who were found today around 17 from the [Samoni?] family, which all the people who heard of the [Samoni?] family, those who were gathered by the Israeli soldiers and then they were fired. Some of those who were found, they were executed and they found remains of bullets not [charlbits?] so they were executed as the medical soldiers were saying. This is the image of what has happened today and I will be updating you with more developments in the coming days.
UJ: Let’s see. First off we have Dennis in the comments wants to know what kind of steps are being taken to protect specifically the children in Gaza. Are there any shelters or programs just for children?
SH: Well, no one in Gaza is safe and no any element of protection is being available on the ground at all. We don’t have bunkers, we don’t have basements we don’t have any place protected and indoors and supported by cement. This is not available at all in the Gaza Strip, so we will all try to protect our children and for our families. We both live [in our rags?] We just all of us just go in one of the rooms that wee feel this is the safe room in the house. But elements that the Israelis do have like places to hide in this is not available at all and even no kinds of cement was getting into the Gaza Strip in the past [few?] years due to the siege.
UJ: Ok. Our friends at Enduring America blog want to know what is the Israeli presence on the streets. Can you see any soldiers from where you are?
SH: When the military operation was on the ground no one was able to see the soldiers but we were able to see the tanks rolling and we could hear the voices but they have never got into the Gaza Strip and no one saw them. They were coming by the tanks in the eastern, northern and western part of Gaza City.
UJ: Ok. They also wanted to know what the Palestinian opinion is of Hamas, and Chava23 on Twitter also asked whether Palestinians feel any responsibility for the rocket attacks on Israel and wonders if they shouldn’t have done something themselves to stop the rocket attacks.
SH: Well now maybe the question that would be answered by the people here regarding if they support Hamas or not now people the main concern for the people how to respond for the problem, how to get their needs, how to get the humanitarian aid and such stuff like that. If you would ask anyone in politics now he would give you cold shoulders because no one is interested about that topic at all and regarding Hamas and it’s support this will be like very clear within the coming weeks if Hamas will be able to compensate the people, to give them more support, financial support, food support as a government, then Hamas will not lose much.
UJ: Ok. Tony C Yang on Twitter asks how bad the situation has gotten and really how it compares to what Palestinians were expecting when it first started. What do you, is it worse than you guys were thinking or about the same?
SH: Palestinians did not just think that the Israelis would do such big military operation because the Palestinians know that the projectiles, the rockets being hurled into Israel is not comparable. It’s incomparable at all with the Israeli arsenal of weapons with the F16 and the Apache and other stuff like that. The Palestinians rockets killed around 27 since 2005 while the Israeli Army and Israeli military killed more than 1300. So the people were not reckoning that this would be happening despite they knew deep down that these rockets fired from Gaza are doing nothing, so they didn’t expect that the Israelis would be doing this. And this resulted in a humanitarian crisis and killings and killings for civilians and psychological problems and physical devastations so Gaza was really not able to endure such kind of war.
UJ; Ok, now often in the media we’ve seen reports that Hamas is using human shields, but you said before that this is propaganda and its actually Israelis who are using human shields.
SH: Well I would not say this personally. And I will say the UNRWA itself, the bank’s the Israelis, and the UNRWA itself said “no”, UNWRA said there was no people were firing rockets and no militants were taking the Palestinian refugees and the UNRWA school as human shields. I’m not saying this but the UNRWA. So Israel is, yes, using propaganda and the UNRWA [is backing them?]. When you have killed the big number of the civilians, they started to make like some scenarios to go out of this trouble they have got in.
UJ: Ok, well, thank you. Do you have any final thoughts for your listeners?
SH: Thank you indeed I would be happy to answer more questions next time.
UJ: Ok, great. Thank you Sameh.
SH: Thank you, sir.
[Ed. Sameh has enjoyed very much answering your questions. Submit your questions for Sameh in the comments below, ask us on twitter, or email us at aliveingaza at gmail dot com]
[Editor's Note: The following is an audio interview with Alive in Gaza Correspondent Sameh Habeeb and Small World News Editor Brian Conley.]
Salam Alaikum Omar,The situation is deteriorating each day inside the Gaza Strip. I cannot find the words to describe what is going on now in Gaza. The shelling is non-stop from the north and east of Gaza.The Israeli troops are slowly approaching the northern side of Gaza, where the Hamas resistance is still on.Today I contacted my cousin Ahmad, who lives close to northern Gaza in (….) Quarter. He said the Israeli troops suffered grave loss, whereas Hamas emplaced a great deal of improvised explosive devices targeting the Israeli forces as they were advancing.As for me, I had to evacuate my house after we heard loud sound of shooting and missiles. We are now staying in an UNRWA-run school. Thank Goodness there is not any Hamas operatives or other resistance members among us in this school, but we do not know what tomorrow is holding for us. This is our first day in school. We have enough food and some supplies that will see us through for a number of days.I will try to contact you again today, or tomorrow morning, God willing. I will most likely get hold of a new battery for my mobile phone. You can call me tomorrow morning at 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. Gaza local Time.God bless brother Omar,Muhammed Al Ja’bawi
السلام عليكم اخ عمران الوضع يتأزم يوم بعد الاخر داخل القطاع,لاتوجد كلمات توصف الحدثالقائم في غزة الان, القصف مستمر من الجهةالشمالية و الجهة الشرقة منالقطاع, القوات الاسرائلية تتقدم ببطئ منالناحية الشمالية لقطاع غزة والمقاومة من قبل حماس مستمرة , اتصلت اليومبأبن عمي احمد و هو يسكنبالقرب من المنطقة الشمالية للقطاع في حي () وقد اعلمني ان القواتالاسرائيلية قد تكبدت عدد من الخسائر في حينان حماس اقمت بنصب عدد منالعبوات الناسفة لاستهداف القواتالاسرائلية عن تقدمهااما بالنسبة لي فقد اضطررت الى اخلاء منزليبعد سماعنا اطلاق نار كثيف ودوي عدد من القذائف, نحن الان نسكن في مدرسةتابعة الى الانوروا , والحمد لله لا يوجد اي من اعضاء حماس و اي منجهات المقاومة الاخرى معنافي هذه المدرسة , و لكن لانعرف ماهو مصيرناغدا , اليوم هو يومنا الاولفي المدرسة , يوجد لدينا ما يكفي من الطعام و وبعض المعدات لعدة ايامساحاول ان اعاود الاتصال بك مجددا اليوم اوغدا صباحا ان شاء الله , وعلى الاغلب ساحصل على بطارية جديدة لهاتفيالنقال , يمكنك ان تتصل بي غداصباحا بي الساعة التاسعة و العاشرة صباحابتوقيت غزةفي امان اللله اخي عمرمحمد الجبعاوي
[Editor's Note: Sameh Habeeb is a journalist who writes http://gazatoday.blogspot.com. We will be cross-posting his reports and hope to have him providing regular dispatches about his experiences directly to Alive in Gaza in audio and text format soon.]
Several untold stories still under the rubbles of Gaza devastation.
The more time this war lasts the more victims fall down, their stories
buried with them. Most of the Gaza Strip plunges into deep darkness
since the start of this war. I find several hardships to send out this
report due to power problem.
Today, a rocket targeted my uncle’s house. My house received several splinters and rocket shrapnel. Thank God, we all safe but I don’t know what will happen next.
This is a new report for the 16th day of Gaza War and the outcomes of
Israeli invasion.
Before we have even been able to get our operation off the ground, tragedy has struck. Omar Ali Abumghaiseeb, cousin of Omar Abdullah, our project coordinator, was killed today in northern Gaza. Exact details are still unknown. Although Omar Ali is from Garrara in southern Gaza, he was apparently in a market, possibly in Gaza City, when he was killed during a bombing by Israeli forces today.
We are attempting to gather further information, but due to the poor infrastructure and difficulty of reaching Palestinians in Gaza by phone, we have not been able to clarify this information any further.
In the coming days we hope to begin producing regular blog, and possible audio and video content from individuals inside Gaza. To provide wider context about life in Gaza we will also attempt to begin providing analysis and background on the situation in Gaza in the recent past.
If you wish to support our work, please consider making a paypal donation to smallworldnews (at) gmail dot com, and be sure to specify “Alive in Gaza” in your payment summary. We are also desperate for material aid and translation help. Please feel free to contact us if you might be able to assist in any way.
