Now I am home and safe. But our friends in Rafah experience constant danger and suffering. I am sending this update in two ways: copy – paste and as an attachment. Included at the end are some action suggestions.

Thank you for your unfailing support of Michigan Peace Team.

Sincerely, Liz

Here is the copy -paste of the update: City of Rafah, located in occupied Gaza Strip ñ Eyewitness accounts of Israeli Invasions since Liz Walters returned home

 Greetings dear friends!

 Throughout the four weeks that I was in Rafah, the Israeli shooting, bombing and home demolitions continued unabated. Since I left Rafah at the end of July, much has happened. Here is a brief summary of eyewitness accounts published in RAFAH TODAY www.rafahtoday.org and in the ELECTRIC INTIFIDA electronicintifada.net

Also the eyewitness reports come via phone and email to me from residents in Rafah. Please join me in taking action. See end of this update.

 29 July 2004

 In less than 3 hours a number of tanks and two bulldozers invaded Al Shua'at area in the Western part of Rafah leaving 6 additional demolished buildings. According to one of the eyewitnesses in the area: “We were not sleeping yet because of the shooting, and then we were surprised when we heard the sound of the bulldozer levers near our house. We were not able to protest, because if we screamed they would not hear our voice because of bombings.”

The demolished buildings belong to Monier Hasonah, Ali Hasonah, Ahmed Abu Imsamih, Salaeh Al Hilkawi in addition to other two houses related to Al Yajzi and Abu Jazar families.

On the other hand, few hours ago the Israeli bulldozers began demolishing chicken and animal farms, trees and different kind of vegetable crops and left at least 11 demolished buildings in the Rafah crossing point.

Medical and relief teams are unable to move towards the area, because moving over there means killing them.

Apaches arrived into Rafah sky just two minutes ago and began raining heavy rockets and bullets towards different areas, in addition to that, a large numbers of tanks and bulldozers are gathering in El Salam and El Brazil neighborhoods.

30 July 2004

Parts of human flesh are spread all across the streets… a part of a leg is there, and some human fingers here. Car parts are everywhere. Hundreds of people gathered around the car that had just been hit by an Apache helicopter. Medical teams began collecting the parts of the murdered people.

Abu Youisf Al Najjar hospital announced the names of the people who were killed. They are originally from Khan Younis and they were killed with Apache rockets that targeted their car as it passed in Al Genina. Neighborhood, near the Martyrs cemetery in Rafah. Those are: 41 year old Zaki Abu Rezka and 35 Amro Abu Setteh

1 August 2004

The Rafah crossing point is still closed up till this moment and thousands of people are waiting for the crossing point to open again so they can go and get back into the Gaza Strip.

Passengers selling their gifts to buy foods for their families at Rafah crossing who are under siege. Skin diseases are now spreading between over 2500 passengers, and you can smell a stench coming from them as you get closer.

“ Where are peace callers.. Where are the believers in freedom? Ö For heaven's sake rescue us at this time.” With these words began 65 year old Abu Omar as I interviewed him. Abu Omar traveled to Egypt for an urgent operation in Egyptian hospitals because he has a kidney disease, and is now waiting for a sign form the Israeli soldiers whose only concern is to force people to humiliation and to their knees.

On the Palestinian side, a woman was tired and frustrated searching a place in the shade where she can sit with her kids to protect them from the burning sunshine. “I want to complain about my pains, but who will listen?!” she said “I must travel to my relatives outside and I have been waiting so long time here, we became as a person clutching a straw.”

Nothing to eat: “ We have run out of money and could not by any food here” said Mahmoud Al Masri stuck on the Egyptian and Israeli crossing and waiting to get into his home in Gaza Strip.

The number of passengers are increasing daily.: “I came here to see my uncle who is terminally ill” said a businessman and owner of an oil company in the Gulf.. The soldiers would not allow him to get into Gaza Strip and to see his uncle who is about to die. He has a small platinum part that is in his bone which makes the x-ray machines beep when he passes through the security machines at Rafah crossing. He tried explaining to the Israelis that this small part is only in his bone and it has been in his body since he had an accident in the past but to no avail.

Common diseases in Rafah: Most of the passengers have acquired skin diseases that spread as a result of mosquitoes, absence of showers, and lack of medicine. The Egyptian council member. Mohammed Al Kashef described the life of the passengers as “a real catastrophe” where “children, women and old people are all sleeping in a small area and have only one toilet because we had been renewing our buildings.”

2 August 2004 Report, ICRC

The Egyptian Red Crescent Society, with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross, is providing tents, food parcels, hygiene installations and fans to over 2500 people stranded on the Egyptian side of the closed Rafah Terminal, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip. At the same time the ICRC is making representations to the relevant Israeli and Palestinian authorities to allow the people, who have been blocked at Rafah for up to 12 days, to cross into the Gaza Strip as soon as possible. For nearly two weeks, ERCS volunteers, working closely with local Egyptian authorities, have been assisting the group stranded at the border, which includes women, children and elderly people, with basic relief and medical assistance.

3 August 04

11.30 am — Heavy invasion again in Rafah and many people still donít have the ability to go to hospitals. The injured and the dead are still lying bleeding everywhere, and journalists left the area after Reuter's cameraman, Basaam Masoud, was injured during the Apache shelling.

Three human shreds arrived at the hospital. From minute to minute, the number of the dead keeps changing because the Apaches are continuing their shelling. Civilian houses are being targeted 10 a.m.: A 14 year old girl was injured during random shelling and shooting at her house. A whole area in Block “J” neighborhood was attacked: 19 buildings were demolished in that incursion, 14 totally demolished and another 5 partially demolished. The first belong to Faiq, Faiz, Ahmed, Saed, Mohammed, Khamis, Rafeq, Zaki Al Bana and their sister Sadia Al Bana lived a few meters away. Also the buildings of Mohammed Al Azazi, Jamak Hasouna, Suliman Barhoum, Mussa Al Srafandi, and Abdullah Shuman were demolished.

The invasion was through shelling from Apaches, and over 10 tanks and 4 bulldozers. Later Israel announced that these houses were empty when the bulldozers began demolishing them. This is not true.

Mohammed Al Uker, a 12 year old, arrived at the hospital injured in his leg, and 14 year old Hanin Adwan injured in her head, and Khaled Al Aidi (20) injured in his shoulders, Ayman Abu Hmaid (18) injured in his right leg, in addition to Iyaad Abu Matar (34) injured in his right hand during the shelling.

About the last invasion to Yibna neighborhood. It was at 9:00 when I went to then to the internet cafÈ. I didnít know that the army in the area to this time. Normally they finish their operation then they leave the area But in that day they didnít do leave; they stayed in the streets for two more days !!!

The taxi driver didnít know that the army was there either. But when we arrived, I found many children and men in the streets, Then I saw a man, he was crying. I asked the driver to stop and I forget to pay him money, for the lift. When I leave the car, I heard the man say, ìNo not my brother , not my brother!î I asked the people who were nearby what happened. They told me the manís brother was martyred. I asked what happened. They said the Apache launched a rocket and the result was, 3 martyrs and 20 injured-all of them youth between 20 to 25 years old. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera.

4 August 04

The Apaches shelled with missiles and tanks with heavy bullets – and 19 year old Jihad Al Bess was fatally wounded in the head.

Four people died: 18 year old Mohammed Abu Nada, 19 year old Mysarah, , and Akram Al Habibi 31 year old, in addition to the one mentioned before. And over 20 have been injured people up till now.

The shelling is getting heavier each time, and people are very frightened of Apache shelling at civilian houses, and especially when UNRWA pulled out its foreign staff from the Gaza Strip headquarters.

Something similar to an earthquake happens every hour in Rafah, and as a result of that families began leaving their homes that are about to get demolished due to shelling. Many people are moving to UNRWA schools, but still the incursion continues.

The Israeli army keep providing the same reason for invading Rafah: the pretext of

“smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt into the Gaza Strip”.

6 August 2004

The Israeli Army withdrew from Yibna neighborhood in Rafah leaving 5 dead, 22 injured, and over 21 demolished buildings.

“I donít know what they want from us!” said Yasir Juda who was trying to get out his taxi cab that was demolished under the rubble of his house. “If they want us to leave here, then it is NO, because death is much easier than leaving our country.” Yassir is a pharmacist who had borrowed money from all his relatives to buy a cab and work. Now he has nothing.

Seeing children searching under the rubble of their homes for whatever they can find is heart breaking.

On the same day medical sources at Abu Youisf Al Najjar said that 12 year old Iman Barhoum had died from injuries to her head by Israeli random shelling.

The last incursion demolished all the infrastructure of Rafah, including phone lines, water supplies, electricity providers, trees and all the streets. There were some damages at Al Mustafa mosque, in addition to four retail shops that belonged to Rushdi Abu Taha, Sabri Abu Tiour, and Samir Daban.

Rafah Crossing:

Again and again the catastrophe has no end: three pregnant women lost their babies at the crossing, and the fourth gave birth and called her baby child by a strange name which is: “Crossing Point.”

Medical sources said today that Sabah Jamal, 40 years old, lost her baby due to lack of medical care at the Rafah crossing. Najah Ezzeden, 29 years old, was the same, and so was Sabah Abdelwahab, 32.

The Israeli army denied entrance permission for the body of Yusra Abdelfatah, a 52 year old who died after waiting over 19 days on her way back form an operation in one of the hospitals in Cairo.

7 August 04

Apache helicopters and tanks began shelling Block “J” once again in a new incursion that targeted civilian buildings.

Message from Liz: Please take action: 1. Write to your USA congressperson and senators.

o Urge that all USA aid to Israel is stopped.

o Request that the United Nations intervene to end the Israeli atrocities in occupied Palestine.

2. Remember:

“.. Not to believe in the possibility of dramatic change is to forget that things have changed, not enough, of course, but enough to show what is possible. We have been surprised before in history. We can be surprised again. Indeed, we can do the surprising.”

Howard Zinn – 'You can't be neutral on a moving train.'

3. Pray and fast for peace with justice and an end to the occupation of Palestine

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