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'Gaza strike is not against Hamas, it's against all Palestinians'
By Amira Hass
Tags: amira hass, israel news, gaza 

Click here for more articles by Amira Hass

At 3:19 P.M. Sunday, the sound of an incoming missile could be heard over the telephone. And then another, along with the children's cries of fear. In Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, high-rise apartment buildings are crowded close together, with dozens of children in every building, hundreds in every block.

Their father, B., informs me that smoke is rising from his neighbor's house and ends the call. An hour later, he tells me that two apartments were hit. One was empty; he does not know who lives there. The other, which suffered casualties, belongs to a member of a rocket-launching cell, but no one senior or important.
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At noon Sunday, the Israel Air Force bombed a compound belonging to Gaza's National Security Service. It houses Gaza City's main prison. Three prisoners were killed. Two were apparently Fatah members; the third was convicted of collaborating with Israel. Hamas had evacuated most of the Gaza Strip's other prisons, but thought this jail would be safe.

At 12 A.M. on Sunday, a phone call roused S. "I wasn't sleeping anyway," he said. "I picked up the receiver and heard a recorded announcement in Arabic: 'This is to warn you that we will bomb the house of anyone who has arms or ammunition at home.'"

Three members of one neighboring family were killed, all young men in their twenties. None of them owned arms or ammunition; they were simply walking down the street when the IAF bombed a passing car. Another neighbor lost a 16-year-old daughter, and her sister was seriously wounded. The IAF had bombed a building that formerly housed the Palestinian Authority's Preventive Security Service, and their school was located next door.

S. saw the results of some of Saturday's bombings when he visited a friend whose office is located near Gaza City's police headquarters. One person killed in that attack was Hassan Abu Shnab, the eldest son of former senior Hamas official Ismail Abu Shnab.

The elder Abu Shnab, whom Israel assassinated five years ago, was one of the first Hamas politicians to speak in favor of a two-state solution. Hassan worked as a clerk at the local university and played in the police band for fun. He was performing at a police graduation ceremony on Saturday when the bomb struck.

"Seventy policemen were killed there, not all Hamas members," said S., who opposes Hamas. "And even those who supported Hamas were young men looking for a job, a salary. They wanted to live. And therefore, they died. Seventy in one blow. This assault is not against Hamas. It's against all of us, the entire nation. And no Palestinian will consent to having his people and his homeland destroyed in this way."

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      1.   Amira tells a reverberating story... 04:02  |  BBSNews 29/12/08
      2.   UN workers killed 04:20  |  Colin Wright 29/12/08
      3.   They should have called you earlier 04:42  |  CommonSense 29/12/08
      4.   Lets be honest 05:16  |  Petero 29/12/08
      5.   Looking For A Job 06:24  |  Ron 29/12/08
      6.   Blame Iran, hamas, and Hizballah for grouping silos+tnt+civilians 06:25  |  scott 29/12/08
      7.   By that logic Amira...therefore... 07:21  |  Ariel 29/12/08
      8.   They were all `angels` killed by Israel...... 07:30  |  Natasha 29/12/08
      9.   Amira Hass`s Article Content Proves the OPOSIT 07:31  |  Gil 29/12/08
      10.   this isn`t about the palestinians 07:42  |  Robert 29/12/08
      11.   To Colin Wright # 2 - These Organisations 07:43  |  The Truthful One 29/12/08
      12.   Wrong Scott.... 07:43  |  BBSNews 29/12/08
      13.   Israel is doing a wonderful and as moral a job as is possible! 07:44  |  redbourn 29/12/08
      14.   BLAME? Listen to yourselves! 07:47  |  Moshe Chertoff 29/12/08
      15.   Amira, People everywhere are fit to be tied... 07:49  |  Dutch 29/12/08
      16.   Personal connections not helpful 07:49  |  David R. Zukerman 29/12/08
      17.   Haaretz editor why publish Ms. Haas only in english? 07:53  |  Sim 29/12/08
      18.   Cast roles are not fair 07:54  |  Fayiz 29/12/08
      19.   Petera is talking airbubbles 07:59  |  Fayiz 29/12/08
      20.   Hamas rocket strikes are against Palestinians as much as Israel 08:16  |  Jjaffar 29/12/08
      21.   if hass were in berlin in `44, she`d be screaming at Brits, USA. 08:19  |  dante 29/12/08
      22.   He forgot to call us racists 08:23  |  Andrew 29/12/08
      23.   Amira Hass you are a liar and traitor 08:26  |  steve 29/12/08
      24.   You Reap What You Sow 08:27  |  Baruch Gold 29/12/08
      25.   amira and the written records which she should refer to 08:30  |  victor hardman 29/12/08
      26.   amira hass...go to hell 08:31  |  maurice 29/12/08
      27.   #2 Colin Wright 08:34  |  Dave Kaplan 29/12/08
      28.   Israelis Are Murder Loving Nazis 08:35  |  Jake A 29/12/08
      29.   BBSnews 08:38  |  Dave Kaplan 29/12/08
      30.   Hamas` Insanity Caused This War. 08:42  |  Alan 29/12/08
      31.   OK Amira, I`ll up you one... 08:46  |  Tzfonit 29/12/08
      32.   When There is War - There Is War 08:53  |  Jay A Friedman 29/12/08
      33.   No Amira the Gaza strike is against Hamas & Islamist racism that 08:56  |  GZLives 29/12/08
      34.   they are terrorsists working as UN workers.. everywhere 09:04  |  scott 29/12/08
      35.   Anti-Zionism and ?Peace?. 09:09  |  Jean Van Daem 29/12/08
      36.   Petero has it right 09:22  |  don 29/12/08
      37.   you wish, but you can`t kill us all 09:36  |  anna 29/12/08
      38.   Amira, determination is everything... 10:09  |  Dutch 29/12/08
      39.   Fayiz- a little soft on hardcore facts 10:13  |  a voice 29/12/08
      40.   Weren`t the worse dictators voted in by `democratic` votes?? 10:20  |  a voice 29/12/08
      41.   24 - seems like you don`t know any Israelis .. 10:27  |  redbourn 29/12/08
      42.   "Consent" or "Bended Knee" 10:28  |  FOX 29/12/08
      43.   NO AMIRA 10:38  |  Daniela 29/12/08
      44.   Amira Hass and Israeli MADNESS 10:38  |  Wendy Orange 29/12/08
      45.   Gazan strike not against Hmas 10:50  |  Jules Kadish 29/12/08
      46.   Amira Hass was right, if we will not see the establishment.... 10:58  |  Swiss (Dino) 29/12/08
      47.   `Against all Palestinians` 11:24  |  Bas 29/12/08
      48.   Qassam strike against all Israelis 11:38  |  Serge 29/12/08
      49.   EASY TO START, HOW TO END IT? 11:51  |  indrajaya 29/12/08
      50.   Every loss of innocent lives 11:53  |  El_Justiciero 29/12/08
      51.   to #41 Dino 11:57  |  El_Justiciero 29/12/08
      52.   Wendy Orange: "Please don`t bother arguing with me" 12:46  |  Freethinker 29/12/08
      53.   "war against palestinians " 13:18  |  nina 29/12/08
      54.   # 48 El_Justiciero 13:23  |  Swiss (Dino) 29/12/08
      55.   rocket attacks to south are against all israelis 13:23  |  yosi 29/12/08
      56.   About perspective 13:23  |  JP 29/12/08
      57.   stop your inanities 13:31  |  Meelitabel 29/12/08
      58.   You are absolutely right Amira 13:46  |  Edith 29/12/08
      59.   Since I am censured most of the time ... 13:52  |  Edith 29/12/08
      60.   #53 JP - here is the PERSPECTIVE 14:08  |  CK Tan 29/12/08
      61.   Sympathize with the Ordinary Palestinians 14:36  |  LiveMorally 29/12/08
      62.   10000 Rockets From Bad Guys on Innocents 14:36  |  B 29/12/08
      63.   i didn`t believe my eyes, 14:46  |  sefg 29/12/08
      64.   War is Hell, That is the point, Amira Haas. 2nd try 14:51  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 29/12/08
      65.   Question of blood 15:07  |  Jose Marcio 29/12/08
      66.   to Edith Legrand 15:17  |  Goldenberg 29/12/08
      67.   I suppose Sderot strike`s not against settlers, it`s against all 15:18  |  shmirass 29/12/08
      68.   #60 LiveMorally.....well said and true 15:56  |  Lynn 29/12/08
      69.   "a member of a rocket-launching cell, but no one senior or import 16:54  |  hmpierson 29/12/08
      70.   Supporting hamas? 17:48  |  Super Synic 29/12/08
      71.   Amira is right !!! 17:51  |  Elie 29/12/08
      72.   #66 Mr. Goldenberg 17:59  |  Edith 29/12/08
      73.   I love seeing Amira, Gideon Levy and Eldar crying like babies 20:08  |  David Stoler 29/12/08
      74.   Such drivel 20:13  |  M.B. 29/12/08
      75.   Arafat`s spoils 20:23  |  Gorgonzola 29/12/08
      76.   Reply tp JP 20:52  |  Mark Roberts 29/12/08
      77.   A little compassion goes a long way 21:34  |  Hamid 29/12/08
      78.   Haas didn`t cry enough 21:45  |  Nicki 29/12/08
      79.   response to "commonsense" 22:14  |  Sam 29/12/08
      80.   By the same token 22:19  |  Simon 29/12/08
      81.   Israel is responsible for Hamas 22:36  |  Janice 29/12/08
      82.   #24 Baruch Gold, very true words 22:47  |  Mark B. 29/12/08
      83.   Hass forgets it was HAMAS which decided to end the ceasefire 22:49  |  Realist 29/12/08
      84.   Sympathy 23:26  |  Z 29/12/08
      85.   THERE IS ALWAYS AN ENDTO GOOD THINGS 23:40  |  AMAL 29/12/08
      86.   DEMOCRACY IN GAZA 23:53  |  Copycat 29/12/08
      87.   NO it is not. It is against Hamas 23:57  |  Jo 29/12/08
      88.   A member of a rocket-launching cell, but no senior or important 00:06  |  Holocaust Survivor 30/12/08
      89.   Sderot rocket strikes are not against Sderot but against all Jews 00:08  |  Robert 30/12/08
      90.   Parisian Angry 01:08  |  Parisian 30/12/08
      91.   Democracy in Gaza 01:10  |  Copycat 30/12/08
      92.   #73 Sam - Youre pretty far from reality 01:18  |  William 30/12/08
      93.   Provoke + Overkill 02:46  |  Gray 30/12/08
      94.   "Holocaust Survivor" #82 Remembering or.....???? 04:18  |  Gray 30/12/08
      95.   Gaza Strike Against All Palestinians 12:52  |  JSN 30/12/08
      96.   thank you amira 00:11  |  feda 31/12/08
      97.   Reaping what they sowed 06:31  |  Avraham 01/01/09
      98.   An outsiders point of view 13:29  |  Dave 10/01/09
      99.   Amira Hass - a fountain of truth 03:29  |  Standish 03/05/09
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