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Amira Hass / Uncertainty and bombing keep Gazans awake and fearful of who will be next By Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Amira Hass, Israel News, Gaza  Click here for more articles by Amira Hass Abu Salah's family lives in Gaza's Nasser neighborhood - close enough to hear the bombings targeting the home next to that of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in the Shati refugee camp, and close enough to hear the attacks on Haniyeh's office, which also hit the UN building. "Salah wants to leave the house, but I didn't let him," Abu Salah said. "Who knows what will happen outside? On the other hand, who knows what will happen at home?" Advertisement He knew what he was talking about Monday morning, following what he called "the hardest night we've had until now. Even harder than Saturday. From 12 at night until 7 we couldn't sleep - bombings, explosions and ambulances the whole time." At 1 o'clock that same night, on the other side of the Strip in Rafah's Yibna refugee camp, a missile was fired at the home of Riad al-Attar, a senior commander in the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Attar had already vacated the building along with his family. Shortly afterwards, another missile was fired, this one hitting a building full of occupants, 300 meters from al-Attar's home. The home, little more than concrete and asbestos, belongs to the Abbasi family. The father, Ziad, is a building contractor. Three of his children were killed in the strike and remained buried under the rubble: Sadki, age 3; Ahmed, age 12 and Mohammed, age 14. The parents and three other children were wounded. On Monday at 5 P.M. a house was bombed in Beit Lahia, and according to initial reports seven family members were killed. "Every parent understands the home isn't safe, as the streets aren't safe," says Umm Basel. "Maybe next door lives someone from Iz al-Din al-Qassam, I don't know, or on your side they think he lives there, and that you're allowed to fire a missile on us. He is not in his home, we are." Everyone sees the images on television of young children being rescued from the wreckage. "When I turn on the generator and for a moment don't pay attention to them, the kids run to the TV to see the girls of the Balousha family," she said, referring to the Jabalya family which lost five girls and in which four siblings and the parents were injured. "Yafa noticed that one of the girls whispered, 'Where is my mother?'" she said, adding that no one in her family slept that night. "We're always jumping out of bed because of the bombings." All of the windows in the home are open so that the explosions don't shatter the glass and wound the people inside - at least, that is the case in homes in which the window panes remain whole. Glass panes are impossible to come by in the Strip, and instead people cover the windows with plastic sheets. Such sheets, like window panes, are not among the products Israel has allowed into the territory over the past two years, and they can only be transferred via underground tunnels. Now, with the tunnels' closure, a shortage of sheets is expected. On top of everything else, Gazans must now deal with the bitter cold in their homes, lacking electricity most of the time, as well as diesel fuel and gas. On Monday and the day before, Rafah residents living close to the Egyptian border were told to leave their homes. On Saturday night, Egyptian authorities gave members of the Palestinian National Guard a message from Israel to move 300 meters from the border because shelling was about to begin. Hundreds of people went to stay with relatives in the center of Rafah, gathering their belongings and leaving for the hundredth time in their lives. Related articles: Hezbollah: Israel may take this opportunity to attack Lebanon Hamas: Time for a third Intifada 3 senior Hamas officers among 230 killed during IAF strikes in Gaza Olmert: Our desire for quiet was met with terror One Israeli killed, 4 hurt as Palestinian rockets hit Negev home ANALYSIS / IAF strike on Gaza is Israel's version of 'shock and awe' IN PICTURES / Gaza under attack Bradley Burston / The worst anti-Israel charges you'll hear in wartime U.S. demands Hamas end terrorist acts, urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties Israeli Arabs react with violence to IDF operations in Gaza Israel to mount emergency international PR effort in wake of Gaza campaign ANALYSIS / With Gaza raid, Barak is back in the political ring Bookmark to del.icio.us   Disturbing trend Jewish Agency says Anti-Semitic acts in Jan. 2009 triple last year's records. After the war IDF gains in Gaza have softened Israel's stance on Shalit deal.   1.   Amira never wrote about Sderot like that 02:56  |  Peter Williams 30/12/08   2.   Amira hass is a mentally deranged pro-hamas wackjob 06:55  |  Steve Randolph 30/12/08   3.   Gazans can`t sleep 07:11  |  barney 30/12/08   4.   Amira, I have the solution: 08:28  |  Alex 30/12/08   5.   So maybe they will stop bombing Israel?? 08:39  |  Zev 30/12/08   6.   so sad, you`d think it would be a good reason to stop kassam fire 08:44  |  don 30/12/08   7.   Amira will eventually make me cry 09:18  |  Star of David 30/12/08   8.   Elections 10:18  |  El_Justiciero 30/12/08   9.   to #1. She doesn`t have to mention sderot 12:12  |  Northern 30/12/08   10.   if i were a palestinian 12:21  |  me 30/12/08   11.   How shameful Gazan are already a battered &traumatized population 13:24  |  Dutch 30/12/08   12.   El Justiciero - correct, but 13:28  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 30/12/08   13.   to # 9 15:22  |  `neutral` observer 30/12/08   14.   give them certainty 19:16  |  frenz 30/12/08   15.   uncertainty 20:56  |  me 30/12/08   16.   I might be sympathetic to Amira if she were balanced... 22:13  |  jk 30/12/08   17.   Amira`s articel 01:57  |  max 31/12/08   18.   where to place blame? 17:52  |  joanne 31/12/08   19.   Gaza bombing 09:30  |  Motti Y. 01/01/09

Read & React Livni: Israel should strike Hamas again to halt arms smuggling Responses: 44 Amir Oren: 'Decisive' Gaza offensive merely rehearsal for next crisis versus Iran Responses: 8 Netanyahu: Likud-led government wouldn't build new settlements Responses: 36 Akiva Eldar: Saudi plan offers Israel united front with Arab states against Iran Responses: 10 More Headlines 11:52 Egypt to Hamas: Take Gaza truce before Netanyahu is PM 12:30 Veteran ultra-Orthodox MK Avraham Ravitz dies aged 75 11:24 Iran MPs plan Gaza visit to praise Hamas resistance against 'Zionist offensive' 12:54 Sky News joins BBC in refusing to air Gaza fundraiser 10:14 Nine held for allegedly attacking Israeli Arabs in Upper Nazareth 10:36 Netanyahu: Likud-led coalition wouldn't build new settlements 12:12 Survey: Most Israelis want Benjamin Netanyahu to be prime minister 09:33 IDF rabbinate publication during Gaza war: We will show no mercy on the cruel 10:35 Haaretz probe: Unknown overseas sources paid MK Lieberman NIS 2.5m 10:51 2 hurt, 1 seriously, after light plane crashes near Beit She`an 04:42 EU presses Egypt to take action against Gaza arms smuggling 11:27 Number of laid-off Israelis set new high in December 07:41 U.S. businessman Guma L. Aguiar gives $8m to Nefesh b'Nefesh 07:43 Program launched to bring all Jewish teachers worldwide to Israel 04:43 Court to state: Let foreign media into Gaza when borders open 04:45 Egypt evacuates Rafah area, fearing IAF strike on Gaza Previous Editions Select Day 25 jan 23 jan 22 jan 21 jan 20 jan 19 jan 18 jan 16 jan 15 jan 14 jan 13 jan 12 jan

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