27th December attack on Gaza Strip - bombing in Rafah

A massive Israeli military operation began throughout the Gaza Strip today. Multiple Isreali air strikes hit many different areas this morning and continued sporadically throughout the day. Attacks targeted police stations and security bases, but spilled over into civilian areas. The destruction was widespread. At the time of writing over 200 people have been killed with the death toll still rising. Hundreds of people have been injured, many severely.

These images were filmed shortly after one of the bombings in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. They show the devastation at the site of a police station in the Hi Alijnina neighbourhood which was hit at approximately 11:30am local time. There were also missile strikes in the Tel Al Sultan, Moraj and Mashrua districts of Rafah. This assault occured during the busy weekly market in Rafah and as school sessions were ending, so the streets were crowded and full of children.

Some of the walking wounded were interviewed at the Al Najar Hospital in Rafah. This basic local facility was massively overstretched, the atmosphere chaotic. Serious cases were transferred to the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Hospital mortuaries could not cope with the level of fatalities, many of which were described as arrving in pieces.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Gaza Strip
• 27th December 2008
• Israeli military attack
• air strike
• missiles
• bombing
• Rafah
• police station
• civilians
• casualties
• injuries
• fatalities
• destruction
• wreckage
• ISM