Soliya Movie-Israeli Assault on Gaza Dec 27 2008-Jan 2 2009.wmv

Narrator: The week-long Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip is continuing amid international demands for a cease-fire. In response to the airstrikes, Hamas has increased its rocket attacks on Israel.
The Palestinian death toll is now over 400. Twenty five percent of which are civilians, according to the UN. Four Israelis have also been killed in the conflict.

The Israeli assault began on the 27th of December with a series of airstrikes on the Strip, after a 6-month ceasefire ended on December 19.

Narrator: The past week has witnessed protests against the violence staged across the world.

Narrator: Israel put the Gaza strip under siege after Hamas aborted a Fatah coup and took control of Gaza in 2007.

Narrator: The siege created a humanitarian crisis, according to the UN. Israel cut off electricity and fuel supplies to the strip as well. Here's what a UN official had to say

Narrator: Israel occupied the Gaza Strip in the 1967 6-day war, and withdrew in 2005.

Narrator: Hamas is a movement founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel, as well as other countries. In 2006, the group won the parliamentary elections.


Narrator: Official reactions from the international community have been mixed, with the United States blaming Hamas for the conflict, while Arabs blame Israel for the violence.

Narrator: The conflict has made the siege even worse for the people of Gaza. Hospitals are finding themselves unable to cope with increasing number of injuries and deaths in the strip.

Narrator: Meanwhile, as the conflict rages on, civilians on both sides of the border are living in fear of the next attack. Schools in the south of Israel have closed down, and Palestinians are trapped with nowhere to escape the attacks.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Gaza
• Israel
• Hamas
• airstrikes
• Middle East