[Transcript]  War on Gaza: Day 17 - 1/12/09

[Summary]
Shimon Paris said that what Israel has achieved in sixteen days was never achieved by any country trying to fight terror in sixteen years. The president added that the IDF has achieved great results. The Israeli army continues to send reserve units to assist the ground forces already in Gaza.

Presenter, MALE #1
Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli army of using phosphorous bombs. The organization drew attention to the increase in severe burns these explosives cause. It warns against using these in residential areas.

Reporter, FEMALE #1
She is lucky despite her injury. Jameela Al Hayesh, from the Tufah neighborhood in eastern Gaza, answered questions from Al Jazeera with a constant smile on her face.

Guest, FEMALE #2
Me, my cousins and my siblings were playing on the roof. All of a sudden, a missile landed on us. Then I blacked out and I don’t know what happened after that.

Reporter, FEMALE #1
She had a complete amputation of her two legs as a result of her severe and very deep burns. Her concerns were how to clean-up the Palestinian environment after Israel has been using what some call, ambiguous weapons, for a long time after. The weapons caused the injuries in these pictures, which Al Jazeera was forced to blur out to mask their horrific nature. Severe and very deep burns that reach the bones. The limbs are amputated as if they were sawed off. As for the martyrs, they were so severely burned by extremely small holes that you can not even see them in an x-ray.

Guest, MALE #2
We don’t see anything in the x-ray. After some time goes by we are surprised to find severe internal bleeding. The doctors go into the operating room and they can’t find anything. All they find inside the stomach is bleeding from the veins and arteries. There is a substance being used that cannot be seen by the naked eye that cuts these veins and arteries, leading to the death of the patients. And doctors can’t do anything.

Reporter, FEMALE #1
Nothing has been confirmed yet. But all the signs indicate the possibility that Israel is using D-I-M-E weapons or Dense Inert Metal explosives. They are American weapons that are still being experimented. Experts consider them as model weapons for what are called surgical attacks that avoid collateral damage. Thus, ambiguous weapons are being used in the Gaza Skies. Meanwhile, others, which are banned from being used in attacks of residential areas, are also being used. White Phosphorous bombs, which are not supposed to be used except to provide cover for soldier’s movements, were also seen in the skies of Gaza.

Guest, MALE #3
It is obvious that the Israelis are using white phosphorus bombs. There are no other bombs like it.

Reporter, FEMALE #1
White Phosphorous is usually used to destroy a target by burning it. It was used in Iraq against the city of Fallujah. Israel, which has not yet revealed the type of weapons it is using in Gaza, denied these allegations. Perhaps Jameela is not really convinced of this denial. She is aware that she survived the worst and most horrific situations and that she can still achieve here dreams.

Guest, MALE #4
My wish is to become a news anchor, a journalist.

Reporter, MALE #1
The injury of the child, Luay Al Subh, who lost his sight as a result of an Israeli missile landing on his home in Bayt Lahia, remains a mystery that confuses doctors due to the strange way that his face was injured. From the Shifa Hospital, Luay tells his story to our correspondent, Tamer Al Mis-hal.

Reporter, MALE #5
Peace be upon you Luay.
Guest, MALE #6
Peace be upon you.

Reporter, MALE #5
Luay, what happened to you?

Guest, MALE #6
Everyone started saying that the Jews had withdrawn. We went to the house. We got our food and drinks. We got our clothes and all our stuff. Then, we went outside the house. My brother called my dad and asked him if he could get a water jug from the house. My dad said yes and my dad went back to get a water jug and we were waiting for him. While we were waiting we got hit.

Reporter, MALE #5
What happened when they hit you?

Guest, MALE #6
We were injured, all three of us.

Reporter, MALE #5
Then what happened? Did they take you to the hospital?

Guest, MALE #6
Some girls came and took us out. After they took us out, my father came and wrapped us up in blankets and got us out. He took us to the mosque in Bayt Lahia, the Saleem mosque. The ambulance then took us. They left two people bandaged and took us to Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Thank you very much.

Presenter, Female #1
Israel’s war on Gaza is entering into its third week. On day 16, the intensity of shelling continues to increase, after the Israeli army failed to decide the outcome of the war via the use of ground forces. Israel is trying to spare its troops costly guerilla warfare in Gaza. Meanwhile, Palestinian martyrs continue to fall on the ground, increasing the death toll to 897, in addition to the large numbers of injured.

Reporter, Male #1
Since December 27, the Israel’s criminal machinery has not stopped its bombardment campaign in the Gaza Strip. One look at the streets of Gaza is sufficient enough to notice the extent of damage inflicted by Israel’s destructive machinery, which has deployed every mean in its genocide war against the Palestinians. On each street of Gaza, the evidence of Israeli war crimes is compelling, leaving no room for doubt on this terror campaign launched by the occupation. The area of Sheikh Ijleen witnessed a heinous crime that was added to the list of crimes denoted in Israel’s dictionary of terrorism. This news comes after Israel targeted Palestinian civilians in the area of Sheikh Ijleen, killing more than 20 people.

Guest, Male #2
The people here are being killed on a daily basis. Each family or home has witnessed at least one casualty. If we are annihilated, Israel, which has the hands of an octopus, will go beyond Gaza. And no one but God knows what the repercussions will be.

Reporter, Male #1
The large number of fallen martyrs didn’t allow the Palestinians to hold the usual funeral processions in the streets of Gaza. As soon as the residents hold a burial arrangement for one martyr, a score of others are martyred, keeping the residents in the middle of an endless bloody cycle. Meanwhile, the evidence of shelling is obvious to everyone on the streets of Gaza, where the occupation warplanes have left behind a trail of terror amidst the rubble of destroyed Palestinian homes. Each street in Gaza has at least one home, a building, a security institution, that has been totally destroyed during the war.

Guest, Male #3
Muhannad is a young man, who was martyred, We pray to God, all praise to him, to accept him in heaven. Palestinian youth have sacrificed their life for the sake of God and the sake of their nation. They are defending their land, as well as defending Palestinian honor and the honor of the Arab and Muslim nation. Muhannad was defending his country and his family when he was martyred, along with ten others, in an Israeli air strike on the Tel Islam neighborhood. On God we rely.

Reporter, Male #1
The one obvious thing about this war is that It has laid the groundwork for the transformation of a new generation of children-- the children of the Palestinian resistance. The children in Gaza don’t see any other way that will bring them safety, except means having to do with the use of force and violence against Israel, which many believe has become their primary enemy. Many of the children have experienced episodes of mental illness due to the ongoing Israeli shelling and aggression on the Gaza Strip. Amidst this, the children of Gaza are vowing vengeance against Israel

Guest, Male #5
I’m angry at Israel because it’s destroying our homes, cars, and killing civilians. The children and the martyrs are continuing to fall.

Reporter, Male #1
The children, who were born under the occupation, used rocks and Molotov cocktail bombs during the first Intifada. However, the current generation will likely be turned into a generation, which believes that Israel is the greatest evil of all. For Madar program, Waleed Abed-Rahman, Abu Dhabi Channel, Gaza.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Bombs poured on the Zaytoon neighborhood in Gaza today. Two children were killed, joining a list of 277 martyred children so far. As for those who survived, they are surrounded by images of war, destruction, and fear. Issmat Tarabai reports.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
This child’s screams differ from the screams of other children around the world. She is not crying for a toy or a piece of candy, but from pain deeply etched into her body and mind. In this war, there is no difference between young and old. Many Palestinian children and infants share this child’s fate. The hospital beds are too crowded to accommodate them, and the morgues are overflowing. Operation Cast lead is devouring them and swallowing their childhood, one after the next. They are being carried dead, having departed free from crime. The children of Gaza live under fire, struggling to survive the Israeli aggression. Here in Khan Younus, Ahmad Zourami rarely goes out of the house, except for a daily trip to feed his family.

Guest, MALE, #1
I go out to get coal to heat the oven for baking.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2]
Helping his mother to make bread does not give him time to play with the children. The children however do not wander away from the alleyways by their homes, for fear of a sudden Israeli raid.

Guest, MALE, #1
I get scared.

Guest, MALE, #2
Where do you go when you’re scared, where do you hide?

Guest, MALE, #1
I go to sleep.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
They’ve become accustomed to living in fear, but they will definitely not forget the scenes of a war that has raped their childhood and bloodied their innocence.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Joining us from Gaza is our correspondent Zuheir Saqallah. Zuheir, what’s the latest update from the ground?

Correspondent, MALE, #2
Sahar, during this particular hour, the partial ceasefire has ended. This daily ceasefire is called for-or imposed-by the occupation forces, during which they supposedly stop their offensive on Gaza. They usually begin the ceasefire at 1pm and it lasts for three hours. Yesterday it began at 11 am, Gaza time, and ended at 2 pm. Today, it started at 10 am and ended just now. The missiles have continued throughout this partial ceasefire, and the artillery shelling continued in various parts of the city and other areas in Gaza. Seven people have been martyred since the morning. This is addition to dozens of injuries, and destruction and demolition of dozens of homes. Extremely violent clashes took place overnight in 3 or 4 areas in Gaza. The occupation army was planning to enter residential areas, especially the areas of Bait Lahiya, Jabaliya, and Shouja’eeya, and inside the city of Gaza starting with the south Western area of Tel al Hawa. The tanks did not move inside, but the intensified shelling led to the killing and injury of the number I just told you.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
You’ve visited the hospitals in Gaza, can you tell us about the humanitarian situation there? Did the martyrs or the wounded display signs of having been affected by the phosphorus bombs that the Israeli army is using?

Correspondent, MALE, #2
In terms of the wounded and the martyrs: Beginning with the wounded that are still alive, they are now suffering greatly. The shortage of medical supplies, medicines, and remedies make it difficult to heal their wounds caused by the missiles, shells, and bullets of the occupation. As for the weapons-or signs on the body of the wounded and martyred: Well, there are indeed visible burns on some of the martyrs and wounded as a result of Israel using a substance called White phosphorus. White phosphorus is contained in missiles of the artillery; they explode in the air, then they pour their burning shrapnel on the targeted area. White phosphorus burns the skin of the person it touches, and the burning continues until it reaches the bones. White phosphorus burns upon exposure to oxygen, and whenever it finds oxygen, it burns even more. Water does not sooth it because water has oxygen. This is perplexing the doctors in Gaza in their attempt to save what they can of the wounded in hospitals.

Presenter, MALE #1
An Al Arabiya correspondent reported that a child has died and three others were injured in the continued targeting of a residential building by Israeli artillery in the town of Jabalia. Three citizens were killed in two Israeli raids on the northern Gaza Strip. A Palestinian medical source announced that the number of Palestinians killed has reached 909 since the start of the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip on December 27th last year. The medical source added that 19 Palestinians were killed this morning in different bombing operations.

Reporter, MALE #2
The Israeli artillery bombing has gotten closer to the center of Gaza and has targeted areas in the east and northeast of the city. There were violent clashes between Palestinian fighters and the attacking Israeli forces in the Shaab neighborhood. The Israelis changed the timing of the three hours of calm, during which they allowed for humanitarian aid to cross over to the residents of Gaza. This puts the Palestinians in a state of confusion since they don’t have any means of communication that would allow them to follow these changes. Thus, those who are outside their homes at the wrong time become targets of Israeli attacks. Palestinian medical officials announced that the number of those who were killed since the Israeli attack began on December 27th of last year is over 900. The number of those injured is in the thousands. Gazan hospitals have been flooded with wounded and injured people, a large number of them children.

Guest, MALE, #3
They did not spare children, women, or the elderly men… neither young nor old were spared, and nothing was spared from being destroyed. Our children are terrified during the night; they can’t sleep because of this situation.

Reporter, MALE, #2
In a dramatic development, the Israeli forces brought in the army reserve units which completed urban warfare training only a few days ago. They have gradually begun to participate in the land incursion. The Palestinian factions were able to hinder some of these incursions. Meanwhile, Palestinian Grad and Qassam rockets continued to be fired at the Israeli cities and towns within a range of 40 kilometers. Intensified shelling took place at the border area in Rafah, demolishing many homes. The area is now empty, after its inhabitants abandoned it due to the shelling and the flyers by the Israel army which commanded the people to evacuate. Safa’ al-Dahi, Al-Arabiya.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Anger about the war on Gaza has continued on streets around the world, with demonstrations condemning Israel and calling on the international community to come out of its silence.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
Fire is raging everywhere, as the flames of Gaza sweep the whole world. For fourteen days now, the angry streets have been screaming for the lifting of the Gaza siege and holding Israel accountable. In solidarity with Gaza, Egyptians burnt the Israel and US flags. The demonstration began in al-Areesh, and called to expel the Israeli Ambassador from Egypt. The protestors clashed with the police and threw rocks at them. The police intervened and showered them with batons in an attempt to disperse them. One police officer and two civilians were injured. Iraq did not forget to express its solidarity with Gaza, In spite of its own daily wars. Several demonstrations took off across the country, condemning the Israeli offensive. Thousands gathered in the Muwajiha square of the Great Imam Mosque. They condemned the international silence and called on the international community to intervene to stop the killing of innocent people. In Amman, hundreds of thousands carried pictures of the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, who had expelled the Israeli Ambassador from his country. This demonstration was described as the largest. The demonstrators gathered near the Israeli Embassy calling for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador from Amman. However, the security forces prevented them from reaching the Embassy building. Iran had earlier prevented its citizens from heading to Gaza. However, the authorities permitted people to demonstrate against the offensive on Gaza.
People took to the streets and called for fighting Israel, the terrorist State, and its ally the United States, the greatest Satan. In Pakistan, protestors called for the ending of the attacks on Gaza. They chanted slogans in support of Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda. Demonstrations also took place in Algeria, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. Although these movements reflect the anger of the world, they cannot change anything about the actual reality.