December 27, 2008

A Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip describes the chaos and terror that ensued following a day of widespread Israeli air strikes across the densely-populated territory, which has already been devastated by months of an ongoing Israeli-imposed siege.

Haneen, Gaza City

How do I describe a massacre? What do I tell you first? Do I first tell you about the dead people that I see in the streets? Or do I first tell you about the terror we are living? Where do I begin?

I was at home, without electricity - owing to the fact that the Israeli government has cut off our electricity supply - reading a book and wondering how I would be able cook a meal with the few food supplies we have.

I heard a series of blasts and didn't know where to turn. I was too scared to look out the window of my 9th floor apartment.

When I heard the second and third blasts and the screams of my neighbors, I dared to open the balcony door. The scene that unfolded was horrific - bodies, including women and children, littered the streets below.

The blasts came within seconds of each other. As people fled one missile, they were hit by another. Targeting "military" buildings? That's a joke. Gaza City is one of the most densely populated places on earth - the government buildings Israeli targeted are located in crowded neighborhoods filled with civilian residences, schools, and medical clinics.

Children, who were at school and sitting for exams, were sent home and were terrified that they would be next, after a building located right next to a school crumbled to the ground.

The airplanes continued to linger, seemingly waiting to strike as many people as possible. Children ran in the streets looking up in the sky, waiting for the sky to rain down terror on them.

And the smell - how can I describe that smell? How do you describe the smell of pure terror? It is a mix of blood, flames and debris. The sky is black all around us.

I called my brother to make sure that he was alright. Yes, he's fine but he is terrified too. He tells me that the hospitals are filled and that there is no electricity and inadequate medical supplies to treat the hundreds of wounded because of the Israeli-imposed siege.

Hospitals in Gaza aren't equipped to deal with massacres and with the killing of more than 220 people. Electricity supplies have dwindled in recent weeks, and Israel has prevented even the most basic medical supplies from entering Gaza. Many of Gaza's hospitals also require spare parts to repair aging equipment, but those supplies, too, have been kept out.

We have no bomb shelters and even if we did, they cannot withstand Israel's F-16 fighter jets. We had a meeting with our neighbors and we are spending the night on the middle floors of the building in order to protect ourselves in the event of another strike.

What can we do? Where do we go? It's late now. We have no electricity. I am scared. Is there anything anybody can do to help?