Israeli assault on Rafah, Palestine

Israeli gunships, tank and bulldozers attack Rafah, killing 6 and demolishing 31 houses.

March 20, 2004, by Mohammed, Rafah, Palestine

I wasn't surprised when I saw that rocket falling in the middle of the night about 10:24 and followed by two other rockets in the same area.. All the children were moving to the area, people came from everywhere, ambulances were not able to get in, the streets are very narrow.. All I can see is a woman yelling, "help, help." She was one of the people holding a white sheet and waving towards the sky, as if it was to the apache pilot not to shoot more. All I can see around her is blood in this narrow street, and flesh stuck in the walls of that street..

She is crying more and more, she covered the flesh and the missed parts of those people with a blanket.. in less two minutes after the third rocket the area had a large number of people from everywhere, the medical workers are collecting those flesh fragments.. I moved to the hospital following the ambulances, then this women who was wearing black just said: "Where where is my son Ala?!" Doctors and people are trying to comfort her, but she refused and insisted to see her 13 year old. She was unable to recognize him and she fell to the floor.

Two children were dead: Ala Al Nujili (13) and Mosbad Mwafi (14), in addition to many injured children.. Msbah Mwafi had lost his mother, Faiza Mwafi, after she was buried by a shell and his two uncles in addition to his house and relatives' houses.. As for Ala, he had lost his father in the first Intifada, and his uncle in addition to his house which was recently demolished in block "J".

It is 4:05 and the apaches withdrew from the area. All the children came to Block "O" area throwing the stones into the Israeli bulldozers which are demolishing the houses.. more shelling and shooting from the modern Israeli Merkava tank, but all the children gradually disappeared after they looked up at the sky and indicated with their fingers that the apache
planes are coming back again..

Now it is 12 a.m. As 10 minutes ago the apaches planes withdrew and the tank also withdrew for the moment, all were coming back to their houses and searching in the rubble of their houses. All I can see here are so many families gathering near the rubble of their houses till the next morning.

It's 6 o'clock in the morning. Everything is clearer under today's morning sun than yesterday's dark night. The number of the dead are 6, and 20 injured and some of them seriously. In addition, 91 houses were demolished, 31 of which were completely demolished and the rest only partially.. Damaging the sewage systems, electricity and water supplies..