CPTnet
October 16, 2002
GAZA: "A successful operation." Letter from Sue Rhodes.

[Note: Sue Rhodes is serving with the CPT Rapid Response Team in the West
Bank and Gaza. Her letter to friends and family has been edited for length
and clarity. Stay tuned for her report from Nablus in the next few days.]

Dear All,
Just back from Gaza and anxious to share some of it with you. Last Sunday
night, the city of Khan Younis was attacked by [Israeli] tanks which rolled
through the streets shooting in all directions.

At 1.30am a few casualties arrived with bullet and shrapnel wounds and these
were all coped with and about 2.45am the staff at the hospital heard that
the tanks had withdrawn and the shooting had stopped.

Out in the town people started coming out of their homes to check that their
neighbours and friends were all right . . . Suddenly, from an Apache
helicopter above them, a rocket was fired. At a meter above the ground it
exploded, sending shards and shrapnel in all directions, hitting people in
the chest and abdomen and some in the head. There were dead, dying and
seriously wounded all lying around in a very small area.

. . .The injured were taken to Nasser hospital, only about 500 meters away.
In the space of ten minutes Nasser hospital received 70 patients, all
requiring critical emergency surgery. 16 people have died, several are
still on the critical list.

. . .

A family decided to move in with their relatives in the town last week.
Their 17 year old son was killed-- in front of their eyes when they went out
after the tanks had gone from their street--by the rocket. All he was doing
was making sure their relatives were safe. We visited and sat with the
family and the small daughter pulled up her dress to show us that she had
had shrapnel removed from her abdomen.

The pharmacist over the road, an elderly gentleman, had had shrapnel removed
from his wrist, but had lost the sight in his left eye. As the rocket had
exploded a meter above the ground there was no damage to the road . . .These
modern weapons are devised to damage people, not buildings: I find that
sickening.

I want you to know that the Israelis described that night as "A SUCCESSFUL
OPERATION"

. . .Back at the hospital we were shown where bullets had gone through
windows:
An employee was killed in the library on another night last week. Bullet
pock marks were visible all over the outside of the hospital. This firing
comes from the most sinister thing on the horizon....there is a crane...a
very high one, and from it dangles a metal 'box' . . . This box holds the
means to fire bullets up to 5 kilometers with accuracy. The firing is done
by people who have computers and are on the ground, well away from the
crane.

Last night we woke at 2.30am to the sound of firing and there were orange
flares in the sky above us. We could not see where the firing was and as it
seemed to get further away we went back to sleep....but not until we had
solved a mystery noise which I had kept hearing the previous night too.
It was two large owls courting on the roof outside our room. It just seemed
incredible that in the midst of firing and horror they were just telling
each other how beautiful they looked!

with love to you all.
SUE