15th Day Under Attack: Death Toll in Gaza Reaches 811

From International Middle East Media Center

On Saturday afternoon, an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip killed seven civilians from the same family, sources in Gaza reported.

The bodies of three children from the same family killed in Gaza by the Israeli shelling on Monday – Photo by WAFA

Doctors reported that an Israeli missile was fired from an unmanned Israeli drone at a grocery store in the northern Gaza Strip, killing seven people from the same family. Doctors added that those killed were from the Abed Rabo family, including Randa Abed Rabo, age 45, and her son Soufyian, age 27.

Earlier, Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces shelled on Saturday at dawn residential areas located in Kahn Younis, Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and Gaza city, along with nearby refugee camps in the central coastal Region.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll in Gaza due to the continued Israeli attacks on Gaza now stands at 811, with 3,300 injured. Among the injured, 500 are in critical conditions.

The Israeli Army embarked on its military offensive on Saturday, December 27, 2008. Israeli warplanes began the military operation by shelling all the Palestinian security posts in Gaza. In the following days, the air raids were expanded. Hospitals, homes, blacksmith workshops, schools, and mosques were targeted. Day and night, the entire Palestinian coastal region has been under attack. On Saturday, January 3, 2009, Israeli ground forces entered the Gaza strip and have since divided Gaza into two sections.

Also on Saturday, Palestinian journalists protested in Gaza City against the Israeli attacks on them. On Friday night Ala Al Murtaje, a local journalist in Gaza, was killed while his mother sustained critical wounds when his home came under Israeli fire.

Al Murtaje is the third journalist to be killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Last week, Eyhab Al wahidi, who is a camera man for the Palestinian President office in Gaza, and Bassel Faraj, a Cameraman for Algerian TV were killed in a similar attack.

In addition, on Friday evening, Israeli jet fighters shelled Al Johara building, in Gaza City, the building which hosts journalists' offices working for local and Arab media. According to journalists, the missile hit near the studios of the live feed, nearly killing the journalists who were working inside.

Israeli has not allowed international journalists to enter the Gaza strip since the attacks started nearly three weeks ago.