August 25: Yassin Ibrahim al-Biltaji, 23; Farhana Ibrahim al-‘Attrar, 48; Raddad Ahmad Tanboura, 78; Hani Mohammad Yassin, 20; Bassem Hassan Hijazi, 36; Ahmad Taysir Fahmi al-Daali, 28; Saad Bassem aj-Jour, 21; Osama Mohammad Shbeir, 25; Abdullah Murtaja.
August 26: Mohammad Mo’in Abu ‘Ajwa; Hasan Omar as-Awwad; Shadi ‘Oleiwa, 26; Salem Mohammaden, 26; Mohammad Abdul-Rahman Thaher, 49; Samer Midhat Hamad, 24; Mohammad Majdi Za’anin; Yousef Ghannam; Mohammad Saleh ar-Ribaty, 18; Ahmad Kamel Jarboa’, 26; Omar Husam al-Breem (child); Mohammad Husam al-Breem (child).
August 29: Mohammad al-Ma’sawani, 22; Widad Abu Zeid.
September: Bassem ‘Ajjour, 55; Ziad ar-Reefy, 9; Nasser Abu Maraheel, 42; ‘Etaf Mohammad ‘Ajrour; Mahmoud Suleiman Sheikh Eid; Mohammad Ibrahim ar-Reyati, 22; Rahaf Abu Jame’, 5; Samira Hasan al-Louh, 53; Abdul-Fattah abu Salmiyya, 72; Anas Taiseer al-Hinnawi, 22; Ayman Ziad Abu Jibba, 23; Abdullah Jibril Abu Aser, 24; Mohammad Riyadh Abu Aser, 24.
October: Jamal Abu Lebda, 50; Arafat Suheil Tafesh.
Notes
Introduction
1. Rania Khalek, “Israel ‘Directly Targeted’ Children in Drone Strikes on Gaza, Says Rights Group,” Electronic Intifada, April 17, 2015, http://bit.ly/1BmT8xd. See also Breaking the Silence, This is How We Fought in Gaza: Soldiers’ Testimonies and Photographs From Operation “Protective Edge,” http://bit.ly/1F1BKVv
2. Institute for Middle East Understanding, “50 Days of Death & Destruction: Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge.” September 10, 2014. http://bit.ly/1xTBcgo
3. The expression regarding putting Gaza on a diet was articulated by Israeli government advisor Dov Weisglass; see Media Lens, “Put the Palestinians on a Diet,” Information Clearinghouse, November 17, 2010, http://bit.ly/1DI7afX.
4. Food Security Sector, Report of the Rapid Qualitative Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA), Gaza Strip, October 2014, http://bit.ly/1KwPZDd
5. Mouin Rabbani, “Israel Mows the Lawn,” London Review of Books 37, no.15 (July 31, 2014), http://bit.ly/1rtE14c.
6. For more on these massacres, see Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza: A Graphic Novel (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2010).
7. Jean-Pierre Filiu, “The Twelve Wars on Gaza,” Journal of Palestine Studies 44, no. 1 (Autumn 2014), pp. 52-60.
8. Ali Abunimah, “Video Analysis Pinpoints Israeli Killer of Palestinian Teen,” The Electronic Intifada, November 21, 2014, http://bit.ly/1qJPy0q
9. Mouin Rabbani, “Institutionalised Disregard for Palestinian Life,” London Review of Books, July 9, 2014, http://bit.ly/VK2hl8
10. Rashid Khalidi, “Collective Punishment in Gaza,” The New Yorker, July 29, 2014, http://nyr.kr/1lSQLKv
11. Yusef Munayyer, “Israel/Gaza Cease-fire Dynamics Breakdown,” Jerusalem Fund Blog, February 5, 2014, http://bit.ly/WuwftG
12. Palestine Center, “Israeli Ceasefire Violations in Gaza and World Silence,” Jerusalem Fund Blog, December 7, 2012, http://bit.ly/1rohenH
13. Ben White, “What a ‘Period of Calm’ Looks Like in the Occupied Territories,” Al-Jazeera, February 22, 2013, http://bit.ly/1zTogG6
14. Mona El Farra, “Unknown Child #6: Horrible Tales From My Days at the Red Crescent Clinic,” Middle East Children’s Alliance, July 30, 2014, http://bit.ly/1FOFZCg
15. Ali Abunimah, “How Many Bombs Has Israel Dropped on Gaza?” The Electronic Intifada, August 19, 2014, http://bit.ly/1n6GdIl
16. UNDP, Detailed Infrastructure Damage Assessment, Gaza, 2014, http://bit.ly/1EfZp28
17. Ali Abunimah, “Israel Student Union Sets up “War Room” to Sell Gaza Massacre on Facebook,” Electronic Intifada, July 14, 2014, http://bit.ly/1jrPGhc. See also Abunimah, “Israel Setting up ‘Covert Units’ to Tweet, Facebook Government Propaganda,” The Electronic Intifada, August 13, 2013, http://bit.ly/1BpdmX1
18. Irene Calis, “Beyond the Apartheid Analogy: Time to Reframe Our Palestinian Struggle,” al-Shabaka, January 13, 2015, http://bit.ly/1KwREZu
19. Adam Horowitz, “Video: Diane Sawyer Misrepresents Photo of Gazans in Aftermath of Israeli Bombing as Israeli Victims of Palestinian Missiles (updated),” Mondoweiss, July 9, 2014, http://bit.ly/1LI63Pz
20. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Occupied Palestinian Territory: Gaza Emergency Situation Report (as of 4 September 2014, 08:00 hrs), http://bit.ly/1qhkyT4
21. Norman Finkelstein, Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2008).
22. According to Salon, “Within eight minutes, Rihanna deleted her tweet. Howard apologized, stating, “Previous tweet was a mistake. I have never commented on international politics and never will,” and Gomez followed up her “Pray for Gaza” Instagram post with, “And of course to be clear, I am not picking sides.” Remi Kenazi, “Tweet and Delete: On Gaza, Celebrity Courage—and Cowardice—Over Social Media,” Salon, July 31, 2014, http://bit.ly/1RjPsWh
23. Dave Zirin, “On Dwight Howard and #FreePalestine,” The Nation, July 17, 2014, http://bit.ly/1zNXajv
24. Robert Mackey, “Professor’s Angry Tweets on Gaza Cost Him a Job,” New York Times, September 12, 2014, http://nyti.ms/1J5zFHI
25. Sherene Seikaly, “Palestine as Archive,” Stanford University Press Blog, August 1, 2014, http://bit.ly/1uP3N5e
26. Mya Guarnieri, “The Blockade on Gaza Began Long Before Hamas Came to Power,” 972mag, June 29, 2011, http://bit.ly/1ILmVE8
27. Ibid.
28. Ari Shavit, “Top PM Aide: Gaza Plan Aims to Freeze the Peace Process,” Haaretz, October 6, 2004, http://bit.ly/1kBiaoA
29. Gisha, Disengaged Occupiers: The Legal Status of Gaza, January 2007, http://bit.ly/1FTmRFf
30. Mohammed Samhouri, Gaza Economic Predicament One Year after the Disengagement: What Went Wrong? Middle East Brief no. 12, November 2006, http://bit.ly/1ySlraO
31. Robin Wright, “Rice Cites Concerns for Palestinians, but Low Expectations Mark Visit,” Washington Post, October 5, 2006, http://wapo.st/1HtRdci
32. Gisha, Restrictions on the Transfer of Goods to Gaza: Obstruction and Obfuscation, January 2010, http://bit.ly/1EuG74y
33. Tim McGirk, “One Year Since Israel’s Offensive, Gaza Still Suffers,” Time, December 28, 2009, http://ti.me/1GAaOLQ
34. Muna Dajani, “Drying Palestine: Israel’s Systemic Water War,” al-Shabaka, September 4, 2014, http://bit.ly/1FASss5
35. Lena Odgaard, “Gaza Farmers Struggle in War Aftermath,” al-Jazeera, October 7, 2014, http://bit.ly/1v5PKHO
36. Rashid Khalidi, “Collective Punishment in Gaza,” The New Yorker, July 29, 2014, http://nyr.kr/1lSQLKv
37. “Eight months after Gaza war, ‘not a single home has been rebuilt’—UN agency,” UN News Centre, April 23, 2015, http://bit.ly/1R1pswP.
Chapter 1: Everyone Is a Target: The Human Toll
1. Page 51 (photo): Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, “Israeli Assault on Gaza in Numbers,” August 28, 2014, http://bit.ly/1BNtmSF
Chapter 2: Destitute by Design: Making Gaza Unlivable
1. “50 Days of Death & Destruction: Israel’s ‘Operation Protective Edge,’” Institute for Middle East Understanding, http://bit.ly/1xTBcgo. See also “Report: Rebuilding Gaza to Cost $7.8 Billion,” Ma’an News Agency, September 4, 2014, http://bit.ly/1G6o0mR.
2. Bloodlust in Israel: “Flatten Gaza, Send It Back to Middle Ages, They Need to Die,” RT, November 19, 2012, http://bit.ly/1K4xVgK
3. Page 73 (photo): Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, “Israeli Assault on Gaza in Numbers,” August 28, 2014, http://bit.ly/1BNtmSF
4. Page 81 (photo): The estimated number of amputees is provided in Mohammed Omer, “Prosthetic Limbs: A fresh start for War Wounded Gazans,” Middle East Eye, December 8, 2014, http://bit.ly/1wlb0YB
5. Page 117 (photo): Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, “Israeli Assault on Gaza in Numbers,” August 28, 2014, http://bit.ly/1BNtmSF
Chapter 4: Gaza Burns, the World Responds: Analysis and Comment
ary
1. Page 153 (photo): The description comes from “Shujaiyya: A Moonscape Strewn with Bodies,” Ma’an News Agency, July 20, 2014, http://bit.ly/1FfRjWl. The number of those killed that day is from “Names of Palestinians Killed in the War on Gaza since 8 July,” International Middle East Media Center, October 11, 2014, http://bit.ly/1mYswQn
2. Chris McGreal, “Capture of Soldiers Was ‘Act of War’ Says Israel,” Guardian, 13 July 2006, http://bit.ly/1GICFLe.
3. Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War, Human Rights Watch, vol. 19, no. 5(E), September 2007, p. 13, www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/lebanon0907.pdf.
4. “Israel Warns Hizbullah War Would Invite Destruction,” Ynet, 3 October 2008, http://bit.ly/1eim8l9.
5. Avi Shlaim, The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (New York: W. W. Norton, 2001), p. 101.
6. “Netanyahu: Hamas Is Islamist Extremism Like al Qaeda, ISIS,” NBC News, 22 July 2014, http://nbcnews.to/1fdsuCn. See also euronews, “Netanyahu & Ban Ki-moon Joint Conference on Gaza Offensive (Recorded LIVE Feed),” www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbpB50MQnQE, at the 12:30 time stamp.
7. Joshua Mitnick, “Israel Does About-Face Over Hamas-ISIS Tweet,” Wall Street Journal, updated 22 August 2014, http://on.wsj.com/1KTzD75.
8. “PM Netanyahu Meets with British Foreign Secretary Hammond,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2014, http://bit.ly/1IgttZq.
9. William Youmans, “Israel’s Mixed Message on the Threat of Hamas’ Rockets,” Al Jazeera America, 29 July 2014, http://bit.ly/1qJ0hrc.
10. Youmans, “Israel’s Mixed Message,” 29 July 2014.
11. Andrea Germanos, “Mounting Civilian Casualties an ‘Image Problem’ for Israel,” Common Dreams, 27 July 2014, www.commondreams.org/news/2014/07/27/mounting-civilian-casualties-imageproblem-israel.
12. See, for example, “Israeli Forces Use Palestinian Child as Human Shield in Gaza,” Defense for Children International Palestine, 21 August 2014,http://bit.ly/1ToyCaA.
13. Katherine Connell, “Netanyahu: Hamas Wants ‘to Pile Up More and More Dead Bodies of Palestinian Civilians,’” National Review Online, 27 July 2014, http://bit.ly/1IgtSv8.
14. Charles Krauthammer, “Moral Clarity in Gaza,” Washington Post, 17 July 2014, http://wapo.st/1jDCuFR.
15. “Netanyahu: Israel Seeks ‘Sustainable Quiet’ with Gaza,” CNN, 21 July 2014, http://cnn.it/1rDiGCZ.
16. Giora Eiland, “In Gaza, There Is No Such Thing as ‘Innocent Civilians,’” Ynet, 5 August 2014, http://bit.ly/1kkmJEn.
17. Thomas L. Friedman, “Israel’s Goals in Gaza?” New York Times, 13 January 2009, http://nyti.ms/1MXnoW1.
Chapter 6. 51 Days Later, and Counting: The Untenable Status Quo
1. Arundhati Roy, “Power Politics” (Excerpts), Third World Traveler (Blog), http://bit.ly/1C18lTG
2. Page 267 (photo): Information about the losses incurred to the fishing industry as a result of Israel’s assault appear in Mohammed Omer, “Gaza Fishermen Demand End to Blockade,” Aljazeera, August 9, 2014, http://bit.ly/1IOfrjZ
Afterwords
1. Page 279 (photo): The number of displaced is from “Gaza Crisis: Facts and Figures,” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, October 15, 2014, http://bit.ly/1n4buAk
Names of the dead
The names of 1,614 individuals killed by Israeli forces during its 51-day assault in July–August 2014 have been confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and are taken from “Names of Palestinians Killed in the War on Gaza since 8 July,” International Middle East Media Center, October 11, 2014, http://bit.ly/1mYswQn. (The names with an asterisk have not yet been confirmed by Ministry of Health.) Individuals listed after August 26 died from injuries sustained during the assault or from unexploded ordinance. For a more personal look at the victims, see www.beyondthenumber.org.
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About the Contributors
Ahmad Nafi is a contributor to Middle East Monitor and is currently working on a masters degree in Middle East Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies. His research interests include Islamic thought and political society in the Middle East.
Alaa Shamaly is a photographer and photojournalist who lives in Gaza.
Ali Abunimah, a cofounder of the Electronic Intifada, is the author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine (2014) and One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse (2007).
Gaza Unsilenced Page 34