Updates on the Gaza Crisis

In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful:

May the peace, blessings, and mercy of God be upon you all.

The 2-week old Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza has now escalated, with an estimated 800 Palestinians dead and over 3000 injured. Israeli air forces and artillery had first bombarded Gaza from the air, killing hundreds, mostly civilians, and now Israeli ground troops are moving into Gaza to fight Palestinians at ground level. This is where the real tension is expected to begin.

Hamas' homemade rockets, which are largely ineffective and inaccurate, are being launched at the Israeli border, which has so far killed 1 Israeli soldier and 4 others. 8 Israeli soldiers are said to have been killed recently by Hamas gunmen, which mainly compose of rifles.

Although we don't know how many Hamas members have been killed, we can say for sure that the vast majority of those killed are in fact civilians. More than half of which are women, children, and elderly. Israel has blocked off all humanitarian aid to Gaza, and has blocked all escape routes, making Gaza a jail. Civilians are told by the IDF to escape, but there is no where to escape to.

Earlier we had heard about hospitals and mosques being destroyed, but now the crimes of the Israeli forces have gotten disgusting: a Red Cross truck carrying aid and a UN school protecting women and children have been struck intentionally by the Israeli military. The Red Cross and UN always gives their coordinates to the military, informing them that they are not holding any Hamas fighters, nor are they smuggling any weapons, but rather they are giving aid to the Palestinians.

The Red Cross truck driver was in fact killed, with no warnings and nothing he had done wrong. The UN school had been bombed by Israeli aircraft, killing 40, mostly children, and wounding hundreds of others.

The intentional murder of the Red Cross aid workers, Press workers, UN, and civilian structures is absolutely disgusting. This goes to show that the Israeli Military is completely against medical aid going into Gaza, and against the protection of civilians.

Warnings from the Israeli government say that they are going to increase the violence, and Mahmoud Abbas had warned that this conflict will be a giant bloodbath. Still no word from the Arab and Muslim puppet governments, who are doing almost nothing to stop the fighting. Meanwhile, large protests all over the world, including my home town, are condemning this conflict and calling for a cease fire.

Reports everywhere are saying Hamas does not want a ceasefire. They are only telling half the story. The condition put by the Israeli military is that in the event of a ceasefire, only 15% of the humanitarian workers, trucks, aid, and medical supplies will be allowed to enter Gaza. This is even lower than the amount during the previous ceasefire. Hamas has disagreed with these terms, but whether this was a good idea or not is up to you. I say, Israel needs to withdraw right away, let ALL humanitarian aid get into Gaza.

From what we see, the fighting will continue, and the western powers are in full support of Israel. This war may take an interesting turn when Israeli troops begin to engage Hamas forces, but I don't expect them to put up much of a fight.

I ask all readers to pray for the civilians of Gaza, and anywhere where oppression takes place. Take a stand on the issue, get involved in protests and speak out against the massacre.