Gazans; Specimens for Israeli Weaponry

This morning, I received some bad news from a friend of mine in Gaza. One of his friends was shot dead by the Israeli Occupation Forces. He was in his early twenties.
My friend also wrote me, in a previous letter, that he was "scared" and that he does not know when this all would end.
The alarming tone of the message reminded me with the Nativity siege in 2002. All these images and feelings from those 40 days came back to me. I remembered how it was to feel like dying everyday for 4 weeks.
I ask the gods to grand him the strength and courage to be able to deal with the after-math trauma when this is all over.
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Palestinian Injuries Suggest Israel is Using Chemical Weapons in Gaza
Extracts from IMEMC report for 11 July 2006

"The Palestinian ministry of health revealed on Tuesday that the Israeli army has used a new type of explosive in its offensive on the Gaza Strip. These explosives contain toxics and radioactive materials which burn and tear the victim's body from the inside and leave long term deformities.
The ministry called upon the international community and the humanitarian organizations to send an international medical team to examine the victims and confirm the truth about these banned weapons that Israel appears to be using.

"Dr. Jom'a Al Saka the spokesperson of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza [said], 'When the Shrapnel hit the body, it causes very strong burns that destroy the tissues around the bones. When these shrapnel enters the body, it burns and destroys internal organs, like the liver, kidneys and the Spleen and other organs and makes saving the wounded almost impossible. As a surgeon, I have seen thousands of wounds during the Intifada, but nothing was like this weapon.' "