Children hit hard as Gaza toll rises 


Injuries could have a lasting effect on Palestinian children, doctors say


By Heather Sharp
BBC News, Jerusalem 


The pictures keep coming. The blood splattered young faces, the glazed eyes, the limp small bodies.

The latest figures from Palestinian health officials say 205 children are among some 600 people who have died in the Gaza war. In the chaos, there are no statistics for how many are among the at least 2,900 injured.

As medics work flat out to save as many young lives as they can, child psychiatrists in both Gaza and southern Israel fear some children will never recover from the psychological damage done as the bombs, shells and rockets fall.

Dr Iyad Sarraj, Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, says "so many people" are telephoning his workers - although the organisation's headquarters lies abandoned with shattered windows and broken furniture after it was damaged in an Israeli airstrike.

"It's really terrible for children here now," he says. "I have been through so many of these kinds of things and this is the worst".

Long-term impact

He talks of a boy he treated five years ago. Grappling in the dark after his house was hit in an airstrike on a Hamas militant next door, he felt something wet.

"He realised it was the flesh of his sister who was blown into pieces. He was in such a state. He couldn't eat or smell meat for three years after that. I am sure he will suffer some kind of long-term psychological impact."

"This sort of thing must be happening right now as we speak," he says.

He can barely leave his home for fear of the fighting, and has been unable to visit the hospitals where he has watched television pictures of traumatised, badly injured children arriving.

"These children need help more than anyone. They look frightened, horrified, bewildered. They need a lot of attention but they can't receive it because their families are so terrified," he says. 
WARNING: This image contains graphic content


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But the effects of the war are plain even among his own family.

His stepdaughter Nour Kharma, 14, barely spoke in the days immediately after she heard her school friend and basketball partner, Christina, 15 had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

"She was in such turmoil, in a depressive mood, in really bad shape. She was always in tears," he says. "In the end I asked her to write about it."

"[When I heard,] I threw the phone and started crying…" Nour reads, in crisp English. "Her parents did the best they can do. But it wasn't enough, so the result was dying. What if my parents can't protect me…? Will I die too?"

She weeps quietly on the other end of the phone. "I feel very sad. I keep remembering her. I really miss her," she says simply.

Salwi Tibi of the Save Children, who lives in the north of Gaza City close to some of the most intense ground clashes, has also been monitoring the impact on children.

She talks of a two-and-a-half year old boy from Beit Lahiya, scene of heavy fighting, who was taken lifeless to the local hospital.

"He was not injured, his health was OK. The doctors told me the child died because of the shock from the sound of the shelling," she said.

And she thinks her own daughter, Malak, 7, is typical of many children affected by the war.


Palestinian children have lived with a fear of sirens for months
She began wetting her bed on the first day of the airstrikes.

"Wherever I go she follows me - even to the bathroom. As soon as she hears the shelling she puts her fingers and closes her eyes and shouts "stop them, stop them," says Ms Tibi.

"She can't sleep alone, she wants to sleep close to me and she puts her arms around my neck."

"If I had a computer I would let her listen to music and play games so she would forget, but there is no electricity, everything is silent, so all she can hear is shelling and bombing."

It is exactly these symptoms that are also prevalent among the children of Sderot.

The Israeli town close to Gaza has been hit by many of the 10,000 Palestinian rockets fired into southern Israel over the past eight years.

Four people have been killed and 100 people injured in the region since the start of the air campaign. No figures are available for the number of children, although one victim was a baby injured in the face.

Dalia Yosef, a psychotherapist and Director of the Resilience Centre, says her workload has increased with the rocket fire in the run-up to and during the war.

Any child under eight in the town has only known a life with just 15 seconds to reach shelter whenever the warning siren sounds.

"He has experienced the world as not safe - his house is not safe, his yard, his daycare centre is not safe… it influences the whole circle of the child's life," she says.

Yossi Haimov, 10, had gone out to play after school with his eight-year-old sister when he was hit by a qassam rocket in February 2008.

"It splintered his hand and now he can't use it," his father, Tashkent, said. "The bone was completely destroyed from the shoulder down. Only half of his shoulder is still there."


"He is definitely still traumatised," says Mr Haimov.

Previously a keen footballer, Yossi is no longer always outside with his friends.

"Now he's scared all the time… he's afraid to get hurt or get knocked over. Sometimes he gets very upset and nervous and he has panic attacks."

Research from Sderot says about 30% of children there show signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Mr Sarraj says about a third of Gazan children are suffering from psychological symptoms that needed intervention.

"Your mind doesn't ask from where the stress is coming. It doesn't matter if you live in Sderot, Gaza or in New York. This is the reaction of the human," says Ms Yosef.

Yes, I agree on that. Israel is a terrorist Zionist State.

They will surely pay for this genocide

Then those criminals (Hamas) are only learning the only language they understand. Israel should drop more more bombs if they cannot accept a lasting ceasefire.

PLC,let me ask u a very simple question,
Wat would u do if some body comes to occupy ur land and dictates everything u do?
I know u will be ashamed to give the answer.
But ur ignorant ass should know that the Palestines were there first.

plc group:

Then those criminals (Hamas) are only learning the only language they understand.  Israel should drop more more bombs if they cannot accept a lasting ceasefire.

It seems many people are not aware of the Zionist plans to invade so many countries in the middle east. They are planning to invade even some parts of Saudi Arabia. The problem with people is they don't like to research, to find the truth themselves, they like to follow what the popularity are following; I am sure anyone that read this book here http://www.geocities.com/alabasters_archive/sacred_terror.html will understand that Israel is a disaster in the Middle East, a very big disaster. They will in some point fire Nuclear weapons to some of the middle east countries to gain control and expand their territory. They called these territories their "Promised Land".

Muza:

PLC,let me ask u a very simple question,
what would u do if some body comes to occupy ur land and dictates everything u do?
I know u will be ashamed to give the answer.
But ur ignorant ass should know that the Palestines were there first.

This kind of people are not ashame of their selves, in the sense that, they will always regard any action by Israel as "normal" and "legal" in as much as it is aimed at killing innocent women and children. This kind of people are always happy to see blood being shed in the name of Fighting Terrorism.

Muza insha Allahu Israila sai ta ga sakamakon abinda take yi a Palestine tun a duniya, Allah zai saka musu.

Israel is a Terrorist State indeed!!

see below map of their so called "Promised Land"

Muza:

PLC,let me ask u a very simple question,
what would u do if some body comes to occupy ur land and dictates everything u do?
I know u will be ashamed to give the answer.
Bu[b]t ur ignorant ass [/b] should know that the Palestines were there first.

Israel was on their own when those criminals declared war against them and fired over 100 rockets in Israel without putting children into consideration.

Now, I'm on my own this 2009 just contributing on the thread and you declared war against me by firing rocket insult at me. A whole me for that matter.  I will still respond to you accordingly like Israel my beloved, but our own will be from this today till end of this year.

No UN will be allowed to broker peace here.  Useless and smelling ass of your mum.  Aboki without shame.  Go to Kano, it is the same thing.  Kaduna, jos etc they are the same.

plc group:

Israel was on their own when those criminals declared war against them and fired over 100 rockets in Israel without putting children into consideration.

Now, I'm on my own this 2009 just contributing on the thread and you declared war against me by firing rocket insult at me. A whole me for that matter. I will still respond to you accordingly like Israel my beloved, but our own will be from this today till end of this year.

No UN will be allowed to broker peace.  Useless and smelling ass of your mum.  Aboki without shame.  Go to Kano, it is the same thing.  Kaduna, jos etc they are the same.

NO, You are just confirming your Ignorant on the whole issue. But let me educate you;

Gaza was under Siege for 18 Months.

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender. Sieges involve surrounding the target and blocking the reinforcement or escape of troops or provision of supplies (a tactic known as "investment", typically coupled with attempts to reduce the fortifications by means of siege engines, artillery bombardment, mining (also known as sapping), or the use of deception or treachery to bypass defenses. Failing a military outcome, sieges can often be decided by starvation, thirst or disease, which can afflict both the attacker or defender.

If you know what Siege is, then it is clear to understand why Hamas was firing rockets into Israel, which killings fewer than 5 people since they started.

The QUEST is, whether HAMAS was firing rockets or not, Israel has plan to invade so many Middle east countries for their so called "Promised Land". Supported by the USA.

Awwalu please educate that ignorant soul.
They dont know anything they just start posting rubbish.

@ PLC GROUP
Nothing can justify the slaughtering 205 children out of 600 , nothing can justify the murder of 43 civilians in a school. please speak to your conscience and not from your religious bias as you made reference to Kano , Kaduna plswhats the correlation between Kano Kaduna and Israeli occupation of Palestine.

auwal87:

NO, You are just confirming your Ignorant on the whole issue. But let me educate you;

Gaza was under Siege for 18 Months.

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender. Sieges involve surrounding the target and blocking the reinforcement or escape of troops or provision of supplies (a tactic known as "investment", typically coupled with attempts to reduce the fortifications by means of siege engines, artillery bombardment, mining (also known as sapping), or the use of deception or treachery to bypass defenses. Failing a military outcome, sieges can often be decided by starvation, thirst or disease, which can afflict both the attacker or defender.

If you know what Siege is, then it is clear to understand why Hamas was firing rockets into Israel, which killings fewer than 5 people since they started.

The QUEST is, whether HAMAS was firing rockets or not, Israel has plan to invade so many Middle east countries for their so called "Promised Land". Supported by the USA.

They are still firing more rockets at me and no one will complain or protest when these idiots are insulting a whole PLC. Useless set of people. They always start trouble but they blossom quickly when realities set in. Useless set of people and with outdated religion

Lagosboy:

@ PLC GROUP
Nothing can justify the slaughtering 205 children out of 600 , nothing can justify the murder of 43 civilians in a school. please speak to your conscience and not from your religious bias as you made reference to Kano , Kaduna plswhats the correlation between Kano Kaduna and Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Is correlation not relationship? The Islam teach them violence, to kill non-muslems.

If you like post the pix here. They need more bombs. Though, I will be happy if Israeli troops besiege all the roads and allow only the children and the innocent civilians to pass. Then they can deal ruthlessly with those criminals.

Afterall, the civilians didn't protest when their people started it. Tomorrow they will start again.

Hezbollah tried it and when Israel withdrew their troops, they started celebrating victory with the so-called civilians that forced Israel to halt attack. I know these people will still celebrate once Israel halt attack.

plc group:


Useless set of people and with outdated religion

Is correlation not relationship? The Islam teach them violence, to kill non-muslems.

You should pls note i have never thrown any insults or abusive words at you.

To the point

It is really low, shallow in thought, blind in intellect for you to say 1.2 billion people follow an outdated religion. Anyway religon should not be dragged into this so lets talk on the topic.

You said the correlation is islam which teaches to kill non muslims.

It is important For u to note that at least 20% of Palestinians are Christians and Israelis have humiliated them, oppressed them as well over the years. Only 60% of the intending pilgrims were allowed to visit Bethlehem and Jerusalem in December. Don’t be blinded by our relgious hatred. The Israeli crimes are against humanity.

NOTHING CAN JUSTIFY THE KILLING OF 205 CHILDREN OUT OF 600. ISRAEL IS A TERRORIS STATE

plc group:

If you like post the pix here. They need more bombs. Though, I will be happy if Israeli troops besiege all the roads and allow only the children and the innocent civilians to pass. Then they can deal ruthlessly with those criminals.

Afterall, the civilians didn't protest when their people started it. Tomorrow they will start again.

Hezbollah tried it and when Israel withdrew their troops, they started celebrating victory with the so-called civilians that forced Israel to halt attack. I know these people will still celebrate once Israel halt attack.

You are still expressing your Ignorant.

If you don't know, Hamas is NOT a religious organization, it is a political organization, there are many Palestinian Christians supporting Hamas, as well as there are many Muslims who are citizens of Israel
.
In 2006, when Israel attacked Lebanon, it does not even know the exact target in Lebanon, they just bombed anywhere, any living thing is a target. They admitted that themselves (that they made a mistake in attacking Lebanon). They failed to weaken Hezbollah, and the Israel media and western media does not want to report that Hezbollah drive their forces out of Lebanon, but keep saying that Israel withdraws from Lebanon, which is untrue. Hezbollah forced all the Israel troops out of Lebanon.

auwal87:

You are still expressing your Ignorant.

If you don't know, Hamas is NOT a religious organization, it is a political organization, there are many Palestinian Christians supporting Hamas, as well as there are many Muslims who are citizens of Israel
.
In 2006, when Israel attacked Lebanon, it does not even know the exact target in Lebanon, they just bombed anywhere, any living thing is a target. They admitted that themselves (that they made a mistake in attacking Lebanon). They failed to weaken Hezbollah, and the Israel media and western media does not want to report that Hezbollah drive their forces out of Lebanon, but keep saying that Israel withdraws from Lebanon, which is untrue. Hezbollah forced all the Israel troops out of Lebanon.

The whole world was shouting that Israel should halt attack.

Now, if Hezbollah drove Israeli troops out of Lebanon and the media didn't report it, then from where did you get that fact hence they didn't report it? Stop ridiculing yourself.

Muza,
i could see about 14 pitures or so in ur posts against the 600 we read of. is either the media is not correct or you are representing the oppressed very well.
someone said here last time that hazeboulah won isreal last time and that hamas is planing to do the same so i wonder if these pictures are now representing the winning mentality.
i want hear one of you quote the hamas leader who said that they are going to make gaza the burial ground for the isrealites.
where did you get these pitures? u did not see the picture of isreali prime minister and the coffin shown besde him by hamas as the cffin they are going to use for him?
i am really surprised that all of you sympathizers will still be here next year instead of going down there and register urselves for suicide mission. go and wear bombs arround your body and enter isreal at least to enjoy the benefits of 14 virgins after death.
please when next you are posting pictures, remember to include pictures of young and women suicide bombers as well as pictures of hamas sending rockets to isreal including pictures of isreali families crying at the burial ceremony of their family members.
why are we even wasting our time for people who are gone to enjoy the benefits of their efforts here. before i forget, remember to post the 9/11 pictures here.
trace all these hamas and hezeboulah leaders, their families are all in europe attending good schools and enjoying good lives while they preach to others to die in suicide bombing to have access to 14 virgins in heaven. by the way, won't 14 women for a man be a big punishment?
muza, u don't need to be here till next week, just find the easiest means of going to palestine so that we will see ur pictures in the next edition.

chidichris:

Muza,
i want hear one of you quote the hamas leader who said that they are going to make gaza the burial ground for the isrealites.

is Gaza part of the terrorist state of Israel. Otherwise what right have they to invade another mans land. Are the palestinians not justified to repel the Child killers of Israel?

Child Killers, eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avivim_school_bus_massacre

Avivim school bus massacre

The Avivim school bus massacre was a terrorist attack that took place in Israel on May 8, 1970 near Moshav Avivim on the border with Lebanon. Palestinian gunmen from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) attacked the town's school bus, killing twelve people, mostly children.

Early in the morning, the bus departed from Avivim heading with its passengers to two local schools, as it did every morning following the same route. This route had secretly been scouted by the Palestinians in the weeks leading up to the assault, and a careful ambush was prepared. As the bus passed the ambush point, just ten minutes after leaving Avivim, it was attacked by heavy automatic gunfire from both sides of the road. The driver was amongst those hit in the initial barrage, as were the two other adults on board, all three being killed as the bus crashed into an embankment, the gunmen still firing into the vehicle.

By the time rescue parties from Avivim arrived, the assailants were gone, and it also took some time for ambulances and military vehicles to arrive, allowing the attackers time to escape, unfortunately failing to arrive in time to save some of the wounded children who died at the scene. In all nine children (aged between six and nine) and three adults, all civilians, were killed in the attack. Nineteen other children were seriously wounded by the gunfire.
The attack is often mentioned alongside the 1974 Ma'alot massacre, also carried out by the DFLP, in which 26 civilians, most of them high school students, were murdered.

The gunmen were believed to be operating from southern Lebanon, and it was the increasing volume and violence of attacks such as this which prompted Operation Litani, the Israeli invasion of Southern Lebanon in 1978.

Typical cycle of violence. These people provoke the israelis long enough until they react brutally. At least in this article you can see where it states that the deliberate target of children was planned meticulously.

Despite the blockade of gaza, it's clear that hamas has managed to smuggle enough rockets and arm into the territory. If only they had spent that effort bringing in food. So what's clear is that any ceasefire is used by Hamas to stockpile more weapons.

The rockets they are firing are simple and unguided. They are of little use engaging an army inmotion. All they are used for is killing civillians.

So while Israel observed the ceasefire, hamas had been stockpiling and upgrading weaponry primarily meant for killing civillians including women and children.

Two questions :

1.WHY DID HAMAS START A WAR IT KNEW IT COULDN'T WIN

2. WHY SHOULD HAMAS PREFER TO LOSE MORE LIVES RATHER THAN SURRENDER?? _{REPUTATION IS ALL THAT MATTERS TO THESE GUYS}

Muza:

PLC,let me ask u a very simple question,
what would u do if some body comes to occupy ur land and dictates everything u do?
I know u will be ashamed to give the answer.
But ur ignorant ass should know that the Palestines were there first.

I agree,just like the HAUSAS got to JOS first !

Read about the Jenin Massacre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jenin

Read about the blood in the ibrahimi mousque

Read about the Nakba

Read about all the crimes of Israel against the palestinians

The palestinians have a right to resist occupation!!!!!

@terraz,

They cannot see those sites. They pretend as if Palestines or Hamas care for civilians in Israel.
Even women always involve in suicide attack.

Jairzinho:

I agree,just like the HAUSAS got to JOS first !

Don't mind stupid Muza. They still claim right during Jos crisis. Useless set of people. The Israeli troops must teach them a lesson once for all.

Lagosboy:

Read about the Jenin Massacre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jenin

Now we know the "Jenin massacre" was a fraud . . . a pallywood invention.

The death toll for this "massacre" was 56 palestinians dead (mostly terrorists) and 23 Israeli soldiers killed.

human rights watch says - 'No Jenin massacre' says rights group

Yeah . . . anymore "massacres" we need to know of?

Lagosboy:

Read about the Nakba

The term "nakba" refers NOT too 1948 but the 1920 riots where southern Syrian Arabs . . . popularly known as "palestinians" today rioted the decision of France to erect a wall to divide northern syria from the south.

George Habib Antonius, popularly regarded as one of "palestines" foremost historians (except of course he was Lebanese-Egyptian) writes on page 312 of The Arab Awakening, "The year 1920 has an evil name in Arab annals: it is referred to as the Year of the Catastrophe (Am al-nakba). It saw the first armed risings that occurred in protest against the post-War settlement imposed by the Allies on the Arab countries. In that year, serious outbreaks took place in Syria, Palestine, and Iraq."

For a day that is supposedly meant to remember "Israeli crimes" against arabs in 1948, it is suspicious that it was NEVER recognised at all until 1998, a full 50 years after the alleged Nakba. Yeah . . . don't count on muslims or arabs when it comes to honesty.

Lagosboy:

Read about all the crimes of Israel against the palestinians

No such fictitious crimes exist.

Lagosboy:

The palestinians have a right to resist occupation!!!!!

What occupation?

Lagosboy:

Read about the Jenin Massacre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jenin

Read about the blood in the ibrahimi mousque

Read about the Nakba

Read about all the crimes of Israel against the palestinians

The palestinians have a right to resist occupation!!!!!

Please no start o !

Please research how HAMAS publicly executed fellow palestinians who were in Fatah. The pictures are too gory to post.

Over 300 killed & 1000 injured,sadly no one complained on Nairaland.

So what you're saying is that Arab on Arab killing is fine,but from Israel its terrorism??  

@Lagosboy,

The palestinians have a right to resist occupation!!!!!

In other words, Hamas has the right to send rockets into Isreal indiscriminately without regard for civilians. If that is the case, don't you figure that Isreal has the right to defend its citizens by targeting Hamas while carefully aiming to avoid civilian casualty?

Tayo-D:

@Lagosboy,
In other words, Hamas has the right to send rockets into Isreal indiscriminately without regard for civilians. If that is the case, don't you figure that Isreal has the right to defend its citizens by targeting Hamas while carefully aiming to avoid civilian casualty[/size][size=8pt][size=8pt][/size]?

Just look at what you wrote and look at the topic

700 now slaughtered. 205 children out of the 600 killed, in mathematics that is more than 33% and a large chunk of the remaining are women. Is this what you call careful? Lets not offend God with this blatant denial.

Shelling UN school is carefull? The UN senior official in Gaza emphatically stated that no hamas fighter were in the school neither was any rocket fired from the school before the shellin.

Israel shelled a UN installation in Lebanon in 1996 killing 102 civilians and claimed fighters were hiding there. Enough of the israeli lies no one except a fool will believe them.

EVERY PERSON UNDER OCCUPATION HAS A RIGHT TO RESIST AN ILLEGAL OCCUPATION. Tell Israel to withdraw into its 1967 borders and vacate west bank and jerusalem then they would no peace. If they refuse to give up their stolen property they are on a journey of futility.

No matter how many people they kill, they cannot kill the spirit, they cannot and would not destroy hamas. Hamas is not a building it is a movement!!!

12 days of air attack, Ground Attack , Sea attack yet te rockets are still going into Israel. The war is lost as long as a single rocket is still fired from Gaza.

@lagosboy

it is either u are playing intentional Dumb or ur religious mind is blocking information from entering your brain

tell ur Hamas brothers to stop firing Rockets into Israel, the day they decide to stop the day the war would end

Where is Allah? I guess he is sleeping. Hamas leaders should wake Allah up from his slumber, so that he can come and help them.

Subhanallah!
Bindex stop this blasphemy,and tender an unreserved apology to muslims in this forum and seek for forgiveness from Allah.

bindex abeg make we respect people believe even if we don't share them