Gaza City | The American Task Force on Palestine

Go back unto death: Life in postwar Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 17, 2009 - 1:00am

In one corner of Salah Samouni’s modest living room hangs a “martyr poster” – a customary honor printed for those killed in all Israeli attacks, in the West Bank and Gaza over the years. On the Samouni poster, the 29 faces stare back from eternity, from Muhammad Helmi Samouni, age six months, to Rizqa Muhammad Samouni, age 55. It was this oversize poster that Salah Samouni brought with him to the public hearing held by the UN Fact Finding Mission led by Richard Goldstone in Gaza City in June.

Hamas and Fatah wage rivalry on Gaza’s walls
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Erin Cunningham - November 26, 2009 - 1:00am

Mohammed Fouad’s eyes darted from place to place on the quiet Gaza City street. Puffing nervously on a cigarette, he began brisk strokes with an aerosol paint can and in just five minutes completed a near-perfect portrait of the late Fatah leader Yasser Arafat. “If they see me, I’ll go to jail,” Mr Fouad said, referring to the Hamas policemen who forbade him from writing or drawing any pro-Fatah graffiti on Gaza’s walls. “I’ve been to jail five times since the Hamas takeover because of my art.”

Two Hamas fighters killed in explosion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 24, 2009 - 1:00am

Two Palestinian operatives affiliated to Hamas’ armed Al-Qassam Brigades were killed and four others injured in a home-explosion near the Karni border crossing with Israel on Tuesday, local sources reported. The home, in the Ash-Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, was destroyed, though it was unclear what caused the explosion. The two killed were identified as Ahmad Abu Ghaniyya and Muhammad Nawati, according to the director of the ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, Muawiyah Hassanein.

Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli forces killed a young Palestinian man and injured three others in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday. Among the injured were two brothers, according to medics, who said the shooting occurred in the Johr Ad-Dik area and that another Palestinian was hospitalized. There were conflicting reports on what led to the incident. Palestinian witnesses said the group was on a hunting trip near the border east of Al-Bureij refugee camp when Israeli forces opened fire. Local medics said the fire was directed at the youths.

Goods Flood Gaza’s Tunnels, Turning Border Area Into a Shopping Mecca
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Rafah Journal
by Taghreed El-Khodary - October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

RAFAH, Gaza — Dusty sacks filled with cans of Coca-Cola were being loaded onto trucks by young boys, headed for supermarkets in Gaza City. Thousands of motorcycles were lined up on display in a nearby stadium, ranging in price from $2,000 to $10,000.

Hamas Finds Gaza Tunnels’ $500 Million Loss Worse Than Madoff
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Jonathan Ferziger - October 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Investment opportunities are rare in the Gaza Strip. So when Nabila Ghabin saw one last year, she pawned her car and jewelry and put $12,000 into a network of tunnels that brought in supplies smuggled from Egypt. She was one of about 4,000 Gazans who gave cash to middlemen and tunnel operators in 2008 as Israel blocked the overland passage of goods. Then Israeli warplanes bombed the tunnels before and during the Dec. 27 to Jan. 18 Gaza offensive and the investments collapsed.

Gaza's children struggle with memories of war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by Patrick Moser - July 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Fourteen-year-old Ghasan Matar won't talk about the explosion that cost him his legs and killed his brother. In fact, six months after the end of the Israeli war on Gaza, he still barely talks at all. He spends most of his time staring at the walls and a huge poster depicting his older brother against a bloody background of war featuring a Kalashnikov assault rifle and dead Israeli soldiers.

Gaza feud puts patients at risk
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Heather Sharp - April 6, 2009 - 12:00am

The World Health Organisation has warned that the latest twist in the feud between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is putting the lives of critically ill Gazans at risk, reports the BBC's Heather Sharp from Gaza City. Faik Abdel-Aal rummages in drawers of baby clothes in his Gaza flat for his favourite picture of his only son. His grief-stricken wife Hanna has hidden it again. Mohammad, who had a hole in his heart, died a week ago, aged a year and nine days. The couple are wondering who to blame.

Rights groups: Israel harmed Gaza medical workers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
April 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups said Monday they have collected evidence that Israeli troops attacked Palestinian medical workers and delayed the evacuation of wounded people during the recent offensive in Gaza. The Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights, along with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, called for an independent investigation. The groups said they collected evidence from 44 people in Gaza. The testimonies were gathered by five international medical experts commissioned by the groups.

Israel Anticipated a Stronger Hamas in Gaza War
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - April 4, 2009 - 12:00am

The small house near Gaza City posed no immediate threat -- there was no sniper fire or evidence it was wired with explosives. But as the Israel Defense Forces approached with plans to position soldiers on either side, Maj. Gur Rosenblat said he still regarded the structure with suspicion, and called in a bulldozer to tear it down. There was nothing inside.