GAZA: The deaths of the al Dalu family in Gaza bring back memories for another family which lost 29 relatives in Operation 'Cast Lead'

Record ID: 349631

  • Title: GAZA: The deaths of the al Dalu family in Gaza bring back memories for another family which lost 29 relatives in Operation 'Cast Lead'
  • Date: 19th November 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IBRAHIM ALSAMOUNI, WHO LOST TWO OF HIS CHILDREN IN 2009, SAYING: "We have a total of 29 martyrs (killed in 2009) in the home of Wael, this red house behind me. It suffered so much destruction, there used to be 100 people in it. We spent one night sleeping in it the house and the next night we wanted to use the tin to sleep on and they hit us with missi
  • Embargoed: 4th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Gaza
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVA745CQWT0243MEBG4HDNVA2CDX
  • Story Text: Abu Salah died, his wife died. Abu Tawfiq died, his son died, his wife also died. Mohammed Ibrahim died, and his mother died. Ishaq died and Nasar died. The wife of Nael Samouni died. Many people died, these were the words uttered by 13-year-old Ahmed AlSamouni from a hospital bed in Gaza city during operation 'Cast Lead' in 2009.
    On Monday (November 19), the grieving al Samouni family remembered the day they lost a multitude of family members and called for peace in the current conflict.

    "We have a total of 29 martyrs (killed in 2009) in the home of Wael, this red house behind me. It suffered so much destruction," said Ibrahim al Samouni.

    "This war - we don't want it. We hope that we can have peace between us and the rest of the world. We want to live in peace like the rest of the world without war because war is destruction," he added.
    The al Dalu family buried nine of its members on Monday (November 18) after the single most deadly airstrike in Israel's "Operation Pillar of Defence". Four of the dead were children and the news of their deaths brought back memories of the al Samouni family's loss.
    At least 90 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza offensive so far, about half of them non-combatants, including 22 children, medical officials said. Three Israeli civilians were killed on Thursday by Palestinian rockets.
    Some residents of the al Zeitoun neighbourhood fled as the exchange of fire between Israel and Palestinian militants continued.

    "I don't know where to go," said Im Saleh Badawi, as she moved her family further into the coastal enclave and from the Israeli border.
    The deaths of the al Dalu family in an air strike on Sunday (November 18) drew more international calls for an end to hostilities.
    A 2009 report by the U.N. Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said at least 30 people were killed in the 2009 strike.
    Most were members of Samouni's family. The deputy chief of OCHA quoted witnesses saying that Israeli troops had ordered about 100 civilians to get into the house and stay there, out of their way but the following day the house was hit by Israeli shells.
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