By Larry Jones
It certainly appears not. The video below shows the desperation of the people of Gaza who are being denied any humanitarian assistance to enter the strongly blockaded area. After the vicious attacks by Israel during December and January, Gaza is a mass of ruins. In some neighborhoods, all buildings, including homes were brought to the ground. More than 3,000 homes were destroyed and some 20,000 damaged by the Israeli attacks.
Amnesty International has said that “the victims of the attacks it investigated were not caught in the crossfire during battles between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces, nor were they shielding militants or other military objects. Many were killed when their homes were bombed while they slept. Others were sitting in their yard or hanging the laundry on the roof. Children were struck while playing in their bedrooms or on the roof, or near their homes. Paramedics and ambulances were repeatedly attacked while attempting to rescue the wounded or recover the dead.”
Various civilian groups around the world have sought to bring humanitarian relief to Gaza, the latest on a ship dubbed The Spirit of Humanity, which on June 30 was attacked in international waters by Israeli ships. The Israeli Navy abducted the 21 humanitarians aboard, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney as well as others from many other countries. The long standing cruel blockade of Gaza and the ruinous devastation from the war have left the people of Gaza to live under the horrendous conditions seen in this video.