MK Tibi: Beit Hanoun broke my heart
United Arab List-Ta'al head MK Ahmad Tibi tours Beit Hanoun with MKs and hear testimonies from residents
United Arab List-Ta'al leader MK Ahmad Tibi and a number of his colleagues on Thursday visited Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip where 18 Palestinians were killed a day earlier by shells fired by the Israeli army.
"There was a smell of death in Beit Hanoun," he told Ynet.
The Arab MKs visited a woman who lost 6 family members in the incident. "She recalled how each member of the family slept and how they were happy to go to school after Israel announced that it is halting the military operation," Tibi said of the woman.
MK Tibi in Beit Hanoun (Photo: Al-Arabiya)
Tibi said: "As I toured Beit Hanoun I felt a Tsunami had taken place in the area. Destruction was everywhere. I understood why IDF officers said 'we did in Beit Hanoun what we wanted.' They destroyed because it seems they could do so."
Tibi, as well as MK Ibrahim Sarsur and Attorney Osama Saadi, saw blood stains in the house of the family. "When we walked out with the accompaniers a woman shouted at me from the roof: 'Dr Ahmad, can you return to us?' I returned with MK Sarsur and it was a heart breaking sight. She described as she cried how every member of her family slept. She lost six of them – three brothers, a sister and two cousins."
"She said: 'Here are their clothes and what's left of them. That's Majdi's blood. Why did Israel do this to us? We didn't fore Qassam at them or hurt them. We just slept at home. Why did Olmert do this to us? Ask them why they tore our children apart? Maybe because we are Palestinians."
"We told her 'continue to be proud of being Palestinian.' She answered – 'I am very proud, but without the children.' It was a heartbreaking sight. It was an experience which I hope will never be repeated."
Hospital visit
Sarsur, Tibi and Saadi, accompanied by Palestinian Health Minister Dr. Bassem Naim, visited those injured in the Beit Hanoun incident at a nearby hospital.
“As a doctor, the most horrible thing is to see signs of gunfire on a hospital,” Tibi said. “The hospital’s director told me, ‘they fired at us, and then they closed the hospital’s entrance gate for 24 hours.’ It is hard to work under these conditions. Most of the injured were children.”
He added: “I’m tired, sad and angry, and I hope that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis will ever be subject to such a painful experience.”
The three also met with President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
“The both conveyed an important message of unity,” Tibi said. “We were glad to hear that they had already agreed on the guidelines for a unity government. I valued Haniyeh’s admission that he is relinquishing his post; this was noble in my eyes.
“Abbas said the factions must settle only three issues before establishing the unity government: The prisoners deal, the release of the Hamas ministers and parliamentarians and reaching a state of calm with Israel and internally as well,” he said.
