Saud Abu Ramadan: The situation in Gaza is unbearable
Story Transcript
ZAA NKWETA, PRESENTER: More conflict in Gaza. An estimated 350,000 Gazans crossed into Egypt after at least 15 explosions blasted apart two-thirds of the separation wall. Israel completely sealed off Gaza last week, citing increased rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. The Real News spoke to Saud Abu Ramadan, an independent Palestinian journalist in Gaza.
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SAUD ABU RAMADAN, JOURNALIST: Early this morning, we woke up hearing explosions in Rafah town. And when we asked about those explosions, they said that Hamas militants are blowing up the fence of the borders and allowing thousands of people entering into Egypt to get their needs of food supplies. Today, I was there at Rafah border area. Hundreds of thousands of men, women, children, they entered into Egypt, buying all kinds of food products. Even I saw people carrying goats, lambs, and sheep, carrying them and bringing them from Egypt to sell them in Gaza for two things: one, for their homes, for themselves; and second, many of them are making good business out of it, because the prices of those materials in Egypt are very much less than the prices are sold in the Gaza strip. Hamas did not officially claim responsibility, but eyewitnesses in Rafah said that those who blew up the fence are members of al-Qassam Brigade, Islamic Hamas movement’s armed wing. Within the last seven days, the deposed government of Hamas, and Hamas movements as well, had used the Israeli tightened measures of the closures on the Gaza strip in a media war, in media propaganda on televisions, radios and newspapers, urging all reporters and journalists in the Gaza strip to focus on this tightened measure. Within the last seven days after the Israeli decision to tighten the security measures imposed on the Gaza strip, basic foods were not allowed into the Gaza strip, with shortage of a fuel that has caused in the last couple of days a complete blackout all over Gaza city, with 800,000 population. The situation in Gaza is unbearable. Regardless of what Hamas is doing in Gaza, okay, Hamas is the authority that controls the Gaza strip. It’s not the population’s–the problem, okay. They are helpless. They are weak. They are poor. And they cannot bear more pressure on them. Israel wants the population to revolt against Hamas, and Hamas wants the population to revolt against Israel and against Abbas’ authority. And the United States want the population to act against Hamas. I don’t think that the population has this magic ability. As long as the conflict is going on between Hamas and Israel, between Hamas and Fatah, between the Palestinians and Israel, nobody expecting that this closure is going to be lifted soon.
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
Story Transcript
ZAA NKWETA, PRESENTER: More conflict in Gaza. An estimated 350,000 Gazans crossed into Egypt after at least 15 explosions blasted apart two-thirds of the separation wall. Israel completely sealed off Gaza last week, citing increased rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. The Real News spoke to Saud Abu Ramadan, an independent Palestinian journalist in Gaza.
SAUD ABU RAMADAN, JOURNALIST: Early this morning, we woke up hearing explosions in Rafah town. And when we asked about those explosions, they said that Hamas militants are blowing up the fence of the borders and allowing thousands of people entering into Egypt to get their needs of food supplies. Today, I was there at Rafah border area. Hundreds of thousands of men, women, children, they entered into Egypt, buying all kinds of food products. Even I saw people carrying goats, lambs, and sheep, carrying them and bringing them from Egypt to sell them in Gaza for two things: one, for their homes, for themselves; and second, many of them are making good business out of it, because the prices of those materials in Egypt are very much less than the prices are sold in the Gaza strip. Hamas did not officially claim responsibility, but eyewitnesses in Rafah said that those who blew up the fence are members of al-Qassam Brigade, Islamic Hamas movement’s armed wing. Within the last seven days, the deposed government of Hamas, and Hamas movements as well, had used the Israeli tightened measures of the closures on the Gaza strip in a media war, in media propaganda on televisions, radios and newspapers, urging all reporters and journalists in the Gaza strip to focus on this tightened measure. Within the last seven days after the Israeli decision to tighten the security measures imposed on the Gaza strip, basic foods were not allowed into the Gaza strip, with shortage of a fuel that has caused in the last couple of days a complete blackout all over Gaza city, with 800,000 population. The situation in Gaza is unbearable. Regardless of what Hamas is doing in Gaza, okay, Hamas is the authority that controls the Gaza strip. It’s not the population’s–the problem, okay. They are helpless. They are weak. They are poor. And they cannot bear more pressure on them. Israel wants the population to revolt against Hamas, and Hamas wants the population to revolt against Israel and against Abbas’ authority. And the United States want the population to act against Hamas. I don’t think that the population has this magic ability. As long as the conflict is going on between Hamas and Israel, between Hamas and Fatah, between the Palestinians and Israel, nobody expecting that this closure is going to be lifted soon.
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.