GAZA CITY, 20 November 2006 — Israel called off airstrikes on the homes of two fighters yesterday after hundreds of Palestinians crowded around the buildings forming human shields, a new tactic that forced the army to re-evaluate its aerial campaign in the Gaza Strip.
But hours after the human shield protest, an Israeli aircraft attacked a car carrying Hamas fighters on a crowded Gaza City street. Medical workers said the two men in the vehicle and three passersby were wounded.
Earlier, the Palestinians began to gather around the homes shortly after the Israeli Army ordered occupants out of them. Israel routinely issues such warnings before attacking buildings.
Instead of leaving the buildings, the homeowners remained inside and were quickly joined by crowds of supporters who gathered on balconies, rooftops and in the streets outside.
“Death to Israel. Death to America,” the crowds chanted. Local mosques and Palestinian TV and radio stations also mobilized supporters. It was the first time Palestinians have formed human shields to prevent an airstrike.
The first incident occurred just before midnight at the home of Mohammed Baroud, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Baroud oversees rocket attacks on Israel. About two hours later, Mohammed Nawajeh, a Hamas leader in northern Gaza, got a similar call.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas arrived at Baroud’s home early yesterday to support the protest.
“We are so proud of this national stand. It’s the first step toward protecting our homes, the homes of our children,” Haniyeh said as he made his way to the roof of the house, decorated during the night with black and green flags symbolizing the Popular Resistance Committees and Hamas groups.
People loyal to various Palestinian factions — Hamas, Fatah and the Popular Resistance Committees — answered calls for help, crossing party and ideological lines to fend off the Israeli airstrikes.
Redwan Abu Daya, a 16-year-old Fatah supporter who lives near Baroud, said he was ignoring party lines because he felt a duty to protect his neighbor’s home from bombardment.
“I came here because everyone should be here,” Abu Daya said, while the nearby mosque called on loudspeakers for people to gather at Baroud’s home.
Dozens of Palestinian men milled about the dark street in front of the home throughout the chilly night. Some brandished M-16 rifles, occasionally firing into the night sky. Others clenched their fists or pointed defiantly into the air.
In the afternoon, dozens more, many holding automatic rifles, remained on the rooftop of Baroud’s home. A poster of Jamal Abu Samhadana, the founder of the Popular Resistance Committees who was recently killed in an Israeli airstrike, was draped over the side of the building.
Preparing for a long standoff, demonstrators said they had split into 12-hour shifts to guard the buildings around the clock.
The army said it called off the nighttime airstrikes because of the large crowds, but vowed to continue to fight the “terrorist infrastructure.” It condemned “the cynical exploitation by the terrorists of uninvolved people as human shields.” Still, Israeli military officials acknowledged they didn’t have a solution for the standoff. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to the media.
Also yesterday, Hamas fighters in Gaza fired two rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, moderately wounding one person. Last week, a Sderot woman was killed in a rocket attack.
Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, a moderate, hopes the unity government deal will get international sanctions imposed on the current Hamas-led government lifted.
The sanctions have made it largely impossible for Hamas to pay its 165,000 state employees, causing widespread hardship in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh acknowledged yesterday that despite progress in the talks, there still are no guarantees the new government would persuade the international community to lift the sanctions.
— With input from agencies
