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Gaza Observes 1st Anniversary of Israeli Offensive

   About  1,400  Palestinians  and  13  Israelis were killed, millions of
   dollars  worth  of  Gazan infrastructure damaged in the 22-day Israeli
   attack on the territory

   VOA News 27 December 2009

Photo: AP

   A  Palestinian  Hamas  security officer stands next to a poster of the
   Palestinian  parliament  building before and after Israel's offensive,
   in Gaza City, Sunday, 27 Dec. 2009

   Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have held a minute's silence to observe
   the  first anniversary of Israel's launch of a major offensive against
   the territory's Hamas rulers.
   Sirens  wailed  across  Gaza  Sunday  morning, marking the moment that
   Israeli  warplanes  began  simultaneous  strikes  on  Hamas targets on
   December  27, 2008. Israel said the air and ground offensive was aimed
   at stopping years of rocket attacks from Gaza on Israeli communities.
   By  the  time  Israel  and  Hamas  declared  unilateral cease-fires on
   January  18 this year, the war had killed about 1,400 Palestinians and
   13  Israelis.  Israel's  bombardment  also  left many parts of Gaza in
   ruins.
   Gazans  largely  have  been  unable  to  rebuild due to an Israeli and
   Egyptian  blockade of the territory that has been in place since Hamas
   seized power there in 2007.
   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement Sunday there is
   a  "sense  of  hopelessness"  in Gaza among its 1.5 million residents,
   half  of  whom  are  under  18  years old. He says the fates of Gaza's
   people and their Israeli neighbors are intimately connected.
   Israel   and   Egypt  allow  aid  into  Gaza  but  block  delivery  of
   construction materials that Israel fears could be diverted to military
   use by militants.
   Human  rights  groups  have accused Israel and Hamas of committing war
   crimes  during  the 22-day long conflict - accusations that both sides
   deny.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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