Sunday, 11 January 2009 - DAY SIXTEEN

For the 16th consecutive day, IOF continued their open offensive against the Gaza Strip. In the northern Gaza Strip, IOF warplanes bombed a number of Palestinians who were near their houses in al-Ghaboun area and in the vicinity of Oly al-Azm Mosque in Beit Lahia, killing 5 children, including two sisters, and wounding 7 others from the Ghaben family. IOF fired a missile at al-Karama apartment buildings in the west of Jabalya. The missile fell near the houses so Palestinian civilians living in the area fled. While they were leaving, another missile was fired, killing four Palestinians: a man, his wife, his son and an elderly woman.

During this day, IOF expanded their ground operations advancing further towards towns, villages, and residential communities, killing more civilians and destroying more civilian facilities. In the early morning, violent armed clashes erupted between the Palestinian resistance activists and IOF in Sheikh ‘Ejleen and Tal al-Hawa neighborhoods in the south of Gaza City. During these clashes, 11 Palestinian resistance activists were killed.

In the southern Gaza Strip, IOF moved into al-Najjar and Abu Tu’aima neighborhoods in the east of Khuza’a village amidst a barrage of white phosphorous bombs which exploded and scattered into burning fragments. IOF fired a number of missiles at al-Fadeela Orphanage, which includes a private elementary school inside, Dar al-Da’wa College for Human Sciences, a computer center and Dar al-Fadeela Mosque, in Kherbat al-’Adas neighborhood in the northeast of Rafah; the building was completely destroyed. IOF warplanes bombarded the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, south of Rafah.

The death toll of this day was 43 Palestinians, including 30 civilians; 14 children and 4 women. This number also includes 3 Palestinians who died of wounds

MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asaad