A Cold and dark Winter in Gaza?

I am sure that the actions of shutting down Gaza are giving rise to innumerable stories in the overseas press concerning “humanitarian crises”, “occupation” and all the other buzz words. Hamas, as is to be expected, are claiming lives are being lost in hospitals yet there has been no independent confirmation of this.

United Nations representatives are talking in terms of “How would Tel Avivians feel if waste was flowing down the streets etc., etc.,

The facts are that the supply of electricity to Gaza from the Israel and the Egyptian power grids (124 Megawatts and 17 Megawatts respectively) has continued uninterrupted. These 141 Megawatts of power represents around 75% of Gaza's electricity needs.

While the fuel supply from Israel into Gaza has indeed been reduced, due to the Hamas rocket attacks, the diversion of this fuel from domestic power generators to other uses is wholly a Hamas decision - apparently taken due to media and propaganda considerations.”

It is the case that while the Gaza population remains in the dark, the fuel generating power to the Hamas rocket manufacturing industry continues to flow unabated.

Also the Hamas claim of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also greatly exaggerated. There is no shortage of basic foodstuffs, and Gaza patients who need treatment in Israeli hospitals continue to travel into Israel for care.

I received the following letter from a resident of a kibbutz that has been under kassam attack for 7, yes 7 years. She writes:-

"Yesterday 56 kassams , today only 40 but the day is not over yet.

Yesterday morning I was coming to work at almost 8:00 in the morning and the moment I enterd to Sderot 4 kassams landed in a few minutes. I had no place to hid,e the alarm screamed over and over again. I couldn’t move, I felt like I couldn’t even breathe. The smell of smoke and the sound is still real like I’m there once again.

I came home to our kibbutz, thought to my self a little quite, it was 17:00. After half an hour, 2 kassams fell and for 3 hours there was no electricity, it was dark and very cold. I did my best to make the children play with me and maybe have fun but I think they don’t believe me any more when I say that it will be alright.

We all do our best to continue normal life but what can I say? Nothing is normal. Today a kassam missed Inbar on his bus to school, the parents were histerical and everybody talked about the miricle but when I spoke with Inbar he dismissed it like it was nothing. I ask you is this normal that a 11 year old boy won’t be afraid? Maybe fear is his daily experience so it doesn’t count or mean anything."