SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS
»»Baby and 7 children among dead »»UN blasts ‘outrageous’ Israeli attack
THIS innocent baby girl, killed by tear gas fumes, is the latest tragic victim of the conflict in Gaza.
Devastated relatives wept over the body of eight-month-old Laila al-ghandour after medics admitted defeat in their battle to revive her.
And her death came among chaotic scenes here on the Gaza/israel border.
There were nearly 60 funerals in the Gaza strip yesterday as Palestinians buried those shot the day before.
Worldwide outrage was growing at Israel’s use of live bullets to quell disturbances and there were fears the protests yesterday would be even bigger.
But Hamas leaders scaled down demonstrations and it was significantly quieter across the border region as families took time to bury loved ones.
Gaza authorities said 2,700 people had been injured with 1,359 suffering bullet wounds. Of the dead, eight were under 16 and the toll was expected to rise.
SCREAMING
Locals in Gaza said Laila had been left at home with her uncle while mum Mariam, 17, went toward the border to help her husband with protests. When she started crying, her uncle brought her to see Mariam and she inhaled the lethal fumes.
Her gran, who was not named, said: “Suddenly my son cried at me that Lolo was weeping and screaming.
“I took her further away. When we got home, the baby stopped crying and I thought she was asleep. I took her to the children’s hospital and the doctor told me she was martyred.”
Phone camera footage from the scene showed grieving family members cradling and kissing Laila’s little body.
Monday was the deadliest day in Gaza since the 2014 war.
There was anger at the scenes of celebration in Jerusalem as Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, led partying at the new US embassy.
Barely 60 miles away, a horrendous massacre was taking place under the eyes of the world. Israel’s use of live ammunition has drawn widespread condemnation – notably from Turkey, which expelled the Israeli ambassador yesterday and has recalled its envoys to Israel and America.
Ilan Goldenberg, a former State Department and Pentagon official who runs the Middle East programme at the Centre for a New American Security,
said: “Traditionally, we’ve tried to play a role of fireman in the Middle East. Now we’re playing the role of arsonist.”
The Palestinian Authority’s leaders condemned the “massacre” and top UN human rights official Zeid Ra’ad al-hussein tweeted: “Shocking killing of dozens, injury of hundreds by Israeli live fire in Gaza must stop now.
“The right to life must be respected. Those responsible for outrageous human rights violations must be held to account. The int’l community needs to ensure justice for victims.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-yves Le Drian criticised the US for unilateral acts. He said: “The situation in the Middle East is explosive, violence is doing the talking, war could loom.”
The Arab League called a crisis meeting to discuss the “illegal” US embassy shift and the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation called it an “attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people”.
Five US congressmen have issued a statement condemning Israel.
It held President Trump’s “provocative decision” to relocate the US embassy responsible for emboldening Israeli reactions to the protesters, saying it culminated “in some of the highest levels of violence experienced in the area in weeks”.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to justify the military action, saying: “Every country has an obligation to defend its borders.
“The Hamas terrorist organisation declares its intention to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal. We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and our citizens.”
And the US ambassador to the UN told an emergency Security Council meeting that ally Israel had acted with restraint in the face of provocation from Hamas.
Nikki Haley said: “No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.
“In fact, the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained.”