Black Saturday

I stole the title, Black Saturday, from a KABOBfest post, which I recommend you read. According to AlJazeera, at least 60 people were killed in Gaza yesterday, more than 96 since Wednesday.

I have spent all morning reading the news accounts. It's just so awful. I can handle it if I just look at the statistics, x number dead. Each time we checked the news yesterday the number went up. AlJazeera's English news reports make me say "Ya Haraam"......

but the Arabic station has more live coverage and leaves me in tears.


When I read the individuals' stories, it tears my heart apart. There were the kids playing foot ball a couple days ago, and 4 died. Mohammad from Rafah Today spoke with one of the kids that survived, a 9 year old that saw his cousin decapitated. Two teenage girls were killed. A mother died while she was preparing breakfast for her children. A young man lost both his legs when he stepped out to feed the family's goats. He was 20 years old with a new wife and baby on the way. A 6 month old baby was killed by shrapnel while lying in bed between his mother and father.


There are more, and more and more stories.

My kids went to school today. I can't believe there wasn't a strike. Yesterday they closed down all the shops in Ramallah, when people began to hear about how many had died. Many times they close the schools when there is a big Israeli action, but today, it seems they left them open. I usually object to anything that closes the schools, since I think educating these kids should be our first priority, but today, it just doesn't seem right to just go on with my day as if everything was normal.