"Blood and limbs and corpses were strewn everywhere, mixed with the flour and spilled oil. Even for the Red Cross team on the site, fresh from the agonies of the Second World War, this was too much. The team described it as "unbelievable horror.""
No, this is not a description from one of the recent atrocities in Gaza, but rather from the original "flour massacre", 75 years ago:
In January 1949 Israel's so-called "War of Independence" was almost over. The artificially-made "Gaza Strip" was already full of refugees expelled from the territory that became known as "Israel".
In the first days of the year, just before the armistice talks between Israel and Egypt began, the newly-founded Israeli air force launched a series of aerial strikes in the towns of Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah. Some of those strikes resulted in the first aerial massacres perpetrated by Zionist forces. The worst one was at the main square in Deir al-Balah, where the Israelis bombed a food distribution center, during peak time, killing more than 100 and up to 250 Palestinian refugees who were queuing for their food rations. These people who were just recently expelled from their homes, were now being murdered by the same people who uprooted them.
The excerpt attached here was taken from a book by Palestinian historian Salman Abu-Sitta, back then an infant refugee, who lost his uncle in the massacre.
For some reason, even though this is one of the largest massacres in the 1947-49 war, it is never talked about, and it's not easy to find info about it. If anyone has good sources of information regarding the incident(s), please share. Also, if you have access to the book about the massacre that came out a few years ago, "نزيف دير البلح - صيف ١٩٤٨", please let me know!
No, this is not a description from one of the recent atrocities in Gaza, but rather from the original "flour massacre", 75 years ago:
In January 1949 Israel's so-called "War of Independence" was almost over. The artificially-made "Gaza Strip" was already full of refugees expelled from the territory that became known as "Israel".
In the first days of the year, just before the armistice talks between Israel and Egypt began, the newly-founded Israeli air force launched a series of aerial strikes in the towns of Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah. Some of those strikes resulted in the first aerial massacres perpetrated by Zionist forces. The worst one was at the main square in Deir al-Balah, where the Israelis bombed a food distribution center, during peak time, killing more than 100 and up to 250 Palestinian refugees who were queuing for their food rations. These people who were just recently expelled from their homes, were now being murdered by the same people who uprooted them.
The excerpt attached here was taken from a book by Palestinian historian Salman Abu-Sitta, back then an infant refugee, who lost his uncle in the massacre.
For some reason, even though this is one of the largest massacres in the 1947-49 war, it is never talked about, and it's not easy to find info about it. If anyone has good sources of information regarding the incident(s), please share. Also, if you have access to the book about the massacre that came out a few years ago, "نزيف دير البلح - صيف ١٩٤٨", please let me know!
And here's an excerpt from an article by @AlnaouqA
Thanks @yanivcogan for the info!
Small correction:
"Some of those strikes resulted in the first aerial massacres perpetrated by Zionist forces."
Should be
"Some of those strikes resulted in what might be the first aerial massacres perpetrated by Zionist forces."
"Some of those strikes resulted in the first aerial massacres perpetrated by Zionist forces."
Should be
"Some of those strikes resulted in what might be the first aerial massacres perpetrated by Zionist forces."
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