I first heard about the Samouni family last night from
Sameh A. Habeeb, B.A., Photojournalist & Peace Activist
Humanitarian, Child Relief Worker working in gaza @ the site:
http://gazatoday.blogspot.com/
Breaking News: A Massacre: Samuni family says: Israeli soldiers gather
30 persons from Al Samoni family in one house. Ten families were in
the house from the same clan. Many civilians were killed as artillery
shells bombed the house.
This morning the Telegraph UK brought us worse news of this family from reporter Tim Butcher in Jerusalem.
here is the link to the Telegraph Israel strike kills up to 60 members of one family
In what the United Nations fears could be the bloodiest single attack of the Israeli assault, as many as 60 members of the extended Samouni family were killed near their homes in the Gazan town of Zeitoun while nine more died in hospital.
Dozens of bodies are believed to remain under the rubble of a large house hit repeatedly by Israeli shelling in the incident.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has formally requested permission from the Israeli army to visit the scene of the attack to establish the exact scale of the slaughter.
Israel has so far not granted permission to the ICRC due to ongoing fighting.
Palestinian ambulances have also tried to reach the scene but it remains too dangerous. Several ambulances have been hit by Israeli shelling and at least seven paramedics killed.
"There are many houses where we live and they ordered us into the house of my brother, Wael,'' Nael said.
Wael, 39, another survivor, said as many as 100 members of the clan crowded into his single-storey home with strict orders from the Israeli soldiers not to move.
Three teenage members of the family – Walid, Moussa and Imad – were taken away for questioning by the Israeli army while the remainder waited anxiously without adequate food or water until night fell and fighting intensified outside.
They thought they had survived the night when at 6.35am on Monday the house was suddenly hit by a shell that brought the roof down. It was then hit again and again.
Photo at the link.
My prayers go out to any remaining members of this family, and all the innocents people of Gaza.