BBC News
-
VIDEO: Drone footage shows migrants' arrival September 23, 2015
Matthew Price looks at one of the Greek hotspots for migrants entering Europe.
-
VIDEO: The Olympian who never gave up September 23, 2015
In 1992, 400m medal hopeful Derek Redmond pulled up injured in the semi-final of the Barcelona Olympics, but still finished the race.
-
VIDEO: Football legend Pele at 75 September 23, 2015
Football legend Pele is 75 this year. He talked to the BBC about what inspires him and what he makes of football today.
-
VIDEO: Pope Francis lands to cheers in US September 22, 2015
President Obama and his Family have greeted Pope Francis upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
-
VIDEO: Lesbos struggles as 4,000 arrive daily September 22, 2015
The Greek island of Lesbos is still struggling to keep up with the steady flow of migrants and refugees.
-
VIDEO: How much does making a drug cost? September 22, 2015
As Turing Pharmaceuticals raises the price of an Aids treatment, Daraprim, BBC News looks at how the pharmaceutical industry tries to balance the pursuit of profit with a patient's need to access medication.
-
VIDEO: Refugee crisis: Food and phone charging September 22, 2015
The BBC's Mark Lowen reports from a sports stadium on the Turkey-Greece border where agencies are providing shelter and food to refugees trying to reach Europe.
-
VIDEO: On the ground at refugee hotspots September 22, 2015
EU ministers have approved a controversial plan to relocate 120,000 refugees and migrants across the EU using compulsory quotas.
-
VIDEO: A guide to strange initiation ceremonies September 22, 2015
Initiation ceremonies are in the news, here are some of the stranger ones from around the world.
– GAZA’S BLACKOUT
More then 2,300 mortar shells and Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza strip toward Israeli villages in 2007 along the common border. Israel left Gaza in 08/2005, still under Fatah’s control and, through daily shelling, did not respond at all in the first 4 months, despite public pressure in Israel, assuming that restrain can calm Gaza more then any military activity.
After 4 month Israel began, reluctantly, to try to intercept the perpetrators themselves without targeting the whole Qassam infrastructure itself. Israel tried to avoid any provocation, retaliation or the killing of innocents. Despite a large Israeli civilian population which came under fire Israel continued to supply the basic needs of Gaza, water, fuel, electricity basic food and medicines. All restrain was in vain and the Qassam kept targeting Israel civilian life.
When Hamas took over Gaza in 07/2007 Israel, once again, restrained itself hopping that the Hamas will be over-occupied in establishing his rule over Gaza. Indeed the Hamas did significant steps to restore law and order and to put the Gaza civilian life back on track. The Hamas regime confronted all kinds of Militias and banned to carry arms by unauthorized civilians. Forces of Hamas forced the powerful Durmush clan, using the name ‘Army of Islam’, to release the British journalist Alan Johnston on 07/04/2007.
Although the Hamas did not shell Israel he did nothing to stop other organizations from doing so. Moreover, the Hamas supplied the PALESTINIAN Islamic Jihad, the Fatah affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and other organizations with Qassam rockets when there was a shortage due to Israeli activity. All that time Israel continued, in a bizarre situation, to supply the Hamas authority in Gaza, openly devoted to the destruction of Israel, with the basic needs.
After more then 120 rockets were fired on Israeli villages in the last week, Yesterday, 01/20/2008, Israel cut off the fuel supply to Gaza which blackout Gaza. The Hamas claimed that Gaza is facing humanitarian crisis and hundreds of patients in Gaza hospitals might die if the electric equipments, part of it supplied by Israel, will stop functioning.
- Israel is still supplying 65% of Gaza electricity and it is up to the Hamas authority to set priorities for the usage of electricity.
- Hamas can, in any given moment, to stop the shelling and the Qassam firing and to implement its responsibility on the territory rather then to cry to the Arab world for the rescue.
-
No country in the world can accept that a large civilian population is under fire for years without responding in some sort. A large scale military invasion to Gaza will be much more disastrous.
***************