A Year After the Gaza War: The Forgotten Children of Sderot
It’s been a year since Operation Cast Lead, and from the media silence, one would assume that all is quiet on the Gaza/Israel front. There’s been scant reportage of projectile launches coming out of Gaza into Sderot and southern Israel. That’s probably because people aren’t dying.
But a quick call to Sderot Media Center sheds light on the situation as it truly stands. There have been 283 missiles, rockets, and mortar rounds launched into Israel since last January. And almost every time there’s a launch, air-raid sirens sound to warn residents that they have 15 seconds before touchdown to take cover in bomb shelters.
Since 2001, the city of Sderot has been hit by 10,000 missiles launched by Palestinian militants based in the Hamas-run Gaza enclave. The entire town has suffered but those most traumatized are the children, whose nightmares return every time a siren sounds.
From toddlers to teenagers, more than 80% of Sderot’s 8000 kids are living proof of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many of them wet their beds, suffer bad dreams, suck their thumbs, experience chronic anxiety, sleep in their parents’ beds, and exhibit lingering physical and psychological manifestations that accompany life in an environment where they have had to scramble for cover in life-and-death situations.
Until now, they’ve had therapy resources available via the town’s Resilience Center Treatment Clinic. The center staff treat the kids’ symptoms and guides parents on coping with their children’s trauma. The center also serves as a safe haven.
But recently the news came that the Resilience Center Treatment Clinic, which is dependent on donations and subsidies, is in jeopardy of shutting down. There’s simply not enough money to keep it going. Rocket and missile barrages minus casualties have a funny way of turning formerly exuberant private donors into “we had to re-prioritize our spending” withholders. The Israeli government has also had to re-prioritize what comes from its coffers.
Is it time for the Iraq and Afghanistan approach to Gaza, occupy, seek, destroy and rehabilitate? If that isn’t acceptable then I guess it’s destroy or move?
I know, lets try the Obama way, the lib/left way, don’t report it, deny the problem and pretend it’s not happening. Makes sense to me, there can’t be a problem because I haven’t heard about it and besides we fixed any problem there was last time when we forced the Israeli’s out of Gaza. I wish the right would quit making these up these stories that are the cause of all the problems.
Simple solution. Every time munitions leave Gaza toward Israel, Israel sends munitions back. Gaza can shoot little rockets and small shells. Israel can shoot BIG rockets and BIGGER shells. When an 82mm mortar shell fly toward Israel, send a dozen 155mm shells back. When a 122mm rocket flies toward Israel, send back half a dozen 300mm ICM (cluster bomblets) rockets. Eventually the folks in Gaza will figure it out.
Western Media will go ape-sh1t, but they hate Israel and will do that anyway. The MSM doesn’t care how many Arabs in Gaza die, so long as they have something to bash Jooooooooos with.
Jews attacked is Israel? Who cares. They don’t fit in with the fashionable, international narrative of Israeli oppression against poor, Palestinian victims. Wait until Israel retaliates, then the news crews will show up to condemn Israel.
J “B” S:
Agreed. In fact, the Israelis have FC radars similar to ours (they may in fact be US gear), which can backtrack incoming fire in flight and direct counterbattery fire to the source. Tied to an MLRS battery the retaliation would be nasty and brutish, as well as short.
“It’s all in the terrorists’ hands,”
No, it is not. It is in YOUR hands! FIGHT BACK, ISRAEL! Why do you put up with this? I don’t know of any other cities or countries who would put up with attacks on their people, day in and day out, year in and year out, and DO NOTHING about it.
Shame on you, Israel. Defend yourself against those who wish to destroy you!
The Jews think they’ll be loved by “The International Community” if they keep taking the blows? Beyond naive.
Stephanie: if the God D Nazi Israeli government end their 42 years of occupation with the help of our federal tax $$$ I bet you there won’t be any missle attacks now would there? They are asking for it and they have it coming. f;;;;;;em the sad part on both sides are innocent children getting hurt…
Thank you for shining a light on this.
For those who want to make a contribution to keep the center open, here is a link to help you do so:
http://sderotmedia.org.il/contribute.html
That’s right, mr. First canaanite idolaters unlawfully occupied this land, then the jews, and after persians, greeks, and romans shuffled through, the land was finally liberated by Umar and jews were put in their place and divine law reigned. Now the misfortune of the Ottomans getting broken up by the League of Nations, and the jews are back, so of course it’s jihad until this occupation is over and jews are dead or dhimmies. Spain’s next?
mr, puh-leez:
Israel did end its occupation of Gaza- and guess where the missiles are coming from? Hamas openly, daily declares its commitment to one goal: the destruction of Israel. “There won’t be any missile attacks?” How gullible do you think we are?
Weapon-locating radar, counterbattery fire, and counter rocket, artillery and mortar systems, great reason and use for such things. Hamas? They make great targets.
7. mr:
Stephanie: if the God D[sic] Nazi Israeli government end their 42 years of occupation with the help of our federal tax $$$ I bet you there won’t be any missle[sic] attacks now would there? They are asking for it and they have it coming. f;;;;;;em[sic] the sad part on both sides are innocent children getting hurt…[sic]
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It doesn’t take much mental agility to call the Israeli government nazi.
But you are right about innocent children getting hurt. If only the muslim scum would stop targeting them and hiding behind them as human shields there would be so much less.
As a mental exercise I implore you to refute the fact that the muslim scum of Hamas, Hezbola, Islamic Jihad, and Muslim Brotherhood have not stated that there will be no peace until the Jews are driven into the sea. I know you can’t and suspect you will just call me a racist or some other empty insult. Enjoy your willful ignorance.
Correction: “As a mental exercise I implore you to refute the fact that the muslim scum of Hamas, Hezbola, Islamic Jihad, and Muslim Brotherhood have not stated that there will be no peace until the Jews are driven into the sea.” shopuld read “As a mental exercise I implore you to refute the fact that the muslim scum of Hamas, Hezbola, Islamic Jihad, and Muslim Brotherhood have stated that there will be no peace until the Jews are driven into the sea.”
phrance: how are you doing sonny? happy holidays!!!
Islamic Jihad, Hezbola, Hamas the Iranian government are all despicable. i think you are ill informed and people like you tend to make racist remarks.. that however does not make you racist. the fact that they want to see the israelis driven to the sea makes them terrorist. how is that phranc?
14. mr:
phrance: how are you doing sonny? happy holidays!!!
Islamic Jihad, Hezbola, Hamas the Iranian government are all despicable. i think you are ill informed and people like you tend to make racist remarks.. that however does not make you racist. the fact that they want to see the israelis driven to the sea makes them terrorist. how is that phranc?
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I like how you capitalize islamic jihad, hamas and hezbola but not my name or Israeli. It shows where you put your respect.
Now to show you that you don’t have the understanding of a high school drop out.
For starters what exactly am I ill informed of? Nothing in my statements is factually incorrect.
What exactly is the racist statement I have ever made? Islam is not a race it is a religion made up of races. Palestinian is not a race either. It isn’t even an ethnicity. Palestine is a region like New England or the American south-west.
Wanting to drive then into the sea makes them genocidal savages. The same thing the Jews are accused of. A 40 year genocide where population has increased significantly means either the genocide isn’t working or it isn’t genocide. What makes them terrorist is the tactics they use. Launching rockets at civilian targets, using bombers to target large groups of civilians, using civilians as shields. Those are what makes them terrorists and cowards.
You have no credibility and little intellectual integrity.
all right phrance: i did my best no hard feelings…. as much as you like t thinks I really am a peaceful person… what ever
I really am a peaceful person… what ever
I’ll buy that. You ran away from Iran and into the same kinds of problems many Americans face – divorce (or widowhood), intermarriage, etc. etc. You burn up the keyboard whining about the “nazi” Israeli regime while having helped construct a murderous nazi-type regime in Persia yourself. You said so yourself, by the way, so don’t bother denying what you wrote here.
And now you hate the regime you helped install.
Nu? It happens.
And now, you are a frustrated old man, calling everyone “sonny”, thinking you are tossing authority around – hey, newsflash, dude – in America geezers get tossed into warehouses to die. And you burn up the keyboard on stupid fantasies? Keep an eye on that son of yours (the one with the Jewish wife) and make sure he isn’t checking out nursing warehouses for you!
Old man, get up from the computer. Go to the mall. Take a walk. Maybe you can get that Jewish woman you’ve been dating for five years to accompany you. It’s healthy! You need the exercise! Burn off some of that hatred, hurt and disappointment.
Oh, and go through your own comments here if you think I’m stalking you. Every personal fact about you is something YOU have mentioned. And some of us have long memories and know how to put 2+2 together….
Have a great day!!
Now to get to the article.
The reality is that the rich dwellers of north Tel Aviv and its suburbs don’t give a damn about the residents of S’derot. What do they give a damn about? The only give a damn about not getting bombed themselves – or if that is inevitable, getting to Lod Airport before the bombing takes place, so that they can run away.
These disgusting pigs want nothing to do with the vast majority of us who do the earning and spending and the living and dying here. They want to sit in their little bubble, the People’s Republic of Tel Aviv, sucking the rest of us dry and spitting us out when they’re done.
Stephanie Fried cannot afford to say these truths, even if she were of a mind to: these scum in the People’s Republic of Tel Aviv hold the money, and she is shaking the pishkeh (the beggar’s cup) hoping to get some help. But I can afford to speak unpleasant truths. I’m not shaking any pishkehs for anybody.
The irony of this. Ignoring the effects on the children of Gaza.
No child deserves to be terrorised.Just because others can criticize the actions of Israel does not mean we agree with the action’s of Hammas.
This view might not be very vocal,that is because it is bleeding obvious.
Israels’ children are suffering ,however the answer to this cannot be, ‘lets do worse to the children of Gaza.’
•children traumatised because of the incessant bombardment and because of the horrific sights they are subjected to in terms of death, mutilation and dismemberment;
•child injuries, including as a direct or indirect result of bombardment and of the Israeli army’s use of phosphorous;
•displacement, as homes are destroyed;
•deaths of relatives, making many children orphans;
•unnecessary deaths due to lack of medication for sick children;
•destruction of the education infrastructure, including schools, colleges, universities and the ministry of education
•creation of a sense of hopelessness as children see that their parents are unable to defend them, and that wherever and whatever they do, there is no escape from Israel’s bombardments;
•increased infant mortality as mothers are unable to get to hospitals for delivery
Other groups have looked into this,
The majority of children in Gaza are suffering from anxiety, depression or behavioural problems as result of their experiences of conflict and living through a deepening humanitarian crisis, warns Save the Children
Many children who they work with are not able to sleep at night for fear of soldiers returning. Others cry at the sound of loud noises, mistaking them for military jets and tanks coming to bomb their homes. Young children in Gaza are surviving under extreme levels of stress, which will pose long-term dangers not only for their mental health, but for the future of the region
Research currently being conducted by the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme suggests that the majority of children in Gaza are showing signs of anxiety, depression and behavioural problems, including aggression and bed-wetting
Some Israeli attacks were directed against UN compounds, including on buildings where Palestinian civilians had fled in search of sanctuary.
During the 22 days of the offensive, Israeli forces frequently obstructed medical care and humanitarian aid from those wounded and trapped. They prevented ambulances and medical staff from attending to the wounded and transporting them to hospital and in several cases targeted ambulance and rescue crews and others who were trying to evacuate the wounded.
Thousands of homes in Gaza as well as hospitals, schools, and the water and the electricity infrastructure were destroyed or damaged by the Israeli military
The ability to de-humanise a large group of people is breath taking.
.
16. mr:
all right phrance: i did my best no hard feelings…. as much as you like t thinks I really am a peaceful person… what ever
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Your best is strawmen and lies? I asked you exact questions and you didn’t in any way address them. Why? The truth to difficult for you?
And where did I ever say anything one way or the other about your peacefulness? It just goes to show you have no credibility when have to make things up.
ruvy:i did not put this regim in place and it is like you saying everyone in America put obama in charge
old man!!!! woo what is old to you anyways? ruvy: when you get a chance visit this site. it could really help you out.
http://www.babeland.com. do some shopping there.
Phrance: what did you exactly ask? Man you are one bitter person…
ruvy: by the way I did not run from Iran… I was smart enough to leave;;
Phrance: please be a little more specific
No Soup Addenda
No soup, sex, cool, carols, class, SEALs, or Gaza goyim for you!
. No soup or sex for you: “Just when every tactic in the book had been seemingly exhausted in the health care debate, Rock the Vote comes along with a new one: If you want health care reform, don’t sleep with anyone who opposes health care reform until his or her mind is changed:” http://bit.ly/7EPBv9
Or if he dumps you?
. No soup and no cool for you: “Eco-messages from some of the world’s top celebrity tyrants. . . the UNFCCC ‘high-level’ speaking lineup included officials of Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Cuba, Laos, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Belarus and the man himself, fixture of any major UN shindig, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran:” http://bit.ly/4Xhk1x
Nice, fair UN Eco-lineup. . .
(Read more @ http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1389)
21. mr:
Phrance: what did you exactly ask? Man you are one bitter person…
Phrance: please be a little more specific
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How am I bitter man exactly? ( see the word ‘exactly’ its in the questions you twice now have avoided answering and now claim ignorance of)I’m not the one who is making up lies and using argumentative fallacy when called out on those lies so please don’t project your attributes on me erroneously. You have no credibility and intellectual integrity.