Occupied Jerusalem: 7 October, 2002 (IAP News)

At least 13 Palestinian civilians were killed and more than eighty others injured before dawn Monday when an Israeli helicopter gunship fired missiles at civilian onlookers near a mosque in Khan Younis in the central part of the Gaza Strip.

Eyewitnesses described the scene of the killing as “gruesome massacre.”

“It is a big massacre, Israel is carrying out a real genocide against Palestinians here. When will the world intervene to stop this genocide?” Said 23 Fouad Abdul Salam.

“How many more Palestinian children will have to be slaughtered by the terrorist Sharon before the world wakes up?”

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, an apache helicopter fired at least one missile at the crowd, causing the mayhem.

“As you see, it is a slaughter house, and it is all kosher, “ said Hasan Astal, who lost two of this relatives in the carnage.

“Shame on this world where children are massacred by helicopter gunships while hypocritical politicians in London and Washington look the other way. Aren’t we human beings, too? Isn’t this terror?”

Palestinian sources said dozens of Israeli tanks overran the Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis shortly after midnight and began firing artillery shells at civilian homes.

An elderly Palestinian woman was killed and other members of her family injured.

The invading forces didn’t destroy homes as they usually do in such incursions.

However, when the tanks withdrew shortly before dawn, hundreds of Palestinians left their homes and gathered near a Mosque at the Katiba neighborhood, apparently to inspect the damage.

At this point, an Israeli helicopter fired the missile directly at the crowd, causing the mass killing.

Palestinian official Sa’eb Ureikat appealed to the international community to pressurize Israel to stop “these daily massacres.”

“They are slaughtering our people en mass, this genocide has got to stop,” said Ureikat.

Palestinian leaders are supposed to convey this message to EU envoy Chaver Solana who arrived in Palestine Sunday in an effort to revive peace talks.

Solana was due to meet with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat Monday afternoon in order to press him to accelerate the pace of Palestinian reforms.

Solana held talks on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Benyamin Ben-Eliezer but the meetings were marred by the killing of more Palestinians olive harvesters by Jewish terrorists in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli army said the killings were being investigated, but human rights groups argue that the Israeli government allows the killing to take place in order to make life for the Palestinians unbearable so that they will eventually leave their ancestral land for the Jews.

------------

The names of those killed include:

1. Mohammed Hassan al-Astal, 15, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;

2. 'Abdullah Walid Salah, 16, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;

3. Ahmed 'Abdul Ra'ouf al-Astal, 16, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;

4. Fares 'Abdul Nasser Daoud al-Zaqzouq, 17, killed by shrapnel in the head;

5. Haitham Mousa Abu al-Naja, 27, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;

6. Ussama Mohammed 'Ali 'Aabdin, 23, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;

7. Eihab Helmi Dhib Khalaf, 22, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;

8. Ayman Mohammed Saqer, 35, killed by shrapnel throughout the body; and

9. Mohammed Mustafa Sadiq, 20, killed by shrapnel throughout the body.

10. Jamal Fathi Muhareb, 18, killed by with several live bullets in the neck and the chest.

11. Mohammed Farhan Shaloula, 23, killed with a live bullet in the back.

12. Rahima Hassan 'Ali Salama, 50, shot by Israeli soldiers in her home. Bled to death later.

13. 'Abdul Fattah 'Ali Suleiman al-Sallout, 40, was wounded in the chest by a heavy caliber bullet fired by an Israeli attack helicopter and later died