Gunmen explode YMCA library in Gaza

[Phx_Dem]

A band of 14 masked gunmen forced its way into YMCA offices in the Gaza Strip and exploded a library there, Israel Radio reported Friday.

Thousands of books were reportedly burnt in the ensuing fire. The YMCA in Gaza also operates a gym and a wedding hall.

The gunmen laid a second explosive device near a computer in the library but it failed to detonate. Two security guards on the scene were not able to block the intruders; they were taken by them from the YMCA and later released in the northern Gaza Strip.

The latest incident is another link in an ongoing chain of attacks against Palestinian Christians which has worsened since Hamas took power of the Gaza Strip last June.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203019388404&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[jxh261]

1. That's what happens when

...collective punishment is used on a population.

[Vegasaurus]

6. OH?

The Gazans turning on Christians is the result of "collective punishment", eh? How do you manage to blame the Israelis for the blowing up of a YMCA?

[Violet_Crumble]

8. Why do you keep on using 'Gazans' like it's a derogatory term?

The Gazans turning on Christians...

You do realise that Christians living in Gaza are Gazans as well, don't you?

[oberliner]

10. Less than 1/3rd of 1 percent of the population of Gaza is Christian

Between the Rami Ayyad murder and the YMCA attack one wonders how long even that minuscule number will remain.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. The point is that they're Gazans...

Unless yr privy to some new rule where only Muslims are Gazans. Because the poster I was replying to seems to have a habit of defining Gazans as The Bad Guys and exluding Christians from their ranks...

[damntexdem]

7. Actually, it's what happens when religion is injected into politics.

As Huckabee wants to do here to an even greater extent than national politicians have already done.

And as has long been done in Israel to justify the theft of more and more Palestinian land.

[notadmblnd]

2. uh.. huh.. now that they can't get into Isreal any more to do their

killing.. they're turning on each other. See they really are subhuman and all they want to do is kill, kill, kill. Oh that's right,, there was no killing in this story.. it's the building they hate and books, oh and computers.. they hate computers too. IMO the story is a crock of shit. It doesn't even make sense.

on edit. I'm not saying it didn't happen, I just don't believe it was done by the people the article was implying it was done by.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Why don't you believe it was done by who the article says?

You obviously haven't been following news in Gaza (other than "anti"-Israeli news), otherwise you would know that this type of violence has been getting progressively worse since the Hamas takeover.

On edit: So who did it?

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Book burning in extremis.

[mkultra]

5. sounds like they are fighting christian expansion

or think they are

[oberliner]

9. More info on this incident from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza

Unidentified Militants Attack YMCA Headquarters in Gaza City

<snip>

According to preliminary investigations, at approximately midnight on Friday February 14th, a group of more than ten unidentified militants, some masked, broke into the YMCA, in El Jalla Street in the centre of Gaza city. The militants overpowered two security guards, Abdel Maarti Abu Khussah (52) and Reziq Abu Ajami (25), handcuffed both men at gunpoint, and confiscated their mobile phones as well as the keys to the YMCA. The militants subsequently broke into, and damaged, the YMCA administration office, before breaking into the library. Abdel Khussah reported that he and Rezic Ajami were then blindfolded, forced into a car, driven approximately three kilometres north east of Gaza city, and then abandoned.

At approximately 1.45 am, a large explosion was heard in the centre of Gaza city. This was later identified as an explosion in the YMCA library which completely destroyed the library. This was one of the explosive devises planted by the militants at the YMCA. A second unexploded device was discovered at the entrance to the YMCA auditorium, and later dismantled by the police.

The YMCA library contained 8,000 books, many of which had been donated by children, and has been a popular and extremely well used cultural facility. It was later discovered that the militants had also stolen a computer and a television from the administration office. In addition, they stole the car in which the two security guards were abducted, and which belongs to the Gaza city Kanan Pedagogical Centre.

The undersigned organisations reiterate their utter condemnation of this crime, which deliberately targeted a prominent and long-standing national institution that has massively contributed to national Palestinian culture.

Therefore, the undersigned organisations:

Reiterate was a cowardly attack on one of Gaza's most important and well respected civil institutions. At the same time, this indicates a serious continuity of security chaos in the OPT.
Demand the Dismissed Government conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into this crime, bring the perpetrators to justice and publish the results of their investigation.
Also reiterate that this crime highlights the prolonged failure of the relevant authorities to investigate previous crimes of this nature, or to make any serious efforts to prevent such crimes from reoccurring, which has de-facto encouraged crimes of this nature.

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2008/10-2008.html

The link includes photos.