Middlebury grad tells of war horror
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By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff - Published: January 20, 2009
By the time he heard what had happened, Amro Shurrab said his relatives had already spent half a day bleeding by the side of the road.
Shurrab, 24, who graduated from Middlebury College in December and lives in Washington, D.C., is a Palestinian with relatives in Gaza. He said two of his brothers were killed and his father was wounded there Friday by Israeli forces. Israel declared a cease-fire in Gaza Sunday.
One of his brothers might have been saved, he said, had Israeli troops allowed him to seek medical attention, rather than forcing him to remain at the family's vehicle until he bled to death.
In published accounts of the event, the Israeli military would not comment on the incident, though it released a statement saying that "uninvolved civilians" are "exposed to danger" due to the "difficult combat circumstances."
Friends of Shurrab at Middlebury are planning some sort of memorial, though college spokesman Stephen Diehl said nothing specific had taken shape as of Monday.
Shurrab said he wanted to tell his family's story as much as possible, to shed greater light on the situation in Gaza.
"The world has got to know," he said. "The world must do something to stop this madness. That's what keeps me going. Maybe, in a very small way, this will keep this from happening to other innocent people."
Amro Shurrab said his father, Mohammed Shurrab, and his brothers, Ibrahim and Kassab Shurrab, were returning home from their family farm at around 1 p.m. Gaza time, during what is normally a mid-day lull in hostilities.
Israeli troops had occupied a house along their route, positioning themselves on the roof and at the windows.
"They just opened fire, without warning, without saying anything, with no reason." Amro Shurrab said.
Amro Shurrab said he believed Israeli forces in the area knew exactly who his father is because of their farm's proximity to the border.
"They knew he has no political affiliations whatsoever," he said. "He is a peaceful man. … I have absolutely no idea (why the soldiers fired), really, no idea.
Kassab Shurrab was hit a total of 18 times, his brother said, including at least once in the chest. He jumped out of the car, went 14 yards, collapsed on the ground and died. Ibrahim Shurrab and Mohammed Shurrab were both hit.
Mohammed Shurrab called a hospital with his cell phone, Amro Shurrab said, but was told they couldn't send an ambulance without permission from the Israeli army. He managed to get an ambulance dispatched from somewhere else, but it was turned back by Israeli tanks.
An uncle contacted Red Cross chapters in Gaza and Jerusalem trying to get an ambulance. The Red Cross got no response from the Israelis, Amro Shurrab said. The Red Cross also contacted Physicians for Human Rights, but the Israelis would not let that organization in.
Mohammed Shurrab contacted local media, and his plea for an ambulance was even broadcast by the BBC, Amro Shurrab said.
"Nothing worked," he said. "That was around 6 or 7 Friday."
At 10 p.m., Amro Shurrab said, his brother was shivering, trembling, and told his father he was cold.
"So my father took off his coat and covered him with it," he said. "They had a pile of laundry in the back of the car … he put that on top of him, trying to warm him up."
Shortly after midnight, Amro Shurrab said, his brother died. All this time, Israeli soldiers watched, he said. They never tried to take the Palestinians into custody or responded to Mohammed's pleas for help.
Amro Shurrab got news of the incident at around 6 p.m. Eastern time from another of his brothers, who was in Saudi Arabia.
He said he started making phone calls of his own to humanitarian groups, and had several organizations calling the Israeli army through the night, trying to get permission to send in an ambulance.
He said the army finally sent in an ambulance at around 11 a.m. Saturday.
"At that time, my dad was still bleeding," he said. "One of his sons died in front of his eyes and he watched as another son bled for 11 hours … without being able to do anything for him."
Amro Shurrab said his father is at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, where he still has bullet fragments in his arm.
"I'm trying to be strong for my family and for everyone I love," he said. "It has been horrific. Still, in a way, I can't believe it's real. It doesn't seem possible that in this day and age and time that this thing would be allowed to happen."
Amro Shurrab said he knows his family is relieved to know he is in the United States because it means he is safe.
"In a way, our family — it might sound weird or unbelievable — in a way my family is lucky or privileged compared to so many other families whose stories have occurred over the last few days," he said. "In some families, 30 people have been wiped out. My brothers received a dignified burial. Some people didn't."
Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.
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