Even nurseries are destroyed (AFP)

By Ola Atallah, IOL Correspondent

GAZA, October 5 (IslamOnline.net) – Palestinian figures called on Arab and Muslim people to offer relief aid to hundreds of Palestinian families left homeless by the incessant Israeli onslaught in Gaza Strip.

“Hundreds of families became homeless and thousands of dunums of agricultural lands - on which these families depend as a main source of income - were encroached, not to mention the scores of children who lost their parents,” Ahmed Al-Kurd, chairman of Saleh Islamic charity in Gaza Strip told IslamOnline.net Monday, October 4.

“If these organizations were not to take an action now, when would they?” he wondered.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the expansion of the Israeli military sweep on Gaza Strip, especially its Jabaliya refugee camp.

Since Israel unleashed its military might, some 80 Palestinians have been killed in the bloodiest raid on the Strip since the start of the Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation four years ago.

Step Up Support

Al-Kurd urged the Arab peoples to step up support to relief charities to help the “bereaved Palestinian people”.

“Today we have launched a relief campaign to help people of northern Gaza named ‘Days of Relief’.

“This campaign, mainly focusing on the poor central governorates in Gaza, has managed to gather donations worth 80,000 dollars in only 24 hours.”

He further urged all Arab charities not to bow to the US pressures.

“Charities should not bow to US pressures that dub financial aid for the Palestinians as support to terror. We are living a horrible tragedy that requires help of other peoples.”

Palestinian analyst Ghazi Hamad agrees.

Hundreds lost their homes (AFP)

“The Arab peoples have to come up with new innovative ideas (to help the Palestinians). Protests and demonstrations no longer serve the best of the Palestinian people. What is needed is to carefully tackle the situation on the ground.”

Hundreds of Al-Azhar University students and members of the Egyptian Bar Association had taken to the streets Monday to protest the ongoing Israeli military onslaught on Gaza.

Hamad urged all Arab charities to coordinate efforts to help the Palestinians in their current dilemma.

“Among the steps taken to help the Palestinian people is to form an emergency committee of all Arab charities to discuss means of helping those affected in Gaza and to coordinate relief efforts of these organizations to the Palestinian in their horrible tragedy.

“The situation is extremely grave and even more tragic than the situation in Rafah. There is a higher death toll, more land destruction, consequently we are required to step up relief aid to families who are in a dire need for help.”

The death toll from the Jabaliya incursion has swept past that of a May raid in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds of homes bulldozed flat.

The Israeli offensive on Gaza has drawn rebukes from many Arab countries as the UN Security Council is set to vote Tuesday a draft resolution calling on Israel to stop its bloody onslaught on the area and withdraw its forces from the area.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit had described Monday the Israeli sweep in Gaza as “a dangerous escalation”.