Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Akram al-Ghoul gave up his job as a military judge for the Palestinian Authority 18 months ago. A supporter of the Fatah movement, which favors negotiating peace with Israel, al-Ghoul was forced to abandon his legal career when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.

Tending the cows, chickens and lemon orchards on his family’s farm at Gaza’s northwestern tip was supposed to keep him out of trouble with Hamas, which is committed to Israel’s destruction. Trouble found him anyway: He was killed Jan. 3 when an Israeli plane bombed his farmhouse, hours before tanks rolled into the seaside territory to stop militant groups from shooting rockets over the border at Israeli towns and cities.

Al-Ghoul, 48, is among the more than 530 Palestinians who have died since Israel began its military campaign Dec. 27. “He believed in peace and was depressed that his work as a judge was finished because of the Hamas takeover,” said Bassel al-Ghoul, his 19-year-old son. “He should not have been killed.”

Israel says it has sought to avoid hitting civilians in its targeting of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other hostile groups in the coastal enclave. Israeli officials say 12 percent of the fatalities so far are civilians; the United Nations Relief and Works Agency puts civilian deaths at 25 percent. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are designated terrorist groups by Israel, the U.S. and European Union.

Unlike al-Ghoul, who traveled to the farm 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of his home in Gaza City to make sure his animals were fed, most Palestinians have stayed inside their homes since Israel opened its ground offensive on Jan 3.

Deserted Streets

With tanks and troops moving in from Gaza’s northern and eastern borders, Palestinians closed their shops and the streets were deserted. Supplies of food and fuel were already sporadic during the frequently violated six-month cease-fire between Hamas and Israel that expired Dec. 19, as Israel limited the flow of goods into Gaza in response to rocket fire. They were reduced further after Israel bombed tunnels used to smuggle goods from Egypt.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on Israel and Hamas to respect the conventions of international humanitarian law.

“In a conflict situation, the only legitimate distinction is between civilians, who are protected by the law, and fighters, who can be attacked,” the ICRC’s director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl, said yesterday in a statement posted on its Web site.

Rockets

As many as 3,200 rockets were fired at Israel in 2008. About 500 have struck in the past nine days, with at least 31 today, down from 76 on the first day of hostilities.

The offensive has left the 1.4 million residents of Gaza without electricity and heat. In mid-winter, with temperatures falling to 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, families sleep in wool hats, bundled under sweaters and blankets, keeping windows open so they aren’t shattered by the shock waves of Israeli air raids.

“We hear everything outside and it’s impossible to sleep,” said Zakeya al-Hour, 45, a mother of five in central Gaza City. “When I see the Israeli planes in the sky, I feel like this is the end and we’re going to die.”

The bombardment has obliterated almost all the government buildings and police stations administered by Hamas. The number of dead has overwhelmed Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and other medical facilities.

Psychological Scars

Close encounters with death and feelings of helplessness have been especially difficult for families as children awake crying from nightmares and wet their beds from fear, said Loaiy Zaqoot, a Gaza City psychologist.

“The physical wounds from this war can be treated but the emotional scars are going to hurt them for a long time,” he said.

Israeli army officials said they were checking why al- Ghoul’s farmhouse was bombed. They suggested he should have known it was dangerous to be in the area a week into the military operation.

The northern parts of Gaza, including the land owned by al- Ghoul, were frequently used to launch rockets, even though his son said he objected. Proximity to the border enabled the more powerful Russian-designed Grad rockets to hit Israeli cities such as Ashkelon, Beersheba and Ashdod, a port city 40 kilometers north.

With the Israeli offensive into its second week, diplomatic efforts are proliferating to try to end the fighting. Kamal Abu Aasi, an Al-Quds University political scientist, said that “in spite of the large loss of life, Israel has failed to uproot the resistance.” Eventually, he said, “there will be a cease-fire, and then it will be violated and there will be more fighting. Gaza is an area of conflict, and this conflict is endless.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Saud Abu Ramadan in Gaza City through the Tel Aviv newsroomt ; Jonathan Ferziger in Sderot through the Tel Aviv newsroom at jferziger@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 5, 2009 10:46 EST