Tag: Gaza

  • ‘Player of the tournament’: Protester hailed for wearing ‘Free Palestine’ shirt, halting India vs Australia match

    ‘Player of the tournament’: Protester hailed for wearing ‘Free Palestine’ shirt, halting India vs Australia match

    A protester is winning praise on social media for running onto the field during the India vs Australia World Cup final while wearing a shirt that said ‘FREE PALESTINE’. The protester was seen standing next to Indian cricket player Virat Kohli and waving the Palestine flag.

    In a clip released by Indian media publication ANI News, the protester revealed his name was John, and that he was an Australian citizen. He supported the Palestine cause.

    Twitter users hailed John as the real ‘Player Of The Tournament’, congratulating him for taking a defiant stand.

    Indian users have announced they are willing to fund legal aid to help John if he is arrested.

  • X user wins hearts by sharing story of inter-faith marriage of Palestinian parents

    X user wins hearts by sharing story of inter-faith marriage of Palestinian parents

    An X (formerly Twitter) user, Beisan, is winning hearts on social media by sharing the love story of her Palestinian parents. Beisan revealed her parents, a Muslim man and his Christian wife, have been married for over 40 years.

    In her next post, Beisan shared that inter-faith marriages were not permitted in Israel, where under the law, interfaith unions are not legally recognised. Because of this, her parents had to move to Canada in order to legalise their union.

    Twitter users were moved by Beisan’s dedication to her parents, a reminder of the enormous love Palestinian men hold for their families.

    A user shared: “In high school I went on a trip to Nippissing & the weather was colder than I packed for. When I got home & told my father he was furious that I didn’t call him to bring sweaters, it was only a 3 hour drive. It’s hard to describe the intensity of a Palestinian father’s love.”

  • Filipino Catholic nun chooses to stay behind in Gaza, defying mandatory evacuation

    A 63-year-old Filipino nun is making international headlines by defying the Philippine government’s evacuation attempts and choosing to stay in Gaza. Since the genocide began on October 7, the Philippine government has successfully evacuated 111 civilians from the region. However, the unnamed nun who is from the Missionaries of Charity, has chosen to remain as the last Filipino in Gaza.

    Most of the evacuees were forced to leave family residents behind.

    The Philippines Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega spoke to Arab News about the nun and how her defiance of the Filipino government makes her a symbol of “Filipino spirituality”:

    “She’s with the Missionaries of Charity… they will not leave. After all, they believe…that (what they are doing) is spiritual,” he said.

    “She will be the last Filipino left in Gaza, (and) is a symbol of Filipino spirituality and how we pray for solidarity with those suffering, and for world peace.”

    Dr Vega reported the nun is safe right now. The Philipine DEmbassy of Jordan has remained in touch with her, to whom she had simply asked to ‘pray for her’.

    Several other Filipino’s in Gaza have expressed uncertainty in leaving because of their attachment to the place, while others have refused because their Palestinian spouses would not be able to join them.

    “We are still trying to convince them to leave,” De Vega responded. “We hope we can evacuate them all.”

  • Al Shifa hospital forcefully evacuated within hours on Israeli orders

    After days of attacking Al Shifa hospital in Gaza and raiding it room by room, the Israeli military has now forcefully evacuated premises on Saturday.

    The hospital’s Director, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told Al Jazeera that the hospital is now “completely deserted” while the few patients and victims left are lying in corridors.

    He added that those in dire conditions, including newborns and kidney patients, “will die imminently if they are not evacuated,” further stating that Israeli soldiers “are in total control” and that the remaining medical staff “cannot move freely”.

    Earlier today,the Israeli military had ordered everyone — including doctors, patients and displaced people — to evacuate in an hour.

    This, as reported by Al Jazeera, created a sense of panic as it is impossible to flee Al Shifa in such a brief period. A Palestinian health official said that evacuees were “ordered at 9am [7:00 GMT] to leave while waving a white handkerchiefs and walk in a single-file line.”

    Medical staff and others present at Al Shifa revealed that there are patients who cannot be abandoned, including those who cannot walk.

    Munir al-Barsh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that about “450 patients were evacuated, while about 120 patients were left behind with five doctors, including the director and a few nurses, because they were immobile.”

    Additionally, a list of critical patients has been given to the Red Cross so they can be taken to Egypt for treatment.

    Adnan al-Barsh, head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa Hospital, stated that Israeli snipers are in and around the hospital compound, saying that “We were adamant on not leaving without our patients … we were forced to leave at gunpoint.”

    The Israeli army denied issuing the evacuation order, however, all officials and other people at Al Shifa have described the total opposite of Israeli claims.

  • Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    In another controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk wrote that calls for genocide like ‘from the river to the sea’ will result in suspension i.e. X users who use the terms “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and other “similar euphemisms” that “necessarily imply genocide” will be suspended from the platform.

    This was followed criticism from pro-Palestinian users who asserted that such a policy restricts their free speech after which he posted again, stating that “anyone advocating the genocide of “*any*” group” would be suspended from X.

    Alluding to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, “From the river to the sea” is a pro-Palestine slogan used by Palestinian supporters who voice for the freedom of the occupied land. And now that the slogan is under scrutiny, it has been pointed out that labelling it as anti-semitic is a way to criminalise and silence pro-Palestinian narrative and curtail their free speech because following the events of October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel intensified attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 11,000 people which then resulted in increased criticism of Israel around the world.

    Elon Musk has claimed to be a “free speech absolutist” and that he bought Twitter (now X) to create a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”

  • Sheema Kermani expelled from British High Commission event for chanting ‘Ceasefire Now’

    Sheema Kermani expelled from British High Commission event for chanting ‘Ceasefire Now’

    Classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani was “ejected” from an event held at the British High Commission in Karachi for raising a slogan in favour of the people of Gaza.

    Ms Kermani, founder of Tehreek-i-Niswan, was invited for an event in the High Commission to celebrate the birthday of King Charles III on Friday with many other artists also present. “They were all congratulating the British Government and the royal family without any mention of the atrocities taking place in Gaza. I just had to do what I did. I couldn’t stay silent. Sadly, when the other guests saw me being thrown out and my leaving, none of them, not even one of them, decided to also take a stand and join me,” she told Dawn.

    Sheema raised the slogan of “Ceasefire Now” as the speakers were making speeches and sending congratulatory messages to Britain. Security personnel instantly took charge and tried to force her out of the event. “That’s when I asked them to not touch me as I would see myself out,” Ms Kermani stated after the regrettable incident.

    A spokesperson for the British Deputy High Commission responded to the incident by saying that Ms Kermani was shouting during “an important speech about climate change in Pakistan by the British Deputy High Commissioner”. It was then that the “security personnel came forth to stop her from shouting. But then she left on her own. So it won’t be correct to say that we threw her out.”

  • From north to south, now south to where? Palestinians warned to flee southern Gaza

    From north to south, now south to where? Palestinians warned to flee southern Gaza

    In a recent development, on Thursday, Israeli forces reportedly dropped flyers on some areas of Khan Younis, the largest city in south Gaza, warning the residents to clear the region since Israel is likely to increase attacks in southern Gaza as well.

    Previously, Israeli military bombed northern Gaza relentlessly and are also conducting ground operations.

    Khuzaa, Abassan, Bani Suhaila and Al Qarara in eastern Khan Younis, had a population of 100,000 “in peacetime” and is currently accommodating tens of thousands more who fled from the north.

    “For your safety, you need to evacuate your places of residence immediately and head to known shelters,” the leaflets said. “Anyone near terrorists or their facilities puts their life at risk, and every house used by terrorists will be targeted.”

    Already, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip with a population of 2.3 million, have fled south as north has been under heavy Israeli attacks.

    It has also been claimed that people in eastern Khan Younis are unsure where they can flee because Israel has also been attacking the south where Palestinians were previously directed to move for their protection.

    “We have been absolutely clear that at the current moment, we do not consider any part of Gaza to be safe,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday.

  • Beloved Gazan Christian music teacher bled to death after Israeli troops shot her

    Palestinian music teacher Elham Farah bled to death in Gaza after she was shot by IDF soldiers and left alone to bleed on the street for hours. Her family members and students are recalling her as a woman known for her smile.

    Fareh, the daughter of the Palestinian poet Hanna Fareh, lived in the al-Rameh neighbourhood of Gaza, teaching music for decades before retiring. She had been sheltering inside a church during Israeli airstrikes, and had stepped outside to check if her home was bombed when she was shot.

    Hammam Farah, her relative, posted on X that during his aunt’s last moments, her phone battery ran out so she couldn’t reach out to relatives for help. Other civilians or rescue personnel couldn’t rescue her because of intense shooting in the area. Hammam said that IDF snipers shoot civilians in the leg in order to bait fighters who might try to rescue the injured person.

    Since her death, Gaza residents have flooded social media with tales of Farah’s resilience, warm heart and good nature.

    “Oh my love, Miss Ilham, my love!!!! The music classes we took with you at Cairo School were some of the best. We used to love when you would play for us and sing: ‘I write your name, my country, on the sun that never sets, neither my money nor my children, for your love there is no lover.’”

    Another user shared a video of Elham playing the piano at Kamaliyah School, which was the oldest school in Palestine.

    “Martyr teacher Elham Hanna Farah in 2021 returns to her childhood memories and plays inside the Kamaliya School in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the Old City of Gaza, which is the oldest school in Palestine. The activity was a celebration of restoring and cleaning the place in an initiative by the Iwan Center for Cultural Heritage of the Islamic University of Gaza.”

  • Osama Bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ is going viral on TikTok

    Osama Bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ is going viral on TikTok

    Almost 12 years after he was killed, Osama Bin Laden is back in the mainstream discourse after an essay he wrote in 2000, titled ‘Letter To America’, went viral on TikTok. Users began sharing a link from The Guardian on the social media platform, which the website has now removed. In the widely circulating letter, Osama addressed the American public to explain Al-Qaeda’s militant philosophy. Notably, he talks about Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

    Read the full letter below:

    The letter has since then gone viral on Twitter and TikTok with users declaring the letter has changed their perspective of 9/11 attacks. Users reported the hashtag had gained over 9 million views on the social media platform

    TikTok has said in a statement that they have removed the videos as the trend violates rules about “supporting any form of terrorism.” But the letter and excerpts from TikTok videos are still available on Twitter.

  • Palestinian content leaves Israel miles behind on social media

    Palestinian content leaves Israel miles behind on social media

    While activists and civilians flood the streets across the world protesting for Palestine, social media is actively reflecting the changing tides. Currently, the hashtag #FreePalestine has over 2 billion views on TikTok, while in contrast the hashtag #standwithIsrael has over 162.8 million views.

    In a statement posted on Monday, the social media platform responded to US Representative (R) Mike Gallagher’s allegations that TikTok was “controlled by America’s s foremost adversary, one that does not share our interests or our values: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)”, calling for America to ban the app.

    TikTok said the overwhelming support teens have for Palestine is dominating the app’s algorithm.

    “Support for Israel (as compared to sympathy for Palestine) has been lower among younger Americans for some time. This is evidenced by looking at Gallup polling data of millennials dating as far back as 2010, long before TikTok even existed. A March 2023 Gallup poll, before the war, shows young adults have rapidly shifting attitudes towards the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. While an Echelon poll from October 26, 2023 shows that US TikTok users under 40 are more likely to support Israel (33% vs 28% for Palestine), and the proportions broadly reflect the split in the general under 40 population (32% for Israel, 23% for Palestine).”

    Other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram show more audiences engage with the pro-Palestinian content than with Israel’s. Instagram shows that the hashtag #FreePalestine has over 6 million views, while in comparison #IstandwithIsrael has gained only 233,000 views.

    Instagram was being taken to task by users for censoring and shadow banning prominent pro-Palestinian voices who were reporting on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Freelance journalist Plestia Alaqad reported her Instagram account was hacked.

    Furthermore, journalist Ahmed reported he was locked out of his Instagram account and was warned it would be shut down for violating the company’s guideline.

    On Facebook, the #FreePalestine hashtag has over 11 million views while in comparison the #IstandwithIsrael hashtag has over 323,000 views.