Tag: Israeli forces

  • Captain America clarifies he was not involved with Israeli forces; receives flak for not mentioning Palestine

    Captain America clarifies he was not involved with Israeli forces; receives flak for not mentioning Palestine

    Chris Evans, famous for playing Captain America, took to his Instagram to issue a clarification for a photo floating on the internet. The picture, which showed him signing ammunition with a soldier, was being shared with misleading information that the soldier was from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

    As Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues unabated, people across the world slammed Evans for the photo.

    This clarification came amid heightened speculations of Evans having gone to Israel to meet IDF soldiers and signing a missile for them like other American dignitaries including Nikki Haley.

    While Reuters did a fact-check story on this picture earlier in February, Evans posted a story earlier in the day (May 31). In his Instagram story, he wrote, “This image was taken during a USO tour in 2016. I went with a group of actors, athletes and musicians to show appreciation for our service members.” He went on to add that, “The object he was asked to sign is not a bomb, or a missile, or a weapon of any kind. It is an inert object used for training or display purposes only.”

    It’s been close to nine months since the genocide in Gaza started but the actor neither condemned it nor uttered a word of support for the oppressed Gazans. His clarification is thus receiving flak for still not mentioning Palestine.

    A netizen wrote, “Chris Evans can say all this to defend himself and still not use his platform spread awareness about Palestine is truly so evil.”

    A supporter of Free Palestine lambasted Captain America for signing something that merely represents the bomb but no information or donation link about Palestine.

    Nicole on X (formerly Twitter) called him out for not shedding light on the genocide and said, “Anyway, don’t be like Chris, call for a free Palestine.”

    A proponent of Ceasefire Now posted, “The thing that bothers me about this post, even though it should be reassuring he’s not gross is the fact he said nothing about Palestine whatsoever in conjunction with this picture.”

    While a passionate user called him “cold-hearted” another said that, “this speaks a lot about his character.”

  • Pregnant woman raped and killed in front of family by Israeli soldiers: Palestinian media reports

    Pregnant woman raped and killed in front of family by Israeli soldiers: Palestinian media reports

    A number of journalists from Gaza took to social media to report that Israeli forces conducting operations inside Al-Shifa hospital are torturing and raping women present inside.

    Photojournalist and videographer Wissam Nasser from Gaza said that a man and his wife taking shelter inside the hospital along with their two children had an alleged heinous encounter with the Israeli forces. “The preganant wife was forcibly undressed by Israeli forces despite informing them of her pregnancy; they continued to kick her. Then they assaulted and raped her in front of her family and other men,” Wissam shared.

    He also shared a dark art work by the artist Ibrahim Ghunaim featuring a pregnant woman with tears of blood running down her eyes. He captioned it, “According to testimonies from inside Al shifa hospital, Israeli invading troops raped a Palestinian pregnant woman in front of her husband and other men then they killed her. This is happening situation the holy month of Ramadan while starving Palestinians are fasting. Absolutely shocking, disgusting and shows their evil nature‼‼”

    Another Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary took to Instagram stories and posted, “Women in Gaza are raped and tortured.”

    Various Palestinian media outlets have also confirmed the claims and presented eye-witness accounts.

    Middle East Eye reported a woman’s eye-witness account by Ms. Jamila al-Hissi as to what is happening inside Al-Sifa hospital. “They raped women, kidnapped women, executed women, and pulled dead bodies from under the rubble to unleash their dogs on them.” She further lamented, “Is there anything more horrifying than hearing women call for help, and when we try to reach them to provide assistance, they shoot at us.”

    Israeli forces have been attacking and laying siege to al-Shifa Hospital since Monday, March 18. The medical complex is the largest in the Gaza Strip, with some 30,000 people seeking refuge there prior to the current raid.

    Journalist Sami Alsultan shared a video testimony of a woman who was forcefully expelled from Al Shifa complex with her children while IDF took her husband, killed her husband’s uncle and grandfather.

    In another video shared by Middle East Eye, a woman named Nisreen was seen sharing how IDF barged into their home, stripped her naked and took all her belongings away.

    Doctor Aliyah Khan spoke to Middle East Monitor and shared testimonies from Canadian physicians serving in Gaza. They reported on a case where a woman was raped for two days until she lost the ability to speak. Another woman was stripped in front of her brother and husband. When they tried to cover her, they were killed by Israeli soldiers.

    Hind Khoudary in collaboration with Palestinian Feminists shared the disturbing surge of women victims of rape and torture in Gaza. It called out the deafening silence of Western feminists and mainstream media over the issue.

  • Israeli forces disguised as doctors kill three in West Bank hospital

    Israeli forces disguised as doctors kill three in West Bank hospital

    Israeli forces disguised as doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff burst into a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday and shot three Palestinians dead, one of whom was lying paralysed in bed.

    A border police counter-terrorism unit and a unit from the internal security forces, known as the Shin Bet, entered Ibn Sina hospital on the outskirts of the city’s refugee camp early Tuesday, CCTV footage of the aftermath of the operation showed.

    The shooting was carried by undercover operatives while the men were sleeping at the hospital, according to the statements issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Israeli army.

    The Israeli military identified one of the men killed as Mohammad Jalamneh, aged 27, who it claimed was planning an imminent attack and had been transferring weapons and ammunition to other members, Al Jazeera reported.

    The two other men killed, brothers Basil Ayman Al-Ghazzawi and Mohammad Ghazzawi, were hiding inside the hospital and were involved in attacks, the military alleged. “A gun was found on a wanted person, which was confiscated by the forces.”

    CCTV footage from the hospital showed a group of about 10 people, dressed in civilian clothes, pacing through a corridor, armed with assault rifles and moving into the hospital.

    The hospital’s director, Dr Naji Nazzal, said the Israeli team had entered the hospital at around 5:30 am and made its way stealthily to the third floor, ringing the bell to enter the ward where the men were sleeping.

    “They executed the three men as they slept in the room,” he told Reuters.

    Hours later, a bloodied blue hospital pillow pierced by a bullet remained on a bed, while a folding bed nearby was also stained with blood, apparently from a shot to the head.

    Targeted attacks

    Dr Nazzal said Mr Basil had been receiving treatment since October 25 for a spinal injury which had paralysed him.

    According to the medical staff, one of the three Palestinians killed in the hospital was being treated for an injury received during a previous army raid months ago, Al Jazeera reported.

    “The Israeli army often surrounds and in some instances has attacked the three Palestinian hospitals in Jenin during nightly raids on the city,” he said.
    “But this is the first time they have entered a civilian medical facility in what seems to have been a well-planned, targeted assassination operation that Palestinian authorities are calling another violation of international law,” he said, adding that there were no attempts to arrest these men.

  • Last functional hospital in Gaza under attack as medical personnel toll hits 192

    Last functional hospital in Gaza under attack as medical personnel toll hits 192

    The United Nations has said that heavy fighting has “encircled” two hospitals in Khan Younis – Nasser and Al-Amal – leaving thousands of “terrified staff, patients and displaced people trapped inside”.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that seven out of 24 hospitals are “partially functioning” in northern Gaza and suffering a shortage of personnel and supplies.

    Journalist Bisan shared a recent post detailing an attack on the Khan Yones camp by the Israeli occupation forces. Consequently, the last functioning hospital in Gaza- Al Nasser Medical Hospital- was under attack as well. Videos of gunfire surfaced on various social media platforms as well.

    The health scenario in Gaza is nearing collapse. Al Jazeera shared a report titled, ‘Against every instinct: How doctors in Gaza persevere amid Israel attacks’, in which it was revealed that almost 192 doctors were killed in Gaza between October 7 and November 8, 2023.

    According to the WHO, only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional – nine in the south and six in the north. The hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel.

    The facilities are “without enough specialized medical staff to manage the volume and range of injuries, nor sufficient medicines and medical supplies, fuel, clean water, or food for patients or staff”, the WHO said in a statement.

    The Ministry of Health in Gaza says occupancy rates are reaching 206 percent in inpatient departments and 250 percent in intensive care units.

    From October 7 to November 24, there were 74 Israeli assaults on health facilities with 30 hospitals attacked in Gaza, according to Insecurity Insight, a humanitarian association that collates data on threats facing people in dangerous environments. It delivered 19,000 litres (5,000 gallons) of fuel to al-Shifa Hospital on Tuesday after facing delays at a checkpoint and on damaged roads.

    There have been 212 attacks on medical personnel.

    Attack on Hospitals

    The hospitals that have been attacked most often include:

    1. al-Shifa Hospital – attacked 12 times
    2. al-Quds Hospital – attacked nine times
    3. Indonesian Hospital – attacked nine times
    4. Nasser Hospital – attacked three times

    Insecurity Insight documented at least 26 other hospitals from across the Gaza Strip that were attacked by Israeli forces over the same period.

    How Gaza’s healthcare system has been destroyed?

    Mohamed S Ziara, a Palestinian doctor, talked to Al Jazeera and explained in a tone that is soft and unaffected by the rumbling explosions and pop of gunfire that can be heard in the background.

    He is a plastic surgeon working 12- to 14-hour shifts, six days a week at the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) in Khan Younis, where he treats up to 15 cases a day. Ziara describes the healthcare situation as “catastrophic”.

    “It doesn’t match anything I’ve seen before, even with previous escalations and war,” says Ziara, who has worked during Israel’s assaults on Gaza since 2014.

    He has been posting about Israeli attacks near the EGH and the conditions inside on his Instagram account.

    “No doctor wakes up in the morning and says: ‘I’m going to amputate a child’s leg without anesthesia.’”

    “You don’t want to watch children suffer,” Dr Amber Alayyan with Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, told Al Jazeera.

    Chronically ill patients

    In addition to immediate injuries from Israeli air strikes and artillery, patients with prior and long-term illnesses and vulnerable health conditions are faced with not being treated. According to WHO, they include:

    • 1,100 patients in need of kidney dialysis
    • 71,000 patients living with diabetes
    • 225,000 patients with high blood pressure requiring medication
    • 485,000 people with mental health disorders
    • cancer patients, 2,000 of whom are diagnosed each year, including 122 children
    • 45,000 patients with cardiovascular disease.

    A grim prospect for the future

    On January 7, exactly three months into the war on Gaza, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “It is inconceivable that this most essential need – the protection of healthcare – is not assured.”

  • ‘We love life’: Gaza couple celebrate wartime wedding

    ‘We love life’: Gaza couple celebrate wartime wedding

    Surrounded by family and friends, clapping and cheering, Gaza woman Afnan Jibril beams a brilliant smile on her wedding day, determined to celebrate even as war rages.

    “We are a people that love life, despite death, murders and destruction,” said her father, Mohamed Jibril.

    Relatives were gathered on Friday for the wartime wedding in a tiny room at an abandoned school building in the besieged Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, near the frontier with Egypt.

    The city has suffered daily Israeli bombardment, and the families of both bride and groom are among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled the fighting further north.

    “The usual preparations for marriage are not possible, and traditional ceremonies are not feasible,” said the bride’s father. “However, clothes are available, although they are scarce and expensive.”

    Afnan, 17, donning a crown of flowers and pristine white dress with stark red embroidery, and her partner Mustafa Shamlakh, 26, want to make the most of their rare chance to celebrate.

    They dance and laugh as guests spray white mousse around the room.

    But eventually they have to face reality.

    Israel’s relentless military campaign, triggered by attacks by Palestinian militants, has killed at least 23,843 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

    The war began when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on October 7, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

    The newlyweds make up part of another grim tally — those displaced by the violence, which UN estimates put at 1.9 million Palestinians out of a total population in Gaza of 2.4 million.

    “The house where the groom was supposed to live was destroyed,” Ayman Shamlakh, the groom’s uncle, told AFP.

    As the war went on, both families felt there was nothing to be gained from waiting and they agreed to the marriage.

    After the school celebration, the couple head for a ceremony set to take place in a tent.

    As they dive into a waiting black SUV, surrounded by a massive crowd of well-wishers, it almost looks like any other wedding day.

    “We are all living through the same tragedy,” said Ayman Shamlakh. “However, we must continue to live, and life should go on.”

  • Israeli soldier blows up Gaza neighbourhood as gift for wife

    Israeli soldier blows up Gaza neighbourhood as gift for wife

    A video of an Israeli soldier blowing up a Gaza neighbourhood as a gift for his wife is being slammed on social media.

    The soldier, who says his wife has been his strength, pays tribute to her. “My life, I wish you good luck, you are the best in the world and because of your strength, I am here.” He goes on to explain that as a gift he is dedicating the explosion to her. “This explosion is for you, as big as your heart,” he says.

    This is not the first time Israeli soldiers are seen committing what experts call war crimes as tributes to their families. In another video, soldiers are seen celebrating the bombing.

    IDF troops from unit 9219 of the Combat Engineering Corps Battalions were filmed in another video blowing up multiple residential buildings while smoking hooka to depict that they do not care about the consequences of their actions.

    IDF soldiers also proudly take photos after bombing Gaza’s residential area.

    In an online livestream, an Israeli woman confessed to killing five Palestinians in a celebratory manner.