Israeli attack on Jabalia kills five Palestinians: Report
The five Palestinians were from the Halawa family, Wafa reported.
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Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Anas al-Sharif's mother: ‘My son was invited to Qatar, but he refused to leave Gaza'
Fawzia al-Sharif doesn't know where to begin when it comes to talking about her slain son, Anas al-Sharif. 'What can I tell you? There's no one like Anas,' she told Middle East Eye in a displacement camp in Gaza City. Since Israel's genocide on Gaza began in October 2023, her son had become one of the most famous journalists in Gaza. The Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent was loved and greeted by Palestinians everywhere he went. When he reported the announcement of a short-lived ceasefire in January, Sharif was hoisted onto the shoulders of a jubilant passerby. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'He was tender with his sisters and his brothers,' his mother said. 'He was kind to the people outside. To everyone, in everything. 'Everything he did was good. He never got involved in anything bad,' she added. A life spent helping people On Sunday night, Sharif was brutally killed alongside five of his colleagues when Israeli forces deliberately targeted their clearly marked media tent near al-Shifa hospital in central Gaza. Middle East Eye contributor Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khalidi were also killed. It brought the total number of journalists killed by Israel during the genocide to 238. Fawzia remembers fondly the last time she saw her son, 10 days ago. 'I hadn't seen him for a while, and suddenly he came to see me,' she recalls. 'We sat together. I was happy with his visit. Then he left, and I didn't see him again.' 'God willing there are young people to continue Anas's path, exposing the occupation' - Fawzia al-Sharif, mother His mother said that Sharif was offered the opportunity, along with his family, to leave Gaza, but he refused. 'They invited him to Qatar. He said, 'I can't go… I must leave Gaza only for paradise.' That was his mission,' she explained. The Israeli military claimed, without providing any credible evidence, that it killed Sharif because he "served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation". Israel has routinely made such unsubstantiated claims about journalists, which have been strongly rejected by Al Jazeera and by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Fawzia said that her son spent his whole life helping other people. 'If he saw elderly people, he'd take them. I'd ask him 'Who are these?' He would say 'These are for God, Mum. Take them.' He loved people. 'All his life, from when he was a child, through university, studying and learning, he stuck to this principle.' 'Daddy is in paradise' Sharif was married, and had two young children. Fawzia sat with her grandchildren, four-year-old Sham and one-year-old Salah, showing them a picture of the two of them with their father. He was wearing his press vest, while Sham proudly held his Al Jazeera microphone. BBC condemned for repeating Israeli narrative on slain journalist Anas al-Sharif Read More » 'Daddy is in paradise,' said Sham, as she kissed the screen of the phone. 'Who did he go to?' asked Fawzia, to which her granddaughter replied: 'He went to my grandfather and my uncle Shadi.' Fawzia said that as Israel's siege and war caused famine across Gaza, her son reported the situation while suffering through it himself. 'He worked with heart and dedication. He went straight to the point. 'God willing there are young people to continue in his place and continue Anas's path, exposing the occupation,' she added. Fawzia said she was proud of her son, and held her head high because of him. 'I am the mother of Anas al-Sharif. I send my message to the whole world.'
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
UAE-linked Armenian businessman faces war crimes allegations over GHF role
A UK-based rights group has filed a legal complaint in Armenia against a businessman with reported links to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over allegations of war crimes connected to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR) said in a statement that it submitted a complaint to Armenia's Prosecutor General calling for an urgent investigation into David Papazian, an Armenian national who reportedly chairs the board of the GHF. In a series of letters seen by Middle East Eye, the AOHR said that there is "credible evidence and documentation" that Papazian "may have been involved in, or facilitated, actions that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip". The US and Israeli-backed GHF has been widely condemned over its militarised food distribution mechanism in the besieged Gaza Strip, with charities such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) accusing it of institutionalising "starvation and dehumanisation". At least 1,800 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,500 wounded while collecting food or queuing for assistance at GHF sites or en route to its centres. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In several cases, the GHF has denied anyone was killed at their sites and says the UN figures on the number of aid seekers killed are "false and misleading". "These casualties raise serious concerns regarding the operational framework of [GHF] and the potential complicity of its leadership in facilitating or enabling actions that amount to crimes under international law," the complaint states. According to the complaint, the GHF is registered both in Delaware, United States and Geneva, Switzerland. CBS News reported earlier this year that, according to Swiss registration documents, Papazian was listed as one of its three leaders. The AOHR, which claims Papazian is the president of the foundation's council in Switzerland and also a founding board member of the US entity, alleges these dual structures form part of "a deliberate pattern of administrative concealment and fraud" to obscure decision-making and funding sources. UAE business ties Papazian, 43, has played a key role in several business ventures in the Middle East and has helped broker business ties between Armenia and the UAE. As chief executive of the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) from 2019 to 2024, he secured high-profile investment deals, including a $174m solar energy partnership with UAE-based renewable energy giant Masdar. The project was hailed at the time as a landmark in Armenia-UAE relations. The AOHR complaint does not allege any wrongdoing related to the deal, but Papazian's international business networks, particularly in the UAE, reflect the influence he brought to the GHF leadership and the contacts he likely built in Abu Dhabi, which has become an important ally of Israel in recent years. Gaza: Family of frail boy killed at GHF site months ago still haven't received his body Read More » In 2023, Papazian event boasted in a LinkedIn post: "I'm delighted to share that after Paris, ANIF can also call Abu Dhabi a second home!" Papazian also served as chairman of the board of Fly Arna, Armenia's now-defunct national low-cost airline. Based out of Yerevan, Fly Arna was a joint venture between UAE-based Air Arabia and ANIF. Air Arabia operates out of Sharjah International Airport in the UAE. In January 2024, Papazian was dismissed from his role at ANIF amid allegations of mismanagement. Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan later called the fund's performance a "failure" and "a disgrace." In May 2024, Fly Arna began liquidation proceedings after the Armenian government approved the dissolution of ANIF, one of its joint shareholders. The AOHR alleges that in his GHF role, Papazian "played a key role in designing, endorsing, and overseeing the implementation of an operational aid delivery model that has led to mass civilian harm". AOHR says in their filing that the GHF was established "to serve the strategic objectives of the war as defined by the Israeli government", replacing and undermining UN relief agencies. "From the early stages of the war on Gaza, the occupying power [Israel] began to demonise humanitarian relief efforts… It has become clear that the underlying objective" was to dismantle independent aid operations, the group said. The complaint says Papazian was "fully aware" of reports by UN bodies documenting acts of genocide, including the use of starvation as a weapon, yet proceeded "in pursuit of sordid financial gain". A Palestinian mourns a relative who was killed while seeking aid at the Zikim crossing, ahead of their funeral at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on 5 August 2025 (AFP) An Associated Press investigation published on 3 July found American contractors working under the GHF used live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper spray on Palestinians seeking food. The AP cited witnesses and video evidence, as well as contractor testimonies describing GHF operations as "dangerously unregulated" and staffed by "poorly trained guards acting with impunity". More recently, former US special forces contractor Anthony Aguilar, who worked at the GHF site, turned whistleblower, reporting that Israeli forces were prepared to fire at children and that he had witnessed Israeli soldiers and US military contractors shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians. 'My journey to get aid in Gaza was like Squid Game' Read More » In its complaint, the AOHR argued that Papazian's Armenian citizenship places him within the jurisdiction of Armenia's courts for crimes committed abroad. The group cites Armenia's obligations under the Geneva Conventions, the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which Armenia ratified in October 2023. "The conduct of Mr Papazian… meets the threshold of legal complicity and renders him criminally liable under both Armenian law and international criminal law," the complaint says. International criminal law, it adds, "establishes individual accountability not only for direct perpetrators but also for those who plan, incite, facilitate, or otherwise enable the commission of such crimes". The AOHR said it has submitted evidence, including UN reports, internal communications, and financial records, to Armenia's prosecutor. The group wants all materials related to Papazian's role in the GHF examined and, if sufficient evidence is found, legal action taken. "Prosecuting David Papazian would demonstrate Armenia's commitment to justice and the international legal order," the complaint says, adding that holding him to account would reaffirm Armenia's pledge to prevent impunity for mass atrocities. Middle East Eye reached out to Armenia's Prosecutor General and the GHF for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication. Papazian declined to comment.
Middle East Eye
8 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Gaza death toll rises: 54 Palestinians killed, 831 wounded in 24 hours
Israeli forces have killed at least 54 Palestinians and wounded 831 others across Gaza in 24 hours, the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave has said. The dead include 22 aid seekers, the ministry said on Telegram. During the same period, at least four people have starved to death, bringing the toll of hunger-related deaths to 239, which includes 106 children, the ministry said. Israel has killed at least 61,776 Palestinians and wounded 154,906 others since 7 October 2023, the ministry added. The total number of aid seekers killed since May has reached 1,881, the statement said.
