Israel Claimed to Have Killed a 'Terrorist' in a Gaza Strike. The Man Killed Had Cerebral Palsy, Special Needs
Muhammad al-Farra, a Palestinian man who had lost his father and four sisters since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, was killed by an Israeli attack in May while walking to his home in the Satar neighborhood of Khan Yunis, a Haaretz investigation revealed.
On May 30, prominent Israeli journalist Amit Segal shared a video of al-Farra's death on Telegram with the caption "Gaza," a post that garnered thousands of Israeli flag reactions and likes. Al-Farra's sister, Heba al-Farra, who survived the same attack, later identified her brother in the footage.
"It didn't matter who the person was – only that he was from Gaza and the people who killed him were Israeli," wrote Mosab Abu Toha, a Pulitzer Prize–winning Palestinian writer.
"There's no further detail because our lives in Gaza don't matter," Abu Toha continued. "I look at that footage – the way this man walked shows he was starving for days. Why the hell would you kill him with a missile? A missile, for one man? Why kill him at all?"
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) defended al-Farra's murder by claiming he was "identified as a terrorist observing our forces and moving between buildings used for terrorist activity."
"The IDF operates to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with the laws of war and makes significant efforts to take precautions prior to attacks," the military said in a statement.
According to Haaretz, al-Farra's family said Israeli forces prevented them from retrieving his body "for several hours."
Originally published on Latin Times
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
a day ago
- DW
Iran orders suspension of cooperation with UN nuclear agency – DW – 07/02/2025
Iran's president has approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It comes weeks after US and Israeli airstrikes hit Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed legislation to suspend access for IAEA inspectors into the country until the "security" of its nuclear facilities is guaranteed. The move could further limit inspectors' ability to monitor Iran's nuclear program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. The suspension comes weeks after US and Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran's nuclear facilities. According to Iranian state television, the suspension "will remain in effect until certain conditions are met, including the guaranteed security of nuclear facilities and scientists." Further details on the decision are limited and it is not yet clear how Iran will implement it. The IAEA has already been refused access to the damaged nuclear facilities that Israel and the US bombed last month. On Sunday, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said IAEA inspectors' work had been suspended but denied any threats against them. Experts had feared that Iran's decision could have been more severe. They were worried that Iran would end, rather than suspend, its cooperation with IAEA. There were also concerns that Iran would abandon the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Under the deal, countries agree to not build or obtain nuclear weapons and allow the IAEA to carry put inspections. Iran has previously used restrictions on IAEA inspections as a pressure tactic. However, Iran has signaled that there is no immediate plan to restart nuclear talks with the US. "I don't think negotiations will restart as quickly as that," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. However, he added: "The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut." Iran's move to suspend IAEA cooperation drew condemnation from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. He appealed to European nations that are part of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal to implement its so-called snapback clause. That would reinstate all UN sanctions on Iran, which were originally lifted by Tehran's nuclear deal. Israel is widely believed to be the only country with nuclear arms in the Middle East. The IAEA does not have access to its facilities.
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
Iran Suspends Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog
Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, a measure drawn up in the wake of unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on the Islamic republic's nuclear sites. The war between Iran and Israel, which broke out on June 13 and lasted for 12 days, has intensified tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill to suspend cooperation with the agency. State media said on Wednesday that the legislation had cleared the final hurdle and was in effect. The text, published by Iranian media, states that the legislation aims to "ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran" under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and "especially uranium enrichment". The issue of enrichment was at the core of disagreements between Washington and Tehran in nuclear negotiations that had been derailed by the war. Israel and some Western countries had for long accused Iran of seeking to quire nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran has consistently denied. The text of the law did not specify concrete moves linked to the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA, whose inspectors have had access to declared nuclear facilities. Following the parliament vote, the bill was approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before a final ratification from the presidency. Iranian President "Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency", state TV said on Wednesday. Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA for what they described as the agency's "silence" in the face of the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran has also lambasted the UN agency for a resolution adopted on June 12 that accuses Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian officials said the resolution was among the "excuses" for the Israeli attacks. On Wednesday, senior judiciary official Ali Mozaffari said that IAEA director Rafael Grossi should "be held accountable" for what he called "preparing the groundwork for the crime" against Iran, referring to Israel's air raids. Mozaffari accused Grossi of "deceptive actions and fraudulent reporting", according to Iranian news agency Tasnim. Iran has rejected a request from Grossi to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war, and earlier this week Pezeshkian decried his "destructive" conduct. Iran has said Grossi's request to visit the bombarded sites signalled "malign intent" but insisted there were no threats against him or against inspectors from his agency. France, Germany and Britain have condemned unspecified "threats" against the IAEA chief. Iran's ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper has recently claimed that documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the parliament vote to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the "concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion". The 12-day war began when Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, with Tehran responding with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israel. On June 22, Israel's ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. More than 900 people were killed in Iran, according to the judiciary. Iran's retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities. US President Donald Trump said the US attacks had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme, though the extent of the damage was not clear. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has admitted "serious" damage to nuclear sites. But in a recent interview with CBS Evening News, he said: "One cannot obliterate the technology and science... through bombings."
DW
a day ago
- DW
How Middle East conflicts could destabilize African nations – DW – 07/01/2025
Strategic interests link Israel and Iran to African states. Analysts say threats loom for volatile African nations if the Iran-Israel confrontation escalates. European analysts worry that conflict in the Middle East could be a destabilizing factor in already volatile regions of the African continent. "If the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates further, there is a risk that the various interconnected wars around the Red Sea could also expand," Hendrik Maihack, of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), told DW. He says the greatest danger would be to the Horn of Africa, a region "currently in its deepest crisis in nearly 30 years." "Iran cooperates with the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who, in turn, also collaborate with the Al-Shabab militia in Somalia," Maihack says, adding such interconnected alliances are the reason Germany and Europe must look beyond the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. With conflicts across Africa "increasing than decreasing" — there could be consequences for Europe. "Where foreign policy attention and resources for humanitarian and development cooperation diminish, many African countries fear falling further out of the spotlight of Western support," Maihack says. Guido Lanfranchi from the Clingendael Institute for International Relations in the Netherlands told DW the cooperation between the military Houthi group, supported by Iran, and the Al-Shabab terrorist militias in Somalia has intensified. "Maintaining these connections appears to be in the interest of both groups," the conflict analyst says, but adds it is uncertain to what extent Iran can continue supporting the Houthis. The Horn of Africa and Red Sea regions, which include Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia are geo-strategically important to both Iran and Israel, Lanfranchi says, with Iran recently supplying weapons to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). "Israel maintains close relations with Ethiopia, and in the last few months alone, there have been several meetings at ministerial level between the two sides," Lanfranchi says. While Israel's role in Sudan is not entirely clear, Lanfranchi says Israel had relations with both the SAF and the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) factions before the Sudanese civil war broke out in April 2023. But according to Romane Dideberg of the London-based think tank Chatham House, Iran and Israel's limited economic and diplomatic overall footprint in Africa so far means the fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict is currently "mainly indirect geopolitical effects." "Both countries have invested very little in Africa and don't really have an Africa strategy like similar players in the region," she told DW. These effects include potential disruption to trade, increased market instability, rising oil prices, and growing economic pressure. Nevertheless, Dideberg says, energy prices could still skyrocket, and with international political and military attention now focused elsewhere, "security gaps" on the continent could emerge. Other Middle East players, however, have vested interests in certain African nations. "Qatar has played a very active role in mediating in various African countries in recent years and most recently played a leading role in the regional mediation efforts between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo," Dideberg tells DW. But following an Iranian attack on a United States airbase in Qatar, further threats to Qatar could now follow: "So if they are attacked directly, that could diminish their role. They provided this quiet diplomacy and support in the background, while all other diplomatic channels failed." Qatar managed to bring Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi, President of the DRC, to the negotiating table in early 2025, after the two leaders avoided each other for months amid escalating violence in the eastern DRC bordering Rwanda. In West Africa, Iran has invested in the Sahel countries, says Ulf Laessing of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Mali. Iran has tried to provide an alternative to European partners, such as France. "For example, an agreement was concluded with Niger, which is officially about energy cooperation," Laessing told DW. Despite alleged military deals in exchange for access to resources, Laessing says the Israel-Iran conflict has undermined Iran's capacity to be a player in West Africa. Military-ruled Sahel countries could therefore receive less support, such as for drone purchases, than previously hoped.
