Latest news with #Shahada
Scoop
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Reporters In Gaza Bear Witness And Suffer Tragic Consequences
Press Release – UN News 'After losing my leg in the war, I returned to photojournalism not just for work, but because I have loved photography since childhood,' said Palestinian reporter Sami Shahada. Mr. Shahada lost his leg due to a severe injury he suffered in Nuseirat in central Gaza in April 2024, but he picked up his camera and returned to document the tragic events that have been unfolding in Gaza. He will not let his disability stop him from working. 'It is impossible for me to leave photojournalism, even if I face all these obstacles,' he said. Ahead of World Press Freedom Day marked annually on 3 May which focuses on the role of media to highlight accountability, justice, equality, and human rights, our UN News correspondent in Gaza spoke with Palestinian journalists, documenting the risks and personal traumas they face reporting from the war-torn enclave. Since the war began following the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel an increasing number of journalists have been killed or injured in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis has engulfed the enclave. Bearing witness On one leg, leaning on crutches, Sami Shahada stands behind his camera, wearing his blue press jacket, working amongst the rubble of destruction with colleagues. 'I witnessed all the crimes that happened, and then the moment came when I was a witness to a crime that was perpetrated against me,' he told UN News. 'I was a field journalist, carrying a camera in an open area and wearing a helmet and a jacket which identified me as a journalist, yet I was directly targeted.' That incident marked a turning point in his life. 'I did not need help from anyone before, now I need help,' adding that 'I have the determination and persistence to overcome this new reality. This is how we journalists must work in Gaza.' Working the streets Journalist Mohammed Abu Namous is another of these journalists. Filming with one of his colleagues in the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaza City he said: 'While the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, Palestinian journalists remember their workplaces which were destroyed in the war.' 'The minimum we need to carry out our journalistic work is electricity and the internet, but many do not have this, so we resort to commercial shops that provide the internet. The streets are now our offices.' He believes that Palestinian journalists have been targeted during the Israeli occupation of Gaza and said that media workers must be protected 'whether they work in Palestine or elsewhere in the world.' Voices not silenced by death of loved ones Journalist Moamen Sharafi said he lost members of his family in an Israeli bombing in northern Gaza, but despite 'the many negative impacts on a personal, social, and humanitarian level, professionally nothing has changed.' He was determined to carry on working, he explained, as he was due to live broadcast from the streets of Gaza City. 'We have become more determined to continue our work and uphold our professional values and perform our mission with humanity to the world,' he continued, 'in order to convey the reality of what is happening on the ground inside Gaza, specifically the humanitarian situation, and the impact on children, women and the elderly who suffer greatly.'
Scoop
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Reporters In Gaza Bear Witness And Suffer Tragic Consequences
Mr. Shahada lost his leg due to a severe injury he suffered in Nuseirat in central Gaza in April 2024, but he picked up his camera and returned to document the tragic events that have been unfolding in Gaza. He will not let his disability stop him from working. 'It is impossible for me to leave photojournalism, even if I face all these obstacles,' he said. Ahead of World Press Freedom Day marked annually on 3 May which focuses on the role of media to highlight accountability, justice, equality, and human rights, our UN News correspondent in Gaza spoke with Palestinian journalists, documenting the risks and personal traumas they face reporting from the war-torn enclave. Since the war began following the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel an increasing number of journalists have been killed or injured in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis has engulfed the enclave. Bearing witness On one leg, leaning on crutches, Sami Shahada stands behind his camera, wearing his blue press jacket, working amongst the rubble of destruction with colleagues. "I witnessed all the crimes that happened, and then the moment came when I was a witness to a crime that was perpetrated against me,' he told UN News. 'I was a field journalist, carrying a camera in an open area and wearing a helmet and a jacket which identified me as a journalist, yet I was directly targeted.' That incident marked a turning point in his life. 'I did not need help from anyone before, now I need help,' adding that 'I have the determination and persistence to overcome this new reality. This is how we journalists must work in Gaza.' Working the streets Journalist Mohammed Abu Namous is another of these journalists. Filming with one of his colleagues in the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaza City he said: "While the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, Palestinian journalists remember their workplaces which were destroyed in the war.' 'The minimum we need to carry out our journalistic work is electricity and the internet, but many do not have this, so we resort to commercial shops that provide the internet. The streets are now our offices.' He believes that Palestinian journalists have been targeted during the Israeli occupation of Gaza and said that media workers must be protected 'whether they work in Palestine or elsewhere in the world.' Voices not silenced by death of loved ones Journalist Moamen Sharafi said he lost members of his family in an Israeli bombing in northern Gaza, but despite 'the many negative impacts on a personal, social, and humanitarian level, professionally nothing has changed.' He was determined to carry on working, he explained, as he was due to live broadcast from the streets of Gaza City. 'We have become more determined to continue our work and uphold our professional values and perform our mission with humanity to the world,' he continued, 'in order to convey the reality of what is happening on the ground inside Gaza, specifically the humanitarian situation, and the impact on children, women and the elderly who suffer greatly.'
Al Jazeera
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli report on killing of Palestinian medics in Gaza: What to know
The Israeli army has described its killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza and burying them and their vehicles as a 'professional error'. The bodies of 14 humanitarian workers were found in a mass grave along with their crushed vehicles a week after coming under Israeli fire in late March. One body had been found a few days before. The army said it had 'shrouded' the bodies with cloth and sand to protect them until humanitarian organisations could retrieve them. Israel had blocked access to the site for days, later insisting it was not an attempt to cover up the attack. Here's what to know about the attack, Israel's claims and how the investigation stacks up against other evidence: A video found on the phone of slain paramedic Rifaat Radwan shows the team's final moments. The video, filmed from inside one of the last two ambulances to head out, shows a firetruck and ambulances driving ahead through the night. All vehicles were clearly identified with emergency lights flashing. The vehicles stopped when they see an ambulance and bodies by the roadside, and first responders in reflective uniforms exit the vehicles. Moments later, intense gunfire erupts. As the gunfire continues, Radwan can be heard asking his mother for forgiveness and reciting the Islamic declaration of faith, the Shahada, before he dies. After a review, the Israeli military described the killings as 'professional failures' and a 'misunderstanding'. Nobody has been charged. It dismissed a deputy commander for 'providing an incomplete report' and reprimanded a commanding officer. Major General Yoav Har-Even, who conducted the review, said two responders were killed in an initial incident, 12 people were killed in a second shooting and another person was killed in a third incident. 'The fire in the first two incidents resulted from an operational misunderstanding by the troops, who believed they faced a tangible threat from enemy forces. The third incident involved a breach of orders during a combat setting,' the military statement said. Troops bulldozed over the bodies and their mangled vehicles, but the investigation said that was not an attempt to conceal the attack. The Military Advocate General's Corps, meant to be an independent body under Israel's attorney general and Supreme Court, can now decide whether to file civil charges. The investigative report said soldiers did not recognise the ambulances due to 'poor night visibility' and because flashing lights are less visible on night-vision drones and goggles. It also blamed the now-dismissed deputy commander, saying he mistakenly thought the ambulance was being used by Hamas and opened fire first. Israel has tried to justify previous attacks on protected entities by saying Hamas hides among civilians and uses ambulances to carry out operations. Har-Even told reporters that one of the humanitarian workers at the scene was questioned over suspected Hamas links. The man, Munther Abed, was released the next day. Before the video of the attack was found, Israel's military had said the ambulances had been 'advancing suspiciously' towards its soldiers 'without headlights or emergency signals'. The first responders were 'in their uniforms, still wearing gloves' when they were killed, said Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Palestinian territory. Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said several team members were found with their hands and feet bound and bullet wounds to the head and torso, indicating they were executed at close range after being identified as humanitarian workers. Without offering proof, the Israeli investigative report said six of those killed were 'Hamas members' although no Palestinian fighters were reported found in the mass grave. Har-Even told reporters that no paramedic was armed and no weapons were found in any vehicle. An Israeli military official said the bodies had been covered 'in sand and cloth' to preserve them until their retrieval could be coordinated with international organisations. The army also said it has found 'no evidence to support claims of execution' and 'such claims are blood libels and false accusations against [Israeli] soldiers'. Human rights groups and international legal experts said Israel's self-reviews often lack independence and transparency. Israel said it reviews its military's conduct through internal probes led by its military advocate general, who decides whether to pursue criminal investigations. But the military has a track record of denying wrongdoing, contradicting itself or blaming low-ranking individuals without broader repercussions for the armed forces. In 2022, it claimed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Palestinian fire until several media investigations debunked that. Israel later admitted it may have shot her 'accidentally' but ruled out a criminal probe. In January, the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor defended seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing Israel's failure to genuinely investigate allegations of war crimes. The PRCS and the Israeli rights organisation Breaking the Silence have rejected the findings of the Israeli probe. 'It is incomprehensible why the occupation soldiers buried the bodies of the paramedics,' PRCS President Younis al-Khatib told Al Araby TV. He said evidence such as the video proved 'the falsehood of the occupation's narrative', adding that the Israeli army communicated with the paramedics before killing them.
Express Tribune
06-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Video from killed Gaza medic shows Israeli forces' deadly attack on ambulance
Listen to article A newly discovered video shows the final moments of Palestinian medics killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on March 23. The footage, found on the mobile phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the victims, contradicts Israeli military claims that its soldiers targeted "suspicious vehicles" in the area. The video, released by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Saturday, shows medics wearing reflective uniforms inside a clearly marked ambulance in Rafah's Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood when they come under intense gunfire from Israeli forces. According to the PRCS, the convoy of ambulances had been dispatched in response to emergency calls from civilians trapped after an Israeli bombardment in Rafah. The video, filmed from inside a moving vehicle, captures a red fire truck and several ambulances stopping by the roadside. Moments later, two uniformed medics exit the vehicles, and a volley of gunfire erupts, causing the screen to go black. The medic filming the scene is heard reciting the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, as he faces the gunfire. The Israeli military initially claimed that its forces did not target ambulances but rather fired at 'terrorists' approaching them in 'suspicious vehicles,' which were not displaying headlights or emergency signals. However, the PRCS and local witnesses argue that the video and the condition of the victims—many of whom were found with their hands and feet bound and showing signs of execution—point to a deliberate attack on humanitarian workers. The attack killed 15 people, including eight from the PRCS, six from Gaza's Civil Defence, and a staff member from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Their bodies were found buried near Rafah in what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a mass grave. One of the witnesses, Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal, reported that many victims had bullet wounds to their heads and torsos, suggesting execution-style killings after being identified as medical personnel. Some of the bodies had been decapitated, while others were dismembered. The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the killings as "premeditated murder under international law," with a statement saying the video disproved Israel's claims that the vehicles had approached 'suspiciously.' Hamas demanded an international investigation into the attack. The Gaza government also condemned the killings, describing them as a "brutal and unprecedented" act against medical teams, calling for justice and accountability. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, expressed his horror over the attack, highlighting the risk of war crimes. He called for a "prompt and thorough investigation" into the incident, adding that it raised serious concerns over the targeting of humanitarian workers by Israeli forces. According to UNRWA, at least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023. Israel has said it is investigating the attack, but it remains under heavy international scrutiny, with many calling for an independent probe into the killings of medical personnel. The ongoing Israeli onslaught in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 50,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Egypt Today
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Video shows Gaza aid workers under Israeli fire while ambulance lights on, contradicting army claims
A video shows Gaza aid workers coming under Israeli fire while ambulance lights on, contradicting army claims - New York Times CAIRO – 5 April 2025: A video discovered on a mobile phone of a paramedic, whose body was found in a mass grave containing 15 relief workers killed by Israeli forces in Rafah last month, contradicts Israeli assertions that ambulances were not targeted intentionally and lacked emergency lighting or signals. The footage, published by The New York Times, clearly shows that the ambulances and fire trucks used by the paramedics and civil defense teams were distinctly marked and had their emergency lights activated while under fire from Israeli forces. The video, obtained from a senior UN diplomat, captures the moment when the members of the ambulance and civil defense teams were shot at, with their emergency lights flashing. This evidence disputes Israeli claims that the vehicles were moving suspiciously without proper alerts. The video features the voice of a paramedic reciting the Shahada (There is no god but Allah) during the gunfire. Israeli forces killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers on 23 March and buried them in a mass grave in Tal Al-Sultan district of southern Gaza's Rafah city. The United Nations said the Israeli forces killed the workers, including at least one UN employee, 'one by one.' A Red Crescent official in Gaza said one of the deceased was found with his hands tied. 'Seven days ago, civil defence and the [Palestinian Red Crescent Society] PRCS ambulances arrived at the scene,' Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine Jonathan Whittall said in a video statement. 'One by one, [the paramedics and civil defense workers] were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave. 'We're digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave,' Whittall said. 'These ambulances have been buried in the sand. There's a UN vehicle here, buried in the sand. A bulldozer – Israeli forces bulldozer – has buried them.'
