Video Testimony of Yossi Landau (Zaka) October 17 th , 2023

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October 18, 2023

Video Testimony of Yossi Landau (Zaka) October 17th, 2023
Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:00:01] My name is Yossi Landau. I’m 55 years old. I live with
in Ashdod, father of ten children, grandfather of 22, having a business, international
freight forwarding business. 33 years joining Zaka. Sorry, but I think I’m. I’m in a dream
right now. A very bad dream. I’m not eating. I’m not sleeping. And not only me, it’s my
entire team that I was with them for the last ten days. 11 days? Something like that. And
I’m always with them. I know them since they came into the to the organization, followed
them. Right now, I don’t know them. They’re all different. This all happened last
Saturday, October 7th, 6:30 in the morning while we were having Saturday holiday,
enjoying with the children, got up to the sirens and missile attack on Ashdod where I
live. Just got my radio and then my wife and my kids know that this happens. I’m outside
and not in the house. They go into the shelter. I don’t know even where the shelter is in
my house. Because there always, when it is, we’re going out with the volunteers. We
are out for the civilians to help them and to be there for them. Same thing happens this
Saturday, and all of a sudden we start to get some, some information that the missiles
was basically a cover up for the invasion, a major invasion for settlements and for for
towns and for cities in Israel. No clue what happened. Nobody cares.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:02:46] Nobody knows nothing. But I decided it’s time for me
to be not at home. I got my vest, I got my helmet. Went into my car. Just called up
another volunteer. Whoever is available Saturday. We’re all religious people, not
everybody we can get in touch, and drove out to the south. Arrived in Sderot. There was
still gunshots still. There was a war. It’s a war zone. The police, soldiers screaming, and
you just go down because it’s right in back of you. There’s terrorists and you see people
struggling to life to live. They wounded. First thing that first you go to help them as a as
an EMT volunteer. You just go to help them wherever you can save. And thank God we
saved a couple of people. With gunshot wounds. And then all of a sudden, you see a
gun in front of your face, a rifle. And you have no choice but to take him down. And
thank God we took him down. Then we went further on the streets. We saw people in
cars, people outside. Just pedestrians. People in the houses. Dead for no reason. Not
only Israelis. I arrived to a spot. It was in a car, four, I think it was Chinese workers that
came to work. They were all dead. We know we have to treat everybody the same
dignity, the same respect doesn’t make it doesn’t make a difference. Gender or religion,
we treat everybody.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:05:27] But now we saw. We used to regular, used to a
couple of bodies. The most the most that we, we treated in in Zaka was 45 bodies in
one incident. And we thought this is the the highest level we reached. I was all over the
world. If it was terror attacks. I’m a survivor of the 9/11 attack. I was there, I was
trapped, and I saved people. I was there afterwards, bringing up my friends and people.
I was in India. I was in natural disasters. I was a first responder in Miami Surfside when I
was almost blown up by fire. I saw the death in front of my face numerous times, but it
won’t stop me to go further what I’m doing. And keep up. We went, we fought and we
took. We had no place where to take the bodies in Sderot. So sorry to say, but I just
broke into a truck that was parked over there had no choice. And we filled up that truck
with bodies. We’ve taken the bodies, we put them in the bags and just putting in in the
truck. That’s to respect them. They shouldn’t be in the street. Then when more of our
volunteers came along and we start to settle to make groups, I send out a group to
Ofakim because we knew that, in Ofakim, there’s also an invasion and there’s attacks.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:07:49] There’s civilians that are killed. So we had a group
going over there. I would say I’ll follow them afterwards. Then we went out to the road.
The road it’s called Kvish Shloshim ve Aarba. It’s the 34 mark 34. It’s a piece of road
that should take normal, I would say between 15, 20 minutes. It took us for our
volunteers and while we were under fire and we have cover up, took us 11 hours, 11
hours to clean up and not finally clean up. But whatever we could do and that’s not
included, burnt cars that we saw on the side that people were burned while they were
alive. They got a missile, they got a grenade, and they were burned that we said, okay,
we’ll keep that for the last because we have to take first the the people that were shot.
And I can say 70% of those victims were shot in the back, not in the front. They were all
shot in the back, not once, not twice, or from the side they came in. They even had time
to pull them out of the car. They searched the pockets to find money to see if they have
money. We found, we saw wallets out just lying in the side, and I don’t think that the
victims did it. And there was no one in that by the victims before we came. So I said to
my volunteers and I said to myself, okay, it’s only…..

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:10:11] It’s only, you know, shotguns, all the wounds. We’re
used to it. We saw that. Let’s go further. Well, we came to a shelter where people went
into that shelter was on the Tsomet, I think it’s the fasim was a shelter. We just go into
that shelter and we saw 20 people. 20 people. They were hugged. They were hugging
themselves, trying to defend themself. They were all burnt to death. Just two grenades.
Hand grenades. That did it, the job. Well, we have to separate them. I don’t know if you
know. And you should never know what it means to separate a burnt body. It’s very
difficult. And it’s very hard to do that. Because when. And we saw even though before
we got to the kibbutzim, to the area, to this. Those bodies that we we picked up, they
were talking to us. Know you’re going to see you’re going to think that. Yes, Yossi.
You’re crazy. You got crazy. You know, I was I was always crazy. I’m a crazy person.
Yes. Maybe something now happened more. I’ll take care of it. But I’m telling you that
those bodies told the stories. They were talking to us and telling us this is what
happened to us. And that’s before that we saw the torching that before we saw the we
saw the bodies, how it looked in the kibbutzim. And I’ll get to that. But those bodies that
we have to take apart from that shelter, were just talking to us.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:12:41] We only tried to defend themselves. We only we
didn’t try to harm anybody. We came over here to to enjoy ourselves, to sing. And this is
what happened. They were all youngsters. Then we go further. We see a van,
Volkswagen, six bodies in that. They were not Jews. They were Palestinians. They were
shot. It was, I don’t know, with Israeli plates. They were all shot and we put them into
the bags, the same thing like we did to the civilians, to the Jews, because we respect.
That’s our mission to respect every human being. They weren’t involved in any terror
attack and we’re going to respect them. Then they call us in. Okay. So we said, okay,
we saw everything. There’s nothing else. What to see? They call us in to kibbutz Be’eri.
We were warned before. We were told before. Listen. What what you guys are going to
see now? Just tell me if you’re ready or not. If not, we can’t take. I took my team. 50
people in my team, 50 Zaka members. That I know them by heart. I know them. The
size of their shoe, I know them. I took them for a talk. I explained them exactly what we
going into, and I didn’t ask them to get permission from the wife and the kids because I
knew that if they’re going to ask the family, they will not get any permission.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:14:40] But I asked their own permission and I told them,
before we go in, let’s sing a song because I know we’ll need it. We got a song, a hope
song. It’s a future song. It’s a song that we know that there’s. There’s going to be light in
the end of the tunnel. Took them all together. Hugging them. Let’s go in. We went in the
first house we saw. Was a couple, father and mother, sitting there on their knees on the
floor. They were on their. Now they were head down, hands tied to the back. On the
other side of the dining room was in the living dining room, was seven year old boy and
a girl, I would say about six years old, sitting just against the parents, hands tied to the
back. Same position. The bodies were tortured, while now, start to use imagination.
Who was tortured before? Who saw if this was, this was the purpose. If this was the
children looking at the parents being tortured. The parents seeing. And when I say
tortured. I will say missing body pieces. An eye just taken out an eye. One eye. Fingers
being. Fingers being. All this happened, and by the end they all had a bullet and still not
finished. In the middle, there’s a table. Those terrorists were sitting and eating there.
The Saturday meal that was prepared for this family. And. For this family, they just took
it.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:17:29] They were hungry and they took it. And they ate this
meal while torturing these children and their parents. Three of my… I broke I, I blanked
out and it took me a split second to blank out. And then I got to myself and I said, if this
is going to happen to me, then we’re done with the job. My volunteers would never be
able to do it. Now you can say again, Yossi is a crazy guy. I took them and we started
dancing. We started. We didn’t dance. We just sat down next to the bodies in the blood.
We had. We were sitting in the blood singing. We had this white suit that I told them
when we got out, we’re going to take this white cover suit and we’ll change it. But for
now, we sitting next to the bodies in the blood and we’re going to sing this, this song
that they was supposed to sing for the holiday for Saturday. And we going to we’re
going to make like they sitting with us by the meal. Because like 3 to 5 minutes. And
then one of my volunteers said, Yossi enough. We have to go further. Just got up. We
took them. We handled them. We we put them in the bags and we said, now we’re
going further. I told him, let’s go change because we’re full of blood. About he says, no,
yes, we’re going to change. But I need a bag.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:19:27] I want to take this home. We go on further. We go into
the next house. It was an old lady. She was dead. We took her. We said, I’m sorry that
we can’t deal with handle like we usually do to take the blood and everything. We go
further. Then we see the woman. She was about, I would say 30. Age of 30. She was
lying on the floor. A puddle of blood. Big puddle of blood. Face down. We have to turn
her over in order to put it into the body bag. She was a pregnant woman. Her stomach
was butchered though. The baby that was connected to the cord was stabbed. She was
shot in the back. Now we going to the same imagination we’re using. Let’s talk to the
body. Let’s talk. Let’s see what happens. Did she see? See that? What was done to her
baby. Or she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t have that suffering, you know. But. We have a
debate between us. If they use two body bags for the baby and for the mother. That was
our debate. While sitting with our children and having fun. We debated between us. If to
use two body bags. We decide we will use only one body bag, because we don’t want to
disconnect this baby from the mother.

[00:22:31] I’ll have a break, please.

[00:22:36] I want to give. I want to give a message. It’s a message to the world.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:22:42] And we should know that we have no enemies in the
Arab world. We have in our organization, not only in our organization and every private
life. I have a lot of friends, customers and co-workers. Arabs, Palestinians, Christians,
everything. Those people, I won’t call them people because we can’t call them people.
We can’t call them animals. We can’t call them. This is something that they don’t belong
to our world. It’s I would see I never met the ISIS, but from the videos that were, that we
saw. From the ISIS and as we know that the Arab world condemned the ISIS, this is the
same thing has to happen over here. They don’t belong to the world. They’re not good
for the world. We want to live. We can have a good, a nice living without them.
Whatever they did, whatever they did, they didn’t do it only to my brothers and sisters.
They did it for the world. This is to show that the world is dangerous while they’re living.
Israel has to go through everything. Everything. It’s not only Israel, it’s the world. And we
see that. And we thank the world. We thank the world that.. For the support that we we
see the support in the world. Although we see some small groups, I saw all over, that
are protesting on behalf of the they, they make it like for the, for the Palestinians but for
the Palestinians is it’s not good that they’re controlling them.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:25:07] They’re only controlling the Palestinians. We have
nothing against the Palestinians. We want to live our life. And none of us came to attack
the children. I want to give for my team, my team that was with me for the last week. It
was we thought we were finished. It was only yesterday and I can say it was only
yesterday. It’s ten days after the attack in Kfar Aza. We thought there is no more bodies
and we went in to take. Unfortunately, it’s very hard for us to do, but we do it because
we’re human beings, to collect the terrorists. We collected with the same with the same
honor with the same honor that we collect the civilians. And all of a sudden we see a
body. I would say he was maybe 14 or 15, a youngster. He was not in the house, but he
was outside like. It looks like, an d as I said before, the bodies were telling the stories.
He was running, he was on the run and they most probably got mad on him and they
killed him. They chopped off his head. We found him without his head. We put him in a
bag. We don’t know who this is. It’s for sure not a terrorist because we know the clothing
that he was wearing, but. And he was without a head. The evil. The horror is. So it’s
crying. It’s crying. And I don’t know why this has to happen.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:27:12] We go home.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:27:14] We can’t talk to the wife. We can’t talk to the children.
We can’t tell them anything. The smell. When I came home, I woke up my wife in the
middle of the night and asking her. Are you sure you put everything in the fridge? Don’t
you have any meat outside that couple of days already? And she knew. She knew what
I’m going through. We have the smell. That’s what we smelling. That’s what we eating.
And that was just started for a nice, beautiful holiday. With no warning before. With no.
With nothing. With nothing doing to them before. I ask you, I beg you. Please have a
prayer. Pray for us that we should be able to raise our children with no damages. With
no, who should be normal father normal grandfather. That’s all what we need. Thank
you.

Matt Frei (Channel Four): [00:28:31] And my name is Matt Frei from channel four news
in the UK. Thank you very much for your testimony. It was the hardest thing I think I’ve
ever heard in my journalistic career. And I cannot imagine what you’re going through.
Yossi, let me ask you, how do you. I mean, how do you carry on living after seeing what
you’ve seen? How do you deal with that? And are you also, do you worry that maybe
the stories that the things you’ve seen, right, what you’re telling us can be used in order
to visit violence on innocent civilians on the other side of this?

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:29:16] We are in a mission now. And we were taught that
when everybody, everyone, every volunteer goes into this organization and start testing
him. And I was tested not once and not twice, while I was feeding my own family that
were in terror attacks and all other disasters. Could be a car accident when you come to
yourself. And it could be a very unnatural death when you come to. And sometimes it’s
your own family member, you have to know to split your job and your thoughts and your
feelings. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. Unfortunately, after 33 years of
doing this, I’m used to this already. I thought so, I thought so as of now, I know the
mission is still not over. It’s still not finished. We’re in the middle of the mission. When I
will finish the mission, I’m sure. I’m sure I’ll get some help and I’ll need some help. When
I came home. I wasn’t home Saturday. I came home Friday, back in the afternoon. That
was the first time I came home. My wife and kids, they looked at me. They didn’t
recognize me. I was, I lost, I would say about five kilograms from my weight. And I
looked different. When people are telling me, you know. I went to the synagogue on
Saturday meeting some friends.

Yossi Landau (Zaka): [00:31:21] They were afraid to talk to me, and I saw that they all
looked in the back. Something is wrong with this guy. But as I promised, for my
volunteers when we had the first incident that I promised them, we will not leave the job
without knowing that everyone, every civilian, everyone that was killed, will get the full
respect. It’s not only for them, it’s for the families. And that’s our promise that keeps
keeps us going. And another thing that keeps us going is the support of the world. We
feel we have the support. The world feels it. And they know exactly. We don’t have any
images. We might have images, but it’s against our rules, against our religion. It’s it’s not
an honor. We know it’s not an honor. I know when I, if I would see one of my volunteers
taking a picture of a, of a victim and I would, I would take him out of the force. Why?
You never know what can happen in tomorrow looking on that images or one of his kids.
I remember once, it was a couple years ago when it was terrorist attacks, and I was
crawling up on a wall, taken off body parts, and a photographer journalist, he made
some pictures of me. And my kids were small then, and they didn’t know exactly what
I’m doing, what I’m doing in Zaka. But he wanted to do me a favor. He sent me home
some pictures that he he followed me. And I wasn’t home. And they opened up the
envelope and they looked at it and I came home. They didn’t want to talk to me. I didn’t
know why. They said, we have a crazy father. So this can happen. Therefore there’s no
images. We will not make any pictures. And if yes, we’ll give it for these sources.
Sometimes we have to make pictures. Yes, we’ll make pictures. But in general, and
second of all, in these kind of. We don’t have to prove any war crime that happened
over here. It’s when somebody’s being shot in the back or when we went in and we saw
two piles of children, minors. I wouldn’t say they were babies. I would say they’re
minors. I would say they were age of 10 to 15. They took them in to one place. They
weren’t even shot. Their hands tied but burned. They were all burned. Isn’t that a war
crime?

‘Horror Stories’: Journalist Stands By Coverage of Hamas Massacring Babies, Reveals Another Heartbreaking Claim

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October 17, 2023

The TV reporter who broke the now-viral story about Israeli babies murdered — some purportedly beheaded — at the hands of Hamas terrorists is standing by her coverage and revealing other acts of unimaginable carnage.

Nicole Zedeck, a reporter with i24News who has been on the ground in Israel since the war began last Saturday, told CBN Digital a man responsible for clearing victims’ bodies recounted yet another dreadful story.

“We’re hearing more horror stories,” she said. “He said he found a pregnant woman who was shot in the head, her stomach sliced open, the baby still attached [to] the umbilical cord.”

Zedeck continued, “And the baby was stabbed with a knife.”

This story was shared after the journalist delivered a now-viral report detailing the alleged slaughter of 40 babies and young kids in Kfar Azza, a kibbutz near the Gaza border.

Zedeck said during her initial report soldiers told her some of the babies were decapitated, sending shockwaves through the international community. Despite some doubts over these claims, the reporter is standing by her work and detailing the harrowing situations she’s witnessed over the past week.

“As difficult as it is for [journalists] to see the aftermath of these scenes, there are families, and citizens, and residents, and soldiers that witnessed it firsthand — and witnessed it as it was happening,” she told CBN Digital. “I never thought I would be in this position, where I’m reporting mere feet away from death, but I think it needs to be done and people need to see the images.”

She arrived in Kfar Azza just hours after Hamas’ terror ended, as workers were still clearing bodies and assessing all that unfolded.

“As you’re walking through these communities, you see destruction everywhere,” Zedeck said. “[I] saw a stroller that was stained with blood, a crib overturned on its side taken outside of the door.”

Considering all Zedeck has seen and what soldiers have conveyed, she expressed alarm people are “doubting” some of these claims. When it comes to the babies who were killed, she noted Israel has released some of the disturbing images to corroborate the broader carnage.

As for questions surrounding the decapitation detail, Zedeck offered a candid and important reminder: the method of death isn’t important; the fact these babies were slaughtered is the true horror.

“If later it comes out that these soldiers, what they witnessed — [that] they misspoke, and it turns out the baby’s head wasn’t cut off, it was shot off — this is a dismembered child we’re talking about,” she said. “So the life is lost, and that’s what people need to focus on.”

Watch the report about the pregnant woman’s death (caution: graphic images and scenes):

As for the Israel Defense Forces soldiers who conveyed the horrific scenes they reportedly encountered, including the decapitations, she said they were “very emotional and in shock” as they conveyed their stories to her.

Zedeck said she’s been stunned by all she’s heard and seen.

“These are never words that I thought would come out of my mouth, they’re never words I thought I would hear,” she said. “Because these are acts I didn’t know were humanly capable — that someone was humanly capable of committing.”

Watch Zedeck share her experience.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Qatar caught between Hamas and West

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October 17, 2023

Qatar is trying to walk a tightrope between western public opinion and support for Hamas.

Qatar has so far avoided any major Israeli and international pressure and recriminations against it in social network campaigns, following the horrific massacre that took place during the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.

The small but very wealthy Gulf country, controlled by the Al Thani family, is one of the biggest contributors to Hamas, alongside Iran, and has not renounced ties with the organization.

To a great extent, despite the global shock and despite the radical change in world public opinion towards Hamas, Qatar is trying to continue walking the tightrope it has been able to balance on over recent years.

On the one hand, to be the country that talks to everyone, that finances terrorism to the same extent that it manages relations with Israel and the West. A tool for mediating with the most extreme elements in the Arab world while also transferring money to those extreme elements. Qatar transfers an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars a year to Hamas.

This policy is funded by Qatar’s vast wealth from gas production and and the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) – gold in today’s energy market, after Russia has almost completely shut off the natural gas taps to Europe.

Qatar is the world’s largest LNG exporter, and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) currently manages about half a trillion dollars.

Germany bows before the Emir of Qatar

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and before him Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck both visited Qatar after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war to beg for gas.

Habeck, head of the Greens party, which is sensitive to human rights issues, has even been photographed bowing his head respectfully to the Qatari leadership. The visit was successful and a 15-year gas supply agreement was signed.

Hamas also bows its head before Qatar’s leaders, where they are hosted and operate unimpeded in Doha and in recent days have been interviewed by the world’s media, and in particular “Al Jazeera,” which is financed by Qatar and become a main tool and is proud of the “successful operation.”

An example of Qatari success in playing the double game was seen on Thursday when the Emir met the German Chancellor on a state visit to Germany. The Germans rolled out the red carpet during an official reception at the President’s residence and again during a meeting with Scholz, even though he had pledged to “stand by Israel’s side.”

The German media drew attention to Qatar’s poisonous alliance with Hamas. “Terror supporter comes to lunch,” wrote “Der Spiegel” on Thursday. “I saw him come to visit Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2012. How can you receive him with such royal dignity,” TV news anchor Christian Sievers aggressively asked German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

The Europeans don’t recognize the Qatar-Hamas connection

Germany exemplifies the way in which Qatar uses money to wash clean the fact that they support Hamas with huge amounts. It must be stressed that Qatar helps the Gaza Strip with the knowledge of Israel and the assistance has been welcomed by many Israeli governments.

But these days, when international pressure could lead to a humanitarian prisoner deal, due to the large number of women, children, babies and elderly among those abducted to the Gaza Strip, Qatar’s name is only mentioned by a handful of experts, and the European public – the one shocked to the core by the actions – is largely unaware of the Qatari-Hamas connection.

The reason for Qatar’s excellent image in Germany is, among other things, the fact that the emirate has invested more than €25 billion in the country. Qatar invested wisely, targeting the most respected companies and organizations in the country: its national airline Qatar Airways was for years the sponsor of soccer club Bayern Munich. The cooperation was stopped in preparation for the World Cup in Qatar late last year, and due to the enormous criticism of the conditions and deaths of foreign workers building the stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup.

Other collaborations continue. Qatar Investment Authority acquired 11% of carmaker Volkswagen, 6% of Deutsche Bank, 5% of Porsche automobile company – all core corporations in German industry, thus mixing politics and commerce. Qatar Investment Authority has also invested in shipping giant Hapag Lloyd and energy company RWE. It also finances the Munich Security Conference.

“Connections with the Taliban, Iran, Israel and US”

Dr. Moran Zaga, a researcher into the Gulf states at the University of Haifa’s Mitvim Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies says, “Since the 1990s, Qatar has developed an ambitious foreign policy which aims to create a sphere of influence and a capacity that is actually greater than its natural size and its fundamental shortcomings as a very small country, which depends on the Strait of Hormuz for its economic activity.”

It has woven an extensive network of contacts with Arab and Western, Islamist and democratic countries and non-state organizations.

“The result is that Qatar maintains relations with the Taliban, Iran and Hamas, alongside relations with Israel, the US and Germany. This policy allows it to generate political capital, economic capital and security stability.”

In response to the mild criticism leveled at the authorities in Germany over the past day for hosting the Emir of Qatar precisely at this time, the German Foreign Ministry made sure to clarify that the country may be used as a mediator with Hamas, and therefore it is important to maintain ties with it.

But the wording used shows that Germany is far from exerting real pressure. “We expect all the main players in the region to use their connections, which are better than Germany’s, to bring calm,” it said.

“Qatar does not need international pressure in order to act as a mediator in this event,” says Dr. Zaga, “since it always strives for this and even began to engage in this from the first or second day of the war.

“The critical question is whether it has a strong enough influence on Hamas to the point that it will cause the organization to lose its bargaining chips.”

Some sources have pointed to the sensitivity of the renegade country to international criticism as a “soft underbelly” that may cause it to act in this direction.

At the beginning of the year, European police arrested several members of the European Parliament, among others from Greece and Italy, on suspicion of accepting bribes of millions of euros from Qatar in exchange for their public statements regarding the “adequate working conditions” in the country before the World Cup, and working to suppress European criticism.

“The impact of the pressure on Hamas is limited”

From the popint of view of these sources, this illustrates that Qatar is concerned about its international image, especially when hundreds of billions are invested in Europe (in addition to investments in Germany, Qatar owns the Harrods chain in the UK, for example, and the Paris Saint-Germain football club in France).

Dr. Zaga believes that the leverage of Qatar’s pressure on Hamas is limited.

“Therefore, Qatar may lose twice from this situation. On the one hand, it damages its image as a country that hosts terrorists and supports an organization whose brutality the whole enlightened world now understands. At the same time, it cannot leverage its connections and funding in order to create a significant achievement due to the independence of the Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip.”

According to her, “It is possible that Qatar will be able to obtain a partial achievement in a deal for ‘humanitarian’ exchanges of Israeli citizens for the female Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

“But if Qatar does not succeed in influencing Hamas, it may find itself at a crossroads, in which it must choose between stopping funding Hamas and hosting its political arm, and becoming a blacklisted country in the international arena.”

“Qatar has not yet faced the dilemma of continuing to support terrorism in the face of international pressure,” says Dr. Zaga.

According to her, “History shows that pressure from the international community has influenced Qatar’s policy in the past, such as on the issue of foreign workers in its territory. Therefore, only a sufficiently significant and widespread pressure on the issue of terrorist financing and the expulsion of the political leadership of Hamas from its territory can affect it.”

“Israel is not in a rush to point an accusing finger

Regarding the question of how Israel should treat the Qatari channel, after years of cooperation and even relying on the money coming from Qatar for the restoration of the Gaza Strip after Operation “Protective Edge”, Zaga says: “Israel is now focusing on leveraging Qatar’s capabilities to free the hostages and therefore is not in a hurry to point an accusing finger at it.”

“Pointing an accusing finger at Qatar would have a disadvantage and an advantage. The disadvantage would be the loss of an important channel for any achievements, even partial ones, especially on the subject of the release of those who have been kidnapped. The advantage would be in leveraging the war from a one-off event into an ideological regional struggle between the moderates and the extremists, between the good and the bad. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt, and Israel now have the ability to produce this equation.”

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on October 15, 2023.

Israeli forensic teams describe signs of torture, abuse

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October 17, 2023

Military forensic teams in Israel have examined bodies of victims of last week’s Hamas attack on communities around the Gaza Strip and found multiple signs of torture, rape and other atrocities, officers said on Saturday.

Around 1,300 bodies have been brought to an army base in Ramla in central Israel where forensic checks to determine the identity of the dead and the circumstances of their death are carried out by specialist teams.

Around 90% of the military dead have been identified and teams are half way through identifying civilians, said Rabbi Israel Weiss, former army chief rabbi, one of the officials overseeing the identification of the dead. He said many bodies showed signs of torture as well as rape.

“We’ve seen dismembered bodies with their arms and feet chopped off, people that were beheaded, a child that was beheaded,” a reserve warrant officer identified only by her first name of Avigayil told reporters.

She said multiple cases of rape were found by forensic examination of the bodies, which have been stored in refrigerated containers.

“We do the identification with all the means that we have,” said a military dentist, identified as Captain Maayan. “We see them in severe stages of abuse. We see gunshots and we see signs that are purely torture.”

The military personnel overseeing the identification process didn’t present any forensic evidence in the form of pictures or medical records.

Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, has denied accusations of abuse.

Hundreds of Hamas gunmen, some on motorcycles, broke through barriers around Gaza in the early hours of Oct. 7 and tore through nearby communities, attacking a large outdoor dance party as well homes and military bases and abducting more than 120 Israelis and foreigners.

The assault caused profound shock in Israel due to both the unprecedented number of dead from a single day as well as the graphic footage that has emerged from the towns and kibbutzes that were overrun.

In response, Israeli jets and artillery have bombarded the Gaza Strip for days, killing more than 2,200 Palestinians and destroying thousands of buildings ahead of an expected ground invasion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has compared Hamas to Islamic State, which gained worldwide notoriety for its campaign of public beheadings in countries like Syria and Iraq.

Reporting by Peter Hirschberg; Editing by Daniel Wallis

Flash Report from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters

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October 17, 2023

Initial medical report on the condition of the hostages and missing persons: Immediate danger to life and unbearable suffering for some of the hostages and missing persons.
This emerges from an initial medical report detailing the physical condition of a significant number of the hostages and missing persons.

The report, presented today to International Red Cross representatives in Israel who visited the Families Headquarters, reveals the horrific situation: Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis patients, people with special needs, infants, and the elderly are enduring extreme conditions as time runs critically short.

Examples of critical cases:

– A 9-month-old baby being fed only baby formula in need of proper nutrition and vital baby products.
– Children ages 5, 13, and 16, with autism, requiring special assistance.
– A 23-year-old woman with untreated gunshot and wounded people with amputated limbs.
– A 27-year-old woman with Crohn’s disease requiring biological treatment and medical nutritional therapy, at risk of worsening.
– A man with a severe autoimmune disease requiring hospital biological treatment, at risk of worsening and death.
– A 60-year-old man with multiple sclerosis, who has difficulty walking.
– An 85-year-old woman with heart failure, kidney disease, asthma, and cardiac arrhythmias at risk of developing blood clots, fluid retention, and death.
– An elderly woman with Parkinson’s, dementia, who suffers from being underweight, at risk of worsening and death.

*Summary (the full medical report compiled by Prof. Hagai Levin is attached for your review):*

The report submitted to the Red Cross by the medical team headed by Prof. Hagai Levin describes the condition of the hostages and missing persons suffering unbearable and life-threatening torture due to lack of access to medical care. According to the report, they are undergoing indescribable suffering and need urgent treatment with life-saving medications and care for injuries. Based on initial information: Many wounded (after amputations; severe injuries from rape), medical conditions such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer; and patients with special needs such as autism, dementia, and infants.

A detailed file with information on over 150 hostages and missing persons was sent on 14.10.2023 to the contact person of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and then an additional update was sent.

The full medical report is attached for your review.

UNRWA urges for the protection of civilians across the Gaza Strip: Not one wordo f regret for the OCT. 7 MASS MURDER OF JEWS

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October 13, 2023

With a very heavy heart, I am called to share with you the Official Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, on today’s tragic developments in the Gaza Strip:

“As Gaza remains under heavy bombardment with Israel tightening its grip over the overpopulated Strip, it is left to the UN and humanitarians to protect civilians.

“The call from the Israeli Forces to move more than 1 million civilians living in northern Gaza within 24 hours is horrendous. This will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and further push people in Gaza into abyss.

“Since 7 October, over 423,000 people have already been displaced. Of them, more than 270,000 have taken refuge in UNRWA shelters, where basic food, medicine and support is provided to retain dignity and a glimmer of hope.

“The scale and speed of the unfolding humanitarian crisis is bone-chilling. Gaza is fast becoming a hell hole and is on the brink of collapse.

“There is no exception, all parties must uphold the laws of war; humanitarian assistance must be provided at all times to civilians.

“In Gaza, more than 2 million people are caught up in this conflict. UNRWA is struggling to fulfil its mandate.

“I urge all parties and those with influence over them to put an end to this tragedy and provide immediate and unconditional humanitarian access and protection to the civilian, among them far too many women and children.

“The time for humanity to prevail is now”.

, Thank you for always supporting UNRWA and Palestine Refugees.

We are honoured to have you by our side.

UNRWA Spokesperson / Director of External Relations & Communications

German Chancellor to Abbas: Your Silence is Shameful

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October 13, 2023

Letter to Hendon MP – re BBC fail to use terminology TERRORIST

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October 13, 2023

I wrote to you on the 24 May 2021(see attached) regarding the Dyson Report and the Balen Report of 2004 in to the BBC’s deliberate manipulation of facts and asked what steps HM government Department of Justice and/or Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport intend to take to investigate the cover up that prevented the publication of the Balen Report. Some two and a half years later I still await your response and that of the ministry.

I have over the last six days listened to, viewed the TV reports, as well read on their web site the coverage the BBC has provided regarding the POGROM that the terrorist organization Hamas perpetrated on Israel.

Firstly, the absolute failure of the journalists, newscasters, international editors to identify Hamas as terrorists but using terminology as ‘gunmen”, militants and fighters instead of TERRORISTS depicts anti-Semitic racial bias – for any other people be it bombers in the UK, USA etc. such actions would be classified as terrorism, the exception being made by the BBC comes when their aim is to kill Jews in COLD BLOOD.

The BBC throws up the excuse it is written in their Editorial Guidelines – exactly who wrote these guidelines and who approved this utter nonsense and why have they not been rescinded in the last six days. Who failed to take this decision must be the question that the Secretary of State Department of Culture, Media and Sport must immediately address as well as Members of Parliament.

On Tuesday morning on the BBC Radio 4 Today program the BBC International Editor Bowen was asked by the anchor in Jerusalem, Martha Kearney, to describe the scene at Kfar Aza but he somehow managed to wiggle out of mentioning the BEHEADINGS of the 40 plus babies and children and put over his political views of the situation, if he was such an expert he would be advising the UK government instead of working for the BBC! This is not acceptable, Bowen has over the decades demonstrated a pro-Arab stance and as such his reporting is blatantly bias against Israel and Jews. When I heard this broadcast I was utterly flabbergasted that this man has the temerity to turn around facts and truth. This is all clearly documented by Camera UK on its web site https://camera-uk.org/2023/10/12/bbcs-bowen

does-whataboutery-in-kfar-aza/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=es. It is time he was immediately removed from his post.

As a former employee of the BBC you are well aware of the workings of the BBC. It would appear they are more concerned with pacifying the UK and international Islamic population.

I am aware of the Prime Minister’s views on this but it is totally unsatisfactory for this situation to continue. Accordingly, I should like to question what immediate steps HM Government intends to take to rectify the situation given that their reporting incites and is responsible for enhancing international anti-Semitism.

Please don’t, as you have often done in the past given me your personal views, as part of your duty under the Representation of the People Act to your constituents this letter must be forwarded to the relevant government departments for a response.

Yours sincerely

24 May 2021

Dr M Offord MP

House of Commons

London

BY Email

Dear Dr Offord,

Lord Dyson Report into the Princess Diana Newsnight interview

Lord Dyson identified serious breaches of honesty within the organization including a cover up within the upper echelons of the BBC that is extremely disturbing.

This report covered events some 25 years ago and totally discredits the honesty and integrity of the BBC and clearly identifies the lengths it has gone to withhold honest disclosure. As such it indicates that it has been far from objective in its reporting.

As a result of serious complaints regarding the BBC’s subjective reporting of the Arab – Israel conflict the organization commissioned the Balen investigation. The corporation, despite it being publically funded, has refused to disclose the contents of the findings of the 20000 word investigation into the 2004 Balen Report.

Given the disclosure contained in the Dyson Report there is clear evidence that there is a cover up since the corporation refuses to publish the document, making ridiculous claims as to its “right” to do so. I am aware that you are a former employee of the BBC and may be aware of some of the inner workings of the organization, particularly within the news gathering and distribution in respect to the World at One, etc, but the public has the right to know as Lord Dyson disclosed..

Under the circumstances prevailing on the basis of the disclosures within the Dyson Report I should like to enquire what steps HM government Department of Justice and/or Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport intend to take to investigate the cover up that prevented the publication of the Balen Report.

Yours sincerely

It’s time to take off the gloves

By

Michael Kuttner

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October 13, 2023

On the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War the enemies of Israel and the Jewish People chose another religious holyday to launch their version of the final solution.

Like the Amalekites who attacked the vulnerable Israelites in the wilderness as they made their way to the Promised Land their modern-day incarnations displayed their barbaric intentions for all to see.

An overwhelming desire to murder and maim Jews is at the root of their agenda. This is a fact that no amount of woke political correctness on the part of progressive apologists can cover up. If there had been even the slightest doubt in the past, this latest genocidal attempt should have dispelled it.

The tragedy is that lessons of the past were never learnt and even now in the face of overwhelming evidence, there are still those whose wishy-washy responses stand out.

The time has finally arrived when not only must the facts be clearly and fearlessly articulated but resolute action must be taken to make sure that the terrorists involved can never again perpetrate their murderous objectives.

Mealy-mouthed politicians must be outed, hypocritical experts must be exposed and tendentious media reporting must be countered.

In other words, and in plain English, the gloves need to come off and we need to finish the job once and for all.

Obviously, there will have to be inquiries at the end of this war about the various factors which preceded this conflict and why Israel was once again taken by surprise.

Some vital questions need to be posed in the midst of the ongoing conflict. If we do not learn from past mistakes and false assumptions the results at the end of this round will be yet another dismal failure which, in turn, will inevitably lead to future misery.

Let’s get a few things straight right from the beginning.

Any inane thought that some people may still have that a Palestinian State is the answer to any strife in the region should be consigned to the garbage bin. It never was going to be a solution but critics have always been derided as warmongers and merchants of fear. Yet, a cold hard understanding of the root causes of the conflict reveals a basic truth. The one and only reason we have arrived at the situation we face today is because of the fundamental refusal to recognize any sort of Jewish legitimacy in the indigenous Jewish homeland.

This rejectionist policy has been at the core of Islamic terror against Jews regaining their sovereignty. No matter what sort of compromise has been proposed it has always been rejected by an Arab leadership which instead preferred to incite their followers to murder and destroy. That in turn led to attempts at aborting Israel’s rebirth and subsequent recurring wars.

Thus was born the pernicious fantasy that each and every disaster suffered by the Arabs of mandated Palestine was as a result of someone else’s crime. This enduring myth, fostered and coddled by revisionist peddlers effectively absolves the Arabs from any sort of responsibility for their own obsessive hatred of any sort of Jewish presence.

While some in the Islamic world have obviously in the meantime managed to face reality, the plain and simple fact remains that those touted as peace partners are still mired in their own manufactured cesspool of hate. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah remain firmly committed to the destruction of Israel and the murder of its citizens. Fatah, the PLO and the PA pretend otherwise. This is a sham as their rhetoric conclusively proves.

As reported by PMW, the official PA daily media proclaimed: “Israel is a bastard State established to realize the will and strategy of its lords from the colonialist capitalist western states.” “The Jews defile our Jerusalem and holy places.” Fatah: “Strike the sons of apes of pigs… slaughter everyone who is Israeli”

This follows the massacres of Israelis by Hamas. Can the evil ideology which motivates these people truly be the basis for the establishment of a fake two State solution living in democratic peace and harmony? How detached from reality can one be to still believe this nonsense? Yet the international community continues to burble this mantra even after the barbaric events of the past few days.

The media is a willing propagator of these lies and fables. Murderous terrorists are never described as such. They are laundered as “militants” or “fighters” and elevated to the exalted status of oppressed martyrs fighting for freedom.

Tiptoeing on eggshells in order not to appear too non politically correct has been the failed and preferred option of many. That failed strategy should have been ditched a long time ago in favour of hard-hitting truths. An assertion that “the residents of Gaza are not the enemy but only Hamas,” is a typical example. Of course, the residents of Gaza are the enemy. Who elected Hamas? Who participate in terror if not the residents of Gaza? It isn’t aliens from Mars. Trying to assert otherwise will not gain anyone any brownie points because in the eyes of the UN there is only one culprit.

Experts are now convinced that Iran has had a major hand in planning and training Hamas to launch its terror war. Who funds Hamas? The answer is Qatar and Iran. Who recently gifted US$6 billion to Iran as ransom money? What do you think the Iranians are going to do with this windfall? There are those who claim that there is no proof Iran had anything to do with the Hamas attack. Yet Colonel Kemp, a respected expert on security, has stated that “Iran and Russia are pulling the Hamas and Hezbollah strings and providing support.”

Russia has openly declared that it wants a closer relationship with Iran. So who do we prefer to trust?

When the first sirens wailed on Shabbat, I predicted that one of the first inanities which would be forthcoming from some apologists, would be a warning about “disproportionate responses.” Presumably, an appropriate response to the taking of men, women and children as hostages would be, for some, the payment of billions in ransom and the release of incarcerated terrorists. After all, if Iran can get away with it, why not Hamas? Without a doubt their Tehran sponsors taught them how.

Equating the slaughter of 270 youngsters at a rave party by Hamas terrorists and the atrocities that followed with Israel’s retaliatory responses is obscene.

That, however is the normal knee-jerk reaction, and as Israel’s responses ramp up you can expect more asinine drivel. Urging “restraint on civilian targets” when Hamas, Fatah and Hezbollah intentionally target Israeli civilians is a mockery.

The morally corrupt UN has already launched its ritual condemnations of Israel with some of the world’s worst abusers of human rights and democracy bleating forth.

Israel has already been asked what sort of a “deal” it would contemplate to get its kidnapped citizens back. As President Herzog made it perfectly clear at his press conference with international media reporters, there is NO contemplated deal. The abducted men, women and children must be released unconditionally. Failing that, as Israel has already made clear, neither the electricity nor the water will be turned on again.

Let’s not beat about the bush. It’s either them or us. Until now we have naively believed that by being benevolent, we could buy peace and quiet and the rest of the world would applaud.

History should have taught otherwise but the peace hallucinators ignored the inevitable. Now that reality has hit them full in the face there is much gnashing of teeth.

We are in a declared state of war.

The only way forward after this lamentable event is to totally defeat the terrorists, demolish their infrastructure and eliminate each and every one of their leaders. That is how Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan were defeated. This is how the masterminds and perpetrators of the Munich Olympic massacres of Israeli athletes met their fate.

We must make it clear to Abbas and his corrupt PA that there is no chance in hell for the establishment of another terror and hate-sponsoring state in Israel’s heartland. Pretending to go along with this international charade is no longer a viable option and would be an insult to those murdered.

Iran must be made accountable and thwarted. Its terror affiliates must be liquidated and its ability to kidnap and threaten the destruction of its neighbours must be degraded.

If all this is “disproportionate” then so be it.

Turning the other cheek and remaining silent in the face of barbarous savagery is no longer an option.

The time for pussyfooting around has long since passed.

Frequently Asked Questions about the 2023 War with Hamas

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October 13, 2023

On the morning of October 7, 2023, more than 3,000 terrorists infiltrated Israel and massacred 1,200 women, children, men, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The infiltration was masked by more than 3,600 missiles fired by the terrorists, indiscriminately targeting Israel’s civilian population. While Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted most missiles, others fell on high-rise buildings, synagogues, and hospitals.

These were explicit acts of war and clear war crimes.¹

As Israel responds to the atrocities, several basic principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) are essential to be familiar with.

In IHL, four basic principles are meant to guide the parties’ actions on the battlefield: Distinction; Military Necessity; Unnecessary Suffering; and Proportionality.

The principle of distinction is the foremost IHL protection for non-combatants. The code requires that the object/person being attacked is part of the enemy’s military apparatus and is, accordingly, a military objective. The term “military objective” includes all Gazan terrorists, from the lowest foot soldiers to the organization’s commanders and the entire terror infrastructure.

The “distinction” principle requires that all attacks be focused on military targets instead of purely civilian targets that do not contribute to the war effort. Military targets included objects that, by nature, location, purpose, or use, make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture, or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.

The principle of military necessity protects the warring combatants. The principle dictates that while IHL permits attacking combatants, those attacks must be necessary to forward the goals of achieving the military objective. Accordingly, the warring sides must avoid wounding or permanently injuring combatants except as part of the fight.

The principle of unnecessary suffering also protects the combatants and prohibits the warring sides from using weaponry that causes superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.

The most commonly misunderstood principle of IHL is the principle of proportionality.

In IHL, proportionality refers to a situation in which a military target is attacked, and that attack causes incidental or collateral damage. Attacks of this nature are legitimate so long as the loss of life and damage to property incidental to the attack are not excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage expected to be gained. As the value of the military target grows, so too does the extent of permitted incidental damage.

The following are several concrete examples of situations that may occur during the impending war and their basis in IHL:

1. The IDF attacks a military target, and civilians are also killed

While the deaths of civilians during war are, of course, regrettable, the deaths caused are not, per se, illegitimate or illegal unless they outweigh the concrete and direct military advantage expected to be gained by the IDF from the specific target. For example, when Hamas deliberately locates its operational headquarters in high-rise buildings, and the IDF places a high tactical military advantage on destroying that capability, no provision of IHL would prevent attacking that target, even if it means destroying the entire building. In this scenario, IHL considers that civilian property may be destroyed and civilians may be killed.

2. Why does the IDF plough roads as a precursory measure for troop movement?

It is well-known that the terrorists planted landmines on the roads critical for advancing the IDF troops. For this purpose, the IDF can use engineering equipment to neutralize the threat. This action is analogous to using engineering equipment to clear any other minefield. The fact that the terrorists planted land mines in the civilian environment does not negate the fact that clearing a minefield is a clear military objective and that IHL permits measures taken to support or facilitate achieving those objectives.

An IED (improvised explosive device) landmine explodes under an IDF armored vehicle in Jenin in 2023.

3. Is every attack on a mosque, medical facility, or UN installation inherently illegitimate?

In IHL, some sites enjoy specific safeguards and should not be attacked as a general rule. Medical facilities and places of worship are examples of these sites. However, when the enemy specifically abuses these sites and uses them to carry out or facilitate military operations – including using them as command centers or warehouses/storage areas to stockpile ammunition and weapons – the installations lose their special protection and become legitimate military targets.

An entrance to an underground storage site for weapons and explosives discovered by the IDF in a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp, July 3, 2023. (*Israel Defense Forces*)

The terrorists in Gaza are well versed in IHL and intentionally place their terror infrastructure near or directly in mosques, medical facilities, UN installations, and other sensitive sites, such as schools. In doing so, they hope to hinder and complicate the IDF operations while using the destruction of these sites to delegitimize Israel and promote anti-Israel propaganda.

4. Can civilians become legitimate military targets?

Generally, civilians should not participate in fighting and should not be directly targeted. But being a “civilian” is not necessarily synonymous with wearing civilian clothes or not wearing a uniform. IHL recognizes the fact that, in some cases, civilians participate in military operations. Civilians (irrespective of their dress code) who directly participate in hostilities are considered combatants and legitimate military targets. As a general rule, most of the terrorists in Gaza do not wear a uniform to feign civilian status.

5. Is Israel permitted to cut off the electricity to the Gaza Strip?

The electricity provided by Israel to the Gaza Strip is essential for the terrorist war effort. It allows the terrorists to operate command centers and other electricity-based capabilities, among other things, even minor things such as charging batteries for UAVs and drones that were also used in the initial attack on Israel.

Limiting the flow of electricity into Gaza from Israel would substantially impair the enemy’s military capabilities. Conversely, continuing the unhindered flow of electricity would mean that Israel is substantially contributing to the ability of the terrorists to continue attacking Israel and their attempts to murder Israelis.

In this context, it is necessary to recall that Israel agreed to provide electricity to the Gaza Strip as part of the Oslo Accords.² At the time, thousands of Israeli citizens still lived in the Gaza Strip, and several IDF military bases existed. The electricity grids served both the Israelis and the Gazans. In 2005, Israel expelled the Israeli citizens from Gaza and redeployed its military personnel. In June 2007, Hamas seized the Gaza Strip. Instead of developing the Gaza Strip’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants, for the last 16 years, Hamas devoted its capital and capabilities to building its terror infrastructure.

The terrorist attack on Israel and the slaughter and kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli citizens breach the Oslo Accords, and there is no basis to argue that Israel is still bound by its Oslo Accord commitments while the terrorists and terrorist authorities in Gaza deny Israel’s right to exist, invade Israel, and massacre Israelis.

As Israel enters the war, no provision in IHL requires Israel to provide the enemy, which slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, injured thousands of others, and kidnapped scores more, with a resource essential to further its homicidal terrorist goals.

The argument has been made that Israel’s cutting electricity to the Gaza Strip is tantamount to starving the civilian population or could be considered collective punishment.

These arguments have no basis.

In this context, it must be understood that the Gaza Strip does not, even in regular circumstances, enjoy a steady and constant electricity supply by no fault of Israel. As part of the punitive actions implemented by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas against Hamas, the PA refused to pay for the electricity provided by Israel for extended periods. The decision caused a substantial reduction in the electricity supply to the Gaza Strip. Again, no provision in IHL or any other body of law requires Israel to provide free electricity to the Gaza Strip, including the homicidal terrorists and their terror infrastructure.

Cutting the flow of electricity from Israel is not designed to impose collective punishment and does not meet the definition of collective punishment under IHL.

In IHL, collective punishment assumes the imposition of a criminal-type sanction upon a group of persons for the acts of others.

As noted, Israel provides electricity to the Gaza Strip as part of its contractual agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Oslo Accords have been fundamentally and repeatedly breached by both the PLO and the terrorist leadership in Gaza, and there is no basis to require Israel to continue alone to fulfill its commitments.

Additionally, it should also be noted that some of the electricity of the Gaza Strip comes from a power plant in Gaza, and some comes from Egypt.

As regards the claim that cutting the flow of electricity to the Gaza Strip would breach the prohibition of starving the population, it must be understood that even in 2023, hundreds of millions of people worldwide do not have access to electricity grids. No one claims that these people are the subject of intentional starvation. Moreover, no one made this ludicrous argument when Abbas decided to stop paying for the Gazan electricity usage. Raising the argument solely against Israel as it responds to the heinous massacre of 1,200 people, the injury of thousands more, and the kidnapping of scores of others is purely hypocritical.

6. Is the death of every Palestinian child a “war crime”?

Some groups seeking to vilify Israel claim that the death of every Palestinian child is tantamount to a war crime. As noted above, IHL takes into account that civilians, including children, will be killed during an attack on a legitimate military target, and as such, in as much as Israeli forces do not knowingly and intentionally target a child who was not participating in the hostilities, the incidental death of a child during the fighting would certainly not constitute a crime of any nature.

Nonetheless, ignoring this reality, on May 28, 2021, the New York Times published a front-page spread containing 65 pictures of children supposedly killed earlier in the month after the Gazan terrorists fired missiles at Israel and Israel responded.

An in-depth investigation of the pictures revealed that at least nine of the children pictured were killed when errant Hamas rockets fell short of reaching Israel and hit Gazan civilians. Some of the children pictured by the Times were actually terrorist operatives. For example, Muhammad Suleiman,16, a member of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, was killed with his father, Tsabar, a Hamas commander, on May 10, 2021.

An innocent “child” listed by the *New York Times* was a Hamas fighter.

Recent investigation³ has also exposed the deliberate recruitment by the terrorist organizations of Palestinian children to serve as “spotters” reporting on the movement of IDF forces. The abuse of children to perform military activities rescinds their protection and turns them into legitimate military targets.

The funeral of a child fighter in Jenin — The funeral of a 15-year-old girl fighter in Jenin who served as a “spotter” for terrorists. (*Screenshot, Newsflare, Funeral in Jenin, #532117*)

The recruitment and deployment of children by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad is a fundamental international war crime.

The assumption that every death of a Palestinian child is tantamount to a war crime also ignores the documented history of the Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza intentionally using Palestinian children as human shields.

* * *

Notes

https://jcpa.org/hamas-and-islamic-jihad-are-criminally-liable-for-war-crimes/↩︎
Appendix I, of Annex III of the Israel-Palestinian Interim Agreement↩︎
https://jcpa.org/palestinian-militias-in-jenin-deployed-teenage-girls-to-report-on-israeli-troop-movements-during-combat/↩︎

Israel Behind the News

Video Testimony of Yossi Landau (Zaka) October 17 th , 2023

‘Horror Stories’: Journalist Stands By Coverage of Hamas Massacring Babies, Reveals Another Heartbreaking Claim

Qatar caught between Hamas and West

Qatar is trying to walk a tightrope between western public opinion and support for Hamas.

Israeli forensic teams describe signs of torture, abuse

Flash Report from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters

UNRWA urges for the protection of civilians across the Gaza Strip: Not one wordo f regret for the OCT. 7 MASS MURDER OF JEWS

German Chancellor to Abbas: Your Silence is Shameful

Letter to Hendon MP – re BBC fail to use terminology TERRORIST

It’s time to take off the gloves

Frequently Asked Questions about the 2023 War with Hamas

1. The IDF attacks a military target, and civilians are also killed

2. Why does the IDF plough roads as a precursory measure for troop movement?

3. Is every attack on a mosque, medical facility, or UN installation inherently illegitimate?

4. Can civilians become legitimate military targets?

5. Is Israel permitted to cut off the electricity to the Gaza Strip?

6. Is the death of every Palestinian child a “war crime”?

Column from the Director