In Gaza, Young People Are Often Burned Alive by US Weapons

By Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan

Last February, Shaban al-Dalou, a student at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, made an online appeal to the world:

“Hello from the tent we are sitting in. I am Şaban Ahmed, I am 19 years old. I am a student studying software engineering. We have been displaced five times so far in this barbaric hunger war. We are now at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, in the middle of Gaza. Since I am the oldest in my family, I take care of my family. “I have two sisters, two younger brothers and my parents.”

For more than six months until last week, he and his family had been living in a tent near Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza. In the early hours of Monday, October 14, Israel bombed the crowded makeshift camp and set fire to many tents. The tent that Şaban built with his own hands became his funeral pyre. Horrifying video footage of the attack went viral; It was seen that Şaban bent over on his bed, raised his arm while the intravenous drip was still in place, and was burned alive. His mother was also cremated and several other family members were also severely burned. Şaban’s 20th birthday was just a few days away. In the following days, his younger brother Abdul Ruhman and sister Farah also died from their injuries.

His death compounds the tragedy of his earlier appeal for funds:

“We live in very difficult conditions, suffering from homelessness, limited food and extremely limited medicine, and the only thing between us and the freezing cold is this tent we have erected ourselves. I made this campaign to evacuate and restart a new life in Egypt. Thank you.”

The video shows an Israeli drone buzzing by, a constant reminder that nowhere is safe in Gaza. Sha’ban, Abdul and Farah were just three of Israel’s victims in what is increasingly described as genocide. The number of Palestinians killed during Israel’s year-long offensive on Gaza, following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, ranges from 42,000 to 300,000.

Of course, none of this violence would have been possible without the United States’ unfettered support for Israel with tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, diplomatic protection, and now troops in the field.

Abubaker Abed, a young journalist from Gaza, lives near the scene of the attack that killed Shaban. Democracy Now! He shared his reaction by speaking on his program. news time:

We are about the same age. He memorized the Holy Quran. I memorized the Quran. He dreamed of completing his education. I also dream of completing my education. Our message from here is very clear: We are young people who have nothing to do with this war. We have no connection with Hamas. But we are exposed to violence and brutality every day… This continues unabated, even after the news of the killing of the Hamas leader. What more must we endure to stop this war?

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says the international community must take action to force Israel to stop its attacks, especially given the recent siege in northern Gaza, which is in its fourth week.

Sarit Michaeli, B’Tselem’s international advocacy leader, told Democracy Now! “This is ethnic cleansing,” he said on his program. “All of this points to one clear goal: to remove people from northern Gaza, to evacuate the area… Last week we called on the international community to truly take responsibility for what is happening in Gaza. “We have made clear that it is not only Israeli policymakers who must be held accountable for these crimes and face the consequences, but that the international community can only be considered complicit if Israel clears northern Gaza of its inhabitants.”

Michaeli says Israel’s “absolutely terrible plan includes provisions that are absolutely and clearly a war crime and could possibly be considered crimes against humanity.”

If these crimes were not enough, Israel also violates US laws, uses US weapons against civilian populations, and directly prevents US humanitarian aid shipments from reaching their intended recipients.

However, the Biden administration appears reluctant to end Israel’s relentless and illegal attack on Palestinians trapped in Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken just wrapped up his 11th trip to Israel last year.

Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israel on October 13, threatening that if humanitarian aid to Gaza was not increased “within 30 days”, it could result in a halt in arms shipments to Israel.

“Nowhere in the law does it say, ‘Give them 30 days to see if they can fix the problem,'” Josh Paul, the former State Department official who oversaw the arms transfers, said on Democracy Now.

It’s too late for Sha’ban and the others. However, a ceasefire must now be established for those living in Gaza, including those held hostage.