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Middle East Eye
12 hours ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian family rescued after 37-day siege in southern Gaza
Rescue teams from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated a family of six from Abasan, east of Khan Younis, after they had been trapped for 37 days under severe humanitarian conditions. The operation, carried out on Saturday, followed days of coordination amid ongoing Israeli military activity that had made access unsafe. The family was transferred to the PRCS-run Al-Mawasi Field Hospital, west of Khan Younis, where they are receiving full medical and psychological care. The group had endured intense physical and emotional hardship during their isolation, as movement in the area remained highly dangerous due to Israeli targeting of civilians, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Middle East Eye
10-06-2025
- Middle East Eye
West Bank: Two Palestinians killed and 16 injured after Israeli attack on Nablus
At least 16 Palestinians have been injured and two killed after the Israeli military continued a large-scale attack on Nablus in the West Bank, according to AFP on Tuesday. Both Nidal Amira, 40, and Khaled Amira, 35, were reportedly killed in the attacks. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that at least three people sustained injuries from bullets, four from physical assault, and dozens more from tear gas inhalation. Ambulance crews were prevented from reaching the injured, according to the PRCS. This is the third year in a row that a large-scale operation targeting people in the old city has taken place. Almost 1,000 people have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023.
Middle East Eye
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel launches large-scale Nablus raid with fears of prolonged assault
Israeli forces launched a wide-scale military raid in the heart of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, in what local sources describe as the largest such incursion in more than two years. Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians, including a paramedic, deployed tear gas, arrested several individuals, and violently raided homes during the ongoing incursion. Footage shared by local media showed a Palestinian man with his hands raised approaching Israeli soldiers before a scuffle ensued and gunshots were heard in the background. Israeli media reported that two Palestinians were killed after allegedly attempting to seize a soldier's weapon. Palestinian authorities have yet to confirm the deaths. Mujahed Tabanja, a journalist at the scene, told Middle East Eye the two men were shot while trying to return to their homes in the Old City. Ambulances were blocked from reaching them. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Nablus reported at least 65 Palestinians were wounded. Fawaz al-Bitar, a PRCS operations officer, told MEE some of the injured suffered gunshot wounds to the thigh and some were the result of physical assault by soldiers. 'An ambulance was also fired upon while in the city centre, and one paramedic was shot' - Fawaz al-Bitar, PRCS operations officer There were also cases of tear gas inhalation as Israeli forces fired tear gas bombs at homes in the alleys of the Old City, a densely populated area. "Our work was obstructed several times, and we were prevented from reaching the two injured young men,' Bitar told MEE. 'An ambulance was also fired upon while in the city centre, and one paramedic was shot,' he added. The raid began shortly after midnight local time when a large number of military vehicles entered the city from multiple directions. According to the Israeli army, the military operation will last 24 hours and will be concentrated in the Old City. Meanwhile, Israeli officers announced a curfew via loudspeakers, ordering residents to remain indoors until Wednesday morning - the first such measure imposed in Nablus since the Second Intifada in 2000. Contact with several families has been cut off since the Israeli army stormed their homes. "The soldiers raised their weapons at us and shouted at us when we tried to enter the Old City,' Tabanja told MEE. 'The raid is also extending to other parts of the city, including Balata Camp," he added. Meanwhile, soldiers arrested dozens of young men during the raids on homes and arbitrarily confiscated the belongings of residents. Political raid The large-scale raid on Nablus, despite the announcement that it would only last a day, has raised fears among its residents. They fear it may lead to a prolonged and devastating military assault similar to those taking place in Jenin and Tulkarm. Munadil Hanani, a member of the city's Factional Coordination Committee, told MEE there were indications that the incursion could last for a long period. Israel seeks to erase refugee camps from Jenin and Tulkarm Read More » He noted that Israeli troops stormed the city from all directions and brought in dozens of military vehicles. They also brought fuel tanks for the vehicles, a measure that isn't often taken during short-term incursions. Forces have also rotated amid the incursion, suggesting they could be in the city for some time. "From my perspective, the incursion is political, not security-related,' Hanani said. Israel claims the goal is to 'eliminate terrorism' but it is linked to the domestic political crisis and an attempt to extricate [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu from his predicament," Hanani added. Meanwhile, life in Nablus was completely paralysed by the raid with markets deserted and schools, universities and public institutions closed until further notice.
Sky News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Paramedic who survived Israeli attack that killed 15 aid workers describes alleged torture in custody
A paramedic who survived an Israeli attack that left 15 aid workers dead in Gaza has given his first account of what happened. Assad al Nsasrah was one of two survivors from the attack on 15 March, when eight paramedics, six firefighters and a UN employee were gunned down by Israeli troops and subsequently buried in a mass grave. The IDF was forced to change its account of the attack several times as new evidence emerged, including details unearthed by Sky News. 19:54 Assad remained missing until 13 April, three weeks after the attack, when Israel said he had been detained. He spent a total of 37 days in custody before being released on 29 April. In an interview with the Guardian, Assad's employer, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), has now for the first time relayed key elements of the medic's testimony. That includes the allegation that he was tortured in Israeli custody, and that he heard Israeli troops shooting injured medics from close range as they begged for help. "He was mistreated, he was subjected to physical attack, tied, beaten, also psychological [torture] and starved," PRCS spokesperson Nibal Farsakh told the Guardian. ''He was also being isolated for three days and put in a room with very loud music, which the Israelis called the disco room." The PRCS spokesperson said Assad "described it as like something literally making you feel crazy and that the music was loud to the extent that you feel your nose is bleeding, your ears are bleeding". In response to these allegations, an IDF spokesperson told Sky News that Assad was detained "based on intelligence indicating involvement in terrorist activity". The spokesperson declined to elaborate on this alleged intelligence. "During his detention, he was questioned regarding this matter," the spokesperson said. How the attack unfolded On the morning of the attack, Assad had been called out to search for three colleagues who had disappeared while on a rescue mission. He departed shortly before 5am, with fellow paramedic Rifaat Radwan - who recorded their journey. By matching Rifaat's videos and their metadata to satellite imagery, Sky News was able to map out the exact route Assad took. Assad was the first to spot the missing ambulance, in a ditch by the side of the road. "They're lying there, just lying there," Assad said, as he brought the ambulance to a stop. "Quick! It looks like an accident." Seconds after he pulled the handbrake, a volley of shots rang out. The shooting would continue for at least five-and-a-half minutes. "Mum, forgive me. This is the path I chose, to help people," Rifaat says towards the end of the video. He would later be found dead, buried by Israeli troops in a mass grave along with 14 other aid workers and the crushed remains of their vehicles. "My son was very exhausted from this war," Rifaat's mother, Hajjah, later told Sky News. "This should not have been his reward." What happened to Assad? In his newly-revealed testimony, Assad says the shooting continued well after Rifaat's recording ended. Farsakh told the Guardian that Assad took cover behind the ambulance, next to his wounded colleague Mohammed al Heila, who hugged him before dying. After the gunfire subsided, Assad says, he heard soldiers approaching. "Al Nsasrah said the soldiers came to the scene very close - and then he heard them shooting everyone who was still alive," Farsakh told the Guardian. Farsakh previously revealed to Sky News that a PRCS dispatcher was able to successfully call medic Saleh Muammar as late as 5.45am, 37 minutes after the attack began. Muammar was later found dead in the mass grave, alongside his colleagues. Assad's claims are also consistent with details from the Israeli military's own report into the killings, reviewed by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which found that troops shot some of the aid workers at "point-blank range". Farsakh told the Guardian that Assad escaped the soldiers' notice by hiding under al Heila's body, leading them to believe he was dead. When he was eventually spotted, Farsakh says, one of the soldiers pointed a rifle at his head. "He told the soldiers: 'Don't shoot. I am Israeli,'" Farsakh said. "And the soldier got a bit confused. Al Nsasrah's mother was a Palestinian citizen of Israel." Assad says he was stripped, blindfolded and placed in a ditch. At 6.55am, Assad managed to discreetly call a PRCS dispatcher. Sky News obtained an exclusive recording of this call, in which soldiers can be heard giving orders to prisoners and discussing the tactical situation. The testimony given by Assad lines up with that provided to Sky News by the only other survivor from that day, paramedic Munther Abed. Munther also says he was stripped, beaten and placed in a ditch. He also says that the soldiers forced him to act as a human shield during the evacuation of Rafah, which was taking place that day. Munther says that Assad was detained alongside him on the day of the attack. "He was accompanied by an Israeli officer, and was beaten before being placed next to me," Munther says. While Munther was released later that day, Assad would be held in detention for a total of 37 days. "Throughout his detention and questioning in Israel, he was held under a temporary custody order in accordance with the law," an IDF spokesperson said. "At the conclusion of the questioning, and based on the information gathered, it was decided not to issue a permanent detention order, and he was released back to the Gaza Strip in accordance with the law. The IDF operates in accordance with the law." The spokesperson declined to say what information led to Assad's release, or why his detention was kept secret for three weeks.
The Independent
04-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Palestinian paramedic who survived Israeli attack that killed 15 says soldiers shot colleagues calling for help
A Palestinian medic has described the harrowing moment he says he heard Israeli troops shoot his colleagues as they clung on to life. Asaad al-Nasasra, 47 was one of the two first responders who survived an attack by Israeli soldiers on a convoy of emergency vehicles in March, in which 15 other workers were killed. In an account relayed by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Mr Nasasra claimed some of the paramedics who survived the initial assault were shot dead as they called for help. The bodies of 15 medics and rescue workers who had been killed were later found buried in a mass grave by Red Crescent and UN officials. Mr Nasasra was driving in an ambulance with Rifat Radwan, who filmed a seven minute video which was recovered on his phone after the attack. The video shows a fire engine and marked ambulances using their flashing emergency lights at night before the shooting began. This contradicted the Israeli military version, which denied the vehicles had their lights on. 'Al-Nasasra and Radwan were subjected to the heavy gunfire everyone heard in the recording and the very heavy gunfire which continued even after the recording ended as Israeli soldiers continued to shoot at them for a long time,' Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for PRCS, told The Guardian. 'Al-Nasasra took cover on the ground, at the back of the ambulance. He tried to hide and to protect himself as much as he could, digging himself into the ground. The body of Mohammed al-Heila, another aid worker killed, was above him.' He says he heard Israeli troops approaching the vehicles after heavy gunfire, and shoot everyone who was still alive once they had gotten close, PCRS said. The PCRS believes Mr Nasasra was initially not shot by Israeli troops because they thought he was dead already. After seeing he was alive, the medic pleaded for his life in Hebrew, explaining his mother was a Palestinian citizen of Israel. 'He told the soldiers: 'Don't shoot. I am Israeli.'' Ms Farsakh said. 'And the soldier got a bit confused. Al-Nasasra's mother was a Palestinian citizen of Israel.' After he was spared, he was forced to strip and thrown into a ditch, PCRS added. Mr Nasasra was held in Israeli detention for 37 days afterward, where he was beaten and tortured, the organisation claimed. He was released after intense international pressure after it emerged he was still alive, but has not yet spoken publicly. During his detention, he was subjected to physical attack, he was isolated in a room with very loud music known as the 'disco room', Ms Farsakh said. 'He described it as like something literally making you feel crazy and that the music was loud to the extent that you feel your nose is bleeding, your ears are bleeding.'' The PCRS adds that the paramedic is haunted by the 'sound of gunfire' and the 'sight of his wounded colleagues'. He is also said to be suffering from survivor's guilt after his fellow medics were killed. An IDF spokesperson said: 'The individual in question was detained based on intelligence indicating involvement in terrorist activity, and During his detention, he was questioned regarding this matter. Throughout his detention and questioning in Israel, he was held under a temporary custody order in accordance with the law. 'At the conclusion of the questioning, and based on the information gathered, it was decided not to issue a permanent detention order, and he was released back to the Gaza Strip in accordance with the law. The IDF operates in accordance with the law.' In April, an Israeli military investigation said the Palestinians were killed due to an 'operational misunderstanding' by Israeli forces, and that a separate incident 15 minutes later, when Israeli soldiers shot at a Palestinian U.N. vehicle, was a breach of orders. 'The examination found no evidence to support claims of execution or that any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting," it added at the time.
