Israel Matzav

Gaza 'youth' resurrected

What an appropriate weekend for this story!

On Tuesday, it was reported that a 15-year old in Gaza had been shot dead by IDF forces at a 'Land Day' demonstration (Land Day - March 31 - is the day that the 'Palestinians' and their 'Israeli Arab' brothers protest the alleged confiscation of 'Palestinian land' by Israel). The IDF denied the story, and therefore I didn't run it on Tuesday night.

Now Maan, the same outlet that reported the story in the first place, is reporting that the kid had been arrested by the Egyptians at the Egyptian end of a smuggling tunnel, and has returned home to his family on the Gaza side of Rafah.

According to the Ma’an report, Farmawi arrived in Gazan Rafah on Friday alive and well. He was discovered to be part of a group of 17 Palestinian youths who were arrested after trying to infiltrate Egypt via smuggling tunnels. Gaza police facilitated the boys’ return to their homes.

Farmawi’s mother had “wept for days at the loss of her son,” whom she considered a martyr, Ma’an reported.

The IDF had stressed that although the protesters in southern Gaza – among them Farmawi – had moved their demonstration to a dangerous zone close to the security fence, no soldier had shot to kill.

“The demonstrators knowingly occupied a zone in which movement is forbidden and attempted several times to reach the security barrier,” read a statement by the IDF Spokesman’s Office released on Tuesday evening. “As a result, it is possible that a number of demonstrators were hurt.”

The 'Palestinian' who was never dead came back to life.

But look how 'detailed' the 'Palestinian' reports of his death were:

Dr Muawiya Hassanein, of Gaza's health ministry, announced on Tuesday that the teenager had been killed during protests near to the Gaza border to mark Palestinian Land Day.

The day commemorates the deaths of six Palestinians with Israeli citizenship who were killed at a demonstration over land seizures 34 years ago.

...

He said the boy had been left "bleeding for hours" before a medical team was allowed to collect his body.

However, amid confusing reports, unnamed Palestinian sources also said the boy's death "may have been an internal matter", without giving further details.

After Muhammad returned home, Dr Hasanien said: "We were getting wrong reports from the officer in the field and we announced later in the day that we did not find the body."

He added: "Anyway, thank God the boy is alive."

The motto of the story is never to believe 'Palestinian' reports unless they've been solidly confirmed. But then, we knew that already, didn't we?

Oh and by the way, if the 'Palestinians' are so anxious for their children to become 'martyrs,' why was the family so relieved to find him alive?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:37 PM