Photos: CAIR\Hatem Rawagh\YouTube Screenshots
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/15/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, Friday condemned the attempted assassination of an Al Jazeera journalist by Israeli forces, the desecration of Gaza cemeteries by Israeli troops in Gaza, and a deadly airstrike targeting a UN school in Gaza.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“We condemn these latest war crimes, including the targeting of independent journalists in Gaza, and we call on the Biden administration to do the same. Because the Israeli government refuses to allow western journalists safe and regular access to Gaza, local journalists like Wael Al-Dahdouh are the only sources of independent reporting on the impact of the Israeli government’s war crimes.
That’s why the Israeli military keeps targeting journalists and their families. This must end. So must the broader genocide, cultural erasure and ethnic cleansing of the Gaza.”
LATEST ISRAELI WAR CRIMES:
Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh, who lost much of his family in an Israeli airstrike in October, was injured in an Israeli airstrike on a school in the Gaza town of Khan Younis today. Another journalist, Samer Abudaqa, was also injured in the strike. He remained near the scene of the incident for about two hours, as paramedics were unable to reach the site due to Israeli fire. The ambulance had to receive prior approval from Israeli forces before reaching Abudaqa. His medical condition is currently unknown.
Two Al Jazeera journalists wounded in Israeli attack in southern Gaza
According to the New York Times, Israeli forces have reportedly damaged or destroyed at least six cemeteries since their ground assault on Gaza. In the Shajaiye neighborhood of Gaza City, Israeli forces razed part of the Tunisian cemetery to set up a military position. Earlier this month, Israeli forces destroyed dozens of graves at a smaller cemetery nearby. On the same day, in the Jabaliya neighborhood of Gaza City, satellite images showed tracks and possible military vehicles at Al-Faluja cemetery. Later images showed damage to graves but no established military positions.
SEE: Satellite Imagery and Video Shows Some Gazan Cemeteries Razed by Israeli Forces
An Israeli airstrike on a UN school in Khan Yunis reportedly killed 33 people according to officials at the Nasser Medical Complex.
SEE: Israel continues Gaza strikes, kill 33 in UNRWA school
He noted that a new US intelligence assessment concluded that nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel has used in Gaza have been unguided, also known as “dumb bombs.” Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater threat to civilians.
Thursday, CAIR condemned the Israeli government’s celebration of IDF troops who took over and desecrated a mosque in the West Bank as an “attack on Islam.”
SEE: CAIR Condemns Israeli Govt’s Violation of West Bank Mosque As ‘Attack on Islam’
Recent video has also come out showing Israeli forces beating a Palestinian journalist in the West Bank.
UPDATE: Journalist Samir Abudaqa has reportedly died from his injuries.
