Posted on 05/05/2008 12:26:35 PM PDT by Alouette
Palestinians recount 'nightmarish' searches by troops during counterterrorism ops. 'The mental scars will remain for a long time. We have never experienced such brutality,' resident says
Ali Waked Published: 05.05.08, 20:52 / Israel News
Gaza residents say they were subjected to inhuman treatment at the hands of IDF soldiers conducting searches in their homes as part of the army's recent efforts to combat Palestinian terror.
The complainants say they were confined to stairwells for hours on end without access to food, water or a toilet. The Palestinians further claimed soldiers vandalized and looted their homes. The IDF confirmed it had received complaints and said it had begun investigating the charges.
Maher Abu-Daha'a says he will never forget the day soldiers stormed his house, located near the southern town of Khan Younis, just east of the border fence. "It was hell; the mental scars will remain for a long time. We have never experienced such brutality," he said.
Last weekend a large IDF force entered the Strip as part of increased counterterrorism operations in the region. Soldiers questioned locals about the attempted bombing of a border crossing last month, in which Palestinian groups rigged an armored carrier with explosives and planned to detonate it in conjunction with the attack against the Kerem Shalom crossing. But the vehicle never reached its destination, having become entrenched in the sand.
"At least 150 soldiers took over the house," Abu Daha'a recounted, "my house is 180 square meters (1,937 square feet) large, but they (the soldiers) forced me, my wife and our baby to wait in the stairwell from 2:00 am until 10:00 or 11:00 pm. My hands were tied behind my back, and when I complained they placed a band-aid over my mouth and blindfolded me."
He said he was permitted to go to the bathroom only after an eight-hour wait. His wife, Umm Karim, said the soldiers refused to allow her to boil water needed to warm a bottle of milk for her baby.
According to Karim, she could not go to the bathroom because soldiers demanded that she leave the door open and was therefore forces to urinate fully-dressed. She said the soldiers also pointed their weapons toward the baby when he screamed.
'Hamas will only grow stronger'
Abu Daha'a said that after the search was completed he was taken outside and placed inside a tank that then patrolled the area for several hours; according to him, the soldiers used him as a human shield. He said was later taken to the Kerem Shalom crossing for questioning along with nine other Palestinians.
"What if militants would have fired a missile at the tank or set off a bomb beside it? I told them 'I am an unarmed civilian, why must I be in this tank?'"
Abu Daha'a said that upon his arrival at the crossing an IDF officer suggested that he purchase a home far from the security fence to prevent any additional confrontations with the army.
"He told me that the IDF would thoroughly investigate my complaints regarding the damage done to my property and the soldiers' offensive behavior, but these are Jews we are dealing with – complaining won't do any good. Only Allah will help," he said.
"We felt as though we were in Guantanamo; we were stripped naked and left without food and water for hours. Only at around 9:00 pm were we given a sandwich after we demanded some food."
Abu Daha'a said that when he heard the soldiers knock on their door he instructed his wife to hide the family's stash of money on her person. "A neighbor of mine did not have time to hide his money and the soldiers stole NIS 1000 ($290) from him. These are thieves and sons of thieves, and I prepared accordingly."
The neighbor said he had complained to the commanding officer about the purported looting, but the soldiers denied stealing any money.
"The theft was only a small part of the nightmare," he said, "at 1:00 am at least 50 soldiers entered my home, tied my hands behind my back and blindfolded me. They put me, my wife and our two children, aged four and six, in one room. Since my children are hard of hearing, they began to yell and I begged the soldiers to bring their hearing aids from the living room. They agreed only after I pleaded with them."
The neighbor also claimed that his wife was forced to urinate fully-clothed after they refused to let her shut the bathroom door.
"They slept in our house, and when they changed clothes in front of us they made rude gestures with their hands and private parts," he said.
Abu Daha'a said that during his interrogation he was asked why Hamas was so popular in Gaza. He said his response was that support for Hamas increases whenever its members "fight the invading soldiers."
"The longer you continue with these policies, the stronger Hamas will grow," he told his interrogators.
And those were the girl soldiers!
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
ML/NJ
Of course, when they really get robbed and brutalized by Hamas or one of the many Pali gangs, they know better than to complain to foreign journalists...
I'm guessing their AK-47's, RPG's, C-4, etc. You know, the stuff you'd find in and peace loving Hamas house.
Just a couple of typos, I fixed them..
Looter guy on vacation Alouette who knew LOL!
They should be thankful they didn’t have panties put over their heads! Now that would have been “really mean” and “not nice.”
I’m sure within the hour Condi, Jimmuh, the U-bloody-N, the NY Slimes, the Washington Compost, etc., etc., etc. will all issue “sternly worded statements” about “mean old Israel” and call upon Olmerde and his crew to make “more painful concessions” toward a “two-state solution” so the “oppressed palestinians” can lob more rockets on Israeli towns. Nobody said boo about the endless rocket attacks on Israeli towns by the Amalekstinians. Nada. Zip.
What do they expect from Israel when endless rockets are lobbed on Israeli towns, the bloody Avon Lady!?!?!?
I’m sure that American, British, and Canadian troops were not always super nicey-nicey to the Germans in 1944-45 when they entered Hitler’s crumbling Reich! Heaven knows the Soviets sure weren’t!!!
It seems that if the IDF farts funny, every banshee hyena in a 500 mile radius howls bloody murder to the moon, but if the Amalekstinians lob rockets on Israeli towns, Israel is supposed to “show restraint” and make “painful conessions.”
I believe that, the IDF is known for playing “how many can we get in a phone booth”, and there are no phone booths anymore. Just as I believe they used him as a human shield. Good thing they kept him shielded inside the tank.
One thing bothers me, a family of 3, parents and a baby, living in a 2,000 square foot house.
That’s an outrage, no wonder the Gazans are upset. We should start sending money, now.
Tomorrow, the IDF bulldozes his house and kills his dog. They don’t have dogs, but the infidels do, so it makes for a good story.
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT
..................
I hear you are a thief, my brother.
;-)
What did they steal? Three goats and a hookah?
Poor things. Maybe they should stop blowing up Jewish kids in buses on their way to school. They they would get some sympathy. Otherwise shut the xxxx up.
Jeez, dude. Talk about mentally deranged. Not every Palestinian is a terrorist. I have no problem with Israel going Biblical on the folks who deserve it, but I can’t help but feel pity for some wage slave with nowhere else to go caught up in something like this.
“Not every Palestinian is a terrorist...”
True, but all Israeli military action is because of the ones who are. At some point, the non-terrorists need to stand up and show their disdain for terrorism, otherwise we might begin to think they support it. (of course, that ship has sailed)
“At least 150 soldiers took over the house,” Abu Daha’a recounted, “my house is 180 square meters (1,937 square feet) large,
Must have been standing room only.
There are soooo many things wrong with his “story”.
150 IDF inside a 180 sq yard house?
One per yard etc.
Human shield, but he was INSIDE the tank etc.
Jews, thieves, apes pigs etc etc,
and liberals eat this up.
Oh my heart is bleeding for these folks, why they have suffered just like the jewish families that had hamas terrorists break in and kill most of their family....NOT.
Funny how the two stories are Soooo similar.
"...but I can’t help but feel pity for some wage slave with nowhere else to go caught up in something like this."
These "wage slaves" live in a 1937 sq ft house.
Let's stay on that point for a moment, though. Wage slaves? Slaves to whom? Not to mention that, as far as you are concerned, this guy is as pure as the driven snow, and it's those nasty Israelis that are the cause of this family "...with nowhere to go caught up in something like this".
And why, pray tell, does this next candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize have "nowhere else to go"? Hmmmmmm? Could it be because no sooner do those terrible Israelis relax checkpoint or border controls, terrorist attacks spike?
And as for "caught up in something like this..", maybe you forgot the folks in Sderot who are being bombarded daily by Palestinians in Gaza ....
Know what? My "Give a Sh*t" button broke and I couldn't be bothered to have it repaired. You, on the other hand, might want to look into a moral compass.
"We felt as though we were in Guantanamo; we were stripped naked and left without food and water for hours.
Stripped naked but forced to urinate fully dressed?
Welcome to FR, clownie. Why would you believe anything out of the mouths of the “residents of Gaza?” Because you want to?
Please do a little research about Gaza before you completely embarrass yourself.
They voted in by democratic means a terrorist government. Hamas!
People in the Gaza strip are some of the most unhealthy in the world because they are obese and lazy and have been living off the rest of the world for decades rather than work.
I'm sure they are some decent hard working people in the Gaza strip for whatever reason don't leave, but it's the exception rather than the rule
BTW, this is from the mouth of a Christian friend who lived in Israel who is married to a Palestinian girl he meet on a mission trip
Palestinian misdirected thought on the rampage again.
But then again, misdirection is a way of life for the Palestinians.
The Israeli's, if they were misdirected would have obliterated the Gaza long ago and annexed the remains based upon self defense, however Israel has a government which is based upon human concern and has suffered via their compassion and a higher concern toward humanity in general.
How many impoverished "wage slaves" with nowhere else to go live in 2-story 2000-sq.ft homes?
Who provides the job for this "wage slave"?
What BS. The IDF has no shortage of duct tape.
"What if militants would have fired a missile at the tank or set off a bomb beside it? I told them 'I am an unarmed civilian, why must I be in this tank?'"
Just from his words one can read he is no lovers of Jews, and believes Hamas would blow the tank....xin loi
Abu Daha'a said that upon his arrival at the crossing an IDF officer suggested that he purchase a home far from the
security fence to prevent any additional confrontations with the army.
Good plan. Maybe they should move all the way to Jordan or Iran or Saudi Arabia, or Syria.....
"He told me that the IDF would thoroughly investigate my complaints regarding the damage done to my property and the soldiers' offensive behavior, but these are Jews we are dealing with – complaining won't do any good. Only Allah will help," he said.
Hey goat muffer, you're sh** out of luck praying to a stone god from Mecca. Best to convert or get your home bulldozed. If you haven't noticed in the last 60 years you've lost five major wars and YOU ARE THEE squatter...wah wah wah...besides you think Hamas cares about you? Best to convert and get the circumcision Gentile pagan infidel
Palestinian is not a people group, it is a political party. The politial party platform as written in the Palestinian charter is terrorism. Therefor every Palestinian IS a terrorist.
The correct way to say it is "Not every Arab in Israel is a Palestinian".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.