Moving message for Wales from a Gaza journalist who witnessed some of the latest killings

Martin Shipton

A Palestinian reporter / cameraman who made a film with a Welsh Jewish journalist about the war in Gaza has sent a powerful audio message to Wales pleading for an end to the killing.

The collaboration between Cardiff-born Mike Joseph, who had 40 relatives murdered by the Nazis, followed on from a podcast series in which he and Sami Abu Salem explored both the Holocaust and the Nakba (Catastrophe), in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes or fled around the time that the state of Israel was founded.

Since the Israelis invaded Gaza following the attacks by Hamas in October 2023 which resulted in the killing of more than 1,200 and the taking of more than 200 hostages, more than 46,000 people in Gaza have been ]killed

Following news that a ceasefire agreement had been reached, Joseph sent a message to Sami saying: “Ceasefire? Can it be believed? I don’t know what to think.”

‘Big explosion’

Sami, who together with his family is now living at Deir al-Balah in central Gaza after being displaced more than nine times as a result of Israeli bombing, responded in an audio recording saying: “Hi Mike. Just 30 minutes ago I was following up the news of the truce and of the ceasefire. But in the place where we are living we felt something like an earthquake and a big explosion in the darkness. Minutes after we smelled dust and fire. But after the big explosion there is a silence.

“Then minute after minute some people were shouting and crying. I was so scared – honestly. Then I opened the door. I looked from the window. I went outside, just near the door. Then I realised that the house behind me, about 20-30 metres away, was flattened with people inside. A displaced family was living there and when the rocket hit the house at least 10 people were killed and other people wounded.

“I have just seen a little boy killed and a girl, and the man and the woman. Ambulances came and, because I participated, we carried the casualties in blankets outside the place because mattresses were also destroyed and blood everywhere. Blood on the rubble, blood on the walls, on the palm trees nearby, and on the plastic of the greenhouses – actually it is an agricultural area. And people are inspecting the rubble to see if there are some people under the rubble or not. Nobody knows how many people were there. I was asking and some people told me about 16, 15, 20 – no exact number. I was shocked and my son was with me, helping evacuate people.

“I looked at the sky. It is very cold. I have seen a quadcopter drone and I am scared that it will hit again, so we retreated. Some people still continued digging. Now I am just hearing barking dogs and these overhead drones. A woman was shouting and crying for the loss of her family. We are waiting for news of the truce. We are fed up with the killing. Honestly we don’t care how many hostages we need; we don’t care how many persons in prison will be released. Our main point is stop killing.

“I hope we’ll not see another rocket now. There’s no sound. There is another sound of a drone – killing machines.”

Baby

Over the sound of a baby chattering, Sami says: “This is my baby. She woke up and she can’t sleep again.”

Joseph says: “At least 13 people were killed in this attack on Deir al-Balah as they waited for the ceasefire. I thanked Sami for his report and messaged him, saying: ‘I intend to meet and greet you in the future, and celebrate your survival against the odds.’ Sami replied: ‘That’s a dream. My biggest dream is to testify the end of this war without losing one of my kids.”

Meanwhile Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire but vowed to continue campaigning for justice in Palestine.

PSC Cymru spokesman Andrew Draper said: “The reason is simple: As Welsh campaigners for justice, we demand the end of apartheid and occupation in Palestine, the right of return for Palestinians expelled from their homes and full democratic national rights for Palestinians.

“Wales has always stood firmly for Palestinian rights and we demand recognition of the Palestinian state by the UK Government. We wish to thank the politicians and the many organisations in Wales who have called for a ceasefire and the thousands of activists who have come out weekly across Wales and campaigned for an end to the violence and genocide carried out by the Israeli state.

“There has been unprecedented public mobilisation, including a historic vote for a ceasefire by the Senedd on November 8 2023 – one of the first parliaments to call for one. We also applaud the many journalists who have bravely covered the genocide and continue to do so. Some 150 of them have been killed – deliberate targets, according to the International Federation of Journalists.

‘Unlawful’

Mr Draper added: “We must note the International Court of Justice’s ruling of July 19 2024, especially that Israel’s continuing presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unlawful, it must stop killing Palestinians and that all states should not assist or aid the maintenance of the occupation.

“We call on the Welsh Government to add its voice and put pressure on Keir Starmer to oppose ongoing occupation and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israel and illegal settlers.

“Our work does not end because Israel stops bombing, and we note the bombs continued after the ceasefire deal was announced, with some 30 Palestinians killed. We will continue our campaigning until liberation. Many of us in Wales will be joining the UK-wide demonstration in London this Saturday, January 18.

“In recent weeks, Israel has been intensifying its genocide against the Palestinian people – including massacres of civilians sheltering in so-called ‘safe zones’ and the destruction of the last remaining medical facilities in the north of Gaza. Our marches reflect the overwhelming outrage felt by those who have witnessed these atrocities for more than a year alongside the ongoing complicity of the British government.

“Israel’s 15-month genocide has killed many tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Palestinians. The UN estimates, if the Israeli occupation continues, it will take 350 years to rebuild Gaza. As such, recovery and rebuilding are inextricably linked to the ongoing Palestinian struggle for accountability and liberation.”