Journalists admit Hamas firing rockets from city centers

The web of lies is beginning to unravel. One by one, journalists are revealing, often inadvertently, how the terror group Hamas has been firing  rockets from populated civilian areas in Gaza., and how Hamas carefully controls the way this is reported

From Algemeiner:

Italian journalist Gabriele Barbati said he was able to speak freely about witnessing a Hamas misfire that killed nine children at the Shati camp, confirming the Israel Defense Forces version of events, but only after leaving Gaza, “far from Hamas retaliation.”

Aishi Zidan , a Finnish journalist for  Helsingin Sanomat  readily admitted  that Hamas terrorists launched a rocket attack at Israel from  the Shifa hospital, saying a rocket was fired at Israel at 2:00 a.m., “right in the back parking lot of the Shifa Hospital in Gaza."  Over 100,000 have viewed the clip on youtube.

Gallagher Fenwick from France 24 was doing a live broadcast from Gaza on a city street when a Hamas rocket went off, and he hastily retreated.

Even "journalist" Harry Fear from RT (formerly Russia Today) let slip that Hamas rockets were going off near his hotel

From the Twitter Account of Harry Fear

He came under swift criticism for this

Harry was accused of endangering "innocents".

Even though Harry was clearly  "one of the boys", he was asked to leave Gaza.

From the "Committee to protect Journalists"  website:

Harry Fear, a freelancer reporting in Gaza for the Kremlin-owned broadcast outlet RT (previously known as Russia Today), told CPJ that Hamas security officers asked him on Tuesday to leave Gaza within 24 hours after he tweeted about a rocket launch near his location two weeks ago. Three weeks ago, the Gaza-based Interior Ministry posted media guidelines that warned against publishing information about rocket launches or other military activities. Fear told CPJ that the border crossing was closed today but that security officials confirmed their demand he leave Gaza. Several journalists, including Fear, have faced sharp criticism online for tweeting about Hamas military activity, according to news reports.

The Hamas cheerleaders cannot be distracted with the facts. The well documented use of human shields by Hamas falls on deaf ears, because the only narrative worth repeating by the terror enablers  is one that perpetuates the myth of the eternal victimhood of the Palestinians

Israel kills fewest innocents but takes most heat

 "...There isn't another conflict in the world where the fatality rate among civilians is as low as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

From Ben-Dror Yemini, an Israel journalist, researcher and speaker. 

Professor Richard Falk is a top UN official. Recently he declared that Israel wreaks carnage upon the Palestinians, harboring what he termed "genocidal intent." If we want to understand the relationship between the industry of lies and the discourse of human rights, we could do worse than examine the case of this bad man, perhaps a Jew, who is an embodiment of this link.

Let us gauge the genocide claim. In 2013, 36 Palestinians were killed, according to the human rights organization B'Tselem. At least 30 of those were either involved in clashes with IDF soldiers or were members of terrorist organizations. Only a few innocents were killed. The death of each one of them is to be deeply regretted. Yet one should add that there isn't another conflict in the world where the fatality rate among civilians is as low as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In other conflicts it is estimated that between 60 and 90 percent of fatalities are innocents. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they are a minority.

 In fact, the annual fatality count in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is lower than a daily terror casualty toll in Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and other countries, where 1,153 people died as a result of terror attacks. This does not include the daily toll from the massacre perpetrated by the Syrian regime.

That doesn't stop people like Harry Fear from coming up with  propaganda like this, claiming that all the Palestinians killed in Operation cast lead were "civilians".

Lies and propaganda from Harry Fear

Harry, even Hamas doesn't pretend that's true, admitting that between 600 and 700 of its militants were killed -consistent with numbers reported by the Israel Defense Forces.

Israel's dedication to protecting the lives of civilians was noted by Col. Richard Kemp,  who declared ,  before the United Nations

"...Based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population. "

Hapless Harry Fear and the Goblet of Humility

Harry Fear earned his 15 minutes of fame utilizing social media to castigate  Israel for her actions during Operation Pillar of Cloud.  It  might have given one the impression that Harry Fear was comfortably at home in Gaza . Appearances can be deceiving, however. Could these three be his only friends?

Harry was scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate from Gaza's Islamic University.  But it appears that students at the university had other ideas.   Harry's special day was repeatedly interrupted by students that didn't feel Harry was quite as great as Harry thought he was. 

 Why? The people who know Harry and work with Harry seem to think he has an ego problem.

Others are appalled that he traveled around the world telling the story of the people of Gaza,  earning thousands off of their misfortune. Still others found issue in  the quality of his "journalism", and the misinformation he helped spread during operation Pillar of Cloud

Having a public speech interrupted is an indignity usually only endured by the pro-Israel crowd. For once, Harry Fear finds himself in good company. I suspect he won't appreciate the irony.

Harry Fear's Suggestions for a Gaza Visit

Twenty five miles of Mediterranean beaches.

Gaza Beach

 Lavish meals in elegant restaurants.

Menu from Roots restaurant in Gaza City

Five star hotels.

Al Mashtal Hotel in Gaza

If you are hankering for a Gaza-style vacation, Harry Fear has some suggestions for organizing your Gaza visit.  Harry should know.  He's been in Gaza quite a while, and has made some very special friends

Harry Fear and Friends in Gaza

From the Gaza Report Blog at  www.harryfear.co.uk/blog/gaza-report/how-to-get-to-gaza



I have just arrived in Gaza for my maiden visit and I want to share my experience of getting here by means of this how-to guide on how to cross into the Strip. I came from Britain with a human rights-orientated purpose in Gaza, and so my how-to guide is most appropriate for those in a similar situation.
The Gaza Strip has three crossing points; two are designed for civilian entry and exit. The first, ‘Erez’, is controlled by Israel and is under near-total lockdown.
(Harry is of course, mistaken about this.  Each week, over 2,000 people pass through the Erez crossing)
The other, ‘Rafah’, borders with Egypt and is essentially under Egyptian control. The Rafah Border Crossing (‘Rafah’) is open at least 5 days per week and is the size of a small airport terminal. On each operating day, Palestinians and internationals attempt to enter and exit the Strip. For Palestinians, entry and exit via Rafah is renowned as one of the most cumbersome and bureaucratically difficult crossing points in the world. Rafah also represents an often difficult crossing for internationals too, but this how-to guide will help with many of the tiring details in getting to Gaza. With this guide, visiting Gaza (via Rafah) should be substantially more simple and straightforward.
(I give indicative pricings below in British pounds. The Egyptian currency (EGP) is the ‘guinea’.)

Getting from Britain to Gaza

1. You need a pretext to enter Gaza. As the situation stands, you cannot simply visit Gaza for ‘tourism’. Perhaps you will volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) to help document human rights abuses. Whatever the purpose of visiting, you need a signed letter from a notable Gaza-based organisation (like ISM) to personally invite you for a set period of time. This organisation is sometimes referred to as your ‘host’.
2. You then, via email, submit your personal details, the dates of your planned visit and the letter of invitation from your host to the Egyptian Embassy in London  Within 2--3 weeks you will receive a permission letter from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry; this permission letter permits you to use the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.
3. Book your flight to Cairo International Airport. Return tickets start at about £250 with the Egyptair airline (or similar); return tickets start at £380 if you book at the last minute. Fly from London Heathrow (or similar) to Cairo’s airport. The flight usually takes about 5hrs.
4. Your ‘guide’ will be someone who you will have previously organised to kindly act as your guide in Gaza and will likely be your contact at the host organisation that invited you to Gaza. Your guide (or someone from your host organisation) needs to visit the Residence and Foreigners Affairs Admin office of the Ministry of Interior & National Security about a week before your arrival to apply for your Palestinian Entry Permit. The Palestinan National Authority needs to have issued your Entry Permit for you to be permitted entry. Make a printed copy of the Entry Permit for your possession.
5. On arriving at the airport you will need to purchase an Egypt entry visa ($15 or ~100 EGP [£10]) before you can pass through the passport control stations.
6. Take a taxi from Cairo’s airport to the centre of Cairo. Such a journey normally costs £20
7. (Optional) Take a night’s rest in Cairo. Cheap hotels start at around £9 per night.
8. Take a taxi from Cairo to the Rafah crossing. This long-distance journey usually takes 6 hours so one hires a private driver, costing about £45. Drivers like to start the journey at about 3am to arrive at Rafah as the crossing opens at 9am. Your driver will likely stop two-thirds of the way through the journey to have breakfast at a cafe-restaurant. A driver can be sourced by your hotel in Cairo, or perhaps by a personal contact of yours in Cairo.
9. On arriving at Rafah, show your passport, the Egyptian permission letter, the Palestinian Entry Permit and the Gazan-based organisation invitation letter to the guard at the gate. You will have to wait for between 10 minutes and 1 hour while they authenticate your documents. On completion, they will invite you to enter the crossing through the gates.
10. Follow the flow of pedestrians and enter the Egyptian side’s Rafah terminal building. Go to the Passport Control desk and get a non-Egyptian entry form. Fill it in and get it stamped (for 2 EGP [£1]). Take the entry form, your passport and your  two (permission and invitation) letters back to the Passport Control desk. Your details will once again be checked. You will usually have to wait for an hour before your name is shouted out by a Passport Control agent. You may need to sit or stand particularly close to the Desk so you don’t miss hearing your name being announced, as the public announcement system is intermittent.
11. Once your name is called out you will be given back your passport which will have been stamped with an Egypt exit stamp beside an Egypt entry stamp you received at the airport. Proceed through the terminal building, passing through another Egyptian guard desk; your passport will be checked for an exit stamp and a guard will want to read your permission and invitation letters.
12. Before you exit the Egyptian side’s terminal you will need to pay for an exit ticket (105 EGP [£11]).
13. Follow the flow of pedestrians. Purchase a coach ticket (20 EGP [£2]). Board the coach, which will take you through to the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing. [Congratulations! You are now out of Egypt and almost in Palestine.]
14. Enter the Palestinian side’s terminal building and present your passport and two letters to an officer at one of the passport control booths.
15. Security officers will ask you to be seated while they ask you a few questions on the purpose of your visit, the location of your Gaza accommodation and which Gazan will be guide. It will take between 5-30 minutes to satisfactorily verify your story. Ask the officers to place a telephone call to your guide to invite them into the terminal to collect you and help validate your story. Your guide and you will complete a form about your visit.
16. You may also be asked to fill in an exit registration form, informing authorities of the date on which they should expect to receive you at the border to exit into Egypt.
17. On the forms’ completion you will be given a Palestinian entry stamp and then continue through the terminal. You have successfully entered the Strip. You will then probably want to take a taxi to your specific destination in Gaza with your guide.