Israel’s army released a photo of one of its soldiers with an elderly Palestinian in a bid to show the “safe corridor” for civilians to leave North Gaza but hid the fact that they executed him later.
Bashir Hajji, a 79-year-old resident of Gaza City’s Zaytoun neighbourhood was travelling on Salah al-Din Road, the main route to the southern Gaza Valley. The soldier in the photo appears to be helping and protecting displaced Palestinian civilians, yet Hajji was subjected to a field execution on the morning of Friday 10 November.
The Israeli army’s execution of an elderly Palestinian after using him in a propaganda campaign promoting its “safe corridor” in Gaza was strongly condemned in a statement released by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor on Tuesday.
Bashir’s granddaughter Hala Hajji told the Euro-Med Monitor team that her grandfather was brutally executed while crossing the “safe corridor” when members of the Israeli army intentionally shot him in the head and back.
She also confirmed that he is in the photo that was put out by Israel—exposing the Israeli army.
Euro-Med Monitor stated that it has previously documented dozens of cases where the Israeli army executed displaced Palestinians by live bullets and, in some cases, by artillery shells. Those displaced were attempting to flee to the south of Wadi Gaza at the Israeli army’s request.
According to UN OCHA, Numerous reports indicate that Israeli forces have been carrying out arrests among IDPs fleeing through the corridor, alongside allegations of beating, stripping and other forms of violence.
On 14 November, IDPs reported that the Israeli army had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to go through two containers, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed.
People are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
