B’Tselem and Truth: The NGO definitely has a Problem
B’Tselem and Truth: The NGO definitely has a Problem

This tale was taken from the B’Tselem Database and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades website, Izz al-Din being the military wing of Hamas.  It involves five “Qassamis” - five al-Qassam Brigades soldiers - and it is the English translation taken from each of their webpages that forms the factual basis for this tale, “Homebound”.

B’Tselem created the name and the ending.

Homebound

There were five Mujahid Qusamis, five Palestinians who had been engaged in battle, in jihad together when they died, five “Qusamis”, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades soldiers who were martyred together in a house by an F16. Their life stories varied slightly but they all had much in common, most significantly, the exact time and place of their deaths.

\The cast of characters:

Arafat Mohammed Shamali

His story can be found here: https://www.alqassam.net/arabic/martyrs/details/2127

He was born in the Shja’eah neighborhood of Gaza City and joined the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in 2012. He was “stationed in one of the eastern nodes of the neighborhood until he was martyred.

Isam Mohammad Saleh Shamaly

His story can be found here: https://www.alqassam.net/arabic/شهداء-القسام/2128/عصام-محمد-شمالي

He grew up in the Shja’eah camp east of Gaza City. He attended an UNRWA elementary school but due to his family’s difficult financial situation, he “left education”, joined the labor force and worked “in commerce” in the city market.

In 2015 he attended many “military courses” which qualified him to be a Quasami, a “fighter”.

Amr Abdel Hakim Sheikh Khalil


His story can be found here: https://www.alqassam.net/arabic/martyrs/details/2131

He was born on 1/23/1989. He attended elementary school in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia before his family returned to Gaza. He attended middle school and high school in Shja’eah, where he was a member of the Islamic Bloc, the student arm of Hamas. He then received a diploma in Management and Economics and after finishing his studies, worked in the maintenance of electrical appliances.

In 2007, he joined Hamas. He then wanted to join the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and he submitted “a request”, it was approved and “he had what he wanted”. He then began his jihadist journey. He received many military courses to qualify as a fighter, a Quasami.  


Ibrahim Kamal Abu Ajwa

His story can be found here: https://www.alqassam.net/arabic/martyrs/details/2095

He was born on 6/21/1985 in the Shja’eah neighborhood. He attended primary school and then preparatory school in 1997, and then secondary school on 2000. He received a diploma in Security Sciences but because of difficult social and economic burdens, he worked in the maintenance of electronics.

Shaher Khamis Abu Halima

His story can be found here: https://www.alqassam.net/arabic/martyrs/details/2113

He was born on 12/14/1985 in the Shja’eah neighborhood. He attended the first elementary school in 1991 but could not complete his studies because of the difficult living conditions of his family. He earned  a living by working at Al Door Society which cared for the wounded and families of martyrs.  

The Battle - based on the al-Qassam Brigades narrative

On August 21, 2014, all five Quasamis  were engaged in battle with the Israeli Defense Forces. They were stationed in one of the eastern nodes of the Shja’eah neighborhood.

Before Operation Protective Edge began, because of the increasing escalation and the likelihood of an Israeli incursion, they all went to an “advanced combat complex” east of  Shja’eah. They were stationed there in anticipation “of any emergency”.

On 7/21/14, the five Quasamis engaged with the Sayeret Matkal, the IDF’s special reconnaissance unit, as the IDF Special Forces advanced east of the Shja’eah neighborhood. The Sayeret Matkal is the Israeli equivalent of the United States Delta Force.

In this battle, fought near the al-Tawfiq mosque, the Quasamis barricaded themselves in a house which was targeted by a F16 that resulted in their martyrdom.


The Ending - based on the B’Tselem narrative

The bodies of the five al-Qassam Brigades operatives were found in four different locations:

The two Shamaly brothers were found in their family home, killed along with their parents.

Amr Abdel Hakim Sheikh Khalil was killed at home, his body was found in his house.

Ibrahim Kamal Abu Ajwa was killed at home, his  body was found in his house, six days later.

Shaher Khamis Abu Halima’s body is found at an undisclosed location in the Shja’eah neighborhood.

Closing Comment

Five soldiers go off to war, die in combat together barricaded in the same house. Then, according to B’Tselem, the story changes and four of the five are said to have been found dead in their own homes, apparently ‘homebound’, never having left their houses, killed by the [cruel] IDF while they were defending their homes and families.

This tale reveals a pervasive pattern in the B’Tselem database, a pattern  that misrepresents how terror operatives die. Is it Palestinian propaganda or simply tales from the Twilight Zone?

Conflicting Narratives

B’Tselem Database:

'Arafat Muhammad Saleh Shmali

27 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Participated in hostilities member of the military wing of Hamas. Additional information: Killed at home along with his parents and brother, who was also a Hamas military branch operative.

'Issam Muhammad Saleh Shmali

29 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Participated in hostilities member of the military wing of Hamas. Additional information: Killed at home along with his parents and brother, who was also a Hamas military branch operative.

Hamdiyah Ahmad Hamdan Shmali

55 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Did not participate in hostilities. Additional information: Killed at home along with her husband and two sons, both of whom were Hamas military branch operatives.

Muhammad Saleh Hussein Shmali

59 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Did not participate in hostilities. Additional information: Killed at home along with his wife and two sons, both of whom were Hamas military branch operatives.

Ibrahim Kamal Salim Abu 'Ajwah

26 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Participated in hostilities member of the military wing of Hamas. Additional information: Killed at home. His body was found some six days later.

'Amru 'Abd al-Hakim Ibrahim a-Sheikh Khalil

25 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Participated in hostilities member of the military wing of Hamas. Additional information: Killed at home in the neighborhood of a-Shuja'yah.


Shaher Khamis 'Ashur Abu Halimah

28 years old, resident of Gaza city, killed on 20 Jul 2014 in Gaza city, by gunfire from an aircraft. Participated in hostilities member of the military wing of Hamas. Additional information: Killed in the neighborhood of a-Shuja'yah.


Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades Website (Partial English Translation):

Arafat Mohammed Shamaly Webpage

…he was stationed in one of the eastern nodes of the neighbourhood, until God willing to rise up as a martyr.

His martyrdom

On July 21, 2014, during the battle of the eaten-out, during a battle that raged near the al-Tawfiq mosque, the martyr was one of its heroes, and the enemy and his companions met the scourge until the F16 planes targeted the house in which they had barricaded themselves and a handful of his companions.

Isam Mohammad Saleh Shamaly Webpag

Our martyr was on a date with the testimony in the Battle of the Macol on 21-7-2014, after an armed clash against the Zionist Special forces advanced east of the Shujaeah neighborhood.

Amr Abdel Hakim Sheikh Khalil Webpage

Before the battle of the eaten and with the increasing escalation and engagement, our martyr, accompanied by his brothers martyrs (Ibrahim Abu pressed dates, Shaher Abu Halabi, Essam and Arafat north), went to an advanced combat complex east of Shujaeah neighborhood, where they were stationed in anticipation of any emergency.

20-7-2014 pm, the first day of the wild entry into the Battle of the Macal, our martyr, along with his mujahideen brothers, clashed with the special Zionist forces who attempted to infiltrate the east of Shojaeya, and raised martyrs after the clash.

Ibrahim Kamal Abu Ajwa Webpage

During the battle of the eaten, a battle was fought near the al-Tawfiq mosque, and the martyr was one of its heroes, and the enemy and his companions met the scourge until the F16 planes targeted the house where they had barricaded themselves and a handful of his companions.

Shaher Khamis Abu Halima Webpage

His martyrdom

During the battle of the eaten-out, during a battle that raged near the al-Tawfiq mosque, the martyr was one of its heroes, and the enemy and his companions met with the horrors until the F16 planes targeted the house where they had barricaded themselves and a handful of his companions.