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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| The Horror: IDF Did Not Give AP Reporter Time to Retrieve His Trinkets |
| 2021-05-17 |
| [Guardian] It was 1.55pm on Saturday. I had been napping on the upper floor of the two-floor penthouse that has served as AP’s offices in Gaza City since 2006. This was not unusual in recent days; since fighting began earlier this month, I had been sleeping in our news bureau until early afternoon, then working through the night. The Israeli military, I would learn later, had targeted our building for destruction and offered up a brief advance warning; they had taken out three buildings so far this week, warning residents and occupants sometimes minutes beforehand to get out. Hurriedly, I was told: you have 10 minutes. What did I need? I grabbed my laptop and a few other pieces of electronics. What else? I looked at the workspace that had been mine for years, brimming with mementoes from friends, family and colleagues. I had no idea that Hamas handed out "deal toys". I chose just a handful: a decorative plate bearing a picture of my family. A coffee mug given me by my daughter, now living safely in Canada with her sister and my wife since 2017. A certificate marking five years of employment at AP. Then, in quick succession over the next eight minutes: a small drone airstrike, followed by another and another. And then three powerful airstrikes from F-16s. I thought of all of my hundreds of mementoes that were now in splinters — including the 20-year-old cassette recorder I used when I first became a journalist. I get it -- he used to be a journalist, but then went to work for the AP. If I had had an hour, I would have grabbed everything. This decision probably went to the highest levels of the Israeli government. "We give them 20 minutes warning this time" "But sir, our intel is that 20 minutes will not be enough time for Fares Akram to save all his junk." "Who the hell is Fares Akram?" "He's an AP reporter." "Make it ten." It was one of the most horrible scenes I have ever witnessed. |
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