Tel Aviv/Gaza: In a recent revelation amid the ongoing intense war between Israel and Hamas, investigative journalist and filmmaker Dan Cohen, known for his documentary ‘Killing Gaza’, disclosed a distressing account during an interview with former Fox News anchor Clayton Morris on his show ‘Redacted’.
Cohen stated that Israeli military bullets killed their own people, who were taken as hostages by Hamas during a crossfire.
According to Cohen, a survivor from the Kibbutz Be’eri, where Hamas initiated its initial attack, revealed in an interview with Israeli state media that, "It was very clear that the Israeli hostages were killed by Israeli bullets during a firefight with Hamas." Cohen further claimed that the Israeli government censored this interview to prevent it from reaching the Israeli public, creating a narrative that everything that transpired on October 7 was solely a Hamas terrorist attack, leaving no room for negotiation.
In a clip aired during the show, a woman survivor is heard describing the scene: "I see people from the Kibbutz on the lawn. There are 5 or 6 hostages lying on the ground outside, just like sheep to the slaughter. In the face of shooting by our commandos and the terrorists."
When asked whether they 'were shot down by terrorists,' she denies, stating that they were killed in the crossfire. The attempt to eliminate the abductors tragically led to the deaths of the hostages as well.
Cohen elaborated that the Israeli military was concealing the fact that Israel had no intentions for negotiations with Hamas and that they were prepared to kill everyone, even their own people. The censorship of this interview raised questions about what truly happened in Kibbutz and other places where Israelis were killed.
Citing an article from ‘Haaretz’, Cohen highlighted that several Be’eri residents were killed during an attempt to eliminate terrorists, with Israelis shelling bombs, resulting in the death of at least 112 occupants.
During the interview, Cohen discussed the Hannibal Directive, an Israeli military procedure designed to prevent Israeli soldiers from being captured by enemy forces, even if it means risking harm to the soldiers themselves. Cohen suggested that Israel was implementing this directive throughout the Gaza Strip, leading to the deaths of both Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians.
"What’s happening inside the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of Israelis are held hostage and captive by Hamas, and Israel is doing nothing publicly to secure their release, is alarming," Cohen asserted. He claimed that this situation indicated that Israel was implementing its Hannibal Directive policy throughout the Gaza Strip, resulting in the tragic loss of lives on both sides of the conflict.
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Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
