Hamas fighters torture 13-year Adham, because he hit son of Hamas military leader
Hamas fighters torture 13-year Adham,
because he hit son of Hamas military leader
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Gazans complain about Hamas human rights violation
and child abuse
- Muhammad Adham, age 13: "They hit me with daggers and a whip. He broke my finger... When one finished or tired out, another came and continued to hit me with a belt. They broke iron on my neck."
o - Muhammad Adham's father: "There are people who threatened me directly that they will murder my 13-year-old son Adham...We are in prison. If someone speaks up or raises his head - they [Hamas] kill him... I implore the human rights organizations, the Arab states, and all of the organizations to stand with us."
- Muhammad Adham's mother: "We have acquiesced to [Hamas'] disrespect... to the humiliation... when it's done to adults. But when it comes to the children, what else remains in the world?"
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
In a rare broadcast on Palestinian Authority TV, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy and his parents openly criticized Hamas. They described how six Hamas fighters in Gaza beat and tortured the 13-year-old - simply because he had fought and hit the son of a commander from Hamas' military wing Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam.
Crying while he showed pictured of the many wounds on his body, the boy told how six Hamas fighters beat him up and tortured him in a room in a mosque:
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13-year-old boy Muhammad Adham Abu Anzah: "They grabbed me and put me in a room. Then they started to hit me with daggers and a whip. He broke my finger. I demand justice. When one finished or tired out, another came and continued to hit me with a belt. They broke iron on my neck. Six people - they continued to hit me until the police came. Afterwards, the police arrested me. Later, my father came and started to shout at them, and then they released me."
[Official PA TV News, Aug. 22, 2018]
The boy's father stated that the attackers are known to the family, adding that this is how Hamas treats anyone who voices criticism:
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Father of Muhammad Adham Abu Anzah: "The people who hit him are known to us - they treated him like the [holiday] sacrifice... If we keep silent about something like this today, tomorrow they might do it to a small child, a two-year-old or a six-month-old. They might kill him... There are people who threatened me directly that they will murder my 13-year-old son Adham... We are in prison. If someone speaks up or raises his head - they [Hamas] kill him. The case is prearranged: [They will say he is] either he is a collaborator [with Israel] or [involved in] prostitution... I implore the human rights organizations, the Arab states, and all of the organizations to stand with us."
The boy's mother explained that her son was beaten and tortured by members of Hamas' military wing, the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades. She indicated that child abuse is the limit for Gazans, acknowledging that Palestinians in Gaza have "acquiesced to" Hamas' "disrespect and humiliation... when it's done to adults," but that child abuse is where they draw the line:
Mother of Muhammad Adham Abu Anzah: "It doesn't matter what the child did, the child is a minor. You hit him, kill him, tie his hands behind his back, because he hit his son, [the son] of someone from Hamas, from the Hamas leaders, from the commanders of the Al-Qassam (Hamas' military wing), from Hamas' militias, not from Hamas' leadership... We have acquiesced to [Hamas'] disrespect. We have acquiesced to the humiliation. We have accepted - okay, when it's done to adults. But when it comes to the children, what else remains in the world?"
Palestinian Media Watch has also reported on a different kind of child abuse and human rights violations by Hamas - the use of civilians as human shields during confrontations with Israel.
The following is a longer excerpt of the interview with the boy and his parents:
13-year-old boy Muhammad Adham Abu Anzah: "They grabbed me and put me in a room. Then they started to hit me with daggers and a whip. He broke my finger. I demand justice. When one finished or tired out, another came and continued to hit me with a belt. They broke iron on my neck. Six people - they continued to hit me until the police came. Afterwards, the police arrested me. Later, my father came and started to shout at them, and then they released me..."
Father of Muhammad Adham Abu Anzah: "The people who hit him are known to us - they treated him like the [holiday] sacrifice... There is no need for this barbarity. To torture and hit him inside the mosque, to tie him up, to break sticks on him, and to hit him with chains. His soul was broken... He wanted to commit suicide! He told me: 'Dad, I didn't do anything.'
If we keep silent about something like this today, tomorrow they might do it to a small child, a two-year-old or a six-month-old. They might kill him... There are people who threatened me directly that they will murder my 13-year-old son Adham... We are in prison. If someone speaks up or raises his head - they [Hamas] kill him. The case is prearranged: Either he is a collaborator [with Israel] or [involved in] prostitution... I implore the human rights organizations, the Arab states, and all of the organizations to stand with us."
Mother of Muhammad Adham Abu Anzah: "You see the marks from the beating on my son... A beating like this - by Allah, even animals don't receive such a beating... It doesn't matter what the child did, the child is a minor. You hit him, kill him, tie his hands behind his back, because he hit his son, [the son] of someone from Hamas, from the Hamas leaders, from the commanders of the Al-Qassam (Hamas' military wing), from Hamas' militias, not from Hamas' leadership... We have acquiesced to [Hamas'] disrespect. We have acquiesced to the humiliation. We have accepted - okay, when it's done to adults. But when it comes to the children, what else remains in the world? Nothing good is left in the world."
[Official PA TV News, Aug. 22, 2018]