Latest news with #HamasAttacks
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Muslim soldiers are dismissed from the Army after sharing graphic helmet-cam videos of murdered victims after Hamas October 7 attacks
Two Muslim British Army soldiers shared graphic helmet-cam videos of murdered and desecrated dead bodies after the Hamas October 7 attacks, a court martial heard. Signaller Zakariya Munir and Signaller Mohammed Salah sent on 'grossly offensive' videos capturing the horrific aftermath of the atrocities the day after they took place. The servicemen claimed 'you won't see this in the media' as they shared clips of corpses being kicked and montages of 'dead civilians lying in pools of blood'. The clips were believed to have been filmed from Hamas terrorists after they carried out the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The pair also shared another 'exceptionally violent piece of footage' showing an execution carried out by ISIS extremists. The court martial was told Sig Munir found the videos of the ' war crimes ' and mutilated bodies in the Middle East and sent them to colleague Sig Salah. The soldiers exchanged messages about the content, with Sig Munir telling Sig Salah that they would not be shown in the media. Young father Sig Salah then sent them on to other service personnel. Now, the pair of soldiers have both been dismissed from the Army. Bulford Military Court, in Wiltshire, was told Sig Salah's phone was investigated and they were both charged. Sig Munir was charged with four counts of sending offensive messages on a public network. Sig Salah was charged with three counts. Both soldiers, from the 10th Signal Regiment, denied the offences but were convicted by court martial. Sig Munir and Sig Salah had served in the armed forces since 2021 and 2019 respectively. Sig Salah has a three-month old son with his wife. October 7, 2023, saw Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launch coordinated attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel. It was the first invasion into Israel since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Around 2,800 people were killed. Lieutenant Colonel Felicity Bryson, prosecuting at Bulford Military Court, said: 'The case concerns messages sent by Sig Munir to Sig Salah and then sent to other personnel. 'They depicted real scenes of brutality during the October Hamas attacks. 'On October 8 Sig Munir said he had a video of the attack and that they won't be shown in the media. 'The video was taken from a head cam from the perspective of an irregular fighter. 'They show faces and bodies of corpses being searched and being kicked by the cameraman. 'Sig Munir asked whether he wanted to see another one, saying it was a bit graphic though. 'He asked whether he was on Telegram, saying it was all on there. 'Sig Munir sent a video showing montages of soldiers in barracks interspersed with dead civilians lying in pools of blood. 'He later sent a video of a group of young men shoving and urinating on elderly men who had their heads bagged and hands tied.' One of the videos was an ISIS execution, it was heard. Lt Col Bryson said: 'On October 31 Sig Munir sent a video of a group of men with a group of detainees kneeling behind them. 'Each stepped forward and executed them with a single gun shot. It was an exceptionally violent piece of footage. Sig Salah did not send this footage on. 'Sig Salah's phone was later explored and an investigation was launched.' Fiona Edington, defending for Sig Munir, said: 'He is a young and naive soldier who has become susceptible to peer pressure. 'His Colonel said he is a developing soldier who made a mistake and is showing clear signs of learning. He has a lot to offer to the British Army.' James Hay, defending for Sig Salah, said: 'Sig Salah suffers from extreme anxiety. His arrest led to instances of vomiting and hyperventilating. 'His priority is now the welfare of his wife and young son.' Judge Advocate General Alan Large dismissed both soldiers. Judge Large said: 'You sent messages to each other about the October 7 attacks. There is nothing sinister about that. 'However you then contacted him with videos saying 'You won't see this in the media'. 'This all happened in the context of events that were globally important. You sent these grossly offensive videos in the immediate aftermath of these events. 'The videos showed bodies that had been violated and it is highly likely that they were taken by those who had committed murder and war crimes. 'The last video actually showed people being murdered. 'You were both serving members of the British Army and when you sign up for that there are certain values that you must adhere to. 'There were plenty of opportunities for you to seek advice but you decided to distribute the videos. You must have realised that these videos could have been distributed further.'
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Islamic charity warned over ‘inflammatory' sermon following October 7 attacks
A British Islamic charity has received a formal warning and had one of its trustees disqualified following an "inflammatory and divisive" sermon delivered in the days after the 7 October Hamas attacks. The Charity Commission stated the sermon included the phrase: "the hour will not begin until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree." Attendees were also reportedly encouraged not to "busy yourselves with politics and voting." This case is one of more than 300 involving charities related to the Middle East conflict that the regulator, operating across England and Wales, has addressed in the past 18 months. The latest case involved Nottingham Islam Information Point, a charity said to provide support to victims of Islamophobic attacks and address misconceptions about the religion of Islam. But a sermon, given on October 13 2023 by trustee Harun Abdur Rashid Holmes 'did not further the charity's purposes, including to provide relief to those in need, and was not in the charity's best interests', therefore amounting to misconduct and/or mismanagement, the regulator said. Mr Holmes, who is not a trained imam, was deemed not to have acted in accordance with his duties as a trustee and was disqualified in July last year. He is prevented from holding any senior management position in a charity in England and Wales for three years – and noted by the commission to lack the good judgement expected of a trustee. While the charities watchdog said it recognised some of the sermon's content had come from a specific hadith – a narration of historical events ascribed to the prophet Mohammed – the appropriate context was not given and it therefore was 'inflammatory and divisive'. The regulator also said 'no consideration' had been given to the timing of the sermon, coming six days after the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. The commission said Mr Holmes had accepted that, with hindsight, the hadith was sensitive, and that he had not given sufficient context to it. The commission's assistant director of investigations and compliance, Stephen Roake, said: 'In times of conflict, people expect charities to bring people together, not to stoke division. In this case, we found due consideration had not been given to the words and rhetoric used. 'The sermon was inflammatory and divisive, and we acted robustly and disqualified the trustee who gave the sermon. We also issued the charity with a formal warning. 'Following our intervention, the charity's remaining trustees have taken positive steps to improve their governance. This includes the introduction of a more robust events policy. All charities that host events and speakers should take note of this case and ensure they have sufficient due diligence in place.' Nottingham Islam Information Point has been contacted for comment. Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth said some people are undermining charities' 'potential for good' in an opinion piece for the Sunday Telegraph. 'Over the past few years, and particularly since the escalation of conflict in the Middle East in October 2023, we have seen charities misused to promote the personal views of those linked to the charity, in some cases inciting hate, or condoning violence,' Mr Holdsworth wrote. 'While trustees, like all of us, have personal rights to freedom of speech, there can be no hiding place for those who seek to use charities to promote hate or harm to others. 'This is not only to put a stop to fundamentally uncharitable activity, but also to help protect and promote public trust in the wider charitable sector. 'I will not shy away from using the more robust powers Parliament has granted us when that is necessary, and taking action against those who risk undermining the incredible positive impact of charities at home and abroad,' he added. Of the 300 cases considered since the end of 2023 in relation to what is happening in the Middle East, about a third have resulted in formal statutory guidance being issued by the commission. More than 70 referrals to the police have been made where the regulator considered that a criminal offence might have been committed. In January, a London charity was handed an official warning after fundraising for a soldier in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Ltd, which describes itself as working for the advancement of the Orthodox Jewish religion, raised more than £2,000 after setting up an online page in October 2023 for a soldier stationed in northern Israel. Some £937 was sent directly to an individual soldier but the commission said the trustees of the charity were unable to account for how the money was spent and the regulator concluded the charity's actions had amounted to misconduct and a breach of trust. While charities in England and Wales can legally raise funds to support the UK armed forces, they cannot legally provide aid or military supplies to any foreign armed force, the commission said. It was believed to be the first time the regulator had used its powers to issue an official warning on the issue of fundraising for a foreign military. The case was not one among those referred to police, as the commission said its unlawfulness related to charity law rather than criminal law.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Radford Islamic charity warned over 'inflammatory' sermon after 7 October Hamas attacks
A charity has been formally warned and one of its trustees disqualified after an "inflammatory" sermon in the days after the 7 October Hamas attacks on in the Nottingham Islam Information Point sermon, on 13 October 2023, included "the hour will not begin until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree", the Charity Commission is one of more than 300 charity cases related to the Islam Information Point has been contacted for a response. The 2023 attacks by Hamas saw about 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage and the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response, in which at least 57,268 people have been killed since, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Nottingham Islam Information Point, based in Radford, Nottingham, aims to provide support to victims of Islamophobic attacks and address misconceptions about the Charity Commission added that, during the sermon, by trustee Harun Abdur Rashid Holmes, attendees were encouraged not to "busy yourselves with politics and voting".The regulator found the sermon "did not further the charity's purposes, including to provide relief to those in need and was not in the charity's best interests", therefore amounting to misconduct and/or mismanagement. 'No consideration' Mr Holmes, who is not a trained imam, was deemed by the commission not to have acted in accordance with his duties as a trustee and was disqualified in July last is prevented from holding any senior management position in a charity in England and Wales for three years - and was noted by the commission to lack the good judgement expected of a the watchdog said it recognised some of the sermon's content had come from a specific hadith - a narration of historical events ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad - the appropriate context was not given and it therefore was "inflammatory and divisive".The regulator also said "no consideration" had been given to the timing of the sermon - six days after the attacks in commission said Mr Holmes had accepted that, with hindsight, the hadith was sensitive and that he had not given sufficient context to it. The commission's assistant director of investigations and compliance, Stephen Roake, said it had acted "robustly".He said: "In times of conflict, people expect charities to bring people together, not to stoke division."Following our intervention, the charity's remaining trustees have taken positive steps to improve their governance. This includes the introduction of a more robust events policy."All charities that host events and speakers should take note of this case and ensure they have sufficient due diligence in place." Of the 300 cases considered by the Charity Commission since the end of 2023 in relation to the conflict in the Middle East, about a third have resulted in formal statutory guidance being issued by the than 70 referrals to the police have been made, when the regulator considered that a criminal offence might have been commission's chief executive David Holdsworth said some people were undermining charities' "potential for good" in an opinion piece for the Sunday wrote: "Over the past few years, and particularly since the escalation of conflict in the Middle East in October 2023, we have seen charities misused to promote the personal views of those linked to the charity, in some cases inciting hate, or condoning violence."There can be no hiding place for those who seek to use charities to promote hate or harm to others."
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Gaza: ‘Clean it out then bring in something good'
In the third and final episode of Along the Green Line, reporter Matthew Cassel heads to the south of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Amid the deadliest chapter in the history of this conflict, we visit the kibbutz of Kfar Aza to witness the evolving legacy of the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas militants, and get as close to Gaza as is possible for foreign journalists. In this three-part series, we're traveling along the 1949 armistice line or 'green line' – once seen as the best hope for a resolution – and meeting Palestinians and Israelis living just miles apart
Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Dawn French ‘dismisses' Oct 7 Hamas attacks
Dawn French has been accused of dismissing the Oct 7 Hamas attacks in Israel in a new social media video. The British comedian and actress, 67, posted a video of herself to X in which she appears to mimic Israel's supporters amid the military campaign in Gaza. In the video, published by French on the social media platform on Thursday, she says about the conflict in the Middle East: 'Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no.' She then goes on to mimic apparent defences of Israel's military campaign in neighbouring Gaza since the Hamas-led massacre in 2023, saying: ''Yeah but you know they did a bad thing to us'... Yeah, but no. ''But we want that land and there's a lot of history…'. No. 'These people are not even people, are they really?' No.' In response to the viral tweet, which has been viewed more than half a million times in the 24 hours since it was published, Tracy-Ann Oberman, the West End star and playwright, branded French's tone as 'mocking'. I am so saddened by this post . This mocking voice 'bad thing' of October 7 that Dawn ( who I revere by the way) appears ro be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack involving rape sexual violence burning alive child mutilation and taking of civilian hostages .… — Tracy-Ann Oberman (@TracyAnnO) June 6, 2025 The Jewish actress, 58, reposted French's video and said: 'I am so saddened by this post. 'This mocking voice 'bad thing' of October 7 that Dawn (who I revere by the way) appears to be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack involving rape, sexual violence, burning alive child, mutilation and the taking of civilian hostages.' She added: 'Why would Dawn seem to deny that which has affected so many of us personally in the most painful way possible. 'I can mourn the horrors of the war in Gaza whilst also remembering the horrors of what started it. Is this how most of our industry feels now – Oct 7 was a 'little thing'? NO!' Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's massacre on Oct 7 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed by the terror group and 251 others were taken hostage. There are now 56 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel said its expanded offensive in the Strip, named Operation Gideon's Chariot, will increase the chances of returning the missing. 'Wow, this is really bad' The Hamas-run health ministry that operates in Gaza has said that at least 54,000 people have been killed in the territory during the war. Hamas has rejected proposed ceasefire and hostage release deals that do not guarantee a full Israel withdrawal from the Strip and an end to the war. Other responses to French's post include the financier Ben Goldsmith, who has been a strong defender of Israel's response to the Hamas terrorist attacks. He remarked: 'Wow, this is really bad. Who knew.' Elsewhere, comedy writer and self-described 'champion of Jewish rights' Lee Kern wrote: 'What you sneeringly mock as a 'bad thing' included the grieving children I met in hospital whose friends and family had been murdered, kidnapped and raped and who themselves were coming to terms with their own life-altering injuries. 'It also includes the 1,200 people murdered and tortured on October 7th… you proactively broadcast – with misplaced pride – a wicked glee in your mockery and dismissal of Jewish suffering, pain and death.' In a subsequent post following the criticism by Oberman, French clarified that she did not mean to 'support the atrocities of Oct 7th'. Writing on X, she said: 'I do not say 'a little thing'. In NO WAY do I support the atrocities of Oct 7th. Of course not. Appalling. Horrific. 'But starving innocent children is not the answer. NO is the answer to ALL of it, Tracy.'
