Latest news with #NoThanks
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Israel 'using Hamas as pretext to commit genocide', B'Tselem says
B'Tselem – also known as the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories – outlined their conclusions in an 88-page report on Monday entitled 'Our Genocide'. The group said: 'Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It sounds inconceivable. But it's the truth. 'Israel is taking deliberate, coordinated action to destroy the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. READ MORE: Pictures of starving children haven't shifted my support for Israel, says Kemi Badenoch 'Explicit statements by Israeli officials, combined with a consistent policy of destructive attacks and other practices of annihilation, prove beyond a doubt that Israel's target is the entire population of Gaza.' After warning that the same tactics being used by Benjamin Netanyahu's Government were also being deployed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and within Israel, B'Tselem added: 'The international community has not only failed in its duty to stop the atrocities, but the leaders of the Western world, particularly the United States and Europe, also share responsibility by providing support that enables Israel's acts of destruction. 'It is the duty of the international community to stop the genocide Israel is carrying out in Gaza.' The Our Genocide report states that the Israeli government has: Used starvation as a weapon of war, with aid blocked and food systems deliberately destroyed. Targeted cultural, religious and educational institutions, with mass graves, disruption of funerals, and desecration of bodies documented. Used prisons and military detention centres which are described as torture camps where Palestinians, including minors, are abused, starved, and denied medical care. Systematically targeted infrastructure including homes, hospitals, schools, electricity and water systems. Attacked both UNRWA and the broader refugee status of Palestinians, framed as part of an effort to dismantle collective identity. Used the 7 October attacks as a pretext to implement longstanding goals of ethnic cleansing and permanent population transfer. In the conclusions of their report, the rights group add: 'The Israeli regime, which has stripped every moral value and obligation of meaning, is a danger to all people under its rule. Therefore, everything must be done to prevent it from claiming more victims. 'In the immediate term, the recognition that the Israeli regime is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and the deep concern that it may expand to other areas where Palestinians live under Israeli rule demand urgent and unequivocal action from both Israeli society and the international community. READ MORE: 'Israel killed my brother. Now my No Thanks app has 11 million users' 'This is the time to act. This is the time to save those who have not yet been lost forever, and use every means available under international law to stop Israel's genocide of the Palestinians.' Elsewhere, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) has published a legal-medical analysis documenting the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza's healthcare system. The Israel-based organisation said in its report: "Israel's conduct satisfies three key acts enumerated in Article II of the Genocide Convention. In our area of expertise – the right to health – the legal and moral conclusion is unavoidable. "The destruction of life-sustaining systems, the cumulative patterns of destruction, the bodily and mental trauma inflicted, and the direct killing of civilians, when understood in light of the implemented policy and the public rhetoric, make clear that Israel's campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide under international law." Netanyahu is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court for allegations of crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a weapon of war. The Israeli prime minister has found support in US president Donald Trump, who has backed the ethnic cleansing of [[Gaza]] – even sharing an AI-generated video of the pair sharing a drink in a future development in the region. The Israeli government has been asked for a response.
The National
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
'Israel killed my brother. Now my No Thanks app has 11 million users'
Ibrahim, a Turkish citizen, after having left Gaza in 2008, had returned to the strip for what was supposed to be a short visit to help out their sister Munira. He never left. 'He was drinking tea on the balcony, and they just bombed an entire square,' Ahmed said. 'I know it in Arabic, what it's called, but it's like a multiple airstrike in a specific area. That's what they do. 'And those bombs murdered around 25 people. Between them, my brother.' It was not the first time Ahmed had lost a loved one; he holds Israel responsible for the death of his sister Basma in 2020. She had fallen ill in Gaza, and needed to be transferred to a hospital in Jerusalem in order to receive the appropriate treatment. But the Israeli authorities did not grant permission for the transfer for more than a month. READ MORE: 'I spent 16 months in Gaza amid Israel's genocide. Here's what I saw' 'My father did everything he could, but they didn't let her go,' Ahmed said. When the papers finally arrived, it was too late. Basma died in the ambulance on her way to the hospital." 'I couldn't handle it in the beginning,' Ahmed said, adding that – as with the death of other loved ones, which has become all too common for people in Gaza – the family had tried to do charitable works in Basma's honour after her passing. Then, after Ibrahim's death, Ahmed said he was 'lost'. 'I started to think about a way to do some charity work for him too.' And then came inspiration. On one trip to the supermarket, Ahmed said he got to thinking about how he could be sure to be avoiding Israeli goods – or goods from firms connected with Israel. 'I looked into a few products and I started to think like, 'oh, is this product on the boycott list or not? Should I start googling them? Should I start searching, do this and this?' 'And then I got the idea: I really wish there was a way just to scan the barcode and [it's] done. Here is the answer. Is it in the boycott or not? So that was the core of the idea.' Two weeks later, Ahmed had created the first version of his app No Thanks, which allows users to scan products' barcodes to learn if the company has links to Israel. Less than two years on, it now has more than 11.5 million users. But the success came with drawbacks in his own life. READ MORE: I'm an Israeli trying to help in Gaza. Now our bank account is at risk Living in Budapest after moving to Hungary on a scholarship in 2018, Ahmed – who is now 26 – was undertaking an internship at a major tech firm when he was called into a meeting. 'They told me: 'Sorry, No Thanks made a lot of noise and we'll have to cancel the contract immediately'. 'They even told me that the CEO of [the firm] had a meeting with the CEO of [another major firm] and they both actually had talked about me,' he added. The Israeli boycott movement has proven controversial internationally, with anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) laws in countries such as Germany and the US. READ MORE: Co-op members vote to remove all Israeli products from shelves Ahmed questioned how supposedly free-market societies could try to prevent people from making free choices with their custom – and raised concerns that any business operating out of Israel would pay taxes that go 'to the IDF and supporting killing innocent people'. 'We are now fighting ideology,' he said. 'They want to kill all of the Palestinians, and we are trying to stop that. 'I say it loud and clear, it is a genocide. It is a massacre, a huge massacre happening in Gaza. 'And after that, these countries are coming to blame me for just making an app.' Amid all the peace talks and international deals, one question remains: where is Gaza in all of this? Don't the people of Gaza deserve peace after more than 600 days of genocide? Don't they deserve even the most basic human rights? If world leaders won't act, then we – as… — Ahmed Bashbash (@AhmedBashbash) June 24, 2025 'The boycotts should be our new lifestyle,' Ahmed went on. 'We should stop supporting the people who are actually just looking for wars, looking for destruction, looking for displacing people. 'And if these companies and brands, whoever, don't actually come to our requirement, then we are simply not going to be your customer. That's it.' The runaway success of the app – 11.5 million downloads is twice the population of Palestine, Ahmed notes – has seen a steady income brought in. However, all of it goes on either supporting the servers required for the app to run, or supporting people in [[Gaza]] directly. But with Israel controlling the flow of goods into the strip, it is getting more and more difficult. 'Prices right now in Gaza, inflation will be an easy word for it,' he said. 'A bag of flour will cost you $600 to $700, just for a bag. 'If I wanted to compare it to last year, when I used to buy tents for people … in a week, we used to give 10 to 20 tents. Now, I cannot afford one tent in an entire week. It's too expensive in Gaza right now.' READ MORE: The key points not being talked about in BBC Gaza documentary review Ahmed still has family in Gaza; though his sister Munira managed to escape to Egypt, his brother Hussian remains. But when he has contact with his brother, Ahmed no longer recognises where they grew up. 'It is now all sand or rubble,' Ahmed said of his birthplace in Gaza City. 'When he [Hussian] sent me a picture, I couldn't actually recognise which area it was – even though I lived there for 19 years. 'I actually played on the street every day, every single day till I couldn't see the ball anymore – we didn't have electricity there, so we used to play in the light of the sun. 'When you see it now, you don't see a place of humanity. You see just a bunch of rubble from a zombie movie or something.' A view of Gaza City after Israel's offensive (Image: DAWOUD ABU ALKAS, REUTERS) For Ahmed, his No Thanks app is 'my peaceful way to protest against what's happening in my country and what happened with my family, brother and sister that I lost'. The app is developed by Ahmed's software firm BashSquare – which he explained came from a quip on his name. 'Bashbash. That's my family name actually,' he said. 'It's kind of a joke that my name is Ahmed Bashbash. 'My math teacher in 9th grade used to make fun of me and call me BashSquared – in Arabic, of course. 'He was my best teacher, so I actually took this nickname that he gave me. In Arabic, Bashbash comes from the word called bashasha, which is the smile.' That smile remains on Ahmed's face, enduring through the shadows of airstrikes, exile, and loss. You can download the No Thanks app for Android and iOS on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
