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BBC Journalist Reports On Finding Friends And Neighbours In Overrun Gaza Hospital

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A BBC Arabic journalist reported on the distressing conditions inside an overwhelmed Gaza hospital that he said contained many of his friends and neighbours.

“Today has been one of the most difficult days in my career. I have seen things I can never unsee,” BBC’s Adnan Elbursh, a Gaza resident, said in the report from Al Shifa, Gaza City’s main hospital, posted late on Thursday.

“Bodies lay everywhere. The injured scream for help. You can never forget the sounds,” he reported.

Among the dead and wounded, his cameraman had spotted his friend Malik, Elbursh said.

“Malik has managed to survive, but his family have not,” Elbursh said over footage of his tearful colleague.

Elbursh said bodies were being placed outside the hospital on the ground after the morgue reached capacity.

“You never want to become the story. Yet, in my city, I feel helpless as the dead were given no dignity and the injured are left in pain,” he said.

Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, massacring hundreds of people and taking scores of hostages.

Israel declared war on Hamas in response. It has since laid siege to Gaza, which has a dense population of more than 2 million, bombarding the Palestinian enclave with airstrikes and preparing for a possible ground invasion. It has also shut off access to electricity, food, fuel and water in Gaza.

The conflict has already claimed over 2,800 lives on both sides. Thousands more are injured.

At least 10 journalists — nine Palestinians and one Israeli — are among the dead, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Several others are wounded or missing.

It has become increasingly difficult for journalists in Gaza to cover the situation on the ground, as fuel, electricity and internet access become more and more scarce.

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4 Ways The Israel Conflict Has Impacted UK Life Over The Last Week

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Israel’s ongoing conflict with Palestinian militants may be far away, but it’s having a profound impact on life around the world – including the UK.

At the moment, despite voicing support for the Israelis after Hamas’ brutal attacks and sorrow for the suffering in Gaza, none of the Western powers are directly involved yet.

In fact, UK PM Rishi Sunak has said he is keen to prevent “further escalation” in the region, and the US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has promised “intensive diplomacy” to stop more nations wading into the conflict.

But, the horrendous eruption of violence in the Middle East has still triggered ripples all around the world. Here’s how.

1. International citizens likely to be hostages

When Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, it took at least 150 people, including women and children, hostage – and it has killed more than a thousand people in the days since.

The majority of those taken are believed to be Israeli, but US President Joe Biden said on Monday that it was “likely” American citizens were among them.

UK defence secretary Grant Shapps also said it was “highly likely” that there were British civilians among the hostages on Thursday.

However, there’s been no confirmation about the hostages’ nationalities yet.

They are currently being hidden by Hamas in Gaza, and Israel does not plan to stop its siege of the region until they are released.

According to the Washington Post, people from 23 countries outside of Israel and Palestinian territories have been killed in the conflict. That includes Europeans, those from North and South America, Africa and Asia.

The UK is in the process of organising flights out of Israel for vulnerable Brits and diplomats, although it will cost £300 per passenger.

Protesters in solidarity with Israel and in solidarity with Palestine have popped up across the UK recently
Protesters in solidarity with Israel and in solidarity with Palestine have popped up across the UK recently

2. Jewish schools in the UK

Several Jewish schools closed in north London on Friday due to safety concerns.

One parent told Sky News that he had been advised to change his children’s uniforms so “they are not signalling in any way they are Jewish”.

Downing Street declared it was putting £3 million aside for the Community Security Trust, on Thursday, to protect the UK’s Jewish population.

3. Rows over flags

The FA announced on Thursday that the Wembley arch will not be lit up in the colours of the Israeli flag, despite calls for the landmark to show solidarity with Tel Aviv.

Only flags supporting the two teams playing on Friday will be permitted into the stadium, too, while players will be wearing black armbands to show support for all the victims of the war.

The UK’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer posted on X (formerly Twitter) to say she was “disappointed” by the FA’s decision.

Police around the UK won’t stop people waving Palestinian flags either, while France has banned pro-Palestinian protests – and arrested anyone who defies them.

4. BBC criticised over language for Hamas

The BBC has been dragged into a row about bias over its reluctance to use the word “terrorist” to describe any Hamas fighter.

Following a widespread backlash, it justified the decision on Wednesday, saying it was following its editorial guidelines.

The broadcaster’s head of editorial policy and standard, David Jordan, said: “It’s a policy that’s been applied to conflicts around the world and indeed conflicts in our own country.

“We didn’t have a policy of describing the IRA as terrorists throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland. To this day, we don’t call republican splinter groups, for example, and others terrorists in that context.”

However, defence secretary Shapps clashed with a BBC presenter over its decision on Friday, while the PM has said that it is “incumbent” on the BBC – as the UK’s national broadcaster – to refer to the militants as terrorists.

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Donald Trump Pushes Wild New Biden-Obama Theory ― But With An Ugly Nod To The Past

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Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to return to his “birther” conspiracy theory roots during a campaign event in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The former US president — one of the most prominent pushers of the false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in America — claimed President Joe Biden’s administration was “inviting” terrorists into the country because his “boss” is secretly Obama.

“Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein, Barack Hussein Obama,” said Trump. Right-wingers have previously referenced Obama’s middle name as a short-hand to suggest he is not American (he was born in Hawaii).

Trump then recalled late right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh’s penchant for calling Obama by his full name, with added emphasis on the “Hussein” part.

Trump, perhaps predictably, was a big fan. He hailed Limbaugh as “the greatest fighter and winner you will ever meet” when awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the 2020 State of the Union.

Trump has, in recent weeks, repeatedly hinted — without offering any evidence — that Obama is controlling Biden.

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Munya Chawawa Points Out One Hilarious Element Of Drake’s New Song

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Munya Chawawa is famed for his satirical hot takes on the latest news, pop culture and politics, and this week’s instalment pokes fun at one hilarious element of Drake’s new song.

In his single, First Person Shooter, Drake lists a host of women’s names, which of course, is a common theme across smash-hits in all genres from Mambo Number 5 to Shania Twain’s Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?.

Yet, Munya was quick to point out that in Britain the names that Drake lists of women who are “packed in this phone like some sardines / and they send me naked pictures” are more likely to belong to your Nan.

In a reel on Instagram on Wednesday, Munya said: “As a British person the funniest part of Drake’s album is hearing him list these names as Big Bad B’s. Nadine, Justine, Pauline, Claudine, Kathleen.”

Before he asked: “How has everyone nan been mentioned in a Drake song?”

Munya went on to joke that “as a rule, in Britain, Pauline doesn’t shake nyash” and “Nadine, Christine, Justine” sound more like he “listed GP receptionists.”

“There was a dinner lady at my school called Kathleen and now I’ve got to imagine her throwing it back while shovelling turkey dinosaurs,” he added in a hilarious anecdote.

The comic video’s comments were flooded with laughter emojis, as Munya suggested that Drake accidentally gave a “shout out the panel of Loose Women” by mistake.

He closed the hysterical reel by sending a message to the global superstar: “Drake I’d just say for your British listeners, most of the time we hear those names it’s because one of them’s about to have a double hip replacement.”

Take a listen to Drake’s First Person Shooter below…

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