An Israeli officer kidnaps a Palestinian baby from Gaza after her family was killed
An Israeli soldier revealed that an army officer friend of his kidnapped a Palestinian baby from the Gaza Strip, after her family was killed in the violent bombing launched by the army on the Gaza Strip three months ago.
Regarding the same incident, another friend of the aforementioned officer said that the latter transferred the Palestinian baby to a hospital in Israel, without mentioning the name of the hospital.
Soldier Shahar Mendelsohn revealed the kidnapping incident while speaking to Army Radio, Sunday, about his friend, officer in the Givani Brigade, Harel Itach, who was killed in battles in the northern Gaza Strip on November 22 of last year.
In response to a question about the Palestinian baby, Mendelsohn said, “He (Itach) spoke with a friend during his period of service in Gaza and told him that in one of the houses he entered he heard the sound of a baby crying and that he decided to send her to Israel”.
The Israeli soldier didn’t clarify the location of the house where Itach found the Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip.
In response to a question whether the soldier found the baby crying and decided to send her to Israel, Mendelsohn replied, “He brought her to Israel”.
Regarding whether the baby’s family was likely killed by an Israeli bombing and no one was around her, Mendelsohn replied, “True”.
According to the story, no source clarified the fate of the Palestinian baby.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says it’s feared that thousands of Palestinians are still under the rubble as a result of the Israeli bombing.
It’s not clear whether this was a single kidnapping incident or whether there were similar incidents.
Since the kidnapping officer was killed on November 22nd, the kidnapping incident occurred before that date.
The Israeli Ynet news website quoted one of the officer’s friends as saying during his funeral, on Sunday, “Harel told me that he heard a girl crying in Gaza, and made sure that she was transferred to a hospital in Israel to receive treatment,” without mentioning the name of the hospital.
Neither soldier mentioned the reason why the aforementioned officer didn’t hand over the child to Palestinian hospitals or families near the house.
