Column — Teens Are Being Burned Alive in Gaza, Often with U.S. Weapons

By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan Last February, Sha’ban al-Dalou, a student at Gaza’s al-Azhar University, made an online plea to the world: “Hello from the tent where we reside. I’m Sha’ban Ahmad, 19 years old. I’m a student studying software engineering. In this barbaric starvation war, we have been displaced five times so far. Now we are in Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital in the middle of Gaza, Deir al Balah. I’m taking care of my family as I’m the oldest. I have two sisters and two little brothers, and my parents.” For over six months, up until last week, he and his family had been living in a tent near Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Hospital. In the early hours of Monday, October 14th, Israel bombed the crowded makeshift camp, setting many tents on fire. The tent that Sha’ban built with his own hands became his funeral pyre. Horrific video footage of the attack went viral, showing Sha’ban, leaning up in his bed, raising his arm with an intravenous drip still attached, being burned alive. His mother was also incinerated, and several other family members grievously burned. It was just days before Sha’ban’s 20th birthday. In the following days, his younger brother Abdul Ruhman and his sister Farah both died of their wounds. His death only amplifies the tragedy of his earlier plea for funds: “We live in very hard circumstances, suffering from homelessness and limited food and extremely limited medicine, and the only thing between us and the freezing temperature is this tent that we constructed by ourselves. I made this campaign to restart a new life in Egypt and evacuate. Thank you.” In the video, an Israeli drone whines overhead, a constant reminder that no place is safe in Gaza. Sha’ban, Abdul and Farah were just three of Israel’s victims in what has increasingly been described as a genocide. Estimates of the death toll range from just over 42,000 to as high as 300,000 Palestinians killed during Israel’s year-long assault on Gaza following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023. Of course, none of this violence would be possible were it not for the unfettered support that the United States gives to Israel, with tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, diplomatic cover, and now with troops on the ground. Abubaker Abed, a young Gaza journalist, lives near the scene of the attack that killed Sha’ban. He shared his reaction, speaking on the Democracy Now! news hour: We are about the same age. He memorized the Qur’an. I memorized the Qur’an. He dreamt of completing his studies. I also dream of completing my studies. Our message is very clear from here: We are young men that have nothing to do with this war. We have no connection with Hamas. But we are daily being subjected to violence and brutality…It just keeps going on and on, and without any stop, even after the news of the killing of the Hamas leader. What more should we really endure so this war will stop? B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights group, says the international community must take action to force Israel to stop its assault, especially given its latest siege on northern Gaza, now entering its fourth week. “This is ethnic cleansing,” Sarit Michaeli, B’Tselem’s international advocacy lead, said on Democracy Now! “All this indicates one clear goal, which is to remove the people from northern Gaza, to empty that area…we called last week on the international community to really take responsibility for what is going on in Gaza. We stated openly that it’s not just Israeli policymakers who should be held accountable and face consequences for these crimes, but also that the international community cannot but be considered complicit if Israel goes ahead and empties north Gaza of its inhabitants.” Michaeli says Israel’s “absolutely horrific plan..includes provisions that are absolutely and clearly war crimes and could probably also be viewed as crimes against humanity.” If these crimes weren’t enough, Israel is also violating US law, using arms from the US against a civilian population, and directly preventing US humanitarian aid shipments from reaching their intended recipients. Yet, the Biden administration seems unwilling to put a stop to Israel’s unrelenting and illegal attack on the Palestinians trapped in Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken just finished his 11th trip to Israel over the last year. Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israel on October 13th, threatening that a failure to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza “within 30 days” may result in a halt in arms shipments to Israel. “Nowhere in the law does it say, ‘Give them 30 days to see if they can fix it,’” Josh Paul, a former State Dept. official who managed arms transfers then resigned over Biden’s Gaza policy, said on Democracy Now! For Sha’ban and so many others, it is too late. But for the living in Gaza, including those held hostage, there must be a ceasefire, now.