‘I hope Benjamin Netanyahu burns in hell…’ Thomas Gould Tells the Irish Dail

CrossFireArabia
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June 1, 2024

Irish MP Thomas Gould speaks at the Dail, the country’s Parliament on Ireland’s recognition of the Palestinian state on 28 May, 2024. His speech was just days before the horrific tent massacre in Rafah in which 45 Palestinians were killed and 249 injured by Israeli planes and labelled as a heinous war crime.

“Israel burned men, women and children alive. And the world stands by.”

“It’s unbelievable the genocide that is happening. A child with no head! And Israel says it’s a mistake.”

“I hope that Netanyahu burns in hell!”

—Irish politician Thomas Gould 🔥pic.twitter.com/U9IQ7CgPav
— sarah (@sahouraxo) June 1, 2024

In an emotional tone Mr Gould talked about the massacre whilst shaming Israelis and their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu. The speech is slightly edited for brevity.

“…The photographs, the pictures and the videos that come from [Rafah whilst] you hear the screams of people, screaming as the Israeli government burned men, women and children alive….and the world stands by while 15,000 children are being slaughtered, 35,000 men and women and children,” he said in front of the Irish parliament.

“…it’s unbelievable, the genocide that is happening, a child with no hate. A child with no hate. And the Israeli government say it’s a mistake. A mistake,” in reference to the tent massacre in Rafah …he added.

“I hope Benjamin Netanyahu burns in hell…” for these children and their families. “I hope, him and his generals and the Pharoah government in Israel that when, Dear God finally brings him to the resting place, that he put to deserve to burn in hell,” he pointed out in a voice that was cracking and emotional.

“Because what is happening now, not alone is it apartheid, not alone is it atrocity and war crime. It’s just horrific. It’s just horrific what they [the Israelis] are doing. Where is their soul. Where is the soul of the Israeli people that allows their government to do this to children. Where is their humanity?

The Israeli people, the Jewish people, after everything the Jewish people have suffered down over the decades [and] to do this to other human beings, human beings.

But in the eyes of Netanyahu and this far right Israeli government, Palestinians are [not] human beings. But today here, the Irish people say, we recognize Palestine, we recognize they are human beings just like every one of us.

Shame on Israel, Shame on what you’ve done and it will never be forgotten.”

Dr Marwan Asmar is based in Amman, Jordan, and covers Middle East Affairs

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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Palestinian Journalists Under Attack – 55 Israeli Violations in May

CrossFireArabia
June 9, 2026

The Palestinian Journalists Association (PJA) announced, Monday, it documented 55 violations by Israeli occupation soldiers against Palestinian journalists in last May. It described such violations are part of a systematic policy to restrict and prevent West Bank and Gaza journalists to carry out their professional duties.

The PJA’s Freedoms Committee said in a press statement to Quds Press the Israeli occupation continues its violations against journalists and media workers to limit their ability to report the truth and document attacks and violations against Palestinians.

The documented violations during May included two injuries from live ammunition while covering events in the field, two arbitrary arrests, and 30 cases of detention and prevention from working and covering events.

The committee also recorded five cases of direct gunfire directed at journalists, five attacks using tear gas and stun grenades, in addition to two cases of confiscation of journalistic equipment and two cases of physical assault on journalists.

The violations include two cases of journalists being barred from covering news at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, one of a media outlet being raided and shut down, another of a journalist being brought before a court and three cases of journalists summoned and interrogated.

The committee affirmed that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and international covenants on freedom of opinion and expression, which stipulate the protection of journalists while performing their professional duties in conflict zones.

It added that the escalating targeting of journalists reflects a systematic approach aimed at restricting media coverage and preventing the dissemination of information about the reality and violations suffered by the Palestinian people. The committee noted that the occupation continues to use various means to suppress media work and obstruct the public’s access to information.

The Committee for Freedoms called on international human rights and media organizations, as well as the United Nations, to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities, pressure the occupation authorities to cease their ongoing violations against Palestinian journalists, hold those responsible accountable, and provide the necessary protection for media workers.

The PJA announced last May it documented nearly 300 Israeli crimes, violations, and attacks against Palestinian journalists since the beginning of 2026 and the trend is set to continue judging from the scale of esclation against media workers.

The press association indicated at the time the number of journalists killed reached 262 since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, including 261 journalists murdered in the Gaza Strip, in addition to six journalists killed since the beginning of 2026.

This comes at a time when Israeli attacks against Palestinians continue in various areas, amid increasing complaints about the targeting of journalists, the obstruction of their work, and the prevention of their coverage of events on the ground and their reporting to the public.

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