Cameras Stolen by Israeli Army

My name is Basel, I am a 25-year-old Palestinian journalist and activist living in the West Bank in a community facing eviction called Massafer Yatta.

I've been documenting for the past five years the actions of the Israeli occupation that is trying to kick out my community - through home demolitions, and extreme settler attacks.

Two days ago (1.12), dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded my home at night, and confiscated four cameras, memory cards, and a laptop. Here's a Video.

Soldiers taking cameras from my home at the village of Twani, Massafer Yatta

I use this equipment with other activists and friends who are documenting the violence we face. This is part of our non-violent struggle against the Israeli occupation.

We urgently need your help here in Massafer Yatta to rebuy the equipment the army stole.

It was worth 9,000 USD - and without it our life under brutal occupation will remain in the dark, just as the Israeli army and violent settlers living in the outposts near my home want.

They don't want the world to know what they are doing. This is why they took our cameras.

Here is some examples of the settler and army violence I've documented with these cameras this year:

On 28.9, tens of masked settlers attacked homes at the village of Mufagara with bats, smashing the head of a three-year-old boy with stones.

Mohammad Hamamedeh, three-years-old, suffered from concussion and had surgery.

Every week, Israeli bulldozers come to one of the villages of Massafer Yatta - they choose a home of a family, and demolish it - kicking them out onto the street. The army refuses all of our requests for building permits, and systematically destroys our homes, as a way to ethnically cleanse the area from Palestinians.

On 6.11, Israeli settlers stormed a children's playground in one of our villages, kicking out the kids.

I film these demolitions and settler attacks, together with a committed group of activists fighting for justice and equality in our land. We publish the videos on Facebook, and on Twitter - and often, they also reach international media and are viewed all over the world.

The camera is the only power we have in front of extreme state violence and oppression.

But we cannot continue our work without this equipment taken by the army.

Together, we can resist and stop Israel from destroying Massafer Yatta. Help us rebuy the equipment, and send this campaign to your friends.

#SaveMassaferYatta