Bio:
Robert Rossicone is a NYC Public School social studies teacher.
Islamophobic Remarks :
Robert posted on his Instagram story during Israel’s “Swords of Iron” operation, in which he used dehumanizing language to characterize Palestinian civilians and everyone opposed to a humanitarian ceasefire.
He posts this on his Instagram story: “Check out these animals. Even those who advocate for a ceasefire or support this are dogs. Let Gaza burn. If this is what is allowed to go on, then there are no innocent people. Never Once More. By ANY means required.”
BackGround :
Israel’s massacre in Gaza, which began on October 10, 2023, has been characterized by extreme violence and claims of war crimes. In light of the overwhelming evidence that war crimes have been committed during this most recent wave of violence, the UN Human Rights Council and UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories stressed the need to hold those responsible for breaking international law and harming civilians accountable.
Israeli forces had been in the Gaza Strip for 49 days running as of November 24, 2023, which has added to the region’s growing humanitarian crisis. Since October 7, 2023, over 15,000 Palestinian civilians have lost their lives in Gaza, making the death toll quite high. In addition, as of November 23, 1.7 million civilians—or 80% of the population—were internally displaced within Gaza.
On the other hand, the official death toll in Israel is 1,200, with over 33% of the victims being active military personnel. Numerous civilian casualties were attributed to Israeli “scorched earth” tactics, which involved tanks shelling kibbutz civilian homes and helicopters firing machine gun and hellfire missiles randomly at people running through the fields.
Amnesty International looked into Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip in great detail, with a particular emphasis on events that happened between October 7 and October 12. Several alleged war crimes by the IDF were discovered during the investigation, including:
- Attacks on Civilian Areas Without Pretext: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unleashed a devastating barrage of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, with an explosive power equal to two atomic bombs. It was discovered that attacks were indiscriminate, failing to discern between military and civilian targets. For example, on October 7, 15 members of the al-Dos family, including seven children, were killed when an IDF strike struck a three-story residential building in Gaza City’s al-Zeitoun neighborhood. Just eighteen months old was the youngest victim.
- Attacks on Residential Buildings and Family Homes: On October 10, an airstrike on Gaza City’s al-Sahaba Street demolished a family home, killing 12 members of the Hijazi family as well as four of their neighbors. There was no indication of any military targets nearby at the time of the attack, and three children were among the dead.
- Failure to Take Precautions to Spare Civilians: In many instances, the IDF failed to give Palestinian civilians adequate prior warning. There have been occasions when entire buildings or busy streets were affected by warnings that were either insufficient or nonexistent. International humanitarian law has been broken by this refusal to take reasonable safety measures to protect civilians.
- Attack on a Public Market and Refugee Camp: On October 8, an airstrike targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing several al-Naqla family members, including children, and injuring a large number of others. In addition, at least 69 people were killed on October 9 when airstrikes struck a market in the Jabalia refugee camp.
- Hospital and Medical Facility Attacks: Israeli forces attacked a number of Gazan hospitals and medical facilities. For instance, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital was forced to close after air raids, the Indonesian Hospital was repeatedly hit, killing civilians, and the International Eye Hospital was totally destroyed. In addition, there were casualties after well-marked ambulances were struck.
- Devastation of Gaza’s Healthcare System: As of November 10, half of Gaza’s hospitals and two thirds of its primary healthcare facilities were closed. At least 521 people have died in 137 attacks on Gaza’s healthcare facilities, including 16 medical professionals.
- Unsubstantiated Claims of Hamas Using Hospitals: Human Rights Watch has not verified Israel’s allegations that Hamas fighters established command centers beneath hospitals. Israel’s evacuation orders were so broad that they overlooked particular hospital and patient requirements, which betrayed their true intentions.
- Blockade of the Gaza Strip: Human Rights Watch has classified Israel’s complete blockade of the Gaza Strip as a war crime involving collective punishment.
Robert Rossicone is a Fort Hamilton School social studies teacher at PS 104 in Brooklyn, New York.
Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-rossicone-044543164/