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October 7: Israel’s Raw Footage Not Seen by the Public and Cannot Be Unseen by Those Who Have Viewed It

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By Dolapo Aina

Wednesday, 8th of November 2023 was the 33rd day of the war between Israel and the terrorist organisation called Hamas. The Israeli Government released a raw footage which was not made for public viewing and as at Thursday, 30th of November 2023, still has not been viewed by the general public.
For the 43-minute raw footage of the Hamas Massacre, the Government of Israel had to vet which groups of individuals and countries could view the images which had the personal lives of people displayed. Their lives were exposed in the 43-minute video which the whole world has only seen 10 minutes of several clips which are online (as at the 8th of November 2023). It was revealed that special approval had to be specifically granted by the Government of Israel for the raw footage to be shown in countries.

Before the viewing of the raw footage in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, by invited media personalities in attendance, an interesting conversation cum discussion with Israel’s top diplomats in Rwanda, Ambassador Einat Weiss and Deputy Ambassador Yossi Gadamo ensued and several questions were posed at them.
One of such questions had a spiritual cum moral angle/dimension to it. Why is Israel not making noise about the dead citizens?
Ambassador Einat Weiss responded by stating that: “Family members of lost ones have come out to state that they would not want to see the images of loved ones in public. In Israel, we know the value of lives but Hamas seem not to have value for lives. The first challenge as a country: How do you come out publicly in terms of public diplomacy against a group that does not have value for lives? Hamas took photos and images of their brutality and 33 days later, the world still needs Israel to justify their actions. Israel cannot just go and release images as we need to inform their families and get their consent. Israel is an organised country and we are dealing with a terrorist organisation. The war cannot be symmetric.”

The Ambassador went further to state that: “Propaganda is one of the tools terror organisations use and Israel is not into propaganda. Propaganda has been an age-long tool of terror organisations and propaganda is still being utilised by Hamas 33 days after the war commenced.”

Another poignant question was on Christianity versus Islam which Israel’s Ambassador to Rwanda responded to and quoting her verbatim: “It isn’t a religious conflict. But there are public displays of anti-Israeli stance. The irony is that in private a lot of these countries know what is going on. In private conversations, a lot of representatives of other countries present in Rwanda, openly inform me that Israel has the right to defend herself. And everyone knows that Iran is behind almost all terror organisations’ activities. If the world doesn’t speak up about the activities of Iran, other terror organisations would be very confident and would replicate the same attacks on other lands and continents. Those who criticise us on our current war with Hamas don’t understand international law. Countries are allowed to exercise their rights to defend themselves but when it comes to Israel, Israel should not? Israel like other countries is bound by the international law but terrorist organisations don’t abide by international laws. How many countries go to war and still provide water and electricity to citizens? Journalists have to hold the torch to disseminate the right information on the current Israeli-Hamas war.”

A question bordering on the implication on Israel and the region had this response from Ambassador Weiss; “There is much more pressure on Israel to finish operations and humanitarian breaks. But something is different this time: The realisation that Israel has to finish what she commenced. How does the Army conclude the operations when citizens have not been released? The humanitarian angle of the war is not rosy as people are getting affected. Why? Because we are at war. Why are we at war? Because we were attacked.”

On the question of why the public condemnation of Hamas is important, Ambassador Einat Weiss stated that: “This is the moral majority we are looking for. It is very important because when countries designate Hamas as a terror organisation, the open statements give leeway for Governments to make legislations and vote against Hamas thereby making it difficult for leaders of Hamas to travel, move funds etc.”

After the brief interaction with those present, the 43-minute raw footage commenced.

At this juncture, it is noteworthy to state that a day earlier (7th of November 2023), the video titled: October 7th 2023 Hamas Massacre: Collected Raw Footage; was shown to the US Congress and Hollywood directors and viewed by them. The video is not in the public domain and only a select few have seen the 43-minute video. As at Wednesday November 29th, only a select few in 80 countries have seen the footage.
We commenced watching the raw footage cum videos at 14: 30pm.

The raw videos from Hamas terrorists’ body cameras should not be seen by the public. Live footage from bodycams of terrorists and live footage from home CCTVs of people who were attacked in their homes.

One footage with a time stamp of circa 6am showed a father running with his two sons (all three in their shorts with no shirts) into their bunker/shelter and shortly afterwards a grenade was thrown inside by two/three Hamas terrorists who climbed out of another window. After the explosion and shouts from the terrorists, his sons came out trembling but their father didn’t come out. Another CCTV footage of their living room showed the elder son asking his younger brother if he could see. The younger one could not see what his elder brother was showing him. Later on, they both realised the younger one could only see with one eye. There were a couple of times when they cried Mama Mama. The CCTV at their backyard later showed the terrorists had found the boys’ mother and they took her to the entrance of the shelter, where she saw her husband’s lifeless body. And she broke down in tears.

Footage of actually beheading of a man from Thailand who wore a jersey that looked like it was a Brazil national football team’s jersey. The footage was from a terrorist’s mobile phone and one could hear the terrorists speak; saying (God Is Great in Arabic) as one of them was using a hoe to decapitate the head of the man from Thailand. I couldn’t watch the full clip of the barbarity. I turned away from the screen, turned back my seat and faced the window whose view was of the peaceful Kigali landscape.

There was one Hamas terrorist who called his family from an Israeli woman’s phone who he had killed. He was euphoric and gladly stated in Arabic which was translated that he had killed 10 people with his bare hands. His father rejoiced and urged him on. His mother came on the same call and she cried for joy and urged him on.
Another audio which was an intercepted phone conversation between one Hamas terrorist on the ground in Israel on October 7th and his superior was chilling and revealing. The superior authorised the operative to ensure he brings an Israeli soldier, so that the body can be hung (in the superior’s own word: crucified) in the market square.

There was a footage of public toilets at the venue of the music festival. The public toilets were shot at one by one.

Watching the footage, I realised that delicate attention was made to aggregate a lot of the videos. For instance, some particular videos were from different angles: dashcams from cars, whilst another angle was from a street CCTV and another angle was from a deceased Hamas terrorist’ bodycam. This meant that for some footages, you actually viewed the same scene but from different angles.

One of such footages stood out. A mobile phone video recording from a deceased Israeli citizen who was holed up in a shelter. He recorded himself as he was talking. Behind him, you could see other people who were in the same shelter, some talking whilst some were silent. Some of them had blood stains. The next footage was from a bodycam. The footage was the entrance door of the same shelter. The people in that shelter with the same clothes were on top of each other; not sleeping; they were gunned down.

Several other videos left me confused as I was not quite sure if the heavily thick red crimson, I saw on the floor was actually the human blood. I had to ask and I was informed it was.

There were several videos captured on bodycams of Hamas terrorists who walked into several kibbutz and shot at anything at sight including tyres of ambulances, so that no one could make use of ambulances to rescue or treat wounded people. There was a particular video of one Hamas terrorist’s bodycam, who shot thrice at a dog before the dog succumbed to the bullets. Watching this, I uttered the word barbarity and Rwandan media practitioner who witnessed the 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi said; “what kind of a human being would shot a dog? Genocide is the appropriate terminology to use.”

It is noteworthy to state that not all those invited who commenced the viewing of the footage concluded it. After seeing the raw footage (and it is widely known that there are more gruesome videos which have not been released by the Government of Israel), there is no country which would not take action.

This piece took 22 days to compose as I had to grasp the enormity of what had been viewed which cannot all be described. There are several videos that cannot be described in this piece. The eyes have seen what cannot be unseen. And it best that the eyes of the readers not read what the eyes of others have seen and cannot be unseen.

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Yes, We Collected $5000, But for Sallah, Not Bribe to Support Tinubu’s Emergency Declaration – Reps Member

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The Chairman, House of Reps Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has denied that the $5,000 given to each member of the House were bribes to secure support for President Bola Tinubu’s emergency rule in Rivers State.

Investigative journalist, Jaafar Jaafar, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Betara reached out to clarify that the $5,000 given to lawmakers was merely a “Sallah Gesture” and not an inducement.

According to the journalist, Betara said it is part of a long-standing tradition, adding that has nothing to do with the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.

“The chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has clarified to me that he only shared $5,000 to each member of his committee as a ‘Sallah Gesture’ not an inducement to support emergency rule in Rivers State. According to him, he maintains the tradition – like Santa Claus – every year. As we say in Hausa, not thigh but hind leg,” Jaafar posted.

However, this explanation corroborates previous media reports, which claimed that substantial sums were handed out at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s Guest House in Maitama, Abuja, to sway lawmakers in favour of the emergency rule.

President Tinubu, last week, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing political instability and security threats, including recent oil pipeline vandalism.

However, the revelations of cash-for-support allegations raise serious questions about the move’s legitimacy and the extent of the political manoeuvring behind it.

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Glo Foundation Partner Lagos Food Bank to Distribute Food Items in Bariga

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Glo Foundation, a CSR organization set up by telecommunications giant, Globacom, has liaised with the Lagos Food Bank to distribute boxes of food items to the Ilaje community of Bariga, Lagos.

Glo Foundation disclosed last Saturday  when several thousands of residents of Ilaje community in Bariga, Lagos State, came out to receive food items and other valuables that the initiative was aimed at ameliorating food insecurity and reducing the suffering of the underprivileged in the  society.

Each of the food packs contained Rice, Garri, Spaghetti, noodles, tomato paste, tooth brushes, sardines, salt, vegetable oil, and seasoning cubes.

The distribution of the big boxes of food items, was carried out in collaboration with the Lagos Food Bank, at the Love Lagos Jetty in Bariga. The rare initiative elicited joy from beneficiaries  marking  the commencement of a nationwide food initiative by the Foundation to support hundreds of thousands of Nigerians in several states of the Federation.

The atmosphere was filled with excitement and appreciation as the  beneficiaries sang and danced in celebration of Glo Foundation’s gesture.

In her remarks at the event, the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Globacom, Mrs. Adejumobi Mofe-Damijo  harped on  the Foundation’s  determination to bring joy to families through the food drive which, she said, would be extended to other parts of the country.

According to her,  the Foundation would undertake  series of interventions that would bear positive impact on  different sectors of the society in tandem with its vision of empowerment and care for the less-privileged.

Mofe-Damijo also gave kudos to  the staff of Globacom for embracing the  culture of giving and lending support to  the project consultants, Lagos Food Bank Initiative, to achieve the   success that the event recorded.

The elated  beneficiaries thanked Glo Foundation for the laudable intervention with the food and various items in the packs given to them.  Abiola Oladunjoye, an unemployed female member  of the community, disclosed that the food pack from the Foundation was divine provision for her household. “I really appreciate. May the Almighty continue to protect the company and may it continue to grow. I pray for more success for you all and the company itself for remembering us here.”.

In the same vein,  Amarachi Peter, a cook, was profuse  in praise of Glo Foundation for bringing the train of its Food Drive to the community. She noted that the pack for her was a huge relief at a time like this when the cost of living has become unbearable.

Similarly, Eunice Kehinde, a hairdresser, kept praying for Glo Foundation and staff of Globacom who were on hand to support the distribution. “It is not easy for my family to feed these days. With this food pack from Glo, we are sure of what to eat for some weeks”, she noted, and commended Glo Foundation for considering the community in the food drive initiative.

The Executive Director of Lagos Food Bank Initiative, Michael Sunbola, appreciated Globacom for its investment in the food drive while inviting   other corporate organizations to be part of the charity venture.

Said he, “We are happy to collaborate with Globacom on this. This is the pilot phase and other parts of the country will also benefit from the drive aimed at touching the lives of the real underprivileged in the society”, he said.

The Glo Foundation train is billed to visit  another Lagos community next Saturday to replicate the same gesture.

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Glo-sponsored African Voices Feature Late basketball Star, Dikembe Mutombo

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CNN International’s magazine programme, African Voices Playmakers, this weekend highlights the contributions of  Late Congolese-American National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo  as a humanitarian icon and mentor of young basketball players on the continent. The programme is bankrolled by data solutions provider, Globacom.

Full name Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukaba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo, he was known simply by his moniker ‘Mount Mutombo’ because of his  defensive  dexterity. He was born on June 25, 1966, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and studied Medicine at Georgetown University in America.  He, however, chose to  follow his passion for basketball, playing for   18 remarkable seasons in the NBA.

Dikembe created the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve the living condition of his folks in the DRC. Unfortunately, he  lost his fierce battle with  brain cancer in September, 2024 at the age of 58.

He however remains a beacon of light to youngsters of African descent on the pitch. This new generation of African basketball players who enjoyed his tutelage  include his son, Ryan, his two nephews and other youngsters from the continent two of whom  are rising NBA stars, Yves Missi and Josh Okogie.

Both 20-year-old Missi, a Cameroonian professional basketball player with the New Orleans Pelicans, and 26-year-old Nigerian-American shooting guard, Okojie, who plays for the Charlotte Hornets in the United States of America  will talk about Dikembe’s influence and their successful careers so far in international basketball.

The 30-minute show will be on air on DSTV Channel 401 at 7.30 a.m. on Saturday with a repeat the same day at 11 a.m. On Sunday, other repeats will be broadcast at   3.30 a.m. and 6.p.m. and on Monday at 3.00 a.m. Further repeats come up at 7.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday next week; Sunday at 4.30 a.m. and 7 p.m. and on Monday at 4 a.m.

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