The Crimes Against Egyptian POWs in Crimes of War Project

The Crimes of War project is a very promising respectable international project for documenting war crimes all over the world despite how this mission seems hard and difficult. The project issued a book about the war crimes in the world “Crimes of War 2.0” which is a guide to educate the people more about the war crimes using documented examples from around the globe and it is available in different languages among which an Arabic version from the book.

The project is an independent body that has no Arabic or Islamic relation what so ever , of course I have to say so just in case because there is an extensive section of course in this project and its book about the Arabic-Israeli conflict since 1948 war.

I found this part from the “Arab-Israeli Wars” Chapter related to the war crimes against our Egyptian POWs in 1956 and 1967 wars

In October–November 1956, the IDF overran the Gaza Strip, where it remained in control until March 1957. During the battle for this heavily populated zone and during the first weeks of occupation, the IDF killed some five hundred civilians, either in actual combat or in a subsequent series of massacres. Elsewhere during the Sinai-Suez War, IDF troops reportedly killed fleeing, and often unarmed, Egyptian troops by the hundreds and, occasionally, Egyptian prisoners of war. For example, at the end of October 1956, the IDF Paratroop Brigade killed some three dozen POWs near the Mitle Pass. Revelation of this affair in 1995 prompted Egyptian protests to Jerusalem and a demand for an investigation (whose results were never made public).

During the 1967 Six-Day and October 1973 wars, there were cases of IDF troops killing fleeing, and often unarmed, Arab troops and murdering POWs. Again, the victorious Israelis had greater opportunity to commit atrocities than their Arab foes, but there is evidence also that Arab troops, when given the chance, killed off surrendering Israelis and POWs. Such incidents occurred in the 1973 war’s first days, when the Syrians overran part of the Golan Heights and the Egyptians overran the IDF’s Bar-Lev Line along the east bank of the Suez Canal. Arab civilians and security forces also killed downed Israeli pilots on both fronts.

Again the researchers in the project are not Arabs nor antisemitic and you can see they are unbiased in the last part which I accuse the Arabs of murdering Israeli POWs , I do no know about the Syrian front but I will speak about the Egyptian side , the documents we have prove otherwise.

I can’t deny that the people in Delta killed the Israeli pilots who were downed but you must bear in mind the farmers in Delta were extremely angry because for years they have been targeted by the raids of the IAF through those 6 years.

You must know that up till now the Egyptian government is cooperating with the Israeli counterpart considering its missing pilots

Gaza in 1967

It is another shocking story about the war crimes against our officers in 1967 , of course you know that after the 5th of June 1967 the commandership of the Egyptian army gave its orders to the army to withdraw from Sinai and from Gaza , I am not going to speak about this stupid decision from unqualified commandership but this just historical introduction.

Some of our misfortune officers and soldiers who did not have time to withdraw and were captured whether in the city or its borders were taken and gathered to form some kind of circle in some square at Gaza. They were burned alive.

The people of Gaza understood what was going against our officers and so some of them offered help to officers and soldiers to escape that living hell in 1967.

Many people ignore that the PLO or what was better known as "Shokairians" then in Gaza { tribute to Ahmed Shokair the founder of PLO} were also hunted down by the IDF. I can’t forget what Fouad Hagazi ,the famous former POW and novelist said once in the TV about the murder of 16 years Palestinian boy from PLO in front of the Egyptian POWs.

These photos from 1967 , it seems that the IDF gathered hundreds of Palestinians in the Jabalia camp to interrogate them. I do not have a doubt the questions were mainly about the Egyptian army , do not forget from 1948 Gaza sector was under the Egyptian control despite in 1956 Israel invaded it for couple of months.

More info about Eyad

At last I found some info about Eyad Abu El-Hassan thanks to Nawra Nagam who did a real scoop as Egyptian blogger and had some sort of an interview with Samr Kuntar in Lebanon last week.

Al-kuntar shared with Nawara what he knows about Eyad Abu El-Hassan.

Eyad is from Egyptian Rafah.He was arrested by the IDF in 1989 when he entered Gaza with Ayman Yunis. Both were young men whose ages were 20 years old. They were planning to do some sort of an operation against Israel. They were actng on their own. No one sent them or they knew someone there.

In the jail both young men had to choose which team they will belong to , Fatah or Hamas. Ayman Chose Fatah where as Eyad chose Hamas.

Al-Kuntar believes Ayman was released because he chose Fatah where as till now Eyad is in jail because he chose Hamas.

Whether he chose Hamas or Fatah, Eyad is the repsonsbility of his country. Egypt should work with all possible way to return him back just like Hezbollah did with Al-Kuntar taking in consideration that according to Al-Kuntar all what Eyad did was traspasing the border.

Eyad now is 39 years old , he left Egypt as young man and now he is officially a man.

By the way I am still surprised with this official and unofficial silence in the media , even the independent and opposition newspapers ignored him.

Already I wonder where his family is all that time. If he is really from Rafah,then he is from a tribe and tribes there care for their members and do not stand still like this.

Now they feel how it is like

Now the Israelis feel how it is like to have their sons captured and killed without knowing anything about them

Shimon Perez sad at last
Shimon Perez sad at last

for two years.

Now the Israelis feel how it is like to have last minute hope that their sons will come alive from the door house

despite all the indicators that say other wise.

Now the Israelis feel how it is like to see those who they accuse of being war criminals honored in their country and treated like heroes.

Hezbollah managed to return back its POWs and the remaining of its fighters and other Arab fighters that go back for nearly 3 decades ago in POW swap with Israel for the remains of  Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser under the supervision of Germany.

Many Egyptian families since 1967 are waiting to be like the Israeli or the Arab families that restore their sons whether alive or dead from two weeks ago.

Many Egyptian families wish to know the fate of their sons just the families of  Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, in fact the Israeli families are lucky compared to the Egytpian families that do not know the fate of their sons since 1956.

Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser at last made it
Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser at last made it

Now the Israelis know how it is like

Samir Kuntar and the Egyptian POW

The free Lebanese POW Samir Kuntar said in an interview for Hezbollah’s  TV Channel Al-Manar that there was an Egyptian POW in the Israeli prison called Eyad Mathour “Sorry If I wrote it wrong” and that that POW was in the prison for the last 22 years !!

Shocking is not it !!?? I thought that Sheikh Mahmoud El-Sawurka was  our last POWs beside our prisoners for

Samir Al Kuntar
Samir Al Kuntar

criminal charges in the Israeli prisons.Correction our last POWs were the two students captured by the IDF on the borders during the second intifida and they were exchanged with the high price which was the infamous spy Azzam Azzam.

There are difference between the Egyptians who are in the Israeli prisons for criminal charges and the POWs jailed for political reasons during the Israeli occupation to Sinai. This does not mean that we should abandon our prisoners in the Israeli prisons but we need to know if we have any more POWs there.

22 years I think is very long period. Already I am astonished not because no one mentioned this man in the media but also Sheikh El-Sawurka did not mention him !! Sheikh Sawurka remembers very well Samir.

The Egyptian Government is obliged to present a justification to Samir Kuntar’s statements about this Egyptian POWs.

Already if this is true then it is bad for Egypt who has relationship with Israel that gives her the right to demand its POWs

The POWs in a nation in waiting

Al Jazeera International aired a special documentary “A Nation in Waiting” for the occasion of President Mubarak’s 80th birthday, this documentary is about his life and a quick critical look to Egypt under his rule for the last 27 years. It is one hour documentary, in You Tube it is divided in to four parts , in the first part which deals with the early life of Mubarak and also a quick to Egypt under Nasser’s rule there is a part concerning the six days war “which is a turning point in Mubarak’s military career”; this part includes a footage for Egyptian POWs

Here is the Clip , it is in the middle

I just want to add something , if you want to comment on this documentary based on its main content which is the life of President Mubarak , well be my guest in my main blog

Another thing I may not agree with President Mubarak’s policies as a President of State but I can’t deny what he had presented to this country as an EAF commander who helped in the reconstruction of the EAF after its semi-destruction in the six days war.