Although many Al Jazeera journos have been busy mourning Mohammed Deif, I'd like to focus on just one: Yosra Aklouk.
See, her husband was both a Hamas member AND a US citizen, and his story ties directly into current debates in America on the 14th Amendment and student visas 🧵
First, here's how she eulogized Mohammed Deif:
She calls him a "victorious master" who "lives on in every idea, every revolution, every projectile, every rocket, every bullet, every soldier, every cell, every plan, every foundation, every hidden act of charity, and in the flood"
Now, onto her family. This guy right here is her late husband, Osama al-Zebda.
Osama gained U.S. citizenship at birth while his father, Jamal al-Zebda—a senior Hamas member—was in the U.S. on a student visa at Virginia Tech. Yes, you read that right.
He apparently became a citizen solely due to the 14th Amendment, as his parents weren’t U.S. citizens.
Here's Yosra looking on at a mural of the father-son Hamas duo
Throwing this in for good measure: Yosra is of course a big fan of Yahya Sinwar as well.
I just think it’s fascinating how Yosra and her husband’s story directly connects to ongoing U.S. policy debates—both on birthright citizenship and on granting student visas to individuals who oftentimes support terrorism (and, in some cases, are terrorists themselves).
H/T to @JoeTruzman for breaking Osama's story years ago and @theisraelfiles for alerting me about Yosra
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In October 2024, the IDF uncovered a 2022 document which contained instructions Hamas gave to Almisshall on how to cover Islamic Jihad, specifically that he must not criticize its rocket capabilities, despite their tendency to misfire and kill Palestinian civilians
Additionally, according to the brilliant folks at @MEMRIReports, Almisshal posted on October 7th that "Gaza manufactures victory and honor for its homeland and nation."
This Wapo article is one of the most blatant examples of journalistic malpractice I've seen in a while.
Shame on @leo_sands, @sammy_westfall, @NihaMasih, and @MiriamABerger for omitting critical information that would've drastically reframed the piece for their audience 🧵
First of all, as seen above, the very first organization they refer to is Samidoun, described as "an activist network supporting Palestinian prisoners."
The problem? Samidoun has been designated as a terrorist group by the US, Canada, Germany, Israel, and the Dutch parliament.
Then there's this nonsense. They describe the PFLP as a "small leftist armed group" and it's longtime member Khalida Jarrar as a "political activist and legislator."
Nowhere do they mention that the PFLP is a designated terror group in the US, EU, Canada, and other countries.
🧵 The Israeli Justice Ministry released a list of over 730 Palestinian terrorists who will be released as part of the ceasefire deal. Here are some of them:
Mohammed Abu Warda, a Hamas terrorist who orchestrated the 1996 bombing of two Jerusalem buses that killed 45 people.
Majdi and Nassim Zaatari, who were convicted for their involvement in the suicide bombing on Egged bus line 2 in Jerusalem in August 2003, which resulted in the murder of 23 Israelis and injuries to many others.
Fahmi Mashahra, who was involved in the execution of the suicide bombing on an Egged bus in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem in June 2002, which resulted in the murder of 19 people and injuries to dozens more. He was sentenced to 20 life terms.