'Israel's View Shocked Me': The Story Of Hamas Barbarism As Seen By Zee News

Hello friends, I am Vishal Pandey. A fierce war is underway between Israel and Hamas and no one knows how long the war is going to persist. This story is about what I have seen and felt in the past 18 days while reporting from the war zone. However, it's a bit challenging for me to express the pain and images from the war zone in words. In part 3 of my diary, I will tell you about the situation in Israel and the stories of affected people.

Tale Of Kfar Aza Massacre

It was around 9 pm when I and my cameraman S. Jaydeep were having dinner at the Tandoori Lands restaurant in Tel Aviv. During that time, the air siren went off, and we had to leave our dinner midway and run towards the bunker to take shelter. After a while, we found out that a rocket had landed in the Mediterranean Sea. This restaurant is right in front of the Mediterranean Sea. The next morning, we set out from Tel Aviv to Kfar Aza. But on the same day, American President Joe Biden was supposed to arrive in Tel Aviv. Because of this, Tel Aviv was completely sealed. Most roads were closed, and we got stuck in a terrible traffic jam for nearly 6 hours. Our assignment of Kfar Aza got missed. IDF officers were waiting for us in Kfar Aza. However, we had no choice but to return to Tel Aviv. Let me tell you that Kfar Aza is a Kibbutz, somewhat like Be'eri, where Hamas has committed a larger massacre.

Witnessing Barbarity with My Own Eyes

In some media reports, it was claimed that Hamas had cut the throats of kids. Although Hamas has denied this, merely denying it does not hide the cruelty of Hamas. In Kfar Aza, Hamas terrorists have tortured and killed hundreds of people. They fired bullets at people inside their homes. Using grenades, they broke down doors and infiltrated people's houses. Hamas kidnapped a large number of civilians, including children and women, from Kfar Aza. The truth of Kfar Aza has shocked the world; Hamas had crossed all limits of cruelty while attacking the city.

Terrorists Infiltrated Israel From This Place

The next day, I had a conversation with IDF spokesperson Colonel Jonathan Cornicus, and he said, "We are taking you to Kibbutz Nir Oz." Zee News was India's first channel to accompany the IDF to Nir Oz. We reached the Gaza Border directly from Tel Aviv, and Nir Oz is the place from where the Hamas terrorists had breached the fence and infiltrated into Israel. The gate of the fence in this area was still broken when we reached there. We were right at the Zero Point. The Gaza Strip was just 1 km away from there. A local photographer told us that on the morning of October 7, Hamas terrorists had infiltrated Nir Oz and it took the police and the army about 8 hours to reach here. During this time, Hamas terrorists kept coming and going through the same route to the Gaza Strip. Hamas terrorists first blew up an ambulance and killed a security officer. I saw the evidence of locals trying to confront the Hamas terrorists for some time, but they couldn't stand for long. There were a large number of Hamas terrorists. IDF officer Richard Hech confirmed that the Hamas terrorists had infiltrated by breaking the fence. The terrorists had kidnapped 80 people from here, and 25 people were killed.

Horrific Scenes Shocked Me

When I was touring different areas of Kibbutz Nir Oz, very scary scenes were visible here. No house was left, everything had turned into ashes. Hamas terrorists had also looted this place. They had raped women and killed some children. IDF officers took me to a house where there was darkness in the room. The army officer lit the torch of his gun, and as soon as there was light, I saw nothing but blood stains. An elderly woman was sleeping in the room at the time of the attack and the terrorists not only shot her but also dragged her body out of the room. I was stunned when I saw this picture, and can't describe it in words. It was a very painful image. I went to another house in Nir Oz with army officers, where blood was visible on the dining table. To save themselves from the terrorists, this family had locked themselves in a bunker. But the terrorists set fire to the gate, and so much smoke filled the area that the family had to open the door and come out, and the terrorists kidnapped this entire family. These are enough images to narrate the terror of Hamas. We left for Tel Aviv with heavy hearts from here.

The Sight Of Ramallah, The City Of Fauda Series

Date - October 20, Friday. The Jumu'ah prayer was scheduled. I left for the West Bank of Palestine from Tel Aviv. This area is also considered very dangerous. My taxi driver told me that he would take me to the border checkpoint. Beyond that, we will have to go on our own. With a mixture of fear and courage, we headed to the West Bank. We reached the Israeli and Palestinian checkpoints. There were no taxis available there. In the meantime, a car with a "Press" sticker came there. I showed my press ID and stopped the car, asking for a lift to Ramallah. It was AFP's photographer Niko, who had come there from Argentina to cover the conflict. He dropped us off near the AFP office in the West Bank. Until now, I had only seen this area in the Fauda series, but now I was seeing it in real life. I was somewhat scared because everyone was looking at us with suspicion and doubt.

Encounter with Palestinians

Outside the AFP office, there was a shop, and I talked to the shopkeeper, who called a taxi for us. The taxi took us to the centre of Ramallah city in the West Bank. There, I met a local Palestinian journalist. She told me that Hamas had done nothing wrong. I asked her how it could be right to kill children and carry out terrorist attacks. She compared it with attacks by Israel to justify the Hamas act. She said that just as Israel has been attacking Palestine for years, Hamas is defending themselves. She was very angry with my questions, and I was also angry that how could she justify terrorist attacks in this way? My local driver signalled me to leave. We left from there, and then we visited some mosques in the West Bank. There was a large number of people gathered here, sitting by the side of the road. People were staring at us. I did not stop in this area because I thought that if we landed here, there could be a dispute. From there, we headed straight to the point where there was supposed to be a demonstration today. After the Hamas terrorist attack, the Israeli army had carried out a massive crackdown in the West Bank, arresting terrorists on a large scale. They were conducting raids in the Jenin camp and arresting suspects. The Israeli army also carried out an airstrike on a mosque. IDF has arrested nearly 800 suspects from the West Bank.

Stone-Pelting In West Bank

I would like to tell you that we were among the first reporters and cameramen from India who reached the West Bank of Palestine. Near a petrol pump, we spotted a small cafe and went inside to sit. After a while, we noticed that a crowd was gathering at this intersection. After the Jummah prayer, thousands of protesters from Palestine gathered at Jerusalem Square. They were protesting because this area is home to Israeli Jewish settlements that are adjacent to the West Bank, where the Israeli army is stationed. The protest turned quite violent. I saw some young people with their faces covered, setting tires on fire and throwing stones. The faces of women were also covered, and all of them were protesting against Israel with flags. The Israeli army was firing tear gas canisters and using rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. This protest continued for about an hour. During this time, the injured were immediately taken to the hospital in ambulances. The Palestinian protesters were also chanting slogans like "Free Palestine." Staying here for too long was not safe for us, so we quickly headed towards the Israeli border and reached the Israeli border in about an hour. The taxi driver had dropped us off at the Palestinian border, and now we couldn't enter Israel on foot. I called my driver, Avi, and he mustered the courage to enter and pick us up, and we left with him, heading to Tel Aviv.

A Sigh Of Relief

By the time, I had shared my live location with my bosses, Rajneesh Ahuja and Shivam Gupta. Shivam sir was continuously keeping an eye on my live location, and when I entered Israel again, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Over the next two days, we reported continuously from the southern Israel-Gaza border. On October 23, we left Tel Aviv for northern Israel. That area is located near the Lebanon border because the Hezbollah terrorist organization from Lebanon is also launching rocket attacks on Israel. Israel is also concerned about a war from this front. When I left my hotel, I saw that hundreds of common citizens were protesting in Tel Aviv. Pictures of those people who were kidnapped have been put up. Israeli citizens are demanding that the citizens held as hostages be brought back by the government. After covering this story, I then left for Metula and Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. After about a 3-hour journey, I reached the northern border of Israel. Everything was closed here. The borders were sealed, and the area within about 5 kilometres of the border was evacuated. The sound of bombings was also coming from this side.

Understanding the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Hezbollah has been launching intermittent rocket attacks since October 7, and Israel is responding with retaliatory action. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the region and warned Lebanon that if Hezbollah initiates a war, they must be prepared for another war. In this area, we observed the Golan Heights and the Lebanon border. People here were also afraid and apprehensive. Even those who were outside this region were filled with fear. After extensively reporting from this area, we returned to Tel Aviv. Afterwards, on the next day, we visited Jerusalem and tried to understand the Israel-Palestine conflict. Why is Jerusalem the epicentre of this conflict? Why is Jerusalem the holiest place for Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths? I visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. You will soon be able to watch a ground report on this major issue on Zee News.

Israel's Condition Left Us Shaken

Along with this, on October 25, we returned from the Israel war zone. However, innocent people are the ones who suffer in wars. Israel has been badly hurt by the terrorist attacks. Israel is prepared to take revenge. The Israeli people want to see the end of Hamas. Now we will have to see how long this war continues and when the end of Hamas will come. For now, with my cameraman S. Jayadeep, I have boarded a flight from Abu Dhabi to Delhi. But what we witnessed through the eyes of Israel has deeply moved us from within. We will never forget the pain of the people of Israel. The images of innocent children will never leave our minds. All I can say is that the entire world must unite and fight against terrorism.

(Disclaimer: Israel War Diary - Seen through the eyes of Zee Media reporter Vishal Pandey and cameraman S. Jayadeep.)