One of the participants in the infiltration mission into Israeli territory, wearing a Press vest.
Terrorist Iyad al-'Awauda, killed during a stabbing attack on an IDF soldier in the Hebron region. He was wearing a yellow vest and a Press T-shirt.
Pictures from a video posted to YouTube showing terrorist Iyad al-'Awauda in a yellow Press vest, raising a knife and stabbing an IDF soldier (YouTube, October 16, 2015).
Use of a Press vest during a Gazan infiltration into Israel
- On August 3, 2018, a group of about 20 young Gazans carried out an infiltration mission into Israeli territory from the southern Gaza Strip. The group, which was divided into squads, neared the fence and threw an IED and a Molotov cocktail. A squad of three broke through the fence, entered Israeli territory, climbed up into an abandoned IDF post, removed equipment and returned to the Gaza Strip. The entire event, which in ITIC assessment was organized and planned by the (Hamas-backed) organizers of the “return march,” was filmed and disseminated by the Palestinian media.[1]
The video shows one of the participants standing near the border fence wearing a Press vest. The ITIC did not identify him, but he seemed to be a young man with no equipment for documenting the event or performing media functions. He apparently belonged to the group of young Gazans who carried out the infiltration mission. In ITIC assessment he had no media affiliation and was not an authentic media employee. It is more likely that he wore the vest to keep himself from being shot at by IDF soldiers.
One of the participants in the infiltration mission into Israeli territory, wearing a Press vest.
The young Gazans sabotaged the fence, threw IEDs at IDF soldiers, entered Israeli territory and climbed up into an IDF post, putting their lives in real danger. In ITIC assessment, the Press vest was intended to increase the chances of the young Gazan’s survival. It can be assumed that terrorist operatives and other youths misuse symbols of media affiliation to increase their chances of survival during the riots which have been part of the “return marches” since March 30, 2018. In the past terrorist operatives have made use of media indications for their own personal safety during attacks.[2]
Use of a Press vest in a stabbing attack in Hebron
- A Press vest was used by a Palestinian in a stabbing attack in Hebron. On October 16, 2015, a terrorist operative named Iyad Khalili Mahmoud al-‘Awauda, from the village of Dura (south of Hebron), stabbed an IDF soldier. The soldier was seriously wounded and the terrorist was shot and killed. In ITIC assessment the terrorist wore a Press vest to increase the chances the stabbing attack would succeed, and perhaps also to improve, to a certain extent, his chances of survival. Although the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the attack, the terrorist became a hero to Fatah, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian street, with no reservations shown by either the PA or Palestinian commentators. The PA’s security forces honored the terrorist who had disguised himself as a media employee, and during his funeral his body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag and carried by operatives of Palestinian national security (Wafa, October 17, 2015).[3]
Right: Terrorist Iyad al-‘Awauda, killed during a stabbing attack on an IDF soldier in the Hebron region. He was wearing a yellow vest and a Press T-shirt. Left: A wounded IDF soldier. The terrorist is still holding the knife he used to stab him (Khabar News Agency, October 16, 2018).
Pictures from a video posted to YouTube showing terrorist Iyad al-‘Awauda in a yellow Press vest, raising a knife and stabbing an IDF soldier (YouTube, October 16, 2015).
The body of terrorist Iyad al-‘Awauda wrapped in the Palestinian flag and carried by Palestinian national security force operatives (Wafa News Agency, October 17, 2015).
[1] For further information, see the August 9, 2018 bulletin, "Video published by the organizers of the "return marches" shows Gazan youths sent into Israeli territory and entering an abandoned IDF post, knowingly risking their lives." The bulletin has a link to the video, showing one of the participants wearing a Press vest. ↑
[2] On November 19, 2012, the IDF attacked a vehicle carrying Muhammad Riad Shamlakh, a senior Hamas terrorist operative. The vehicle was marked as belonging to the media with the letters "TV." On June 9, 2007, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) squad attacked an IDF post and patrol near the Kissufim Crossing. The squad arrived in a jeep disguised as a media vehicle and marked "TV." ↑
[3] For further information, see the October 22, 2015 bulletin, "Stabbing Attack Carried Out in Kiryat Arba by a Palestinian Terrorist Disguised As A Press Photographer." ↑
