The EFF described the indiscriminate attacks as including the wounded, men, women, and children, “firing mercilessly at those already suffering in a genocide and humanitarian crisis.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the participation of Aaron Bayhack, a 22-year-old South African, and the South African citizens in the alleged genocide of Palestinians without any consequences.
The EFF in a statement on Wednesday expressed its outrage at Bayhack, who is identified as a sniper in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the Al Jazeera documentary "The Ghost Unit."
Bayhack is reportedly part of a brutal team that targets unarmed civilians with live ammunition in and around hospitals under siege in Gaza.
The EFF described the indiscriminate attacks as including the wounded, men, women, and children, “firing mercilessly at those already suffering in a genocide and humanitarian crisis.”
The EFF highlighted that Palestine has endured over 76 years of Israeli occupation, facing an ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing campaign that has intensified over the past year.
More than 100,000 Palestinians have been killed, with many still unaccounted for, as Israel wages war through relentless bombings, starvation, and systematic destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals.
The statement also condemned snipers like Bayhack, who are used to "mercilessly target civilians," carrying out horrific acts with impunity.
The IOF has also been implicated in brutal sexual assaults on Palestinian prisoners, home raids, theft, and extreme torture, which they allegedly perform “with sickening joy,” as shown in multiple videos.
According to the Regulation of the Foreign Military Assistance Act, 1998, any person wishing to render foreign military assistance in Israel must first apply to the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC).
The EFF said it plans to investigate whether Bayhack served in the IOF with permission from the Department of Defence, questioning why he has not faced prosecution or been stripped of citizenship, as stated would happen by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Naledi Pandor.
The EFF emphasised that South Africa cannot feel safe with citizens who "have no qualms about killing other human beings" living among them without repercussions.
They warned, “Today, it's Palestinians, tomorrow it shall be a South African for being a woman, black, Muslim, wearing a keffiyeh or picking an orange from someone's yard,” adding that the President merely expresses being "shocked" without taking action to protect the citizens.
In response to these events, the EFF has approached the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Department of Defence, insisting that this matter be investigated and that any individuals joining the IOF should be prosecuted, as they are breaking the law.
The statement reads, “The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is appalled that South African citizens are participating in the genocide of Palestinians without any consequences. Aaron Bayhack, a 22 year old South African, is identified as having been a sniper in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), in the Al Jazeera documentary "The Ghost Unit".
“Bayhack is reportedly part of a brutal team that targets unarmed civilians with live ammunition in and around hospitals under siege in Gaza. These indiscriminate attacks include the wounded, men, women, and children-firing mercilessly at those already suffering in a genocide and humanitarian crisis.
“Palestine has been under Israeli occupation for over 76 years, enduring an ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing campaign that has intensified over the past year. More than 100,000 Palestinians have been killed, with many still unaccounted for. Israel has waged war through relentless bombings, starvation, and the systematic destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals.
“Snipers like Bayhack are used to mercilessly target civilians, carrying out horrific acts with impunity. The IOF have also been responsible for brutal sexual assaults on Palestinian prisoners, raids on homes, theft, and the extreme torture of men, women, and children-all of which they perform with sickening joy, as shown in multiple videos.”
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