Ben van der Merwe
@_BvdM
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Digital investigations journalist @SkyNews Signal: bvdm.22
London, England
Joined August 2016
NEW: A Sky News investigation has pieced together the most comprehensive picture yet of the 23 March killing of aid workers by Israeli troops. Our findings contradict not only Israel's initial account of the attack, but its subsequent accounts as well.
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The withdrawal does include a large part of the Netzarim Corridor, which Israel has heavily fortified, but I could not see any active positions there in the latest satellite imagery pre-ceasefire
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The other base lies right on line of withdrawal (near Khan Younis), so it's not clear whether it's being vacated. It's also very small.
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This includes two adjacent makeshift bases in the east of Gaza City and a more permanent one to the city's north, by the coast. Pics: Planet Labs (27 Sep)
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Israel's withdrawal of ground forces seems very limited, given what they are getting in return. Only 4 out of 40 observed active ground bases are outside the line of withdrawal (and therefore need to be vacated).
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We went through months of footage to find details of the IDF’s support for a Gaza militia positioning itself as an alternative governing force Found the Popular Forces to be receiving aid directly from the GHF, and moving vehicles & equipment with relative ease over the border
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Read the full story with @SamDoak5, including details on the group's recruitment of a former Islamic State fighter and Abu Shabab's 2010 attempt to join Hamas's security services https://t.co/ltk6uMAcc3
news.sky.com
The former looting gang is living in luxury thanks to aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and smuggled cash, cars and cigarettes.
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We also found evidence of @GHFUpdates deliveries to the militia. Aid workers describe it as a "complete breach of humanitarian principles" and "indistinguishable from support to one side in the fighting" GHF said "every Gazan deserves to be fed with dignity - including those in
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And a serving IDF soldier, speaking to us from his base near Kerem Shalom also confirmed Israel's role. "Israel helps him, it gives him grenades, it gives him money, it gives him vehicles, it gives him food, it gives him all types of things," he said.
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In an exclusive interview with Sky News, a senior commander in the group admitted to their past involvement in looting and smuggling. He also revealed new details about how Israel is facilitating their smuggling of weapons, cash, and luxury vehicles.
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NEW: Israel has been preparing for an end to the Gaza war by backing a former looting gang with extremist links. Our investigation reveals new details of this support - including GHF aid deliveries and smuggled cars, cash and cigarettes
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Analysis of new Planet satellite imagery shows that, as of yesterday, very few camps had been emptied. Only those camps in the south and northeast of the city have been abandoned in recent weeks. The rest had seen only minor decreases or increases in population.
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As the IDF advances on Gaza City, thousands of families remain there - packed into sprawling tent camps. This is despite weeks of intense bombardment and repeated Israeli displacement orders.
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What we know about how Charlie Kirk was killed. We tracked and mapped the events before, during and after the shooting - Sky News' Data & Forensics with @KaitlinTosh @FreyaGibson123 @SophiaMassam @_BvdM @jakelevison1201 @SamDoak5
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I wrote about the destruction of Tel Muntar in October last year
news.sky.com
'Life was beautiful': What Gaza has lost in a year of war
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This looks like it was filmed from Tel Muntar, east of Gaza City: 31.4906000,34.4736161 The highest point in Gaza, this was a beauty spot before the war and the site of an ancient shrine. It has since been razed completely to make way for an Israeli military base. @GeoConfirmed
Sima Hasson, chairman of another right-wing "protest movement" that seems more like a government shill - "The Mothers' March" - posted this video, taken by soldiers in Gaza, depicting a bullet-made text: "Besiege before we pass" Hasson captioned it: "Heroic fighters call on the
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Notable that the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman said it was carried out by the Israeli Air Force - indicating an airstrike rather than a planted bomb (as in Tehran). Main IDF accounts did not release this information.
#عاجل 🔻هاجم جيش الدفاع والشاباك من خلال سلاح الجو قبل قليل بشكل موجه بالدقة قيادة حركة حماس الارهابية. 🔴قادة القيادة الحمساوية الذين تم استهدافهم قادوا انشطة حماس الارهابية على مدار سنوات ويتحملون المسؤولية المباشرة عن ارتكاب مجزرة السابع من اكتوبر وإدارة الحرب ضد إسرائيل.
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Location of building destruction shown below matches with other footage of the smoke rising above Doha: 25.35704037532384, 51.50945695661759 @GeoConfirmed
Senior Hamas source told Al Jazeera: The Israeli 🇮🇱 attack on the meeting in Qatar's 🇶🇦 Doha while it was discussing US 🇺🇸 President Trump's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza 🇵🇸 The meeting was targeted while discussing President Trump's ceasefire proposal. The Hamas negotiating
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My team investigated the IDF's claims around the Nasser hospital attack in Gaza. Their account doesn't add up. Watch here: https://t.co/CekfMZEjgK
@charline_bm @_BvdM @SophiaMassam @adamparkr
The IDF account of its strike on Nasser Hospital doesn't add up 🧵
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