🔷A Kurdish boy injured in a 2019 alleged Turkish phosphorus attack has released a video message to correct a false claim that his injuries were inflicted by Israeli forces.
🔗https://t.co/HzPrjrX1j7 pic.twitter.com/pJnNAY7bjx
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) October 13, 2023
Mohammed Hamid Mohammed, a Kurdish boy who was injured in a 2019 alleged Turkish phosphorus attack, has spoken out to set the record straight. A video message from Mohammed emerged after Turkish journalist Erem Şentürk mistakenly tweeted a photo of him, attributing his injuries to Israeli military action.
In the video message from the IDP camp where he currently resides, Mohammed said, “My name is Mohammed Hamid, I was burned when Turkey attacked Serêkaniyê with phosphorus bombs in 2019. I am not Palestinian Mohammed; I am Mohammed from Serêkaniyê. It was not Israel, but Erdoğan who hit me. I am now staying in a camp in Serêkaniyê.”
This revelation comes after Kurdish journalist Diliman Abdulkader and the director of North Press, a northern Syrian local news outlet, clarified the situation. They confirmed that the injuries were the result of a 2019 alleged Turkish phosphorus attack in Ras al-Ain (Serêkaniyê), not by Israeli forces as Şentürk had claimed.
The Washokani camp in the Hasakah (Hesekê) countryside, where Mohammed is currently living, is one of the civilian settlements affected by recent Turkish attacks against Kurdish-led regions in Syria. The camp is home to around 16,000 internally displaced persons who were forced to flee their hometowns due to Turkey’s military operations.
Şentürk’s tweet has since been deleted, but the incident has reignited discussions about the ongoing plight of Kurdish communities affected by Turkish military actions. Mohammed’s injuries are still clearly visible, and he is unable to attend school or work due to his condition.
