‘Attack By Iranians And Lawlessness Of Hamas Differ Greatly’

A former Belarusian political prisoner told how he survived Iran's attack on Israel.

Aleh Baradzin is a former political prisoner who left Belarus first to Georgia and then to Israel. The Belarusian told Charter97.org how he and his family survived a massive Iranian attack:

“Drones flew towards our city. It’s located deep in the rear. There was no air alert. I was the only one who didn't sleep. I saw a series of bright flashes in the window. One, two, ten, twenty. I run into the kids' room, my wife is already waking her daughter, I'm looking for my son and children, then I run to the shelter. While we were running, the whole sky was in lights and flashes shot down drones. The drones flew in groups, judging by the flashes — 20-25 pieces each. The roar of the planes was heard in the sky.”

The city of Kiryat Gat, where Aleh lives, is located 19 km from the Gaza Strip:

“There were few people in the shelter – about 15 people since there was no alert. People were sleeping.

Our house is located on the outskirts of the city – in the southwest. We are closer to Gaza. The drone attack was not aimed at the city, but at the factories, which are located in the southeast – a kilometer away from us.”

The former political prisoner says that it was much harder during the Hamas attack in October 2023:

“Then we were hit by a hard missile strike. We were in the bomb shelter for half a day, the entire yard was strewn with shrapnel, even one shrapnel caught the hand as it left the vault, and the shrapnel fell from the roof. That's when it was really scary, the children were crying, this alarm howling, the bomb shelter was crowded with people. And now it's not scary.”

This is the third wave in all the time that we are in Israel, when we have to sit in a bomb shelter.

Aleh says that now it is difficult to talk about the real war:

“We need to wait for the reaction of the Israeli authorities to this attack, soberly make a decision, and not be driven by unfounded bravado at the moment.

There is a significant difference between this attack by the Iranians and the lawlessness of Hamas. Now it really looks more like fighting. The attack of drones and missiles was aimed at strategic civilian and military facilities of Israel, and what happened on October 7 was pure wild genocide, when Hamas terrorists simply massacred people, mocked prisoners, burned young children alive, raped women of all ages.

As a volunteer, I talked to workers of a morgue, police officers and volunteers who were searching for the bodies of those killed in kibbutzim and at the Supernova festival. They told horrible things – the bodies of women and little girls of all ages were mutilated. The legs, chest, and genitals of the still living were cut off. Women were subjected to violence – living and dead. There were almost no survivors of rape, the militants killed them, often shooting them in the head... It was a real horror.”

Aleh is sure that Israel cannot be broken:

“The spirit of the Israeli people is so strong. So many times do I make sure that these people will not be broken. Israel is now more united than ever in its decisions, intentions, tasks and actions. I sincerely hope that Belarusians as a nation will soon be able to rise to such a level of unity and solidarity.

Little Israel confronts Muslim fanaticism and radicalism. The time will come when little Belarus will lead the wave that will wash away the Lukashist and Putler [dictator Putin - Ed.] authoritarian regimes. For Belarusians, Lukashism is a malignant tumour on a healthy body of the nation, and as with any gangrene or cancer, only a radical surgical operation will help.

It is better to get rid of an infected limb or a piece of your flesh, but then undergo heavy rehabilitation and stay alive with a healthy body. For Belarusians, Lukashism is an inoculation against authoritarianism, after which Belarus will receive immunity from tyranny forever.”