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19 years since Israel's killing of US peace activist Rachel Corrie

March 19, 2022 at 11:02 am

23-year-old Rachel Corrie who was crushed to death by Israeli bulldozers in Gaza in 2003 [NawalAlhawsawi/Twitter]

The Israeli murder of US peace activist Rachel Corrie was marked on 16 March, 2022, the 19th anniversary of her death. Along with eight others, Corrie acted as a human shield to prevent Israeli bulldozers from demolishing Palestinian homes in Gaza.

Corrie was born on 10 April, 1979, in Olympia, Washington. She dedicated her life to human rights, primarily defending Palestinian rights.

In 2003, she engaged with members of the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian NGO, to protest the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

On 16 March, she stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer, staging a peaceful protest to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.

She held a loudspeaker in her hand and called on the driver of the Israeli bulldozer to refrain from demolishing the Palestinian home, but he continued, crushing her to death.

Palestinians received news of her murder with grief and horror, calling her a “martyr”. Since then, Palestinians have organised an annual sports championship to mark the Israeli murder of Corrie.

A massive mural of Corrie was painted on a wall nearby where she was murdered.

Read: My Name is Rachel Corrie