‘Let Gaza burn’: Teacher in New York school under fire for remarks on social media

A teacher at a school in Brooklyn, United States recently came under fire after posting comments such as “Let Gaza Burn’’ and “There are no innocents,” on social media, reported the New York Post, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. 

The remarks have since prompted local pro-Palestinian activists and organisations to call on the city’s Department of Education to investigate the teacher identified as Robert Rossicone, an instructor at Fort Hamilton School. 

Fort Hamilton is a public elementary-middle school which caters to students from the largest Palestinian-American and Arabic communities in the state, reported the New York Post. 

The controversial remarks by Rossicone were made in response to a Hamas video that the Israeli Army provided CNN of the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on the Jewish state. 

“Look at these ANIMALS. And the people who support this, or call for a ceasefire, are dogs as well,” said the school teacher, as quoted by the New York Post. He added, “Let Gaza Burn. There are no innocents if this is what is allowed to continue. Never again. By ANY means necessary.”

The attack, according to Israeli officials, claimed the lives of around 1,200 people while more than 200 people were taken as hostages. 

Israel has since retaliated with heavy bombardment and a ground operation in Gaza which has killed nearly 15,000 people, mostly children, as per the claims of the Hamas-run government. 

The group Stop Arab Hate took to X and posted screenshots of Rossicone’s profile as well as some of the other comments he made on social media. 

“He believes people calling for ceasefire are ‘dogs,’ and describes women in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) as a ‘72 virgins dating service’,” said the Stop Arab Hate group, in a post. 

This comes as several organisations have raised concerns about the rise in anti-Islamic and antisemitic incidents reported around the US since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Three students of Palestinian descent in the US city of Burlington in Vermont were shot on Saturday (Nov 25) in what the police have described as a suspected “hate-motivated crime.” 

The assailant opened fire after he began to shout at and harass the three men who were speaking Arabic, said the Institute for Middle East Understanding.

The police confirmed that two of the young men were wearing keffiyehs – the traditional black and white Palestinian scarf – when they were attacked. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.