Israel kills American activist, terrorizes prisoners, as Biden admin shrugs – Day 335 CNN reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday was as clear as he has ever been that he does not believe a ceasefire and hostage deal is likely in Gaza in a sharp rebuke to the Biden administration’s insistence it’s close at hand. “There’s not a deal in the making,” Netanyahu told Fox News. “Unfortunately, it’s not close.” His comments stand in stark contrast to the relentlessly hopeful messaging from the Biden administration over the past months. On Sunday, President Joe Biden claimed that the parties were on the verge of a deal, and on Wednesday, a senior administration official claimed 90% of the agreement had been completed. That, Netanyahu said, is “exactly inaccurate.” UN Humanitarian Affairs: Israel is blocking entrance of explosive ordnance disposal equipment OCHA reports: The ongoing escalation of hostilities is resulting in widespread contamination by Explosive Ordnance (EO). While the exact number of EO-related casualties is unknown, there have been cases of people who died due to the explosion of EO, according to humanitarian partners. On 3 September, a Palestinian girl was reportedly critically injured by the explosion of an EO in southwestern Khan Younis and succumbed to her wounds on 4 September. Children face a heightened risk of being exposed to EO, as they usually play outside, tend to search for scraps amongst rubbish and rubble, and lack an awareness on the dangers of EO. Despite ongoing efforts by humanitarian partners to conduct in-person and digital Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) campaigns, educational material as well as minimum standard Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment are refused entry into Gaza by Israeli authorities, therefore limiting the capacity of the mine action response. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster is concerned with the staggering increase in the cost of basic hygiene items. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), in July, the price of soap has increased 1,177 per cent and shampoo has increased 490 per cent across the Strip, compared to July 2023. Israeli army kills Palestinian girl in West Bank: Health Ministry Al Jazeera reports: A 13-year-old girl succumbed to her wounds after being shot by Israeli forces in Qaryout, a village south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. The village was reportedly attacked by Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces when Bana Amjad Bakr was shot in the chest by an Israeli soldier. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its teams dealt with the “serious” injury after confrontations broke out in the village. Amjad Bakr was shot while she was in her bedroom, her father said. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she died. Settler attacks are common in the West Bank and have increased in scale and intensity since October 7. The Israeli army and settlers have displaced more than 1,200 Palestinians and destroyed hundreds of structures, according to UN figures. Israel pulls out of Jenin, but denies end of West Bank offensive Middle East Eye reports: Israeli forces have pulled out of Jenin after a 10-day assault, but the military has denied it is ending its operation in the occupied West Bank. The offensive, which has so far left at least 39 Palestinians dead, saw soldiers backed by armored vehicles and bulldozers targeting the city and its adjacent refugee camp, forcing the flight of many of the residents. Palestinians started returning to their Jenin homes on Friday, while those who had been trapped by the offensive were able to venture outside for the first time in more than a week. Israel said on Friday that it would continue its operation in Jenin until its “objectives are achieved”. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says at least 40 people (6 of them youths) have been killed in the West Bank since August 28 when Israeli forces launched a large-scale incursion into several towns and cities: 21 Palestinians were killed in Jenin; 8 in Tubas; 8 in Tulkarem; and 3 in Hebron. Footage originally shared by Israel’s Channel 14 correspondent showed Israeli soldiers detaining Palestinian children, women and men in Jenin, occupied West Bank, and forcing them to walk in one line. This is not Gaza. This is in the West Bank Israeli soldiers share footage with Netenyahu’s channel 14 depicting them humiliating young Palestinian girls, women and elderly in Jenin during their invasion to the city pic.twitter.com/y2DZz1rImP — Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) September 6, 2024 France arrests nurse who volunteered in Gaza Middle East Monitor reports: France yesterday arrested then released nurse Imane Maarifi who spent 15 days volunteering as a medic in the Gaza Strip. Notably, the arrest took place at a time when French soldiers who fight in Gaza enjoy total impunity. Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed (LFI) party, wrote that Maarifi has been released from custody. “The search of the home in front of the family leaves no doubt about the desire to intimidate the voices that are raised to support the Palestinian people and demand an immediate ceasefire,” he wrote on X. Maarifi attended pro-Palestinian rallies in France to share her testimony about the crippling situation in Gaza. She has also expressed her demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a boycott of companies supporting Israel. [email protected] September 7, 2024 Ayşenur Eygi, btselem, ceasefire, international solidarity movement, israeli settler violence, palestinian prisoners, Tally Gotliv, unexploded ordnance, west bank death, white phosphorus, Yuli Novak Photos and videos obtained by Haaretz show dozens of detainees lying on their stomachs while handcuffed, some without clothes, as a guard dog barks over their heads. The Prison Service described this as a "routine exercise." (screenshot) Compilation of news reports – IAK staff Israeli army kills American International Solidarity Movement volunteer during demonstration in West Bank Various sources report: During the weekly demonstration in Beita, Palestine, on the morning of September 6th, 2024, the Israeli army intentionally shot and killed an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) human rights activist named Ayşenur Eygi. The demonstration, which primarily involved men and children praying, was met with force from the Israeli army stationed on a hill. Initially, the army fired a large amount of tear gas and then began using live ammunition. Ayşenur, who we (ISM) consider a martyr in the struggle, was the 18th demonstrator to be killed in Beita since 2020. She was an American citizen of Turkish descent. She was involved with the Faz’a campaign, an organization that aims to support and protect Palestinian farmers from violations by illegal Jewish settlers and military forces. The Israeli forces fired two rounds. One hit a Palestinian man in the leg, injuring him. The other round was fired at international human rights activists who were observing the demonstration from a distance, striking the human rights activist in the head. Neither Ezgi nor the other wounded person posed any threat to the soldiers stationed on the hills adjacent to the site of the weekly march. Eygi died shortly after being transported to a local hospital in Nablus. The Israeli military admitted to firing at the demonstrators and said it was looking into reports that a foreign national was killed. The Israel Defense Forces said it “responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them”. The US has not said whether Eygi had been shot by Israeli troops. “We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death, and will have more to say as we learn more,” Matthew Miller, a state department spokesperson, said. Asked if the US would take action against Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “First things first – let’s find out exactly what happened and we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences from that.” Eygi’s family released a statement declaring, “A US citizen, Aysenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet that video shows came from an Israeli military shooter,” adding, “Given the circumstances of Aysenur’s killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate.” “We call on President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of State Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability.” Ayşenur Eygi, 26, ‘was not a naive traveler – this experience was, according to one of her professors, the culmination of all her years of activism. Her friends say she was a longtime activist “bearing witness to oppression.” She was remembered by friends and former professors as a dedicated organizer who felt a strong moral obligation to bring attention to the plight of Palestinians. Eygi, who is also a Turkish citizen and leaves behind her husband, graduated from UW earlier this year with a major in psychology and minor in Middle Eastern languages and culture, Fani said. She walked the stage with a large “Free Palestine” flag during the ceremony, Fani said. Ezgi is the third ISM volunteer to be killed by the Israeli forces in occupied Palestine. Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza’s Rafah in 2003 after an Israeli soldier crushed her with a bulldozer. Tom Hurndall was killed in Gaza in 2004 by an Israeli sniper. An Israeli soldier shot Brian Avery in the face in Jenin in 2003. He survived the attack but was permanently maimed. The bullet ripped through his cheek and smashed his eye socket and jaw bones. RECOMMENDED READING: Instead of Taylor Force Act, Congress should consider Rachel Corrie Act, Orwah Hammad Act Israeli Prison Guards Filmed Abusing Detainees; Prison Service Says It’s a ‘Routine Exercise’ Ha’aretz reports: Israeli Prison Service personnel in the security wing of Megiddo Prison handcuffed and humiliated detainees on Friday morning, despite no unusual incident occurring in the prison. Photos and videos obtained by Haaretz show dozens of detainees lying on their stomachs while handcuffed, some without clothes, as a guard dog barks over their heads. The Prison Service described this as a “routine exercise.” The Prison Service said in response that it “maintains an operational routine for the safety of the prison inmates and the public. In this case, too, in an operation that includes intelligence [gathering], soldiers of the ‘Nachshon’ unit…raided terrorist cells, searched them and seized assault weapons and prohibited materials.” The service failed to present any of the assault weapons allegedly seized. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) has urged the United Nations to open an independent investigation. The group has also said that the Israeli authorities are “deliberately” leaking images and footage of the torture of Palestinian detainees, explaining in a statement that this was “part of the competition between the ministers of the current government over who tortures and kills Palestinians more”. UNICEF says Israelis refusing to facilitate polio vaccine campaign Al Jazeera reports: UNICEF says it is making every effort to distribute the polio vaccine in Gaza during the agreed-upon pauses in fighting. However, it reported that Israel continues to deny medical teams access to communities in certain areas of southern Gaza. Nearly 355,000 children have received the vaccine in spite of Israel’s lack of cooperation. Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reports from Khan Younis: Israeli legislator calls on police to probe B’Tselem activist for ‘aiding the enemy’ Middle East Monitor reports: Israel’s Likud Party Knesset Member Tally Gotliv called for the execution or life imprisonment of human rights activist Yuli Novak following her speech at the UN Security Council on Wednesday. Novak, the executive director or Israeli rights group B’Tselem, told the UNSC: “Since Israel was founded, its guiding logic has been to promote Jewish supremacy over the entire territory under its control.” She added that the far-right Israeli government has been “cynically exploiting” its citizens’ “collective trauma” since the 7 October 2023 infiltration of Israel by Palestinian resistance fighters. It is doing this, she explained, “to violently advance its project of cementing Israel[i] control over the entire land … committing war crimes almost daily.” Gotliv called for Novak to be probed by Israel Police “for the suspected serious crime of assistance to the enemy in war.” She said that such a crime was an offense under the penal law, “which carries the death penalty or a life sentence”. “Novak has shamefully put the state of Israel, currently engaged in a war for survival, at risk and assisted Israel’s enemies on various fronts,” the lawmaker wrote, accusing the activist of telling lies about Israel committing war crimes. Gotliv was among the legislators that joined Israeli crowds to protest the arrest of soldiers accused of gang-raping a Palestinian detainee from Gaza held in the Israeli Sde Teiman prison. NOTE: B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories strives for a future in which human rights, liberty and equality are guaranteed to all people, Palestinian and Jewish alike, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Such a future will only be possible when the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime end. That is the future we are working towards. B’Tselem (in Hebrew literally: in the image of), the name chosen for the organization by the late Member of Knesset Yossi Sarid, is an allusion to Genesis 1:27: “And God created humankind in His image. In the image of God did He create them.” The name expresses the universal and Jewish moral edict to respect and uphold the human rights of all people. Netanyahu is unequivocal about ceasefire and hostage agreement with Hamas: ‘There’s not a deal in the making’ Israel shells Lebanon with white phosphorus bombs, performs ground invasion drills The Cradle reports: According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), Israel targeted southern Lebanon with white phosphorus on Friday. “The area between Tal Nahas and Al-Hamams towards the Marjayoun plain is being subjected to artillery shelling with phosphorus shells, which caused fires to break out,” NNA said. Israeli threats against Lebanon have escalated once again. The Israeli military said on 6 September that its Yiftah Brigade carried out drills this week simulating a ground invasion of Lebanon, moving along a “mountainous route” and “complex terrain.” NOTE: Use of white phosphorus in civilian areas is considered a war crime due to its extremely dangerous effects on the human body. White phosphorus ignites instantly when in contact with oxygen. It can burn through the human body, including through bone, causing severe, excruciating damage. It can also cause extreme harm when inhaled, with risks of suffocation, cardiovascular failure, coma, death, and other lifelong effects. The substance burns at temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. MORE NEWS: IMEMC Daily Reports. The Cradle: Israel’s energy insecurity: How blackouts could paralyze the occupation state +972 Magazine: Under cover of war, Israel is demolishing home after home in Silwan Middle East Monitor: ‘Game of demographics’: How Israel aims to wipe out Palestinians from Occupied East Jerusalem Middle East Eye: ‘I recognized her by her roller skate’: Israeli strike on Gaza kills children playing in the street The New Arab: Is Israel using Gaza’s ‘mowing the lawn’ strategy in the West Bank? STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 5: Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – September 5, 2024: at least 41,546* (40,878 in Gaza* – 11,308 women (28%), 16,715 children (41%) as of September 5. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 691 in the West Bank (~148 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 49,032 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 23 from West Bank). At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition (at least 37 of them children)**. About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced. Almost 500,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – September 5: at least 100,098 (including at least 94,454 in Gaza and 5,700 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how man Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – September 5, 2024: ~1,452 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 288*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 25 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so. **Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. ***Approximately ten of the deaths listed above were Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah in fighting at the Israel-Lebanon border. The figure does not include the reportedly 53 Israeli soldiers – nearly 16% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated) Alison Weir trending on social media – what the buzz is about Israeli media’s coverage of the rape of Palestinian detainees shows support for sexual violence in service of genocide Inside Israel’s torture, rape, and dehumanization centers I’m a pediatrician. The scars I saw on Gaza’s children will take generations to heal. What Harris’s Jewish outreach director said at a private DNC afterparty ‘Strong record of supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship’: a look at Tim Walz’s votes on Palestine as a member of Congress Nearly Two-Thirds of All Campaign Funds for Cori Bush Challenger Came From AIPAC Israeli army probe covered up “friendly fire” killings on October 7 Are US officials’ investments of public funds in Israeli bonds ethical? How much is too much? Honoring the memory of a Gazan Olympic hero: Majed Abu Maraheel An American was just shot in the West Bank. The American press can’t be bothered. Understanding what motivates ultra-orthodox Jewish attacks on West Bank Palestinians Palestinians’ harrowing stories of rape by Israeli soldiers (including female soldiers) A Palestinian journalist visited Ismail Haniyeh’s home in Gaza to report on his death. Israel assassinated him too. I reported a piece for the New York Times on antisemitism. I found a major error, but the Times didn’t care. How Israel plans to whitewash its war crimes in Gaza Why the West Bank is on the verge of economic collapse Netanyahu’s plan to involve US in regional war on its behalf Western media continue to withhold the truth about Israel and Gaza – 4 stories “Well What SHOULD Israel Have Done After October 7?” Welcome to Hell More dead children. More BBC ‘news’ channelling Israeli propaganda as its own U.S. media downplays and ignores ICJ ruling declaring Israeli occupation illegal Israeli soldiers tell story of savage cruelty in Gaza – one given blessing by the West Searching for Gaza’s missing children https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-kills-american-activist-terrorizes-prisoners-as-biden-admin-shrugs-day-335/ https://donshafi911iamthefaceoftruth.blogspot.com/2024/09/israel-kills-american-activist.html

As Gazans starve, Israeli rhetoric grows more and more radically anti-Palestinian – Day 306 [email protected] August 9, 2024 AIPAC, ceasefire, Cori Bush, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian aid gaza, kamala harris on palestine, polio in gaza, rape of palestinian prisoners, sanctions, tim walz on palestine, torture of Palestinian prisoners A Palestinian girl clings to her mother in Gaza City, June 2 [Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu] (photo) In Gaza, airstrikes continue, food rations drop, polio threat grows; in Israel, calls to punish not the rapists, but the one who filmed them, to make rape of Palestinian prisoners official policy, to make Nablus in West Bank “look like Rafah,” to legalize Israeli settlement in Gaza, to end US sanctions on violent settlers; Biden administration ok’s more war after prisoner swap (risking ceasefire deal), condemns not AIPAC’s purchase of congressional candidates, but Cori Bush’s warnings against AIPAC; Kamala Harris indicates no tolerance for pro-Palestinian protesters or their message; Tim Walz’s track record on Palestine is not nearly as moral as Dems painted it; more. By IAK staff, from reports. At least 15 killed in Israeli bombing of two Gaza schools The New Arab reports: An Israeli attack on two schools in Gaza City left at least 15 people killed and dozens injured in the Tuffah district of the besieged enclave. The schools targeted, Abdel Fattah Hamoud and al-Zahraa, were destroyed with many Palestinians still missing and trapped under the rubble, according to local civil defence teams who were still working to pull people out. Displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the schools, which were reportedly targeted without any prior warning. Earlier on Thursday, Israeli forces stepped up airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least five Palestinians in a house in the heart of Gaza City. Another airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed one person and wounded others, according to medics. NOTE: Every single day, Gaza’s population endures many airstrikes, tank shells, and snipers’ bullets – too many to report on here. And every day, more Palestinians are lost under the rubble of bombed-out buildings. We acknowledge that these are important stories, even if we are unable to cover them all. A view of the destruction after an Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Tuesday [Ashraf Amra/Anadolu] A view of the destruction after an Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Tuesday [Ashraf Amra/Anadolu] (photo) World Food Program forced to reduce rations in Gaza Al Jazeera reports: The deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, Farhan Haq, explained that the World Food Program has been forced to reduce rations for Palestinians in Gaza because of the continuing war on the enclave. “WFP urgently needs fuel deliveries, increased flow of blood supplies and greater capacity to deliver hot meals, particularly in Gaza City and north Gaza,” Haq said. “WFP warns that it will be unable to bring in the quantity of food required this month unless more border crossing points into Gaza open and aid workers are able to bring in half the quantity of food needed in July and in the West Bank.” Without ceasefire for vaccines, polio could spread throughout region: WHO specialist Al Jazeera reports: The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a ceasefire in Gaza to administer a mass polio vaccination campaign, including to 600,000 children under the age of eight, after samples of the disease were detected in the enclave’s wastewater. Hamid Jafari, a polio specialist with the WHO, says that if such a ceasefire is not implemented and if healthcare workers are not granted enough freedom of movement to distribute all the vaccines, the risk of a polio outbreak both within Gaza and regionally is “very high”. “This can spread very fast internationally and most importantly, it is a direct threat to the children of Gaza,” Jafari told Al Jazeera. “This can start paralysing children very very rapidly.” He added: “If it [polio] spreads into Israel or the West Bank, it becomes a public health emergency there. Lebanon is at risk. Egypt is at risk. Jordan is at risk. And other countries of the region are at risk. After Israel destroyed Gaza's water and sewage systems, filthy water runs or stands stagnant all over the enclave, carrying polio and other diseases. After Israel destroyed Gaza’s water and sewage systems, filthy water runs or stands stagnant all over the enclave, carrying polio and other diseases. (collage) Friendly Fire: Israeli Man Dies After Being Wounded by Malfunctioning Iron Dome Interceptor Ha’aretz reports: The Israeli military said a preliminary investigation showed Samara was mistakenly struck by a malfunctioning interceptor rocket that was launched at a drone launched from Lebanon. The investigation showed that the rocket had fallen after failing to explode in the air as designed, it added. Two others were wounded besides Samara: a woman who was hit by shrapnel from the explosion and a cyclist who was hit by a car during the alarm. The hospital in the area said 19 people were admitted for treatment, including six soldiers – most of them requesting help for headaches, ringing in the ears and anxiety. Israel bans imam Ekrima Sabri from Al-Aqsa Mosque for 6 more months Al Jazeera reports: Israel has extended its ban on Al-Aqsa Mosque’s speaker Ekrima Sabri, restricting his access to the mosque and its courtyards for six more months, his lawyer tells Al Jazeera. Sabri was detained on August 2 on suspicion of inciting “terrorism” after he mourned assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at the mosque. Sabri, 85, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and current head of its Supreme Islamic Council, called Haniyeh a “martyr” at the mosque in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, his lawyer Hamzeh Qutteineh said at the time. At the time, he was also banned from entering the mosque until August 8. Sheikh Ekrima Sa’id Sabri, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories walks outside an Israeli police station after being summoned for interrogation, in Jerusalem on January 2, 2023. [Saeed Qaq/NurPhoto via Getty Images] Sheikh Ekrima Sa’id Sabri, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories walks outside an Israeli police station after being summoned for interrogation, in Jerusalem on January 2, 2023. [Saeed Qaq/NurPhoto via Getty Images] (photo) Smotrich demands punishment for person who filmed Sde Teiman rape video Middle East Eye reports: Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for an investigation to find out who took the video that shows Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian in the Sde Teiman detention centre. In a post on X, he demanded “an immediate criminal investigation to locate the leakers of the trending video that was intended to harm the reservists and that caused tremendous damage to Israel in the world and to exhaust the full severity of the law against them”. NOTE: On Monday, Smotrich said that letting two million people in Gaza die from hunger is “justified and moral”. Israeli journalist urges rape to become state policy for Palestinian prisoners Andalou Agency reports: An Israeli journalist advocated rape Thursday as an official policy by the state for Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails. “The only thing that is a problem for me here is that it is not a regulated policy of the state to abuse the (Palestinian) detainees,” journalist Yehuda Schlesinger said on a television program on Channel 12 when asked if raping prisoners is acceptable. He justified his comments by claiming, “Because first of all, they deserve it, and it is great revenge that we need to give them.” “And secondly, maybe it will also serve us a little more as a deterrent,” he said. “It is just a shame that we don’t do it in an institutionalized way as a part of regulations for torture of prisoners.” The comments follow reports by media outlets that showed a video of Israeli soldier raping a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman Prison in the Negev desert in southern Israel. A leaked video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee from Gaza has emerged. (Photo: video grab) A leaked video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee from Gaza has emerged. (Photo: video grab) (photo) Israeli lawmaker says ‘Nablus should look like Rafah’ Middle East Eye reports: Israeli member of parliament Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionist Party, said Israel should act in the occupied West Bank the same way it is acting in the Gaza Strip. “We still see processions of armed men,” he said. “Maybe we are waiting for them to try to shoot someone? This is a disturbing event, an unacceptable reality. Nablus should look like Rafah as long as it exports terror, Tulkarm like Khan Younis, Jenin like Jabalia.” Israeli forces have killed at least 620 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israeli lawmakers, settler leaders unite to legalize Gaza settlements: Report The Cradle reports: Israel’s Channel 12 reported on 8 August that lawmakers from the Likud and Religious Zionism parties have formed a “civilian parliamentary working group” alongside settler leaders that seeks to legitimize the resettlement of Gaza by repealing the 2005 disengagement law. The working group reportedly expects to present the draft bill at the opening of the next Knesset session. Approved in 2005, the Gaza Disengagement Law led to the dismantling of the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the strip and four Jewish settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank. For several years preceding the current war, religious Zionist settlers in Israel called for a war to conquer Gaza, reverse the disengagement, and rebuild Gush Katif. Israeli army responds to announcement of World Central Kitchen of Israel’s killing of staff The US-based World Central Kitchen aid group had announced the killing of a Palestinian staff member, Nadi Sallout, near Gaza’s Deir el-Balah. The Times of Israel newspaper reports that the Israeli military said it conducted a preliminary examination and held a conversation with the WCK about the reported killing. It claimed that “there is no known incident of harm to an employee of the organization while working in the last few days,” adding, “The [army] examines each unusual incident individually.” In early April, Israel killed seven people working with the United States-based NGO in an attack on the Gaza Strip. NOTE: Israel’s self-investigations consistently whitewash its crimes and fail to appropriately punish the perpetrators. Israeli sources, including the government itself, have a long track record of lying (for example, this and this and this.) US To Let Israel Restart Military Operations in Gaza After First Phase of Ceasefire Deal As Ha’aretz reports ceasefire negotiations are nearly completed, AntiWar reports: The US is ready to guarantee that it would allow Israel to restart the genocidal war in Gaza after the first phase of any hostage and ceasefire deal that might be reached with Hamas, according to Israeli media reports. The Israeli condition could make Hamas less likely to agree to a deal since one of its main demands has been a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. According to The Times of Israel, a proposal that’s been discussed would involve three phases where Israel would halt its military operations and Hamas would release hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a guarantee that he’ll be able to restart military operations after the first phase, which is when negotiations will be held on implementing the next two phases. The US has not yet provided a written agreement that it would allow Israel to restart operations but has expressed its approval of the idea. Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the US wouldn’t give the guarantee in writing until an agreement is reached with Hamas. Israel ‘working to block’ sanctions on violent settlers: Netanyahu Israeli government press release: The Israeli prime minister held a meeting Thursday in Tel Aviv with council heads from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank to discuss their concerns about the effects of the Western sanctions imposed on a limited number of violent settlers and organizations. Regarding the sanctions against the settlers and the organizations, Prime Minister Netanyahu noted that he views this with utmost gravity and said: “We are working to block this. It is an issue for the entire State of Israel, not just Judea and Samaria.” RECOMMENDED READING: Israel revokes diplomatic status of Norwegian envoys Netanyahu: Israel should have waged war against Hamas sooner In an exclusive interview given to the US’s Time Magazine, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he made a mistake not launching a full-scale war against the Palestinian group in the years leading up to its October 7 attacks on Israel. He blamed the Israeli security establishment for its hesitation, and himself for acceding to their reluctance. “October 7 showed that those who said that Hamas was deterred were wrong,” he said to Time during his interview. “If anything, I didn’t challenge enough the assumption that was common to all the security agencies.” [In reality, Israel had frequently waged war on Gaza.] White House denounces Cori Bush’s ‘inflammatory’ words to AIPAC after primary loss The Hill reports: Asked for President Biden’s thoughts on Bush’s vow to challenge AIPAC, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president condemns that kind of “divisive” and “inflammatory” rhetoric. Earlier this week, Cori Bush told supporters, “They’re about to see this other Cori, this other side…All they did was radicalize me, so now they need to be afraid,” and, “AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.” The White House press secretary said of this comment, “Look, the president has always been very clear — and very recently, after the assassination attempt of the last president — about lowering rhetoric, right? Lowering political rhetoric and the importance of doing that,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday at the daily press briefing. “It is important — important that we be very mindful of what we say. This kind of rhetoric is inflammatory and divisive and incredibly unhelpful.” “We’re going to continue to condemn any type of political rhetoric in that way, in that vein,” she continued. “And so, it is important to be mindful in what we say and how we say it. But we cannot have this type of inflammatory, divisive language in our political discourse.” NOTE: In what some analysts have called an attack on the democratic process, AIPAC spent over $17 million to topple Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., in June, and around $26 million to defeat Cori Bush. The administration’s position toward Bush’s comment indicates it is more worried about challenges to Israel’s primacy in US politics than the fact that Congressional seats are for sale. Kamala’s husband, the US Second Gentleman, claims ‘We’re witnessing the worst wave of Jew-hatred since World War II’ Ha’aretz reports: Talking to the media while visiting Paris, U.S. Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff said that “There is a ferocious surge of antisemitism occurring around the world, including here in France. It is a crisis.” We are witnessing the worst wave of Jew-hatred the globe has experienced since World War II,” he added. According to the second gentleman, “When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or identity, and when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism.” NOTE: A large portion of alleged antisemitism is opposition to Zionism, a racist ideology under which Israel dispossessed 750,000 Palestinian people and exiled them to Gaza and other locations. The so-called “demonization” of Israel is in most cases a legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies of occupation, apartheid, and genocide, and other illegal practices. Activists in Minnesota: ‘Governor Walz has refused to meet Palestinian families’ Middle East Eye reports: It’s been 10 months since Israel’s war on Gaza began, and Governor Tim Walz, the newly appointed vice-presidential nominee on Kamala Harris’ ticket, has yet to meet with Palestinian families from his home state of Minnesota, anti-war activists have told Middle East Eye. The accusations are in stark contrast to the public image being conjured up by the Democratic Party establishment to present Walz, along with presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, as more sympathetic and empathetic towards the carnage suffered by Palestinians over the past 10 months. But according to several activists in Minnesota, not only has the governor refused to meet with Palestinian families who have lost relatives in Israel’s war on Gaza, he has barely acknowledged their concerns and and demands. Sana Wazwaz, spokesperson for the group, said the Palestinian community had been trying for months to arrange a meeting with the governor to talk about the devastating losses in Gaza and their demands for an arms embargo on Israel. When they did manage to arrange a meeting with the governor for early July, it was abruptly cancelled when they explained to the governor’s staff that they had come to discuss “material solutions” with the governor and not merely to narrate “sob stories” about the loss of their loved ones. When asked why the meeting had been cancelled, they were told that the governor “was prepared to listen to you tell your stories, but we weren’t prepared to talk about divestment”. “Walz wanted us for the PR stunt and not for actual, genuine conversation about political change. He just wanted to check it off the list that he met with another marginalized group that he’s been ignoring for months upon months,” Wazwaz explained. “We have been trying for months to arrange a meeting. Phone calls have been made, but Governor Walz has refused to show up for any of the Palestinian families; has refused to sit down and meet with them, has refused to, you know, visit a single mosque or a single Palestinian institution to check in on our families,” Wazwaz said. Activists also point out that Walz’s nomination has also garnered praise from liberal pro-Israel lobbying groups in the US. J Street described the Harris-Walz team as “pro-Israel”; Mark Mellman, chair of Democratic Majority for Israel described Walz as a “proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record of supporting the US-Israel relationship”. COUNTERPUNCH ADDS: Harris has offered sympathetic words on Gaza: “The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety – sometimes displaced for a second, third, or fourth time – we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.” Eman Abdelhadi of the University of Chicago finds such sentiments from Harris parch dry, arguing that a lack of “an actual commitment to stop killing the children of Gaza” invalidates any claims to empathy. “To be empathetic to someone that you’re shooting in the head is not exactly laudable. We don’t need empathy from these people. We need to stop providing the weapons and the money that is actively killing the people that they’re supposedly empathising with.” [Also see Glenn Greenwald’s commentary.] MORE NEWS: IMEMC Daily Reports. The Intercept: The Outrageous Case of an NY Journalist Charged With a Hate Crime for Recording a Gaza Protest Action Caitlin Johnson: US Policy: Let Israel Escalate Against Iran, Then Tell Iran Not To Escalate Back Middle East Monitor: In Gaza, keeping the internet on can cost lives but also save them STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – AUGUST 8: Palestinian death toll from October 7 – August 8: at least 40,315* (39,699 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,251 children as of July 22. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 616 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank). At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**. About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced. 2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – August 8: at least 97,142 (including at least 91,722 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how man Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – August 8: ~1,486 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 331 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured. Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.** Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated) Western media continue to withhold the truth about Israel and Gaza – 4 stories “Well What SHOULD Israel Have Done After October 7?” Welcome to Hell More dead children. More BBC ‘news’ channelling Israeli propaganda as its own U.S. media downplays and ignores ICJ ruling declaring Israeli occupation illegal Israeli soldiers tell story of savage cruelty in Gaza – one given blessing by the West Searching for Gaza’s missing children What Would You Do With An Extra $320 Million? Assassination of Haniyeh an intentional, dangerous escalation – Parsi, Macgregor When Israel Burned Refugees Alive, Establishment Media Called It a ‘Tragic Accident’ Israel has turbocharged West Bank housing demolitions under the cover of war Western media ignores Israeli confirmation of Hannibal Directive on 7 Oct US Should Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu When He’s in Washington Airwars investigation: Israeli airstrikes uniquely lethal (video) Hesen Jabr paid the price of conscience Gaza genocide denial Why the news media’s job is to groom us ‘Disappeared, buried, detained’: The horrors of Gaza’s missing children Hundreds of social media influencers attend Israel strategy summit in NYC Supporting Israel Is Big Business in the U.S. for Israel partisans Toys, spices, sewing machines: the items Israel banned from entering Gaza Synopsis of ICJ’s decision on Israeli occupation, reactions, and take-aways Russia attacks hospitals in Ukraine; Israel does the same in Gaza. The US response couldn’t be more different. ‘I have the prison inside me’: The emaciated Palestinian bodybuilder broken by Israel Israel has manufactured an industrial-scale version of Jim Crow rape hoaxes If Americans Knew Mobile Billboard Truck at Republican Convention Col. Douglas MacGregor: US is under the control of Israel, likens Gaza to Warsaw Ghetto https://israelpalestinenews.org/gazans-starve-israeli-rhetoric-more-radically-anti-palestinian-day-306/

Besides genocide, Israel carries out major political assassinations – Day 297 [email protected] July 31, 2024 Barak Hiram, BUREIJ CAMP, congressional aides, east jerusalem, Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah, humanitarian aid, Ismail Haniyeh assassination, khan younis, medical evacuation, Mohammad Jaradat, palestinian state, ramadan Sadeq, Saint Porphyrius Church, sexual violence in prison Besides genocide, Israel carries out major political assassinations – Day 297 Israel assassinates Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, attempts to assassinate Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr; total killed in Khan Youn is over 250 in 9 days; sexual violence by Israeli prison guards against Palestinians is widespread: Physicians for Human Rights in Israel; general who ordered Hannibal Directive on October 7th promoted to commander of Gaza; 80 patients evacuated for medical treatment, as thousands more wait; humanitarian aid remains stalled at border; Israeli attack on the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City; West Bank deaths; East Jerusalem evictions catch attention of UN; Congressional aides start a public channel to air grievances about Palestine policy By IAK staff, from reports. BREAKING: Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran after Israel bombs Beirut Electronic Intifada reports: Hamas announced early Wednesday that Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian faction’s political wing, was assassinated in Tehran, where he was present for the inauguration of the new Iranian president. The assassination, in Iran no less, marks a major escalation that will likely have regional ramifications and came hours after Israel bombed Lebanon on Tuesday evening, killing three civilians, according to Lebanese state media. Israel claimed that it killed a senior Hezbollah figure in the strike, but the Lebanese resistance group had not issued a statement on the matter at the time of publication. Israel killed multiple members representing multiple generations of Haniyeh’s family in Gaza since October. Several leaders of Hamas have been assassinated by Israel before Haniyeh, only to be replaced and for the organization’s capabilities to grow. In January, Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’ politburo, was killed in a strike in Beirut along with several other cadres and commanders with the group. Two weeks ago, Israel claimed to have killed Muhammad Deif, the secretive head of Hamas’ armed wing, in a strike in Gaza that killed at least 90 Palestinians in an area it had unilaterally declared as a humanitarian zone. RECOMMENDED READING: For these reasons Israel assassinated Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh – analysis Qatar PM asks, ‘How can mediation succeed when one side assassinates negotiator?’ Reuters reports: The prime minister of Qatar, which has acted as a mediator in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, suggested on Wednesday that the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh could jeopardise efforts to secure a truce in Gaza. “Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life,” he added in a post on X. Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement that a “dangerous Israeli escalation policy” over the past two days had undermined efforts to broker an end to the fighting in Gaza, and “indicates the absence of Israeli political will to calm [the region] down.” Israeli army says it assassinated top Hezbollah commander in Beirut attack Andalou Agency reports: The Israeli military said late Tuesday that it assassinated Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander, in a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. There has been no comment from Hezbollah on the attack so far. “In a targeted, intelligence-based elimination, Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated Hezbollah’s most senior military commander and the head of its Strategic Unit, Fuad Shukr ‘Sayyid Muhsan’, in the area of Beirut,” the army said in a statement. The army noted that Shukr served as “Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s right-hand man and was Nasrallah’s adviser for planning and directing wartime operations.” NOTE: Israel’s attack on Hezbollah’s leader is in apparent “retaliation” after a projectile struck a community in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 youths. Israel blamed Hezbollah, which denied the allegation. Indications in the hours following the incident suggest it may have been an Israeli Iron Dome missile. Kim Ghattas, a writer for The Atlantic and a Lebanon expert, told Times Radio that it is unlikely that Hezbollah ‘deliberately targeted’ the Golan Heights football pitch. RECOMMENDED READING: US says it would help Israel defend itself if attacked by Hezbollah A view of street, filled with debris, following the Israeli attack on a building in Beirut, Lebanon on July 31, 2024. The Israeli army also claimed that it killed key Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's top military commander, in the strike. A view of street, filled with debris, following the Israeli attack on a building in Beirut, Lebanon on July 31, 2024. The Israeli army also claimed that it killed key Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander, in the strike. (photo) Nine Palestinians killed by Israel while transporting bodies from Bureij camp Al Jazeera reports: Exclusive footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows the first moments after a group of young men were targeted by the Israeli army while trying to transport bodies from the Bureij refugee camp to the Nuseirat camp on an animal-drawn cart. Local sources and witnesses told Al Jazeera the men were bombed when they reached Salah al-Din Street. The attack killed all of the men, nine in total. Al Jazeera’s video footage shows the bodies of the nine victims lying on the ground, and Al-Awda Hospital said it had received nine victims from Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. In nine days, Israeli army killed 255 people in Khan Younis: Gaza officials Al Jazeera reports: A statement on Telegram says 255 people have been killed, about 300 people wounded with 31 missing in the nine-day “horrific massacre” carried out on the eastern outskirts of Gaza’s second-largest city. Thirty-one homes were bombed by the Israeli military while their residents were inside, the office said, adding 320 homes and residential buildings were struck in total. The army obstructed operations to reach dozens of wounded during the attack, it said. “We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation’s horrific massacre against civilians and displaced persons in the east of the Khan Younis governorate,” the office said. Accounts of sexual abuse in Israeli detention are not isolated incidents: medical group says Middle East Monitor reports: Physicians for Human Rights in Israel (PHRI) reportedly said yesterday it has information about other cases of Palestinian prisoners who had been sexually assaulted by Israeli soldiers in the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre in the Negev desert in southern Israel. PHRI said a victim of sexual violence was hospitalized three weeks ago and was in a life-threatening condition. He had injuries to the upper part of his body and a serious injury to the rectum. It confirmed that it knows about other cases of sexual assault that have not been disclosed, either because the victims are afraid to complain to the Israeli authorities or because the authorities did not open an investigation. “Mounting testimonies indicate these incidents are not isolated. They suggest systematic abuse and violence, and a blind eye to violations. The Sde Teiman torture facility must be shut down urgently, abuse across all prisons must end, and those responsible must be prosecuted,” it added in a tweet. On Monday, Israeli public broadcaster KAN revealed that a Palestinian detainee was gang-raped by Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman. The detainee was taken to a hospital with severe injuries to an intimate body part, which left him unable to walk. Ten Israeli reservists were detained as a result. However, far-right members of Israel’s cabinet have called on authorities to “take your hands off our fighters” and labelled the reservists “heroes”, while some tried to storm the detention centre they were being held in in an effort to free them. In recent months, the army has released dozens of Palestinian detainees who bear signs of torture, malnutrition and exhaustion. Israeli Army Appoints Gen. Barak Hiram – who ordered the killing of Israelis on October 7th – as Commander of Gaza Division Ha’aretz reports: Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram will assume the post of commander of the Gaza Division of the Israeli army. On October 7th, Hiram ordered a tank commander to break into a home in Kibbutz Be’eri that he knew housed Hamas fighters and Israelis. even at the risk of harming civilians. The tank fired shells at the house, killing 12 Israelis and a number of Hamas members. Two Israelis survived the attack. When Hiram met with families of the Israeli victims, some of them called on him to resign, or to command another operational division. But, Hiram “insisted that precisely because he was the officer in charge in Be’eri, he is in the best position” to take over in Gaza. When Hiram was asked what actions should be taken as part of accepting responsibility, he said: “I will correct the mistakes that were made when I take responsibility for the division. I don’t ask for thanks for this.” NOTE: In January, Hiram ordered Israeli forces to blow up Al-Isra University, which they had used as a military headquarters prior to its demolition. Hiram was officially reprimanded for carrying out the demolition without prior approval from his superiors. Endless occupation: How Israel has always rejected a Palestinian state The New Arab reports: In July, Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset, overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Passing with a 68-9 majority, the resolution “firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of Jordan”. “If you look at all of the political parties’ platforms, they don’t believe in Palestinian freedom at all,” Palestinian human rights lawyer Diana Buttu told The New Arab. “When they talk about a state – and very few of them do – they’re not talking about ending the occupation. They’re talking about something less than a state, just something that they can say they’ve gotten rid of Palestinians. But they’re never talking about ending control over Palestinian lives.” Buttu noted the timing of the resolution’s vote is noteworthy, which came just a day before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was unlawful. “Israel is sending a very clear message that they will never end the occupation, that it doesn’t matter what the ICJ says, and it doesn’t matter what the world says, they’re going to hold onto it,” Buttu said. (Read the full article here.) More than 80 patients evacuated from Gaza in biggest operation since war, WHO says WHO reports: At least 85 sick and severely injured Palestinians from Gaza, including 35 children, were evacuated to Abu Dhabi for specialized care, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, Reuters reports. “This extremely complex joint evacuation was supported by the (United Arab Emirates), WHO and partners. It is the largest medical evacuation since October 2023,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X. The evacuated patients suffered from various severe conditions including cancer, neurological issues and cardiac diseases. They were accompanied by 63 family members and caregivers, Tedros said. NOTE: The World Health Organization said last month that a minimum of 7,000 to over 11,000 Palestinian patients need immediate medical evacuations. Gaza aid delivery still being ‘drastically impeded’, say aid agencies ReliefWeb reports: Many aid organizations have supplies approved and waiting to enter the Gaza Strip, but the unloading zone at the Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem border crossing on the Gaza side has been full for weeks due to high insecurity, Israeli military operations and the risk of looting given the soaring needs facing Palestinian families. Save the Children managed to get four trucks (80 pallets) of medical supplies into Gaza on a convoy after waiting at the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel in the heat for over a month, following hostilities on the Gaza side of the border. The pallets included standard medication such as antibiotics and heart disease medications. Save the Children’s teams also have 17 pallets of temperature-controlled medicines stuck in El-Arish, Egypt, including four boxes that require continuous refrigeration. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) system only allows flatbed trucks, not the closed trucks required to transport such supplies, resulting in repeated rejections of such temperature-controlled shipments. Other aid agencies confirmed that they are facing similar challenges. Oxfam has water tanks, desalination units, tap stands, generators and latrines approved but unable to enter through the crossing, whilst 864 tents procured by the Norwegian Refugee Council that had been at El-Arish port arrived recently at Kerem Shalom but still remain inaccessible due to insecurity and safety concerns. Israeli attack on Greek Orthodox church in Gaza ‘crime against religions,’ authorities say Andalou Agency reports: Palestinian authorities on Tuesday called an Israeli attack on the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City a “crime against religions.” Damage was reported after two missiles hit the building, where dozens of displaced Palestinian Christians have taken refuge. A Palestinian official said that more than 600 mosques and all three churches in Gaza have been destroyed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023. “These are crimes against religions and religious teachings,” he said. “Israel does not respect anything, and its army used 2,000-pound rockets and bombs (in attacking) churches and places of worship.” Photos taken by Anadolu showed an unexploded ordnance on the church’s ground. Saint Porphyrius Church is one of the oldest Christian sites in Gaza. It was built in the 5th century and named after Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is inside the church. A view of the damaged historical Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, where civilians took shelter, after Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Gaza on October 20, 2023. [Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency] A view of the damaged historical Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, where civilians took shelter, after Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Gaza on October 20, 2023. [Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency] (photo) West Bank: Palestinian in Nablus succumbs to critical injury from Israeli army gunfire WAFA reports: A Palestinian Tuesday evening succumbed to his critical injury from Israeli army gunfire in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to security and medical sources. They said that Ramadan Hussein Mohammad Sadeq died of his critical injury after being shot with live rounds fired by Israeli occupation forces in the head, chest and back. Sadeq, 45, was shot by the gun-toting soldiers while in front of his house in the Nablus city neighborhood of Khallet al-Amoud. During the raid, the soldiers fired barrages of live ammunition and tear gas canisters towards civilians’ houses. Sadeq was rushed to a hospital in a critical condition. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he died afterwards. West Bank: Palestinian north of Hebron succumbs to injury from Israeli army gunfire WAFA reports: A Palestinian minor Tuesday evening succumbed to his injury from Israeli army gunfire near the Beit Einun village junction, north of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to security sources. Mohammad Murad Mohammad Jaradat, 14, a resident of Sair, died of his injury he sustained after being hit by live rounds fired at close range on him by Israeli forces. The soldiers left Jaradat bleeding on the ground and prevented Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medics from reaching him. 2 Palestinians killed in West Bank Mohammad Sadeq (L) and Mohammad Murad Mohammad Jaradat (photo) UN concerned over Palestinian families in East Jerusalem facing eviction Al Jazeera reports: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says it’s concerned that more than 80 Palestinian families face eviction from their homes in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem due to “unlawful” and “discriminatory Israeli laws against Palestinians”. In a statement, it said 87 Palestinian families, totaling 600 to 680 individuals, are facing legal proceedings initiated by Israeli settlers to evict them from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood. It said the “systematic settlers’ campaign” aims to “uproot Palestinians from their homes, take over their property and implant Israeli settlers in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem”. “International humanitarian law prohibits Israel from imposing its own laws in occupied territory, which includes the application of Israeli laws to evict Palestinians from their homes,” the UN said. Aides in Congress Create Dissent Channel to Protest Support for Israel New York Times reports: Since Israel began its military offensive in Gaza last fall, hundreds of congressional aides have spoken out in protest of the United States’ support for the war — many of them breaking with their bosses to do so. Acting anonymously to protect their coveted positions on Capitol Hill, they have written letters, circulated petitions, posted on social media and, in some cases, walked off the job to push for a cease-fire and an end to the shipments of U.S.-made weapons to Israel. They argue that members of Congress have refused to heed Americans’ objections — expressed through hundreds of thousands of calls, letters, emails and in-person visits to their offices — to the war and Israel’s conduct in it. On Sunday night, a group of at least a dozen junior staff members escalated their objections by launching a website where they and their like-minded colleagues can publish anonymous memos criticizing U.S. policy on Israel and the war in Gaza — including their own bosses’ positions — without risking retaliation. Organizers say the forum, known as the Congressional Dissent Channel, is modeled after the State Department’s dissent channel for Foreign Service officers. That channel was created during the Vietnam War — another conflict that opened bitter political divisions in the United States and galvanized a protest movement, particularly among young Americans. But while that channel is a classified internal government system in which named authors offer dissenting views that are distributed carefully and confidentially, the new website is the opposite: a public platform where anonymous congressional aides can air their criticisms and spotlight private discord within their offices. It is being created by the same group of staff aides that organized a pro-Palestinian staff walkout on Capitol Hill last week when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke to a joint meeting of Congress, and which planned an anonymous flower vigil outside the Capitol in November to demand a cease-fire. DropSite News: Does Israel Really Believe It Can Win a War Against Hezbollah? Al Jazeera: The ICJ opinion on Israel’s occupation leaves the US facing a hard choice Mondoweiss: Netanyahu’s willing executioners: how ordinary Israelis became mass murderers STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 30: Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 30: at least 39,991* (39,400 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,251 children as of July 22. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 591 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank). At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**. About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced. 2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 30: at least 96,416 (including at least 90,996 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how man Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 30: ~1,486 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 331 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured. Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.** Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated) Israel has turbocharged West Bank housing demolitions under the cover of war Western media ignores Israeli confirmation of Hannibal Directive on 7 Oct US Should Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu When He’s in Washington Airwars investigation: Israeli airstrikes uniquely lethal (video) Hesen Jabr paid the price of conscience Gaza genocide denial Why the news media’s job is to groom us ‘Disappeared, buried, detained’: The horrors of Gaza’s missing children Hundreds of social media influencers attend Israel strategy summit in NYC Supporting Israel Is Big Business in the U.S. for Israel partisans Toys, spices, sewing machines: the items Israel banned from entering Gaza Synopsis of ICJ’s decision on Israeli occupation, reactions, and take-aways Russia attacks hospitals in Ukraine; Israel does the same in Gaza. The US response couldn’t be more different. ‘I have the prison inside me’: The emaciated Palestinian bodybuilder broken by Israel Israel has manufactured an industrial-scale version of Jim Crow rape hoaxes If Americans Knew Mobile Billboard Truck at Republican Convention Col. Douglas MacGregor: US is under the control of Israel, likens Gaza to Warsaw Ghetto Israel’s leading paper says its own army deliberately killed Israelis on October 7 Gaza has turned into Biden’s most perplexing moral and foreign policy failure ‘Suffering horrifically’: 10 months of Israel’s ‘war on children’ in Gaza Pro-Israel ADL ‘spied on’ African American activist over opposition to US-Israel police exchange programme ‘I’m bored, so I shoot’: The Israeli army’s approval of free-for-all violence in Gaza Lancet: Counting the dead in Gaza – difficult but essential ‘Revealer of Inconvenient Truths’ – Julian Assange’s Impact on Palestine Fact or Fiction: Is Israel Unfairly Singled Out for Global Condemnation? How an Israeli colonel invented the burned babies lie to justify genocide Enter your email address below to receive our latest articles right in your inbox. https://israelpalestinenews.org/besides-genocide-israel-carries-out-major-political-assassinations-day-297/ https://donshafi911iamthefaceoftruth.blogspot.com/2024/07/besides-genocide-israel-carries-out.html

‘Operation al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 293: Palestinians slam Netanyahu speech to Congress as U.S. officials say a ceasefire deal is close Qassam MuaddiJuly 24, 2024 Mourners recite a prayer over the bodies of members of the Qadih family, before their burial in Khuzaa in the southern Gaza Strip, following an overnight Israeli strike that hit their house in Bani Suheila, reportedly killing two children, their father, uncle, paternal grandparents and severely injuring their mother, on July 21, 2024. (Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair / APA Images) Mourners recite a prayer over the bodies of members of the Qadih family, before their burial in Khuzaa in the southern Gaza Strip, following an overnight Israeli strike that hit their house in Bani Suheila, reportedly killing two children, their father, uncle, paternal grandparents and severely injuring their mother, on July 21, 2024. (Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair / APA Images) Casualties 39,157 + killed* and at least 90,403 wounded in the Gaza Strip. 28,903 Palestinians have been fully identified, and around 10,000 more are estimated to be under the rubble.* 589+ Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank including eastern Jerusalem. These include 138 children.** Israel revised its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,140. 687 Israeli soldiers have been recognized as killed, and 4096 as wounded by the Israeli army since October 7.*** * Gaza’s branch of the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed this figure in its daily report, published through its WhatsApp channel on July 25, 2024. Some rights groups estimate the death toll to be much higher when accounting for those presumed dead. ** The death toll in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not updated regularly. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health on July 24, this is the latest figure. *** These figures are released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.” The head of the Israeli army’s wounded association told Israel’s Channel 12 the number of wounded Israeli soldiers exceeds 20,000 including at least 8,000 permanently handicapped as of June 1. Israel’s Channel 7 reported that according to the Israeli war ministry’s rehabilitation service numbers, 8,663 new wounded joined the army’s handicap rehabilitation system since October 7, as of June 18. Key Developments Israel killed 308 Palestinians and wounded 676 across Gaza since Monday, July 22, raising the death toll since October 7 to 39,157 and the number of wounded to 90,403, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel continues its offensive on Khan Younis for the fourth day, detonating residential buildings. The Gaza branch of the Palestinian health ministry published a list of names of more than 20,900 children made orphans by Israeli assault since October 7. The U.S. State Department stated that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA “is not a terrorist organization” in response to the Israeli Knesset passing of three laws to ban the agency, last week. The U.S. State Department also affirms that it continues to withhold funding to UNRWA over Israel’s claims that a number of the agency’s employees were members of Hamas. Human Rights Watch says that there is no alternative to UNRWA to relieve Palestinian refugees, and calls U.S. and UK’s freezing of UNRWA funds “shameful.” Israeli families of captives in Gaza say that U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan told them that a prisoner exchange deal is “very close.” Israel kills 11 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem since Monday. Three Israelis were wounded in a shooting attack near Qalqilya, north of the West Bank. Palestinians slam Congress cheering on Netanyahu speech Palestinian leaders reacted to Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the US Congress, criticizing the applause it received from congress members. The member of Hamas’ politburo, Osama Hamdan, said in an interview with Al-Jazeera that Netanyahu’s speech was an “expression of crisis and an understanding that America is changing”. Hamdan also said that the speech included many lies, especially regarding the release of hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and that Netanyahu asked the U.S. lawmakers “to support the last colonial case in the world.” In response to Netanyahu’s remarks during his speech that he aims to create a moderate Palestinian administration for the Gaza Strip after the war, Hamdan said the “Palestinians know how to run themselves and don’t need Netanyahu to teach them.” Hamdan also expressed his astonishment to see that “many congress members stood up for Netanyahu as he was insulting their own electors.” For its part, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad – PIJ said in a statement that “Netanyahu proved in his speech that his fragile entity extracts its existence from the shedding of blood and lives from waging wars and inciting nations against each other,” in reference to Netanyahu’s focus in his speech on fighting Iran. The PIJ added that “by saying that his army didn’t kill a single civilian in Rafah and that it is not practicing starvation and genocide in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu mocked the entire world and showed that he lies professionally without shame.” The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – PFLP in a statement said that “the speech of war criminal Netanyahu was a marketing of lies in an attempt to justify his coward army’s crimes.” The PFLP added that “Netanyahu’s invitation by congress members proves that it [the congress] is a house for assassins and organized terror,” noting that “the warm applause for Netanyahu’s speech by congress members incarnates the decadence of U.S. politics.” The statement described the boycott of Netanyahu’s speech by some 136 congress members as “an understanding by them [congress members] that he [Netanyahu] is a repudiated liar who wanted to use the speech to his personal benefit.” For his part, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouthi, called Netanyahu’s speech “a disgusting speech in a session of shame to the U.S. Congress.” In response to Netanyahu’s description during his speech of the current war as being “between civilization and barbarism,”, Barghouthi said that “the civilization he [Netanyahu] speaks about is nothing but the decadence which has led to the killing of 48,000 Palestinians, including those under the rubble, and the murder of 17,000 Palestinian children.” Barghouthi noted that “the honorable congress members who are not submitted to the money of the Israeli lobby boycotted the speech.” Barghouthi commented on Netanyahu’s speech vision of the post-war, saying that “his vision is to create a handful of collaborators with the occupation which he calls a civil administration, and to fight all Palestinians, and to re-engineer the Palestinian mind and personality, which is nothing but a fast and clear turn to fascism, because only fascists think in this way.” Reported progress in ceasefire talks, Israel kills dozens in attacks across Gaza A high-ranking U.S. official said that “negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal are in their final stages,” and that “the remaining obstacles are bridgeable and there will be more meetings aimed at reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas over the next week,” according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Axios reported, ahead of the Biden-Netanyahu meeting that the U.S. president will urge the Israeli PM to conclude a ceasefire deal. Simultaneously, the families of Israeli captives in Gaza said that “Israel has to return the remaining 115 captives home, and that can only be done through a deal.” The families added in a statement that “Netanyahu has to send the negotiating team to Qatar without delay to conclude the deal.” The Israeli army radio, for its part, quoted the mother of one of the Israeli captives saying that the U.S. national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told them that the deal was “very close.” Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued to conduct air strikes and artillery shells on Palestinians, killing around 40 civilians in the past 24 hours. On Wednesday, an Israeli air strike targeted a family home made of zinc plates, killing three women and a young girl and wounding ten people. In Beit Lahia, north of the strip, artillery shells killed six local residents, while, at least 30 Palestinians were reported dead in the Israeli continuous bombing of the eastern parts of Khan Younis. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/07/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-293-palestinians-slam-netanyahu-speech-to-congress-as-u-s-officials-say-a-ceasefire-deal-is-close/ https://donshafi911iamthefaceoftruth.blogspot.com/2024/07/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-293_28.html

‘Operation al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 293: Palestinians slam Netanyahu speech to Congress as U.S. officials say a ceasefire deal is close Qassam MuaddiJuly 24, 2024 Mourners recite a prayer over the bodies of members of the Qadih family, before their burial in Khuzaa in the southern Gaza Strip, following an overnight Israeli strike that hit their house in Bani Suheila, reportedly killing two children, their father, uncle, paternal grandparents and severely injuring their mother, on July 21, 2024. (Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair / APA Images) Mourners recite a prayer over the bodies of members of the Qadih family, before their burial in Khuzaa in the southern Gaza Strip, following an overnight Israeli strike that hit their house in Bani Suheila, reportedly killing two children, their father, uncle, paternal grandparents and severely injuring their mother, on July 21, 2024. (Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair / APA Images) Casualties 39,157 + killed* and at least 90,403 wounded in the Gaza Strip. 28,903 Palestinians have been fully identified, and around 10,000 more are estimated to be under the rubble.* 589+ Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank including eastern Jerusalem. These include 138 children.** Israel revised its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,140. 687 Israeli soldiers have been recognized as killed, and 4096 as wounded by the Israeli army since October 7.*** * Gaza’s branch of the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed this figure in its daily report, published through its WhatsApp channel on July 25, 2024. Some rights groups estimate the death toll to be much higher when accounting for those presumed dead. ** The death toll in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not updated regularly. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health on July 24, this is the latest figure. *** These figures are released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.” The head of the Israeli army’s wounded association told Israel’s Channel 12 the number of wounded Israeli soldiers exceeds 20,000 including at least 8,000 permanently handicapped as of June 1. Israel’s Channel 7 reported that according to the Israeli war ministry’s rehabilitation service numbers, 8,663 new wounded joined the army’s handicap rehabilitation system since October 7, as of June 18. Key Developments Israel killed 308 Palestinians and wounded 676 across Gaza since Monday, July 22, raising the death toll since October 7 to 39,157 and the number of wounded to 90,403, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel continues its offensive on Khan Younis for the fourth day, detonating residential buildings. The Gaza branch of the Palestinian health ministry published a list of names of more than 20,900 children made orphans by Israeli assault since October 7. The U.S. State Department stated that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA “is not a terrorist organization” in response to the Israeli Knesset passing of three laws to ban the agency, last week. The U.S. State Department also affirms that it continues to withhold funding to UNRWA over Israel’s claims that a number of the agency’s employees were members of Hamas. Human Rights Watch says that there is no alternative to UNRWA to relieve Palestinian refugees, and calls U.S. and UK’s freezing of UNRWA funds “shameful.” Israeli families of captives in Gaza say that U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan told them that a prisoner exchange deal is “very close.” Israel kills 11 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem since Monday. Three Israelis were wounded in a shooting attack near Qalqilya, north of the West Bank. Palestinians slam Congress cheering on Netanyahu speech Palestinian leaders reacted to Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the US Congress, criticizing the applause it received from congress members. The member of Hamas’ politburo, Osama Hamdan, said in an interview with Al-Jazeera that Netanyahu’s speech was an “expression of crisis and an understanding that America is changing”. Hamdan also said that the speech included many lies, especially regarding the release of hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and that Netanyahu asked the U.S. lawmakers “to support the last colonial case in the world.” In response to Netanyahu’s remarks during his speech that he aims to create a moderate Palestinian administration for the Gaza Strip after the war, Hamdan said the “Palestinians know how to run themselves and don’t need Netanyahu to teach them.” Hamdan also expressed his astonishment to see that “many congress members stood up for Netanyahu as he was insulting their own electors.” For its part, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad – PIJ said in a statement that “Netanyahu proved in his speech that his fragile entity extracts its existence from the shedding of blood and lives from waging wars and inciting nations against each other,” in reference to Netanyahu’s focus in his speech on fighting Iran. The PIJ added that “by saying that his army didn’t kill a single civilian in Rafah and that it is not practicing starvation and genocide in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu mocked the entire world and showed that he lies professionally without shame.” The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – PFLP in a statement said that “the speech of war criminal Netanyahu was a marketing of lies in an attempt to justify his coward army’s crimes.” The PFLP added that “Netanyahu’s invitation by congress members proves that it [the congress] is a house for assassins and organized terror,” noting that “the warm applause for Netanyahu’s speech by congress members incarnates the decadence of U.S. politics.” The statement described the boycott of Netanyahu’s speech by some 136 congress members as “an understanding by them [congress members] that he [Netanyahu] is a repudiated liar who wanted to use the speech to his personal benefit.” For his part, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouthi, called Netanyahu’s speech “a disgusting speech in a session of shame to the U.S. Congress.” In response to Netanyahu’s description during his speech of the current war as being “between civilization and barbarism,”, Barghouthi said that “the civilization he [Netanyahu] speaks about is nothing but the decadence which has led to the killing of 48,000 Palestinians, including those under the rubble, and the murder of 17,000 Palestinian children.” Barghouthi noted that “the honorable congress members who are not submitted to the money of the Israeli lobby boycotted the speech.” Barghouthi commented on Netanyahu’s speech vision of the post-war, saying that “his vision is to create a handful of collaborators with the occupation which he calls a civil administration, and to fight all Palestinians, and to re-engineer the Palestinian mind and personality, which is nothing but a fast and clear turn to fascism, because only fascists think in this way.” Reported progress in ceasefire talks, Israel kills dozens in attacks across Gaza A high-ranking U.S. official said that “negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal are in their final stages,” and that “the remaining obstacles are bridgeable and there will be more meetings aimed at reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas over the next week,” according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Axios reported, ahead of the Biden-Netanyahu meeting that the U.S. president will urge the Israeli PM to conclude a ceasefire deal. Simultaneously, the families of Israeli captives in Gaza said that “Israel has to return the remaining 115 captives home, and that can only be done through a deal.” The families added in a statement that “Netanyahu has to send the negotiating team to Qatar without delay to conclude the deal.” The Israeli army radio, for its part, quoted the mother of one of the Israeli captives saying that the U.S. national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told them that the deal was “very close.” Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued to conduct air strikes and artillery shells on Palestinians, killing around 40 civilians in the past 24 hours. On Wednesday, an Israeli air strike targeted a family home made of zinc plates, killing three women and a young girl and wounding ten people. In Beit Lahia, north of the strip, artillery shells killed six local residents, while, at least 30 Palestinians were reported dead in the Israeli continuous bombing of the eastern parts of Khan Younis. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/07/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-293-palestinians-slam-netanyahu-speech-to-congress-as-u-s-officials-say-a-ceasefire-deal-is-close/

Israel attacks Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon with US, NATO weapons – Day 287 [email protected] July 21, 2024 aid to Israel, biden withdrawal, houthis, icj ruling, israel lobby, lebanon attack, nato, palestinians at the olympics, polio, Sir Alan Duncan, West Bank, yemen attack Israel carries out major strikes on three regions in one day (collage) Baby born after mother killed in Gaza; Israeli raids in West Bank tripled; Palestinians at the Olympics; Israel gets weapons from countries that have officially halted arms sales; Israel bombs Lebanon, Yemen; Israel’s privileged soldiers will be vaccinated against polio, as Gazans remain at risk; Netanyahu’s intransigent response to ICJ; UK minister calls out pro-Israel lobby; how much aid has the US given Israel since October 7th?; Biden’s withdrawal may be linked to Netanyahu’s visit; Germany criticizes Israel’s opposition to Palestinian state; more. By IAK staff, from reports. AFP reports: A Gaza hospital said Saturday it saved a baby boy from his mother’s womb after she died from wounds sustained in an Israeli strike. Ola Adnan Harb al-Kurd, who was nine months pregnant, barely survived a punishing night of missile strikes that reportedly killed more than 24 people, including six members of the same family. Doctors were unable to save the mother, but quickly staged an emergency cesarean section “and extracted the fetus,” the surgeon told AFP. The newborn was initially in critical condition, but after receiving oxygen and medical attention was stabilized, said Raed al-Saudi, head of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department. He was placed in an incubator and transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah. Kurd was among three women and a child killed by an Israeli missile fired on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to a medical official at Al-Awda Hospital. Her husband was also wounded in the strike on the family home. Israel has not confirmed individual strikes, but a military statement said troops were “conducting targeted raids on terrorist infrastructure sites” in central Gaza. Gaza ministry warns residents of Israel’s safe passage hoax Israeli raids more than triple in occupied West Bank Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reports from Ramallah: The number of daily raids in the West Bank, whether at night or in the morning, has more than tripled in these past months. We’ve also seen an escalation in attacks by illegal Israeli settlers. Yesterday, as that ruling at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was being read against the Israeli occupation, settlers attacked Palestinians in the Nablus area in Huwara; they burned businesses and fields. Also in the South Hebron Hills, there was an attack by a group of Israeli settlers against a family. A woman, who was severely beaten, is now being treated in hospital. In all those attacks of Israeli settlers, the Israeli soldiers were close by defending the settlers and protecting them and barring the Palestinians from defending themselves, which is something again referenced by the judges at the ICJ in The Hague. Palestinians are winners by just being at Paris Games, say athletes Reuters reports: The presence of Palestinian athletes at the Paris Olympic Games is already a major victory for the team amid the conflict in the Middle East, they said on Saturday, less than a week before the start of the Olympics. The Palestinian team for the Games starting on Friday consists of six athletes who will be competing in boxing, judo, taekwondo, shooting and swimming, with slim hopes of a medal. “Whether a medal or not, we already win,” swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab told Reuters. “The fact that we’re here. The fact that people don’t want us to be here, they don’t want us to play sports. They don’t want us to exist.” “People don’t want Palestinians to exist. They look at the flag and they don’t want it. So to be here is a win,” said Al Bawwab, who will be the team’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony. Palestinian sports officials have said that since the start of the conflict in October 2023 more than 300 athletes, referees and sports officials have been killed and all sports facilities in Gaza demolished. “I said it before but I’m one of the luckiest people in the world,” swimmer Valerie Tarazi said. “I have the opportunity to compete for my country, to raise the flag for my country.” “My heart is with them. Every time I swim, every time I jump in the pool, I’m thinking about the people of Palestine, their struggles. And I just want to represent them in the best way possible.” Valerie Tarazi and Yazan al-Bawwab, swimmers for Palesitne in Paris Olympics Valerie Tarazi and Yazan al-Bawwab, swimmers for Palesitne in Paris Olympics (screengrab) Israeli official implies call for Olympics ban for athletes is ‘unsportsmanlike’ Al Jazeera reports: An official with Israel’s Foreign Ministry has suggested that calls from the Palestine Olympic Committee (POC) for a ban on Israeli athletes participating in the Paris Olympics over the war on Gaza is unfair. POC has called for a ban on Israeli athletes at the games in Paris, which start on July 26, as they say some have failed to uphold the Olympic spirit. The POC cited examples including Israeli Olympians visiting troops and posting pictures of signed missiles used by Israel in its war on Gaza, in which about 39,000 people have been killed. “The reason why we’re doing this – for the human rights violations happening in Gaza, and the killings and murders of every single person,” said Nader Jayousi, the deputy secretary-general of the POC. European countries use 3rd-party countries to keep arming Israel: British journalist Andalou Agency reports: European countries continue providing weapons to Israel through third countries and secret deals, according to some media reports. Although countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and the UK have announced a halt to arms sales to Israel, international media reports suggest otherwise. The UK maintains that it has not directly supplied arms to Israel since Oct. 7 last year, which marks the beginning of Tel Aviv’s devastating Gaza offensive that has killed over 38,800 Palestinians. However, estimations suggest that private British companies have continued to sell Israel weapons. Italy, meanwhile, has reportedly halted arms supplies to Israel as required by law. But according to a report in business magazine Altreconomia, the country’s Customs Agency data confirmed that Rome exported arms and ammunition to Tel Aviv between December 2023 and January 2024. Despite Norwegian law prohibiting arms sales to any country at war, media reports have said Israel continues to procure weapons produced in a US subsidiary of a defense company in which Oslo has a 50% stake. While the Greek Cypriot administration appears on paper to be one of Tel Aviv’s smallest arms suppliers, it has been claimed that Western nations are using it as a military stockpile site for their own weapons destined for Israel. Media reports indicate that the British base in Southern Cyprus has facilitated more than 30 military transport flights delivering weapons and equipment to Israel since the attacks on Gaza began. British journalist Iain Overton told Anadolu that almost all European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK, have exported arms to Israel in the past, and many continue to do so today. Overton cited the example of the UK, which issued 100 export licenses for arms sales to Israel since Oct. 7, hiding this fact for months, only to later reveal the truth. He noted that many other European countries also sell arms to Israel, adding that this is often concealed from the public. (Read the full article here.) Relentless Israeli airstrikes cause widespread damage across Gaza. Relentless Israeli airstrikes cause widespread damage across Gaza. (photo) NATO/US Complicity in The Relentless Israeli Genocide of Gaza World Beyond War reports: According to NATO documents, NATO and Israel have worked together for almost 30 years, cooperating in science and technology, counter terrorism, civil preparedness, countering weapons of mass destruction and women, peace and security. To strengthen NATO naval interoperability NATO brought on Israel as a partner for its Operation Sea Guardian. Israel’s military medical academy now serves as a “unique asset” for NATO’s Partnership Training and Education Centers community. Israel is not officially integrated in NATO but is part of the Mediterranean Dialogue, a program sponsored by NATO in cooperation with seven countries of the Mediterranean. NATO’s long-standing working relationship with Israel has translated into NATO countries selling weapons to Israel and other countries buying weapons from Israel’s big weapons industry. Israel ranks 98th in world population, with a population of 9.4 million, only 0.11 percent of the world’s population, and ranks 154th of all countries in land mass. Despite its small population and land, a study by SIPRI ranks Israel as the world’s 15th top weapons importer, receiving 2.1 percent of all imports, according to globally available data from 2019-2023. Israel is the world’s 9th top weapons exporter, responsible for 2.4 percent of exports. With the exception of Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium, the remainder of the 32 NATO members continue to sell/send weapons to Israel as Israel conducts genocide operations on Palestinians in Gaza. All of the Israeli Air Force’s manned aircraft that are bombing people in Gaza are American-made, with the exception of one helicopter built by France’s Airbus Helicopters. Israel is the first international operator of the U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most technologically advanced fighter jet ever made, and had taken delivery of 36 of 75 F-35s by the end of 2023, paying for them with U.S. assistance. (Read the full article by Colonel (Ret) Ann Wright, here.) Israeli jets bomb Yemen city in response to Tel Aviv drone strike The Cradle reports: Israeli warplanes launched heavy raids on Yemen’s western port city of Hodeidah on 20 July, targeting fuel depots and oil refineries as well as the province’s power station, according to reports in Saudi media and Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV. Local reports say the air raids left several dead and wounded. Videos shared on social media show massive fires blazing at the Port of Hodeidah. Nasr El-Din Amer, Vice President of the Ansarallah Media Authority, stressed on Saturday evening that the Israeli raids “will not change” Yemen’s steadfast support for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. “We are also a people who, when targeted, do not retreat but instead increase in determination and conviction in the necessity of confrontation and response. We are Yemen, the land of faith, wisdom, jihad, and steadfastness.” Ansarallah spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam issued a similar statement, saying that by targeting civilian facilities, Israel “aims to double the suffering of the people and pressure Yemen to stop supporting Gaza. This is a dream that, Allah willing, will never come true.” Israel’s first-ever direct attack on Yemen comes one day after Sanaa launched an unprecedented drone strike on the city of Tel Aviv, bypassing all air defense systems before hitting a building near the US consulate. Hours after this attack, the Israeli prime minister said in a televised address that Israel will “defend ourselves by all means…I have a message for Israel’s enemies: Make no mistake. We will defend ourselves by all means, on all fronts. Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression.” Israel strikes Hezbollah ammunition depot in south Lebanon, sources say Reuters reports: Israeli strikes late on Saturday targeted a depot storing ammunition belonging to Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, three security sources told Reuters. The strikes on the town of Adloun, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Lebanon’s border with Israel, set off a string of loud explosions heard by witnesses across the south of Lebanon. At least four civilians in Adloun were wounded in the strikes, a medical source and a security source told Reuters. IDF to Vaccinate Israeli Soldiers Against Polio After Virus Found in Gaza Sewage Ha’aretz reports: The Israeli army will begin on Sunday to vaccinate against polio all soldiers operating in Gaza or due to enter there soon, after a high concentration of the virus was found in sewage in Gaza. The IDF stresses that the soldiers not make any use of the local Gazan water system, and that the army regularly brings in large quantities of water from Israel, including millions of bottles of water for drinking and bathing, and tons of ice, as well as field showers, soap and disinfectant wipes. Regarding a possible polio outbreak in Gaza, the IDF says that, according to the information it has, there is no confirmation of any clinical cases of the disease, but that there is real concern over a possible outbreak, especially given the conditions in Gaza. NOTE: Palestinians in Gaza have no choice but to use local water. An Oxfam report released July 18, Water War Crimes, reveals how Israel has been systematically weaponizing water against Palestinians in Gaza, showing disregard for human life and international law.  The report, finds that Israel’s cutting of external water supply, systematic destruction of water facilities and deliberate aid obstruction have reduced the amount of water available in Gaza by 94% to 4.74 liters a day per person – just under a third of the recommended minimum in emergencies and less than a single toilet flush. Israeli military attacks have damaged or destroyed five water and sanitation infrastructure sites every three days since the start of the war.  Israel has destroyed 70% of all sewage pumps and 100% of all wastewater treatment plants, as well as the main water quality testing laboratories in Gaza, and restricted the entry of Oxfam water testing equipment.  Gaza City has lost nearly all its water production capacity, with 88% of its water wells and 100% of its desalination plants damaged or destroyed.  The report also highlighted the dire impact of this extreme lack of clean water and sanitation on Palestinians’ health, with more than a quarter (26%) of Gaza’s population falling severely ill from easily preventable diseases.  RECOMMENDED READING: ‘Buying Our Own Stolen Water’ in Bethlehem – Scorching Summer Awaits Palestinians in the West Bank Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated) The polio virus has been detected in Gaza's sewage, which flows through areas with displaced persons and residential zones due to infrastructure destruction, and “represents a new health crisis.” The polio virus has been detected in Gaza’s sewage, which flows through areas with displaced persons and residential zones due to infrastructure destruction, and “represents a new health crisis.” (photo) Netanyahu filed draft decision rejecting ICJ’s advisory opinion –without consulting Israel’s AG Ha’aretz reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filed on Sunday a draft decision that rejects the advisory opinion published by the International Court of Justice on Friday about the illegality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The draft was written without the collaboration of Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, and the legal opinion attached to it was written by Professor Talia Einhorn. “The people of Israel are not occupiers in their own land and in their eternal capital, Jerusalem!” the document reads, and “Israel rejects the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, that blatantly ignored the natural and historic right of the Jewish people over the state of Israel, that was recognized in International law.” The statement adds that the ICJ opinion ignores the right of Israeli citizens to settle in any parts of the land, “from accepted international legal principles regarding territories that did not have a foreign sovereign, and from Israel’s duty and right for self-defense and safe boundaries.” RECOMMENDED READING: Netanyahu purveyed a fictional history of Israel to Jordan Peterson Root out the ‘poison’ of the pro-Israel lobby, says former Tory minister cleared of anti-Semitism Middle East Monitor reports: A former Conservative minister and Foreign Office official has been cleared of anti-Semitism allegations following an internal party investigation. Following his exoneration, Sir Alan Duncan issued a stark warning to his party, asserting that if the Conservative Party hopes to recover from its huge defeat in the recent General Election, it must confront and address what he termed the “poison” in its midst. According to Duncan, this “poison” is the undue influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups, particularly the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), on party policy and decision-making. He argued that this influence has led to a distortion of UK foreign policy, prioritising Israeli interests over Britain’s, and has undermined the party’s integrity. Anti-Semitism allegations against Duncan — a major target of the pro-Israel lobby — stemmed from comments he made during an interview in which he took aim at the CFI over its influence on government policy and criticized senior Conservative figures for not acknowledging the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. “The Conservative Friends of Israel has been doing the bidding of Netanyahu,” Duncan told Ferrari, “bypassing all proper processes of government to exercise undue influence at the top of government.” He argued that “money, improper influence, and the promotion of Israeli interests above our own [British interests] have contributed to the destruction of the UK’s independent foreign policy.” Drawing on his experience in the Foreign Office, Duncan revealed that there is “a lot of deep concern amongst officials and ambassadors about this undue influence.” (Read the full article here.) NOTE: Actual antisemitism is not as prevalent as Israel partisans would like us to think. A large portion of what they call antisemitism is simply criticism of Israel, the self-proclaimed “Jewish State.” Most of the animosity Israel experiences is opposition to Zionism. Zionism is not a benign philosophy, but a racist ideology – the ideology under which Israel dispossessed 750,000 Palestinian people and exiled them to Gaza and other locations. The so-called “demonization” of Israel is in most cases a legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies of occupation, apartheid, and genocide, and other illegal practices. A few of the many children wounded by shrapnel – some also severely burned – in the course of Israel's now nine-month-long attack on Gaza. The weapons create small pieces of shrapnel that leave barely discernible entry wounds but create extensive destruction inside the body. A few of the many children wounded by shrapnel – some also severely burned – in the course of Israel’s now nine-month-long attack on Gaza. The weapons create small pieces of shrapnel that leave barely discernible entry wounds but create extensive destruction inside the body. (collage) Pakistan calls Netanyahu a ‘terrorist’ Voice of America reports: Under pressure from right wing protesters, Pakistan’s government declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a terrorist Friday, demanding the leader be brought to justice for alleged war crimes against Palestinians. The statement by Rana Sanaullah, adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on political and public affairs, was part of a deal with a religious political party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan or TLP, to end its days-long sit-in on a key road outside the capital. Thousands of TLP supporters rallied near the capital last Saturday to condemn Israeli strikes in Gaza. They demanded the government declare Netanyahu a terrorist, boycott Israeli products and send aid to Palestinians. How much aid has the US given to Israel since October 7th? Middle East Monitor reports: In the aftermath of the Hamas attack of 7 October, 2023, the Biden administration announced its support for Israel in the form of a $105 billion national security package, including military and humanitarian assistance for Israel and Ukraine. Of this $105 billion, $14.3 billion – as supplementary funding – was meant to provide security support to Israel, release hostages, provide humanitarian aid to Israel and Gaza and replenish Israel’s stockpile of interceptors for its Iron Dome missile defense system, artillery shells and other munitions. The assistance further included support for air and missile defense, investments in the industrial base and replenishment of US stocks to aid Israel. This aid is intended to improve Israel’s air and missile defence systems’ readiness and help procure and develop various missile defence components. Additionally, $3.7 billion in aid and assistance continued under the Ten-Year Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Israel, enhancing Israel’s military capabilities and security. In comparison, approximately $3.3 billion in aid is given to Israel every year to purchase arms from the US and Israeli companies. More recently, in April 2024, the Biden administration approved an additional $95 billion assistance package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Of this package, $26 billion would go to Israel and $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine. POTUS tweet, October 18, 2023 "I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the situation on the ground, security assistance and humanitarian needs, and information on unaccounted Americans. I asked tough questions as a friend of Israel. We will continue to deter any actor wanting to widen this conflict." POTUS tweet, October 18, 2023 “I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the situation on the ground, security assistance and humanitarian needs, and information on unaccounted Americans. I asked tough questions as a friend of Israel. We will continue to deter any actor wanting to widen this conflict.” (photo) Biden may delay his withdrawal from presidential race until after Netanyahu’s speech in Congress: Report New York Times reports: While Mr. Biden and his team publicly insist that he is staying in the race, privately people close to him have said that he is increasingly accepting that he may not be able to, and some have begun discussing dates and venues for a possible announcement that he is stepping aside. One factor that may stretch out a decision: Advisers believe that Mr. Biden would not want to do it before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel visits Washington on Wednesday at the initiative of Republicans to address Congress, unwilling to give the premier the satisfaction given their strained relations lately over the Gaza war. Germany: ‘Israel is isolating itself by refusing to establish Palestine state’ Middle East Monitor reports: The German government expressed its deep concern about the Israeli Parliament’s refusal to establish a Palestinian state. A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson shared on Friday in Berlin: “The decision contradicts many UN Security Council resolutions. Israel is, therefore, distancing itself from the overwhelming majority of the international community and isolating itself. We all know that isolation is the enemy of any security.” The spokesperson said that although the resolution is non-binding, it: “Poses a setback to our efforts to achieve a balance between the legitimate security interests of Israel and the Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” adding that the German government believes that there is no alternative to a two-state solution that also protects the rights of the Palestinians. He noted that Israel’s long-term security can only be guaranteed through a two-state solution, adding: “Just like the Israelis, the Palestinians also have the right to live in security and dignity through their ability to determine their fate in a state of their own.” The majority of Knesset members voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Footage shared by local media shows the destruction caused by Israel’s attack on the Shati refugee camp where at least 24 Palestinians have been reported killed. Footage shared by local media shows the destruction caused by Israel’s attack on the Shati refugee camp where at least 24 Palestinians have been reported killed. (screenshot) MORE NEWS: IMEMC Daily Reports. The Guardian: Slowly but surely, Israel tightens its grip on Gaza’s lifeline to Egypt Jacobin: Getting Rid of Netanyahu Is Not Enough – an interview with Gideon Levy STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 20: Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 20: at least 39,497* (38,919 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,034 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 578 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank). At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**. About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced. 2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 20: at least 95,042 (including at least 89,622 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 20: ~1,481 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 326 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured. Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.** Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-attacks-gaza-yemen-lebanon-with-us-nato-weapons-day-287/

ICJ ruling offers some vindication after 76 years of Palestinian struggle; Israeli strikes keep killing Gazans – Day 286 [email protected] July 20, 2024 Christina Assi, eilat port, genocide, hind rajab, houthis, icj, illegal occupation, international law, netanyahu congress, recognition of israel, reparations, tel aviv attack, unseat israel, west bank deaths The International Court of Justice says Israel's ongoing presence in Occupied Palestinian territory is illegal and violates international law. Judges determined Israel is obligated to end its unlawful presence as quickly as possible and must stop all new settlement activity. (photo) Int’l Court of Justice deals a severe blow to Israel; at least 50 killed in Gaza; Israel’s killing of Hind Rajab a war crime; West Bank deaths; Yemeni drone hits Tel Aviv; Eilat Port in Israel declares bankruptcy; calls for Israel to be “unseated” from UN; 200 Congress staffers call for boycott of Netanyahu’s Congress speech; Calls to investigate Israel for genocide; more. By IAK staff, from reports. Israel should evacuate settlements, pay reparations, ICJ says Washington Post reports: The International Court of Justice, the top judicial arm of the United Nations, said Friday that Israel should end its occupation of Palestinian territory, evacuate existing settlements, stop building new ones and pay reparations to Palestinians who have lost land and property. In a sweeping 83-page legal opinion, the court, based in The Hague, said Israel is responsible for “systematic discrimination” against Palestinians based on race or ethnicity, has breached the right of Palestinians to self-determination and has effectively annexed large swaths of land. “Israel has an obligation to bring an end to its presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible,” Nawaf Salam, the court’s president, said from the bench Friday. He added that the court considers Israel’s continued presence illegal and a “wrongful act.” The searing advisory opinion is nonbinding but still holds legal weight and could have broader consequences in the international arena, including in trade and diplomacy. The court said member states should not recognize as legal the situation arising from Israel’s presence in occupied territory, nor should they render aid or assistance in maintaining it. The key points in the ICJ’s opinion Israel’s ongoing presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is deemed illegal. Israel must end its presence in the occupied territories as soon as possible. Israel should immediately cease settlement expansion and evacuate all settlers from the occupied areas. Israel is required to make reparations for the damage caused to the local and lawful population in the Palestinian territories. The international community and organizations have a duty not to recognize the Israeli presence in the territories as legal and to avoid supporting its maintenance. The UN should consider what actions are necessary to end the Israeli presence in the territories as soon as possible. At least 50 killed across Gaza over last day Al Jazeera reports: As the world responded to a landmark ICJ ruling declaring Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in violation of international law, Israeli forces continued attacks across Gaza. At least 24 people were killed in attacks in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to local authorities. Other killings included three people in an Israeli raid on a house south of Khan Younis and another Palestinian killed north of Nuseirat. Attacks were also reported in Deir el-Balah. Video shows strike near Civil Defense, journalists in az-Zawayda Al Jazeera reports: A video, which has been verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad unit, shows a man wearing a “press” vest standing next to a member of the Civil Defence with a fire hose over his shoulder in the central Gaza area. An Israeli strike then hits just metres (yards) away as the men dive for cover. In a post on Instagram, the man who took the video, activist Saleh Aljafarawi, said the Israeli attack “deliberately targets the place where the ambulance crews, Civil Defence and press crews are located”. Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Wednesday that 160 journalists and 79 members of the Civil Defence have been killed since the war began. Gaza: Killing of Hind Rajab and her family – a war crime OHCHR reports: The killing of five-year old Hind Rajab, her family and two paramedics may amount to a war crime, independent experts warned Friday. “The brutality of these killings seem to illustrate how reckless the army has been in its Gaza campaign: all instances of extrajudicial killing must be duly investigated and accounted for,” the experts said. “These killings are not isolated cases,” the experts said. “We are extremely troubled by the pattern of apparent indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civillians in Gaza, including on locations used for humanitarian assistance or to shelter IDPs,” they said. “The firing of heavy-calibre projectiles at a humanitarian zone near an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, killing 22 displaced civilians, and most recently the attacks on IDP tents in Al Mawasi area, on Ash Shati’ Refugee Camp, and on the UNRWA Abu Oreiban school sheltering IDPs, among others, killing nearly 320 Palestinians, half of them women and children, have reinforced the fact that there is no safe place in Gaza” the experts said. “Such attacks amount to grave violations of international humanitarian law, must be promptly and reliably investigated, and should be severely punished. “The willful or indiscriminate killing of protected persons, including civilians, medical personnel and humanitarian workers, amount to war crimes, and if systematic, crimes against humanity, and should be prevented at all costs,” the experts warned. “We remain deeply troubled by the total impunity and apparent lack of investigations, and prevention of these crimes. This is all the more worrisome in the context of the recent order from the International Court of Justice for Israel to take immediate measures to protect Gaza’s population from the risk of genocide,” the experts said. RECOMMENDED READING: You need to meet this little girl named Hind West Bank: Israeli forces kill 20 year old; 22 year old dies of injuries IMEMC reports: Israeli forces shot and killed Palestinian Ibrahim Hamza Zaqaqiq, age 20 on Friday night, in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. Israeli soldiers reportedly fired live rounds, tear gas canisters, and concussion grenades at citizens, shooting Zaqaqiq in the head with a live round, causing serious injuries; he was transported to Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, where he later died. WAFA reports: Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, north of the West Bank, announced this evening the passing of 22-year-old Yaman Ahmed Asfour, who succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli army gunfire in January. The medical staff worked tirelessly to save his life, but his condition remained critical until his passing earlier today. Israeli forces, and in some cases settlers, have killed over 570 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th, with near total impunity. Israeli forces, and in some cases settlers, have killed over 570 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th, with near total impunity. (photo) PIJ, Hamas call on PLO to ‘withdraw recognition’ of Israel The Cradle reports: Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement called in a joint statement on 19 July for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to drop its recognition of Israel. The statement called on the PLO and its affiliated legislative body, the Palestinian Authority (PA), to “withdraw its recognition of the Zionist entity, in response to the Knesset’s decision not to recognize a Palestinian state.” Yemen declares Tel Aviv ‘unsafe zone’ after successful drone attack The Cradle reports: The Yemeni Armed Forces has claimed responsibility for a deadly drone attack that hit the Israeli city of Tel Aviv during the early hours of 19 July, killing at least one and injuring several others. The drone did not set off any alarms as it entered Israeli airspace from the south before hitting a building near the US consulate. The Yemeni drone also bypassed US warships. The Armed Forces of Yemen’s Sanaa government reportedly has a “very large” stock of this type of drone. The Yemeni Houthis’ attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, as part of the rebels’ support for Gaza RECOMMENDED READING: Houthi drone strikes Tel Aviv: How significant is the attack? A view of the destruction following an explosion caused by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack near the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19, 2024 A view of the destruction following an explosion caused by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack near the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19, 2024 (photo) Israel’s Eilat Port declares bankruptcy Middle East Monitor reports: The Israeli port of Eilat officially declared its bankruptcy, after eight months of complete paralysis of commercial activity and its cessation of receiving ships and containers, especially coming from the Asian countries’ markets, carrying with them the needs of the economy and its industrial sector. The reason for this was the successive attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthi group on Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, as well as the targeting of ships from countries supporting the Occupation in the genocidal war it is waging against the people of Gaza, most notably American and British ships. According to the World Cargo website that reports global shipping news, the port of Eilat has officially declared bankruptcy due to the lack of commercial activity. Special rapporteur supports call for Israel’s ‘unseating’ from UN Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, has added her voice to a call for Israel to be unseated from the United Nations. Reposting an earlier call on social media for the “unseating” of Israel by the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Albanese said it was “time” to remove Israel from the world body. The UN rapporteur on housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, said on Tuesday that it was “high time” to take action as Israel continued its “criminal attacks” on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza “without any consequences”. Israel should be unseated “from the UN, as was done with apartheid South Africa”, Rajagopal said in a post on social media. Over 200 congressional staffers sign letter protesting Netanyahu address The Hill reports: More than 200 anonymous staff members across 122 Democratic and Republican congressional offices signed a letter this week calling for Congress to protest or boycott Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech next week on Capitol Hill, citing concerns about the ongoing war in Gaza. The letter, organized by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association and signed by 230 House and Senate staffers, said speaking out against Netanyahu’s July 24 joint address to Congress was an “issue of morality” and not politics. “Citizens, students, and lawmakers across the country and the world have spoken out against the actions of Mr. Netanyahu in his War on Gaza,” the letter reads. “Israelis have been protesting in the streets for months, decrying his failure to negotiate a ceasefire and release of hostages. We hope you will join your fellow Members of Congress in protest at his speech or in refusing to attend it.” Rights Group Urges DOJ to Investigate US-Bound Netanyahu for Genocide Common Dreams reports: As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to visit Washington, D.C. next week, an American legal group on Friday pressured the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into him and other officials for committing or authorizing genocide, war crimes, and torture targeting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. “We believe ample credible evidence exists to sufficiently establish that serious crimes falling within U.S. criminal jurisdiction are systematically being perpetrated in Gaza,” says the Center for Constitutional Rights’ (CCR) 23-page letter to Hope Olds, who leads the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) of the DOJ’s Criminal Division. “Given the frequent travel of Israeli officials and citizens to the United States resulting in their presence within U.S. jurisdiction, and recalling that HRSP is part of a coordinated, interagency effort to deny safe haven in the United States to human rights violators,” the letter states, “the Department of Justice must urgently investigate and hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and other serious crimes being committed on a wide-scale basis in the occupied Gaza Strip, including potentially U.S. and U.S.-dual citizens.” (Read the full article here.) MENA sports headlines: Belgium and Italy refuse to host Israel match over Gaza war The Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) said it would not host a Nations League match against Israel on 6 September as the event was likely to spark demonstrations. The city of Brussels said last month that the match would not be played at the King Baudouin stadium as authorities had deemed it “impossible to organize this very high-risk match” in the city due to tensions linked to Israel’s war on Gaza. Other Belgian cities also refused to host the match. Similarly in Italy, a northeastern city has refused to host the Israeli national team for a Nations League game in October. “Hosting such a match at a time when Israel is a country at war carries risks of causing divisions and social problems […],” the mayor said. “We refuse to associate the name of our city with this match”. Lebanese journalist who survived Israeli strike to carry Olympics flame Lebanese photojournalist Christina Assi who was severely wounded by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon last October while on assignment, is set to carry the Olympic Flame on Sunday, 21 July, in Vincennes, France. The AFP photographer made the announcement on her Instagram page on Wednesday, which she described as a tribute to journalists who had lost their lives while doing their job. Assi, 29, was struck by an Israeli shell on 13 October 2023 while reporting on cross-border attacks from southern Lebanon, and has since had her right leg amputated. “When AFP was asked to carry the Olympic Flame, we thought of Christina, whose courage and tenacity are admired by everyone at the Agency. Having her carry this symbol of peace sends a powerful message for her and for all journalists affected in the line of duty,” said Pierre Galy, AFP’s head of sport. MORE NEWS: IMEMC Daily Reports. The Guardian: Shellshocked, attacked, left to die – this is the reality for disabled people in Gaza Common Dreams: ‘Ticking Time Bomb’: International Alarm as Poliovirus Found in Gaza Sewage Al Jazeera: Adidas drops Bella Hadid from campaign referencing 1972 Munich Olympics Mondoweiss: The end of Israel’s economy Middle East Eye: ICJ opinion on Israel’s occupation upends the order that oppresses Palestinians STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 19: Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 19: at least 39,497* (38,919 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,034 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 578 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank). At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**. About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced. 2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 19: at least 95,042 (including at least 89,622 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 19: ~1,481 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 326 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured. Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.** Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated) Russia attacks hospitals in Ukraine; Israel does the same in Gaza. The US response couldn’t be more different. ‘I have the prison inside me’: The emaciated Palestinian bodybuilder broken by Israel Israel has manufactured an industrial-scale version of Jim Crow rape hoaxes If Americans Knew Mobile Billboard Truck at Republican Convention Col. Douglas MacGregor: US is under the control of Israel, likens Gaza to Warsaw Ghetto Israel’s leading paper says its own army deliberately killed Israelis on October 7 Gaza has turned into Biden’s most perplexing moral and foreign policy failure ‘Suffering horrifically’: 10 months of Israel’s ‘war on children’ in Gaza Pro-Israel ADL ‘spied on’ African American activist over opposition to US-Israel police exchange programme ‘I’m bored, so I shoot’: The Israeli army’s approval of free-for-all violence in Gaza Lancet: Counting the dead in Gaza – difficult but essential ‘Revealer of Inconvenient Truths’ – Julian Assange’s Impact on Palestine Fact or Fiction: Is Israel Unfairly Singled Out for Global Condemnation? How an Israeli colonel invented the burned babies lie to justify genocide Widely reported Palestinian father-son ‘rape’ confession contradicted by piles of evidence The Gaza Project reveals how Israel has targeted the press – in 3 stories ‘Buying Our Own Stolen Water’ in Bethlehem – Scorching Summer Awaits Palestinians in the West Bank Israel’s covert info bots targeting America met with hypocritical silence AIPAC: Has the pro-Israel lobby bribed and bought the US Democratic Party? Israel’s war on Gaza is the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. Israeli army hits Gaza family, uses them as human shields, and runs over their mother. Strangling Israeli restrictions were in place long before October 7th. The day Israeli tanks fired directly at AFP’s Gaza Bureau. The craziest ‘pro-Israel’ votes on the Hill today. Israeli documents show expansive government effort to shape US discourse around Gaza war. Why As A Christian, I Won’t Be Condemning Hamas Anytime Soon. Is “Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself” Code for “We Are Killing the Geneva Conventions”? ‘I heard all of my friends’ last breath’: Testimonies from the Nuseirat massacre. Rep. Thomas Massie: Every congressperson has an AIPAC babysitter. (VIDEO) Col. Douglas Macgregor: US seen as taking orders from Netanyahu. UN finds at least 14 Israelis likely intentionally killed by own army on October 7. ADL faces Wikipedia ban over reliability concerns on Israel, antisemitism. Fear, hunger and displacement follows Israel’s worsening abuse of Palestinians in Hebron. Rafah Attack: Netanyahu’s Lies Expose The Truth About Israel. Veterans For Peace: U.S. Army Major Quits Over Israel. https://israelpalestinenews.org/icj-ruling-offers-some-vindication-after-76-years-of-palestinian-struggle-israeli-strikes-keep-killing-gazans-day-286/

Israel commits three massacres in less than one hour; a survivor says, “We are killed by American missiles” – Day 283 [email protected] July 17, 2024 american support for israel, annexation, Bezalel Smotrich, gazan with down syndrome, genocide, Hebron, israeli massacres, palestinian journalist, tax deductible donations to israel, us made weapons in israel Video footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad has seen a young man carry the remnants of the rockets that targeted a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. He lamented that the displaced Palestinians were being killed by Israel with American missiles. “We found children beheaded and people turned into corpses and body parts inside the school, and I cannot describe the scene from the horror of the bombing,” he said. The footage documented the destruction and the body parts scattered in the courtyard of the school, which was crowded with displaced people. Palestinian bomb squads tour the Gaza Strip after Israeli attacks, collecting remnants of rockets, missiles, and shells that fell Palestinian bomb squads tour the Gaza Strip after Israeli attacks, collecting remnants of rockets, missiles, and shells that fell (screengrab) Muhammad Abdullah Mishmish, programme director at Sawt Al-Awsa Radio, has been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the enclave’s Government Media Office. The statement on Telegram did not elaborate on the circumstances, time or place of his death. Mishmish is the 160th journalist killed in the war, the announcement said. A mother’s farewell: Marwa Abu Zayda lost twin boys and her leg Gaza man with Down’s syndrome attacked by IDF dog and left to die, mother tells BBC BBC reports: Muhammed Bhar was 24 and had Down’s syndrome and autism. His mother, Nabila Bhar, 70, told the BBC: “He didn’t know how to eat, drink, or change his clothes. I’m the one who changed his nappies. I’m the one who fed him. He didn’t know how to do anything by himself.” In a weary tone, Nabila, who is a widow, reeled off the names of relatives’ homes where they’d sought shelter. “We evacuated around 15 times. We would go to Jibreel’s place, but then there would be bombing at Jibreel’s place. We would go to Haydar Square, but then there would be bombing at Haydar Square. We would go to Rimal, but then there would be bombing at Rimal. We would go to Shawa Square, but there would be bombing at Shawa Square.” On June 27, they came back home to Gaza City, only to be ordered to evacuate once again. But the Bhars were tired of moving, so they stayed. “We were under siege for seven days. The tanks and soldiers were all around the house… Muhammed was staying on his sofa…and he didn’t like sitting anywhere except for there,” says Nabila. For Muhammed war meant loud, violent sounds, the air vibrating with the concussion from shells exploding nearby. None of this could be explained to him. “He would panic and say, ‘I’m scared, scared’,” Nabila remembers. On 3 July, according to the family, the IDF raided their home on Nazaz Street. Nabila says there were several dozen soldiers with a combat dog – animals used to find Hamas fighters, and check for booby traps and explosives. At first she heard them “breaking in and smashing everything” before the soldiers and dog arrived in the room. Referring to Muhammed, she says: “I told them, ‘He’s disabled, disabled. Have mercy on him, he’s disabled. Keep the dog away from him.’” Nabila saw the animal attack Muhammed…. (Read the full story here.) Israel’s restrictions on movement in Hebron hurdle to ‘essential services’: ICRC The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the restrictions on movement imposed by Israel, specifically in the “H2” area in Hebron’s Old City, “make it difficult, and sometimes impossible, for Palestinians to access essential services”. Israeli authorities have imposed these restrictions for more than 20 years, leaving an impact on “basic services many need daily to survive”, the ICRC said on X. The H2 area of Hebron in the occupied West Bank is 20 percent of the Palestinian city, where about 700 Israelis live in illegal settlements and the Israeli military has full control. H2’s Palestinian population is about 35,000. RECOMMENDED READING: Fear, hunger and displacement follows Israel’s worsening abuse of Palestinians in Hebron. Israel minister demands West Bank annexation if UN court rules against it Al Jazeera reports: Hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the prime minister to annex the occupied West Bank if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules Israeli settlements are illegal this week. Smotrich reportedly told reporters this week, “no one will move the people of Israel from their land.” The UN’s top court is expected to deliver a non-binding ruling on the legal ramifications of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories on Friday. “I hereby call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – if the International Court of Justice in The Hague does decide that the settlement enterprise is illegal – respond to them with a historic decision of applying sovereignty to the territories of the homeland,” said Smotrich. The far-right minister also promised to “thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state through massive construction, regulating settlements, building roads and other measures in the field” – all moves illegal under international law. Fifty-two countries presented arguments at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, about the legal consequences of Israel’s actions in the occupied territories in February, after the UN General Assembly asked it in 2022 for an advisory opinion. Smotrich himself lives in an illegal settlement. Far-right groups that block aid to Gaza receive tax-deductible donations from US and Israel Associated Press reports: Under American pressure, Israel has pledged to deliver large quantities of humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. But at the same time, the U.S. and Israel have allowed tax-deductible donations amounting to $200,000 to far-right groups that have blocked that aid from being delivered, The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative site Shomrim have found. Incentivizing these donations by making them tax-deductible runs counter to America’s and Israel’s stated commitments to allow unlimited food, water and medicine into Gaza, say groups working to get more aid into the territory. Donations have continued even after the U.S. imposed sanctions against one of these groups. “If you’re on the one hand saying you’re allowing aid in but then also facilitating the actions of groups that are blocking it, can you really say you’re facilitating aid?” said Tania Hary, executive director of Gisha, an Israeli nonprofit that has long called on Israel to improve conditions in the territory. Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. State Department said it is committed to ensuring the delivery of aid, but had no comment on the fundraising efforts by the far-right groups. NOTE: Israel has illegally built around 280 settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are home to more than 700,000 illegal settlers. Israeli settlements and settlers on Palestinian land are a violation of international law, and considered by many Palestinians to be the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement. Settlers, moreover, have a history of violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces. Some Israeli settler groups have attacked trucks loaded with aid in order to keep them from reaching Gaza. Some Israeli settler groups have attacked trucks loaded with aid in order to keep them from reaching Gaza. (photo) Revealed: America’s secret special forces flights to Israel from UK base on Cyprus Declassified UK reports: The US Air Force has been sending unmarked planes from Britain’s base on Cyprus to Israel since it began bombing Gaza, it can be revealed. The planes are all C-295 and CN-235 aircraft, which are believed to be used by American special forces. Declassified has found 18 of these aircraft which have gone from the sprawling British air base on Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri, to Israel’s coastal city Tel Aviv since October 7. Akrotiri is the key node in the international effort to arm and provide logistical support for Israel’s assault on Gaza. But the UK government has always refused to divulge any information about US activities at Akrotiri, which is known to include transporting weapons to Israel. Asked in May how many US Air Force (USAF) flights had taken off from the base since October 7, defense minister Leo Docherty said: “The Ministry of Defense does not comment on the operations of our Allies.” But Declassified discovered the unmarked planes that flew from Akrotiri to Israel from November to June have a serial number showing they are operated by the USAF. Most of these journeys had the flight number GONZO62. The new information could further implicate British ministers in war crimes in Gaza. In November 2023, a US military official revealed that American special forces were stationed in Israel and “actively helping the Israelis”. A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defense would only tell Declassified: “In response to the situation in Israel and Gaza, we are working with international partners to de-escalate the conflict, reinforce stability and support humanitarian efforts in the region. Any use of UK bases will be in line with these objectives.” (Read the full article here.) ‘Stunning Abdication’: Appeals Court Dismisses Biden Genocide Complicity Case Common Dreams reports: Palestine defenders on Tuesday decried a U.S. federal appellate panel’s dismissal of a case brought by Palestinians accusing senior Biden administration officials of failing to prevent and complicity in Israeli genocide in Gaza. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuit against President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which was led by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of several Palestinian groups and individuals. During a Tuesday interview on Democracy Now!, CCR attorney Katherine Gallagher—who represented plaintiffs in the case—said its dismissal “essentially gives the blank check to carry out any kind of conduct that the executive wants in times of genocide, in times of war.” “We turned to the law to help stop the horror, and the court chose to do nothing,” said one plaintiff in the case. “We are beyond disappointed.” MORE NEWS: IMEMC Daily Reports. Al Jazeera: Israeli courts cannot and will not prosecute Israel’s war crimes Mondoweiss: J.D. Vance attributes his anti-Palestine record to his Christianity Middle East Eye: War on Gaza: Palestinians suffering from ‘unprecedented mental health crisis’ https://twitter.com/save_children/status/1813213017292603495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1813213017292603495%7Ctwgr%5Eb0e57ad02b54e9a99702fcc59eeda23cca46e524%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2Fliveblog%2F2024%2F7%2F16%2Fisraels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-used-gaza-cancer-hospital-as-army-base STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 16: Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 16: at least 39,370* (38,794 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,034 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 576 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank). At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**. About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced. 2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 16: at least 94,784 (including at least 89,364 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 16: ~1,481 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 326 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured. Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.** Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org If Americans Knew Mobile Billboard Truck at Republican Convention Col. Douglas MacGregor: US is under the control of Israel, likens Gaza to Warsaw Ghetto Israel’s leading paper says its own army deliberately killed Israelis on October 7 Gaza has turned into Biden’s most perplexing moral and foreign policy failure ‘Suffering horrifically’: 10 months of Israel’s ‘war on children’ in Gaza Pro-Israel ADL ‘spied on’ African American activist over opposition to US-Israel police exchange programme ‘I’m bored, so I shoot’: The Israeli army’s approval of free-for-all violence in Gaza Lancet: Counting the dead in Gaza – difficult but essential ‘Revealer of Inconvenient Truths’ – Julian Assange’s Impact on Palestine Fact or Fiction: Is Israel Unfairly Singled Out for Global Condemnation? How an Israeli colonel invented the burned babies lie to justify genocide Widely reported Palestinian father-son ‘rape’ confession contradicted by piles of evidence The Gaza Project reveals how Israel has targeted the press – in 3 stories ‘Buying Our Own Stolen Water’ in Bethlehem – Scorching Summer Awaits Palestinians in the West Bank Israel’s covert info bots targeting America met with hypocritical silence AIPAC: Has the pro-Israel lobby bribed and bought the US Democratic Party? Israel’s war on Gaza is the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. Israeli army hits Gaza family, uses them as human shields, and runs over their mother. Strangling Israeli restrictions were in place long before October 7th. The day Israeli tanks fired directly at AFP’s Gaza Bureau. The craziest ‘pro-Israel’ votes on the Hill today. Israeli documents show expansive government effort to shape US discourse around Gaza war. Why As A Christian, I Won’t Be Condemning Hamas Anytime Soon. Is “Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself” Code for “We Are Killing the Geneva Conventions”? ‘I heard all of my friends’ last breath’: Testimonies from the Nuseirat massacre. Rep. Thomas Massie: Every congressperson has an AIPAC babysitter. (VIDEO) Col. Douglas Macgregor: US seen as taking orders from Netanyahu. UN finds at least 14 Israelis likely intentionally killed by own army on October 7. ADL faces Wikipedia ban over reliability concerns on Israel, antisemitism. Fear, hunger and displacement follows Israel’s worsening abuse of Palestinians in Hebron. Rafah Attack: Netanyahu’s Lies Expose The Truth About Israel. Veterans For Peace: U.S. Army Major Quits Over Israel. https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-commits-three-massacres-in-less-than-one-hour-a-survivor-says-we-are-killed-by-american-missiles-day-283/

Israel’s leading paper says its own army deliberately killed Israelis on October 7 [email protected] July 15, 2024 Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, hannibal directive, house of Pessi Cohen, IDF, kibbutz be'eri, Kibbutz Nir Oz, Nahal Oz outpost, october 7, Re'im army base, Supernova rave, unmanned assault drone Israel’s leading paper says its own army deliberately killed Israelis on October 7 Hamas attack on Gaza border communities in Southern Israel on October 7 (photo) Two articles below: Israel’s leading paper says its own army deliberately killed Israelis on October 7. But in the U.S. media: silence… Israel ordered the “Hannibal Directive” on October 7 by ordering the killing of captive Israeli soldiers and civilians. But the U.S. media continues to hide the truth. by James North, reposted from Mondoweiss, July 10, 2024 Israeli soldiers sit in a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border after the end of a seven-day truce between Israel and Hamas, December 1, 2023, Kibbutz Beeri Israeli soldiers sit in a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border after the end of a seven-day truce between Israel and Hamas, December 1, 2023, Kibbutz Beeri (photo) Three days ago, Israel’s leading newspaper, Haaretz, published the results of its thorough, comprehensive investigation into what actually happened when Hamas attacked on October 7. So far, the U.S. mainstream media has not said a word about the shocking results of that investigation. Critics sometimes use the expression “media malpractice” to describe the American mainstream’s failure to report accurately about Israel/Palestine. This time, though, what’s happening is even worse; it has to be deliberate self-censorship, designed to hide the truth from the U.S. audience. Haaretz’s long report found that Israel’s army had employed the “Hannibal Directive” on October 7. The Directive is an Israeli policy that instructs the military to open fire on its own soldiers to prevent them from being taken captive. Of course, this site, alongside other alternative media sources, was one of the first to point out the possible role of the Hannibal Directive in Israeli deaths on October 7. But the Haaretz report was significant in the number of military sources it interviewed who confirmed that there were direct orders to implement the Directive. Haaretz explained that the policy has “the intent of foiling kidnapping even at the expense of the lives of the kidnapped.” At first, the army started deploying “Ziks,” unmanned assault drones. Later, the army fired mortars, and then artillery shells. Haaretz also confirmed that the military did know that Israeli civilians had also been taken hostage, but, nonetheless, at 11:22 a.m. the order came down: “Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.” The Haaretz report is cautious, but it still concludes: “[The 11:22 a.m. message] was understood by everyone. . . At this point, the IDF was not aware of the extent of kidnapping along the Gaza border, but it did know that many people were involved. Thus, it was entirely clear what the message meant, and what the fate of some of the kidnapped people would be.” In other words, some — possibly many — of the Israeli deaths that day, including civilians, were deliberately caused by Israel’s own military. How this is not news is incomprehensible. But, three days later, in the New York Times: not a word. The Washington Post: nothing. CNN: nothing. National Public Radio: nada. Instead, if you plug “Hannibal” into the search engines at these media sites, the results only mention “Hannibal Lecter,” the fictional serial killer who was the subject of a book and popular film. But there’s nothing new about the Israeli military’s Hannibal Directive. (The doctrine is probably named for the Carthaginian general who fought Rome in 200 B.C., who said he would swallow poison instead of surrendering. Some Israeli sources claimed that the name was randomly generated, an assertion that prompts skepticism.) Way back on October 22, this site reported: “A growing number of reports indicate Israeli forces responsible for Israeli civilian and military deaths following October 7 attack.” Then, last March, the estimable Jonathan Ofir also posted here that an actual Israeli soldier, Captain Bar Zonshein, had admitted to “firing tank shells on vehicles carrying Israeli civilians.” The even more comprehensive Haaretz investigation should have prompted a reaction from the mainstream U.S. reporters who are stationed in Israel. American journalists should have been cultivating their own sources since October 7, and been ready to at least match the Haaretz article. Instead, the only response so far has been a panel hosted by Piers Morgan, and a Mehdi Hasan/Bassem Youssef podcast. I’ve followed the U.S. media coverage of Israel/Palestine closely for more than a decade now. Continuing to hide Israel’s deployment of the Hannibal Directive on October 7 is one of the most offensive examples of self-censorship that I can recall. The mainstream’s dishonesty is just one more example of why alternative websites are indispensable. James North is a Mondoweiss Editor-at-Large, and has reported from Africa, Latin America, and Asia for four decades. He lives in New York City. Follow him on Twitter at @jamesnorth7 Following is the Ha’aretz article: IDF Ordered Hannibal Directive on October 7 to Prevent Hamas Taking Soldiers Captive by Yaniv Kubovich, reposted from Haaretz, Jul 7, 2024 ‘There was crazy hysteria, and decisions started being made without verified information’ — Documents and testimonies obtained by Haaretz reveal the Hannibal operational order, which directs the use of force to prevent soldiers being taken into captivity, was employed at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas, potentially endangering civilians as well… Gaza Division operations and airstrikes in the first hours of October 7 were based on limited information. The first long moments after the Hamas attack was launched were chaotic. Reports were coming in, with their significance not always clear. When their meaning was understood, it was realized that something horrific had taken place. Communication networks could not keep up with the flow of information, as was the case for soldiers sending these reports. However, the message conveyed at 11:22 a.m. across the Gaza Division network was understood by everyone. “Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza” was the order. Armed Hamas gunmen at Kibbutz Alumim October 7 2023 Armed Hamas gunmen at Kibbutz Alumim October 7 2023 (photo) At this point, the IDF was not aware of the extent of kidnapping along the Gaza border, but it did know that many people were involved. Thus, it was entirely clear what that message meant, and what the fate of some of the kidnapped people would be. This was not the first order given by the division with the intent of foiling kidnapping even at the expense of the lives of the kidnapped, a procedure known in the army as the “Hannibal procedure.” Documents obtained by Haaretz, as well as testimonies of soldiers, mid-level and senior IDF officers, reveal a host of orders and procedures laid down by the Gaza Division, Southern Command and the IDF General Staff up to the afternoon hours of that day, showing how widespread this procedure was, from the first hours following the attack and at various points along the border. Haaretz does not know whether or how many civilians and soldiers were hit due to these procedures, but the cumulative data indicates that many of the kidnapped people were at risk, exposed to Israeli gunfire, even if they were not the target. At 6:43 a.m., at which time rocket barrages were launched at Israel and thousands of Hamas operatives were attacking army strongholds and the division’s observation and communications capabilities, the division’s commander Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld declared that “the Philistines have invaded.” This is the procedure when an enemy invades Israeli territory, upon which a division commander can assume extraordinary authority, including the employment of heavy fire inside Israeli territory, in order to block an enemy raid. A very senior IDF source confirmed to Haaretz that the Hannibal procedure was employed on October 7, adding that this was not used by the divisional commander. Who did give the order? This, said the source, will perhaps be established by post-war investigations. In any case, says a defense official who is familiar with the October 7 operations at the Gaza Division, in the morning hours “no one knew what was going on outside.” He says that Rosenfeld was in the war room, not emerging, “while outside a world war was raging.” CCTV shot of Hamas gunmen infiltrating Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023 CCTV shot of Hamas gunmen infiltrating Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023 (photo) “Everyone was shocked by the number of terrorists who had penetrated the base. Even in our nightmares, we didn’t have plans for such an attack. No one had a clue about the number of people kidnapped or where army forces were. There was crazy hysteria, with decisions made without any verified information,” he continued. One of these decisions was made at 7:18 a.m., when an observation post at the Yiftah outpost reported that someone had been kidnapped at the Erez border crossing, adjacent to the IDF’s liaison office. “Hannibal at Erez” came the command from divisional headquarters, “dispatch a Zik.” The Zik is an unmanned assault drone, and the meaning of this command was clear. This wasn’t the last time that such an order was heard over the communications network. Over the next half hour, the division realized that Hamas terrorists had managed to kill and abduct soldiers serving at the crossing and at the adjacent base. Then, at 7:41 a.m., it happened again: Hannibal at Erez, an assault on the crossing and the base, just so that no more soldiers be taken. Such commands were given later as well. The Erez border crossing was not the only place this happened. Information obtained by Haaretz and confirmed by the army shows that throughout that morning, the Hannibal procedure was employed at two other locations penetrated by terrorists: the Re’im army base, where the divisional headquarters were located, and the Nahal Oz outpost in which female spotters were based. This did not prevent the kidnapping of seven of them or the killing of 15 other spotters, as well as 38 other soldiers. Over the next few hours, division headquarters started putting the pieces of the puzzle together, realizing the extent of the Hamas attack, but missing the invasion of Kibbutz Nir Oz, which the first army forces reached only after the terrorists had left. Regarding the frequency of employing the Hannibal procedure, it seems that nothing changed. Thus, for example, at 10:19 a.m. a report reached divisional headquarters indicating that a Zik had attacked the Re’im base. Three minutes later, another such report arrived. At that time, Shaldag commando forces were already on the base fighting the terrorists. To this day, it’s not clear whether one of them was hurt in the drone attack. What is known is that over the communications network there was a message asking everyone to make sure no soldier was outdoors on the base, since IDF forces were about to enter and drive out or kill remaining terrorists. Drone footage released by the Israeli military in November shows the extent of the destruction of the cars fleeing the Supernova rave on October 7, likely inflicted by Israeli drones and helicopters. Drone footage released by the Israeli military in November shows the extent of the destruction of the cars fleeing the Supernova rave on October 7, likely inflicted by Israeli drones and helicopters. (photo) The decision to conduct attacks inside outposts, says a senior defense official, will haunt senior commanders all their lives. “Anyone making such a decision knew that our combatants in the area could be hit as well.” But such attacks took place, it turns out, not only inside outposts or bases. At 10:32 a.m., a new order was issued, according to which all battalions in the area were ordered to fire mortars in the direction of the Gaza Strip. Internal discussions in the army noted that this order, attributed to Brig. Gen. Rosenfeld, was heavily criticized, since at that time, the IDF did not have a complete picture of all the forces in the area, including soldiers and civilians. Some of these were in open areas or in woods along the border, trying to hide from the terrorists. At that point, the army did not know the number of people who had been kidnapped. “We thought they numbered dozens at that stage,” a military source told Haaretz. Firing mortars at the Gaza Strip would endanger them as well. Furthermore, another order given at 11:22 a.m., according to which no vehicle would be allowed to return to Gaza, took this a step further. “Everyone knew by then that such vehicles could be carrying kidnapped civilians or soldiers,” a source in Southern Command told Haaretz. “There was no case in which a vehicle carrying kidnapped people was knowingly attacked, but you couldn’t really know if there were any such people in a vehicle. I can’t say there was a clear instruction, but everyone knew what it meant to not let any vehicles return to Gaza.” A new development occurred at 2:00 p.m. All the forces were instructed not to exit border communities toward the west, in the direction of the border, with an emphasis on not chasing terrorists. At that point, the border area was under intense fire, directed at anyone in that area, making it a danger zone. “The instruction,” says the source in Southern Command, “was meant to turn the area around the border fence into a killing zone, closing it off toward the west.” At 6:40 p.m., military intelligence believed that many terrorists were intending to flee together back to the Gaza Strip, in an organized manner. This was near Kibbutz Be’eri, Kfar Azza and Kissufim. Following this, the army launched artillery raids at the border fence area, very close to some of these communities. Shortly afterwards, shells were fired at the Erez border crossing. The IDF says it is not aware of any civilians being hurt in these bombardments. Hamas gunmen capturing civilian hostages from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023 Hamas gunmen capturing civilian hostages from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023 (photo) One case in which it is known that civilians were hit, a case that received wide coverage, took place in the house of Pessi Cohen at Kibbutz Be’eri. 14 hostages were held in the house as the IDF attacked it, with 13 of them killed. In the coming weeks, the IDF is expected to publish the results of its investigation of the incident, which will answer the question of whether Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, the commander of Division 99 who was in charge of operations in Be’eri on October 7, was employing the Hannibal procedure. Did he order the tank to move ahead even at the cost of civilian casualties, as he stated in an interview he gave later to the New York Times? Over all the months that have passed, the IDF has refused to say whether this procedure was employed against civilians who had been taken hostage. It now seems that even if the answer is positive, the question may have been only a partial one. The actions of Hiram may have simply been congruent with the way the IDF operated that day. ZAKA Disaster Victim Identification after 2023 Hamas attack on Israel ZAKA Disaster Victim Identification after 2023 Hamas attack on Israel (photo) As far as Haaretz knows, even at 9:33 p.m. this was still the situation on the ground. At that time, there was a further order from Southern Command: close off all the border area with tanks. In fact, all forces in the area received permission to open fire at anyone approaching the border area, without any restrictions. The IDF spokesman responded by saying that “the army has been fighting for six months at high intensity on several fronts, focused on attaining the war’s objectives. In tandem, the IDF has begun conducting internal investigations of what transpired on October 7 and the preceding period. The aim of these investigations is to learn and to draw lessons which could be used in continuing the battle. When these investigations are concluded, the results will be presented to the public with transparency.” Yaniv Kubovich is a Military Correspondent for Haaretz based in Rishon LeZion, Israel. His work has been included in: Haaretz, MSN (US), The Internet Archive, Substack, Flipboard, Global Research, Forward, Jewish Journal (Los Angeles), Center for a New American Security (CNAS), CTXT, Reader Supported News, Mondialisation, SGT Report RELATED ARTICLES: UN finds at least 14 Israelis likely intentionally killed by own army on October 7 Israeli newspaper: Israeli army ordered the killing of Israeli civilians and soldiers Oct 7 Another Israeli soldier admits to implementing the ‘Hannibal Directive’ on October 7 Israeli October 7 posterchild was killed by Israeli tank, eyewitnesses reveal Israel’s national murder-suicide pact: Internalizing the “Hannibal Directive” What media reports fail to tell you about October 7 October 7th myths are still out there, killing Palestinians American Media Keep Citing Zaka — though its October 7 atrocity stories are discredited in Israel https://israelpalestinenews.org/idf-ordered-hannibal-directive-on-october-7-to-prevent-hamas-taking-soldiers-captive/

Israel vows to improve safety for aid workers, then kills 4 aid workers; uses horrific shrapnel-producing weapons against children – Day 278 [email protected] July 12, 2024 annexation, buffer zone, delta apology, east jerusalem evictions, gaza city, gaza pier, israeli settlers sanctioned, Israeli snipers, journalist access to gaza, khan younis, microsoft, shrapnel weapons, targeting aid workers A few of the many children wounded by shrapnel – some also severely burned – in the course of Israel's now nine-month-long attack on Gaza. The weapons create small pieces of shrapnel that leave barely discernible entry wounds but create extensive destruction inside the body. (collage) Israeli-made shrapnel weapons “designed to maximize casualties”; how NOT to improve safety for aid workers; Israeli snipers target Palestinians as they flee; unbelievable destruction in Gaza City, signs of illegal buffer zone; Khan Younis reduced to “sand and rubble”; Israel proceeds with West Bank illegal annexation; Gaza pier to be dismantled after 20 operational days; more. By IAK staff, from reports. Israeli shrapnel weapons causing severe injuries to Gaza children, say doctors The Guardian reports: Israeli-made weapons designed to spray high levels of shrapnel are causing horrific injuries to civilians in Gaza and disproportionately harming children, foreign surgeons who worked in the territory in recent months have told the Guardian. The doctors say many of the deaths, amputations and life changing wounds to children they have treated came from the firing of missiles and shells – in areas crowded with civilians – packed with additional metal designed to fragment into tiny pieces of shrapnel. Volunteer doctors at two Gaza hospitals said that a majority of their operations were on children hit by small pieces of shrapnel that leave barely discernible entry wounds but create extensive destruction inside the body. Amnesty International has said that the weapons appear designed to maximize casualties. The Guardian spoke to six foreign doctors who have worked at two hospitals in Gaza, the European and al-Aqsa, in the last three months. All of them described encountering extensive wounds caused by “fragmentation” weapons, which they said have contributed to alarming rates of amputations since the war began. “X-rays showed demolished bones with a pinhole wound on one side, a pinhole on the other, and a bone that looks like a tractor trailer drove over it,” said one doctor. (Read the full article here.) HEAD OF USAID SAYS ISRAEL VOWS TO IMPROVE SAFETY FOR HUMANITARIAN WORKERS Al Jazeera reports: Samantha Power, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator, said she has received Israeli pledges to allow aid workers to move more quickly and safely throughout the Gaza Strip. “My whole career has been working in and around conflict areas,” said Power. “I have never seen a more difficult conflict environment for humanitarians to work in.” UPDATE: Middle East Eye reports that on Friday morning, an Israeli strike killed four aid workers in Khan Younis. NOTE: Promises from Israel are not taken seriously by those familiar with Israel’s patterns of behavior. Since the beginning of the attack on Gaza, Israel has made a point of actively thwarting attempts to bring aid to the hungry. Thousands of aid trucks are reportedly waiting just outside Gaza, where Israel has made it extremely difficult to pass, employing complicated and arbitrary procedures. Israel has on multiple occasions fired at individuals waiting for food aid (once killing over 100); Israel has also attacked food aid convoys. Additionally, Israeli citizens have blocked a border crossing for weeks, and attacked and looted trucks they believed were heading to Gaza – all with no meaningful attempt by Israel to stop them. In mid-March, Israel promised to “flood” Gaza with aid, but has failed to do so. The US has for months expressed its desire to see appropriate amounts of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza on one hand, while undermining Gaza’s largest aid organization on the other. Israeli snipers reportedly target fleeing Palestinians in Gaza City Several Palestinians have said that people have been shot dead while trying to flee Gaza City and comply with the Israeli military’s order to leave the area in the north of the Strip. A spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency has said that more than 60 bodies have been recovered in Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood, with dozens more under the rubble. More than 85 percent of buildings in Shujayea are now also uninhabitable, leaving more than 120,000 residents homeless. ‘Destruction of agricultural land for possible establishment of a buffer zone’ Al Jazeera reports: The Israeli military has pulled out of the Shujayea neighborhood of Gaza City, where it had been operating for the past month, destroying the vast majority of its residential buildings and bulldozing large areas of its agricultural land in what looks like the establishment of a buffer zone, leaving the rest of the Shujayea neighborhood in complete ruins. Social services have been eliminated. All remaining residential buildings and public facilities, including schools as well as privately owned facilities like UNRWA facilities in the Shujayea neighborhood, were completely destroyed. As people made their way back to check on their homes and residential blocks, they were shocked by the level of devastation as well as bodies in the streets. THE NEW ARAB ADDS: Gaza’s Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said 85 percent of buildings are now uninhabitable, and Shujaiya has been left a “disaster zone”. The discovery came after Israeli troops ended a two-week operation which Gaza’s Civil Defense and residents said had left the area in ruins. Civil defense teams reported on Thursday, around 60 bodies were found under the rubble of Gaza City’s eastern Shujaiya neighborhood. Khan Younis reduced to ‘sand and rubble’ Al Jazeera reports: Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip has largely been reduced to sand and rubble, says Muhannad Hadi, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. Hadi was in Khan Younis for a rare visit from an outside official to the besieged enclave on Tuesday, and says every building he saw there was damaged in some way. Hadi said many of the women he spoke to said they had cut off their hair, as “extreme overcrowding” in temporary shelters and tent camps was leading to the spread of lice. Last week, Israel ordered the forced displacement of 250,000 Palestinians from eastern Khan Younis, according to UN estimates. Palestinians develop makeshift prosthetics to help amputees As Israel continues its intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the number of wounded Palestinians is increasing rapidly. Two Palestinian therapists are now making prosthetic limbs out of scrap wood to help amputees in the besieged enclave. Watch the video below: Hamas official: ‘Israel’s continued massacres push us to adhere to our demands’ Middle East Monitor reports: A senior Hamas official conveyed on Wednesday that the “intensification” of the Israeli occupation’s military operations would lead to the Palestinian movement adhering to its position in mediation efforts to reach a truce. The occupation forces recently intensified their raids on northern Gaza, with renewed fighting in the city of Rafah, in the far south of the devastated Strip. In other areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli strikes targeted four schools used as shelters, killing many, sparking condemnation from France and Germany, which considered the attacks “unacceptable.” Hossam Badran, a member of the Hamas political bureau, shared that the Israeli occupation forces are increasing military operations and: “Are trying to put pressure on the negotiations by intensifying bombing and displacement operations and committing massacres.” With diplomatic efforts hastening to reach an agreement to release the hostages and reach a truce in Gaza after more than nine months of devastating war, Badran considered that the occupation government was trying to push Hamas to concede. Badran believed that the occupation government: “Hopes that the resistance will concede its legitimate demands during the negotiations,” including a complete ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from Gaza. However, he stressed that: “The continuation of the massacres forces us to adhere to our demands.” A lack of clean water and sanitation in Gaza, combined with the heat of summer, is fuellng the spread of infectious diseases. A lack of clean water and sanitation in Gaza, combined with the heat of summer, is fuellng the spread of infectious diseases. (screengrab) Biden says Israel has been ‘less than cooperative’ with efforts to get more aid into Gaza Al Jazeera reports: Speaking at the NATO summit Thursday, and asked if he would do anything differently in his handling of Israel’s war in Gaza, President Biden said that Israel’s current right-wing government has not always cooperated with efforts to allow more aid into Gaza. “We pushed it [efforts to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza] really hard, and Israel occasionally was less than cooperative,” he said. Biden made little reference to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 38,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed. Israeli forces also have faced allegations of widespread rights abuses. Instead, the president noted his longstanding links with Israel, referring to his experience meeting with former Israeli leader Golda Meir when he was a US senator. The Biden administration has continued to send billions of dollars of weapons to Israel, despite growing international pressure to bring the war to an end. Palestinian teen killed by Israeli army gunfire south of Jenin WAFA reports: A 17-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli occupation forces during confrontations this evening in the town of Meithalun, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian security sources. [NOTE: some sources report his age as 15.] Witnesses reported the Israeli forces stormed Meithalun, prompting confrontations that resulted in the murder of Ali Hassan Ali Rabai’a, 17, and left two other children injured from live ammunition in the nearby village of Siris. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its teams transferred the body of the slain child from a main road in Meithalun to the Turkish Hospital in the nearby town of Tubas. With the murder of Rabai’a, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank since October 7th last year has risen to 573, including 138 children, with approximately 5,350 injured. Smotrich Has Completed Israel’s Illegal Annexation of the West Bank Ha’aretz reports: A few days ago, the constitutional revolution was completed, but no, not in Israel. Few were aware of it, but the Ben-Gvir-Smotrich-Netanyahu government has conspired to carry out a coup in the West Bank. The move seeks to annex the West Bank and perpetuate Jewish supremacy as a guiding principle there. The regime revolution in the West Bank is being conducted in accordance with the commitments Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave to Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich as part of the coalition agreement. Its essence is the transfer of all the governing powers in the West Bank, except those directly relating to security, from the army to an apparatus headed by Smotrich himself. Land management, planning and construction, enforcement against unpermitted construction, supervision and management of local authorities, professional licensing, trade and economy, management of nature reserves and archaeological sites – all are now in the hands of Smotrich. The transfer of administrative powers to public servants of the occupying government and to its elected officials creates a direct rule by the occupiers’ citizens over the occupied territory, thereby expanding the occupiers’ sovereignty into the occupied territory. In other words: annexation. This is what Smotrich has succeeded in doing. New settlements will be erected; new neighborhoods will be built at a rate we haven’t seen yet; large swathes of land will be allocated to violent Israelis in order to set up farms on them; Palestinian structures built without permits will be demolished at a dizzying pace, while illegal construction by settlers will be legalized. Fearless and shameless apartheid. Apartheid as a work plan. The great shame lies in the fact that no one has stood up to object, not in Israel nor around the world. The same world that imposed heavy sanctions on Russia when it annexed in criminal fashion the Crimean Peninsula, and later territory it had conquered after invading Ukraine, has gone silent, not sounding a peep when it comes to Israel. Indeed, the world uses a different yardstick when it comes to Israel. US sanctions another handful of Israel’s 700,000 settlers and ‘outposts’ in occupied West Bank The Guardian reports: The US has stepped up efforts to target violent Israeli settlers, adding new individuals and organizations to a growing sanctions list and warning banks to check transactions linked to all Israeli “outposts” in the occupied West Bank. The new sanctions cover the far-right group Lehava, already listed by the UK, and two founding members of Tsav9, a campaign group that blocked aid from reaching Gaza. The new measures also target outposts, suggesting the Biden administration is prepared to take at least some steps to confront Israel’s creeping land grab on the West Bank. One of the outposts targeted was set up by a regional council, implying that branches of the Israeli state are potentially no longer off limits, when it comes to sanctions. “It appears that they’ve not just targeted extremist settlers but have introduced a linkage to territoriality by citing illegal outposts,” Aaron David Miller, a former state department Middle East negotiator now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “It doesn’t take much imagination to conclude that the next target would be [Israeli] government financing for illegal outposts. And that would be a new departure to be sure.” Matthew Miller, the state department spokesperson, said that the four West Bank outposts specifically targeted by Thursday’s sanctions, “are owned or controlled by US-designated individuals who have weaponized them as bases for violent actions to displace Palestinians”. NOTE: Israel has illegally built around 280 settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are home to more than 700,000 illegal settlers. All Israeli settlements and settlers on Palestinian land are a violation of international law, and considered by many Palestinians to be the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement.. Settlers, moreover, have a history of violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces. Israeli court rules to evict 66 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem Al Jazeera reports: The Jerusalem District Court has rejected appeals filed by 11 Palestinian families consisting of 66 people fighting eviction from their homes in the Silwan district by the Ateret Cohanim settler group, the Israeli nonprofit Ir Amim says. Some of the families were told to pay legal expenses in addition to evacuating their homes. “These families are among some 85 Palestinian families, consisting of over 700 individuals, who face large-scale displacement and settler takeovers of their homes in Batan al-Hawa,” it said. “These cases are part and parcel of a coordinated and systematic political campaign aimed at uprooting Palestinians and expanding Jewish settlement in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods. While the eviction claims themselves are initiated by settlers, they are aided and abetted on all levels of the state, which carry far-reaching implications on the future of Jerusalem and the conflict as a whole.” Media organizations urge Israel to allow access into Gaza Press release from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): More than 60 media and civil society organizations have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to the besieged coastal enclave. The organizations, which include The Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post – reiterated that no independent media access to Gaza has been permitted since October 7. “More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming harder and harder to obtain and that the reporting which does get through is subject to repeated questions over its veracity,” the organizations said in the letter, which was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a media watchdog. “Netanyahu describes Israel as a democracy. His actions with regard to the media tell a different story. International, Israeli, and Palestinian journalists from outside Gaza should be given independent access to Gaza so they can judge for themselves what is happening in this war – rather than being spoon-fed with a handful of organized tours by the Israeli military,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. In addition to news outlets, the signatories – who span more than 26 countries – include professional groups and organizations dedicated to defending press freedom. Press House - Palestine supply of occupational safety equipment for journalists reporting from Gaza – not enough to protect them from Israeli airstrikes. Press House – Palestine supply of occupational safety equipment for journalists reporting from Gaza – not enough to protect them from Israeli bullets and airstrikes. (photo) US Gaza aid pier to be permanently dismantled after operating for just 20 days The Guardian reports: A US military pier, built two months ago as a way to bring sea-borne humanitarian aid into Gaza, is to be permanently dismantled within a few days, US officials have told reporters. The officials said the pier, which has had to be moved repeatedly to avoid bad weather, would be reconnected to the Gaza coastline on Wednesday but would operate for just the next few days before being disassembled by the US army and navy. The pier would be put back in place only long enough to move humanitarian supplies which have accumulated in Cyprus and on a floating dock offshore since the pier went out of action on 28 June as a result of weather conditions, according to the Pentagon’s current plan. Aid workers familiar with the project had been predicting for weeks that the pier would not survive beyond July. The Biden administration has praised the Gaza pier project, but critics have called it “humanitarian theater,” and a "failure." The Biden administration has praised the Gaza pier project, but critics have called it “humanitarian theater,” and a “failure.” (screengrab) Palestinians say Microsoft unfairly closing their accounts BBC reports: Palestinians living abroad have accused Microsoft of closing their email accounts without warning – cutting them off from crucial online services. They say it has left them unable to access bank accounts and job offers – and stopped them using Skype, which Microsoft owns, to contact relatives in war-torn Gaza. Microsoft says they violated its terms of service – a claim they dispute. “They killed my life online,” said Eiad Hametto, who lives in Saudi Arabia. “They’ve suspended my email account that I’ve had for nearly 20 years – It was connected to all my work.” He also said being cut off from Skype was a huge blow for his family. With a paid Skype subscription, it is possible to call mobiles in Gaza cheaply – and while the internet is down – so it has become a lifeline to many Palestinians. Some of the people the BBC spoke to said they suspected they were wrongly thought to have ties to Hamas, but Mr Hametto denied he had any such links. “We are civilians with no political background who just wanted to check on our families,” he said. Microsoft did not respond directly when asked if suspected ties to Hamas were the reason for the accounts being shut, but a spokesperson said it did not block calls or ban users based on calling region or destination. “Blocking in Skype can occur in response to suspected fraudulent activity,” they said, without elaborating. CAIR Welcomes Delta Apology for Anti-Palestinian Twitter Post The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed an apology from Delta Air Lines for a now deleted anti-Palestinian tweet agreeing with the false claim that a Palestinian flag pin worn by a flight attendant was a “Hamas badge.” CAIR yesterday called on the airline to apologize. In a statement, Delta said: “Delta removed a mistakenly posted comment on X Tuesday because it was not in line with our values and our mission to connect the world…The team member responsible for the post has been counseled and no longer supports Delta’s social channels…We apologize for this error.” “We welcome this apology and hope it sends a message to those who continue to dehumanize the Palestinian people as they face genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced starvation imposed by the far-right Israeli government, and enabled by the Biden administration,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. MORE NEWS: IMEMC Daily Reports. The Intercept: Supporting Palestine Helped the Left Win in France and Britain. Will Democrats Learn From It? STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 11: Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 11: at least 38,917* (38,345 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 15,747 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.] This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 573 in the West Bank (~138 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 45,223 Palestinian deaths. Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank). At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**. About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced. 2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 11: at least 93,715 (including at least 88,295 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.] Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 11: ~1,478 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 324 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured. Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%. NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers. *Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.** Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. † For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics. Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org Widely reported Palestinian father-son ‘rape’ confession contradicted by piles of evidence The Gaza Project reveals how Israel has targeted the press – in 3 stories ‘Buying Our Own Stolen Water’ in Bethlehem – Scorching Summer Awaits Palestinians in the West Bank Israel’s covert info bots targeting America met with hypocritical silence AIPAC: Has the pro-Israel lobby bribed and bought the US Democratic Party? Israel’s war on Gaza is the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. Israeli army hits Gaza family, uses them as human shields, and runs over their mother. Strangling Israeli restrictions were in place long before October 7th. The day Israeli tanks fired directly at AFP’s Gaza Bureau. The craziest ‘pro-Israel’ votes on the Hill today. Israeli documents show expansive government effort to shape US discourse around Gaza war. Why As A Christian, I Won’t Be Condemning Hamas Anytime Soon. Is “Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself” Code for “We Are Killing the Geneva Conventions”? ‘I heard all of my friends’ last breath’: Testimonies from the Nuseirat massacre. Rep. Thomas Massie: Every congressperson has an AIPAC babysitter. (VIDEO) Col. Douglas Macgregor: US seen as taking orders from Netanyahu. UN finds at least 14 Israelis likely intentionally killed by own army on October 7. ADL faces Wikipedia ban over reliability concerns on Israel, antisemitism. Fear, hunger and displacement follows Israel’s worsening abuse of Palestinians in Hebron. Rafah Attack: Netanyahu’s Lies Expose The Truth About Israel. Veterans For Peace: U.S. Army Major Quits Over Israel. While Gaza suffers physical genocide, the West Bank faces economic genocide. The Palestinians’ Ironclad, Inalienable Right To Resist. Candace Owens & Briahna Joy Gray say criticism of Israel is “red line” for media. The night Israel killed my family. A Deluge of Pro-Israel PAC Donations in 2024 Elections. The Destruction, Starvation and Death in Gaza Are Israel’s Defeat. Trump Is Desperate for Miriam Adelson’s Cash. Her Condition: West Bank Annexation. Nuseirat massacre: Slaughtered Palestinians do not exist for West’s media. https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-vows-to-improve-safety-for-aid-workers-then-kills-4-aid-workers-uses-horrific-shrapnel-producing-weapons-against-children-day-278/

According to The Guardian, citing foreign surgeons who worked in Gaza, Israeli weapons designed to disperse high levels of shrapnel are inflicting severe injuries on civilians, particularly children. The weapons, used in densely populated civilian areas, include missiles and shells packed with additional metal fragments intended to maximize harm. Volunteer doctors at Gaza hospitals report that a significant portion of their surgeries involve children struck by tiny shrapnel pieces that cause extensive internal damage despite leaving nearly imperceptible entry wounds. Amnesty International has criticized these weapons for their apparent intent to cause maximum casualties. https://t.me/QudsNen/113203

DEMOCIDE: U.S. Biolabs In Ukraine Supply Race-Specific Gene Weaponry March 26, 2022 by Dr. Ariyana Love December 8, 2021 By Dr. Ariyana Love, N.D. Intro: In March, I joined Stew Peters Show for a couple of interviews, to provide insight into Putin’s purging of bioweapons labs in Ukraine. Those interviews went viral. First interview: Putin’s Secret War: Ukrainian Bioweapon Labs Exposed Second interview: Horrifying Russian Report: Ukrainian Biolabs Creating Special Bioweapons For Ethnic Cleansing This article is to provide supporting evidence, links and documents for further study. GENETIC WARFARE Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is entirely justified and in accordance with international law. The US Government, DOD and NATO partners were funding and operating 30 Ukrainian bioweapons labs under a “Covid-19 prevention program” but in actuality, they were producing chimeric pathogens for the “vaccine” Holocaust. The but is desperately trying to destroy and hide the evidence that they violated Article 1 of the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention of 1973. The UN is participating in the cover-up by rebranding the bioweapons facilities as “Public Health laboratories”. The same corrupt media trickery and propaganda is being used today by the cabal, to black PR Russia/Putin and create a false narrative that spins confusion and drives division among people. It was no different during Putin’s intervention in Syria. Moscow reports that Hunter Biden helped finance a US military ‘bioweapons’ research program in Ukraine. Hunter’s laptop emails provide the supporting evidence that he did in fact help secure millions in funding for US contractor in Ukraine, specializing in deadly pathogen research. 145 species of bioweapons have been developed in Ukraine in violation of international law and two of them were crossing into Russia. The cabal had used biological weapons in an act of war against not only Russia, but the entire world. Routes into Europe were also being mapped. Parasites and insects that carry chimeric pathogens to infect Humans with, were being smuggled out of Ukraine and the bio-samples were being transferred abroad. Classified documents captured by Russia reveal a paper trail between Ukrainian biolabs and the Doherty Institute in Australia. Victorian Infectious Diseases Laboratory in Melbourne was caught importing blood serum from Ukrainian biolabs. There’s 350 cryocontainers with samples of blood at the Australian Institute that are being used under the pretense of “antibody research”. that Australian mercenaries have been spotted in Ukraine, in the city of Zhitomir, 150km West of Kiev. Russia also revealed that the U.S. biolabs in Ukraine created genetic bioweapons to target certain ethnic groups for race-specific ethnic cleansing. A scientific study published in December of 2021, shows that Europeans are the most targeted ethnic group while Ashkenazi Jews (Khazars) are entirely immune to any genetic modification. Now this is some damning evidence. Now the DNA harvesting PCR Kits under the guise of “covid testing” should make a lot more sense to you. Your DNA is so valuable to them. BACKGROUND George Soros has been controlling Ukraine since 2012 and stealing the regions natural resources. Former President Barack Obama himself authorized the construction of the biolabs in Ukraine for creating dangerous pathogens, in 2005. It was the Obama/Biden deep state regime established a coup d’etat rule in Kiev, together with the Israeli state. Jewish oligarch billionaires in Ukraine with dual nationality to Israel, such as Igor Kolomoisky, funded the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion while the Israeli state armed them. Former US Marine Corp Intelligence Officer Scott Ritter told George Galloway “The first troops to be trained by US and British soldiers were the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion”. The Azov Nazi’s officially integrated into the National Guard of Ukraine in 2014. Azov violently overthrew the legitimate president of Ukraine and forced their way into the government. The newer Zelensky’s puppet regime has been using internationally banned cluster bombs and other bombs , according to a Human Rights Watch reports, while the militarized Azov Nazi’s have been committing war crimes atrocities against Russian-Christian Ukrainians, especially in Eastern Ukraine. Investigative Journalist Laura Logan confirms there are mass graves in Ukraine from Zelensky’s regime. In October 2019, Congress wrote U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo, asking why the State Department failed to include the Azov Battalion on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Israeli news Haaretz reported that the Jewish oligarchs will now flee to Israel where they will be given indemnity from their crimes against humanity. H5N1 & H1N1 The US Department of State was able to control everything that happened within the Ukrainian biolabs. Tucker Carlson reported that the U.S. Government released a document in 2020 admitting that the bioweapons facilities in Ukraine are for “vaccine development”. The Russian military discovered the plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera, Ebola, Filoviruses’ and more, were being developed in Ukraine. Ebola is used in the J&J and Sinovax gene editing weaponry while the Filovirus is used in Moderna. Biotech companies are clearly getting their Gain-of-Function pathogens from Ukraine. Russia also mentioned that the H5N1 and H1N1 are being produced in the U.S. biolabs. H1N1 induces Smallpox. Israeli Mossad Microbiologist Joseph Moshe tried to warn the public in 2009 that a H5N1 biological weapons attack on humanity through “vaccination,” was imminent. He said the H5N1 is even more lethal then the H1N1. I found an mRNA vaccine patent for cattle using the H5N1 and H1N1 and the deadly Brucella bacteria. This means the cabal has also been producing weaponry in Ukraine, to poison our food supply. The patent is owned by Khazakstanians. Incidentally, there’s a U.S. bioweapons lab in Khazakstan that weaponized Coronavirus for aerosolized dissemination on civilian populations. I also found an mRNA vaxxine patent for animals that uses the Brucella melitensis for US and UK cattle. WEAPONS TESTING Journalist Dilyana Gaytandzheiva reports that the Pentagon has conducted biological experiments on 4,400 soldiers in Ukraine and 1,000 soldiers in Georgia, and unleashed deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the local civilian population as well as on allied troops, according to leaked documents. The documents read that all deaths should be reported to the U.S. Government. The U.S. personnel in these biolabs were given Diplomatic Immunity, although they are not diplomats and they are indemnified from deaths and injuries to the local population. The Pentagon project in Ukraine and Georgia was code-named GG-21 for “Arthropod-borne and zoonotic infections”. Arthropod-borne means ticks and other insects carrying deadly pathogens to infect Humans. Zoonotic infections are caused by harmful germs, bacteria, parasites, fungi and mold. Blood samples were being obtained from 1,000 military recruits during their physical exams at a military hospital in Gori, Georgia. The 13 deadly pathogens that were being tested on the troops are: Bacillus anthracis Brucella Coxiella burnetii Francisella tularensis Hantavirus Rickettsia species Bartonella species Borrelia species Ehlrichia species Leptospira species Salmonella typhi West Nile Virus (WNV) The Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) bacteria can be disseminated by aerial spraying. I found a patent with a method for removing plasma (DNA) from Bacillus anthracis bacteria using CRISPR/Cas9 system and it’s owned by China. This is how they get Mycoplasmas. Brucella is another deadly bactera. In the 1950s, the US military developed artillery shells and bombs armed with a bacterium that causes a debilitating flu-like disease in humans. In 2001, the US and DARPA artificially sequenced the Brucella suis genome and began applying it to vaccines. Being infected with Brucellosis is like having the flu times ten, though it’s not life-threatening unless you have some other condition. The US Army likes the Brucella suis pathogen because they’re able to debilitate people without killing them, just like “COVID-19”. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has been weaponized using ticks to infect Humans. It has a 40% lethality. Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis are also highly infectious. You need only 10 bacteria to make you sick. The U.S. military was supposed to have destroyed the Francisella tularensis in 1973 because it has up to a 60% lethality. TBE is tick-borne and causes encephalitis. Bartonella species cause Lyme Disease. Borrelia bacteria hides inside parasitic worms, causing chronic brain diseases. Ehlrichia is a disease from dogs. WNV (West Nile Virus) is carried by mosquitos. CONCLUSION Putin just cut off the head of the snake in Ukraine and exposed the whole shit-show. Now let’s make the most of it. DEMOCIDE: U.S. Biolabs In Ukraine Supply Race-Specific Gene Weaponry https://ambassadorlove.blog/2022/03/26/us-biolabss-in-ukraine-supply-the-vaccine-democide/

Ukraine’s murder of 30 Russian journalists met with Western indifference…or grotesque gloating Eva BartlettJuly 3, 2024 -by Eva Karene Bartlett Just over two weeks after another Russian journalist was deliberately targeted and killed by Ukrainian forces, global media and most international journalist support groups remain unsurprisingly silent. Nikita Tsitsagi, 29, a Russian photojournalist, was targeted by a Ukrainian drone on June 16 as he prepared to do another report from the St. Nicholas Monastery near Ugledar—a monastery, heavily-targeted by Ukrainian shelling over the years. Yet, civilians remain the region, and many have taken shelter in the monastery. These are often the focus of journalists who go there. Just three days prior, Ukrainian forces targeted Russian NTV journalists filming in the extremely hard hit village of Golmovsky, east of the northern DPR city of Gorlovka. The Ukrainian drone strike killed cameraman Valery Kozhin and seriously injured Alexey Ivliyev, a war correspondent. The targeting of journalists is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. In June, President Vladimir Putin spoke of Ukraine’s targeting of Russian journalists, noting, “At least 30 people died, our journalists died, and no one gives us the opportunity to investigate what happened to them.” Russia’s Envoy to UNESCO in Paris called for UNESCO to condemn the killing of Russian journalists, saying: “All these killings, they were not condemned. This is despite the fact that the Secretariat has all the information on their killings.” He noted the lack of condemnation shows double standards and a political bias. It is sadly another case of only some journalists lives matter. Remembering Nikita Nikita’s murder is personal for me, as I’d met him several times and gotten to know his gentle character: kind, humble, generous with his time, and professional. We went together on two different occasions in November 2022 to interview people, one of which was to the Ukrainian-battered villages of Zaitsevo and Golmovsky in the Gorlovka region. Nikita kindly translated my questions to residents there, giving of his time and ensuring no nuance was lost. He also was quick to reply the few times I messaged him regarding an event in the Donbass or a contact I asked to speak with. His journalism covered military aspects, as well as humanitarian issues. One of his reports from July 2023 was from the same St. Nicholas Monastery where he was ultimately killed. I know the monastery, in June 2022, I went there with other Russian journalists. Ukrainian forces started shelling, apparently having spotted the van we arrived in. We sheltered, along with civilians living nearby, in the basement stairwell until the shelling subsided. Nikita’s July 2023 report, showed people taking cover in the same stairwell from the Ukrainian shelling. Then, he and those he accompanied courageously went to the home of elderly nearby, to evacuate them. Even if you don’t understand Russian, watching his report you can see his focus is on the suffering of civilians. Portuguese journalist Bruno Carvalho, who has reported extensively from the Donbass, knew Nikita. He told me: “Ukrainian propaganda said he was a Russian propagandist. This is not true. He told me he came to Donbass to see with his own eyes what was happening. He came to find the truth, and to show the truth as journalist. Ukraine committed a war crime killing him and other journalists as well. They bombed hotels full of journalists.” Hunting journalists Bombing hotel housing journalists is definitely one of Ukraine’s tactics. In June, 2022, using 155 mm caliber NATO standard shells, Ukrainian forces targeted directly next to the central Donetsk hotel numerous journalists were in, including myself. As I wrote at the time, it was plausible that Ukraine deliberately targeted a hotel known to house journalists. However, there were certainly many other very clear instances of Ukraine deliberately targeted journalists in hotels they were known to be staying in, most notably that of the Kherson hotel RT war correspondent Murad Gazdiev and his crew were in when in September 2022 Ukrainian armed forces hit it with an American HIMARS missile. Miraculously, the crew emerged from the rubble relatively unscathed. But one civilian (the hotel was full of civilians), ex-Ukrainian Rada deputy Zhuravko, was killed, along with his guard. Throughout the second half of 2022, there were many reports of Ukrainian targeting the three main hotels in Donetsk known to house journalists. Likewise, there are many clear examples of journalists coming under fire while reporting who thankfully were not killed. Too many to list here, I’ll note just a fraction of these instances. In December 2022, RT correspondent Maxim Toury and his colleagues were targeted by Ukrainian shelling. He wrote of the incident: “They filmed the work of our units. We were traveling in a civilian car, but, apparently, this did not prevent the Armed Forces of Ukraine from opening fire on the exact place where we were. There were at least 15 arrivals. Thank God, our team was not injured, but, unfortunately, there are injured among the escorts who were with us.” In August 2022, Izvestiya journalists filming a report near Ugledar, were deliberately targeted. “Ukrainian armed forces observed the journalists from a drone and then began bombing. Two hours later, a video from the same drone appeared on the Ukrainian segment of TikTok. ‘Here are the correspondents. There are guys in civilian clothes,’ says the Ukrainian drone operator.” Long time French-Russian war correspondent Christelle Néant and colleague Laurent Brayard came under intensive Ukrainian shelling while covering earlier shelling in a district of Petrovsky, western Donetsk in June 2022. Her car was destroyed. Ukraine’s assassinations of Russian journalists Of the at least 30 Russian journalists killed, the following are some of those recently murdered: In November 2023, in the Zaporozhye region, Ukrainian forces targeted a group of Russian journalists with a drone. One of the journalists, Boris Maksudov, died as a result of his injuries. In July 2023, Ukrainian shelling of a civilian vehicle killed RIA Novosti war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev, and injured four of his colleagues. The shelling was with US cluster munitions. In October 2022, Ukrainian forces shelled a group of Tavria TV and radio company’s reporters, killing journalist Oleg Klokov. In April 2023, in St. Petersburg, war correspondent Maxim Fomin (Vladlen Tatarsky) was murdered when a statuette he’d been handed, containing a bomb, exploded. In August 2022, journalist Darya Dugina was killed in a car bombing in Moscow. Both the murders of Dugina and Fomin are believed to be the work of Kiev’s intelligence agents. Ukrainian intelligence also plotted assassination attempts against RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan and journalist Ksenia Sobchak. But it’s worth pointing out these targeted killings didn’t start in 2022. Back in 2014, Russian photojournalist Andrei Stenin was killed in a Ukrainian attack on, “a vehicle traveling in a convoy of escaping civilians when it came under heavy fire.” Ghoulish celebration of murder of Russian journalists By now, Ukraine’s “kill list”, Myrotvorets, is well known. It’s an extensive list of Ukrainian, Russian and foreign journalists, commentators, analysts, several hundred children (!!!), and other figures who have in some way offended Kiev’s terrorist regime. Whatever is known about the person in question is put on the list, including address when possible. If the person is killed, they are marked “liquidated” on Myrotvorets, as was the case with Darya Dugina. There have been various renditions of this, black lists and graphics comprising people not in Kiev’s graces. The intent of which is intimidation, but also to discredit those listed as “Russian propagandists”. Professor and author, Glenn Diesen pointed out on X, “NEXTA, referring to itself as “the largest Eastern European media”, celebrates the killing of a journalist. This reflects a much wider problem: Anyone challenging NATO’s war narrative can be labelled a “propagandist”, which legitimises censorship, cancellation and even violence.” Indeed, recently George and Amal Clooney’s foundation announced their intention to seek arrest warrants for journalists from Russian state media, to be extradited to a country where a criminal case can be opened against them. This is absurdity—seeking to arrest journalists for doing their job! And, I’d note, this nonsense comes from the same actors who whitewashed terrorism in Syria. International Committees ignore Russian journalists Unsurprisingly, Nikita’s murder, nor those of the tens of Russian journalists before him, will not be highlighted by agencies whose mandate is supposedly to protect journalists. We’ve seen the same in Syria. In 2014, I wrote about the deliberate murders by Western-backed terrorists of Syrian and allied journalists in Syria, noting, “The murders of non-Westerners—whether in Syria, Palestine or elsewhere—doesn’t matter to the media and public, unless it serves an Imperialist or Zionist agenda.” In Gaza, it is exponentially worse. RT journalists Mustafa al-Bayed reported on June 17 that, according to the Government Media Office, 151 Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been killed since October 2023. Just over two weeks after Nikita Tsitsagi’s killing, there is still no entry on RSF, nor on CPJ. Somewhat surprisingly, The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the murders of Tsitsagi and also that of NTV’s Valery Kozhin (although not fully impartially, as in spite of the 2022 referendum for the DPR to join Russia, IFJ still inserts “Russia’s occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine” in its entry). Nor has UNESCO, although it has for decades condemned violence against journalists. However, searching all of the above sites for any mention of the Ukrainian targeted assassinations of those I’ve mentioned earlier, only Rostislav Zhuravlev is mentioned, again only by the IFJ. RSF even apparently refused to comment on its exclusion of the murders of Rostislav Zhuravlev and Boris Maksudov. They, being very partial organizations, serve NATO’s agenda; reporting on Ukraine’s slaughter of Russian journalists doesn’t. The very tragic irony is that none of these journalists would have been killed if Kiev had not unleashed hell on its former citizens in the Donbass a decade ago. Journalists reporting from there courageously put their lives on the line to show the world how Ukraine has been slaughtering civilians, with Western backing and using Western weapons. MY RELATED: –Ukraine bombed a Donetsk hotel full of journalists – here’s what it felt like to be inside at the time –I’m on a ‘hit list’ Kiev allows to silence dissent & journalism. That’s all you need to know about Ukrainian ‘democracy’ –Media Black-Out on Arab Journalists and Civilians Beheaded in Syria by Western-Backed Terrorists –Reporters without shame: Top ‘media rights’ organization ignores rampant killings of Gaza journalists OTHER RELATED: –Kiev deliberately targeting journalists – Kremlin –Russian journalist killed in Ukrainian drone attack https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2024/07/03/ukraines-murder-of-30-russian-journalists-met-with-western-indifferenceor-grotesque-gloating/

The U.S. Army Blues featured jazz trombonist Steve Turre, who was joined for a finale by Altin Sencalar and the winners of the National Jazz Solo Competition, Pablo Muller Santiago & Jackson Churchill, at The U.S. Army Band 2024 American Trombone Workshop. #SanctifiedShells #Shells #ArmyBlues #MilitaryMusic #JazzTrombone #Jazz #Trombone #ATW2024 #ATW #Music

The IDF’s war crimes are a perfect reflection of Israeli society Miko Peled, author and former member of IDF Special Forces, explains how Israel indoctrinates its citizens in anti-Palestinian racism from the cradle to the grave. Three months into Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the atrocities the IDF has committed against Palestinians are too numerous to name. Israel is staging a prolonged assault on the Palestinian people’s very means of existence—destroying homes, hospitals, sanitation infrastructure, food and water sources, schools, and more. To understand the genocidal campaign unfolding before our eyes, we must examine the roots of Israeli society. Israel is a settler colonial state whose existence depends on the elimination of Palestinians. Accordingly, Israel is a deeply militarized society whose citizens are raised in an environment of historical revisionism and indoctrination that whitewashes Israel’s crimes while cultivating a deep-seated racism against Palestinians. Miko Peled, former IDF Special Forces and author of The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine, joins The Chris Hedges Report for a frank conversation on the distortions of history and reality at the foundations of Israeli identity. Studio Production: David Hebden, Adam Coley, Cameron Granadino Post-Production: Adam Coley Transcript Chris Hedges: The Israeli army, known as the Israel Defense Force or IDF, is integral to understanding Israeli society. Nearly all Israelis do three years of military service, most continue to serve in the reserves until middle age. Its generals often retire to occupy senior positions in government and industry. The dominance of the military in Israeli society helps explain why war, militaristic nationalism, and violence are so deeply embedded in Zionist ideology. Israel is the outgrowth of a militarized settler colonial movement that seeks its legitimacy in biblical myth. It has always sought to solve nearly every conflict; The ethnic cleansing and massacres against Palestinians known as the Nakba or catastrophe in the years between 1947 and 1949, the Suez War of 1956, the 1967 and 1973 wars with Arab neighbors, the two invasions of Lebanon, the Palestinian intifadas, and the series of military strikes on Gaza, including the most recent, with violence. The long campaign to occupy Palestinian land and ethnically cleanse Palestinians is rooted in the Zionist paramilitaries that formed the Israeli state and continue within the IDF. The overriding goal of settler colonialism is the total conquest of Palestinian land. The few Israeli leaders who have sought to reign in the military, such as Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, have been pushed aside by the generals. The military setbacks suffered by Israel in the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria, and during Israel’s invasions of Lebanon only fuel the extreme nationalists who have abandoned all pretense of a liberal democracy. They speak in the open language of apartheid and genocide. These extremists were behind the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Israel’s failure to live up to the Oslo Accords. This extremism has now been exacerbated by the attack of October 7, which killed about 1,200 Israelis. The few Israelis who oppose this militaristic nationalism, especially after October 7, have been silenced and persecuted in Israel. Genocidal violence is almost exclusively the language Israeli leaders, and now Israeli citizens, use to speak to the Palestinians and the Arab world. Joining me to discuss the role of the military in Israeli society is Miko Peled. Miko’s father was a general in the Israeli army. Miko was a member of Israel’s special forces and, although disillusioned with the military, moved from his role as a combatant to that of a medic. After the 1982 war in Lebanon, he buried his service pin. He is the author of, The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five. You grew up, you were a child when your father was a general in the IDF. This inculcation of that military ethos has begun very young and begun in the schools. Can you talk about that? Miko Peled: Sure, thanks for having me, Chris. It’s good to be with you again and talk to you. So it begins before the military. It begins in preschool. It begins as soon as kids are able to talk and walk. I always say I knew the order of the ranks in the military before I knew my alphabet and this is true for many Israeli kids. The Israeli education system is such that it leads young Israelis to become soldiers, to serve the apartheid state, and to serve in this genocidal state, which is the state of Israel. It’s an enormous part of that. And with me, it came with mega-doses of that because when your father’s a general, and particularly of that generation of the 1967 generals, they were like gods of Olympus. Everybody knew their names. On Independence Day, I remember in the schools you would have little flags, not just flags of Israel, but flags of the IDF with pictures of IDF generals, pictures of the military, all kinds of military symbols, and so on. It’s everywhere. When I was a kid they still had a military parade. It’s everywhere and it’s inescapable. And you hear it when you walk down the street, you hear it in the news, you hear it in conversations, you hear it in schools, you read it in the textbooks, and there’s no place to develop dissent. There’s no place to develop a sense that dissent is okay, that dissent is possible. And the few cases where people do become dissenters, it’s either because their families have a tradition of being communist or more progressive and somehow it’s part of their tradition but this is a minority of a minority. By and large, Israel stands with the army, and Israel is the army. You can’t separate Israel from its army, from its military. Chris Hedges: Let’s juxtapose the myth that you were taught in school about the IDF with the reality. Miko Peled: The myth that I was… Again, this was given to me in larger doses at home because my father and his comrades were all part of the 1948 mythology. We were small and we were resourceful, and we were clever, and therefore, in 1948, we were able to defeat these Arab armies and these Arab killers who came to try to kill us and so on and destroy our fledgling little Jewish state. And because of our heroism – And you talked about the biblical connection – Because we are the descendants of King David, and we are the descendants of the Maccabees, and we have this resourcefulness and strength in our genes, we were able to create a state and then every time they attacked, we were there. We were able to defend ourselves and prevail and so on. It’s everywhere. Then again, in my case, it’s every time the larger, more extended family got together or my parents got together with their friends. And in many cases, the fathers were also comrades in arms. The stories of the battles, the stories of the conquests; Every city in Israel has an IDF plaza. Street names after different units of different generals are all over the country, street names of battles, so it’s everywhere. It wasn’t until I was probably 40 or a little less than 40, that it was the first time that I encountered the other narrative, the Palestinian story, and it was unbelievable. Somebody was telling me the day is night and night is day, or the world is flat, or whatever the comparison you want to make, it was incredible. They are telling me that what I know to be true – ‘Cause I heard it in school and I read it in books and I heard it from my father and my mother and friends – That all of this is not true. And what you find out if you go along the path that I chose to take, this journey of an Israeli to Palestine, is that it was one horrifying crime against humanity. That’s what this so-called heroism was, it was no heroism at all. It was a well-trained, highly motivated, well-indoctrinated, well-armed militia that then became the IDF. But when it started, it was still a militia or today they would be called a terrorist organization, that went up against the people who had never had a military force, who never had a tank, who never had a warplane, who never prepared, even remotely, for battle or an assault. Then you have to make a choice: How do you bridge this? The differences are not nuanced, the differences are enormous. The choice that I made is to investigate for myself and find out who’s telling the truth and who isn’t. And my side was not telling the truth. Chris Hedges: How did they explain incidents such as the Nakba, the massacres that took place in ’48 and ’56, and the massive ethnic cleansing that took place in ’67? How was that explained to you within that mythic narrative? Many of the activities that the IDF has had to carry out are quite brutal, quite savage. The indiscriminate killing of civilians – We can talk about Gaza in a minute – What did that do to society? The people who carried out those killings, and eventually huge prisons, torture, and everything else? But let’s begin with how the myth coped with those incidents and then talk about the trauma that is carried within Israeli society for carrying out those war crimes. Miko Peled: My generation, we knew that there were several instances of bad apples that committed terrible crimes. And we admitted, so there was Deir Yassin, which was a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a peaceful village where a horrible massacre took place. Then we knew that Ariel Sharon was a bit of a lunatic and he took the commandos that he commanded in the ’50s and went to the West Bank and went into Gaza and committed acts of terrible massacres. He was still a hero, held in high regard by everyone, but we knew that there were certain instances… And every military, every nation makes its mistakes and then these things happen But there was never any sense that this somehow discounted or hurt the image of us being a moral army. There are lots of stories of how soldiers went and they decided to, out of the kindness of their hearts, they didn’t harm civilians. And those same civilians went and then warned the enemy that they were coming. And these same good Israeli soldiers would then pay the price and were killed. So it’s presented as limited cases. Nakba was not something that was ever discussed. I’m sure it’s not discussed today, certainly not in schools. In Israeli schools today, you’re not allowed to mention the Nakba. There’s a directive by the Ministry of Education that even Palestinians are not allowed to mention the Nakba. But nobody ever talked about that. And the Arabs left, what are you going to do? There was a war and all these people left and this is the way it is. So none of that ever hurt, in any way, the image of us being this glorious heroic army, descendants of King David, and other great traditions of Jewish heroism. None of that ever hurt itself. So there’s no trauma because we did nothing wrong. If somebody did something wrong, well, it was a case of bad apples, it was limited to a particular circumstance, a particular person, a particular unit, and you get crazy people everywhere. What are you going to do? It’s never been presented as systemic. Today, we have a history so we can look back and if we do pay attention, and if we do read the literature, and if we do listen to Palestinians – And today there’s this great NGO called Zochrot, whose mission is to maintain the memory of the towns and cities that were destroyed in 1948 and to revive the stories of what took place in 1948 – They are uncovering new massacres all the time. Because as that generation is dying off, both the Israelis who committed the crimes and the Palestinians who were still alive at the time and survived, are opening up and telling more and more stories. So we know of churches that were filled with civilians and were burned down. We know of a mosque in Lydd that was filled with people and a young man went and shot a Fiat missile into it. All of these horrific stories are still coming out but Israelis are not paying attention, Israelis are not listening. Whenever there’s an attack on Gaza – And as you know very well, these attacks began in the fifties with Ariel Sharon, by the way – There is always a reason. Because at first they were infiltrators, and then they were terrorists, and now they’re called Hamas, and whatever the devil’s name may be there’s always a very good reason to go in there because these are people who are raised to hate and kill and so on. So it’s a tightly-knit and tightly-orchestrated narrative that is being perpetuated and Israelis don’t seem to have a problem with that. Chris Hedges: And yet carrying out acts of brutality. The occupation – Huge numbers, a million Israelis are in the states. Large numbers of Israelis have left the country. I’m wondering how many of those are people who have a conscience and are repulsed by what they have seen in the West Bank and Gaza. Perhaps I’m incorrect about that. Miko Peled: I don’t know. In the few encounters that I’ve had with Israelis in the US over the years, the vast majority support Israel, support Israel’s actions. It’s interesting that you mentioned that because I got an email from someone representing a group of alumni of Jewish Day Schools. These are Zionist schools all over countries where they indoctrinate the worst Zionism: secular Zionism. And they are now appalled by the indoctrination to serve in the IDF. A very high percentage of these students grew up, went to Israel, joined the IDF, took part in APEC events, and so on. And now they’re looking back and they’re reflecting and they’re feeling a sense of anger that they were put through this and lied through their entire lives about this. So that’s an interesting development. And if that grows, then that might be a game changer because these are the most loyal American Jews. The most loyal to Israel. But by and large, Israelis that I meet, with few exceptions, support Israel and they’re here for whatever reasons people come to America: They’re not unique, they’re not necessarily here because they were fed up or they were angry, or they were dissenters in any way, shape, or form. Around DC and Maryland, there are many Israelis. Sometimes you’ll sit in a coffee shop or go somewhere, you hear the conversations, and there’s no lack of support for Israel among these Israelis as far as I can see. Chris Hedges: Let’s talk about the armies. You were in the Special Forces elite unit. Talk about that indoctrination. I remember visiting Auschwitz a few years ago, and there were Israeli groups and people flying Israeli flags. But speak about that form of indoctrination and its link, in particular, to the Holocaust. Miko Peled: The myth is that Israel is a response to the Holocaust. And that the IDF is a response to the Holocaust; We must be strong, we must be willing to fight, and we must always have a gun in one hand or a weapon in one hand so that this will never happen again. And what’s interesting is, when you talk to Holocaust survivors who are not indoctrinated, who did not get pulled into Zionism – Which there are very, very many – They’ll say the notion that a militarized state is somehow the answer to the Holocaust is absurd because the answer to the Holocaust is tolerance and education and humanity, not violence and racism. But nobody wants to ruin a good myth with the facts. So that’s the story. The story is because of Auschwitz, we represent all those that were killed, perished by the Nazis, and so on, and therefore we need to be strong. And the Israeli flag represents them, and the Israeli military represents them. It’s absurd, it’s absolute madness. I went to serve in the army willingly, as most young Israelis do. In my environment, refusing or not going was not heard of, although there were some voices in the wilderness that were refusing and questioning morality. But I never did. Nobody around me ever did until I began the training and you began patrolling. I remember – You and I may have talked about this once – We were an infantry unit, a commando infantry unit. And suddenly we were given batons and these plastic handcuffs and were told to patrol in Ramallah. And I’m going, what the hell’s going on? What are we doing here? And then we’re told if anybody looks at you funny, you break every bone in their body. And I thought, everybody’s going to look at us, we’re commandos while marching through a city. Who’s not going to look at us? I was behind. I didn’t realize that everybody already understood that this is how it is, this is how it’s supposed to be. I thought, wait, this is wrong. Why are we doing this? We’re supposed to be the good guys here. And then there was the Lebanon invasion of ’82 and so on. So that broke that in my mind, that was a serious crack in the wall of belief and the wall of patriotism that was in me. But this whole notion that somehow being violent and militaristic and racist and being conquerors is somehow a response to the horrors of the Holocaust is absolute madness. But when you’re in it nobody around you is asking questions. You don’t ask questions either unless you’re willing to stand out and be smacked on the head. Chris Hedges: Within the military, within the IDF, how did they speak about Palestinians and Arabs? Miko Peled: The discourse, the hatred, the racism, is horrifying. First of all, they’re the animals. They’re nothing. It’s a joke, you see, it’s horrifying. They think it’s funny to stop people and ask them for their ID and to chase them and to chase kids and to shoot. It all seems like entertainment, you know? I never heard that discourse until I was in it. Then afterward, when I would meet Israelis who served, even here in the US, the way they joked around about what they did in the West Bank, the way they joked around about killing or stopping people or making them take their clothes off and dance naked, it’s entertainment. They think it’s funny. They don’t see that there’s a problem here because racism is so ingrained from such a young age that it’s almost organic. And I don’t think it’s surprising. When you have a racist society, and you have a racist education system that is so methodical, that’s what you get. And the racism doesn’t stop with Palestinians or with Arabs; It goes on to the Black people, it goes on to people of color, it goes to Jews or Israelis who come from other countries who are dark-skinned, for some reason. The racism crosses all these boundaries and it’s completely part of the culture. Chris Hedges: You have very little criticism of the IDF, almost none within the Israeli press, although there is quite a bit of criticism right now, of Netanyahu and his mismanagement and his corruption. Talk a little bit about the deification of the IDF within the public discourse and mainstream media and what that means for what’s happening in Gaza. Miko Peled: Well, the military is above the law. It’s above reproach, except from time to time. So after the ’73 war, there was an investigation. Earlier this week, there was, in the cabinet meeting… The cabinet meets every Sunday. And the army chief of staff was there and he was… This was leaked from the cabinet meeting. It was leaked that some of the more right-wing partners – It’s funny to say right-wing partners because they’re all this right-wing lunacy in the Israeli cabinet – But the more right-wing settlers that are in the cabinet were attacking the army, were attacking the chief of staff because he decided to start an inquiry because it was catastrophic when the Palestinian fighters came in from Gaza, there was nobody home. They took over half of their country back. They took 22 Israeli settlements and cities. They took over the army base of the Gaza brigade, which is supposed to defend the country from exactly this happening. And there was nobody in the… They took over the base. So he initiated an internal inquiry within the army, and they’re criticizing him and what you see in the Israeli press is two very interesting things: One is something went horribly wrong and we need to find out why, but we should wait because we shouldn’t do it during wartime. We shouldn’t criticize the army during wartime. We shouldn’t make the soldiers feel like they have to hold back because if they need to shoot, they should be allowed to shoot. And the other thing we see is that politically, everybody is eating each other up. They’re killing each other politically in the press. So everybody that’s against Netanyahu and wants to see it is attacking him. His people are attacking the others for attacking the government. It seems like there’s this paralysis as a result of this infighting that is affecting the functionality of the state as a state. Israelis are not living in the country, Israel is not the state that it was prior to October 7, it was paralyzed for several weeks, and now it’s still paralyzed in many ways. You’ve got missiles coming from the north, you’ve got missiles coming from the south. You’ve got very large numbers of Israeli soldiers being killed and thousands being injured and the war’s not ending. They’re not able to defeat the Palestinians in Gaza, the armed resistance, and so on. So all of this is taking place and you read the Israeli press and it’s like this cesspool that’s bubbling and bubbling and bubbling, and everybody’s attacking everybody else. And the army, it’s true, they are above reproach mostly, but this particular time the settlers are very angry. Another reason is because the the military decided to pull back some of the ground troops, understandably, since they’re being hit so hard. And I remember that happening before when the army pulled back out of Gaza, they were being attacked for stopping the killing, for not continuing these mass killings of Palestinians. Chris Hedges: Well, you had what? 70 fatalities in the Golani Brigade? And they were pulled back. This is a very elite unit. Miko Peled: Yeah, it’s very interesting because many of the casualties are high-ranking officers. You have colonels, lieutenant colonels, and very high-ranking commanders within Israeli special forces who are being killed. And they’re usually killed in big bunches because they’ll be in an armored personnel carrier or they’ll be marching together. And in Jenin a few days ago, they blew up a military vehicle and killed a bunch of soldiers. So Israelis are scratching their heads, not knowing what the hell is going on and what to do, because number one, they were not protected as they thought they were. And I’m sure you know this, the Israeli settlements, the kibbutzim, the cities in the south that border Gaza, [inaudible 00:25:59], they enjoy some of the highest standards of living among Israelis. It’s a beautiful lifestyle. It’s warm, it’s lovely. Agriculture is… And I don’t think it ever occurred to them that Palestinians would dare to come out of Gaza fighting and succeeding the way they did. The army was bankrupt. It was gone, the intelligence apparatus was bankrupt, and nothing worked. And it is reminiscent of what happened in 1973. This is far worse but it is reminiscent. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the October 7 attacks were exactly 50 years and one day after the 1973 October war began and the whole system collapsed. So that’s what we’re seeing right now. Chris Hedges: How do you read what’s happening in Gaza, militarily? Miko Peled: The Palestinians are able to hold on and kill many Israelis. And even though the Israelis have the firepower and they’ve got the logistics, supply chains are not a problem. Whereas Palestinians, I don’t know where they’re getting supplies. I don’t know where they’re getting food to continue fighting. They’re putting up a fierce resistance. I don’t think that militarily there’s a strategy here. This is revenge; Israel was humiliated, the army was humiliated, and they needed to take it out on somebody. So they found the weakest victims they could lay their hands on, and these are the Palestinian civilians in Gaza. And so they’re killing them by the tens of thousands. I don’t think anybody believes in such a thing as getting rid of Hamas. I don’t think anybody believes that that’s possible. I don’t believe anybody takes seriously or believes that you can take too many people out of Gaza and spread them around the world and into other places, even though that’s what they’re saying. But as long as Israel is allowed to kill, and as long as the supply chain isn’t interrupted, they’re going to continue to kill. Chris Hedges: And they’re also creating a humanitarian crisis. So it’s not just the bombs and the shells, but it’s now starvation. Diarrhea is an epidemic, sanitation is broken. I’m wondering at what point this humanitarian crisis becomes so pronounced that the choice is you leave or you die. Miko Peled: That’s always the big question for Palestinians. And the sad thing is that Palestinians are always being placed in these situations where they have to make that choice. It’s the worst form of injustice. And you know this, you’ve been in war zones. We don’t know how many bodies are buried under the rubble and what that’s going to bring up. And there are hundreds of thousands now who are suffering from all kinds of diseases as a result of this environmental catastrophe. And you remember, what was it? 2016 or something, 2017? The UN came out with a report that by 2020, Gaza would be uninhabitable. I don’t think the Gaza Strip has ever been inhabitable. It’s been a humanitarian disaster since it was created in the late forties and early fifties because they suddenly threw all these refugees there with no infrastructure and that was it, and then began killing them. I was talking to some people the other day, as Americans, as taxpayers, wouldn’t we want the Sixth Fleet, which is in the Mediterranean, the US Navy Sixth Fleet, to aid the Palestinians? To provide them support? To create a no-fly zone over these innocent people that are being massacred? As Americans, shouldn’t that be the natural ask, the natural desire to demand our politicians to use? Because American naval vessels have been used for humanitarian causes before. Why aren’t they supporting the Palestinians? Why aren’t they providing them aid? Why aren’t they helping them rebuild? Why are American tax dollars going to continue this genocide rather than stop it and aid the victims? These are questions Americans need to ask themselves because it makes absolutely no sense. It is absolute madness that people are allowing their government to support a genocide that’s not even done in secret. It’s not even done in hiding it. It’s on prime time. Everybody sees it. Everybody knows what’s going on. And again, for some strange reason, Americans are allowing their military and their government to aid the genocide. And there’s no question that it’s genocide. The definition of the crime of genocide is so absolutely clear, that anybody can look it up and compare it to what’s been going on in Palestine. So that to me is the greatest question: Why aren’t Americans demanding that the US support the Palestinians? Chris Hedges: Well, according to opinion polls, most Americans want a ceasefire. But the Congress is bought and paid for by the Israel lobby. Biden is one of the largest recipients of aid or campaign financing from the Israel lobby. This is true for both parties. Chuck Schumer was at the rally saying no ceasefire. Miko Peled: Which is odd. A ceasefire is a very small ask and I don’t know why we always ask for the bare minimum for Palestinians. But let’s talk about ceasefire. Israeli soldiers are being killed as well in very large numbers. How has ceasefire suddenly become an anti-Israeli demand? But it’s a very small ask. I don’t know how it was or where it was that this idea of demanding a ceasefire came up because that is not a serious demand. Ceasefire gets violated by Israel anyway, within 24-48 hours. You know that historically Israel always violated ceasefires. What is required here are severe sanctions, a no-fly zone, immediate aid to the Palestinians, and stopping this and providing guarantees for the safety and security of Palestinians forever moving forward so this can never happen again. That’s what needs to be asked. At this point, after having sacrificed so much, after having shown much of what I believe is immense courage, Palestinians deserve everything. We as people of conscience need to demand not to ceasefire, we need to demand a dismantling of the apartheid state and a full stop and absolute end to the genocide and guarantees put in place that Palestinian kids will be safe. I was talking to Issa Amro earlier in Hebron. It’s ridiculous when nobody even talks about what happens in the West Bank. Friends of mine who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, nobody dares to leave the house, nobody dares to text. They’re afraid to walk down the streets. Their safety is not guaranteed by anyone. Palestinian safety and security are left to the whims of any Israeli, and that should be the conversation right now, after such horrendous violence. That needs to be the demand. That needs to be the ask when we go to protests when we make these demands like a ceasefire. And even that, Israel is not willing. And these bouts of political supporters of Israel here in America are not willing to entertain a ceasefire. I believe it’s a crazy part of history that we’re experiencing right now and it’s a watershed moment. October 7 created an opportunity to end this for good, to end the suffering of Palestinians, the oppression, and the genocide for good. And if we being people of conscience don’t take advantage of this now and bring it to an end, we will regret this for generations. Chris Hedges: The Netanyahu government is talking about this assault on Gaza, this genocide continuing for months. There are strikes, and have been strikes against, now Hezbollah leaders. What concerns you? How could this all go terribly wrong? Miko Peled: It’s already gone terribly wrong because of the death and destruction of so many innocent lives is… I don’t even know that there’s a word for it. It’s beyond horrifying. Netanyahu is relying on the restraint of Hezbollah and the restraint of Iran and the restraint of the Arab governments has all been neutralized either through destruct, being destroyed, or through normalization. So he’s relying on that and he knows that he can keep triggering, he can keep bombing Lebanon, bombing Syria, instigating all of these things and it won’t turn into an all-out war. Because at the end of the day, even though Lebanese, Hezbollah, and Palestinian fighters have shown that they’re superior as fighters, they don’t have the supply chains, they don’t have the warplanes, they don’t have the tanks. So more and more civilians are going to be hurt. So I don’t think it’s going to turn into a regional war by any stretch of the imagination. And so Netanyahu is betting on that, and that’s why he’s allowing this to go on. And for him, this is a win-win. There’s no way that he can be unseated by anybody that’s around him. There’s no opposition. And as long as this goes on, as long as everybody’s in a state of crisis, he can continue to sit in the Prime Minister’s seat, which for him is the end all and be all of everything. And the world is supporting. The world, as governments of the world, I should say. I do interviews with African TV stations, Indian TV stations, and Europeans; Everybody is supporting Israel. Everybody listens to what I have to say, and they think I am a lunatic for supporting terrorism or whatever it is they, however, it is that they frame it. But I don’t see this ending unless there is massive pressure by people of conscience on their governments to force change, to force sanctions, to force the end of the genocide, and the end of the apartheid state. Chris Hedges: I want to talk about the shift within Zionism itself from the dominance of a secular leadership to – We see it in the government of Netanyahu – The rise of a religious Zionism, which is also true now within the IDF. And I wondered if you could talk about the consequences of that. Miko Peled: Sure. So originally, traditionally, and historically, Zionism and Judaism were at odds. And even to this day ultra-orthodox Jews reject Zionism and reject Israel by and large. But after 1967, there was this new creation of the Zionist religious movement. And these are the settlers who went to the West Bank and they became the new pioneers. And they are today, they make up a large portion of the officers and those who joined the special forces and so on. In the past, in the army, the unofficial policy was that these guys, should not be allowed to advance. The current chief of staff comes from that world, which is a huge change. There are several generals and high-ranking commanders and so on who come from that world. The reason that it was the unofficial policy that these guys should not be promoted was that it’s an incredibly toxic combination, this messianic form of Judaism, which is an aberration. It’s not Judaism at all, with this nationalist fanaticism. This combination is toxic and look what it created. It created some of the worst racists, some of the most violent thugs that we’ve seen, certainly in the short history of the state of Israel, although I don’t know that they’re any less violent than the generation of Zionists of my father who are secular. This was a big concern in the past but now they’re everywhere and look at its current government. They hold the finance ministry, they hold the national security ministry, certainly in the military they’re everywhere, they hold many sub-cabinets, and they’re heads of committees in the Knesset, and so on. And they’ve done their work. They worked very hard to get to where they are today, which is where they call the shots. And Netanyahu’s guaranteed to remain in power. They’re his support group. That’s why you could have had, as we had earlier this year, hundreds of thousands of Israelis protesting in the streets and it didn’t affect him because he has his block in the Knesset that will never leave him as long as he allows them to play their game. And this is what’s happening. So in terms of violence and the facts on the ground, I don’t think these guys are any worse again than my parents’ generation who were young Zionists and zealots at the time and committed the 1948 Nakba and ran the country and operated the apartheid state for the first few decades. But it’s a new form of fanaticism being that it is religious as well as fascist. So it’s very toxic. And they have more of a stomach for killing civilians than we’ve ever seen before, even for Israelis. These numbers are beyond belief, even for Israel. Chris Hedges: I’m wondering if this religious Zionism probably has its profoundest effect within Israel, in terms of shutting down dissidents, civil liberties, this kind of stuff. Miko Peled: Well, Israelis love them. Israelis love these guys because they’re religious but they dress like us. They don’t look like the old Jews with the big beards and everything; They’re cool. They wear jeans. And the reason I say this is because one of their objectives is to take over Al-Aqsa and build a Jewish temple. They’re destroying Al-Aqsa and they conduct these tours. In the old city of Jerusalem, there’s a particular path that you take from where the western wall is up to Al-Aqsa, which is open for non-Muslims. And so they hold tours and there’s several odd times throughout the day. I’ve taken some of these tours to see what it’s about, what these guys do, you know? These are prayer tours and hundreds of thousands of Israelis go on these tours. And these are Israelis who are not religious at all, these are secular people. I see the people that go on the tours. To give you an idea of what this is about, you go up on that bridge and then you wait until the tour starts because you have to go in a group. And there’s a massive model of the new temple, of the Jewish temple that is going to be built there. And then you have a huge group of armed police –They’re not soldiers, they’re police but dressed completely militarized. And Muslim Palestinians are not allowed – That accompany the tour all around and they stop and they pray and they stop and they pray and they stop and pray at various places. The whole thing takes maybe an hour. But the interesting thing is that the people who go on these tours are secular Israelis. And then as I was doing this, I was remembering, even as a kid growing up completely secular, we would sing songs about the day that we build a temple. Why did we sing songs about building a temple? Because it went beyond our religious significance and became a national significance. And there’s no question in my mind that Netanyahu and secular Israelis would love to see this idea of destroying Al-Aqsa and having a Jewish temple there. It’s a sign that we’re back, King David is back. Even though it has nothing to do with history and there’s no truth in it, the connection that we are descendants of King David is something Israelis love. That’s what this is about, the relationship between the so-called settlers. That’s what they’re called in Israeli jargon. They’re called the settlers. Regular secular Israelis are an interesting one because on the one hand, they’re looked down upon because they’re religious, but on the other hand, they’re a cool religious. So there is an affinity. Chris Hedges: Great. That was Miko Peled, author of The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five. I want to thank the Real News Network and its production team: Cameron Granandino, Adam Coley, David Hebden, and Kayla Rivara. You can find me at chrishedges.substack.com. Creative Commons License Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. https://therealnews.com/the-idfs-war-crimes-are-a-perfect-reflection-of-israeli-society https://telegra.ph/The-IDFs-war-crimes-are-a-perfect-reflection-of-Israeli-society-04-02