New Israeli atrocities coming to light – Day 368 [email protected] October 10, 2024 international criminal court, Jeremy Loffredo, Lebanon, Matthew Brodsky, northern Gaza, Ofer Prison, Palestinian children, palestinian olive harvest, The Killings They Tweeted, west bank deaths At least 10 Gazans were killed in a horrific Israeli massacre targeting displaced people’s tents in the yard of Al-Yemen Al-Saeed Hospital in the heart of Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza. (Hossam Shabat) Compilation of news reports – IAK staff At least 45 Palestinians were killed and 130 were injured in three massacres of families in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday. On Wednesday, at least 10 Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces bombed the tents of displaced people in Jabaliya. Gaza has become a sea of rubble and a graveyard for tens of thousands of people Gaza has become a sea of rubble and a graveyard for tens of thousands of people (Image: Getty) The reality in northern Gaza: witnesses report a bloodbath From Mondoweiss: The following are some eyewitness reports from residents of Jabaliya, where the Israeli army surrounded the area and launched a surprise invasion on Sunday morning, coinciding with the first anniversary of October 7. Roughly 200,000 Palestinians are under siege; the hospitals in the vicinity are under evacuation orders. Most residents could not [or would not] evacuate and were locked in their homes with very little available for them to survive. One family that evacuated carrying a white flag found themselves under fire from quadcopter attack drones. The father and one son were killed; the rest of the family took shelter. What they saw was “like a horror movie.” The road was filled with dead bodies, and “dismembered bodies strewn across the streets.” “My cousin came the second night and joined us in the shelter,” Raneem explains. “They said that people lay dead at their homes’ front doors and in the street,” killed as they tried to follow evacuation orders. The Civil Defense in Gaza has reported several massacres perpetrated by the Israeli army during the ongoing invasion of Jabalia, although rescue workers have been unable to tally an exact number of casualties due to difficulties accessing the area. (Read the full report here.) Local journalist Hossam Shabat, living and working in northern Gaza, confirmed the above descriptions: Israeli occupation forces have asked all residents of northern Gaza (300k+) to evacuate as a means of ethnically cleansing North Gaza . However, they then besieged Jabalia refugee camp, and when people tried to leave, they were shot at by snipers. Many residents are on the streets, bleeding, as Israeli forces have destroyed ambulances and are targeting anyone who tries to help. The situation in the north is horrific and very dangerous; there are currently hundreds of thousands trapped, and the shelling is nonstop. RECOMMENDED READING: Ex-US diplomat calls ‘red lines’ meaningless as Israel orders 400,000 to leave Gaza’s north US: former White House advisor urges Israel to ‘carpet bomb’ Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon Middle East Monitor reports: Former White House advisor Matthew Brodsky has urged Israel to drop napalm on Irish peacekeepers in South Lebanon, sparking outrage and concern over the ideological stance of individuals advising the US administration on Israel and Palestine. UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon) has some 10,000 peacekeepers in south Lebanon, including members of the Irish Defense Forces. All UNIFIL personnel are distinguishable by their blue helmets and white vehicles. Brodsky, a Senior Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy and former Director of Policy at the Jewish Policy Centre, posted a shocking tweet on X stating: “Israel should carpet bomb the Irish area and then drop napalm over it.” The tweet, which has since been deleted, included a map showing the deployment of Ireland’s peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon. The comment has been condemned widely, with many questioning the appropriateness of having individuals with such extreme views in advisory roles within the US government. Brodsky’s comments come at a time of heightened tensions in the region and have raised concerns about the influence of hard-line Zionist ideologues on US foreign policy. Critics have accused Brodsky, who has lived and studied in Israel, of promoting Jewish supremacism. This incident has reignited debates about the prevalence of extremist ideologies within US political circles and their potential impact on diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. (Read more here.) NOTE: According to his website, Matthew Brodsky has worked for over two decades in U.S. foreign policy and national security. He has briefed members of Congress, Department of State, Department of Defense, and the National Security Council on Iran, Syria, and Palestinian-Israeli issues. New York Times: American doctors who volunteered in Gaza report massive number of children shot in the head Some eyewitness accounts from the New York Times: At least 44 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw multiple cases of preteen children who had been shot in the head or chest in Gaza. Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar, General, bariatric and foregut surgeon, 36 years old, Pittsburgh, Pa. “One night in the emergency department, over the course of four hours, I saw six children between the ages of 5 and 12, all with single gunshot wounds to the skull.” Rania Afaneh, Paramedic, 23 years old, Savannah, Ga. “I saw a child who had been shot in the jaw. No other part of his body was affected. He was fully awake and aware of what was going on. He stared at me while he choked on his own blood as I tried to suction the blood out with a broken suction unit.” Dr. Khawaja Ikram, Orthopedic surgeon, 53 years old, Dallas, Texas “One day, while in the E.R., I saw a 3-year-old and 5-year-old, each with a single bullet hole to their head. When asked what happened, their father and brother said they had been told that Israel was backing out of Khan Younis. So they returned to see if anything was left of their house. There was, they said, a sniper waiting who shot both children.” Dr. Ahlia Kattan, Anesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif. “I saw an 18-month-old little girl with a gunshot wound to the head.” Dr. Nidal Farah, Anesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio “I saw many children. In my experience the gunshot wound was often to the head. Many had non-curable, permanent brain damage. It was almost a daily occurrence to have children arrive at the hospital with gunshot wounds to the head.” Times Opinion sent questions about the experiences of these American health care workers to the Israel Defense Forces. A spokesperson for the I.D.F. responded with a statement that did not directly answer whether or not the military had investigated reports of shootings of preteen children, or if any disciplinary action had been taken against soldiers for firing at children. The statement began, “The I.D.F. is committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity. In that spirit, the I.D.F. makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage in its strikes. The I.D.F. is fully committed to respecting all applicable international legal obligations, including the Law of Armed Conflict.” NOTE: Israeli sources, including the government itself, have a long track record of lying (for example, this and this and this.) Israel’s self-investigations consistently whitewash its crimes and fail to appropriately punish the perpetrators. These photographs of X-rays were provided by Dr. Mimi Syed, who worked in Khan Younis from Aug. 8 to Sept. 5. She said: “I had multiple pediatric patients, mostly under the age of 12, who were shot in the head or the left side of the chest. Usually, these were single shots. The patients came in either dead or critical, and died shortly after arriving.” These photographs of X-rays were provided by Dr. Mimi Syed, who worked in Khan Younis from Aug. 8 to Sept. 5. She said: “I had multiple pediatric patients, mostly under the age of 12, who were shot in the head or the left side of the chest. Usually, these were single shots. The patients came in either dead or critical, and died shortly after arriving.” (Dr. Mimi Syed) Israel detains US journalist reporting on damage to its military bases Middle East Monitor reports: Israel has detained American Grayzone journalist Jeremy Loffredo while he was on assignment in Israel. According to social media posts, Loffredo was detained on Tuesday along with four other journalists who were “beaten, blindfolded, and taken to an Israeli military base.” They also had their phones confiscated. Loffredo remains in custody, while the others, including Andrey X, were released 11 hours later. Loffredo’s last video posted on X reported the damage caused by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel’s military sites on 1 October. Social media users believe this is the reason for his detention as no local news organisations have covered the damage from the attack. Netanyahu says it will be Lebanese civilians’ fault if Israel destroys Lebanon Various agencies report: Once again, Israel is setting the stage for massive civilian casualties – this time in Lebanon – and placing the blame for it squarely on the civilians’ shoulders. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video statement Tuesday, calling on the people of Lebanon to “free [their] country from Hezbollah,” threatening them with “destruction and suffering” if they refused to do so. “You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn’t have to be that way,” Netanyahu said, as his country’s air force continued to launch non-stop raids across Lebanon. Israeli officials have been saying they’re going to destroy Lebanon like they destroyed Gaza for months. Back in December Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant said, “Every person in Lebanon can take the map, the aerial photograph of Gaza, place it on an aerial photograph of Beirut, and ask themselves if this is what they want to happen there.” Now Netanyahu himself is saying this. Notably, Netanyahu’s statement was delivered in English, with English subtitles. This wasn’t actually a plea made to the people of Lebanon, it was propaganda made for western consumption. Netanyahu does not actually believe the Lebanese people are going to take up arms against Hezbollah to stop their country from being destroyed, he’s just creating a narrative to justify what he already plans on doing to Lebanon. And the US is encouraging Israel to move forward. On Tuesday State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller told the press that the Biden administration no longer supports a ceasefire with Hezbollah, saying “We support Israel’s efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s capability” instead. Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats toward Lebanon, the US on Wednesday warned that the situation there must not turn into something resembling the situation the Gaza Strip, where more than 42,000 people have been killed in the last year. “We cannot and must not see the situation in Lebanon turn into anything like the situation in Gaza. That would, of course, not be acceptable,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Ben Gvir oversees violent raid against Palestinians inside Ofer Prison Palestine Chronicle reports: A pre-dawn raid on Ofer prison on Monday saw police officers using stun grenades and dogs. In the footage shared by Ben-Gvir on X, detainees are seen handcuffed, and being violently moved around inside the prison, and several are seen laying face down on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. “With zero tolerance and a heavy hand – this is how the prison fighters work with the animals of prey from the Nohba terrorists. I back them up!” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said alongside the footage. He claimed detainees whom he called “human scum” were “planning to riot inside the prison to mark the anniversary” of the October 7 resistance operation. Historic Int’l Criminal Court War Crimes Complaint Names 1,000 Israeli Soldiers Common Dreams reports: A Belgium-based advocacy group on Tuesday announced it “filed an unprecedented and historic complaint with the International Criminal Court against 1,000 Israeli occupation forces soldiers for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza,” where more than 150,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded and millions more displaced, starved, and sickened by Israel’s yearlong onslaught. The Hind Rajab Foundation—named after the 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in January along with half a dozen relatives and rescue workers by Israeli troops invading Gaza in retaliation for the October 2023 Hamas-led attack—said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel identified by name in the International Criminal Court (ICC) complaint “are accused of participating in systematic attacks against civilians during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” “This complaint, supported by over 8,000 pieces of verifiable evidence—including videos, audio recordings, forensic reports, and social media documentation—demonstrates the soldiers’ direct involvement in these atrocities,” the group explained. “All of the named soldiers were located in Gaza during the genocidal assault, and the evidence reveals their participation in violations of international law.” “This complaint is not only the largest ever submitted to the ICC, but it is also a milestone in documenting Israeli war crimes for future generations,” the Hind Rajab Foundation said. “By meticulously identifying the perpetrators and detailing their crimes, we are establishing a historical record that will ensure the individuals responsible are remembered and held accountable.” (Read more about the case here.) Bodies of Palestinians are brought to al-Awda Hospital after an Israeli attack on northern Gaza City. Bodies of Palestinians are brought to al-Awda Hospital after an Israeli attack on northern Gaza City. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu) West Bank: Israeli Soldiers Kill Five Palestinians IMEMC reports: On Wednesday, Israeli special forces assassinated four Palestinian young men, and injured one, after targeting their vehicle in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain men as Issam Mohammad Suleiman Salaj, 30, Abdul Halim Mohammad Nasser, 43, Salim Izz al-Din Mahmoud Abu Saada, 40, and Naim Mohammad Raji Abdul Hadi, 32. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said their ambulance crews transported the bodies of the slain men to the Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus, in addition to a young man who sustained injuries to the head and chest as a result of shrapnel from live rounds. Media sources said that an undercover Israeli unit (Musta’ribeen) infiltrated the eastern area of Nablus city, on Wednesday afternoon, and fired many live rounds at a vehicle, executing all four men inside. Issam Mohammad Suleiman Salaj, 30, Abdul Halim Mohammad Nasser, 43, Salim Izz al-Din Mahmoud Abu Saada, 40, and Naim Mohammad Raji Abdul Hadi, 32. Issam Mohammad Suleiman Salaj, 30, Abdul Halim Mohammad Nasser, 43, Salim Izz al-Din Mahmoud Abu Saada, 40, and Naim Mohammad Raji Abdul Hadi, 32. (photo) On Tuesday night, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian man, after surrounding his home, in Aqaba town, north of Tubas in the northeastern part of the occupied West Bank, and took his corpse before withdrawing. Media sources said Israeli undercover forces infiltrated the town and surrounded a house, before additional military vehicles invaded it. Media sources in the town, said the soldiers fired an Energa shells at the home, killing the Palestinian. Sources from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said their crews received a report of an injury inside the besieged house, but Israeli forces detained the injured young man, abducted him, and withdrew. The army later confirmed the death of the slain Palestinian, identified Abdul-Rauf Rajeh Hamed Al-Masri, 37, but refused to allow the release of his corpse. In West Bank, Palestinian olive harvest terrorized by Israeli settlers, blocked by Israeli restrictions Anadolu Agency reports: Palestinians are unable to harvest olives in their orchards due to restrictions imposed by the Israeli army since Oct. 7, 2023, and attacks by Israeli settlers. Palestinian Minister of Agriculture Rezq Basheer-Selimia told the press that the ongoing restrictions imposed by the Israeli army and attacks by the Israelis are affecting Palestinian farmers, noting that at least 100,000 acres (approximately 404.69 sq km) of olive groves in the West Bank are not available for harvesting. For example, Palestinians in Madma, a town of 2,500 inhabitants in the northern part of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, are unable to harvest their 5,000 acres (around 20.23 sq km) of olive groves. Israeli settlers attacked the town of Madma, beat and threatened the Palestinian residents, damaged their homes, and stole agricultural tools. A town spokesman said, “A group of Israeli settlers attacked residents of the town who were harvesting olives the other day. The settlers opened fire at the farmers and drove them away from the olive groves.” The Israeli army responds by protecting the attackers and imposing restrictions on Palestinians. NOTE: According to Bethlehem Bible College, the olive tree in Palestine has essential economic, cultural, social, and national significance, and symbolizes the Palestinian attachment to their land – olive trees resist the tough conditions of drought and poor soil conditions and remain attached to their place. Many Palestinian families inherited olive trees over many generations. Families gather every year in October to harvest the olive trees. They feel proud, bearing in mind their ancestors who were taking care of these trees before. Olive fruit compromises the income of 80,000 Palestinian families. Almost half of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (48%) is planted with olive trees. 70% of food production in Palestine is accounted for by olive trees, and economically olive trees contribute to 14% of the Palestinian economy. Most olive harvesting (90%) is used for oil production, while the rest (10%) is used for olive soap and pickling. A group of Jewish settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers raids the Old City area of Hebron, West Bank on September 14, 2024 [Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu Agency] A group of Jewish settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers raids the Old City area of Hebron, West Bank on September 14, 2024 (Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu Agency) MORE NEWS: Anadolu Agency: Pro-Palestinian Australian senator announces launch of new political party Al Jazeera: Is Israel deliberately targeting Lebanon’s first responders? STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 9, 2024: Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – October 9, 2024: at least 42,814* ( 42,065 in Gaza* – 69% are women and children, according to Gaza’s Media Office). [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 749 in the West Bank (~164 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more in Gaza 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 300,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza. At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 25 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 – October 9, 2024: at least 104,086 (including at least 97,886 in Gaza and 6,200 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, 2023 – October 9, 2024: ~1,457 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 293*** 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. The death toll in Lebanon since October 8, 2023 is at least 2,141 and 10,099 injuries. An estimated 1.2 million have been displaced. 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. ***The figure does not include the reportedly 56 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) How Israel killed hundreds of its own people on October 7 The most precarious place in the world to be a child: Israel’s year of war on children Every accusation a confession: Israel and the double lie of ‘human shields’ Most Americans want to stop arming Israel. Politicians don’t care. Happy 100th birthday, Jimmy Carter – loved by many, smeared by some You can’t arm a genocidal state into moderation. So why does the West keep trying? How Does Israel Justify Mass Killings? It Starts in the Schools. From the Americas to Gaza: Spreading disease has long been used by colonizers to commit genocide Contrived charges of antisemitism are the new ‘Red Scare’ How Israel’s quadcopters traumatize, maim and kill Palestinians in Gaza Israeli society’s dehumanization of Palestinians is now absolute The unpublished genocide diaries of Refaat Alareer An arms embargo on Israel is not a radical idea — it’s the law Israel is redrawing the West Bank, cutting into a prospective Palestinian state Gaza breakdown: 20 times Israel used US arms in likely war crimes U.S. universities spent the summer strategizing to suppress student activism. Here is their plan. ‘Words like Slaughter:’ A comparative study of The New York Times reporting in Ukraine and Gaza Cracks in the Dome: Israel’s security mirage Israel Suddenly Has A Problem With Attacks On Population Centers Americans are always the last to know…about Israel’s crimes https://israelpalestinenews.org/new-israeli-atrocities-coming-to-light-day-368/

Microscopy of Rain-, Well- & Reverse Osmosis Filtered Tap Water, Boiled Fiji and Pre-Covid Fiji Water and Mountain Valley Water Based on reader comments and suggestion, I did darkfield microscopy of the same Fiji water I tested for my recent Substack, but I boiled it first. I found an older bottle Fiji water from the “pre-Covid” era and tested that too. Then I took samples of rainwater, of my well water fed by rain, as well as of the water after it runs through the whole house reverse osmosis (RO) system. I also sampled water I get delivered every month from Mountain Valley water as I prefer the taste to the RO water. It comes in 5-gallon glass jugs. The Fiji water from the same bottle as the sample I showed two weeks ago still had hydrogel-like structures in it after boiling it: So boiling is useless when it comes to hydrogels. The older Fiji bottle as well had something that looks like a hydrogel: But the older bottle had crystals the new bottle didn’t have. Fiji water is famous for its silica content, but an image search for silica crystals made it clear these are not silica crystals. So far, I haven’t been able to identify them. I then collected rainwater and examined it as well. It contains hydrogel like structures in various forms: Next up I examined my well water which is known for its sulfur content which is why the yard smells like rotten eggs once the sprinklers go off. That’s why everyone here in the Acreage uses the sprinklers around 2 am when you don’t smell it (if your windows are closed which they are most of the time except on cool winter nights when we need the sprinklers most as it’s the dry season). The moving things are bacteria that live in the soil. Thankfully and surprisingly, there were no hydrogels to be found. It may be that the filtration of rainwater passing through soil layers removes these. The soil here consists mostly of sand. The well water runs through a complex filtration system using a carbon filter, a 5- and 20-micron filter I change monthly and then two reverse osmosis filter membranes. Then calcite is added to the water, and it’s finally stored in a 300 Gallon tank with a UV lamp. That’s what comes out of the tap. My wholehouse RO filtration system with two white horizontal membrane filters on the wall and a 300 Gallon tank on the right in grey. Two pumps provide the water supply: a well pump to get the water out of the well into the system and a house pump to pump the filtered water into the house. This also means when there is no power, there is no water which is why I have a solar power back up system. There are no hydrogels and almost no bacteria floating in the tap water (to my great relief). The out of focus circles are artifacts on the slide. Just disregard them. Lastly, I examined Mountain Valley Water which has a great reputation with colleagues such as Dr. Tom Cowan MD and others. I found these two things. The lower image looks like a hydrogel, but it is tiny and these were the only two things that seem not to belong in water. So far it looks as if reverse osmosis filtered well water and coconut water are the safest drinks. Maybe I should also check wine, beer and scotch……… Cheers! I got some coconuts today and three of them filled an entire 1 quart (liter) bottle: Coconut water seems to be safe to drink in regard to hydrogels. It may be because the coconut water is inside two shells. There is the softer, but very thick green outer shell and then inside of that is the smaller wooden coconut shell that contains the water. Thus it’s protected from rain and chemtrails. Note about your comments: I read them all and I appreciate your questions and suggestions. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to respond to all of them as I’m doing this research besides my regular work, advising the detox clinic that’s hopefully about to open soon, and taking care of my little sister who has Down Syndrome as well as my house and vegetable and fruit garden. Book Store: www.anitabaxasmd.com https://substack.com/@anitabaxasmd/p-148793072

Mossad’s Exploding Pager Attacks and 9/11 Over the last year or two, Hezbollah had become increasingly concerned that the cell phones used by its members were giving away their locations and allowing the Israelis to target them with airstrikes or missiles, so its leadership finally decided to shift most of its communications network to the use of old-fashioned pagers, which only receive signals rather than also emitting them. Jonas E. Alexis, Senior Editor September 25, 2024 Audio Player EPub Format EPub Format⬇ For the last half-dozen years, Israeli-born Ronan Bergman has served as a reporter with the New York Times, and I’ve regularly heard him described as the best-connected American journalist in Israel, with especially close ties to that country’s powerful security services such as the Mossad, Shin Bet, and Unit 8200. Much of that reputation goes back to the 2018 publication of his book Rise and Kill First, a widely praised and highly authoritative history of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, as well as its sister agencies. As I wrote in early 2020: The author devoted six years of research to the project, which was based upon a thousand personal interviews and access to an enormous number of official documents previously unavailable. As suggested by the title, his primary focus was Israel’s long history of assassinations, and across his 750 pages and thousand-odd source references he recounts the details of an enormous number of such incidents. That sort of topic is obviously fraught with controversy, but Bergman’s volume carried glowing cover-blurbs from Pulitzer Prize-winning authors on espionage matters, and the official cooperation he received is indicated by similar endorsements from both a former Mossad chief and Ehud Barak, a past Prime Minister of Israel who himself had once led assassination squads. Over the last couple of decades, former CIA officer Robert Baer has become one of our most prominent authors in this same field, and he praised the book as “hands down” the best he had ever read on intelligence, Israel, or the Middle East. The reviews across our elite media were equally laudatory. If Bergman ever considers bringing out an updated, revised edition of that volume, I think that this newer text might devote an entire chapter to the very serious blow that Mossad recently struck against Lebanon’s Hezbollah organization though the use of booby-trapped exploding pagers, an operation at least as daring and successful as anything covered in his very thick 2018 volume. Although the Israeli government has not officially claimed credit for the attacks, no one doubts that Mossad was responsible and a dozen of their current and former defense and intelligence officials provided all the details to the New York Times. Over the last year or two, Hezbollah had become increasingly concerned that the cell phones used by its members were giving away their locations and allowing the Israelis to target them with airstrikes or missiles, so its leadership finally decided to shift most of its communications network to the use of old-fashioned pagers, which only receive signals rather than also emitting them. However, according to news reports by Bergman and others, the Israelis had cleverly anticipated that possibility, and several years ago they had established a front-company based in Hungary that produced pagers and other electronic devices under license from a Taiwanese manufacturer. Its initial products were entirely legitimate but Mossad was prepared for any sabotage opportunities that might eventually come along. So when Hezbollah placed its order for some 5,000 such pagers, the company provided them, but each device also contained a deadly load of high explosives and ball-bearing shrapnel. Then, at 3:30pm on Tuesday, September 17th all the pagers beeped for an incoming message, prompting their owners to pick them up, and exploded a few seconds later. The result was thousands of such simultaneous pager explosions across Lebanon and elsewhere, with reports of some 2,700 casualties, hundreds of whom were maimed or severely injured, together with about a dozen deaths. The following day, walkie-talkies that had been similarly booby-trapped also detonated as did as some solar panels, and although those numbers were much lower, another couple of dozen deaths were reported, probably because those larger devices concealed heavier explosive charges. All of this produced widespread terror across Lebanon, with everyone suddenly fearful of electronic devices, including reports that terrified mothers were unplugging baby-monitors from their cribs. Over the years, Hezbollah had become quite proud of its security, and the leadership freely admitted that this was the worst breach they had ever suffered, resulting in very serious losses. I haven’t seen reports that any of the organization’s senior leaders had been killed or wounded in the blasts, but given the huge number of casualties, I’m sure that at least some had been caught in the attack. Then, just a couple of days later, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a Beirut building, killing a high-ranking Hezbollah military leader and a number of his colleagues as they were meeting together, perhaps to plan a retaliatory strike against Israel. It’s obvious that Hezbollah has suffered a very bloody nose, and a major setback in its ongoing military conflict against Israel. Mossad certainly achieved a brilliant tactical victory, one that its members and pro-Israel partisans surely intend to boast about for years. But many aspects of the attack seemed very puzzling to me, and experienced military analysts wondered whether any long-term gains had been achieved. After Israel invaded Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas raid last October, Hezbollah and its Israeli enemies soon began trading cross-border fire, bombarding each other with missiles, rockets, drones, and artillery shells, and those exchanges have now continued for nearly a year. As a result, some 160,000 civilians on both sides of the border have fled their homes, with perhaps 60,000 of these being Israelis. With so many tens of thousands of Israelis having become internal refugees, displaced from their communities in the north of the country and spending the last year living in temporary accommodations, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under enormous political pressure to attack and invade Lebanon in order to drive the Hezbollah forces away from the border, thereby allowing those Israelis to return home. In addition, the most extreme religious elements among his supporters regard portions of southern Lebanon as part of Israel’s God-given lands and wish to see them conquered and annexed, with their local Lebanese residents expelled and replaced by Jewish settlers. However, the last time the Israelis launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in 2006, their forces suffered a severe defeat at Hezbollah’s hands, and during the last eighteen years that organization has become far more powerful, with many of its troops having gained a great deal of military experience during their successful intervention in the Syrian civil war. Meanwhile, a year of fighting against Hamas in Gaza has left the IDF exhausted, so despite Israel’s command of the air, it’s not at all clear how well such a ground assault would go. Moreover, Hezbollah has reportedly amassed an enormous arsenal of some 150,000 rockets and missiles, and these could be used to inflict devastating damage upon most of Israel’s cities and towns if it chose to do so. The combination of these two conflicting factors has led to repeated indecision on Israel’s part. For months, media leaks have reported that Israel had made the decision to invade Lebanon and that the attack was imminent. But nothing has ever happened, presumably because the military risks of such an operation were considered too great. Those booby-trapped pagers and other devices might have played an absolutely crucial role in an Israeli ground invasion. If they had all been detonated at the beginning of such an attack, Hezbollah’s forces would have been left dazed and confused, with their entire communications network knocked out, thereby preventing them from mounting an effective defense or retaliatory measures. This would probably have allowed the IDF to win a major initial victory on the ground. But instead those explosions occurred alone, with no invasion taking place. So Hezbollah has merely licked its wounds and is surely now putting in place a replacement communications network, presumably based upon a large shipment of carefully vetted pagers received from Iran or China or Russia. Israel thus lost the element of surprise, with little to show for it except wounding a large number of Hezbollah members. Thus, the exploding pagers merely produced a tactical victory instead of a potentially strategic one. This raises the obvious question of why the Israelis chose to shoot their bolt when they did instead of waiting until the pagers could be detonated in conjunction with a major invasion. According to media reports, the Israelis may have suspected that some Hezbollah members had discovered that the pagers contained explosives, and were thus faced with a use-it-or-lose-it dilemma, choosing to immediately detonate all the devices before they were discarded and the entire long Mossad effort was totally wasted. This is certainly possible, but given the extreme difficulty the Israelis had previously had in penetrating Hezbollah’s organization, I really wonder how they could have learned that a couple of Hezbollah operatives had discovered the explosives during the short time interval before the latter notified their top commanders and a quick order came down to junk all the pagers. My own guess is quite different. I think that the explosions indicate that despite media leaks to the contrary, the Netanyahu government had taken a firm decision to abandon plans for any ground invasion of Lebanon in the foreseeable future as just too risky. If any such invasion were now off the table, the pagers had lost their strategic value, so they were instead detonated for essentially political reasons. Netanyahu hoped that the serious damage and humiliation the attacks inflicted upon Hezbollah would provide his government with an immediate boost in popularity, helping to deflect the continuing anger over its lack of success in returning its displaced civilians to their homes in the north. Thus, under this interpretation, the pager explosions suggest that no ground invasion of Lebanon will take place. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s military effectiveness hardly seems to have been crippled. Early Sunday morning, its forces fired off some 150 rockets, cruise missiles, and drones into Israel, bombarding areas far south of those they had previously targeted. The very tight Israeli censorship makes it difficult to estimate damage, but it sounds like Israel’s Iron Dome defenses failed to stop many of the projectiles, which inflicted numerous injuries and started large fires, while Hezbollah could probably keep these attacks at this level every day for the next several years, completely saturating and overwhelming Israel’s defenses. Thus, pager explosions or not, Hezbollah’s huge arsenal could easily level most of Israel’s cities while the Israelis still seem reluctant to tangle with its very formidable ground forces. So perhaps just as observers had suggested, the Mossad operation was merely a tactical Israeli victory with great propaganda value but little if any strategic significance. However, my own view is somewhat different. I think that the longer term strategic consequences of that exploding pager operation may be very negative for Israel. Although America’s fiercely pro-Israel mainstream media would never treat it as such, the sudden simultaneous detonation of those thousands of pagers all across Lebanon and some nearby areas obviously amounted to a gigantic terrorist attack, and was certainly seen as such by nearly the entire world. Indeed, some Lebanese have described it as their own 9/11. Hezbollah is one of Lebanon’s largest political organizations, and many of those pagers had apparently been distributed to its affiliated civilian members, who were obviously not legitimate targets of deadly attacks, especially in a country not at war. Non-military members of Hezbollah would have the same relationship to its fighters that ordinary Israeli civilians do to the IDF, and using explosives-filled pagers to attack the former is really no different than detonating a large car-bomb on a crowded Israeli street where soldiers gathered. If thousands of booby-trapped electronic devices had suddenly exploded all across Israel—or across the United States—the Western media would certainly have regarded such an attack as the most blatant possible example of massive, illegal terrorism. The Internet is filled with videos showing explosions in crowded Lebanese markets, and some of the dead victims were children. Pagers were used by the medical staff in Lebanese hospitals, and this was also true of the exploding walkie-talkies. Given the thousands of those sudden explosions and the enormous numbers of victims, many of whom were civilians, including women, children, and medical workers, I’ve seen this described as the world’s worst terrorist attack since 9/11, and that hardly seems an unreasonable appraisal. Video Link Over the decades and especially during the last twelve months of the attack on Gaza, the Jewish State has become absolutely notorious for its endless, flagrant violations of international law and the rules of warfare, and this latest pager attack is merely a particularly egregious example of this. As the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported: A global treaty, which has been signed by more than 100 countries including Israel, bans “the use booby traps or other devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects that are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material”. Most of the legal experts quoted by NPR took the same position, so it seems clear that the Israelis have further compounded their long record of flagrant war-crimes. Moreover, nothing like this had ever previously been attempted, and Israel’s Mossad operation may have dangerous consequences for the entire world. Now that this line has been crossed and everyone has witnessed the huge potential impact of this sort of deadly attack, others may decide to do the same given that the technology involved is easily available to every major country as well as many non-state actors. Apparently the high-explosive compound employed was very difficult to detect by scanning or any other means, so what would stop explosive-filled laptops or other large electronic devices from being used to bring down civilian planes in flight? The societies of America and the West are very soft targets, unused to the regular attacks that Israel has inflicted upon its Middle Eastern neighbors, so the deployment of booby-trapped electronic devices would have a hugely negative impact upon our way of life. The possible damage to the market reputation of Taiwan’s consumer electronics industry and that of other manufacturers aligned with the West may also be quite substantial. With Mossad having so easily taken deadly advantage of the security gaps of the contract manufacturers in those supply chains, what rational country in the Middle East would not factor that risk into its future orders? Huawei and other Chinese companies provide the full range of such products, with their quality at least as good and their prices generally much lower, while their devices would be almost totally immune to such sabotage. Over the last year, Israeli representatives have expressed ferocious public hostility towards almost all of the nations of the world, denouncing them for joining together in the series of near-unanimous UN votes condemning the ongoing genocidal rampage in Gaza. Many of these countries and organizations may begin to wonder if they might eventually be targeted in political retaliation, and therefore chose to be safe rather than sorry by switching their purchases of consumer electronics to Chinese vendors. For generations, the nations of the world have signed international protocols and treaties prohibiting exactly these sorts of terrorist attacks for exactly these sorts of reasons, so Israel’s endless violations of such standards may inflict a great deal of damage upon the peace and security of the rest of the world, eventually provoking huge international hostility. Israel has obviously now become almost universally recognized as a rogue, terrorist state, the worst sort of international criminal regime. Eventually the rest of the world may conclude that its continued existence poses too much of a risk to global peace and take concerted action to eliminate that threat, together with the entire population deemed responsible. Indeed, if not for the totally slavish subservience of America’s bought-and-paid-for political leadership, I think that such steps would have already been taken long ago. But although these negative strategic consequences for Israel’s long-term situation are obviously quite serious, I think they are actually far overshadowed by certain other implications of this extremely successful Mossad operation, which may have a more immediate and historic impact. This project certainly ranked as one of the most brilliant and effective covert strikes in the history of the world, with few other comparable examples coming to mind. Yet I think that exactly those characteristics may lead to Israel’s total destruction, perhaps even in the relatively near future. In many respects, this use of thousands of weaponized pagers to target the members of an opposing organization almost seemed much more like something produced by a Hollywood scriptwriter than anything carried out in real life. In many respects it straddled the line between representing a massive wave of simultaneous, targeted assassinations and a huge terrorist attack against the cities of a hostile country. Although neither Mossad nor any other intelligence service had ever tried any similar operation in the past, Bergman’s authoritative history does provide a very long list of past Mossad assassinations, as well as similar actions by the various Zionist groups prior to Israel’s creation. I think it is worth reviewing some of that material to get a better sense of the likely mindset of those involved in formulating this recent operation. Back in early 2020, I summarized some of Bergman’s important information: The sheer quantity of such foreign assassinations was really quite remarkable, with the knowledgeable reviewer in the New York Times suggesting that the Israeli total over the last half-century or so seemed far greater than that of any other nation. I might even go farther: if we excluded domestic killings, I wouldn’t be surprised if Israel’s body-count greatly exceeded the combined total for that of all other major countries in the world. I think all the lurid revelations of lethal CIA or KGB Cold War assassination plots that I have seen discussed in newspaper articles might fit comfortably into just a chapter or two of Bergman’s extremely long book… Israeli operatives sometimes even contemplated the elimination of their own top-ranking leaders whose policies they viewed as sufficiently counter-productive. For decades, Gen. Ariel Sharon had been one of Israel’s greatest military heroes and someone of extreme right-wing sentiments. As Defense Minister in 1982, he orchestrated the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which soon turned into a major political debacle, seriously damaging Israel’s international standing by inflicting great destruction upon that neighboring country and its capital city of Beirut. As Sharon stubbornly continued his military strategy and the problems grew more severe, a group of disgruntled officers decided that the best means of cutting Israel’s losses was to assassinate Sharon, though that proposal was never carried out. An even more striking example occurred a decade later. For many years, Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat had been the leading object of Israeli antipathy, so much so that at one point Israel made plans to shoot down an international civilian jetliner in order to assassinate him. But after the end of the Cold War, pressure from America and Europe led Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to sign the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords with his Palestinian foe. Although the Israeli leader received worldwide praise and shared a Nobel Peace Prize for his peacemaking efforts, powerful segments of the Israeli public and its political class regarded the act as a betrayal, with some extreme nationalists and religious zealots demanding that he be killed for his treason. A couple of years later, he was indeed shot dead by a lone gunman from those ideological circles, becoming the first Middle Eastern leader in decades to suffer that fate. Although his killer was mentally unbalanced and stubbornly insisted that he acted alone, he had had a long history of intelligence associations, and Bergman delicately notes that the gunman slipped past Rabin’s numerous bodyguards “with astonishing ease” in order to fire his three fatal shots at close range. Many observers drew parallels between Rabin’s assassination and that of our own president in Dallas three decades earlier, and the latter’s heir and namesake, John F. Kennedy, Jr., developed a strong personal interest in the tragic event. In March 1997, his glossy political magazine George published an article by the Israeli assassin’s mother, implicating her own country’s security services in the crime, a theory also promoted by the late Israeli-Canadian writer Barry Chamish. These accusations sparked a furious international debate, but after Kennedy himself died in an unusual plane crash a couple of years later and his magazine quickly folded, the controversy soon subsided. The George archives are not online nor easily available, so I cannot effectively judge the credibility of the charges. Having himself narrowly avoided assassination by Israeli operatives, Sharon gradually regained his political influence, and did so without compromising his hard-line views, even boastfully describing himself as a “Judeo-Nazi” to an appalled journalist. A few years after Rabin’s death, he provoked major Palestinian protests, then used the resulting violence to win election as Prime Minister, and once in office, his very harsh methods led to a widespread uprising in Occupied Palestine. But Sharon merely redoubled his repression, and after world attention was diverted by 9/11 attacks and the American invasion of Iraq, he began assassinating numerous top Palestinian political and religious leaders in attacks that sometimes inflicted heavy civilian casualties. The central object of Sharon’s anger was Palestine President Yasir Arafat, who suddenly took ill and died, thereby joining his erstwhile negotiating partner Rabin in permanent repose. Arafat’s wife claimed that he had been poisoned and produced some medical evidence to support this charge, while longtime Israeli political figure Uri Avnery published numerous articles substantiating those accusations. Bergman simply reports the categorical Israeli denials while noting that “the timing of Arafat’s death was quite peculiar,” then emphasizes that even if he knew the truth, he couldn’t publish it since his entire book was written under strict Israeli censorship… Having thus acquired serious doubts about the completeness of Bergman’s seemingly comprehensive narrative history, I noted a curious fact. I have no specialized expertise in intelligence operations in general nor those of Mossad in particular, so I found it quite remarkable that the overwhelming majority of all the higher-profile incidents recounted by Bergman were already familiar to me merely from the decades I had spent closely reading the New York Times every morning. Is it really plausible that six years of exhaustive research and so many personal interviews would have uncovered so few major operations that had not already been known and reported in the international media? Bergman obviously provided a wealth of detail previously limited to insiders, along with numerous unreported assassinations of relatively minor individuals, but it seems strange that he came up with so few major new revelations. Indeed, some important gaps in his coverage are quite apparent to anyone who has even somewhat investigated the topic, and these begin in the early chapters of his volume, which present the Zionist prehistory in Palestine prior to the establishment of the Jewish state. Bergman would have severely damaged his credibility if he had failed to include the infamous 1940s Zionist assassinations of Britain’s Lord Moyne or U.N. Peace Negotiator Count Folke Bernadotte. But he unaccountably forgot to mention that in 1937 the more right-wing Zionist faction whose political heirs have dominated Israel in recent decades assassinated Chaim Arlosoroff, the highest-ranking Zionist figure in Palestine. Moreover, he omitted a number of similar incidents, including some of those targeting top Western leaders. As I wrote last year: Indeed, the inclination of the more right-wing Zionist factions toward assassination, terrorism, and other forms of essentially criminal behavior was really quite remarkable. For example, in 1943 Shamir had arranged the assassination of his factional rival, a year after the two men had escaped together from imprisonment for a bank robbery in which bystanders had been killed, and he claimed he had acted to avert the planned assassination of David Ben-Gurion, the top Zionist leader and Israel’s future founding-premier. Shamir and his faction certainly continued this sort of behavior into the 1940s, successfully assassinating Lord Moyne, the British Minister for the Middle East, and Count Folke Bernadotte, the UN Peace Negotiator, though they failed in their other attempts to kill American President Harry Truman and British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin, and their plans to assassinate Winston Churchill apparently never moved past the discussion stage. His group also pioneered the use of terrorist car-bombs and other explosive attacks against innocent civilian targets, all long before any Arabs or Muslims had ever thought of using similar tactics; and Begin’s larger and more “moderate” Zionist faction did much the same. As far as I know, the early Zionists had a record of political terrorism almost unmatched in world history, and in 1974 Prime Minister Menachem Begin once even boasted to a television interviewer of having been the founding father of terrorism across the world. Indeed, I also recounted the remarkable history of Zionist and Israeli terrorism, some of which was covered by Bergman: Although somewhat related, political assassinations and terrorist attacks are distinct topics, and Bergman’s comprehensive volume explicitly focuses on the former, so we cannot fault him for providing only slight coverage of the latter. But the historical pattern of Israeli activity, especially with regard to false-flag attacks, is really quite remarkable, as I noted in a 2018 article: One of history’s largest terrorist attacks prior to 9/11 was the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem by Zionist militants dressed as Arabs, which killed 91 people and largely destroyed the structure. In the famous Lavon Affair of 1954, Israeli agents launched a wave of terrorist attacks against Western targets in Egypt, intending to have those blamed on anti-Western Arab groups. There are strong claims that in 1950 Israeli Mossad agents began a series of false-flag terrorist bombings against Jewish targets in Baghdad, successfully using those violent methods to help persuade Iraq’s thousand-year-old Jewish community to emigrate to the Jewish state. In 1967, Israel launched a deliberate air and sea attack against the U.S.S. Liberty, intending to leave no survivors, killing or wounding over 200 American servicemen before word of the attack reached our Sixth Fleet and the Israelis withdrew. The enormous extent of pro-Israel influence in world political and media circles meant that none of these brutal attacks ever drew serious retaliation, and in nearly all cases, they were quickly thrown down the memory hole, so that today probably no more than one in a hundred Americans is even aware of them. Furthermore, most of these incidents came to light due to chance circumstances, so we may easily suspect that many other attacks of a similar nature have never become part of the historical record. Of these famous incidents, Bergman only includes mention of the King David Hotel bombing. But much later in his narrative, he describes the huge wave of false-flag terrorist attacks unleashed in 1981 by Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, who recruited a former high-ranking Mossad official to manage the project. Under Israeli direction, large car bombs began exploding in the Palestinian neighborhoods of Beirut and other Lebanese cities, killing or injuring enormous numbers of civilians. A single attack in October inflicted nearly 400 casualties, and by December, there were eighteen bombings per month, with their effectiveness greatly enhanced by the use of innovative new Israeli drone technology. Official responsibility for all the attacks was claimed by a previously unknown Lebanese organization, but the intent was to provoke the PLO into military retaliation against Israel, thereby justifying Sharon’s planned invasion of the neighboring country. Since the PLO stubbornly refused to take the bait, plans were put into motion for the huge bombing of an entire Beirut sports stadium using tons of explosives during a January 1st political ceremony, with the death and destruction expected to be “of unprecedented proportions, even in terms of Lebanon.” But Sharon’s political enemies learned of the plot and emphasized that many foreign diplomats including the Soviet ambassador were expected to be present and probably would be killed, so after a bitter debate, Prime Minister Begin ordered the attack aborted. A future Mossad chief mentions the major headaches they then faced in removing the large quantity of explosives that they had already planted within the structure. Bergman’s weighty book constituted an extremely comprehensive if fully authorized history of Mossad’s assassination operations, and it also provided considerable coverage of its terrorist attacks. But as an important supplement to the latter, I would strongly recommend State of Terror published in 2016 by Thomas Suarez. Although it focuses primarily upon the Zionist terrorism that played such a central role in the creation of the State of Israel, it also provides some incidents from later years as well. Most importantly, it massively documents the complete ideological support for that technique found across all of the early Zionist leaders, who then continued governing that country during the decades that followed, even into the 1990s. Although the work is long out of print and used copies available on Amazon start at an outrageous $4,291, it may also be found at Archive.org. As I mentioned earlier, the sudden, simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers all across Lebanon’s streets and cities was regarded as a gigantic terrorist attack by most of the world, probably the worst since 9/11. I very much doubt that any intelligence service other than Israel’s Mossad would have possessed the combination of skills, daring, and imagination necessary to successfully carry out such an operation. Indeed, the only terrorist attack in world history that seems even bolder, more complex, and more successful would be the 9/11 attacks themselves, whose 23rd anniversary just passed a couple of weeks ago. That brilliantly conceived and implemented terrorist operation inflicted enormous damage to America’s financial and military centers while easily circumventing our usual air defenses on that fateful day, and dramatically changing the course of world history. Yet oddly enough, while most of us freely admit that only an organization with Mossad’s superb resources, brilliance, and training could have carried out the exploding pager attacks, according to the official story, the even greater 9/11 terrorist attacks were merely the work of a rag-tag band of poorly-trained Arabs directed by an eccentric with severe health problems dwelling in an Afghanistan cave. The contrast between the supposed actors behind those two operations is so extreme as to defy rationality, and the recent events in Lebanon must surely raise 9/11 doubts even among the most credulous and gullible. For more than two decades, large numbers of highly-credible journalists, academics, and former government officials have expressed enormous skepticism about the official 9/11 story. As far back as 2006, former high-ranking CIA official William Christison characterized it as “almost certainly a monstrous series of lies.” Over the years, a substantial fraction of the entire American population has come to very similar conclusions, much like those long expressed by most of the rest of the world. But if the successful 9/11 terrorist attacks were not the work of Osama bin Laden and his small band of Arabs, then who was responsible? If the Israeli Mossad recently carried out what was arguably the second boldest, most successful terrorist attack in the history of the world, does that not suggest an obvious suspect? In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the FBI quickly rounded up and arrested some 200 Mossad agents, many of whom had been found in the exact vicinity of the destruction, with five of them caught red-handed, celebrating the successful attack on the WTC towers. Over the years, I have discussed all of this at considerable length, including in an article published around the twentieth anniversary of the attacks: American Pravda: Seeking 9/11 Truth After Twenty Years Ron Unz • The Unz Review • September 7, 2021 • 7,800 Words For those who wish to place all of this in the broader context of past Mossad operations, many of which were carefully excluded from Bergman’s lengthy but highly-selective account, I would recommend my extremely long article from early 2020, which is conveniently divided into a series of major sections: American Pravda: Mossad Assassinations Ron Unz • The Unz Review • January 27, 2020 • 27,300 Words From the Peace of Westphalia to the Law of the Jungle “Rise and Kill First” “Who Killed Zia?” “By Way of Deception” “The Other Side of Deception” “Final Judgment” on the JFK Assassination The Strange Death of James Forrestal and Other Fatalities The 9/11 Attacks – What Happened? The 9/11 Attacks – Who Did It? Important Historical Realities, Long Hidden in Plain Sight The Past Perspective of American Military Intelligence We also recently published a long article documenting the extremely strong evidence linking the Israeli Mossad and its American collaborators to the 9/11 Attacks. Although the style is somewhat breathless and there are a few minor inaccuracies, the volume of material presented seems absolutely overwhelming, and I would urge people to read it. Israel Did 9/11 Wyatt Peterson • The Unz Review • September 12, 2024 • 13,300 Words Given the gigantic mass of very strong evidence implicating Israel and its Mossad in the worst attacks ever launched against the United States, the consequences when and if this becomes widely known are likely to be terminal both for the Jewish State and the bulk of its population. For a variety of different reasons, large portions of America’s political, financial, and media elites, both Jewish and Gentile, have bound themselves very tightly to support for that foreign nation. So unless they take strong steps to sever that connection in the loudest and most emphatic manner, they would probably share its fate. https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/09/mossads-exploding-pager-attacks-and-9-11/

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/