‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 121: Israel kills more than 1,000 Palestinians since ICJ ruling; U.S. bombs Yemen
Israeli forces bomb Rafah, where thousands of Palestinians are displaced in shelters near the Egyptian border, as an Israeli minister wishes to “encourage voluntary emigration” from Gaza. In West Bank, settlers attack Palestinian villages.

Mustafa Abu SneinehFebruary 4, 2024
An injured child gets treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip
Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment following the Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza on February 04, 2024. (Omar Ashtawy/apaimages)
Casualties

27,365+ killed* and at least 66,630 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
380+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,147.
562 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7, and at least 3,221 injured.**
*This figure was confirmed by Gaza’s Ministry of Health on Telegram channel. Some rights groups put the death toll number at more than 35,000 when accounting for those presumed dead.

** This figure is released by the Israeli military.

Key Developments

Israeli far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, says his plan is to “encourage Gazans to voluntarily emigrate to places around the world” by offering them cash incentives.
Ben-Gvir says he looks forward to Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office; believes that Tump will give Israel free hand in Gaza, while President Joe Biden is “hampering Israel’s war effort”.
Israeli forces bomb kindergarten housing hundreds of displaced Palestinian in Al-Salam neighborhood, east of Rafah, which borders Egypt.
Israeli forces lay siege for day six over Al-Shifa Hospital in north Gaza, preventing people from accessing the facility.
Israeli airstrikes bomb two inhabited houses in Rafah and kill at least 26 Palestinians.
Hamas military wing, Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, releases video of attack in Al-Maghazi that killed 21 Israeli soldiers last month.
Hamas also releases video of its fighters shooting an Israeli command officer in Gaza City; fighters firing direct and close hit on D9 Bulldozer in Khan Yunis.
US and UK bomb 48 targets of Yemeni Armed Forces, led by the Ansar Allah group (unofficially known also as “Houthis”).
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson says: “These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious, and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not pass without response and punishment.”
Israeli authorities and forces kill five Palestinians, demolish 22 properties, detain 163 people, and put 13 under house arrest in occupied Jerusalem in January, according to the Al-Quds Governate report.
Israeli minister wants to ‘encourage Gazans to voluntarily emigrate’

Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling last week, ordering Tel Aviv to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

Advertisement

Watch now: SUSAN ABULHAWA and FRANCESCA ALBANESE on Witnessing Palestine with Frank Barat
The Israeli forces have not ceased to bomb the Gaza Strip since October, except for a temporary pause in November to allow for the exchange of captives.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday morning that Israel killed 127 Palestinians and injured 178 others, committing 14 massacres in the past 24 hours.

The number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza now stands at 27,365 martyrs, and 66,630 were injured since October.

Meanwhile, some Israeli government ministers and Knesset members are making it clear that their wish is to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza.

The far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, told the Wall Street Journal that his plan is to “encourage Gazans to voluntarily emigrate to places around the world” by offering them cash incentives.

Ben-Gvir’s position aligns with the Religious Zionism political alliance, one of the core blocs that makes up Netanyahu’s government. Last week, members of Religious Zionism held a conference in occupied Jerusalem, dubbed “Return to Gaza Conference”, in which they called for building 21 Israeli settlements on top of recently destroyed Palestinian neighbourhoods.

Ben-Gvir is also looking forward to the day Donald Trump would sit in the Oval Office, believing that he will give Israel a free hand in Gaza, while President Joe Biden is “hampering Israel’s war effort”.

Ben-Gvir made these statements despite the fact that the Biden administration has stood firmly behind Israel since October 7, authorizing the sale of thousands of munition rounds, rejecting calls for a ceasefire, and supporting Tel Aviv diplomatically and in the UN Security Council.

The U.S. also called Hamas to free all the Israelis captured during the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood cross-fence attack on October 7. However, Hamas had refused these calls before an agreement on a permanent ceasefire is reached.

Currently, Hamas is still deliberating over a proposed truce for 45 days and the release of 35 Israeli captives in return for the freeing of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails. The deal is yet to be confirmed.

But releasing Israeli captives is not a top agenda item for some Israeli politicians. Amichai Elhaho, the Israeli Minister of Heritage, who called for nuking Gaza, pleaded to Israelis who protested against Netanyahu to release hostages, to think outside the box.

“We must get out of mental stagnation that the deal is the only way to free the hostages,” Elhaho told army radio on Sunday. “The Jewish morality does not hold us fully responsible for the release of the captives,” he added.

Israeli forces bomb kindergarten sheltering Palestinians in Rafah

Overnight, Israeli forces bombed a kindergarten housing hundreds of displaced Palestinian in Al-Salam neighborhood, east of Rafah, the southern city which borders Egypt.

Wafa news agency reported that two girls were killed in the Israeli airstrike and dozens injured. Another Israeli airstrike on an apartment in Hassan Salama Tower in Al-Geneina neighbourhood, east of Rafah, killed a child and wounded two others.

An Israeli airstrike on the house of the Abu Safar family killed seven Palestinians, including children, in the Al-Hakar area in Deir Al-Balah city, in central Gaza. Wafa also reported that several Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling were launched on Khan Yunis overnight.

An airstrike on the house of Masran family in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza injured several Palestinians as Israeli forces continued to bomb north Gaza neighbourhoods, killing at least eight Palestinians in an airstrike on the Al-Rimal area.

Wafa reported that in north Gaza, medical teams transferred the bodies and the injured to the Kamal Adwan Hospital, while for the sixth day in a row, Israeli forces are laying siege over the Al-Shifa Hospital, preventing people from accessing the facility.

Last week, Israeli tanks approaching the Al-Shifa Hospital and Al-Rimal neighborhood, forced thousands of Palestinians to flee in panic and fear to the eastern areas of Gaza City. Despite being one of the first hospitals attacked by the Israeli military in its ground offensive campaign, Al-Shifa is one of the few remaining hospitals that are still partially operating in Gaza.

In Rafah, Israeli airstrikes on two inhabited houses killed at least 26 Palestinians, according to Wafa, and injured dozens. Rafah, the southernmost district of the Gaza Strip, has seen the influx of nearly half of Gaza’s 2 million residents, who were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces. Thousands of Palestinian families are living in tents in Rafah and lack sufficient food, fresh water and heating sources.

In the past weeks, Israel has been mulling a plan to invade the Philadelphia Axis, a zone which separates the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

Palestinians are concerned that Israel will use the military operation in the area to push thousands of people out to the Sinai Peninsula under the threat of bombardment and airstrikes. Israel claims that the border area is still a breathing lung for Hamas fighters and has tunnels running underneath it.

Hamas releases video of attack that killed 21 Israeli soldiers

Hamas’ military wing, Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video of the attack that killed 21 Israeli soldiers last month.

The attack was the heaviest combat loss the Israeli military has suffered since December, when eight soldiers from the Golani Brigade were killed in Al-Shuja’iya refugee camp, east of Gaza City.

Since October, at least 562 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip or during armed clashes with Palestinian fighters, according to the Israeli military. The 562 identified soldiers are, according to the military’s website, the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.”

In the video released by Hamas, fighters fired a 105mm Al-Yaseen anti-tank shell on a two-story building in Al-Maghazi in central Gaza, while another one fired another Al-Yaseen on an Israeli tank, followed by detonating a minefield.

The Israeli force were preparing mines and explosives to demolish a building 600 meters away from Kissufim, an Israel kibbutz to the east of the Gaza Strip’s fence.

The Israeli military said one of Hamas’s anti-tank grenades hit the explosives and mines being set up by the Israeli unit inside the building, which led to a massive explosion, killing the 21 soldiers and the collapse of the building, Haaretz reported.

Since December, the Israeli military demolished several houses and residential buildings along the Gaza fence in a bid to create a “buffer zone” and further push Palestinian neighborhoods to the west away from Israeli towns.

Hamas also released a video of shooting an Israeli command officer west of Gaza City, with a sniper fire, while in Khan Yunis, it attacked several Israeli tanks and military vehicles, including the D9 Bulldozer with a direct and close hit, while it was destroying Palestinian homes.

U.S. and U.K. bomb dozens of targets in Yemen

Overnight, the U.S. and U.K. said that they bombed 48 targets of the Yemeni Armed Forces, led by Ansar Allah group (unofficially known also as “Houthis”).

These strikes are the second to be carried out by the US in the region in less than 24 hours, following more than 80 strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Ansar Allah spokesperson said that the US and UK launched 13 airstrikes on Sana’a, nine on Hodeidah on the Red Sea, 11 raids on Taiz, seven on Al-Bayda town, while it struck one target in Saada and seven in Hajjah.

“These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious, and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not pass without response and punishment,” he added.

Yemen’s Ansar Allah vowed to target any Israel-bound or Israeli-owned ships in Bab Al-Mandab Strait as long as Israeli aggression continues on the Gaza Strip. It added the U.S. and U.K. to the list of targeted ships following a joint U.S.-U.K. airstrikes on Yemen early in January.

The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) wrote on X platform that it targeted Ansar Allah’s “multiple underground storage facilities, command and control, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars, and helicopters.”

On Sunday morning, Centcom said that it shot down an anti-ship cruise missile launched from Yemen against its forces in the Red Sea.

The U.S. strikes in Yemen, Iraq and Syria are endangering a full-blown war in the region.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Sunday that U.S. attacks are “in clear contradiction with the repeated claims of Washington and London that they do not want the expansion of war and conflict in the region.”

Kanaani accused the U.S. and U.K. of “fuelling chaos, disorder, insecurity and instability” by supporting the Israeli war on Gaza.

Israeli settlers rampage Palestinian villages in West Bank

Israeli forces arrested a total of 6,512 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since October, some of them were released later, according to the Commission for Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs and the Prisoners’ Club.

In occupied Jerusalem, Israel killed five Palestinians since January, demolished 22 properties, detained 163 people, and put 13 under house arrest, according to a comprehensive report by Al-Quds Governate affiliated with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

A total of 3,405 Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of Jerusalem in January.

In the past 24 hours, Israeli forces raided several Palestinian towns, including Husan, Anabta, Khirbet Tuba, Jericho and Ein Al-Sultan refugee camp, Nablus and Balata refugee camp, Deir Jreer and the Jalazon refugee camp.

In Ain al-Auja, north of Jericho, Israeli settlers stole ten sheep from a Palestinian Bedouin community, according to Wafa.

Wafa also reported that Israeli settlers stormed Farasin village, south of Jenin, and vandalized security cameras of shops a poultry farm in the village, and tore down greenhouses.

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee said in January, Israeli settlers, protected by soldiers on most occasions, launched 1,593 attacks against Palestinian towns and properties.

BEFORE YOU GO – At Mondoweiss, we understand the power of telling Palestinian stories. For 17 years, we have pushed back when the mainstream media published lies or echoed politicians’ hateful rhetoric. Now, Palestinian voices are more important than ever.

Our traffic has increased ten times since October 7, and we need your help to cover our increased expenses.

Support our journalists with a donation today.

https://mondoweiss.net/2024/02/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-121-israel-kills-more-than-1000-palestinians-since-icj-ruling-u-s-bombs-yemen/

https://donshafi911.blogspot.com/2024/02/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-121-israel.html

War on Gaza: Survivors recount harrowing Israeli field executions
A youth from the Abu Hamad family next to the shrouded bodies of his father and two brothers in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on 9 November 2023 (AFP)
In Gaza City, Israeli soldiers shoot Palestinians at point blank range, killing them in front of their families
For three days, Moemen Raed al-Khaldi lay wounded and motionless between the corpses of his killed family members, pretending to be dead to protect himself from being shot by Israeli soldiers.

On 21 December, Israeli soldiers broke into the house where the Khaldi family had taken refuge in northern Gaza and, in mere minutes, they shot everyone present.

The soldiers left the house thinking they had killed them all, only Moemen remained alive, bleeding for days before the neighbours found him and took him to hospital.

From his hospital bed in al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, he recounted to Middle East Eye what happened on 21 December.

Khaldi and his family had gone to the home of their relatives in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in the north of Gaza City after being forced to evacuate their own house.

Stay informed with MEE's newsletters

Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked

'I pretended to be dead'

On that fateful day, after the sun had set, the family had finished prayers and were lying together on the floor, covered in blankets, when Israeli soldiers suddenly blew up the front door and stormed the house.

"Everyone in the vicinity was immediately wounded, including two women; my grandmother and another pregnant woman," Khaldi said.

Addressing the family in Hebrew, the Israeli army instructed everyone to evacuate the house. However, as no one spoke Hebrew, the family members didn't understand the orders.


War on Gaza: To be a Palestinian child is a curse, not a blessing

Read More »
"The soldiers did not speak Arabic. No one spoke Hebrew and we did not understand what they were saying. So, my grandfather tried to translate. He only said a few words: 'Listen to what the soldiers are telling you and go out'," Khaldi said.

"The soldiers turned around and thought that it was my father who had spoken. They shot him with a bullet, and he was immediately killed."

The soldiers then shot everyone else in the room, including Khaldi.

"My grandfather was then martyred, followed by my uncle, then another two men who had also taken refuge with us, then one of the owners of the house. After that, my grandmother and the pregnant woman were martyred."

After he was shot, sustaining wounds to his legs, Khaldi lay motionless on the floor, feigning death to prevent further gunfire from the soldiers.

"I was protecting myself by staying in a place between my uncle’s back and the wall. I was protecting my head in this position. I stayed like this for three days pretending not to be alive. During that time, the army came in and out of the house, destroying the place, but I pretended to be [dead]," he recalled.

"Three days later, people transferred me along with my martyred family members to the hospital."

'They shot mum, then dad'

On 27 October, the Israeli army launched a ground invasion into the urban areas, streets, and densely populated neighbourhoods of the Gaza Strip.

Days ahead of the invasion, the Israeli military started ordering the residents of Gaza City and the rest of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes and relocate to the areas in the southern Gaza Valley.

The military said it considers the Palestinians who did not comply with the evacuation orders as "terrorists", and its forces have since been using deadly force against the people who have chosen to stay.

'No sooner had she said that, they shot her, then they shot dad'

- Faisal al-Khaldi, six

On 22 December, in the same neighbourhood where Khaldi’s family was executed, his six-year-old relative, Faisal Ahmed al-Khaldi, survived a similar incident after Israeli soldiers shot his parents dead in front of him at his uncle's house.

"We were at home and the tank was [stationed] by the building's door. One night, they broke down the gate and stormed in. The door to my uncle Mohammed’s [apartment] was locked, they broke it and entered. They shot everyone in the guest room," Faisal told MEE.

"We were sleeping, I heard their [noise], so I asked my mum: What is this sound? She told me: These are Israelis. No sooner had she said that, they shot her, then they shot dad."

Israeli soldiers then ordered the rest of Faisal's family members to gather in one room, leaving the children to watch them from the corridor.

Faisal was hit by shrapnel from the bullets that killed his parents, but shock kept him from feeling the wound at the time.

"We hid in the bedroom of my cousin Layan. We then headed to the door, I could not walk, I kept on falling, so my uncle, Mohammed, carried me. When he did, the soldiers ordered him and Layan's grandfather to take off their clothes," he recounted.

"They ordered them to sit down, and we all went to sit in the corridor."

After the soldiers left the house, the family went to take refuge in a school, and was only then that Faisal felt a pain in his abdomen.

"They took off my clothes and found out that I was wounded and took me to the hospital," he said.

Executed before his disabled children

A week later, just a few kilometres away, Israeli soldiers executed 65-year-old Kamel Mohammed Nofal, a retired United Nations Relief and Works Agency employee, in front of his wife and disabled adult children while "he was trying to explain to them that his children could not understand the instructions," his relative, Jamal Naim, told MEE.


War on Gaza: The Palestinian family 'executed' in their home by Israeli forces

Read More »
"Israeli forces arrived at the building where Kamel and his family lived and ordered everyone to evacuate the building. They all went down and gathered on the street in front of the building" he said.

"There were 24 residents, including Kamel, his 63-year-old wife Fatima Jamil Timraz, and their four children, their spouses and their children. At least nine children were among them, the youngest was four months old."

According to Naim, three of Nofal’s children were deaf and mute, and the fourth was visually impaired.

"Israeli soldiers were giving the group instructions about where to go and what to do, but Kamel’s children could not understand as they were not able to properly hear, see, or communicate with the forces, so the soldiers proceeded to detain them," he said.

"Kamel spoke in Hebrew, telling the soldiers that his sons Hussam, 40, Ahmed, 36, and Mahmoud, 32, and his daughter Wafaa, 31, were disabled. They immediately shot him. He was killed in front of his children and everyone else."

Naim reported that Israeli soldiers subsequently detained Nofal's children and the rest of his family members. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.

'They executed everyone'

When the Israeli military reached al-Rimal neighbourhood in the centre of Gaza City, it targeted several commercial and residential buildings. The residents, however, were not allowed to evacuate.

Journalist Ahmed Dawoud, 38, was still in his home near the Palestine crossroads when an Israeli tank targeted his neighbour’s apartment and he was forced to flee.

"I left my home after the nearby apartment was burnt. We left the building along with around 30 people, including the daughter of my journalist friend. We were trying to flee, but upon arriving at the crossroads, two girls were killed," he recounted.

'The body of my friend's daughter remained on the street for five days'

- Ahmed Dawoud, 38

"One of [the girls] was eight years old, she was my journalist friend’s daughter, and the other was 15 years old. They executed them before our eyes. If we did not take shelter, we would have also been among the martyrs."

When the soldiers opened fire on the residents, some retreated to the building, and others decided to walk on to a safer place.

"The body of my friend’s daughter remained on the street. We entered a random house, and for four or five days, we were just watching [out the window], trying to retrieve the body. We were encircled by Israeli soldiers who were executing everyone in the area," he said.

"Five days later, we went down and retrieved the body under the [Israeli] quadcopters"

When he fled the building, some of his neighbours remained in their apartment. When Israeli soldiers entered the building and found them, he said, they executed the entire family, before setting the house on fire.

"They executed them all, the entire group... They executed everyone in the area, they did not leave anyone."

- Mohammed Qreiqe in Gaza contributed to this report

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-survivors-recount-harrowing-israeli-field-executions

Israelis Harvest Human Organs from Massacred Palestinians | VT Foreign Policy

December 5, 2023

VT Condemns the ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS by USA/Israel

$ 280 BILLION US TAXPAYER DOLLARS INVESTED since 1948 in US/Israeli Ethnic Cleansing and Occupation Operation; $ 150B direct "aid" and $ 130B in "Offense" contractsSource: Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. and US Department of State.

In the cover image the ICC Prosecutor Khan in Israel and a mass grave in Palestine

by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio

VERSIONE IN ITALIANO

Subscribe to the Gospa News Newsletter to read the news as soon as it is published

About 48 hours after the collapse of the temporary humanitarian truce in Gaza and the resumption of Israeli air, sea, and land attacks on civilian communities in widespread disproportionate raids, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated that Israel has intensified its forced displacement plans for Palestinians in the Strip.

Israel is crushing all forms of civilian life in the Gaza Strip, the Geneva-based rights organisation said, and returning residents to the pre-industrial stage by turning the Strip, including its homes, factories, businesses, and infrastructure, into piles of rubble.

1.000 Pepole Killed in the Latest Israeli Mass Murder Massacres

The Euro-Med Monitor team has documented the Israeli mass murder massacres of Saturday 2 December.

The rights group said that Israel targeted entire residential blocks, resulting in more than 1,000 people killed, wounded, or reported missing. This feeds fears of a more ruthless approach to achieving horrific field and political objectives at the cost of civilian lives and property.

«A string of Israeli airstrikes with strong fire belts targeted buildings and inhabited residential blocks yesterday, said Euro-Med Monitor, in Shuja’iya, Jabalia, and Beit Lahia, without prior notice, demolishing them above the heads of their residents and burying dozens beneath the debris» reported Euro-Med Monitor in its website.

The ZIONIST FÜHRER’s Huge Horror Show. UN “Gaza Graveyard for Children, Possible War Crimes”. Top UN Official Resigns vs Israeli Lobby

Rescue workers were informed of hundreds of casualties, including dead, wounded, and missing persons, following the destruction of about 50 residential buildings and houses in the crowded Shuja’iya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza, after simultaneous air and artillery strikes within a very short time.

“Everywhere you turn to, there are childrenwith third-degree burns, shrapnel wounds, brain injuries and broken bones,” James Elder, UNICEF’s global spokesperson, told Al Jazeera from Gaza.

“Mothers crying over children who look like they are hours away from death. It seems like a death zone right now.”

Gaza: SATAN’S HOLOCAUST. No More Words, Images are Enough! A Minute of Silence to Pray. WARNING! Chilling Video

But these massacres aren’t the only war crimes perpetrated by Israel Defense Forces under the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a planned genocide and displacement.

Dozens of Dead Bodies with Evidences of Organs Theft

«Euro-Med Monitor has documented the Israeli army’s confiscation of dozens of dead bodies from Al-Shifa Medical Complex and the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, and others from the vicinity of the so-called “safe corridor” (Salah al-Din Road) designated for displaced people heading to the central and southern parts of the Strip».

We can read in a report of the lates days published by this humanitarian organizations.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor is a youth-led independent, nonprofit organization that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region, particularly those who live under occupation, in the throes of war or political unrest and/ or have been displaced due to persecution or armed conflict.

The Plotted GENOCIDE: Leaked Israeli Plan to Ethnically cleanse Gaza

Euro-Med Monitor was established in November 2011 and is registered in Switzerland (CH-660.0.748.015-1), where it maintains its official headquarters.

“It is important to continue the struggle despite frustrations and disappointment based on an ultimate faith in the triumph of justice” is the slogan spread by Richard Falk, Chairman of Board of Trustees.

«According to Euro-Med Monitor, the Israeli army also dug up and confiscated the bodies from a mass grave that was established more than 10 days ago in one of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex’s courtyards».

«While dozens of corpses were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in turn transported them to the southern Gaza Strip to complete the burial process, the Israeli army is still holding the bodies of dozens of dead people».

One of the numerous mass graves of the ongoing Palestinians’ genocide

So Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has called for the creation of an independent international investigation committee into organ theft suspicions.

«Concerns about organ theft from the corpses were brought up by Euro-Med Monitor, which cited reports from medical professionals in Gaza who quickly examined a few bodies after their release. These medical professionals found evidence of organ theft, including missing cochleas and corneas as well as other vital organs like livers, kidneys, and hearts».

Doctors at several Gazan hospitals told the Euro-Med Monitor team that organ theft cannot be proven or disproven solely by forensic medical examination, since multiple bodies underwent surgical procedures prior to death.

They stated that it was impossible for them to conduct a full analytical examination of the recovered corpses given the intense air and artillery attacks and influx of wounded civilians, but they detected several signs of possible organ theft by the Israeli military.

Israel’s Long History on Palestinians Human Organs for BioLabs

«Israel has a long history of holding onto the bodies of dead Palestinians, Euro-Med Monitor said, as it holds the remains of at least 145 Palestinians in its morgues and approximately 255 in its “Numbers Cemetery”, which is near the Jordanian border and off-limits to the public, in addition to 75 missing people who have not been identified by Israel» recalls the Euro-Med report about.

According to the Geneva-based rights organisation, Israel stores the bodies of dead Palestinians in what it refers to as “enemy combatant graves”, which are covert mass graves situated in particular locations such as closed military zones, where interments and burials are secretly conducted. The remains or bodies of the dead are marked only with metal plates.

According to an earlier report by Euro-Med Monitor, Israeli authorities has kept the dead bodies of Palestinians in subfreezing temperatures—sometimes below 40 degrees Celsius—in order to ensure that they remain undisturbed and to possibly hide the theft of organs.

Human Organs’ Traffic in Syria ignored by UN: Sana and CBS videos on White Helmets, Al Qaeda & Turkey Crimes

A vile and illicit practice that became widespread during the Syrian Civil War due to the so-called “White Helmets”, self-styled rescuers financed by the USA and the United Kingdom but reported to the United Nations by Russia as a terrorist organization supporting the jihadists of Al Nusra, the local branch of Al Qaeda, and precisely for international trafficking in human organs which was the subject of an American TV report.

According to the human rights group, Israel has recently made it lawful to hold dead Palestinians’ bodies and steal their organs.

Russian Soldiers Discover “Baby Factories” in Ukraine! Kids are Grown for Sex Brothels and for Organ Harvesting – Video Interview

One such decision is the 2019 Israeli Supreme Court ruling that permits the military ruler to temporarily bury the bodies in what is known as the “Numbers Cemetery”. By the end of 2021, the Israeli Knesset (or Parliament) had passed laws allowing the army and police to hold onto the bodies of dead Palestinians.

There have been reports in recent years of the unlawful use of Palestinian corpses held by Israel, including the theft of organs and their use in Israeli university medical school labs.

Israeli doctor Meira Weiss disclosed in her book Over Their Dead Bodies that organs taken from dead Palestinians were utilised in medical research at Israeli universities’ medical faculties and were transplanted into Jewish-Israeli patients’ bodies.

Devastating Raid in GAZA Hospital. Turkish Lawyers blames of  “genocide” Netanyahu: “the 21st century Hitler”

Even more concerning are admissions made by Yehuda Hess, the former director of Israel’s Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine, about the theft of human tissues, organs, and skin from dead Palestinians over a period of time without their relatives’ knowledge or approval.

Israel is thought to be the biggest hub for the illegal global trade in human organs, according to a 2008 investigation by the American CNN network, which also revealed that Israel participated in the theft of organs from dead Palestinians for illegal use.

The Massive Israeli Organ harvesting industry in Ukraine

The international investigative journalist Jeff Brown too has focused a post (and video) on China Rising headlined “Israelis are harvesting organs from massacred Palestinians!”

«James Bradley and I have fully covered the massive Israeli organ harvesting industry in Ukraine and countries like Thailand. Israel has long been the world capital for this crime against humanity» he wrote in China Rising, reporting an alarm already officially denounced by the spokeswoman of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Marija Zacharova.

Zakharova: “The World Leader of Black Transplants: in Ukraine, Organs are traded Online and Offline”

Brown relaunched a previous investigation published on June, 2022 from a report by Vladimir Taranenko.

«”Red Cross” suggest terrible thoughts about what exactly this organization was doing here under the cover of murderers from the national regiment “Azov”» we can read.

«More than 1000 medical records of children with marked healthy organs, information about diseases in the cards is not contained. That is, the employees of the “Red Cross” did not care about the health of children, but examined for the presence of healthy organs» Brown pointed out.

WUHAN-GATES – 50. The Italian Boss of Obama’s Coronavirus. Ukraine Laboratories Funded by former CIA Director Leon Panetta

«Instructions on how to use weapons, including in a children’s format. Reports on the purchase of incubators for eggs used in laboratories to work with cultures of microorganisms. All information is transmitted to the competent authorities of the DPR, which should shed light on who the foreign organization used the residents of Mariupol as» the Taranenko’s report added.

ICC Prosecutor’s failure to take action in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Which is the answer of International Criminal Court in Palestine?

The result has been reported by Euro-Med too in another article on his website after five countries asked the opening of an official investigation on Netanyahu’s army war crimes.

The investigations on this ongoing violence against Palestinians has been opened already on 2021 but remained without consequence.

HAMAS VIOLENCE vs ISRAELI WAR CRIMES. Partisan-Terrorists Loved by Gaza, Zionists Shielded by Hague ICC & US

In a new statement issued on December, 1st, 2023 Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor expressed shock at International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan’s failure to take any practical action regarding the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly the Gaza Strip, in what appears to be a case of clear double standards and possible political subordination.

Euro-Med Monitor said that «in light of the extraordinarily high level of documentation—unparalleled in history—of the Israeli wars on Gaza, which fit the definition of a genocide in the making under international law, Khan’s selective vision is a shameful affront to justice. The rights group connectedhis view of the situation in Gaza to a resolution issued by the UN Security Council giving only certain countries decision-making authority».

Five countries ask ICC to investigate Genocide in Palestine

«Khan reportedly conducted a secret visit to the region on 17 November during which he inspected the southern Israeli communities without visiting the other side of the perimeter fence where 2,3 million people have been subjected to what may amount to systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity» Euro-Med Monitor highlighted at the time thanks his headquarters in Gaza City.

Further humanitarian organization added: «In his public announcement that he was visiting Israel to meet the families and victims of the October 7 attack, Karim Khan timidly added that he was going to visit Ramallah as well, although Gaza is the site of the Israeli carnage. Even then, Khan did not meet with victims of Israel’s occupation and settler terrorism or their families».

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan during his visit in Israel

As pointed out by Mouin Rabbani, co-editor of Jadaliyya and former head of political affairs in the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria as well as Hasmik Egian, former director of the UN’s Security Council Affairs Department, Khan has “has significantly eroded the credibility of the Court”.

Rabbani and Egian highlight that since taking office in June 2021, Khan has limited the court’s “priority” to matters that the UN Security Council has referred to it (such as Libya and Darfur, in Sudan), and has downplayed other matters that the court was already investigating, like Palestine and Afghanistan. For instance, in his opening briefing to the UN Security Council in November 2021, Khan reiterated his commitment.

Moscow opens Criminal Case against ICC Prosecutor Khan, who Hugged Zelensky before the Warrant to Putin

Russia’s Investigative Committee  has opened a criminal case against the prosecutor and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This happened after the meeting that took place in Kiev on 28 February 2023 in which there was an enthusiastic embrace between the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) of The Hague Karim Khan, despite the accusations against military and paramilitary forces of the Kiev army in the genocide of pro-Russians in the Donbass which lasted from 2014 until 2022, when the civil war exploded into an open military confrontation.

MASSONERIA & SIONISMO – 1. Genocidi da Guerra Mondiale & Pandemia da Laboratorio per Vaccini Killer. “Cataclisma” da Sinagoga di Satana

The answer on these behaviors before Palestinians and Ukrainians can be explained by the Zionist heritage of Zelensky and Netanyahu in an huge centuries-old conspiracy of Freemasonry and, in lates years of NATO, toward New World Order as forecast by the other Zionist George Soros. 

Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio© COPYRIGHT GOSPA NEWSprohibition of reproduction without authorization follow Gospa News on Telegram

Subscribe to the Gospa News Newsletter to read the news as soon as it is published

MAIN SOURCES

EURO-MED – Israel intensifies its forced displacement of Palestinian in the Gaza Strip

EURO-MED – Int’l committee must investigate Israel’s holding of dead bodies in Gaza​

CHINA RISING – Israelis are harvesting organs from massacred Palestinians!

EURO-MED – ICC’s credibility is waning following its attorney general’s secret visit to Israeli settlements

GOSPA NEWS – WAR ZONE

GOSPA NEWS – WEAPONS LOBBY DOSSIER

Israel’s hostage Deal with Hamas after reaching Target of Genocide and Diaspora in Gaza

WAR CRIMES & DECEITS. ICC against Putin! Unpunished NATO Allies: Ukrainian Nazis as Bosnian Butcher, Jihadists General

“TOWARD A NEW WORLD ORDER: The Future of NATO”. Soros’ 1993 Manifesto in which Forecast Ukraine War

NWO Zionist Lobby to Persecute Christians: Netanyahu in Jerusalem like Zelensky in Kiev

UKRAINE BIOLABS – 4. INTERVIEW ON NWO BIOWEAPONS. Jeff Brown China Rising & Fabio Carisio Gospa News

The Conflation of Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism Is a Propagandistic Lie

Fabio G. C. Carisio

Fabio is investigative journalist since 1991. Now geopolitics, intelligence, military, SARS-Cov-2 manmade, NWO expert and Director-founder of Gospa News: a Christian Information Journal.

His articles were published on many international media and website as SouthFront, Reseau International, Sputnik Italia, United Nation Association Westminster, Global Research, Kolozeg and more…

Most popolar investigation on VT is:

Rumsfeld Shady Heritage in Pandemic: GILEAD’s Intrigues with WHO & Wuhan Lab. Bio-Weapons’ Tests with CIA & Pentagon

Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio, born on 24/2/1967 in Borgosesia, started working as a reporter when he was only 19 years old in the alpine area of Valsesia, Piedmont, his birth region in Italy. After studying literature and history at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, he became director of the local newspaper Notizia Oggi Vercelli and specialized in judicial reporting.

For about 15 years he is a correspondent from Northern Italy for the Italian newspapers Libero and Il Giornale, also writing important revelations on the Ustica massacre, a report on Freemasonry and organized crime.

With independent investigations, he collaborates with Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza in important investigations that conclude with the arrest of Camorra entrepreneurs or corrupt politicians.

In July 2018 he found the counter-information web media Gospa News focused on geopolitics, terrorism, Middle East, and military intelligence.

In 2020 published the book, in Italian only, WUHAN-GATES – The New World Order Plot on SARS-Cov-2 manmade focused on the cycle of investigations Wuhan-Gates

His investigations was quoted also by The Gateway Pundit, Tasnim and others

He worked for many years for the magazine Art & Wine as an art critic and curator.

VETERANS TODAY OLD POSTS

www.gospanews.net/

ATTENTION READERSWe See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion. About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy

Due to the nature of uncensored content posted by VT's fully independent international writers, VT cannot guarantee absolute validity. All content is owned by the author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images are the full responsibility of the article author and NOT VT.




https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2023/12/israelis-harvest-human-organs-from-massacred-palestinians/

Can You Feel The Earth Shaking?
Normals Are Stepping Up All Over the World. Everything is Shifting. The Evidence follows:

elizabeth nickson

Did you hear the roar on the streets when Milei won Argentina? It built and built, and then everyone was out on the streets shouting, from windows, inside shops, houses. It is the future, all over the world. The Netherlands on Friday. Same same. Universal rejoicing.

Absurdistan does a solid line in doom, but our firmly held first principle is that every single one of us should be two or three times as rich, with massively increased scope and ability to do the things we want to do. Defeating the criminal cartel that runs Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Government, Big Tech and Big Charity will light up the galaxy if not the universe. And….this. Especially this:


Unlike almost everyone in the media, Absurdistan knows regulation is the principal reason we are hornswoggled serfs. Even Trump’s team was surprised at the economic boom that came from his mild de-regulation; they thought tax relief was the key. It was important, none of us should be paying more than 25% in taxes, if that, but the regulation! You have no earthly idea how fiendish it has become until you start a business or require permission to create anything in the material world. Few journalists ever do that, the most they do is join a bank in “communications”, design an app or website, do PR, or ‘consult’. They are virtually, to a man or woman, children in the real world. So no one reports on the most brutal crippler of every man, woman and child on earth. Equally, virtually no writer I read has any grasp on the ingenuity, the creativity, the strength of the ordinary man. They all seem to think we need guidance from them, which is laughable. They have screwed up everything so utterly, we teeter daily on the edge of fiscal catastrophe

.


Bloomberg reports on Milei victory
When Vivek Ramaswamy proposed instantly firing 50% of federal bureaucrats on Day One, I stood on my office chair and cheered.

When Javier Milei tore strips of paper representing government ministries off the whiteboard, I had to go out and run around the house a few times.


sheer heaven
Africa is not limited by anything but confiscatory corrupt government, as asserted by Magatte Wade in her new book. Wade should be running things in Africa, which is polluted by commies, plutocrats, crooked multinationals, ravening bureaucrats, corrupt politicians and the brutalist green movement. The Chinese would stun the world if they could get rid of the vicious predatory communist regime that enslaves every man, woman and child. And not in the sense that they are “taking over”.


The mop-up will take decades. But unpicking the bad regs and shooing the bad legislators off to permanent exile, prosecuting the army of government thieves, and creating a multi-polar world, will be more absorbing than our endless self-cherishing, self-indulgence. Have we not all shopped enough? We have powerful enemies, but they are fully aware of how destructive they have been, their guilt written on their exhausted pouchy faces.

Trump is a symptom, not a cause

People fighting the Borg wish for leaders but this is not a movement that requires leadership by anyone but each and every one of us. Trump is a symptom, not a cause. This is multi-headed, like Medusa, representing tens, hundreds of millions of individuals saying NO. Real politicians like Mike Johnson, Geert Wilders, Pierre Poilievre, Javier Milei, and Danielle Smith are listening to us and stepping up.

I annoy even myself when I repeat this, but I come from a family that has been in ‘the New World’ since 1630: Puritans, Revolutionaries, infrastructure builders, town fathers and mothers. I own ten thousand pages of their records and can tell you at concrete level assurance, that one of cities they founded, Vancouver, would not be riven by Asian criminal cartels washing most of the drug money in North America through our real estate and casinos, if my great aunt and uncle were alive. They, that generation and those before, didn’t run their cities via government, they ran it through civil society, their churches and charities and cultural clubs and they told government what to do. What they decided upon, collectively, became law. Law wasn’t made by witless, inexperienced, childless men and women who move from college straight to government, it was made by those who engaged with life fully. On their block, in their neighborhood, in their city. They knew where every sparrow fell. And, by the way, my family married into Indian bands and were officers on the Underground Railroad. Everything academia and publishing tells you about the founding is arrant propaganda meant to strip you of self-respect and power.


Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, threw away engagement and our current enslavement, our stasis, our stuck-ness, is the result. Not really our fault. We were brainwashed and mind controlled by military level psy-ops, run out of the CIA, the Tavistock Clinic and the cursed Club of Rome. Reclaiming that power is our responsibility going forward. It is the future. No one gets to go back to sleep. I wrote about our collective brainwashing extensively in August. Here is one piece:

They Break Every Family, Every Town, Every Country

They Break Every Family, Every Town, Every Country
This is the second in an August series about the Head of the Snake, an examination of the cabal that is behind the Great Reset, the Covid and Global Warming hoaxes, and every profit-bonanza war of the last thirty, if not 500 years, but especially Ukraine. They call themselves by a proliferation of names: the Olympians, the Elect, Bilderbergers, the 300, demi-gods, the Black Nobility, other silly secret names that must not be spoken. They are secret because their intent is evil. They practice the occult – foolish and irresponsible – they are “Masons” of the crazy branch, a cult that operates entirely in the dark and entirely for themselves. They are as power-hungry as Hillary Clinton and far more corrupt than she or Biden or his dreadful son. They have been around for a thousand years, laughably tracing their bloodlines back to Sumer and the Pharaohs and they think that is important. In fact, who they are is Hunter Biden, he is their id, the visual manifestation of their disgusting de…

Read full story

Herewith a roundup of our recent victories in no particular order of importance. Many (not all) are courtesy of kevinfernandes82 on Instagram, who does yeoman work aggregating daily the many wins by populists across the world; I heartily recommend a follow to fight off despair.

I am only describing the wins of the past ten days, and I edited out dozens. Each win represents hundreds to thousands to millions of people who stood up and took back their power.

Politics


Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom won a groundbreaking victory this week.

Libertarian Javier Milei won in Argentina, promising to strip government of many ministries.

All of Spain on the streets calling for end to Socialism. Retired Generals call for coup to get rid of socialist Prime Minister


.

Danielle Smith declares that the Trudeau Liberals are a lawless government and it’s time to assert the constitution

Bloc Quebecois calls for abolition of Governor General’s office as expenses soar 11%. This office is King Charles’s grift and a mechanism of British Round Table control. Crown land is our land, not his.

The restaurant that kicked out GOP Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders because she worked for Trump closes its doors.

CEO of DeSantis super PAC resigns.

The Conservative Party of Canada has not polled this high since the 1950’s. It outpolls the Liberals and NDP among under 30’s.

Rudy Giuliani states that Zelensky has photographs of Hunter Biden that could bring down the Democratic Party and has been using them to blackmail Biden.

A Republican has just beat a Democrat in the Mayoral race in Charleston, South Carolina for the first time since 1877.

Farmers in France spray government buildings with cow manure to protest increases in charges and taxes.

Former Black Voices for Trump wins against left-wing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, as a Fulton County judge rejects a bid to lock him up over his social media posts

4th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down part of Maryland’s laws regulating handguns.

Putin blames the U.N.: “Due to the sabotage of U.N. decisions which clearly provide for the creation and peaceful coexistence of two independent and sovereign states, more than one generation of Palestinians has been brought up in an atmosphere of injustice.”

Italian court convicts 207 people in Mafia maxi-trial.

U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson releases 40,000 hours of security footage of January 6th.

Trump has considerably more support among young voters than Joe Biden according to a new NBC poll.

Ex-Massachusetts senator facing 28 federal charges in connection with COVID fraud investigation.

Asian-American residents of Brighton Park Chicago are furious about illegal migrants coming to their neighbourhood. 87% voted for Biden.

One hundred police called out after protest surrounds Trudeau at restaurant. “You have blood on your hands”, call protestors referring to the vaccine mandates.

German constitutional court strikes down plan of left-green-liberal government: rules they may not use 60B euros intended for Covid, for climate and energy measures.

The Crown dropped charges against a pizza parlour owner for not closing down his restaurant during covid. The hearing lasted ten minutes and the verdict greeted with cheers.

The Irish riot after an Algerian migrant injures three children. WEFer immigration policy is on the chopping block in every country.

The Grotesque Sexualization of the Culture is Winding Down


Biden Pentagon official overseeing the department managing elementary schools has been arrested in a human trafficking sting in Georgia.

Prime Minister-Elect Javier Miles and Sound of Freedom Producer Eduardo Verastegui just signed and agreement to end all human trafficking operations in Argentina.

Andrew Cuomo sued for sexual harassment by former executive assistant.

GOP donor Harlan Crow’s brother is accused of financing a 100-person sex trafficking ring.

Bad Boy Label President sued for sexual assault, negligence.

TikTok, X and Meta CEOs to face Congressional Hearing Over Child Sexual Exploitation.

Cuba Gooding Jr hit with two civil suits related to NYC sexual assaults

American Idol coach, and Interscope Records founder, Jimmy Iovine sued over sexual misconduct and abuse.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of sexual assault in 1993 in new legal filing

Jeremy Fox sued for sexual assault in NYC restaurant.

Axl Rose sued over sexual assault by former Penthouse model.

Julia Ormond sues Harvey Weinstein, CAA and Disney for sexual battery and enabling sexual assault.

Model claims photographer Terry Richardson raped her, sold it as art.

Jeffrey Epstein’s multimillionaire friend accused of sexually harassing stepdaughter.

The ex-mayor of College Park, Maryland has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Democrat, White House guest pled guilty to 100 counts.

Authorities allege Binance allowed bad actors to freely transact on the platform, enabling everything from child sex abuse to terrorist financing. Binance CEO steps down, Binance pays $4.3B in fines.

A federal judge in California certified a class action lawsuit against Pornhub/MindGeek/Aylo on behalf of tens of thousands of child victims abused for profit.

“I’m at a loss”. Trudeau governments experts upset by foot-dragging over online harms law. Trudeau is widely believed to participate in violent sexual activities.

P Diddy settles with Cassie over abuse and trafficking, but not before his reputation is destroyed. Two more women charge choking and rape.

Saskatchewan Party MLA charged with soliciting sexual services kicked out of government caucus.

Stacey Abram’s brother-in-law arrested for attacking 16-year-old, human trafficking in Tampa.

Peter Nygard convicted on four counts of sexual assault.

World Health Organization paid sexual abuse victims in the Congo $250US each.

John Podesta’s friend, who debunked Pizzagate, arrested for raping toddlers.

Media/culture


CBC admits to making multiple censorship appeals to social media platforms, so many that they say they ‘couldn’t really analyze each one correctly’.

Big Box stores ditching self-checkout citing theft and customer preference.

Conservatives reject Canada-Ukraine trade bill.

The International Cricket Council bans transgender women from women’s cricket.

Bell Media tells CRTC its priorities are backwards during Online Streaming Act hearing.

Javier Milei announces the closure of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Equality in 21 days.

The Director of the University of Alberta’s sexual violence center has been removed from her position after she endorsed an open letter that denied allegations of rape and sexual violence by Hamas terrorists during the October massacre.

Elon Musk is donating all X Corp revenue from advertising and subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza.

Morning Joe admits Ukraine has lost the war against Russia.

Fauci admits Covid vaccine causes myocarditis in young men.

China welcomes Arab and Muslim foreign ministers for talks on ending war in Gaza.

X surpasses Instagram and Facebook by a significant margin in driving traffic through Google.

Elon Musk and X file lawsuit against Media Matters. Penalties both civil and criminal.

Ken Paxton of Texas opens investigation into Media Matters for fraud.

Truth Social filed defamation lawsuit against twenty media companies.

Canadians have stopped caring about climate change.

Texas Attorney General Paxton has sued Pfizer.

Marjorie Taylor Greene questions whether Nancy Pelosi orchestrated January 6th.

Trump releases doctor letter touting health and weight loss on Biden’s birthday.

The Iowa Board of Regents has voted to abolish DEI in all State Universities.

Rumble under ‘major DDoS attack after CEO pledged to join Elon Musk to fight woke censorship.

An official UK inquiry panel reports that Boris Johnson was bamboozled by Covid data.

Sam Altman of OpenAI fired. Reinstated and two women board members let go.

Sam Bankman Fried convicted. Faces decades in prison.

Italy bans production and sale of lab grown meat.

Trans Activist company behind Miss Universe has filed for bankruptcy.

A female boxer in Canada withdrew from a championship match after learning she was set to fight a trans-identified male.

Financial

As I reported here last week, Net-Zero and ESG are on their deathbed in every country but the most insane.

CNBC fires staff dedicated to covering climate change.

19 Republican Attorneys General are going after the big banks for closing accounts and discriminating against customers over political/religious beliefs

Trudeau’s billion-dollar Green Slush Fund’s head resigns, after it is discovered she funnelled $200K to her own company.

Hong Kong bankers have lots of free time and anxiety as global dealmaking sinks.

Bank of Canada’s Macklem says interest rates may be high enough to tame inflation.

Bank of Canada reports that Canadians don’t need digital currency and don’t want it.

SEC Commissioner says “there’s no reason for us to stand in the way of a Spot Bitcoin ETF.

Russia, the most sanctioned country in the world will end the year with a $75 Billion profit. The US, the most indebted country in the world, will end 2023 with a lost of $@ Trillion.

Luxury houses tied to China’s Evergrande chairman seized by creditor. Chairman placed under police surveillance.

Argentine stock market up 20% after Milei’s election

South Africa to chair BRICS extraordinary joint meeting on the situation in Gaza.

Mortgage rates decline for the first time in two years.

Inflation declines in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. to lowest in two years.

Dutch Central Bank has prepared for a new Gold Standard.

Republicans building case against Antony Fauci. New emails show Fauci adviser suggesting he destroyed records.

Jim Jordan issues subpoena to Bank of America for sharing customer’s private financial information with the FBI.

Australian clamps down on migrants with criminal convictions.

BLM activist Jayden X found guilty on all seven counts for his actions on January 6th.

Decline in local U.S. news outlets is accelerating.

Canada Media Fund admits subsidizing newspapers and news channels didn’t stop decline.

Ghost busses uncovered filled with FBI agents dressed as Trump supporters on January 6th.

Pfizer stock hits three year low, down 50% from 2021.

Disney loses $40B from DeSantis pulling special treatment.

Voter Fraud


A federal judge in Georgia has ordered a trial for the case against Dominion machines.

Trump declares he will bring everything to light, including the 2020 election fraud, concluding we need same day voting and paper ballots.

Kim Phuong Taylor found guilty of 51 counts related to voter fraud in the election of her husband, Jeremy Taylor

Fulton County, Georgia acknowledges that 3,600 ballots from the 2020 election audit were duplicated. Discrepancy turned over the the GA Attorney General for investigation.

Obama-appointed federal judge just ruled against voting machines in Georgia.

Maricopa County Elections Department has admitted they improperly certified the voting machines that failed on Election Day. Sixty percent of the machines failed.

Trump: “We have so much evidence of election fraud, and I look forward to introducing it in my trials.”

Colorado judge keeps Trump on 2024 primary ballot as latest 14th Amendment case falters.

South Carolina implements Voter ID.

Meta allows ads saying 2020 election was rigged on Facebook and Instagram.

Stacey Abrams’ voting organization, overseen by Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock (who stole his seat), is facing serious allegations of financial fraud.

Arizona Governor Katies Hobbs’ Election Task Force concluded that then-Secretary of State Hobbs engaged in election interference in 2022 by preventing Arizonans from voting while running her own election for governor.

Wisconsin legislature has passed two constitutional amendment proposals that seek to prohibit noncitizen voting and the use of private money (ZuckBucks) to conduct elections.

ZuckerBucks banned in 32 states.



All this in fewer than ten days. The future should be blinding you right about now.

\

Much of the mainstream news/propaganda is designed to oppress, depress and disempower you. Even independent journalism falls into despair all too often. I fight that with every fibre of my ability. I disagree. I do not think we are lost. I don’t think there is a new dark age ahead. I think quite the opposite.

Again, I am grateful for all the subscriptions, paid and otherwise last week. “Put a chick in it” was enormously popular. When you like, subscribe and pay, I know where to go next with my writing. Thank you especially for the founding memberships and the people who send money via PayPal, and $20 bills from Thailand - you make a huge difference. Again, I keep my prices low so if you are not rich, you can afford to support me and others. If you are rich, consider a founding membership…cheaper in the long run!

https://elizabethnickson.substack.com/p/can-you-feel-the-earth-shaking?utm_medium=ios

November 17: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 42
[email protected] November 17, 2023 Gaza, genocide, hamas, humanitarian aid, Israel, West Bank
Palestinian children run as they flee from Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 6, 2023. (photo)
Humanitarian & fuel updates, hospital crises, West Bank news, Israel news, “genocide in the making,” and more

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.

Some people are led to be skeptical of the Al Jazeera news network. However, the network has won several Emmys, a Peabody and the Overseas Press Association’s Edward R. Murrow award, among many other honors. The New York Times reports that “its reporting hews to international journalistic standards and provides a unique view on events in the Middle East.” it’s important to remember that all news sources may potentially have bias. For example, CNN uses anchors who used to work for the Israel Lobby, who have lifelong attachment to Israel, and who often exhibit pro-Israel spin and omission in their broadcasts. Similarly, Fox News is strongly influenced by Rupert Murdoch, who has a similarly strong attachment to Israel, and who may have fired Tucker Carlson, the network’s most popular host, in part due to the host’s opposition to war and his pattern of failing to exhibit sufficient devotion to Israel).

Latest statistics:

Palestinian death toll: 11,232* (~11,029 in Gaza** (including at least 4,707 children and 3,155 women), and at least 203 in the West Bank). *IAK does not yet include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile is being disputed; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation.

Palestinian injuries: 31,750** (including at least 29,000 in Gaza** and 2,750 in the West Bank). **NOTE: it is impossible to offer an accurate number of injuries in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and communication disruption. The Associated Press has reported ~32,000 in Gaza, while the UN number is somewhat lower. Our total for Gaza and the West Bank is based on the conservative figure.

It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. About 1.6 million people have been displaced; 3,640 are missing (1,770 children) and presumed to be under rubble.

Israel has now killed more Palestinians in a little over a month than in all the previous 22 years combined.

Reported Israeli death toll has been reduced to ~1,200*** (The Israeli spokesman said the original figure of deaths on March 7 was an “initial estimate” – 3 killed in West Bank, 56 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and ~5,400 injured). The names of the 1,175 identified (about 33 of them children) are here.

***NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

“Genocide in the making” – UN: Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making, UN experts said today. They illustrated evidence of increasing genocidal incitement, overt intent to “destroy the Palestinian people under occupation”, loud calls for a ‘second Nakba’ in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and the use of powerful weaponry with inherently indiscriminate impacts, resulting in a colossal death toll and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure.

We are deeply disturbed by the failure of governments to heed our call and to achieve an immediate ceasefire. We are also profoundly concerned about the support of certain governments for Israel’s strategy of warfare against the besieged population of Gaza, and the failure of the international system to mobilize to prevent genocide. [Israel’’s] egregious violations cannot be justified in the name of self-defense [and it] cannot wage a war against the population under its belligerent occupation.

The reality in Gaza, with its unbearable pain and trauma on the survivors, is a catastrophe of enormous proportions.

Humanitarian aid: 16 November was the second consecutive day in which no aid trucks entered Gaza. This is due to UNRWA’s lack of fuel. UNRWA also announced that, due to the communication shutdown, it will be unable to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys starting 17 November.

Due to the absence of fuel, on 16 November, UNRWA stated that 70 per cent of the people in the south have no access to clean water. Furthermore, raw sewage started flowing in the streets in some areas.

In the north, the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources.

Israeli claims that it is providing incubators has been refuted by the director of al-Shifa Hospital: “The Israeli occupation forces claim to have provided incubators to the hospital, but this is not true; this is false. In addition, we are not in need of incubators; we have already incubators in the hospital, yet we are out of fuel to generate electricity [for the incubators].” (12:40 GMT)

RECOMMENDED READING: Israel-Palestine war: Israel wants to seize Gaza’s multibillion dollar gas field

“Immediate possibility of starvation”: “Food production has come to an almost complete halt, markets have collapsed, fishermen cannot access the sea, farmers cannot reach their farms,” Abeer Etefa, a Middle East regional spokesperson for the World Food Program said. “People are facing the immediate possibility of starvation.” (12:05 GMT)

Fuel for Gaza – to protect Israelis: The war cabinet will allow the entry of two fuel trucks per day into southern Gaza in response to a US request. The decision was intended to “minimally support water, sewage and sanitation systems, in order to prevent the outbreak of epidemics that could spread in the entire area, harm both the residents of the Strip and our forces, and spread even into Israel.” (12:05 GMT)

RECOMMENDED READING: ABC News: Father in Gaza travels over 8 miles in wheelchair to get baby’s first vaccinations

Sites of bombardment and casualties Friday so far include:

House in Khan Younis – at least 4 killed
Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis – several killed
House in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza – at least 18 killed
Residential blokcs in Jabalia – dozens killed
Al-Falah School in the Zeitoun neighbourhood south of Gaza City – dozens killed
A field hospital set up in Gaza by Jordan – several staff injured
Poultry farm in Rafah – 7 killed
Home in al-Qarara, east of Khan Younis – 10 killed, including a baby
Ihya’ As Sunna Mosque in Gaza City was hit by an airstrike during a prayer – about 50 killed
RECOMMENDED READING: BBC: How the dead are counted in Gaza

Gaza Gov’t building destroyed: The Israeli occupation army has blown up the Palestinian Legislative Council building in Gaza after it was occupied by the Golani Brigade. The army announced on Tuesday that it had taken control of several government buildings in Gaza City, including the Legislative Council headquarters and the police headquarters.

As usual when destroying civilian infrastructure, the Israeli occupation forces claimed that the buildings were being used by Hamas for “military purposes”.

RECOMMENDED READING: Does Israel have the right to self-defense in Gaza?

West Bank update: Three Palestinians were killed and several others sustained injuries in the early hours of this morning as Israeli occupation forces targeted a group of people in Jenin refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank, with a drone strike.

Yesterday, about 80 Israeli military vehicles entered Jenin, damaging roads and cars, and surrounding 4 hospitals. At one hospital, the medical staff were forced to evacuate and undergo interrogation. The military claimed that Hamas fighters were hiding inside.

Two more young Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli occupation forces this morning in Hebron. Emergency medical teams were denied access to the scene; the two were pronounced dead a short time later. The bodies of the two victims were taken away by the Israeli occupation forces.

Israeli occupation forces once again suppressed worshipers attempting to reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the weekly Friday prayers, marking the sixth consecutive Friday of such restrictions. Normally, tens of thousands worship there on Fridays; Israeli occupation forces limited the number to only a few hundred.

“Fire and brimstone”: Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says talks brokered by Qatar to release hostages going in the “wrong direction”, suggests that Israel should go “fire and brimstone” in Gaza and cut off contact.

Will ground war expand to southern Gaza? Two members of Israel’s war cabinet and one of its observers support the expansion of the army’s ground invasion to southern Gaza, a senior security official told Israeli media outlet Walla!. According to the source, there is unanimity between defence minister Yoav Galant, minister Benny Gantz and the Israeli army’s former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot to push ahead with military operations regardless of ongoing talks on a deal to release captives.

Israeli deaths: In the past 24 hours, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 56, according to official Israeli sources.

The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centers has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. (Information on rocket attacks is here.) It appears that the last time a rocket killed an Israeli was October 7, as reported by Ha’aretz. Ten Israelis were killed – 4 of them Palestinian Israelis.










https://israelpalestinenews.org/november-17-todays-news-palestine-israel-day-42/

Our Response in Crisis will Demonstrate Our Core Values as Muslims
We feel hopeless and helpless witnessing all this violence. How we respond to these emotions will determine whether we are better human beings.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism

Every day, we are witnessing acts of violence, terrorism and extreme military campaigns that do not give any consideration to children, women and civilians and even to the international communities and laws.

Be it coming from Hamas, who is seeking justice for the decades of oppression under Israel’s military occupation, or all the dehumanising acts by the Zionist Israeli military who are taking advantage of the incident on 7 October 2023 to justify their merciless military actions, further illegal expansions and occupation of Palestinian lands and the collective punishment of innocent Palestinians.

We are witnessing how the sacredness of human life that has been bestowed by Allah s.w.t. has not prevented people of power and influence from exploiting that power and manipulating narratives to garner support by dehumanising the other side.

All these cause us pain, stir our emotions, and evoke anger within us. We feel hopeless and helpless and sometimes lose our trust in the authorities. The emotions are sometimes confusing and suffocating, especially when we see images that shrink our hearts and send currents up our spines. These emotions are natural for us human beings who have been nurtured to have a good heart, respect lives and humanity, and trust in one another.

Read: A Mental Health Guide for Those Grappling With The Crisis in Gaza

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism

How we respond to these emotions will determine whether we are better human beings. We are defending the humanity of everyone. Violence and terrorist acts have no place in humanity. All Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live peacefully and in harmony. All of them have their rights to the necessities of life like water, food, safety and security.

For youths, as we go about our daily routines and activities amidst the images, narratives of violence and hatred that are flooding social media, let us be mindful of our actions. Let us reflect and think through some of these principles and take them as our guidance in finding our emotional, psychological and spiritual balance and equilibrium.

Violence Begets Violence, Hatred Begets Hatred

Through this conflict, we observe that violence begets violence, and hatred begets hatred. This is a universal law. When violence becomes the heartbeat that defines a conflict, innocent civilians are the primary victims.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism

The current government of Israel is led by a Prime Minister and several ministers who are known for their far-right extremist ideologies. For example, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the current Minister of National Security, is known for his extremist views and advocacy for radical groups in Israel.[1] The government has clearly outlined its commitment to solidify the dominance of Jewish identity while continuing to suppress Palestinian rights in both Israel and the occupied West Bank. This is proposed through a governance system that establishes distinct tiers, perpetuating inequality across all levels. As a result, Palestinians have been deprived of their rights and protections, rendering them more vulnerable to violence and worsening the hardships they already face.[2]

The leadership issues among the Palestinian people involve the disunity of several political groups governing Palestine, including Fatah, Hamas, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority and various political parties. One of the key points of division among them is how to engage and interact with Israel. Does it involve violence and force, or do they pursue objectives via negotiations and diplomacy?[3]

Simultaneously, we must also be cautious of irresponsible people who propagate hate speeches, instigate disunity among us and take advantage of the emotional instability of people to propagate their own agendas. We have seen how extremist individuals and groups have exploited the internet and social media to lure vulnerable youths into radicalisation.

Read: How Does Social Media Influence Online Radicalisation?

Emulate and Embody the Prophetic Exemplars

To end this long conflict requires restraint, big hearts, compassion, justice, humility, and other values that define us as human beings. Therefore, we should embody these values of humanity instead of succumbing to what is portrayed by these conflicts. This is truly a test not just for the whole of humanity but also individually for ourselves as well.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism

Our best example to emulate and embody is the exemplary traits of our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Let us reflect on this tradition, especially the collection of Imām al-Bukhārī, where a hadith[4] narrated by Khabbab Bin Al-Arat r.a. tells us how he asked Rasulullah s.a.w. to pray for the Muslims due to the intensity of the persecution they were facing in Makkah during the early days of Islam.

The Prophet s.a.w. replied that the previous community of believers (of past Prophets) also faced persecution of such severity. Even when it intensified, they would not lose or abandon their faith.

Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. then continued to prophesise that the lands of Sana’a and Hadramaut in Yemen would eventually be populated by Muslims. A prophecy that is proven true today without a doubt. This was a glad tiding to the declining situation of the relatively small generation of early Muslims.

The hadith demonstrates to us the patience of the Prophet and the hastiness of the companions, at that time, who wanted to win over the people who oppressed them. The Beloved Prophet s.a.w, who is fully connected to Allah, assured the companions that Allah would grant them victory to the point that the route between Sana'a and Ḥaḍramawt would become safe.

We Must Be Thankful for Allah’s Blessings Bestowed Upon Us in Singapore

One way to be thankful for this blessing is to protect it. We must believe in the model of our Muslim community in Singapore. The fact that we are all able to carry on with our daily routines and activities in these difficult times does not come about by chance.

As Singaporeans, we all have worked hard to develop trust with one another. We live amicably with our friends and neighbours who are of different races and religions, with the Islamic values of care, compassion, and trusting one another.

We have lived peacefully with one another way before the coming of Sir Stamford Raffles to this island. We can see different places of worship within a neighbourhood or a street built way before Singapore’s independence.

The peace and harmony we enjoy are rare commodities in this world. Let us all continue to be gracious Singaporeans to one another, believing in and trusting each other.

As we advocate for our cause, let us ensure that we remain respectful and wise, avoiding personal attacks and hate speeches that could erode the trust we've built together.

The Palestine-Israel Crisis Is Not a War Between Islam and Judaism

Israel is not equal to Judaism. Israel is not equal to Jews. Simultaneously, Hamas does not represent all the Palestinians. Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived peacefully in the land in the last century.

The crisis involves territorial disputes, historical grievances, and differing claims to the land. While it has often been framed in religious terms due to the significance of the land to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, at its core, the issue is primarily about land, power, and self-determination.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Abrahamic faiths

Some of the rhetoric being played out on social media aims to create the impression for both the Muslim and Jewish communities that this conflict is a religious one. Some individuals employ religious symbols and the chant of "takbīr" in an effort to garner attention from the public.

Others invoke end-of-time discourses when discussing this conflict. Such discussions are not limited to Muslims; they also involve Christians and Jews. These narratives have raised concerns as public sentiments among both Muslims and Jews have been mocked and condemned.

Read: Dealing With Recurrent Claims About The End Of The World

We must be wary of the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia to the point that it could potentially cause tensions in our multi-religious country. More importantly, as we strengthen our faith for the Hereafter, let us pay attention to how Prophet Muḥammad s.a.w. advised us to navigate the signs of the end of times.

Narrated by Anas r.a, from the Prophet s.a.w:

“Even if the Day of Judgement is approaching and you have a palm shoot in your hand and can plant it before the Hour arrives, you should plant it.”

(Adab Al-Mufrad)

Do Not Underestimate the Power of Dua

Never underestimate the power of dua (supplication) with a firm belief. It can change what you may have thought was impossible to change. Dua is never wasted. So, keep making supplications as it is a special gift that Allah has given to us. He is the Best Listener and He is always Listening.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism, Dua, Supplication

Keep knocking on the door of the Merciful, and it will open eventually. The key is to be patient. Allah knows when is the right time to fulfil our supplications and bring us relief. The Prophet s.a.w. said:

“Supplication is the shield of a believer, a pillar of the religion and light of heavens and earth.”[5]

The Prophet further taught us the best way we can carry out our supplication. He said:

“Whomsoever has completed reading the Quran, ask Allah with it”

(Narrated by Imam At-Tabrani)

Based on the above hadith, we can make supplications for our brothers and sisters in Gaza, Palestine and for all humanity after reading ṣūrah al-Ikhlāṣ three times as reading this ṣūrah three times is equivalent to completing the Qurān.

Let us make duā after every ṣolat for all those who are experiencing oppression to be given patience, perseverance and paradise for the sacrifices that they are experiencing.

رَبِّ سَلِّمْ سَلِّمْ

Oh Allah, save us, save us

رَبِّ سَلِّمْ سَلِّمْ إِخْوَانَنَا فِى فِلِسْطِيْنَ

Oh Allah, save us, save us, save our brothers and sisters in Palestine

Read: Seeking Allah in Times of Distress

As the crisis continues, we can be overwhelmed when we experience moments of incapacity to help, the loss of freedom of choice to voice our concerns and acts, and other types of emotions.

This is where we seek refuge in Allah out of our sheer necessity with no other ulterior motive. All these emotions are His creations, and we turn ourselves towards Him with these emotions.

As we turn ourselves towards Him, we acknowledge our weaknesses and inabilities and read a dua taught to us by Allah in Surah Ali-’Imran,

حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

“For Allah suffice for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.”

(Surah Ali-’Imran, 3:173)

This was the dua read by Nabi Ibrahim a.s when he was catapulted into the fire. As he flew into the fire, he read this dua, and Allah commanded the fire to cool down for Nabi Ibrahim a.s.

قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ

We said, “O Fire! Be your coolness and safety unto Ibrahim”

(Surah Anbiya, 21:69)

Read: Dua Qunut Nazilah With English Translation

Channel Our Energy Towards a Good Cause

Work together with others in contributing towards humanitarian aid during this conflict. People in Singapore, regardless of race and religion, were able to raise almost five million dollars in humanitarian aid for Palestine in less than 2 weeks after the fundraiser by the Rahmatan Lil Alamin (Blessings to all) Foundation, or RLAF, was launched.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism, Humanitarian, UNRWA, Help

Always start something good within your means and circle of influence. For example, aside from making dua, donating and raising awareness about the crisis, we can also channel our efforts by volunteering at the mosque near our homes. Join the youth wing of the mosque and start supporting one another.

Seek Guidance From Our Local Certified Asatizah

As the conflict continues to unfold, we will continue to be bombarded with many different narratives. You may feel overwhelmed by the discussions and the emotions attached. Look for our local asātizah to process your feelings and thoughts. Go to the nearest mosque to seek help. Or you can look for a trusted adult to speak about your worries.

Palestine, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, Crisis, Conflict, Middle East, Apartheid, Violence, Terrorism, Humanitarian, Safe Space, Discussion, AYN

There are available channels for you to seek help, like the Asatizah Youth Network, mysafespace.sg, Asatizah Solace Care and others. Keep an eye on divisive speeches and extremist thoughts in virtual chat rooms or in social media platforms.

Read: Ask An Ustaz or Ustazah Questions Through Anonymous Chat With MYSAFESPACE

The Prophet always wants us to unite instead of being divided. Narratives that seek to plant the seed of hatred towards fellow Muslims and others are signs for us to distance ourselves from them.

In conclusion, let us take the opportunity in this challenging time to explain and showcase the beauty of Islam. Let us elucidate the core principles and values such as Peace, Excellence, Mercy, Forgiveness, Justice and Wisdom that are contained in the Qurān and the exemplars of the Prophet s.a.w.

Read: 4 Ways to Respond to the Suffering Faced by the Palestinian People

References & Notes:

[1] Ruth Margalit, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of Chaos, The New Yoker, February 20, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/27/itamar-ben-gvir-israels-minister-of-chaos accessed on 8th November 2023.

[2] Jonathan Guyer, Israel’s new right-wing government is even more extreme than protest would have you think, in Vox Journalism, 2023. https://www.vox.com/world/2023/1/20/23561464/israel-new-right-wing-government-extreme-protests-netanyahu-biden-ben-gvir, accessed on 8th November 2023.

[3] Alexandra Sharp, A Guide to Palestinian and Other Anti-Israel Factions, Foreign Policy, October 10 2023. https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/10/what-is-hamas-israel-war-palestine-fatah-hezbollah/ accessed on 8th November 2023.

[4] Narrated by Khabbab bin Al-Arat, “We complained to Rasulullah s.a.w. (of the persecution inflicted on us by the enemies) while he was laying down (and resting his head on a cloth) under the shade of the Kaabah. We said to him, "Would you seek help for us? Would you pray to Allah for us?" He said, "A man from the previous nation would be put in a ditch that was dug for him, and a saw would be put over his head, and he would be cut into two; yet that (torture) would not make him give up his religion. His body would be combed with iron combs that would remove his flesh from the bones and nerves, yet that would not make him abandon his religion. By Allah, this religion (i.e. Islam) will prevail till a traveller from á¹¢an‘ā (in Yemen) to Ḥaḍramawt will fear none but Allah, or a wolf as regards his sheep, but you (people) are hasty” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

[5] https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/74/1701/index.php assessed on 8th November 2023.



https://muslim.sg/articles/our-response-in-crisis-will-demonstrate-our-core-values-as-muslims

November 16: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 41
Humanitarian & fuel updates, hospital crises, evacuation update, West Bank & Israel news, international community actions, and more

Kathryn Shihadah November 16, 2023
November 16: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 41
Palestinians walk through the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City (photo)
Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.

Some people are led to be skeptical of the Al Jazeera news network. However, the network has won several Emmys, a Peabody and the Overseas Press Association’s Edward R. Murrow award, among many other honors. The New York Times reports that “its reporting hews to international journalistic standards and provides a unique view on events in the Middle East.” it’s important to remember that all news sources may potentially have bias. For example, CNN uses anchors who used to work for the Israel Lobby, who have lifelong attachment to Israel, and who often exhibit pro-Israel spin and omission in their broadcasts. Similarly, Fox News is strongly influenced by Rupert Murdoch, who has a similarly strong attachment to Israel, and who may have fired Tucker Carlson, the network’s most popular host, in part due to the host’s opposition to war and his pattern of failing to exhibit sufficient devotion to Israel).

Latest statistics:

Palestinian death toll: 11,196* (10,999 in Gaza** (including at least 4,707 children and 3,155 women), and at least 197 in the West Bank). *IAK does not yet include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile is being disputed; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation.

Palestinian injuries: 30,076** (including at least 29,000 in Gaza** and 2,750 in the West Bank). **NOTE: it is impossible to offer an accurate number of injuries in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and communication disruption. The Associated Press has reported ~32,000 in Gaza, while the UN number is somewhat lower. Our total for Gaza and the West Bank is based on the conservative figure.

It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. About 1.6 million people have been displaced; 3,640 are missing (1,770 children) and presumed to be under rubble.

Israel has now killed more Palestinians in a little over a month than in all the previous 22 years combined.

Reported Israeli death toll has been reduced to ~1,200*** (The Israeli spokesman said the original figure of deaths on March 7 was an “initial estimate” – killed in West Bank, 53 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and ~5,400 injured). The names of the 1,175 identified (about 33 of them children) are here.

***NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

Humanitarian aid: Since 21 October, 1,139 trucks carrying mainly medicines, food and water have entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, representing a fraction of the needs. Due to the absence of fuel, on 14 November, UNRWA’s solid waste removal services began shutting down, posing an environmental hazard, with about 400 tons of rubbish per day accumulating in overcrowded camps and IDP shelters.

Fuel to Gaza: On 15 November, some 23,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt, the first such delivery since 7 October. The Israeli authorities have restricted the use of this fuel only to use for UNRWA trucks distributing aid. The entry of fuel for all other purposes remains banned including for hospital generators and water and sanitation facilities. Given UNRWA requires about 160,000 litres of fuel per day to run basic humanitarian operations, it has had to halt key services. The small amount that entered Gaza was too late in the day to refuel the trucks for aid delivery.

Deadly attacks over the past 24 hours included: on 14 November, in the afternoon, airstrikes reportedly hit Al Mohophin School, in Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, Gaza city, killing 17 people; the same day, at about 20:30, airstrikes reportedly hit a residential building in As Saftawi area, north of Gaza city, killing 13 people, including six women; on midday 14 November, airstrikes reportedly hit a building in Al Qarara, east of Khan Yunis, killing nine people; on 15 November, at around midday, airstrikes reportedly hit As Salhi Towers area, in Nuseirat, killing 14 people.

Propaganda photo, then a bullet to the head: The Israeli army released a propaganda photo of one of its soldiers helping an elderly Palestinian man with a walking stick in an attempt to showcase its “safe corridor” for civilians fleeing northern Gaza. Shortly afterwards, 79-year-old Bashir Hajji was executed in cold blood by Israeli soldiers, according to Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.

Hajji’s granddaughter, Hala Hajji, told the Euro-Med Monitor team that he was executed after the photo was taken with one bullet to the head and back. “He died tired, cold, thirsty & hungry,” she wrote in a post on Instagram, confirming her grandfather’s death.

OCHA reports arrests, beatings on evacuation route: Those fleeing to southern Gaza along the so-called safe “corridors” established by Israeli forces face arrest and the UN has received reports of beatings and people being stripped of their clothes by Israeli soldiers. (02:57 GMT) Palestinians fleeing south are “reporting the presence of dead bodies in the streets”.

New evacuation orders in southern Gaza: The Israeli army dropped leaflets last night and in the early hours of this morning ordering residents on the eastern side of Khan Younis, close to the Israel border, to move to the western side because it is “safe.”

Khan Younis is located in the southern half of the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of people displaced from the north have already sought refuge there in schools and tents, causing severe overcrowding amid shortages of food and water.

RECOMMENDED READING: South Africa: World must urge Israel to stop ‘crime against humanity’ in Gaza

Israeli troops brought boxes with them into Al Shifa Hospital, produced a weapons cache: When Israeli troops entered the hospital, they brought in boxes marked “baby food” and “medical supplies,” then later released a video it said showed some of the materials it allegedly recovered inside the hospital, including automatic weapons, grenades, ammunition and flak jackets.
In one hospital department, “the soldiers [allegedly] located an operational command centre and technological assets belonging to Hamas, indicating that the terrorist organization uses the hospital for terrorist purposes,” an Israeli military statement said. According to a video released on X (see below), they found a laptop.
There is no indication that Israeli troops’ boxes were inspected before they entered the hospital, or that any third party accompanied them on their inspection.
Israeli army deletes, reposts video allegedly inside al-Shifa Hospital: According to the Israeli publication Haaretz, the Israeli military had taken down a social media post uploaded on X on Thursday, which showed what Israel claimed was proof of weapons being kept inside Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military did not publish any explanation for the deletion of the post.
The video, showing Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, was later reposted by the Israeli army with some parts being blurred out, raising questions about the authenticity of the evidence being presented in the clip.
RECOMMENDED READING: Israel fails to show evidence of Hamas command center at al-Shifa hospital

Another raid at Al Shifa, including ‘strip searches’ of Palestinians: Israeli forces launched another raid at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the early hours of Thursday. The Israeli army has confirmed that it is conducting a military operation in the hospital.

There are reports of some 200 people being blindfolded and interrogated and taken to unknown areas; their fate is unknown.

An entire building at al-Shifa Hospital – the specialized surgeries building – has been completely damaged from the inside, in addition to Israeli forces blowing up a warehouse for medicine and medical equipment inside the hospital. Israeli bulldozers and vehicles also reportedly completely destroyed the southern entrance to al-Shifa Hospital and all vehicles in its courtyard.

Medical sources told Wafa that the Israeli army installed facial recognition cameras and electronic gates in the hospital courtyard while strip-searching Palestinians in the medical complex. Israeli forces also reportedly arrested a number of displaced people and the families of those who were killed and wounded, who were seeking shelter there.

The Red Cross and UNRWA are calling for the evacuation of the 650 patients at al-Shifa Hospital to other facilities. The patients would be put in tents or in a school near the European [Gaza] Hospital. The director-general of Gaza hospitals is demanding that patients be transferred to Egypt.

Al Ahli Hospital targeted: Journalist Ismael al-Ghoul reported from near the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City that Israeli air strikes have targeted the perimeter of the hospital. The attacks could be seen as an indicator of preparations for raiding the medical facility. Ahli Arab Hospital is only providing basic medical services, as it was targeted earlier in the war. This video shows the intensity of the bombing.

Out of 24 hospitals with in-patient capacity in the north, only one, Al Ahli in Gaza city, is presently operational and admitting patients. Eighteen hospitals have shut down and evacuated since the start of hostilities, including three – An Nasr, Ar Rantisi and Al Quds – over the past three days.

RECOMMENDED READING: What we know about the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital blast

Gaza City will soon be “uninhabitable”: Ha’aretz reports on what Israeli troops are doing besides ransacking Al Shifa hospitals:

[D]ozens of battalion combat teams…are going from house to house [in Gaza City]…They’re taking no risks, and as nearly all of the million-plus population who lived in the area just six weeks ago have now fled south [NOTE: sources like Al Jazeera report that “hundreds of thousands” still remain in Gaza City]…this means that any building that is any way suspected of harboring weapons or tunnel entrances is bombed or bulldozed, or both.

We may be very near the point where there are more Israeli soldiers in Gaza City than Gazans, and the issue of trying to avoid more civilian casualties will no longer exist because all those who can will have left.

Wide swaths of the city and its surroundings have already been destroyed, and it’s only a matter of weeks before the largest Palestinian city is rendered totally uninhabitable.

The article does not say what will happen to those Gazans who have been unable or unwilling to leave their homes.

3 Palestinians killed in West Bank in alleged shooting attack: Three suspected Palestinian assailants allegedly opened fire at a checkpoint on a road between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday, wounding six security force members before the assailants were shot dead. The suspects arrived in a vehicle from the direction of Bethlehem, Shabtai told reporters at the scene, and opened fire when the Israeli forces there began questioning them. They were killed when the Israeli forces shot back, he said. One of the soldiers has died of his wounds.

RECOMMENDED READING: Reports of harsh conditions and abuse in Israeli security prisons where Palestinians are being held for social media posts

Palestinian lawmaker in Israel sanctioned: The Israeli Knesset’s Ethics Committee has temporarily sanctioned two Palestinian lawmakers, citing “inflammatory remarks” made after the 7 October Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel. MK Aida Touma-Suleiman of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality and MK Iman Khatib Yassin of the United Arab List were banned from taking part in Knesset hearings and votes for two months. They also face salary deductions.

“Knesset Ethics Committee suspended me for 2 months for criticising the Israeli army’s action in Gaza,” Touma-Suleiman wrote on X. “Silencing of critical voices of Palestinian citizens and anti-war activists is rampant these days. The war must cease, persecution must end.”

“Wake up. This is genocide”: Countries must “wake up” to the massive violations that Israel is committing in Gaza, a Palestinian ambassador told UN member states Thursday, insisting it was a “genocide.” “You should wake up in this room. This is a massacre, this is genocide, and we’re seeing it on TV. It cannot continue,” Palestinian ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi told a gathering of UN member states in Geneva.

US doesn’t use its veto: The UN Security Council has passed a resolution calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip” to allow for aid delivery and medical evacuations, after four failed attempts to respond to the Israel-Hamas war. It was adopted by 12 votes in favor, zero against and three abstentions – Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It additionally asked for the unconditional release of captives held in Gaza.

“It is binding international law, but we know that there are many Security Council resolutions that are binding international law that Israel does not comply with. But I think it will add added pressure on Israel, particularly as the US allowed this resolution to go through – it could’ve used its veto,” said Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays.

Int’l civil society answers call to challenge Israel: An international delegation of writers, lawyers, journalists, and activists arrived in Cairo, Egypt this week to exert pressure to secure the safe passage of food, water, fuel, & medical aid to 2.3 million Palestinians facing starvation and death as genocidal Israeli airstrikes continuously pound defenseless civilians. They have submitted a request to Egypt for permission to travel to Rafah. Their effort is in response to the Palestinian and Arab calls for civil society to challenge Israel’s “deadly occupation.” They add,

We urge all peoples and governments to act urgently to end this horror. There are hundreds of aid trucks currently parked in the desert waiting to enter the Rafah Crossing. We demand they be allowed to reach Palestinians whose needs are dire and desperate.

The Washington Post reports: Israel has killed more than 11,100 Gazans. That’s one out of every 200 people, 0.5% of the population.

US distances itself from Al Shifa raid: The United States has denied giving Israel a green light for a raid on al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip after backing Israeli claims that the medical facility was being used for military purposes. Speaking on Wednesday, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby countered accusations from Hamas that President Joe Biden’s administration was complicit in the raid.

The US had previously stated that an intelligence assessment backed up Israel’s claims that al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, sat atop a large Hamas command center.

Americans’ support for Israel, war reaches a new low: A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday shows that 32 percent of respondents said “the US should support Israel” when asked what role Washington should take in the war. This is down from the 41 percent who shared this opinion in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in October. Meanwhile, 68 percent of respondents in the poll said they agreed with a statement that “Israel should call a ceasefire and try to negotiate.”

RECOMMENDED READING: How Israel and the West smear the Palestinians as antisemitic

Many groups urge Biden administration to change Israel policy: More than 500 political appointees and staff members representing some 40 government agencies sent a letter to President Biden on Tuesday protesting his support of Israel in its war in Gaza. A group of more than two dozen Democratic members of US Congress has signed a letter urging the Biden administration to agree to a ceasefire and an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza.

In the past 24 hours, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 53, according to official Israeli sources.

The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. (Information on rocket attacks is here.) It appears that the last time a rocket killed an Israeli was October 7, as reported by Ha’aretz. Ten Israelis were killed – 4 of them Palestinian Israelis.




https://israelpalestinenews.org/november-16-todays-news-palestine-israel-day-41/

November 15: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 40
[email protected] November 15, 2023 al-Shifa, evacuation, gaza hospitals, hamas, humanitarian aid, Israel, West Bank
November 15: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 40
Northern Gaza on Wednesday morning, November 15 (photo)
Hospital, humanitarian, evacuation, and hostage updates, West Bank deaths, US-Israel relationship, Jewish groups organize massive pro-Israel rally and more

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.

Some people are led to be skeptical of the Al Jazeera news network. However, the network has won several Emmys, a Peabody and the Overseas Press Association’s Edward R. Murrow award, among many other honors. The New York Times reports that “its reporting hews to international journalistic standards and provides a unique view on events in the Middle East.” it’s important to remember that all news sources may potentially have bias. For example, CNN uses anchors who used to work for the Israel Lobby, who have lifelong attachment to Israel, and who often exhibit pro-Israel spin and omission in their broadcasts. Similarly, Fox News is strongly influenced by Rupert Murdoch, who has a similarly strong attachment to Israel, and who may have fired Tucker Carlson, the network’s most popular host, in part due to the host’s opposition to war and his pattern of failing to exhibit sufficient devotion to Israel).

Latest statistics:

Palestinian death toll: 10,980* (10,784 in Gaza** (including at least 4,630 children and 3,130 women), and at least 196 in the West Bank). *IAK does not yet include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile is being disputed; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation.

Palestinian injuries: 30,076** (including at least 29,000 in Gaza** and 2,650 in the West Bank). **NOTE: it is impossible to offer an accurate number of injuries in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and communication disruption. The Associated Press has reported ~32,000 in Gaza, while the UN number is somewhat lower. Our total for Gaza and the West Bank is based on the conservative figure.

It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. About 1.6 million people have been displaced; 3,600 are missing (1,755 children) and presumed to be under rubble.

Israel has now killed more Palestinians in a little over a month than in all the previous 22 years combined.

Reported Israeli death toll has been reduced to ~1,200*** (The Israeli spokesman said the original figure of deaths on March 7 was an “initial estimate” – 3 killed in West Bank, 51 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and ~5,400 injured). The names of the 1,162 identified (33 of them children) are here.

***NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

Al Shifa hospital update: Israeli forces have raided al-Shifa Hospital, where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering, following days of heavy attacks in the area surrounding the complex in Gaza City. Israel’s military said early on Wednesday morning that it was carrying out an “operation against Hamas in a specified area” at al-Shifa. Calling the assault a “targeted operation” on Gaza’s largest medical facility, it said the raid was based on Israeli and United States intelligence.

Dozens of Israeli soldiers entered the facility while tanks were stationed in the yard of the medical complex. Dr Munir al-Bursh, the general director of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, said that Israeli forces searched the basement of al-Shifa and entered the surgical and emergency buildings within the complex.

Inside the specialized surgeries building, the Israeli commandos are tearing apart all the partitions, destroying all the walls between rooms, going to the basement, and calling out people one by one and interrogating them.

The soldiers are using loudspeakers ordering young men to surrender themselves. About 30 people taken outside were stripped of their clothes, blindfolded and surrounded by three tanks in the courtyard.

Israeli forces have blown up a warehouse of medicine and medical devices in the hospital.

Israel accuses Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, of using the hospital as a base. Hamas rejects the claim. Israel has not produced evidence to back up its assertion.

Israel’s attacks on al-Shifa started just hours after a White House spokesperson said – without providing any evidence – that Washington has “information” that Hamas is using Gaza hospitals.

RECOMMENDED READING: Don’t be fooled. Biden is fully signed up to ethnic cleansing in Gaza

Is Israel creating propaganda? “The Israeli army is the only party controlling the scene inside the al-Shifa Medical Complex, amid a total media blackout. No third party or international organization was permitted to be present inside, which raises doubts about any Israeli narrative that would be released later,” Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a statement, adding, “Israeli allegations about the use of the al-Shifa Medical Complex for military purposes do not require extended hours of searching and raiding. Therefore, there are concerns that the army might be creating the scene that might be released later.” (08:55 GMT)

Humanitarian update: UNRWA said it received around 23,000 liters of fuel from Egypt (half a tanker), though Israel has restricted its use to solely transporting aid from the Rafah crossing. “No fuel for water or hospitals. This is only 9 percent of what we need daily to sustain lifesaving activities,” said UNRWA director Thomas White. “Humanitarian aid must be delivered based upon need – not based upon conditions set by parties to a conflict.” This will be the first time since 7 October that fuel is allowed into Gaza.

Although 91 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered from Egypt on 14 November, the distribution of supplies to shelters, clinics and other beneficiaries has largely come to a halt due to lack of fuel. Watch for an update on whether deliveries are made today.

Evacuation update: On 14 November, for the twelfth consecutive day, the Israeli military opened a “corridor” along the main traffic artery between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 17,000-18,000 moved on 14 November, significantly less than in the previous days.

Numerous reports indicate that Israeli forces have been carrying out arrests among internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing; there are also allegations of beating, stripping and other forms of violence. On 14 November, IDPs have reported that the Israeli army had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to go through two containers, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. People are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.

Damage and destruction in Gaza: On 13 November, at about 23:00, Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit and destroyed 12 houses near the Jabalia services sports club (in the north), killing 31 Palestinians and injuring others. The following morning, at about 5:30, Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit two buildings in Khan Yunis (in the south), killing 13 Palestinians and injuring 20 others.

In Jabalia refugee camp, several children who went out to fill water bottles were killed by Israeli shelling. (08:35)

Israeli air raids on homes in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood over the past few days have killed at least 25 Palestinians, according to media reports. (07:55 GMT)

Israeli artillery shelling targeted flour silos in al-Qarara, which was the only storage place for flour in Gaza; work has stopped at Al Salam Mill in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, after Israeli artillery bombed the only operating wheat mill. (10:55 GMT)

Gaza’s two main telecommunications companies, Paltel and Jawwal, have warned of a “complete telecom blackout in the coming hours” in Gaza. “Main data centers and switches in the Gaza Strip are gradually shutting down due to fuel depletion,” the companies said in a joint statement.

Over the past 24 hours, internally displaced persons staying outside the overcrowded shelters in the south have been affected by intermittent rainfall and related flooding, which have damaged or destroyed tents and makeshifts where they lived. Alongside lower temperatures, this is exposing people to increasing risk of disease.

RECOMMENDED READING: Israel makes childhood in Gaza a living hell

West Bank news: Israeli forces killed at least 8 Palestinians during an hours-long raid on Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank on Tuesday. Wafa reported:

After 15 continuous hours of aggression by the Israeli occupation forces, people rushed to inspect what had happened in the camp. They were shocked by the extent of destruction caused intentionally to the streets, water, electricity and sewage lines, homes, and private and public commercial facilities.

A young Palestinian man, Yamen Kamel Atiq, from Jenin, has succumbed to serious wounds he suffered after Israeli soldiers shot him after the army invaded Jenin on October 29.

Occupation forces also shot Mohammad Abdul-Majid Halayqa, age 20 from the town of Shiokh. Israeli forces alleged that he had a knife. After shooting him multiple times, they left him bleeding on the ground and refused ambulances trying to reach him. The alleged knife was never found.

Israeli bulldozers also destroyed a monument to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Tulkarem, in the West Bank. (06:51 GMT) Tulkarem is in “Area A,” officially under full Palestinian control. Israeli forces are not supposed to enter Area A.

RECOMMENDED READING: Israel settlers destroy drinking water network, trees in southern Hebron

Hostage update: Israel’s Kan television station reported that a “children for children” proposal is being examined by Israel and Hamas in advanced talks mediated by Qatar and the US. One of the sources said the talks were ongoing and no final agreement has been reached. (03:30 GMT)

The Hamas resistance group is currently holding about 240 prisoners, captured on October 7th for the purpose of a prisoner swap. Israel currently holds 7,000 Palestinians as political prisoners, at least 160 of them children) and has agreed to such a swap in the past.

The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. (Information on rocket attacks is here.) It appears that the last time a rocket killed an Israeli was October 7, as reported by Ha’aretz. Ten Israelis were killed – 4 of them Palestinian Israelis.

Israel news: In the last 24 hours, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 51, according to official Israeli sources.

Netanyahu has slammed Canada’s Justin Trudeau for saying the killing of women and children “has to stop”.

The Knesset has passed a law granting honorary citizenship to non-Israelis killed by Hamas.

RECOMMENDED READING: What media reports fail to tell you about October 7

US ‘quietly’ ramping up weapons transfers to Israel: Citing an internal defense department list, Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon is “delivering on requests that include more laser-guided missiles for its Apache gunship fleet, as well as 155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions and new army vehicles,” adding, “the arms are already being shipped or the Defense Department is working to make them available from stockpiles in the US and Europe.” (04:00 GMT)

WATCH: Joe Biden, career defender of Israel’s crimes and impunity

US-Israel tension: A new report by Bloomberg says the White House is getting increasingly frustrated with Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza as the civilian death toll mounts. Quoting several people familiar with conversations, the publication reported a widening rift between the close allies. It said US administration officials were having difficult conversations with their Israeli counterparts but their calls have been going unheeded.

At the same time, President Joe Biden’s administration is still fulfilling Israel’s weapons requests, and so far hasn’t threatened any consequences against Israel. (09:20 GMT)

Palestinian leader statement on US: By “accepting Israeli lies”, the US is “repeating the same mistake” it did in invading Iraq on the pretext of ridding the country of weapons of mass destruction, said Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative. “It reminds us of the intelligence information that the United States had to justify attacking Iraq,” Barghouti said. [Israel partisans in the US government pushed this.]

Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations organize a “vast show of solidarity with Israel” rally in Washington DC. Schools, synagogues and community centers sent buses of attendees – tens of thousands of people converged on the Mall, including politicians such as Chuck Schumer and Mike Johnson, new speaker of the House.










https://israelpalestinenews.org/november-15-todays-news-on-palestine-israel-day-40/

‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 40: Israeli forces storm Al-Shifa Hospital, strip-naked and arrest people inside
Israeli forces took dozens of Palestinians captive inside Al-Shifa and bombed their way into floors and rooms. The Palestinian health minister warned of a massacre to be committed in the complex.

Mustafa Abu SneinehNovember 15, 2023
An injured elderly Palestinian man is transferred in an ambulance to a hospital in Der al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. November 14, 2023. (Photo: Naaman Omar/APA Images)
An injured elderly Palestinian man is transferred in an ambulance to a hospital in Der al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. November 14, 2023. (Photo: Naaman Omar/APA Images)
Casualties

11,255 killed*, including 4,630 children, and 29,000 wounded in Gaza
196 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,200
*This figure covers the casualties from October 7 to November 14.

Key Developments

In hospital raid, Israeli forces took captive dozens of displaced people, relatives of patients and the injured inside Al-Shifa, after stripping them of their clothes, blindfolding them, and taking them to “unknown” locations.
The buildings of the nephrology and the internal medicine departments at Al-Shifa Hospital were the first to be stormed by Israeli forces overnight, Al-Jazeera reported. Israeli forces also detonated a medicine storehouse at the hospital.
White House backs Israeli accusations of a Hamas command underneath Al-Shifa Hospital, which Hamas denied. Hospital staff have called on independent, third-party investigators to come to the hospital and investigate the claim, which they also say is false.
Hamas: White House adoption of false claims of command center under Al-Shifa is a “green light to the [Israeli] occupation force to commit more massacres against civilians.”
Health official: Israeli forces shot at Palestinians who left the Al-Shifa complex through the “safe corridor” which they set up.
Belize severs ties with Israel and withdraws the accreditation of Tel Aviv’s ambassador.
Israeli forces storm Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility

Israeli forces and tanks stormed on Wednesday morning Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, following a late-night threat call to the hospital’s medical staff warning them of an imminent incursion inside the sprawling complex at “any minute”.

Currently housing thousands of patients, doctors, and civilian families, Al-Shifa has been a primary target of Israel since the beginning of its war on Gaza. In recent days Israel and the US have been ramping up claims of alleged “intelligence” to support Israel’s allegation of a Hamas command center that it says lies beneath the hospital.

Following the threatening call on Tuesday night, Al Jazeera reported that hospital staff warned Israeli forces that there were thousands of civilians and patients in the wards.

Ashraf Al-Qudra, the Ministry of Health spokesman, who broke the news of the raid plan during a live call on Al-Jazeera Arabic, said that Palestinians inside Al-Shifa were terrified upon hearing the news, leaving many in a state of panic.

Wednesday morning local time, shortly after 8am, Israeli tanks and forces bombed the northern wall of Al-Shifa complex and made their way through to the main courtyard and to various medical buildings that make up the hospital.

By noon Wednesday, reports confirmed that Israeli forces were inside all the buildings of Al-Shifa complex. Al-Jazeera reported that dozens of displaced people and relatives of patients and the injured were arrested, after being stripped of their clothes and blindfolded, and taken to “unknown” destinations.

No pictures are coming from inside Al-Shifa complex during the Israeli storming and internet and signal communication are unstable.

Eyewitnesses told Al-Jazeera Arabic that forces ordered civilians and medical staff to move to the upper floors of the buildings, and that they could hear explosions in the lower floors of the complex, but could not confirm what it was. Shrapnel from Israeli explosives reportedly fell on civilians and shattered windows in the hospital.

The buildings of the nephrology and the internal medicine were the first to be stormed by Israel forces, who detonated a medicine storehouse, Al-Jazeera reported. Then it stormed the facilities of maternity and the specialist departments.

Israeli forces detonated some doors and shouted in loudspeakers at young men who were sheltering in the hospital to hand themselves in.

Later on Wednesday morning, after destroying medical stores inside the hospital, the government of Israel posted photos and videos on social media claiming to show its soldiers delivering aid to the hospital. Earlier this week Israel also published videos showing its soldiers delivering a number of gallon tanks of fuel to the area outside Al-Shifa, claiming that Hamas refused the “offering,” Medical staff at the hospital, however, said its staff were too fearful to go outside and receive the fuel because of Israeli snipers positioned around the hospital, and that the fuel provided by Israel would only be enough to power parts of the hospital for 30 minutes.

Prior to the storming on Wednesday morning, Al-Shifa has been under Israeli siege for the past six days. People attempting to leave the premises were under the danger of being shot by Israeli forces, while witnesses inside the hospital say that they were coming under fire while moving within the complex as well. Ambulances were also blocked from rescuing the injured or transferring the bodies in the hospital’s vicinity.

There are unconfirmed figures of thousands of patients, injured, displaced people and medical staff inside the hospital, which went completely out of service on Sunday, November 12th. The hospital had already been suffering from food and water shortages, as well as the deaths of dozens of patients, including premature babies, due to lack of oxygen and electricity at the hospital.

On Tuesday, just hours before the Israeli raid, medical staff and volunteers dug a mass grave to bury 170 bodies that had been piling up at the hospital and were beginning to decompose, as the hospital has no mortuary refrigeration.

Except for the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza’s Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, all of northern Gaza’s hospitals have gone out of service due to the lack of fuel, medical supplies, and intense damage sustained by Israeli bombardment. Even the Al-Ahli hospital is running on limited and stopped receiving patients as they ran out of fuel, medicine and suffered damages to the facilities. However, Al-Ahli also has limited resources to treat mild and moderate cases only, health officials say.

US backs the Israeli storming of Al-Shifa Hospital

The US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby backed Israel’s plan to storm the Al-Shifa complex, repeating the unverified Israeli allegation that a command center for the Palestinians resistance lies underneath it.

Kirby said on Tuesday that there were tunnels for Hamas and Islamic Jihad underneath Al-Shifa “to conceal and to support military operations and to hold hostages.”

Kirby said the information was gathered from a number of “intelligence methods,” and added that President Biden downgraded the classification level of some US intelligence data in order to share with the media, Reuters reported.

“Hamas and the PIJ members operate a command and control node from Al-Shifa in Gaza City. They have stored weapons there and they are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility,” he said.

Kirby added that “hospitals and patients must be protected” and “Hamas actions do not lessen Israel’s responsibility to protect civilians in Gaza”.

Hamas has repeatedly denied this accusation, and Palestinian factions and health officials have called repeatedly for international teams and independent investigators to visit Al-Shifa and other hospitals to conduct an investigation.

On Wednesday, Hamas said in a statement they hold “the Israeli occupation and President Biden wholly responsible for the assault on al-Shifa medical complex.”

“The adoption by the White House and the Pentagon of the occupation’s false claim that the resistance is using al-Shifa medical complex for military ends has given the green light to the occupation to commit more massacres against civilians,” it added.

Early on Wednesday, the Arabic spokesman of the Israeli forces Avichai Adraee tweeted that Israeli forces were carrying out an operation in “certain parts” of Al-Shifa based on intelligence information.

He claimed that there was a “safe corridor” for people to leave Al-Shifa. According to medical officials, Israel forces shot at Palestinians who left the complex through the “safe corridor” which they set up. Eyewitnesses also told Al-Jazeera that they were asked to stay away from windows and doors as snipers were shooting at anyone looking outside.

Israeli forces said they were met with explosive devices and armed clashes from Palestinian fighters before their incursion into Al-Shifa.

Haaretz reported that the Israeli forces’ primary goal of storming Al-Shifa was to destroy Hamas network and their stash of weaponry and to possibly rescue captives.

Muhammad Zaqout, the General Director of Gaza Hospitals, confirmed that not a single Palestinian bullet was fired from inside Al-Shifa when forces stormed the complex on Wednesday morning, and that Israeli forces encountered no resistance.

“The occupation forces stormed the surgical and emergency buildings in Al-Shifa complex, entered the emergency department, and are now searching the hospital’s basement,” he told Al-Jazeera.

Media cameras have been focused for the past 40 days of the war on the emergency building of Al-Shifa.

“The occupation army believed that its soldiers entering the Shifa complex would be a victory for it, but it did not find any evidence of the existence of resistance,” he added.

There are an estimated 1,500 medical staff and 7,000 people inside Al-Shifa, according to Zaqout. However, figures are hard to confirm as Gaza lacks proper internet and telecommunication signals.

Condemnations of Al-Shifa Hospital raid

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) voiced its alarm over Israel’s raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital on Wednesday, saying “We are extremely concerned about the impact on sick and wounded people, medical staff, and civilians,” adding that “all measures to avoid any consequences on them must be taken”.

Senior UN aid official Martin Griffiths wrote on X that he was “appalled” by the raid on Al-Shifa hospital, saying “the protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds.” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, described the raids as “deeply concerning.”

Mai al-Kaila, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Minister of Health in Ramallah condemned the raid on Al-Shifa hospital, saying that Israeli forces bore responsibility for the safety and lives of patients in Al-Shifa, and warned of a massacre to be committed inside it.

Al-Kaila said that the meek global reaction to Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip had emboldened it to storm Al-Shifa, in violation of international law. She added that since October 7th, Israeli forces have killed 198 medical staff in the Gaza Strip.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the UN Security Council and the international community “must shoulder its moral responsibilities and work to put pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to stop its continued aggression, war, and targeting of civilians, especially women and children, which may not be justified under any justification or excuse.”

Al-Shifa is one of Gaza’s oldest medical facilities, built atop of a British barracks in 1946. The complex includes buildings for surgery, internal disease, obstetrics and gynaecology, a nursery for premature babies, emergency department, intensive care units, radiology and blood bank.

It has 500 to 700 hospital beds and serves the medical needs of almost half a million people in Gaza. It is built on 45,000 square meters of land in western of Gaza City, and employs 1,500 medical staff, including 500 doctors and 760 nurses.

Wednesday was not the first time Israel raided Al-Shifa Hospital. Prior to 2005, when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, its forces stormed and targeted Al-Shifa during the First and Second Intifadas multiple times.

The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday evening that 11,451 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank since October 7, and 31,700 have been wounded.

The ministry said it is facing difficulty updating casualty figures due to the lack of communication services in northern Gaza hospitals.

In the Gaza Strip alone, an estimated 11,255 have been killed, including 4,630 children, 3,130 women, and 682 elderly, while 29,000 were wounded. Almost 3,250 people are missing and believed dead or trapped under the rubble, including 1,700 children.

Ground invasion: Israeli forces capture Palestinian parliament, Hamas says it destroyed Israeli tanks

As Israel’s ground invasion moves deeper into Gaza, Israeli forces said it captured the Palestinian parliament in Gaza City and released a photo of soldiers inside it. It also announced the control of the police headquarters in Gaza.

At least 49 Israeli soldiers were announced dead in the battles with Palestinian factions. The fighting between Israeli forces and resistance fighters did not stop since Israel invaded Gaza on October 28.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad are still launching rockets at Israeli cities and towns near the Gaza Strip and as far as Tel Aviv and armed clashes are still taking place in northern and southern parts of Gaza City.

On Wednesday, Hamas said it launched rockets on Asqalan (Ashkelon), where sirens went off, and that it attacked Israeli military vehicles with the 114mm Rajum rocket launcher, and in Deir Al-Balah, it targeted tanks with 105mm Al-Yaseen shells.

Islamic Jihad said on Wednesday that it shot down an Israeli Skylark drone.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces fired into the town of Al-Khiam, and launched airstrikes on the Merkaba and Kafr Kila villages, after a drone was launched from Lebanon setting off the sirens in the Israeli towns of Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot in north of occupied Palestine.

Arrests in the West Bank continue; Belize cuts ties with Israel

In the West Bank, 196 Palestinians have been killed and 2,700 wounded since October 7th, as Israeli forces ramp up raids in the occupied territory.

On Tuesday evening, the ministry of health announced the death of Yamen Kamel Ateeq from the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Ateeq had succumbed to wounds he sustained after being shot with two bullets by Israeli forces on October 29.

Overnight Tuesday Israeli forces arrested 54 Palestinians, including a number of female university students from Hebron. Forces raided houses and arrested people from Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Ramallah and Jerusalem, Wafa reported.

Meanwhile on Tuesday evening, the government of Belize, a nation on the eastern coast of Central America and on the Caribbean, said it was severing ties with Israel. Belize follows Bolivia, who cut its diplomatic ties with Israel in October.

In a statement, Belize said that Israeli forces “engaged in incessant indiscriminate shelling” in Gaza that has killed more than 11,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children.

“The bombardment has destroyed many buildings and infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and other constructions,” adding that Israel has “systematically violated international law, international humanitarian law, and the human rights of Gazans.”

Belize withdrew the accreditation of Israel’s ambassador in the country.

Before you go – we need your support

At Mondoweiss, we understand the power of telling Palestinian stories. For 17 years, we have pushed back when the mainstream media published lies or echoed politicians’ hateful rhetoric. Now, Palestinian voices are more important than ever.

Our traffic has increased ten times since October 7, and we need your help to cover our increased expenses.

Support our journalists with a donation today.


https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-40-israeli-forces-storm-al-shifa-hospital-strip-naked-and-arrest-people-inside/

‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 39: Health official says Israel ‘sentencing Al-Shifa hospital to death’ as doctors dig mass grave
Mustafa Abu SneinehNovember 14, 2023
Atef Al-Helou (C), from Shujaiya neighbourhood in Gaza City, stays with his relatives inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Atef has fractures in his feet, and due to the large number of injured people, there is no time to undergo an operation, and will to travel outside Gaza for treatment. Al-Helou and his family were injured after the Israeli army bombed the houses adjacent to Al-Quds Hospital, and they were forced to leave the hospital for southern Gaza in the city of Khan Yunis. (Photo: © Mohammed Talatene/dpa via ZUMA Press APA Images)
Atef Al-Helou (C), from Shujaiya neighbourhood in Gaza City, stays with his relatives inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Atef has fractures in his feet, and due to the large number of injured people, there is no time to undergo an operation, and will to travel outside Gaza for treatment. Al-Helou and his family were injured after the Israeli army bombed the houses adjacent to Al-Quds Hospital, and they were forced to leave the hospital for southern Gaza in the city of Khan Yunis. (Photo: © Mohammed Talatene/dpa via ZUMA Press APA Images)
Casualties

11,180 killed*, including 4,609 children, and 27,490 wounded in Gaza
195 Palestinians killed* in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,200
*This figure covers the casualties from October 7 to November 12.

Key Developments

Gaza’s hospitals are lacking sufficient food and water, thousands of displaced people are reported to have sought shelter in them.
Gaza health official: “[Israel] is sentencing everyone inside Al-Shifa hospital to death.”
Al-Shifa Hospital medical staff and volunteers dug a mass grave to bury 170 bodies that started to decompose as mortuary refrigeration lost electricity.
Al-Amal Hospital’s sole power generator stopped working in Khan Yunis, south of Gaza Strip, putting the lives of hundreds of patients and injured at risk of death.
3,250 people reportedly still missing or under the rubble, including 1,700 children, according to Gaza Ministry of Health.
Israeli forces storm hospital in the West Bank and fired tear gas at another. Eight Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours in Tulkarm and Hebron.
Abdulrahman Ahmed Muhammad Marei, 33, is the fifth prisoner to die inside Israeli jails since October 7.
Mass grave dug in Al-Shifa Hospital as Israel lays siege

All of the Palestinian hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip have gone out of service in the sixth week of Israel’s war on Gaza, including Al-Shifa, the largest medical complex.

Hundreds of lives are at risk of death, and thousands of civilians remain trapped inside the hospitals’ premises, Gaza’s Deputy Health Minister Yousef Abu el-Rish told AFP.

“We cannot reach the dozens of women who will give birth. We received reports of cases in which women gave birth in the street or at home without a midwife. Snipers shoot at anyone moving from building to building inside the hospital,” Abu el-Rish explained.

He said that they were forced to evacuate patients and medical staff over the weekend from Al-Rantisi Hospital, after receiving threats from the Israeli forces.

Hospitals are lacking sufficient food and water, and there are unconfirmed numbers of thousands of displaced people who sought shelter in them.

Al-Shifa Hospital, northern Gaza’s largest medical facility, has been under fire and siege from Israeli tanks and forces for the past week.

Abu el-Rish said Israel is “sentencing everyone inside [Al-Shifa] hospital to death.”

On Tuesday morning, Munir al-Bursh, the Health Ministry’s General Director, told Al-Jazeera Arabic in a phone call, that Israeli forces prevented the burial of bodies in a nearby cemetery, which forced the staff to dig a mass grave for 170 bodies inside the Al-Shifa complex.

Al-Bursh said medical staff and volunteers dug the grave with shovels and their hands when bodies started to decompose as the hospital has no electricity to run mortuary refrigeration.

A member of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) inside Al-Shifa Hospital said Monday that they “need a guarantee that there is a safe corridor because we saw some people trying to leave Al-Shifa, [Israeli forces] killed them, they bombed them, the sniper killed them.”

MSF tweeted the testimony of the member, who also said that there were a number of bodies and injured people outside Al-Shifa complex, which ambulances and paramedics could not reach due to Israel snipers’ fire and bombings.

They currently have no food and water, and internet and phone communication are not stable.

“The medical team agreed to leave the hospital only if patients are evacuated first: we don’t want to leave our patients,” MSF’s member said.

Al-Shifa is not the only hospital to be attacked or under siege.

On Tuesday, Al-Jazeera reported that almost 100 patients and medical staff are trapped inside Al-Hilo Hospital in Gaza City after Israeli tanks encircled the area. Since October 7, 25 out of Gaza’s 35 hospitals have completely stopped working, the majority of them are in the northern Gaza Strip.

The only hospital operating in Gaza on Tuesday morning was Al-Ahli in the Al-Zaytoun area, according to Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). In the early days of the war, hundreds were killed when Israeli bombed the courtyard of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital where thousands of people were sheltering.

However, the PRCS said that Al-Ahli was only handling mild and moderate cases to ease pressure on the emergency department after the PRCS-affiliated Al-Quds Hospital went out of service.

PRCS said Al-Amal Hospital’s sole power generator stopped working in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, putting the lives of hundreds of patients and injured at risk of death.

“Around 9,000 displaced individuals have sought refuge in the PRCS premises and [Al-Amal] Hospital,” the PRCS said.

“The hospital is currently relying on a very small generator to supply electricity to light the maternity ward and emergency department. It’s important to note that the remaining fuel is expected to run out within the next 24 hours,” it added.

For the past few days, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has not been updated by the Ministry of Health due to the disruption of communication services.

But on Monday evening, the latest figure released by the ministry and reported by Wafa news agency, was 11,180 martyrs, 4,609 children, 3,100 women, and 678 elderly people. The figure covers the casualties from October 7 to November 12.

There are reports of 3,250 people still missing or under the rubble, including 1,700 children.

On Monday, the United Nations paid tribute to 101 members of staff killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the highest record of casualties in the UN history.

“Today, the UN family observed a moment of silence to mourn & honour our colleagues killed in Gaza,” Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said.

“They will never be forgotten,” he added on X.

West Bank: hospitals attacked as dozens of Palestinians are killed, injured, and arrested

The Israeli assault on Palestinian hospitals has extended to the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces are continuing the mass arrest campaign that began on October 7.

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Ministry of Health reported that dozens of civilians and medical staff suffered from severe eye and respiratory pain when Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at Thabet Thabet government-run hospital in the city of Tulkarm.

The ministry released a video on Telegram showing the emergency department at Thabet Thabet Hospital engulfed with a cloud of tear gas smoke.

On Monday night, Israeli forces stormed Hugo Chavez Eye Hospital in the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, Wafa reported.

Turmus Ayya’s residents have routinely suffered from Jewish settlers’ attacks. In June, almost 400 settlers attacked the village, killing a Palestinian man and burning 30 vehicles and 30 properties.

Wafa reported that Israeli forces conducted a “field investigation” and questioned workers at Hugo Chavez Hospital.

“The interrogation of medical staff is a blatant violation of medical and health institutions,” said the Ministry of Health.

In the past 24 hours, eight Palestinians were killed in the cities of Tulkarm and Hebron.

On Monday night, three Palestinians were killed and three were injured in a missile attack launched from an Israeli drone in the Al-Ghanem neighborhood in Tulkarm refugee camp.

Thabet Thabet Hospital announced that the three martyrs were identified as Saeed Suleiman Youssef Abu Tahoun, 24, Jihad Khaled Muqbil Ghanem, 27, and Musab Omar Ahmed Al-Ghoul, 21.

The Ministry of Health said that four others were killed in Tulkarm after being shot by Israeli forces who stormed the city.

Mahmoud Ali Hadayda, 25, and Hazem Muhammad Hosri, 28, were were shot by live bullets in the chest. Four people were injured by snipers bullets who were deployed on the houses’ roofs, Wafa reported.

Israeli forces blocked ambulances from entering Tulkarm camp. Medhat Abu Amsha was arrested from inside an ambulance while being transported to the hospital, Wafa said.

The health ministry announced that two people succumbed to their wounds on Tuesday morning. Israeli forces had bulldozed Al-Madares Street at the entrance of Tulkarm camp and part of Al-Quds Open University Street, damaging infrastructure.

At least 32 Palestinians have been killed in Tulkarm since October 7, Wafa reported. In total since October 7, 195 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank and at least 2,700 injured.

In Hebron, Muhammad Abd al-Majid Halayqa, 20, succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday after being shot by Israeli forces near the town of Beit Ainun, northeast of Hebron.

On Tuesday, the Prisoners’ Affairs Authority and the Prisoners’ Club said that Abdulrahman Ahmed Muhammad Marei, 33, is the fifth prisoner to die inside Israeli jails since October 7, accusing Israeli authorities of a “new premeditated assassination.”

Marei is from Qarawat Bani Hassan, northwest of Salfit, and was detained in Megiddo prison since February.

The number of Palestinians arrested since October 7 in occupied West Bank and Jerusalem rose to 2,750. In the past 24 hours, Israeli forces arrested 28 people from Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, and Qalqilya.

Israeli captive killed in Israeli airstrike, Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv

Abu Obaida, the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, said on Monday evening that an Israeli captive held by Hamas was killed during the indiscriminate Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Abu Obaida said also that Israel rejected a Qatari-mediated five-day truce in which Hamas would release a total of 70 captives in return for the freeing of all Palestinian children and women prisoners inside Israeli jails.

Hamas also announced that it destroyed 20 military vehicles in the Gaza Strip since Saturday, and also launched rockets at the Tel Aviv metropolitan area on the 38th day of the war.

Fighting is still ongoing in the Al-Shat refugee camp in Beit Hanoun, and the triangle of Al-Twam, Al-Karameh Towers, and Al-Mukhabarat Towers.

Hamas said on Tuesday morning that it attacked an Israeli force barricaded inside a building in north Gaza, and that it attacked two “Zionist tanks” west of Gaza City with 105mm Al-Yaseen shells and the 114mm Rajum rocket launcher.

Islamic Jihad’s armed wing announced on Tuesday morning that it launched mortar shells at Israeli forces stationed near the kibbutz of Kissufim.

Sirens went off in a number of settlements near the Gaza Strip and the town of Askalan on Tuesday.

The Israeli army said that an air defense missile was fired at an “aerial target” near Eilat.

Sirens went off in the upper Galilee, and Israel said it bombed targets in the Lebanese town of Aita Al-Shaab. The Hezbollah movement also announced that it targeted the Israeli sites of Al-Malkia and Al-Burj.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned on Monday of an Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.

He said that there is “no military or security solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The root of the crisis is Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its denial of Palestinians’ legitimate rights.”

The monarch added that “the solution starts from there, and any other path is doomed to failure and more of a cycle of violence and destruction.”

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, suggested on Tuesday that “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza could be “the only solution.”

“This is the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza and the entire region,” Smotrich wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“The reception of refugees by the countries of the world that really want their best interests, with the support and generous financial assistance of the international community, and within the state of Israel is the only solution that will bring to the end of the suffering and pain of Jews and Arabs alike.”

“The State of Israel will no longer be able to put up with the existence of an independent entity in Gaza,” he added.

Before you go – we need your support

At Mondoweiss, we understand the power of telling Palestinian stories. For 17 years, we have pushed back when the mainstream media published lies or echoed politicians’ hateful rhetoric. Now, Palestinian voices are more important than ever.

Our traffic has increased ten times since October 7, and we need your help to cover our increased expenses.

Support our journalists with a donation today.


https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-39-health-official-says-israel-sentencing-al-shifa-hospital-to-death-as-doctors-dig-mass-grave/

The 'Hamas human shield' justification for Israeli war crimes
Zionist projection is the default Hasbara strategy

vanessa beeley

What separates Israel, the United States and other democracies when it comes to incredibly difficult situations like this is our respect for international law and, as appropriate, the laws of war. We do everything we can, in these situations, to avoid civilian casualties.

That is in direct contrast with Hamas which uses people as human shields. It [Hamas] actually seeks to put Palestinian civilians in situations where they could be harmed. This is very much part of the game plan. We know Israel will take all the precautions it can, just as we would, again that is what separates us from Hamas and terrorist groups that engage in the most heinous kind of activities

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

If you actually listen to the clip of Blinken justifying Israeli brutality you will hear how he stumbles over his words. He knows he is lying in my opinion. The 4000 plus dead children, 10,328 dead civilians, 26000 injured and 2300 missing believed buried under the rubble of Israeli bombs does not substantiate Blinken’s claims of adherence to international law.

The Israeli bombing of humanitarian convoys, ambulances, paramedics, Civil Defence headquarters, journalists - 50 killed so far, hospitals, makeshift refugee centres, places of worship - mosques and churches, schools, UNWRA facilities, humanitarian aid supplies including essential bottled water supplies, sewage treatment plants, bridges, solar panels, electricity and internet, media buildings, fisherman’s boats, flour stores, burning of food crops - all these targets are in direct violation of any rule of war or human rights conventions.

The deliberate policy of starvation and the cutting off of water, food, fuel and electricity supplies is a genocidal policy:

According to Euro-Med Monitor, the Israeli war of starvation has taken very dangerous turns, including cutting off all food supplies to the Northern half and bombing and destroying factories, bakeries, food stores, water stations, and tanks throughout the entire enclave.

Soaring malnutrition cases especially among pregnant women and children. A Euromed report confirms that “women and children in Gaza are disproportionately suffering from the effects of Israel's war. Approximately 52,500 infants in Gaza are currently at risk of starvation, death, dehydration, and other health hazards due to overcrowding, in addition to 55,000 pregnant women, of whom 5,500 are expected to give birth this month.”

“According to Euro-Med Monitor, getting bread in the Gaza Strip has become an existential challenge, since Gaza’s sole mill there is still unable to grind wheat because of a shortage of fuel and electricity. Since October 7, 11 bakeries have been bombed and destroyed, while the ones that are still operating face tremendous difficulties due to fuel and flour shortages.”

Israel has been blatant about its genocidal policies. Blinken disappears the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from West Bank and Gaza in his statement. Israeli Heritage Minister, Amichai Eliyahu, has not only described the bombing of Gaza as “amazing”, he has recommended nuking Gaza and sending Palestinians to Ireland or the desert. According to a Times of Israel article:

Eliyahu also voices his objection during the interview to allowing any humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying “we wouldn’t hand the Nazis humanitarian aid,” and charging that “there is no such thing as uninvolved civilians in Gaza.”

“They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves.”

He says the northern Strip has no right to exist, adding that anyone waving a Palestinian or Hamas flag “shouldn’t continue living on the face of the earth.”

Corpses rotting under rubble, shallow and hastily dug mass graves. Chemicals believed to be used by Israel in the bombing campaigns including White Phosphorous - all these factors spell disaster when the rains come.

Gaza is a strip of land the size of the Isle of Wight ( 40km X 12km) with a population of 2.2 million civilians. With the forced evacuation by Israel from the north to the south - you will have 2.2 million civilians living in an area half its original size.

Israel has destroyed Gaza’s ability to desalinate water to provide clean drinking water or to effectively pump sewage out of the strip. When the rains come, disease will be rife with sewage, decaying bodies, chemicals, disease flooding the enclave.

Even in so-called peace time children are used to wading through sewage to get to school. Children are forced to swim in raw sewage in the sea off the Gaza coast. This pollution will be exponentially increased by the latest Israeli aggression.

Added to this, the targeting of hospitals and health centers will result in chronic illness patients dying from lack of available treatment. Euromed - “more than 2,000 cancer patients, more than 1,000 patients in need of dialysis to survive, 50,000 cardiovascular patients, and over 60,000 diabetics—urgently need access to basic healthcare services considering the severe shortage of medications, medical supplies, fuel, food, and clean water.” These patients are not given priority because of the massive influx of emergency cases from the Israeli bombing raids. As Euromed Monitor reports:

Eighteen out of 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip have stopped operating so far, according to local health officials there. Overall, 120 health institutions have been targeted, while more than 48 primary care centres (70%) are now out of service due to the ongoing Israeli raids and the fuel crisis.

The Hamas Human Shield trope

The claim that Hamas or as I prefer to call it, the Palestinian Resistance coalition, use Palestinian civilians as human shields is consistently used to justify the Israeli bombing of civilian targets as mentioned above. The bombing of an ambulance carrying wounded for evacuation at the Egyptian Rafah border was justified by the Israeli claim that Hamas fighters were on board. Claims that are never substantiated or investigated.

In my experience in both Gaza during Israeli aggression 2012 and in Syria on various frontlines - it is normal for the injured or civilian evacuees to be escorted for their safety by military, in Syria by the Syrian Arab Army. I do not know if this was the case in Gaza but it is a legitimate reason for military escort. The civilian bodies that were brought from the ambulance into hospital however contradict Israeli claims. Israel has, so far, failed to provide evidence of its claims that resulted in the deaths of civilians including children.

Gaza is a strip of land 40km by 12km. It is a densely populated enclave with buildings arranged in close proximity, schools, hospitals, residential areas all on top of each other. Israel claims that the Palestinian Resistance is using their own families, children and civilians as “human shields” while carpet bombing entire residential areas to allegedly wipe out ‘Hamas’.

The denials of Hamas using human shields

2014 - BBC’s Jeremy Bowen wrote for the New Statesman - ‘I saw no evidence of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields’. Bowen described his experience in Gaza:

I saw no evidence during my week in Gaza of Israel’s accusation that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields. I saw men from Hamas on street corners, keeping an eye on what was happening. They were local people and everyone knew them, even the young boys.

Also in 2014 a Truthout article was published - ‘Congress utilizes myth of human shields to justify [Israeli] war crimes’

According to the report ‘no Gaza eyewitness found evidence of Hamas using human shields’ during the 2014 Israeli aggression against the Gaza strip which followed a similar pattern to the ongoing 2023 mass bombing of civilian infrastructure - a war crime in itself. From the report:

Human Rights Watch cited evidence of Israel “blatantly violating the laws of war designed to spare civilians,” including attacks on heavily-populated neighborhoods and shooting at fleeing civilians. Similarly, the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem challenged its government’s claims that they had “no intention of harming civilians,” noting how after “weeks of lethal bombardments by Israel in the Gaza Strip which have killed hundreds of civilians and wiped out dozens of families, this claim has become meaningless.” United Nations officials in the Gaza Strip also charged Israeli forces with engaging in serious violations of international law, following a series of attacks against six UN schools where Palestinians were seeking refuge, and where no Hamas weaponry or fighters were present, killing 46 civilians.

None of the claims by the US State Department or individual Representatives that Hamas used civilians as human shields have been evidenced according to the Truthout report.

Again in 2014 the Belfast Telegraph correspondent, Kem Sengupta, based in Khan Younis, southern Gaza reported on the ‘myth of Hamas’ human shields’ - Gazans deny being put in the line of fire. Sengupta writes:

What used to be a three-storey house had been turned into debris sunk into a deep crater with twisted steel rods jutting out. Twenty-six people were killed in the mostly deadly air-strike so far in this bloody conflict. Twenty-four of them were from one family, the Abu Jamaa.

Around the same time that attack was taking place on Sunday evening, Benjamin Netanyahu was charging Hamas on TV with using “human shields” to gather “telegenically dead Palestinians for their cause”.

Amnesty International, following an extensive investigation after the 2014 war, found no evidence that “Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to ‘shield’ specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks.”

In 2018 the Independent ran a headline - ‘Israeli army edits video of Palestinian medic its troops shot dead to misleadingly show she was 'human shield for Hamas'

The edited clip was condemned by Palestinians and rights activists as attempt to ‘justify’ 21-year-old Razan al-Najjar’s death - an IOF sniper shot her in the chest during protests on the Gaza-Israel border on 1st June 2018 as she attended to wounded and unarmed protestors also targeted by IOF snipers.

Israeli government and military officials tweeted out a video labelled ‘Hamas use of human shields must stop’ showing an excerpt of an interview with Al Najjar. The reality is that the young nurse does not mention Hamas and states clearly that she was there to save the wounded at the front lines.

“The IDF always accuses Palestinians and Israeli human rights orgs of editing documentation of it human rights abuses. But it edited this video of Razan al Najjar to discredit her after murdering her. Absolutely despicable and hypocritical,” Israeli-American writer Mairav Zonszein said on Twitter.

From personal experience, Hamas officials have always been very against civilians protesting at the border areas because of the high risk of injury and sniping by the IOF.

In 2013 I went with protestors to Beit Hanoun, north-east Gaza, to confront the IOF prison guards who encircle the Gaza strip with apartheid walls and barbed wire - converting the enclave into an open air concentration camp.

The automatic gun turrets that are found along the walls are set to fire at a varying distance. Israel changes the distance without ever informing Gazan farmers -so one day the safe distance is 4 meters, some days it is 6 meters - when farmers cross the red line, they are fired upon by the automatic machine gun turrets.

We stood on high ground next to the wall. We could see the IOF vehicles and guns trained on us. After about an hour of protests, Hamas cars arrived and asked us to leave the area for our own safety.

Razan Al Najjar was shot in the chest deliberately by the IOF. She presented no danger to the IOF. She was attending to the wounded during the Great March of Return that began in March 2018. The peaceful march demanded the end of the blockade on Gaza and the right to return for Palestinian refugees.

The IOF responded to these unarmed civilian demonstrations with the use of tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. ‘Among the casualties of the first year are 227 UNRWA students who were injured and 13 who were killed.’

Watch this video - Great March of Return, a mother’s perspective:



6 months after the start of the Great March protests, Amnesty International reported:

According to the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, since the start of the protests, over 150 Palestinians have been killed in the demonstrations. At least 10,000 others have been injured, including 1,849 children, 424 women, 115 paramedics and 115 journalists. Of those injured, 5,814 were hit by live ammunition. According to Israeli media, one soldier was moderately injured due to shrapnel from a grenade thrown by a Palestinian from inside Gaza and one Israeli soldier was killed by Palestinian sniper fire near the fence that separates Gaza and Israel outside of the context of the protests.

Legitimate calls for Israeli authorities to lift their 11-year illegal blockade on Gaza and to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their villages and towns have not been met.

The claim that Al Najjar was a Hamas human shield is a cynical ploy by the Zionist forces to provide justification for their targeting of unarmed civilians who have a legally justified cause to protest under international law. Those that so often call for Palestinians to protest peacefully should understand that there is no effective ‘peaceful’ protest against the IOF.

In 2021 Law4Palestine - ‘Under Scrutiny: Allegations of Use of Human Shields by Palestinian Armed Groups and the International Criminal Court Investigation’

What is certain, so far, is that the allegation that the armed groups are using human shields is unsubstantiated, and even the Prosecutor’s Office does not seem to have evidence on this regard, because the evidence at our disposal is the same as that which was available to the Prosecutor’s Office at this stage of the investigation.

Israel will try to defend itself – whether through the Court or through its political discourse – regarding the commission of war crimes by claiming that the PAGs are terrorist groups and that the war on Gaza was a war on terror where terrorists do not shy away from using civilians as human shields. However, it will face obstacles relating to the characteristics of the Palestinian situation in the Gaza strip and the possibilities of taking “all the possible limits of necessary measures and precautions” to protect civilians and spare them from military attacks.

Detailed investigations following the 2008-2009 and 2014 conflicts by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and others have failed to find a single documented case of any civilian deaths caused by Hamas using human shields.

Not one.

The following video by journalist Abby Martin demonstrates the hypocrisy of ‘human shield’ claims by Washington and Tel-Aviv:

Now let’s look at Israel’s proven use of Palestinian children and civilians as human shields

So not only is the Palestinian use of human shields a myth lacking any evidence, it is in fact Israel who is infamous for using human shields in its oppression of the Palestinians. Examples of this are incredibly easy to find even with the most rudimentary of research. Like much Israeli propaganda, it seeks to turn reality upside down and accuse the Palestinians of the crimes that Israel so often commits. This is a prime example of baseless dehumanization that many eagerly embrace because they have come to internalize a demonized image of Palestinians based on Israeli propaganda.

Decolonize Palestine

The evidence of Israel using Palestinians as human shields is voluminous, I will cite a number of cases and then offer links to additional reports.

May 2023 in Ramallah - a report by Defence for Children (DCI) claims that Israeli forces have used at least five Palestinian children as human shields so far this year, including two toddlers.

Israeli forces then threatened his sons Nidal, 9, and Karam, 11, in addition to his twin nephews, Ahmad and Mohammad, both two years old, and forced them to stand in front of Israeli military vehicles while Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters, stun grenades, and live ammunition at Palestinians confronting the group of soldiers.

Israeli special forces forced Anas to stand and walk in front of them for several minutes while handcuffed as they confronted two Palestinian men and fired live ammunition. Before killing the two Palestinian men, Israeli forces forced Anas to sit on the floor of a house next door, blindfolded.

“International law is explicit and absolutely prohibits the use of children as human shields by armed forces or armed groups," said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces intentionally putting a child in grave danger in order to shield themselves constitutes a war crime.”

While Israeli forces used the Shalloun family as human shields in Aqbat Jabr refugee camp, one soldier ordered mother Samia to put her two-year-old nephew Mohammad on the ground and raise her hands. Mohammad cried as an Israeli military dog approached him, and as Samia lowered her hands to move him away from the dog, the Israeli soldier put his gun to Mohammad’s head, saying, “Move again and I’ll shoot him.”

Since 2000, DCIP has documented at least 31 cases involving Palestinian children being used as human shields by the Israeli army. Last year, Israeli soldiers forced 16-year-old Ahed Mohammad Rida Mereb to stand in front of an Israeli military vehicle in Jenin as armed Palestinians fired heavily in their direction.

A 2013 report by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child describes a litany of abuses of children by the IOF and security forces including their use as human shields:

Almost all those using children as human shields and informants have remained unpunished and the soldiers convicted for having forced at gunpoint a nine-year-old child to search bags suspected of containing explosives only received a suspended sentence of three months and were demoted.

Further details of this case can be found in this Guardian report.

Two Israeli soldiers who used a nine-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield were given suspended sentences and demoted after being convicted of "inappropriate conduct".

The unnamed soldiers, from the Givati Brigade, ordered Majeh Rabah, from the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City, to check bags for explosives in January 2009, towards the end of Israel's three-week offensive.

Also in the report from Human Rights Watch.

2014 - a report from ReliefWeb based on the original report by DCI Palestine:

Ramallah, August 21, 2014—Israeli soldiers repeatedly used Ahmad Abu Raida, 17, as a human shield for five days while he was held hostage during Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Ahmad, from Khuza'a, near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, was just 16 years old when he was taken from his family on July 23. He was forced at gunpoint to search for tunnels for five days, during which time he was interrogated, verbally and physically abused, and deprived of food and sleep. Ahmad told DCI-Palestine in a sworn testimony that Israeli soldiers attempted both to extract information from him regarding Hamas members, and recruit him as an informant, before releasing him on July 27.

"The Israeli military has consistently accused Hamas of using civilians - particularly children - as human shields, but this incident represents a clear case of their soldiers forcing a child to directly assist in military operations," said Rifat Kassis, executive director of DCI-Palestine. "Israeli officials make generalized accusations while Israeli soldiers engage in conduct that amounts to war crimes."

A report in Mondoweiss at the same time records accounts of Israeli forces using civilians as human shields:

Ayman Abu Toaimah, 32, a resident of Khuza’a recalls, “As Israeli invading troops advanced to the village they besieged it and used residents as human shields. When the Israeli army arrested people and then released some of them, they were told they are free to go back to the village, but as they were fleeing they came under fire and some of them shot dead. These people were used as human shields.”

Abu Saleem, 56, a resident of Khuza’a echoed Abu Toaimah, “Israelis claim that Hamas is using us as human shields– how? This is a lie, we do not see fighters in the streets. It’s them, the Israelis who used us as human shields in Khuza’a and Shuja’iyeh. They turned our houses into military posts, terrified residents in the houses. They attacked innocent civilians with their bombs, and missiles, they attacked chicken farms, they burned our crops, they have no mercy.”

May 2022 a Palestinian teenage girl was used by the IOF as a human shield during a military raid in Jenin:

According to DCIP, during a raid on the morning of May 13th, Israeli soldiers forced 16-year-old Ahed Mohammad Rida Mereb, to stand in front of an Israeli military vehicle for two hours as the vehicle came under fire from Palestinian gunmen, while Israeli soldiers sat inside the vehicle.

Breaking the Silence documents abuses of Palestinians by the IOF based on accounts from former IOF soldiers. A ‘moving human shield’ is one such report:

Apparently, that captain had gone to Takua, which is a pretty hostile village—they were throwing stones at the jeep. So he just stopped a Palestinian guy who was passing, forty-something years old, and tied him to the hood of the jeep, a guy just lying on the hood, and they drove into the village. No one threw any more rocks. A human shield. Yes. But not just a human shield—first of all, a human shield is bad enough—this was a moving human shield. Tied to the hood of the jeep and they drove with him tied there. Drove with him through the village, it’s horrific.


22nd April 2004, a 13 year old boy called Mohammed Said Essa Badwan/Badran was used as a human shield. Mohammed was peacefully taking part in spontaneous demonstration in Biddo against the building of the Annexation Wall. Around noon, following the launch of sound bombs and teargas canisters by the soldiers, some nearby youth started throwing stones. At this point, two Israeli Border Guards arrested Mohammed, beat him and forced him to sit on the hood of their jeep, tying his arm to the windshield screen and then using him as a human shield.

Rabbi Arik Ascherman, who heads the organisation Rabbis for Human Rights, was present and tried to intervene for the release of the child but was instead arrested and beaten. Mohammed was reported to have been repeatedly hit by the soldiers while he was tied to the vehicle. Although he begged them to release him because he was scared and in pain, they would not. He also reportedly suffered from exposure to the teargas used by the soldiers, since he could not move nor was he given any protection. After about four hours, Mohammed was untied, forced into the jeep and taken first to Al-Sahl, an area in which the Annexation Wall is being constructed. He was then questioned by a military officer. Finally the child was released in the neighbouring village of Al-Kalaileh where he had to wait, alone and in the dark, for a relative to come and pick him up.

Ramallah June 4th 2013 - ‘Israeli soldiers proudly paraded the handcuffed teen up and down the street, making a public spectacle of him in the occupied West Bank town of Abu Dis.’

Armed with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas, on Friday, April 19, at least 10 Israeli soldiers confronted the crowd of protesters using 17-year-old Muhammad Rabea as a human shield. They forced him to walk at gunpoint with his hands raised in the air as they approached the protesters.

Prior to being abused as a human shield, Muhammad had been savagely beaten by the IOF forces that had grabbed him from the streets. He was hit on the forehead with a rifle stock, kicked repeatedly on the legs, hit at the base of his neck by steel helmets. He was bundled in the back of the military jeep, verbally and physically abused, his hands tied by plastic cords. He was forced to sit in a revolving chair while IOF soldiers kicked him as the chair spun in the back of the jeep.

“One of the soldiers sprayed the keffiyeh (scarf) I was wearing with pepper spray before tying it tightly over my eyes, burning them,” he says. “Each time I coughed, he told me to shut up and kicked me. I wasn’t allowed to cough.”

At the military camp, soldiers forced him to stand facing a metal pole. Muhammad said the soldiers ripped his jacket and searched him, while an army dog clawed his back and calves. Following the search, soldiers knocked him down on the ground where he laid for two hours in pain as they continued to kick him in his legs, back and stomach. One of the soldiers removed the keffiyeh over his eyes and poured gasoline on it, burning it in front of him. The soldiers re-blindfolded him with a black piece of cloth and continued to hit him on the head with their helmets.

Btselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories) 2017:

Since the beginning of the occupation in 1967, Israeli security forces have repeatedly used Palestinians in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip as human shields, ordering them to perform military tasks that risked their lives. As part of this policy, soldiers have ordered Palestinian civilians to remove suspicious objects from roads, to tell people to come out of their homes so the military can arrest them, to stand in front of soldiers while the latter shoot from behind them, and more. The Palestinian civilians were chosen at random for these tasks, and could not refuse the demand placed on them by armed soldiers.

Using civilians to get wanted persons out of a house is known as “neighbor procedure.” This procedure does not differ significantly from other ways in which the military has used Palestinian civilian. It, too, too, constitutes illegal exploitation of civilians to perform military tasks and places them in real danger. This was made irrefutably clear in an incident that took place in 2002. On 14 August, soldiers sent Nidal Abu Mukhsan, a 19-year-old from the village of Tubas, to the home of Nasser Jarar, a Hamas activist, and ordered him to get Jarar out of the house. When Abu Mukhsan approached the house, Jarar, apparently thinking that the person knocking at the door was a soldier, shot and killed him.

2012 report from the Institute for Middle East Understanding:

In 2007, B'Tselem releases a report documenting 14 cases in which Israeli soldiers have used Palestinian civilians - including boys and girls as young as 11-years-old - as human shields to protect themselves in dangerous situations. In one case, a 14-year-old girl in Gaza is shot in the stomach and leg after soldiers used her as a human shield during an incursion.

In May 2011, two dozen former Israeli soldiers come forward to provide eyewitness accounts of the abuse of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military, including their use as human shields.

2021 - Human Rights Watch - A Threshold Crossed, Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution.

When Palestinians Became Human Shields: Counterinsurgency, Racialization, and the Great Revolt (1936–1939) - Cambridge University Press

Using Palestinians as human shields began under the British Mandate in Palestine that ended in 1947. In frustration at the relative success of Palestinian rebels who rejected the influx of European Jews to dispossess Palestinians of their land, the British turned to the use of human shields to defuse Palestinian guerilla military campaigns from 1936-38.

The regularization of human shielding served as proof of “the dark path of repression” foreseen and warned against by the Peel Commission. Footnote125 It was also elemental to an ongoing process of colonial racialization that robbed the Palestinians of their humanity, stripped them of any figment of legal rights or protections, and denuded them of the most basic security of life. Indeed, with the systematic use of human shields, the colonial regime veered towards the “negation of all law” so feared by top civilian officials and took Palestinian society with it into the ensuing abyss.

Conclusions

US law requires Biden to impose sanctions on Hamas for using human shields.

The Hill

According to a report in The Hill, the “Sanctioning the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act” passed both houses of Congress unanimously in 2018. The Shields Act, as it is known, specifically requires the president to submit to Congress a list of persons he determines to be involved in the use of human shields.

Biden should move swiftly to impose the sanctions already required by his determination that Hamas is using human shields.

There is no evidence of Hamas using civilians as human shields - there is a plethora of evidence that Israel has historically exploited Palestinians as human shields putting the lives of children at risk on multiple occasions, torturing and traumatising them in the process. This is completely ignored by Washington. No sanctions on Israel?

It can be argued that Israel has deliberately put its own civilians in danger as human shields by facilitating settlement in contested zones beyond the green line - as for example in the case of the Kibbutz Be’eri when it is now proven that Israeli civilians were not only killed by the IOF gunfire during battles with Palestinian Resistance factions but were also shelled by Israeli tanks two days after the 7th October when the IOF took a decision to eliminate their own civilians alongside Resistance militants.

They [Israelis] are directly put in danger as a sacrifice to Israel’s expansionist colonial designs, which they can then blame on Palestinians to further accelerate this same project.

Decolonize Palestine

‘Israel justifies its violent attacks by continuously accusing Hamas of using human shields, desperately hoping to stir moral indignation while also trying to muster a legal defence for the indefensible.’

The subtext is that civilised people protect their children while Palestinians sacrifice them.

Under this pretext all Palestinians become legitimate targets and Israel can be exonerated of all blame. It is a criminal manipulation of reality to enable justification of genocide and the US and UK are upholding it - thus they are complicit in genocide.

The director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber, resigned on Tuesday, writing:

“As a human rights lawyer with more than three decades of experience in the field, I know well that the concept of genocide has often been subject to political abuse. But the current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonial ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs, and coupled with explicit statements of intent by leaders in the Israeli government and military, leaves no room for doubt or debate. In Gaza, civilian homes, schools, churches, mosques, and medical institutions are wantonly attacked as thousands of civilians are massacred. In the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, homes are seized and reassigned based entirely on race, and violent settler pogroms are accompanied by Israeli military units. Across the land, Apartheid rules.

“This is a text-book case of genocide. The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine. What’s more, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, are wholly complicit in the horrific assault. Not only are these governments refusing to meet their treaty obligations ‘to ensure respect’ for the Geneva Conventions, but they are in fact actively arming the assault, providing economic and intelligence support, and giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s atrocities.”

See full letter, news report and interview from Wednesday morning with Mokhiber.


Journalist Sam Husseini wrote on X - I asked the State Dept on Tuesday about the recent DAWN MENA report documenting the Biden administration's efforts to pay for Israeli plans to "ethnically cleanse" Palestinians to Gaza. The spokesperson refused to comment on the funding request:

If you really want to understand Washington’s defence of Israeli war crimes and human rights abuses including a de facto genocide of the Palestinian people, you need look no further than this extraordinary admission by Robert F. Kennedy Jr:

Palestinian life is expendable if it ensures US unipolar supremacy. Heck, even the lives of Israelis are superfluous when faced with US protection of its global hegemony. If it is not yet clear that tropes such as “Hamas atrocities” and “Hamas human shields” are nothing more than fig leaves for US proxy war crimes in defence of US global military adventurism - then we are headed for a very ominous future.

Thank you for reading.

***

Please do consider subscribing to my substack. Every little amount does help me to keep pushing back against the lies that threaten us all.

Al Shefa is the main hospital in besieged Gaza! The Zionist terrorists have no mercy!

#IsraelWarCrimes

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/8/why-is-gazas-al-shifa-hospital-at-the-heart-of-israels-war

Why is Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital at the heart of Israel’s war?
It’s Gaza’s largest hospital, sheltering and treating thousands of Palestinians even as Israel attacks it.

Lorraine Mallinder
An injured Palestinian boy is carried from the ground following an Israeli airstrike outside the entrance of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City
For Palestinians in Gaza, it’s the “house of healing”. For Israel, it’s Hamas’s main command centre.

Al-Shifa, the biggest hospital in the enclave, is now at breaking point, battling to treat thousands of patients as it comes under direct attack from the Israeli military.

Last week, the Israeli army bombed an ambulance outside the hospital, part of a convoy that was meant to carry patients from Gaza City to the Rafah border crossing, so they could be treated in Egypt. Fifteen people were killed in the attack, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which had coordinated the journey with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the attack, which killed people inside and around the ambulance, should be investigated as a possible war crime.



On Monday, it was reported that Israeli forces had again targeted the hospital, this time hitting a solar panel system that provided electricity to its main departments. With barely any fuel left in its tanks to keep its one generator running, it’s now only a matter of time before the hospital is forced to switch off vital equipment like ventilators and dialysis machines, leaving patients to die.

Here’s what you need to know about al-Shifa and why is it being targeted:

What is al-Shifa?

Dar al-Shifa, literally translated as “house of healing”, is the largest and most extensive medical complex in the strip, comprising three specialised facilities: surgical, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynaecology.

Sign up for Al Jazeera

Week in the Middle East


Located in the northern Remal neighbourhood, close to the port, the site originally housed British Army barracks. It became a hospital in 1946, undergoing successive expansions under Egyptian rule and during the Israeli occupation in the 1980s.

The hospital has become a lifeline for people seeking urgent medical intervention. Like all hospitals in the besieged strip – bar the Jordanian field hospital, which received an airdrop of medical aid at midnight on Sunday – it has been denied urgently needed supplies of medicine and fuel.

It has the capacity to treat 700 patients, but right now doctors are treating approximately 5,000, according to a recent report by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF. Thousands of people who have lost their homes are living in the hospital corridors and in the courtyard.

INTERACTIVE_GAZA_al-Shifa_NOV8_2023-1699442409

Already overwhelmed, the hospital has been flooded with bodies and wounded patients since last week’s bombing of the Abu Assi school, run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Casualties mounted on Sunday, following one of the heaviest nights of bombardment seen so far, which saw the Israeli military hit 450 targets in the north – including the nearby Shati refugee camp.

Dr Marwan Abusada, the hospital’s head of surgery, said that al-Shifa can offer 210 beds on normal days. Currently, 800 patients are waiting to be admitted, he said in a statement relayed to Al Jazeera by NGO Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

The hospital is also low on personnel. Israeli air attacks have killed 150 medical staff in the strip.

What are conditions like right now?

“At all levels, we are dealing with a health disaster,” said Dr Abusada.

MSF, which supplied al-Shifa with the medicines and equipment that it still has in its stock, has reported that surgeons at the hospital are operating on patients without painkillers. Short on beds, surgeons have amputated limbs as patients lie on the floor.

With nowhere to keep patients in the unhygienic conditions, patients who have undergone surgical procedures run a high risk of infection. “We have a type of worm, called white flies, covering the wounds after the surgery. They appear after one day,” said Dr Abusada.

Running on empty, the hospital is barely able to deliver needs, conserving its electricity supply for its emergency unit, intensive care and operating rooms. “We are trying hard to continue delivering services to the patients who need kidney dialysis, urgent catheterisation and … incubators, but we are delivering the bare minimum,” said the doctor.

On Monday, an Al Jazeera report depicted scenes of chaos outside and inside the hospital, with bloodied patients lining the corridors. Having just pronounced a man dead, surgeon Sara Al Saqqa spoke of living, sleeping and waking at the hospital, working as many as 72 consecutive hours.

“Every day, we say today was the worst ever, then the next day is worse,” she said, adding later that there aren’t enough freezers to keep the corpses.

At the weekend, the hospital was forced to transfer its maternity ward to the private Al Helou International Hospital in Gaza City. An estimated 50,000 pregnant women are caught up in the conflict, according to the United Nations Population Fund in Palestine. Premature births and miscarriages are on the rise, owing to the fear and panic caused by bombardment.

In northern Gaza, where the hospital is located, the main sources of water – a desalination plant and the pipeline from Israel – have been shut down since the start of the war. At present, the hospital only receives salty groundwater, unsuitable for drinking and hygiene. According to the UN, only 5 percent of Gaza’s water needs are being met.

A Palestinian man mourns
A Palestinian man mourns as civil defense teams and residents conduct a search and rescue operation for Palestinians stuck under the debris of a demolished building following Israeli airstrikes hit al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on October 24, 2023. [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images]
Why is it under attack?

Al-Shifa is a prime target for Israeli forces, which claim the hospital is located above the headquarters of Hamas, the armed group that has governed Gaza since 2007.

Last month, the Israeli military released a video that used a combination of satellite imagery and animated graphics to claim that it had intelligence-based proof of Hamas’s purported use of the hospital below ground, with tunnels, facilities and meeting rooms. Hamas has rejected those claims, which it said is sheltering more than 40,000 displaced people.

It’s not the first time that links have been drawn between Hamas and al-Shifa. Following Israel’s 2014 ground offensive in Gaza, Amnesty International accused Hamas of committing “spine-chilling” atrocities against political rivals in abandoned areas of the hospital to extract confessions of collaboration. In an earlier report, the rights group had also accused Israel of war crimes during its incursion, which killed more than 2100 people.

Back then, too, the hospital had come under attack. Israel and Hamas traded blame for an explosion at the hospital that reportedly killed at least 10 children. Hamas blamed the blast on an Israeli drone attack, while Israel claimed it had been caused by a failed Palestinian rocket. The episode had shades of a similarly disputed, but much deadlier explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital last month.

In the current conflict, Israel has accused Hamas of storing fuel for its own operations, preventing more supplies from entering in the limited number of humanitarian convoys crossing into the strip. With no power, 16 out of the 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip have stopped working.

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 7
Smoke rises following Israeli attacks, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 7, 2023 [Mohammed Al-Masri/Reuters]
What next for al-Shifa?

As Israeli forces close in, the outlook is bleak for al-Shifa. At the time of writing, Israeli troops had severed northern Gaza from the rest of the enclave and were engaging Hamas fighters in the heart of Gaza City.

Israel has insisted that it wants to rout Hamas, destroy the alleged headquarters below the hospital and hunt down the group’s fighters. It has also said it wants to assume control of the strip’s security for the foreseeable future.

We had such beautiful weather today, so after finishing work I went for a walk in the park area of my neighbourhood. I adore these lush, vibrant panoramas.


Happy Monday, everyone! ????


#SomeeEvolution #Somee #Hive #OriginalContentOnly #UKNature #WorkingDay #Unwind #InspiringWeather