Some slightly positive news
Qatar: Deal reached with Israel and Hamas to bring aid into Gaza
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the deal, arranged in cooperation with France, will see medicine and other humanitarian aid delivered to civilians in “the most affected and vulnerable areas” of Gaza in exchange for the delivery of medication to Israeli captives held in Gaza. The ministry’s spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said that the medication and aid would leave Doha on Wednesday to Egypt, before being transported into Gaza.
“Dr. Al-Ansari stressed the continuation of efforts with regional and international partners … particularly in humanitarian issues and medical evacuation, within the framework of Qatari efforts to bring about an end to the war in Gaza,” a statement published by the foreign ministry said.
US Senator Sanders pushes for report on potential rights violations in Gaza
US Senator Bernie Sanders has said that he will force a vote on a resolution calling for the State Department to provide a report exploring whether US-provided weapons have been used in human rights violations during Israel’s assault on Gaza.
“We should all want this information,” Sanders said in a social media post on Tuesday. “If you believe the war has been indiscriminate, as I do, then we must ask this question. If you believe Israel has done nothing wrong, then this information should support that belief.”
The Senate will soon vote on my resolution directing the State Department to report on any human rights violations that may have occurred using U.S. equipment in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
It should not be controversial to ask how U.S. weapons are used. pic.twitter.com/egtZgBwO5Q
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 16, 2024
‘A bilateral ceasefire is needed,’ says US congressman
Democratic US lawmaker Lloyd Doggett has called for an end to the war in Gaza.
“A bilateral ceasefire is needed now to release all hostages and prevent further death, starvation & disease of innocent Gazans,” Doggett, a member of the House of Representatives, wrote in a social media post.
A bilateral ceasefire is needed now to release all hostages and prevent further death, starvation & disease of innocent Gazans!
“The longer this war goes on, the greater the risk of a conflagration involving Israel & Lebanon, an uprising in the West Bank...or even a war w/Iran.” https://t.co/J8NqZKlUeG
— Lloyd Doggett (@RepLloydDoggett) January 16, 2024
Ben & Jerry’s calls for ceasefire in Gaza
This makes it one of the first multinational companies to do so since Israel began bombing Gaza more than 100 days ago.
“Peace is a core value of Ben & Jerry’s’,” the company’s board chair Anuradha Mittal told the Financial Times. “From Iraq to Ukraine, [the company] has consistently stood up for these principles. Today is no different as we call for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire.”
The decision follows a long-running dispute between the board of Ben & Jerry’s and parent company Unilever over the ice cream brand’s attempt in 2021 to stop selling its products in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
