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SvennoJ on 26 January 2024
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Pro-Palestinian supporters join ‘Invasion Day’ rally in Australia

A protester holds a Palestinian flag during an ‘Invasion Day’ rally at Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra on January 26, 2024, which marks the British arrival in Australia and the usurping of the country’s Indigenous population. Protests are held each year to coincide with ‘Australia Day’, a national holiday celebrated on January 26 commemorating the 1788 landing of the British First Fleet in Australia. Protesters view it as a day of invasion and want to abolish the holiday [Mick Tsikas/EPA]

The Palestinian flag and the flag of Indigenous Australians are seen at the Invasion Day [Australia Day] rally in Melbourne, Australia [Diego Fedele/EPA]

Israel accused of trying to alter border with Gaza ‘buffer zone’

Satellite imagery shows that the Israeli military has demolished hundreds of buildings in Gaza that sit within 1km (0.6 miles) of the border since October 7, as Israel attempts to create “a buffer zone” between itself and the besieged enclave. The move is likely to cause friction with the US, which has opposed the creation of any buffer zone and insists there should be no permanent reductions made to Gaza’s territory.

Bernie Sanders: Netanyahu’s government is ‘starving the Palestinian people’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “right-wing government” is “starving the Palestinian people”, says US Senator Bernie Sanders. “On top of its indiscriminate bombardment, Israel is imposing onerous restrictions to block the delivery of essential humanitarian aid. The US must use all of its leverage to end this horrific war,” Sanders wrote on X.

Sanders has been a staunch critic of the US government’s continued supply of military aid to Israel, which has been accused by South Africa of committing genocidal acts in its execution of its war on Gaza.

Cleaning wounds without anesthesia is part of the "suffering beyond belief" in Gaza, doctor tells CNN

Surgeons from the humanitarian group MedGlobal who are in Gaza don't have the resources to sedate patients while cleaning their wounds, according to Dr. John Kahler, a cofounder of the group. He says they receive between 150 to 200 patients in an outpatient center for wound cleaning per day, which can include children with facial burns. "All of these cleanings are happening without anesthesia," Kahler told CNN's Eleni Giokos from Cairo. "This is suffering beyond belief."

Kahler, an American doctor who has provided humanitarian assistance around the world from Haiti to Yemen, said being in Gaza is a "soul-crushing event" and "by far the worst situation" he has ever seen. Kahler's teams at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis tell him there is constant shelling within four or five blocks. Mass casualties with rushes of 20, 30, or 40 people at a time can be brought into the emergency room, he said.

"There is absolutely no room in the hospital whatsoever. There's patients on the floor, on the stairs, everywhere. It's a catastrophe. It isn't collapsing, it is virtually collapsed," Kahler said. He also has team members in Rafah at a primary health center that sees 600 to 700 patients a day, including many children. He says there is major respiratory disease, and "every one of these children is hungry. All the children have diarrhea."

Negotiations could ‘lead someplace’ despite Netanyahu intransigence, says former US official

The upcoming trip of CIA director William Burns to meet with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials suggests that negotiations between Hamas and Israel could be nearing something concrete, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb told Al Jazeera.

We are seeing some momentum with the news that you have the heads of all the intelligence services – of Israel, Egypt and the US – and also Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister meeting now.

So far it still seems the same as was leaked before, 2 month pause, all hostages released for Palestinian prisoners.

The real sticking point, we understand, is the ceasefire. This is really about public positions. The Israeli Prime Minister has been very clear this is not going to be an end to the war. Hamas has made it very clear there needs to be a full end to the war before they will release any of the captives.

But, certainly, all the sources and leaks in the media saying that there does seem to be some momentum, that they are now starting to talk about the serious issues. This is the first time that there seems to be some hope that possibly both sides can come to some form of understanding since the ceasefire collapsed at the beginning of December.

CNN reports the same

Bill Burns, director of the CIA, is expected to meet with officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar to discuss a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to a US official familiar with the plans. The meetings come amid intensive discussions on the parameters of a new deal that would pair hostages’ release with a cessation in the fighting in Gaza. The meetings are expected to be held in Europe, the official said.



Perfect timing for the ICJ to give its ruling tomorrow (Friday at noon GMT). Negotiation seats are ready.