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SvennoJ on 19 February 2024
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Qatar criticises Netanyahu over pressure on Hamas to release captives

Qatar Foreign Ministry’s spokesman says Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu asking Doha to pressure Hamas to release the captives is “nothing but an attempt to stall and prolong the war” in Gaza. “The Israeli Prime Minister knows very well that Qatar has been committed from day one to mediation efforts, ending the crisis and freeing the hostages,” spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in a post on X.

“We affirm that Qatar will continue its mediation efforts and will not be deterred by rhetoric and statements that can only be understood in the context of escaping from the Israeli Prime Minister’s personal political challenges.”

UN special rapporteur denounces US actions on Gaza

Francesca Albanese asks how the US government can be taken seriously when it plans to send more weapons to Israel and block the demand for a ceasefire in Gaza in the UN Security Council.

“These two actions will ensure many more Palestinian deaths,” Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, wrote on X.

Multiple bombardments by Israeli forces near al-Amal Hospital: Red Crescent

The PRCS says Israeli shelling on the hospital in Khan Younis has caused significant damage to the building and “instilled a state of terror among patients and their companions”. Earlier, the Red Crescent said the situation inside al-Amal Hospital “is highly dangerous due to a 28-day-long siege”.

“Further, there has been repeated attacks targeting the hospital, numerous arrests of our medical and administrative staff, a decrease in fuel reserves used to generate electricity for high-risk patients and a near-exhaustion of food.”

UN report: ‘Credible allegations’ of sexual assaults on Palestinian women

In a statement, the UN rights office says there are “credible allegations” of arbitrary detention, executions and sexual assaults of Palestinian women and children in the Gaza Strip, calling for an urgent and independent investigation.

The report by UN Special Rapporteurs Reem Alsalem, Francesca Albanese and others said at least two female Palestinian detainees were raped while others were “threatened with rape and sexual violence” by Israeli soldiers.

Women and girls were also reportedly held in cages during rain, with no access to food, or executed at their places of shelter while waving white flags. “Those responsible for these apparent crimes must be held accountable and victims and their families are entitled to full redress and justice,” said the report.

 

Life in Rafah amid Israeli threat of ground assault









More than 29,000 Palestinians killed: Gaza ministry

At least 107 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 29,092 since October 7, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry on its Telegram channel said a total of 69,028 others have been wounded since Israel launched its devastating campaign in the strip.

The Israeli forces are preventing ambulance and civil defence crews from reaching some of the wounded and people under the rubble, it said, adding that “nine massacres” were committed against families in Gaza in the last 24 hours.