Palestinian West Bank official describes ‘tough night’ of Israeli raid
Ahmed Asaad, the acting head of the Tubas governorate, says a large number of Israeli military vehicles, including three bulldozers, stormed the Far’a refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank, leaving widespread destruction to the infrastructure there.
“It was a tough night, as the governorate lost three young men who were killed in cold blood while living their normal lives at their homes,” Asaad told Al Jazeera.
He said Israeli raids in the area have been intensifying. “If the goal of these military operations is going after young men, why do the Israelis bulldoze the roads and target power generators?” Asaad asked.
“The Israelis are carrying out a policy of terrorising and subjugating the Palestinian people, but they will fail again,” he said.
Palestinian prisoners in Israel facing dire conditions: Advocate
Amani Sarhana, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoner Society, says the number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel has risen from 5,250 to more than 9,000 since October 7 – and that excludes people detained in Gaza.
“The number of sick and injured prisoners is also growing because of the abuses against them since October 7 and the policies of torture and humiliation and starvation that Israeli prison authorities are pursuing,” Sarhana told Al Jazeera.
She added that it is difficult to know exactly how many Palestinian children are held by Israel because many children are being detained and some are released daily, but the group estimates around 200 minors remain in Israeli prisons.
UN says quarter of Gaza’s population ‘one step away from famine’
UN humanitarian affairs chief Ramesh Rajasingham has said that 576,000 people in Gaza, or about a quarter of the population, are on the edge of famine.
“And here we are, at the end of February, with at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the population – one step away from famine,” Rajasingham told the UN Security Council today, noting that if nothing is done “we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable.”
While aid groups have consistently warned that Gaza is being plunged into extreme hunger, Israel has further restricted efforts to deliver vital humanitarian assistance into the strip during February. Some rights groups have concluded that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Biden ‘aware’ of US airman’s self-immolation in Gaza protest
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre calls the incident a “horrific tragedy” without commenting on the US’s Gaza policy or unqualified support for Israel. “Our thoughts are with the family of the service member during this – I can we can’t even imagine – horrible, horrible, difficult time,” she told reporters.
Earlier this week, 25-year-old active duty member of the US Air Force Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy after saying that he will “no longer be complicit in genocide” in Gaza.
US State Department says truce deal ‘possible’ by Monday
The State Department has backed Biden’s assessment that a deal that would see a temporary halt in fighting, freeing Israeli captives in Gaza and allowing more aid into the territory can be reached in the coming days.
“We do think it’s possible but … ultimately some of this comes down to Hamas and whether Hamas is willing to agree to a deal that would provide significant benefits to the Palestinian people that they claim to represent,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Senior Hamas member says no official truce proposal received yet
Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’s political wing with close ties to its military wing, says from Istanbul that, as of this evening, meditators in negotiations to reach an agreement to pause the fighting in Gaza are still working with the Israeli side to cement a proposal.
For any agreement to work, he told journalist Willem Marx, Hamas’s red lines must be met, including:
- The return of people to their homes, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip
- The total withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gazan territory
- Support for rebuilding efforts
- Aid for Gaza’s population, particularly food and medicine
- A guaranteed ceasefire
- Palestinian prisoners being freed
However, Naim said that Hamas is willing to be flexible on the timing and sequencing of these demands, as long as the total ceasefire begins on day one of the implementation of any agreement.
Hamas is also seeking guarantors such as Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the United Nations, the United States and Russia to ensure and verify that any deal is upheld by Israel, he said. He also said that US President Biden’s public assertion that a ceasefire deal will be reached by this Monday is being seen by Hamas as intended for the US domestic audience, and not as a tactic to put pressure on Israel to accept a truce deal.
As evidence for this, Naim cited the fact that the US continues to veto calls for an immediate ceasefire in the UN Security Council, and also continues to send military support to Israel.
Biden says agreement reached for ceasefire during Ramadan
In comments that came as a surprise, and that have not been echoed by other major players in negotiations to bring a truce in the war in Gaza, the US president told a late-night talk show that fighting could be paused as soon as March 10.
He's flat out lied before so might as well stick with it.
Nothing says "we're taking this seriously" like talking about a war that has killed ~30,000 people with an ice-cream cone halfway to your mouth https://t.co/M6dgzitNe2
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) February 27, 2024
Btw Biden next Monday is not March 4th, can't even keep you dates straight.
Reporter says Israel remains committed to attack on Rafah regardless of US concerns
Akbar Shahid Ahmed, a reporter with the news outlet Huffington Post, has told Al Jazeera that Israel remains committed to carrying out an assault on Rafah despite protests from rights groups and allies in the US.
“Israel has not been able to deal the kind of death blow to Hamas that they promised they would and that a lot of the Israeli public wants them to. So that’s why you see Prime Minister Netanyahu saying, regardless of whether there’s a ceasefire, regardless of whether there’s a truce, he will eventually go into Rafah,” Shahid Ahmed said.
“And that’s because he’s arguing that’s where there’s Hamas leadership, that’s where there are remaining hostages, and that’s why there’s a huge strategic value to Israel. Israel is saying they want to control Gaza in a way they never have before. They especially want to control Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. All of that puts Israel at odds with the US.”
MSF says ‘no signs’ Israel is trying to alleviate suffering of civilians
The medical group Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), has said that, one month after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to ensure basic aid reaches people in Gaza, Israel has instead “tightened” its blockade of the strip.
A statement from the group also blasts Israel’s “blatant and total disregard” for medical facilities and humanitarian workers.
“According to local health authorities, the number of people killed in Gaza has risen to 30,000, while there are no signs of Israeli forces attempting to limit the loss of civilian life or alleviate the suffering of people,” the statement reads.
“Israel’s tightened blockade of Gaza hinders the entry of vital supplies into the enclave. At the same time, the provision of aid within the enclave is nearly impossible due to Israel’s complete disregard for the protection and safety of medical and humanitarian missions and their staff, cutting people off from lifesaving aid. This reality is making the humanitarian response in Gaza a mere illusion.”
“If people are not killed by bombs, they are suffering from food and water deprivation and dying from a lack of medical care.”
One month since @CIJ_ICJ ordered Israel to ensure that aid reaches people in #Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire.
👇https://t.co/ikriAHj2GP
— MSF International (@MSF) February 27, 2024
