Main events on August 25th
- Since dawn, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 61 people, according to medical sources.
- In southern Gaza, an Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital killed at least 21 people, including five journalists, receiving widespread global condemnation.
- Al Jazeera’s cameraman, Mohammed Salama, was among the victims. The network accused Israel of waging a “systematic campaign to silence the truth”.
- Israeli forces killed Palestinian correspondent Hassan Douhan in a separate incident in Khan Younis later today, bringing the death toll of journalists to six.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “deeply regrets” what he called a “tragic mishap” at Nasser Hospital, as Israel continues to kill journalists with impunity.
- US President Donald Trump said that within the next two to three weeks, we would have a “pretty good, conclusive ending” to the war in Gaza.
- Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the Lebanese government’s decree to remove the group’s weapons was a grave mistake, calling for revoking the decision.
Norway’s soverign wealth fund divests from 5 Israeli banks, Caterpillar
Norway’s $2 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, has announced that it has divested from five Israeli banking groups, as well as the US construction equipment group Caterpillar Inc, on ethics grounds.
The five banks were excluded “due to an unacceptable risk that the companies contribute to serious violations of the rights of individuals in situations of war and conflict”, the fund said in a statement.
The fund’s ethics watchdog, the Council on Ethics, said: “There is no doubt that Caterpillar’s products are being used to commit extensive and systematic violations of international humanitarian law.”
Rights advocates have long called for boycotting Caterpillar due to the use of its equipment by the Israeli military, including to demolish Palestinian homes.
The council said that violations were taking place both in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“As deliveries of the relevant machinery to Israel are now set to resume, the Council considers there to be an unacceptable risk that Caterpillar is contributing to serious violations of individuals’ rights in war or conflict situations,” it added.
