‘High time’ for Israel to let foreign journalists into Gaza

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said it hopes Israel’s top court will support its petition to allow foreign reporters access to Gaza, which Israeli authorities have blocked since the start of the war.

“For over two years, Israel has blocked foreign reporters from going into the territory, greatly hindering the media’s ability to cover this devastating conflict,” the FPA said in a statement ahead of tomorrow’s hearing.

“We are pleased to finally have our day in court and hope the justices will swiftly approve our request to enter Gaza,” Tania Kraemer, chairperson of the FPA, said in the statement.

“It is high time for Israel to lift the closure and let us do our work alongside our Palestinian colleagues.”

While Israel has stopped foreign journalists from entering Gaza, its military has killed Palestinian journalists at a higher rate than in any other conflict. Since the war began, more than 270 media workers, including 10 Al Jazeera journalists, have been killed in the enclave.

UN court ruling shows key aid groups ‘allowed to act’ in Gaza

The Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, Ammar Hijazi, says the World Court ruling will help contribute to crucial discussions over relief efforts in Gaza.

“One is the amount of aid that should enter, and which actors are allowed to act. It’s not according to the liking of Israel, it’s according to what international law demands,” Hijazi told Al Jazeera.

“[It] demands the UN, including UNRWA, its organisations, and other international organisations … are now key players and they are entitled to provide aid and provide essential goods for the people in Gaza that are necessary for their survival.”

Hijazi added it’s “clear, unequivocal and conclusive” that Israel is left with “no pretext, no context, no excuse” to ban UNRWA.

“Those who have stopped aiding UNRWA on the pretext of what Israel has been peddling … will have to reconsider today because their affirmation and agreement with Israel is not correct.”

ICJ ruling provides ‘strong legal support for case against Netanyahu’

Advisory opinions carry significant legal weight, but are described as “nonbinding” as there are no direct penalties for ignoring them.

Wednesday’s World Court opinion is separate from the ongoing proceedings initiated by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Last year, another Hague-based tribunal, the International Criminal Court (ICC), issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, alleging the pair used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians – charges Israeli officials deny.

Today’s ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) noted Israel “is not to use starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare”.

Tom Dannenbaum, a professor of law at Stanford University, said the opinion provides “strong legal support for the case against Netanyahu” at the ICC.

Trump administration condemns ICJ as ‘partisan political tool’

The US State Department has slammed the World Court for what it described as “another corrupt ruling” in its advisory opinion on Israel’s starvation policy and blockade on aid to Gaza.

It also echoed longstanding Israeli government claims that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is linked to Hamas – an allegation the ICJ rejected earlier as being unproven.

“This ICJ’s ongoing abuse of its advisory opinion discretion suggests that it is nothing more than a partisan political tool, which can be weaponised against Americans,” the State Department said.

Washington has long criticised the International Court of Justice for investigating Israeli violations of international law and abuses against Palestinians, with a US government lawyer arguing last year that Israel should not be ordered to end its occupation of Palestinian territory.

The US has also hit out against the International Criminal Court for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders accused of committing war crimes in Gaza, imposing sanctions on ICC officials.

Another corrupt ruling by the ICJ. 
 
As President Trump and Secretary Rubio work tirelessly to bring peace to the region, this so-called "court" issues a nakedly politicized non-binding "advisory opinion" unfairly bashes Israel and gives UNRWA a free pass for its deep…

— Department of State (@StateDept) October 22, 2025

The US still owes Nicaragua reparations according to an ICJ ruling in 1986...

Qatar condemns Israel’s ‘expansionist plans’ in the West Bank

Qatar has denounced in the “strongest terms” the Knesset’s approval of two draft laws that will push for the annexation of the occupied West Bank and legalise an illegal settlement.

The Foreign Ministry said it considers the approval a “blatant violation of the historical rights of the Palestinian people and a challenge to international law”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the international community, especially the Security Council, to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities and to take urgent action to compel Israeli occupation authorities to halt their expansionist plans and settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Statement | Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the Knesset’s approval of two laws aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and a settlement#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/zpEQwVwLiU

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) October 22, 2025

Israeli forces storm Qusra village in occupied West Bank

Israeli troops have demolished stone walls in Qusra village, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.

Local sources told the Wafa news agency that soldiers raided the village and began demolishing walls on its eastern side. Qusra village has experienced repeated attacks by illegal settlers and incursions by troops over the past two years.

The latest raid comes after Israel’s parliament voted in favour of annexing the Palestinian territory.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. All of Israel’s settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

I cannot unsee what I have seen’ in Gaza

A UN Population Fund official warns that 11,500 pregnant women are among the one in four Palestinians currently starving in war-devastated Gaza.

Andrew Saberton said “starvation is particularly catastrophic” for both mothers and their newborn children, with premature and low birth weight babies now making up about 70 percent of newborns in Gaza. One in three pregnancies is classified as high risk.

“In Gaza, I was not fully prepared for what I saw. One can’t be. The sheer extent of the devastation looked like the set of a dystopian film. Unfortunately, it is not fiction,” Saberton told reporters at UN headquarters.

“There is no other way to put it: Gaza has been flattened, mile upon mile of rubble and dust with few buildings left intact. This is not collateral damage, and I cannot unsee what I have seen.”

‘There is no normal birth in Gaza now’

We have more from Andrew Saberton, a UN Population Fund official, who spoke a short while ago at the United Nations:

Palestinians, Israelis bury their dead during fragile Gaza truce


_{The funeral for Israeli Sergeant-Major Tal Haimi whose body was returned to Israel on Tuesday}

<sub>A sign reading ‘Thank you, Dad’ is placed on Haimi’s coffin at Nir Yitzhak cemetery


Medical teams pray beside the remains of unidentified Palestinians returned by Israel</sub>

_{The remains of 54 unidentified Palestinians handed over by Israel are buried in Deir el-Balah on Wednesday}

UN: Gaza crossings need opening – ‘much more needs to be done’

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that while some aid has been getting into Gaza during the ceasefire, much more is needed. Deputy spokesman Farhan Haq noted that only the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and al-Karara (Kissufim) crossings are currently operating.

“We need to have more crossing points open. We need to get more aid in,” he told reporters during a briefing at United Nations headquarters in New York City. “So yes, the cooperation [with Israel] has improved in recent days since the ceasefire, but much more needs to be done.”

The UN wants the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing in northern Gaza and the Rafah crossing in the south, linking Gaza to Egypt, to immediately be reopened, Haq added.

Hamas says Israel ‘dragging its feet’ on humanitarian aid to Gaza

Hamas has reiterated its support for seeing the ceasefire agreement through, but says Israel is trying to “evade its obligations”.

The humanitarian relief that Israel has allowed into the besieged enclave so far is a “drop in the ocean”, Hamas official Ismail Radwan told Al Jazeera.

“The occupation is dragging its feet and has not fully complied with the humanitarian part of the agreement. There are more than 10,000 people missing under the rubble, and Civil Defence workers need heavy equipment to retrieve them,” Radwan said.

“The occupation caused the deaths of its prisoners, and now it is delaying providing us with heavy equipment to extract them – and then it blames us.”

Radwan called on mediators of the ceasefire to pressure Israel to follow the terms of the agreement. “Washington realises the occupation is responsible for delaying the remaining stages of the agreement,” he said.

France affirms committment to support Gaza stablisation force

France has reiterated its offer to contribute to an international stabilisation force in Gaza as part of Trump’s ceasefire plan.

“Several states have expressed their readiness to contribute to this stabilisation force, a force that would support the Palestinian security forces, which we are also assisting in redeploying within the Gaza Strip,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said at a news briefing.

Confavreux said France, the United Kingdom, and the United States want to present a draft resolution to the UN Security Council in the coming days outlying the forces’ formation.

“We believe this would provide stronger international legal backing and make it possible for other countries to join this international stabilisation force. That is why we continue to emphasise the need for a UN Security Council mandate,” he said.

“It is too early to say what France’s contribution will be. Regarding the possible deployment of troops, I have no information to share with you at this stage,” Confavreux added.

Any multilateral force deployed to Gaza must protect Palestinians

Political analyst Khaled Elgindy says a top concern around any potential “international stabilisation force” in Gaza – as envisioned in phase two of Trump’s plan – is it will be seen as an extension of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian enclave.

Countries considering taking part in the multinational force “don’t want to be seen as taking orders from the Israeli military or the Israeli political leadership”, explained Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University in the US.

“That’s why it’s very important to them that they have a very clear mission that is outlined preferably by a Security Council resolution, and a mission that is also in line with international law,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This is a very delicate situation in which Israel is restricting aid, Israel is harming civilians – and this force needs to be in a position to protect Palestinians and uphold international law.”

Which should rule out the countries that have been / still are supporting the genocide. 

Like US, UK, Germany and France.

Egypt leading the stabilization force is also highly suspect. Egypt doesn't like Palestinians at all, fortified its border when there was a chance Palestinian refugees would come from Rafah, blocked, harassed and deported the peaceful land aid convoy. Egypt is one of the biggest recipients of US aid ($1.3 to $1.4 Billion in military aid) and Trump praises El-sisi for his military dictator style rule...

https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/ar953fd940
Europe says hold my beer, we pay even more ($8 billion in 2024) mainly to prevent any migrants coming in through Egypt.

This stabilization force is looking a lot like an extension of the US/Israel to put an international spin on the occupation. Nothing neutral about it so far.

I saw this coming :(

US eyes plan to reconstruct Israeli-controlled Gaza only: Report

The United States is mulling over a proposal to leave Gaza’s territory divided while rebuilding Israel-control areas only and figuring out how to disarm Hamas, a news report says.

“The US and Israel are considering a plan that would divide Gaza into separate zones controlled by Israel and Hamas, with reconstruction only taking place on the Israeli side as a stopgap until the militant group can be disarmed and removed from power,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

An unnamed US official told the newspaper, “It is a preliminary idea and updates would be given in the coming days.” President Trump’s son-in-law adviser Jared Kushner is the plan’s main proponent, it said.

Arab mediators involved in the Gaza ceasefire “are alarmed” by the proposal, “arguing it could lead to a zone of permanent Israeli control inside the enclave”, and Arab-Muslim nations are “unlikely to commit troops” if it comes to fruition, the news report said.

Baghdad 'green zone' style, hence Tony Blair on the occupation board. History repeating.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/green-zone

Just rename it to the yellow zone... Change the color, new plan! This time its all going to work.

Trump’s Gaza plan ‘preserves failed status quo’, UN expert warns

Ben Saul, the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, says while he welcomes the US-led Gaza plan as a way to stop the killings in the enclave, there are concerns it “does not meet minimum international law standards”.

“It doesn’t address the root causes of the conflict because it does not guarantee Palestinian self-determination, independent statehood and governance,” Saul said during a briefing.

“It substitutes one occupation with another. It treats Gaza in isolation from the rest of the Palestinian territory, and it doesn’t address issues like illegal settlements and borders. It preserves the failed status quo and risks the long-term resumption of violence, sidelines the United Nations in collective security and the International Court of Justice.

“Above all, it says nothing about justice and accountability on both sides, as if the suffering of victims of international crimes means nothing. There can never be peace without international justice according to law, or without recognising the equal dignity and respect for Palestinians.”

US rights group demands Israel release Florida boy held for months

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on the Trump administration to force Israel to free a Palestinian American boy from incarceration.

Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, has been detained by the Israeli military since February after he was seized in the occupied West Bank near Ramallah.

“The abuse and imprisonment of an American teenager by any other foreign power would be met with outrage and decisive action by our government,” CAIR’s Hiba Rahim said in a statement.

“The Trump administration must be America and American citizens first and secure the release of Mohammad Ibrahim from Israel immediately. This 16-year-old from Florida belongs at home, safe with his family – not in Israeli military prisons notorious for human rights abuses.”