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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

zeldaring on 21 January 2024
SvennoJ said:

This current conflict doesn't remind me of anything as I have never seen a more blatantly supported, defended by many, genocide in all my life.


At least DeSantis stepped out of the race (not that he would beat Trump who is just as bad anyway)

Ron DeSantis suspends US presidential campaign; here’s what he has said about Palestine

The Florida governor has been a staunch supporter of Israel, even by the normally pro-Israel standards of mainstream US politicians. In the last presidential debate, DeSantis expressed openness to backing the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

“If they make the calculation that to avert a second Holocaust, they need to do that – I think some of these Palestinian Arabs – Saudi Arabia should take some, Egypt should take some,” he said.

DeSantis also banned a Palestinian student organisation from state universities in Florida. Moreover, he has said that the occupied West Bank is not occupied. “Judea and Samaria are not occupied territory,” DeSantis said in July, referring to the West Bank by a Biblical name used by Israel. He added that Israelis have “the strongest claim of right” to the Palestinian territory.


‘Enough is enough’: British MP urges ending arms sales to Israel

Labour Party legislator Richard Burgon has also called on the United Kingdom’s government to push for a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution.

“25,000 dead in Gaza. The Israeli PM making it clear he’s against any two-state solution,” Burgon wrote in a social media post. “Yet all we get from our Government is empty words. Enough is enough.”






Netanyahu rejects Hamas’ conditions for the release of hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not accept Hamas' demand for an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza, he said Sunday. “I work on this around the clock. But to be clear: I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” he said.

Netanyahu said Hamas has demanded an end to the war, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of the hostages. “If we agree to this, our soldiers fell in vain. If we agree to this, we will not be able to guarantee the security of our citizens,” the prime minister said. 

Some context: Netanyahu's comments come amid a report in the Wall Street Journal that the US, Egypt and Qatar want Israel to join a new phase of talks with Hamas that would start with the release of hostages and lead to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Netanyahu said he communicated his objections to US President Joe Biden over the weekend, and reiterated comments he made last week about Israel controlling all territory west of Jordan. 

Israel gives far-right minister power to freeze Palestinian payments if even "a single shekel" reaches Gaza

“Not a single shekel will go to Gaza. Period,” far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote after Israel's security cabinet approved a measure that gives him the power to freeze funds intended for the Palestinian Authority, if the PA transfers those funds to Gaza.

Under existing agreements, Israel collects tax revenue on behalf of the Palestinian Authority on Palestinian imports and exports. Since Hamas launched its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli government has refused to disburse the full amount of taxes collected, which are primarily used by the Palestinian Authority to pay public employees and retirees.

The funds collected by Israel will now be transferred to Norway as a third party, then be sent to Ramallah — excluding the sum earmarked for Gaza — which would remain frozen in Norwegian hands, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday. The United States and Norway will help oversee and facilitate the agreement. “Any violation of the agreement allows the Minister of Finance to immediately freeze all of the Palestinians' repayment funds,” the prime minister’s office said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, a top official with the Palestine Liberation Organization, immediately rejected the Israeli plan, calling it "piracy" and urging the international community to stop it.

Remember: Smotrich has come under fire for recent comments advocating for the voluntary migration of Palestinians from Gaza, and the reestablishment of Israeli settlements there.

Palestinian industries falter as Israel bombs Gaza, locks down West Bank

As the occupied West Bank roils with near-daily Israeli raids, settler attacks and killings of Palestinians, an overlooked impact of the violence is starting to take its toll. The past few months, Muhanad Nairoukh, the manager of one of the three biggest aluminium factories in the occupied West Bank, tells Al Jazeera, have been the worst for production and profits in a long time.

Life in the occupied West Bank is becoming more dangerous and complicated for the people living there and alongside that, industry has crawled to a near halt as a result of Israeli actions, making it impossible to have “business as usual”. Every aspect of industry is affected, from raw materials, to paying for inputs and getting paid for products.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) estimated at the end of December that the overall economic losses in Palestine, since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, reached around $1.5bn during the initial months of the war, equivalent to approximately $25m per day, excluding direct losses in properties and assets.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/21/palestinian-industries-falter-as-israel-bombs-gaza-locks-down-west-bank

Israel’s construction sector worst hit by the Palestinian labour shortage

Raja Khalidi, the director general of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute, spoke to Al Jazeera about how the shortage of Palestinian labour impacts the Israeli economy. Here is a summary of his main points:

  • The 180,000 Palestinians who were working until October in Israel, of whom around 130,000 held permits from the Israeli government, were an essential component of the Israeli construction and agricultural sectors – and, to a lesser extent, the industry and tourism-related sectors.
  • The agreement to allow more Indians to work in Israel is a stopgap measure.
  • The Israeli preference for Palestinian workers over migrant workers is precisely because they go home every night. So down the road, there will be all sorts of problems regarding these workers from other countries who will face racial discrimination as well as class discrimination.
  • The first economic wave from the war on Gaza to hit the occupied West Bank was an overnight cessation of worker pay, which was bringing in about $4bn annually, almost 20 percent of the territory’s income.
  • That was compounded by the local impacts of settler violence and Israeli blockades of cities and villages as well as Israel withholding tax revenue.

What’s the cost of the war on Gaza for Palestine and Israel?

The cost of waging war on Gaza has risen to nearly $60bn for Israel. Government spending is soaring in order to pay for bombs and bullets. But, revenues are dropping and Israelis are hunkering down. If the war expands to the wider region, the expense could mount even further.



Eh the US will pay for it....

Agreed man the genocide Is so obvious with so much footage and yet nothing the world just watching just heart breaking 



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Cobretti2 on 21 January 2024

Ron DeSantis, what a flog. If that what he truly believes about land claim, I hope some Native Americans took note of his words, rock up to his house, scalp the fuckwit, drag his body with a horse down the main road and take over his property in the name of traditional land rights.

Both groups have lived in that region for centuries under different rules. They both have genuine reasons to be there and only way to move forward is come up with a solution once and for all for a two state system. If the world truly believe the Palestinians don't deserve to be there, then stop fucking around with a war, and wipe them out with bombing, show your true colours and not pretend like you give a shit for them but think the war is justified.

As for many Palestinians joining Hamas, what did they think would happen when you invade their home? It only gives credit to their cause.



 

 

SvennoJ on 21 January 2024
zeldaring said:

Agreed man the genocide Is so obvious with so much footage and yet nothing the world just watching just heart breaking 

The language is getting more direct, yet so slowly and just keeps getting ignored anyway

UN special rapporteur says ‘genocide unfolding’ in Gaza

The UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, has said that we’re at a “watershed” moment in the Gaza conflict with a “genocide unfolding”. “It’s time to ask for justice for ALL. Hostages MUST be released immediately. And so the thousand Palestinian prisoners arbitrarily detained by Israel,” she wrote on X, responding to a tweet by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.




The EU is going to talk about it again

Report: EU ministers to discuss Netanyahu’s rejection of Palestinian statehood

Foreign ministers from the European Union will discuss potential repercussions if the Israeli prime minister “continues to oppose Palestinian statehood” when they meet on Monday, the Financial Times is reporting.

Quoting senior officials, the FT said the EU will discuss what “incentives and disincentives” could be created to ensure that Israel agrees to a peace plan that would include the establishment of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has doubled down on his rejection of a Palestinian state in recent days, saying, “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over the entire area in the west of Jordan.”

The EU’s 27 foreign ministers have convened a meeting to discuss Israel’s war on Gaza on Monday, where they are expected to meet separately with Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan and the secretary general of the League of Arab States will also attend.

Potential repercussions, hope it's not more useless stuff like travel bans for settlers



Cobretti2 said:

Ron DeSantis, what a flog. If that what he truly believes about land claim, I hope some Native Americans took note of his words, rock up to his house, scalp the fuckwit, drag his body with a horse down the main road and take over his property in the name of traditional land rights.

Both groups have lived in that region for centuries under different rules. They both have genuine reasons to be there and only way to move forward is come up with a solution once and for all for a two state system. If the world truly believe the Palestinians don't deserve to be there, then stop fucking around with a war, and wipe them out with bombing, show your true colours and not pretend like you give a shit for them but think the war is justified.

As for many Palestinians joining Hamas, what did they think would happen when you invade their home? It only gives credit to their cause.

They're also the only ones slowing the onslaught of the IDF down. It's pretty clear the goal is to at least make Gaza unlivable next to making a dent in the population to put the 'numbers' back in the favor of the oppressors. Israel is literally bombing Gaza back to the stone age.


The tide is slowly starting to turn in Israel as well with the first anti-war protest yesterday since Oct 7

https://www.aljazeera.com/editorial/2024/1/21/reporters-notebook-covering-an-first-antiwar-protest-in-israel

This is the first anti-war protest to take place in Israel since it began its war on Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7.

Since, it hasn’t been easy for the anti-war voice to make itself heard. The organisers of this rally, Hadash, a left-wing socialist party that supports a two-state solution, were initially banned from gathering and had to take their request to the Supreme Court.


Protesters gather at the first anti-war protest in Israel since October 7

For us, even finding the protest location proves difficult. As we near the square in Haifa, our GPS begins sending us in circles. We finally park at a mosque where a local explains that the Israeli army has scrambled the GPS signal in northern Israel due to security concerns.

The authorities were likely keen to let the protest go ahead on a Saturday when there’s no public transport, which would make it more difficult for people to reach the square. As we make our way to the square, we pass a large contingent of police in blue uniforms as well as what looks like border guards in dark green. They seem to be having a last-minute pep talk before the protest. No doubt they have concerns as to what might be about to happen. They are armed with rifles and pistols, and they have utility vehicles, the notorious “skunk water truck” and officers on horseback.


About 500 people showed up at the rally on Saturday

It’s refreshing to hear an alternative message in Israel and to see Israelis and Palestinian Israelis standing together in hope for a peaceful future.

One of the speakers, Maoz Inon, whose parents were killed by Hamas fighters during Hamas’s attacks on October 7, speaks of forgiveness: “My father cultivated the land. He grew wheat and he also brought me up to believe in a good future.

“My message to the world is don’t choose a side, Israeli or Palestine, but please choose humanity.”

...

For now, those protesting here today are in the minority. According to recent polls, the majority of Israelis still support the war in Gaza.


Every movement has to start somewhere, hopefully it picks up steam. Hopefully the ICJ comes back soon ordering the cessation of hostilities to investigate genocidal actions taking place in Gaza. A clear message that will be hard to 'Hasbara' away.

And good that Israel isn't locked into a 2 party system like the US where the only choice is terrible or bad. However Hadash only has 5 seats in Israel's government, the religious Zionist part is nearly 3 times as big (14 seats) Netanyahu, Smotrich and Gantz hold 58 of the 120 seats. Likud is the second biggest party (24 seats) and Lapid wanted to promote a 2-state solution before in 2022.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-09-21/ty-article/.premium/terror-state-lapids-plan-to-promote-two-state-solution-at-un-faces-domestic-backlash/00000183-6143-d533-a3b3-f5d7fdeb0000

However his ideas now are indoctrination and rewriting history to solve the conflict...

https://www.jns.org/edited-pub-fri-lapid-rules-out-handing-over-gaza-to-pa-after-the-war/

The poll’s findings “only strengthen the case for the deradicalization program I called for in my plan for the day after the end of this war,” said Lapid, who served as Israel’s prime minister for five months before Netanyahu was voted back into office late last year.

In a policy document shared on Facebook earlier this month, Lapid’s party called for Gaza’s civil administration to be temporarily managed by the U.S. and Arab countries, excluding Turkey and Qatar, as well as local Palestinian factors “not recognized by Hamas.”

“Israel will not agree to the P.A. playing a role in managing life in Gaza until a comprehensive de-radicalization program is implemented in the P.A., which would include education against incitement, stopping payment to terrorists and fighting corruption,” the document read.


Still there are options, there is a way to solve this 75 year old conflict. Otherwise it's just waiting for the next escalation.



zeldaring on 21 January 2024

I have little faith cause this conflict could have been solved a long time ago but the people In power don't want it to be solved mainly US and Israel.



SvennoJ on 22 January 2024

Things might improve a bit once Netanyahu gets ousted. He's under pressure from all directions now, the opposition party has been calling for re-elections for over a month now, while the fights inside the war cabinet continue.

He can't please any body and his lies to all sides are getting exposed daily now

Netanyahu tells hostages' families Israel has an "initiative" to win release of those abducted

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told families of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza that Israel has an “initiative” to secure the release of those abducted – but there is “no real proposal” from Hamas that would advance their freedom.

According to the Prime Minister’s office, Netanyahu told representatives of the families of the hostages: "Contrary to what they say, There is no real proposal from Hamas - this is not true. I say this as clearly as I can because there are so many untrue things that must be tormenting you.” He added: “In contrast, there is an initiative of ours, and I will not elaborate."

On Sunday, Netanyahu said that in exchange for the release of the hostages Hamas had demanded an end of the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and “the release of all the murderers and rapists” – Netanyahu’s words for Palestinian prisoners Hamas wants to be freed. “If we agree to this - our soldiers fell in vain. If we agree to this - we will not be able to guarantee the security of our citizens,” the prime minister said.

Even CNN isn't just printing his words as truth anymore. Certainly the hostage families aren't trusting him any longer either, still camped outside his house. Many Soldiers get wounded in Gaza and on average close to 2 IDF soldiers get killed per day. People are starting to realize there is no end game here.

Knesset to convene on no-confidence motion for Netanyahu

Israel’s parliament will convene soon to discuss a motion of no-confidence against Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. The motion was submitted by the Labour party in reaction to the government’s failure to bring back captives held in Gaza, N12 reports. A party statement said dozens of Israelis have been held for 108 days and their lives are in imminent danger.

“Under this government they were abandoned and kidnapped. It is this government that is not making the necessary decisions to save them and bring them all home now. “We expect all factions of the opposition to support the motion of no-confidence and to demand the government answers the questions that do not allow any citizen in the state of Israel to sleep in peace.”

Latest Israeli election poll spells more bad news for Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political prospects in Israel continue to look dim, with a new poll suggesting that his party would come in a very distant second if elections were held today, and the coalition he leads now would not win enough seats to stay in power. 

Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet from the opposition after the October 7 attacks, would be the biggest winner, the poll for CNN affiliate Channel 13 suggests. His National Unity party would win 37 seats, the poll projects. Netanyahu’s Likud party would win 16 with him at the helm, and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would come in third with 14, projections suggest.

A slim majority (53%) said Netanyahu’s personal interests were the main consideration driving his conduct of the war. A third (33%) said the national interest was his main consideration, with the remaining respondents saying they did not know or not answering the question. Israelis last went to the polls on November 1, 2022. The next elections are scheduled for October 27, 2026, but many Israelis expect a national election to be called this year.

Reservist protest video circulating online: Israeli military

The Israeli military issued a short statement saying it is investigating an incident captured on video that has been circulating in recent hours showing reservists protesting while on active duty. It says the actions seen in the video are not in line with military orders.

Now’s the time to return captives from Gaza: Israeli general

Israeli Major-General Noam Tibon told Israeli public radio now is the time to make a deal with Hamas and bring back Israeli captives held by the armed group.

“Otherwise, they will all come back in coffins or not at all,” he added. “We will have sent for generations to come a message to the citizens of Israel that they live in an insecure state. And a message to mothers who send their children to the army, that if your child falls into captivity he will probably not return, and this is not overlooked. So it must be concluded. A deal now.”

Protesters demanding hostages' release disrupt Israeli parliament

Families of hostages disrupted a meeting of the finance committee in the Israeli parliament on Monday, demanding more be done to secure their release. "You will not sit here while they die there," read one of the placards as more than a dozen people forced their way into the committee’s meeting. Video of the scene showed security officers trying to remove the protesters. "It can't go on like this. You’d better know. It can't go on like this. You will not sit here while our children die there," one of the protesters shouted." 

Israeli police reported that dozens of protesters had blocked the entrance to the Knesset, “violating public order.” After they refused to leave, a police officer announced a dispersal order. Those disrupting public order were moved back to the protest area in order to allow the protest to continue lawfully, according to a police statement.

Netanyahu under fire for opposition to creation of Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a two-state solution has sparked criticism from officials in Brussels and Washington, as divisions deepen between Israel and its allies and within its own government.

Netanyahu has made clear his opposition to a Palestinian state, but last week set alarm bells ringing when he said Israel “must control security of all the land which is west of the Jordan River.” Ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday, European Union foreign ministers criticized Netanyahu’s comments, with Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, calling them “unacceptable.”

No state of Palestine, no normalisation with Israel: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia says it won’t normalise relations with Israel or contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction without a realistic plan for a Palestinian state. In an interview on CNN, host Fareed Zakaria asked: “Are you saying unequivocally that if there is not a credible and irreversible path to a Palestinian state, there will not be normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel?”

“That’s the only way we’re going to get a benefit, so yes,” Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud replied. When asked if Saudi Arabia would finance reconstruction in Gaza, he gave a similar answer. “As long as we’re able to find a pathway to a solution, a resolution, a pathway that means that we’re not going to be here again in a year or two, then we can talk about anything. But if we are just resetting to the status quo before October 7 – in a way that sets us up for another round of this, as we have seen in the past – we’re not interested in that conversation.”

Israel’s opposition to a two-state solution is "unacceptable," says EU’s top diplomat

The Israeli government’s opposition to a two-state solution is “unacceptable” and Israel cannot expect countries to drop the issue, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said Monday. “It’s unacceptable [for Israel] to say I don’t want this solution,” Josep Borrell told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU and Middle East foreign ministers in Brussels, adding, “the whole international community is behind" a two-state solution.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected calls from the international community for a two-state solution, but Borrell questioned what alternatives remain. “Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill off them?” Borrell asked. He said a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state is the ultimate goal of the 27 members of the EU."

Borrell said that Hamas is part of the problem but that the way Israel has been trying to destroy the militant group was “certainly” wrong and was seeding hate “for generations.” Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz and his Palestinian Authority counterpart are attending the meeting in Brussels.



Yet far more pressure from outside is needed as well as aid, as there is no time to waste

Overcrowding, inadequate water and poor sanitation are fueling Hepatitis A cases in Gaza, UN agency says

Hepatitis A infections have increased in Gaza due to overcrowding, lack of clean water and poor sanitation, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said citing the Gaza Ministry of Health, run by Hamas.

UNRWA cited the health ministry saying suspected cases have increased 16 times in January more than the entire month of November last year. Thousands of displaced people are sharing toilets and shower areas, UNRWA said on Facebook.

The WHO chief last week said that 24 Hepatitis A cases in Gaza were confirmed through test kits and warned of “inhumane living conditions” contributing to the spread of the disease. “The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too,” the WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus said on X on Thursday.

As of last week, no deaths were reported in Gaza from Hepatitis A, as per the WHO, but several thousand people with jaundice were recorded “presumably also due to Hepatitis A,” Ghebreyusus said. Some background: According to the CDC, symptoms of hepatitis A can include yellow skin or eyes, not wanting to eat, an upset stomach, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, dark urine or light colored stools, diarrhea, joint pain and feeling tired. Adults are more likely than children to have symptoms if they are infected.


Meanwhile Netanyahu is only trying to escalate the war with Hezbollah to stay in power

Israel carries out air raids, launches artillery fire in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes launched a series of raids in the vicinity of the towns of Taybeh, Marwahin, Shihin, and Tair Harfa in southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera Arabic’s team on the ground. Artillery fired incendiary shells at the towns of Kafr Kila and Al-Adisa.

Missiles were fired towards an Israeli military site in the Upper Galilee.

 

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 22 January 2024

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SvennoJ on 22 January 2024

The ICJ needs to hurry up, daily atrocities continue

Israel targets 30,000 displaced people in 5 shelters: Gaza authorities

Gaza’s media office says Israeli forces bombed Al-Aqsa University Shelter, University College Accommodation, Khalidiya School Shelter, Al-Mawasi School Shelter and Khan Younis Industry Shelter where 30,000 displaced people were taking refuge.

“[Israelis] claimed they were safe centres and called on citizens to take refuge in them. Then committed a massacre that left many martyrs. This comes within the framework of a genocidal war launched by the occupation against civilians, children and women, in the Gaza Strip,” a statement on Telegram said.

Apart from Israel, the responsibility for “these ongoing crimes” falls on the international community, the US administration, and US President Joe Biden “personally”, it added. “They are the ones who gave the occupation the green light to commit these massacres, and they also refused to stop this brutal war on the Gaza Strip.”

Miscarriages surge in southern Rafah under ‘brutal’ war conditions

About 50,000 pregnant women in displacement camps in southern Rafah city suffer from a lack of food and medicine, threatening their unborn babies along with their own health. Dr Haider Abu Sunima, medical director of Tal al-Sultan Hospital for Women and Obstetrics in Rafah, says there’s an increased number of miscarriages because of the difficult war conditions.

In the past few days, Gaza’s Health Ministry said, it recorded hundreds of miscarriages and premature births as a result of “panic and forced flight under brutal bombardment in Gaza”.

‘Horrific crimes’: At least 40 killed in residence near Nasser Hospital

An Israeli raid targeted a house adjacent to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. At least 40 bodies were transferred to the medical complex, Al Jazeera Arabic reports. According to video published by Meem Magazine, people are digging graves inside the Nasser complex because of a large number of casualties during ongoing clashes in the area.

Dr Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman for Gaza’s health ministry, said in a statement Israeli forces were commiting “horrific crimes west of Khan Yunis”. “Dozens of martyrs and wounded are still in the targeted places and roads. The Israeli occupation prevents the movement of ambulances to retrieve the martyrs and wounded west of Khan Yunis,” he said.

Israel ‘besieging ambulance centre’ in Khan Younis, preventing movement

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says the Israeli military is attacking its ambulance centre, preventing first responders from reaching the wounded in Khan Younis as it intensifies its ground assault.

‘Bled for three days’: Palestinian writer loses brother

Celebrated UK-based Palestinian writer and director Ahmed Masoud lost his brother in Gaza after he was hit by an Israeli air strike. “I knew I was going to write a post like this, I knew I wouldn’t find the words,” Masoud, who grew up in Gaza and later moved to the United Kingdom, wrote on X.

He showed earlier this month how his brother Khalid’s home was almost entirely destroyed after being targeted by an Israeli air strike as drones buzzed in the background. Then, his brother was shot by an Israeli sniper in the leg. “A few days ago he went missing. A drone bombed, he lost his leg and bled for three days. My brother and friend is gone.”

Nasser hospital under attack just like other medical facilities

Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), tells Al Jazeera that Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, just like all the hospitals in southern Gaza, is under intense attack. “This is not the first time. [In the last few weeks], there were several attacks and bombings in the area of El Amal Hospital in Khan Younis. We got direct attacks at the Palestine Red Crescent headquarters with artillery shelling, which literally destroyed three floors and killed at least seven people inside the building,” she said from Ramallah.

Farsakh said both facilities were under siege and enduring a communications blackout. Ambulances were unable to respond to calls from the wounded in the area. “The situation there is extremely dangerous, they are hearing strong bombing in the area. Anyone who tries to move out or just walk in the street is being targeted.”

Israeli forces destroy entire neighbourhood in Khan Younis demolition

Much of Khan Younis has already been damaged or destroyed by Israeli air attacks, and now Israeli soldiers on the ground are blowing up residential buildings.

Troops continue to film themselves mocking Gaza and Palestinians amid the destruction, with the latest video coming from a soldier who proudly shows how the army destroyed 40 residential buildings at once. In Facebook posts, the soldier, Itamar Bello, shows multiple angles of the massive explosion that razed the buildings. He also took a picture of himself with dozens of mines used for the demolition.

Gaza death toll rises to 25,295

At least 25,295 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Its latest update says at least 63,000 have been injured in attacks by the Israeli military. The ministry said at least 190 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours and 340 were injured.

Likely damage as of Jan 17

‘Very dark days ahead’ as Khan Younis attack intensifies

The most accurate way to describe what’s going on right now in Khan Younis is more death and destruction. For more than a month the southern city has been under heavy bombardment. Khan Younis was once designated a “safe zone” by Israel, and thousands of thousands of people fled here from the north. Now it’s just a scene of devastation and suffering as Israeli forces push deeper into the city.

There is an intense bombing campaign near the Nasser hospital and also El Amal City Hospital in the western part of the city. Attacks are also targeting Gaza’s largest university where thousands of people are sheltering. The area is being bombed by land, air and sea – there’s no safe corridor for them to escape. Attack drones are hovering everywhere over Khan Younis shooting at moving objects. So far 12 people have been killed overnight. Very dark days ahead as the situation gets worse by the hour.

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 22 January 2024

SvennoJ on 22 January 2024

Medical facilities in Khan Younis battered during Israeli assault, Palestinian officials in Gaza say


Smoke billowing over Khan Younis in southern Gaza during Israeli bombardment on January 22

Medical facilities in Khan Younis in southern Gaza were battered amid an Israeli assault in the area Monday, Palestinian health officials said.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said dozens of people were killed and wounded in the latest offensive in western Khan Younis, where medical facilities including the Nasser Medical Complex, Al Amal Hospital and the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters are located.

“The situation here is completely catastrophic. We didn’t sleep last night. The hospital is entirely besieged,” Ahmad Al Moghrabi, a doctor at the Nasser Medical Complex said in a video shared to his Instagram page Monday. “There is no way for us to escape the hospital and no way for evacuation. The troops are all around, and the only roads for evacuation are filled with dead bodies,” he said.

The Nasser Medical Complex is receiving more serious injuries than it can accommodate, the health ministry said, adding that intensive care units are currently at capacity. Health officials also said that Israeli forces Monday stormed the Al Khair Hospital, west of Khan Younis, and detained a number of its medical staff, amid an ongoing “siege” of the area.

The IDF told CNN, when asked to comment on the storming of the hospital, that they “cannot comment on ongoing activities.”

Israeli military says ‘operations’ in Khan Younis to last several days

Israeli forces have recently focused their attacks on Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, killing dozens of Palestinians, including children. However, the military says that its goals have not yet been achieved, and that its operation will last for several days, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The army says that its operation aims to destroy Hamas’s government centres and military capabilities in Khan Younis. However, the vicinity of a number of hospitals have been targeted by Israeli attacks, leaving thousands to flee.

Israel must increase intensity of war, despite US pressure: Smotrich

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said the country’s military must “dramatically increase the intensity of the war” at a party meeting, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“This is the only way we can really bring the hostages home and maintain our existence here as a sovereign and secure Jewish state,” he was quoted as saying.






What are the US and UK concerned about:

UK imposes new sanctions on key individuals linked to Hamas

The United Kingdom announced new sanctions on individuals linked to Hamas on Monday, in its third round of such sanctions since October 7. It made the announcement alongside the US and Australia.

Five “key figures” linked to the leadership and financial networks of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were sanctioned, as well as one currency exchange entity called Al Mutahadun for Exchange. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that the move was a “clear message” to Hamas that the UK is “committed to ensuring there is no hiding place for those financing terrorist activities.”

US issues additional sanctions on groups facilitating Iran's funding of Hamas

The US has sanctioned several "Hamas-affiliated" financial groups in Gaza, alleged to have facilitated the transfer of funds, including cryptocurrency, from Iran to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. “Hamas has sought to leverage a variety of financial transfer mechanisms, including the exploitation of cryptocurrency, to channel funds to support the group’s terrorist activities,” Brian Nelson from the Treasury of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence said in a press release.

Those sanctioned include members of the Gaza-based Shamlakh family, who used several companies to facilitate funds transfers from Iran to Hamas, and the Hezrallah Exchange, which allegedly "worked with Hamas to facilitate transactions, including through the use of cryptocurrencies," according to the Treasury Department. The US imposed sanctions alongside the UK and Australia, who are also sanctioning "key Hamas officials and facilitators," according to the State Department. 

"We remain committed to working with our allies and partners to dismantle the financial infrastructure that supports Hamas operations," said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement. 

US sanctions Kataib Hezbollah leaders, Iraqi airline

Washington has targeted four officials and supporters of Kataib Hezbollah (KH) as well as Fly Baghdad, accusing the airline of “providing assistance” to Iran-backed “proxy groups” in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.




Living in an upside down world. US and UK are directly complicit in the unfolding genocide. Keep the focus on Hamas and everything else. Nothing to see in Gaza.



zeldaring on 22 January 2024

They are litterly acting like nazi germany. Just saw a video of then stripping men naked a beating them, they so proud of that and taping it.



SvennoJ on 22 January 2024
zeldaring said:

They are litterly acting like nazi germany. Just saw a video of then stripping men naked a beating them, they so proud of that and taping it.

Nah don't believe your own eyes, believe in the IDF

Separately, it [the IDF]said it is deepening ground operations to the west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, “while adhering to the principles of combat and international law." “The IDF is fighting a terrorist organization that embeds itself in the civilian population, and skilled and experienced units are working to dismantle the Hamas military framework, while staying aware of the complexity of the task, given that Hamas systematically embeds itself in sites such as hospitals and schools,” the IDF said.

CNN only reminds us daily about the IDF adhering to international law. With also daily updates of accidental? war crimes, but since the IDF never responds to questions from CNN, it can't be them committing war crimes...

All this footage from the war and not one single piece of evidence of Hamas embedding themselves in hospitals or schools. No fire recorded from any schools nor hospitals, just empty claims and some pictures and video from the IDF showing 'evidence', most of which has already been debunked.



Biden is already walking back his 'demands' to Netanyahu, groveling at hit feet.

Biden maintains "open mind" on what a two-state solution would look like, White House official says

US President Joe Biden is maintaining an “open mind” about what form a two-state solution with Israel would ultimately take, the White House said Monday, adding the president acknowledges that it won't be an easy road.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the president understands “the need for some flexibility" when it comes to the format of an independent Palestinian state.

Hours after getting off the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday, Biden referenced the possibility of a demilitarized Palestinian state when speaking to reporters at the White House, saying he believed “there are a number of types of two-state solutions.”

“There’s a number of countries that are members of the UN that … don’t have their own military, a number of states that have limitations, and so I think there’s ways in which this can work,” Biden said.



While the world watches 2+ million people slowly starve to death

Palestinian civilians in Gaza need much more aid to survive, UN data shows

Nearly the entire population of the Gaza Strip faces a humanitarian crisis, aid organizations say. Millions of people have been displaced since October 7 and they are struggling to stay dry and warm as winter temperatures and rains set in.

Less than a week into the Israel-Gaza war, the United Nations appealed to the world asking for nearly $300 million in aid to assist Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Within a month, the figure nearly quadrupled as the entire Gaza Strip plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Three months into the war, international donors, mostly governments, have provided just over half of the requested funds through the UN’s plan, according to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) Financial Tracking Service.

The figures reveal that only four-fifths of the emergency funding needed to ensure food security and roughly a quarter of what’s needed for shelter, water and sanitation have been provided.

Israel’s siege of the Palestinian enclave has collapsed waste collection and disposal services, according to the United Nations relief agency UNRWA, and the scarcity of clean drinking water and toilets has created an “explosively dangerous” environment for the spread of disease, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Thursday. 

“Everywhere in Rafah, if you walk, you will see a lot of solid waste and a lot of water sewage building up on the street,” said Salwa Tibi, 53, who works at the humanitarian agency CARE International. “You will find a lot of diseases in the shelters.”

Despite the hazards, children in desperate search of food can be seen picking scraps from rubbish piles, Tibi said.

Gazans also describe air pollution caused by smoke from people burning wood instead of fuel, supplies of which have been largely cut off from the territory. “My father is sick because of air pollution, smoke and gas,” a displaced civilian in Rafah, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN. “Influenza diseases are widespread due to the weather and the lack of facilities in the tents and rooms of the displaced."

 

 



SvennoJ on 22 January 2024

This is not a threat, but can we keep it as a promise...

Israel's security minister threatens to quit government if war against Hamas stops

Israel's national security minister is threatening to quit his position and "not be part of the government" if Israel decides to end the war against Hamas in Gaza.

"If there is no war, there is no government. I've said it all long. There is a war going on, we know it, but if, God forbid, it is decided to stop the war, I will not be part of the government," Itamar Ben Gvir said, speaking at a meeting of his far-right party, Jewish Power. "I would like to say to you that our being part of the government has an impact on our small divine plot of land," Ben Gvir also told members of his party at the meeting, touting some of their policies. 

Ben Gvir has a history of making threats like this. In late November, during a negotiated pause in the fighting to allow an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners — Ben Gvir threatened to quit Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu's government if the attacks on the Gaza Strip were not resumed as soon as the humanitarian truce came to an end.

A video of his comments was posted on social media by CNN affiliate KAN News, an Israeli public broadcaster.

Aljazeera has the reason for his new threats

Israel proposes up to two-month ceasefire in return for release of captives: Axios

The proposal, according to Axios, would involve a multiphase deal that would see the release in stages of more than 130 captives held in Gaza in return for an up to two-month ceasefire and the release of an as yet undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners.

The report, citing two Israeli officials, added that Israeli forces would be redeployed out of the main population centres of Gaza, allowing a “gradual return” of Palestinian civilians to Gaza City and the north of the enclave, and the officials said that after the two months are completed, the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza would be “significantly smaller in scope and intensity” than the current fighting.

Hamas has previously said that in exchange for the release of the captives, it demands a total end to the war and the release of all Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli government is under pressure from a protest movement led by family members of captives, which is demanding an immediate deal.


2 months of unimpeded aid is sorely needed, but I won't get my hopes up. The US also wants the war to continue

‘No change’ in US opposition to ceasefire

The White House’s Kirby says Washington supports pauses in the fighting to allow the release of captives but it still opposes ending the war. “We don’t support a general ceasefire, which is usually put in place in the expectation that you’re going to end a conflict and lead to specific negotiations – no change to our policy there.”



The US is getting more into it, let's bomb Yemen. Nothing like an ongoing war to boost your re-election chances. War time president tradition.

US names campaign to target Houthis in Yemen "Operation Poseidon Archer"

The United States has named the ongoing operation to target Houthi assets in Yemen “Operation Poseidon Archer,” according to two US officials. The named operation suggests a more organized, formal and potentially long-term approach to the operations in Yemen, where the US has been hitting Houthi infrastructure as the Iran-backed rebel group has vowed to keep targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 

The US has struck Houthi targets in Yemen seven times since carrying out its first set of attacks together with the UK military on January 11. The first wave of strikes, in which the two countries hit approximately 30 sites across Houthi-controlled Yemen, marked the beginning of Operation Poseidon Archer, one official said.

Israel also does not want peace

Israeli defence minister says attacks against Hezbollah will continue

Yoav Gallant has met with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu and expressed gratitude for Paris’s “commitment to changing the security situation in southern Lebanon, and to distancing Hezbollah forces from the border”, the Israeli government said in a statement.

“Minister Gallant reiterated the preference of Israel to pursue the diplomatic channel, while also maintaining military readiness,” it added.

“Minister Gallant added that even if Hezbollah ceases fire unilaterally, Israel will not cease fire until it can guarantee the safe return of the northern communities to their homes, following a change in the security situation along the border.”