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

SvennoJ on 22 January 2024

Fuck Trudeau, he should be brought before the ICC as well.

I guess we're at war with Yemen now, next to being complicit in genocide
https://www.ploughshares.ca/reports/fanning-the-flames-the-grave-risk-of-canadas-arms-exports-to-israel

US, UK air attacks hit Yemeni capital Sanaa

Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent on the ground in Yemen reported that explosions were heard in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, while a Houthi official told Al Jazeera that the bombing had hit the capital’s al-Dailami Air Base, as well as locations in the governorates of Taiz, Al Bayda and Hajjah.

US-led coalition says Yemen strikes targeted ‘underground storage site’, missile locations

Here’s the joint statement from the US-led coalition on tonight’s strikes:

“Today, the militaries of the United States and United Kingdom, at the direction of their respective governments with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes against 8 Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea. These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi actions since our coalition strikes on January 11, including anti-ship ballistic missile and unmanned aerial system attacks that struck two U.S.-owned merchant vessels.

Today’s strike specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities.

The Houthis’ now more than thirty attacks on international and commercial vessels since mid-November constitute an international challenge. Recognizing the broad consensus of the international community, we again acted as part of a coalition of like-minded countries committed to upholding the rules-based order, protecting freedom of navigation and international commerce, and holding the Houthis accountable for their illegal and unjustifiable attacks on mariners and commercial shipping.

Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats.”



Utter horseshit. Danger to shipping containers gets acted on, killing over 25 thousand people so far and starving 2 million, ehh easier to bomb Yemen.





‘No let-up in the atrocities inflicted on Gaza’: UN humanitarian chief

Martin Griffiths has highlighted the mounting death toll and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including the killing of two mothers every hour by Israeli forces. “Hospitals overcrowded, besieged and under fire. Homes reduced to rubble. Places of safety turned into places of danger,” he wrote in a social media post.

Israel ‘intentionally imposing dehydration and starvation’ on Gaza, UN expert

Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “unprecedented” in a post on X. “It’s unprecedented to make an entire civilian population go hungry this completely & quickly,” said Fakhri. “Israel is destroying Gaza’s food system,” the UN expert added.

Israel has controlled the entry of food and water into Gaza since early October, with access to northern Gaza even more severely restricted. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced on October 9 that food, water, fuel and medicine would not be allowed into Gaza, saying: “We are fighting human animals.”




Wtf is this "we want to bomb something too" mentality.




Around the Network
SvennoJ on 23 January 2024

Khan Younis surrounded by IDF as hundreds try to flee city’s hospitals. Catch up here

Israel’s military said its troops have surrounded Khan Younis in southern Gaza, as hundreds of people displaced on hospital grounds in the city try to flee the area. A major Israeli military offensive underway in the west of the city is expected to last several more days, according to a source familiar with the operation.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said people at its headquarters, as well as at the nearby Al-Amal Hospital, are “in a state of panic and trying to escape ongoing Israeli bombardment.” “We are getting ready to evacuate, but there are intense clashes all around us. People are leaving their homes and then turning back. It’s very dangerous in the area,” Ahmad Nassem, a resident of Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis, told CNN Tuesday.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Moghrabi from Nasser Hospital told CNN Tuesday there was “fierce fighting” around the medical facility. “We are being asked to evacuate but there is fierce fighting and snipers surrounding the hospital,” he said. “It's really difficult, all the roads are blocked. We don’t know how to evacuate.”

Meanwhile, Israel is reeling from the deaths of at least 24 of its soldiers in Gaza, in what is the biggest single loss of life for Israeli troops in the enclave since the war with Hamas began.



The Hamas-controlled health ministry in the enclave said Tuesday that 195 people had been killed and 354 injured in Gaza during the past 24 hours. It said “a number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.”

Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, accused the IDF of committing massacres west of Khan Younis and preventing the movement of ambulances. Intense combat has been reported in the area in recent days as Israeli ground operations extend further south in the enclave.

Israeli forces open fire on car with people fleeing to Rafah

An Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent has reported that Israeli forces are closing the road that leads to the Rashid coastal road from Khan Younis towards Rafah, preventing the movement of displaced people. Earlier, four Palestinians arriving to Rafah were killed after their car was targeted by an Israeli tank, the correspondent said.

Thousands of people have left Khan Younis to Rafah, as a result of the ongoing Israeli bombing, despite the dangerous situation on the roads.

‘My daughter’s gone’: Survivor recounts Israeli attack on ‘safe area’

Witnesses have described how Israeli forces targeted the al-Mawasi area, despite designating it as a “safe zone”. Thousands of displaced people had set up their tents in the area, which is located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, west of Khan Younis.

One woman, who lost her husband and daughter in the attack, said the tents caught fire. “We witnessed a difficult night and day of intense bombing and targeting,” she said, saying that she does not know how she survived the bombing. “The occupation planes fired at us in our tents, and at the same time, Israeli vehicles stormed the area, and after that, there were artillery shells that fell on us.”

She tried to pull out her children, but couldn’t save her daughter. “Every time I came forward, I found the fire. My daughter was gone. The next day, I saw the bodies of my husband and daughter at the hospital … they were charred beyond recognition,” she said. The woman, who suffered burns and fractures in her feet and hand, said there are no safe areas. “It’s all a lie,” she said. “The Israeli army ordered people and gathered them in al-Mawasi area and then targeted it.”



Gaza death toll rises to 25,490

Attacks by the Israeli army since the start of the war have killed at least 25,490 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest figures by the enclave’s Health Ministry. It said 63,354 people have also been injured since October 7.

Attacks in the latest 24-hour reporting period killed at least 195 Palestinians and wounded 354 with more victims believed to be under the rubble and unreachable.

Gaza hit with another ‘near-total’ comms blackout

Gaza is once more affected by a “near-total telecommunications blackout” amid relentless Israeli attacks, according to an internet watchdog. “The incident is likely to severely limit most residents’ ability to communicate, in the tenth such incident since the start of the war,” Netblocks said in a post on X.

Its data showed that the connectivity status for the Rafah governorate to the south was worst, with connectivity levels dropping to as low as 5 percent.

Over half a million Palestinians face ‘catastrophic hunger’

The United Nations Relief Works and Agency (UNRWA) says that more than half a million people in Gaza face catastrophic hunger. In the northern part of the besieged enclave, very little aid has reached residents and displaced families there, who have begun to grind animal feed into flour.

UNRWA pointed out that intense fighting, communications blackouts and access restrictions have hindered the organisation’s ability to “safely and effectively deliver aid”.



At least 24 soldiers killed in biggest single Israeli loss during Gaza combat, military says

Twenty-one Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in southern Gaza on Monday, the military said, in the biggest single loss of life for Israeli troops inside the battered enclave since the war with Hamas began.

Precise details are not yet clear but in a televised statement Tuesday Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said a tank that was protecting Israeli troops was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Israeli media reported that two soldiers in the tank were killed.

Simultaneously, two two-story buildings collapsed on soldiers following an explosion. Most of the Israeli forces killed were in or near the buildings, Hagari said. “The buildings probably exploded because of the mines that our forces laid there, in preparation to demolish them and the infrastructure around,” he said.

It brings the total number of Israeli troops killed in the Gaza ground invasion to 219, Israel's military said. Another soldier was seriously injured in the same incident, Hagari added. The IDF told CNN on Tuesday it is "still not clear" what caused the building explosion.

Israeli army deaths make it more important than ever to defeat ‘Nazi enemy’

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says the deaths of 24 soldiers in a single day make it “clearer than ever” that Israel must not cease operations in Gaza. Israel “must continue to subdue, crush and mow down the Nazi enemy in Gaza with all our might”, he wrote in a Telegram post.

 

Here comes the backpedaling

Ceasefire-for-hostages offer is “far from being a proposal,” says Israeli official

While there is an “Israeli initiative” to offer Hamas a two-month ceasefire in exchange for all of the hostages held in Gaza, it is “far from being a proposal,” an Israeli official familiar with the idea told CNN Tuesday. The initiative is “a way to check whether the framework will work,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal government conversations.

Another just for show 'proposal'.



SvennoJ on 23 January 2024

Westbank updates

Israeli forces demolish house near Hebron

Israeli forces have demolished a Palestinian-owned house near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The house in the village of Lasifar, southeast of Yatta, belonged to a Palestinian named Mahmoud Khalil Abu Qubaita, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, which added that about 10 people lived in the house and the owner had legal documents proving his ownership.

This comes as attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank have surged during the war on Gaza.

More than two dozen Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says that Israeli forces detained 25 Palestinians overnight across the occupied West Bank. This brings the total number of Palestinians arrested since October 7 to 6,220.

Lack of sanctions will embolden Israel to ‘annex West Bank’

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry says not sanctioning hardline Israeli forces and settlers will pave the way for them to annex the entirety of the occupied West Bank. “Absence of effective international sanctions encourages the occupying forces and settler militias to proceed with annexing and expropriating the West Bank,” it said in a statement.

On Monday, France’s foreign minister said he was hopeful the EU would impose sanctions on Israeli settlers who are committing acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Car showroom burned down in occupied West Bank

The owner of the showroom, Abdel Aziz Hamed, told Al Jazeera there is no confirmation that illegal Israeli settlers set fire to it and a police investigation is under way. Settlers from an illegal outpost near Beitin attacked his showroom before, he noted.

Aziz Hamed said he received a phone call at dawn from people living near his business who told him it was ablaze and firefighters had been called in. They were unable to stop the flames, however, and he lost all the vehicles in the showroom.





Israeli Knesset displays artefacts stolen from Gaza

The Israeli military has been caught displaying artefacts stolen from Gaza in its parliament, the Knesset. The stolen artefacts were discovered when Eli Askozido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, posted a photo of the antiques on his personal Instagram account with the caption: “A small showcase was placed in the Knesset.”

He also posted a video saying the Israeli military had contacted the authority to examine a warehouse full of antiques in Gaza. “Good week, the deputy director of the Antiquities Authority was rushed to Gaza to check a warehouse full of antiques,” he wrote.

Askozido has since pulled down the post and issued a statement claiming the items were examined and “left undisturbed at the site”. Earlier this week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations urged the UN to investigate reports of looted archaeological artefacts in Gaza, saying in a statement that the “ongoing genocide” is “targeting all aspects of Palestinian culture and heritage”.




Pro-Palestinian protesters attacked with ‘foul-smelling substance’ on Columbia University campus

Columbia University Provost Dennis Mitchell has described as “deeply troubling” an incident where students at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York were sprayed with a “foul-smelling substance”.

The alleged perpetrators have been banned from campus while the New York Police Department investigates “what appear to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes”, Mitchell said in a letter to students, published by the Columbia Spectator student newspaper. “We are outraged and horrified that eight Columbia students have been hospitalised” after being sprayed with an “illegal chemical-based weapon”, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and Columbia Jewish Voice for Peace said in a joint statement.

The two student groups alleged the assailants who carried out the attack on the university’s campus in New York on Friday have links to the Israeli military. According to the Columbia Spectator report, several students identified the substance as “skunk water“, which has been used against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2bQvdGtE8j



SvennoJ on 23 January 2024

Qatar says it's receiving "constant replies" from Israel and Hamas as "serious discussions" continue

Qatar said it’s engaged in “serious discussions” with Israel and Hamas and is receiving “constant replies” from both sides, but statements made by Israeli officials “leads to a harder mediation process,” Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in a news conference on Tuesday. 

"Obviously when one side says they don’t accept the two state-solution and that they won’t stop this war eventually ... obviously leads to a harder mediation process,” Al-Ansari added. 

Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty following talks with US President Joe Biden about Gaza’s future, suggesting Israel’s security needs would be incompatible with Palestinian statehood.

Communication cuts and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza also has an impact on the talks, but mediation efforts are in “full force” with Qatar exchanging ideas between both sides, Al-Ansari said. “Our negotiators are working around the clock to exchange these ideas, a lot of these media reports are either missing elements or completely false," he said in response to media reports that Israel offered a two-month ceasefire to Hamas as part of a prospective hostage deal.


At least they're talking, but most of these media reports about deals being on the table are premature or just for show

Qatar optimistic but doesn’t see imminent Israel-Hamas deal

I asked Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson about reports suggesting the Israelis have sent new proposals to Qatar based on a two-month halt in fighting in exchange for the release of captives and possibly a huge number of Palestinians. He said those reports were either exaggerated or inaccurate. However, he did say that talks between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Qatar, have reached a critical phase.

Hamas has said any agreement must be based on a permanent ceasefire, something that has been dismissed so far by Israel. The spokesperson said he remains optimistic but does not expect something to happen soon because of major disagreements. Qatar is saying it is time for something conducive to an agreement to happen. We need genuine commitment and one of the key components would be for Israel to accept the notion of a viable Palestinian state.



Meanwhile US and UK are only focusing on where to bomb Yemen next, pathetic.



hellobion2 on 23 January 2024

This war is getting wilder each day



BiON!@ 

Around the Network
SvennoJ on 23 January 2024

Killing of soldiers raises questions about Israel’s plan for ‘buffer zone’

Israeli officials have suggested that the 24 Israeli soldiers killed yesterday were demolishing buildings to secure a “buffer zone” in central Gaza that would push Palestinian residents away from Israeli communities.

“They fell in battle near the border fence, during a defence operation in the buffer zone between the Israeli communities and Gaza. This is a task whose entire purpose is to create the security conditions for the safe return of [Israeli] residents to their homes,” said Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi.

There is ample footage online of Israeli soldiers blowing up buildings in Gaza in apparent controlled demolitions. If Israel is trying to raze Palestinian neighbourhoods in vacant areas of Gaza in the name of safety, the effort would defy US policy and may be in violation of international law.

Washington says it opposes the permanent displacement of Palestinians as well as any “reduction in the territory of Gaza”. Moreover, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits “any destruction” of property by the occupying power except when it’s deemed “absolutely necessary by military operations”.



‘We need to say no’ to Netanyahu: US congressman

Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, has criticised the Israeli prime minister over his vocal opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Washington is Israel’s top military and diplomatic backer, and Biden is seeking more than $14bn in additional aid to the US ally.

But Netanyahu has been openly defying the US rhetoric about the two-state solution. “The prime minister needs to be able to say no, even to our best friends,” he said last week. Doggett wrote in a social media post, “After all America has done for him, if Netanyahu ‘needs to be able to say no’ to us, we need to say no to him and do so now!”

In New Hampshire primary in US, many will vote for ‘ceasefire’

In a literal sense. Some voters in the northeastern US state will write “ceasefire” on their ballots to call for an end to the war in Gaza.

Voting is under way in the United States’ first presidential primary, which pits Donald Trump against Nikki Haley on the Republican side. For Democrats, US President Joe Biden decided to forgo the primary race in the state after a dispute over the timing of the contest. The president had pushed for South Carolina to be the first primary.

Still, there is a campaign to write Biden’s name on the ballot. But Palestinian rights advocates are urging voters to go with “ceasefire” instead. “We are asking New Hampshire voters who support a ceasefire: de-escalation, humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and a just solution to the conflict in the Middle East to write in ‘Ceasefire’ for president,” the campaign organisers say.

The New Hampshire secretary of state’s office told HuffPost that the “ceasefire” votes will be tallied in a “separate column”. Results are expected on Tuesday evening.

Netanyahu says Israel ‘will not stop fighting’ in Gaza after death of soldiers

The prime minister said on Tuesday that the slain soldiers were “heroes” and that Israel would press forward with its assault on Gaza.

“Yesterday we experienced one of our most difficult days since the war erupted,” Netanyahu said. “In the name of our heroes, for the sake of our lives, we will not stop fighting until absolute victory.”

"We were expecting to die at any minute:" Gazans describe fleeing Khan Younis as Israel expands operations


Thousands of people are leaving Khan Younis, as the Israel Defense Forces said it has surrounded the city amid further operations west of the area.

A CNN video recorded Monday shows displaced people sitting on the side of streets and in the vicinity of the seashore as they head west and south. The IDF had instructed civilians to leave several districts in and around the city and head toward the coast, which it described to CNN as "safer." The video shows cars, trucks, and tractors transporting families and their essential belongings, such as blankets, mattresses and food. Many, however, are walking.

Hisham Sayegh said he saw four people killed, which forced him to leave with his family as shelling in the area intensifies. "There are dead people on the ground. We left them behind. There are people killed inside the houses,” Sayegh said. “We were expecting to die at any minute.”

Amer Hijjo, from northern Gaza, said he was on the move for a third time. “Now, we are displaced again to the unknown. The bombardment was all night. We woke up with a tank at the entrance of the house this (Monday) morning, so we left.”

Um Mohammad, a woman from Khan Younis, said she and her family are on the street until they figure out where to go — and they can not afford transport south to Rafah. "Vegetables, flour, and water are all expensive. There are no toilets. No one cares about us as if we are not human beings. We have been in the streets for more than 100 days. Every place we go to, they tell us to leave, and here we are again and again in the streets,” she said.

Um Adel, a woman from Gaza City, told CNN that her family had been in Khan Younis, and her granddaughter died because “there was no oxygen or medication for her.”



What is the ICJ waiting for....

The ICJ ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine on March 16th, less than 3 weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/16/un-international-court-of-justice-orders-russia-to-halt-invasion-of-ukraine
Although the request for provisions was already made 5 days after the invasion (feb 27) https://www.icj-cij.org/case/182

South Africa's initial request was on December 29th https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192 3.5 weeks ago.
The hearings were on the 11th and 12th of Januari.

It didn't take the court long to grant provisional measures for Ukraine, now they're dragging their feet. Are they overwhelmed by the daily flood of additional evidence...



SvennoJ on 23 January 2024

Strong words from UN chief Antonio Guterres in Security Council address

When he laid out what needs to happen, or what the UN needs to try to provide aid to those who need it the most, you could sum up his speech by saying “everything”. Food, water, security – you name it, and there is a need for it in Gaza for the people who need it the most right now. And when you say “people who need it the most”, that is pretty much everybody in Gaza, and those are the words of the secretary-general of the United Nations.

He painted a very bleak and very dark picture of what the Palestinians in Gaza are facing on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis.

  • The provision of aid to Gaza via [Israel’s] Ashdod Port must also resume.
  • We need access to the north [of Gaza]. In the first two weeks of January, out of 29 planned humanitarian missions to deliver life-saving supplies north of Wadi Gaza, only seven were completed either full or partially.
  • The majority of missions were denied access by Israel.
  • I am deeply troubled by reports of Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinians detained during military operations.
  • I renew my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Israel's rejection of two-state solution threatens to prolong conflict, UN chief says

Israel's “clear and repeated rejection” of a two-state solution is “unacceptable” and threatens to prolong the conflict with Palestinians that has become a global threat to peace, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a UN Security Council meeting Tuesday.

The UN chief called a two-state solution the only way to address the aspirations of both sides, saying any refusal to accept it must be firmly rejected.
“A lasting end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only come through a two-state solution,” he said. Guterres also repeated his call for more aid deliveries into Gaza, saying the quantities that are entering the enclave are highly insufficient. “It is fantasy to think that 2.2 million people can survive on aid alone,” he said.

Guterres called for more crossing points into Gaza and for access to the north, saying only seven of 29 planned humanitarian missions to the north of Wadi Gaza in early January were fully or partially accomplished. He also appealed again for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, saying, “this will ensure sufficient aid gets to where it is needed, facilitate the release of hostages, and help lower tensions around the Middle East.”

UN relief head shares ‘grim update’ on Khan Younis

Martin Griffiths cites reports from the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) about deadly attacks and heavy bombardment in the southern Gaza city.

“A warehouse was hit, killing two people and cutting off access to humanitarian supplies and to critical water and sanitation equipment,” Griffiths said in a statement. “Six people were killed in Khan Younis Training Centre.”

He added that medics are working at Nasser Hospital “while debris is falling on their heads”.

MSF: Israeli forces order evacuation of Nasser Hospital area

The medical group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) says that several blocks in Khan Younis, including those where Nasser Hospital is located, have received orders to evacuate.

“MSF staff members can hear bombs and heavy gunfire close to Nasser,” the group said in a social media post on Tuesday. “They are currently unable to evacuate along with the thousands of people in the hospital, including 850 patients, due to roads to and from the building being either inaccessible or too dangerous.”

Israel orders massive area in Khan Younis emptied of people; city’s hospitals surrounded: UN

Heavy Israeli bombardments are reported in close proximity to three hospitals in Gaza’s Khan Younis – Nasser, Al Amal, and Al Aqsa hospitals – as fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters rages across much of the Palestinian enclave.

The latest UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) situation report also notes:

  • Almost 200 Palestinians were killed and 354 injured by Israeli attacks in the 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday afternoon.
  • The killing of 21 Israeli soldiers in a single attack brings the total number of Israel’s forces killed in Gaza to 219 with a further 1,232 injured, according to Israeli military figures.
  • Almost 90,000 residents and 425,000 displaced people have been ordered by the Israeli military to leave more than 4sq km (1.4sq miles) residential areas in Khan Younis.
  • The massive clearance order in Khan Younis affects 24 UN shelters for people displaced by Israel’s war, three hospitals, which represent 20 percent of all partially, still-functioning medical centres in Gaza, and three other health clinics.
  • On Monday Israeli troops raided the Al Kheir Hospital in the west of Khan Younis, arrested staff and ordered civilians at the hospital to move further south.

Israel should be ‘held accountable’ for targeting Gaza’s medical facilities: Qatar foreign ministry

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Dr Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has addressed Israel’s bombardment of the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza’s southern Khan Younis. “The direct targeting of physicians, patients, wounded, displaced people, and medical facilities… will only result in turning the Strip into a major humanitarian disaster for which the [Israeli] occupation and those who support it should be held accountable,” Al Ansari said in a statement following a weekly media briefing.

Al-Ansari also urged the international community to pressure Israel for “immediate safe corridors in Gaza”, highlighting that “the situation in northern Gaza is much worse than the rest of the Strip, with neither aid delivery nor hospitals”. Al-Ansari also said that “Qatar-led mediation efforts” to end the conflict are ongoing.



Israel's response

Israeli UN envoy: Ceasefire will bring ‘another attempted Holocaust’

Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has again railed against calls for a ceasefire, saying that the Middle East is suffering from a “cancer” and that Israel will not accept the continued existence of Hamas.

“Shockingly, many here on the Security Council are advocating for a permanent ceasefire, while giving no thought to the implications,” Erdan said. “What do you think will happen if there is a ceasefire? I will tell you what will happen: Hamas will remain in power, they will regroup and rearm, and soon Israelis will face another attempted Holocaust.”

Israeli ministers to host conference on Gaza settlements

Members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party, including ministers and members of parliament, have announced an event calling for the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks, reports Israeli outlet Ynet.

In a video statement, Israeli tourism minister Haim Katz called on the public to attend the conference, which will take place this weekend. “The withdrawal created the Nazi monster,” he said, referring to Israel’s formal withdrawal of its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip in 2005. He continued, saying that only the settlement of Gaza could bring security to Israel.

Israel’s rising use of drone strikes in West Bank

As Israel has ramped up its raids on communities in the occupied West Bank since October 7, it has also increased its use of drone strikes there. This has led to the deaths of several Palestinians. “The use of drones in the way that Israel has been using them is, of course, illegal,” Lawyer Diana Buttu told Al Jazeera from Haifa, Israel.



hellobion2 on 23 January 2024

From the article below it looks like Isreal is starting to use drones similar to how Russia has been utilizing drones in the Ukranian conflict. 

SvennoJ said:

Killing of soldiers raises questions about Israel’s plan for ‘buffer zone’

Israeli officials have suggested that the 24 Israeli soldiers killed yesterday were demolishing buildings to secure a “buffer zone” in central Gaza that would push Palestinian residents away from Israeli communities.

“They fell in battle near the border fence, during a defence operation in the buffer zone between the Israeli communities and Gaza. This is a task whose entire purpose is to create the security conditions for the safe return of [Israeli] residents to their homes,” said Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi.

There is ample footage online of Israeli soldiers blowing up buildings in Gaza in apparent controlled demolitions. If Israel is trying to raze Palestinian neighbourhoods in vacant areas of Gaza in the name of safety, the effort would defy US policy and may be in violation of international law.

Washington says it opposes the permanent displacement of Palestinians as well as any “reduction in the territory of Gaza”. Moreover, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits “any destruction” of property by the occupying power except when it’s deemed “absolutely necessary by military operations”.



‘We need to say no’ to Netanyahu: US congressman

Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, has criticised the Israeli prime minister over his vocal opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Washington is Israel’s top military and diplomatic backer, and Biden is seeking more than $14bn in additional aid to the US ally.

But Netanyahu has been openly defying the US rhetoric about the two-state solution. “The prime minister needs to be able to say no, even to our best friends,” he said last week. Doggett wrote in a social media post, “After all America has done for him, if Netanyahu ‘needs to be able to say no’ to us, we need to say no to him and do so now!”

In New Hampshire primary in US, many will vote for ‘ceasefire’

In a literal sense. Some voters in the northeastern US state will write “ceasefire” on their ballots to call for an end to the war in Gaza.

Voting is under way in the United States’ first presidential primary, which pits Donald Trump against Nikki Haley on the Republican side. For Democrats, US President Joe Biden decided to forgo the primary race in the state after a dispute over the timing of the contest. The president had pushed for South Carolina to be the first primary.

Still, there is a campaign to write Biden’s name on the ballot. But Palestinian rights advocates are urging voters to go with “ceasefire” instead. “We are asking New Hampshire voters who support a ceasefire: de-escalation, humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and a just solution to the conflict in the Middle East to write in ‘Ceasefire’ for president,” the campaign organisers say.

The New Hampshire secretary of state’s office told HuffPost that the “ceasefire” votes will be tallied in a “separate column”. Results are expected on Tuesday evening.

Netanyahu says Israel ‘will not stop fighting’ in Gaza after death of soldiers

The prime minister said on Tuesday that the slain soldiers were “heroes” and that Israel would press forward with its assault on Gaza.

“Yesterday we experienced one of our most difficult days since the war erupted,” Netanyahu said. “In the name of our heroes, for the sake of our lives, we will not stop fighting until absolute victory.”

"We were expecting to die at any minute:" Gazans describe fleeing Khan Younis as Israel expands operations


Thousands of people are leaving Khan Younis, as the Israel Defense Forces said it has surrounded the city amid further operations west of the area.

A CNN video recorded Monday shows displaced people sitting on the side of streets and in the vicinity of the seashore as they head west and south. The IDF had instructed civilians to leave several districts in and around the city and head toward the coast, which it described to CNN as "safer." The video shows cars, trucks, and tractors transporting families and their essential belongings, such as blankets, mattresses and food. Many, however, are walking.

Hisham Sayegh said he saw four people killed, which forced him to leave with his family as shelling in the area intensifies. "There are dead people on the ground. We left them behind. There are people killed inside the houses,” Sayegh said. “We were expecting to die at any minute.”

Amer Hijjo, from northern Gaza, said he was on the move for a third time. “Now, we are displaced again to the unknown. The bombardment was all night. We woke up with a tank at the entrance of the house this (Monday) morning, so we left.”

Um Mohammad, a woman from Khan Younis, said she and her family are on the street until they figure out where to go — and they can not afford transport south to Rafah. "Vegetables, flour, and water are all expensive. There are no toilets. No one cares about us as if we are not human beings. We have been in the streets for more than 100 days. Every place we go to, they tell us to leave, and here we are again and again in the streets,” she said.

Um Adel, a woman from Gaza City, told CNN that her family had been in Khan Younis, and her granddaughter died because “there was no oxygen or medication for her.”



What is the ICJ waiting for....

The ICJ ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine on March 16th, less than 3 weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/16/un-international-court-of-justice-orders-russia-to-halt-invasion-of-ukraine
Although the request for provisions was already made 5 days after the invasion (feb 27) https://www.icj-cij.org/case/182

South Africa's initial request was on December 29th https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192 3.5 weeks ago.
The hearings were on the 11th and 12th of Januari.

It didn't take the court long to grant provisional measures for Ukraine, now they're dragging their feet. Are they overwhelmed by the daily flood of additional evidence...



BiON!@ 

SvennoJ on 24 January 2024

Israel delaying aid into Gaza as ‘pressure’ tactic: Egypt president

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza is open 24/7 but Israeli procedures hamper the entrance of aid.

“This is part of how they exert pressure on the issue of releasing the hostages,” el-Sisi said.

Earlier, Israeli protesters – including family members of captives held in Gaza – blocked the entrance of the Israel-controlled Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in an attempt to prevent aid trucks from entering Gaza. They don’t want any humanitarian relief going into the war-ravaged territory until captives are released.

‘Israel’s Victory’ conference to discuss settlement-building in Gaza

Hardline Israeli ministers – led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party – will hold a conference on Sunday in West Jerusalem to discuss the possibility of building settlements in Gaza after the war.

According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the conference, titled “Israel’s Victory”, will be attended by thousands of Israelis from religious and nationalist movements, including 20 ministers and members of the Knesset. “The talk is about a conference for a coalition of settlement organisations in the Gaza Strip, which is led by the head of the settlement council in the West Bank, Yossi Dagan, and the Nahala settlement movement,” the newspaper reported.

WHO: Seven of 24 hospitals ‘partially operating’ in northern Gaza

The World Health Organization (WHO) says seven out of 24 hospitals are “partially functioning” in northern Gaza and suffering a shortage of personnel and supplies. The facilities are “without enough specialised medical staff to manage the volume and range of injuries, nor sufficient medicines and medical supplies, fuel, clean water, or food for patients or staff”, the WHO said in a statement.

It delivered 19,000 litres (5,000 gallons) of fuel to al-Shifa Hospital on Tuesday after facing delays at a checkpoint and on damaged roads. “Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiological facilities remain operational along with emergency care, a surgical unit with three operation theaters, post-operative care, and a dialysis unit,” it said, adding the hospital’s primary oxygen plant has been destroyed.

Israeli troops restricting movement of PRCS staff in Khan Younis: Organisation

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says Israeli soldiers are surrounding its teams inside the organisation’s headquarters and at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis. The troops are “enforcing restrictions on movement around both the building and the hospital”, it said in a post on X.

Thousands died over lack of first aid supplies in Gaza: Civil defence

The civil defence team in the Gaza Strip says the absence of primary medical aid supplies has led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. It also pointed out lives and safety of children in shelter centres are threatened because of the cold weather and prevailing poor conditions. The policy of targeting populated centres continues on a daily basis in the Gaza City area and elsewhere in the north, the emergency services added.


A civil defence member uses a hammer to search for survivors after Israeli attacks

Israeli tanks, drones shoot dead civilians at Nasser Hospital

People fleeing the vicinity of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis have been shot at by Israeli tanks as well as attack drones. Civil defence crews are trying to collect the bodies and identify the dead. The number of killed is expected to grow in the coming hours.

To the western part of Khan Younis, we have seen a surge in aerial attacks as well as artillery shelling. Entire families are being surrounded by Israeli military tanks and armoured vehicles. They are ordered to evacuate from their homes and to get outside. Women are separated from the men with their hands on top of their heads.

The compound of Al-Aqsa University, where thousands have been sheltering, is effectively under military siege. No one can get out of that area. Anyone who tries to leave risks losing their life as there is constant shelling and attacks by land and by air.

Israeli forces isolate Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis: Health Ministry

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says the Israeli army has isolated the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. The ministry confirmed the hospital is in urgent need of medical supplies, food and fuel, noting there are about 400 dialysis patients who cannot access treatment.

Hundreds of wounded people, sick patients and maternity cases are facing serious complications as a result of the lack of access to the hospital, the ministry added.

‘Mass casualties’ after attack on Khan Younis shelter causes fire: UNRWA

Thomas White, the director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, says that a building complex sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in Khan Younis has caught fire after it was hit amid escalating fighting.

“Safe access to/from the centre has been denied for two days,” he said in a post on X, adding that people remain “trapped”.




At least 25,700 dead in war on Gaza; 210 killed in past day

Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 25,700 people have now been killed in the besieged Palestinian territory since the war began on October 7. At least 210 people were killed over the past 24 hours with nearly 400 others wounded. A statement said the number of injured now stands at 63,740 since the fighting started.


Update: No confirmation of court ruling on Israel genocide case

In response to a news report, South Africa’s Justice Department spokesperson Chrispin Phiri posted: “We do not have an official communication from the court as to when the judgment will be delivered.”

A spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry said he was unaware and was looking into it. Earlier, News24 reported a South African government delegation touched down in The Hague in anticipation of the International Court of Justice judgement.



SvennoJ on 24 January 2024

More than 625,000 students deprived of education in Gaza

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/24/how-israel-has-destroyed-gazas-schools-and-universities

As the world celebrates International Day of Education, the Israeli occupation has deprived more than 625,000 students in the Gaza Strip of education.

At least 4,551 students have been killed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with 8,193 others wounded, according to the Palestinian Education Ministry.

Israeli bombardment of Gaza has affected 90 percent of government schools and educational buildings. According to the UN, all of its schools have closed.

Settlers carried out ‘120 attacks’ in occupied West Bank in January

The Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission has recorded 120 cases of attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians and their properties, including the recent killing of Palestinian-American teenager Tawfiq Ajaq in the village of al-Mazra’a Asharqiya, near Ramallah.

The chairman of the commission, Moayyad Shaaban, said the collusion of the Israeli army and the settlers has resulted in more than 35 attacks by settlers within the army, in addition to more than 23 attacks that were carried out under the auspices and protection of the army.

“The increase in the rate of settlers’ attacks in the last week comes in light of the reassurances they receive from the political echelon of the Israeli occupation government, which provides them with protection and immunity from any imminent trials or penalties that may be imposed on them,” Shaaban said.

35 Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs says Israeli forces arrested 35 Palestinians, including a woman and former prisoners, in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The arrests took place in Nablus and in the district towns of Awarta, Urif and Sabastia. In Hebron governorate, arrests were carried out in the town of Bani Naim in the east and Dura in the south. Six Palestinians were arrested in the village of Burqin, south of Jenin, and from Kifl Haris, west of Salfit.

This brings the total number of Palestinians arrested in the occupied West Bank since October 7 to 6,255.