Man isreal is so blood thirsty 😒
| zeldaring said: Man isreal is so blood thirsty 😒 |
Not just Israel.
US, Canada, UK and more of Europe are all too happy to join in bombing the middle East next to providing the bombs and tank shells.
US conducts more airstrikes in Yemen, shoots down multiple Houthi drones, CENTCOM says
Iraq summons US Chargé d’Affaires in protest over airstrikes
A building is seen destroyed following a US airstrike in al-Qaim, Iraq, on February 3
“In protest against the American aggression that targeted Iraqi military and civilian locations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon Mr. David Bircher, the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Baghdad," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It continued that this is "due to the absence of the American Ambassador, to deliver an official protest note regarding the American aggression that targeted military and civilian locations in the areas of Akashat and Al-Qaim on the evening of last Friday, February 2, 2024."
Iraq says US strikes killed at least 16, including civilians
People stand at the site of a US airstrike in al-Qaim, Iraq, on February 3
US air strikes on Iraq Friday killed at least 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25 others, according to a statement by the Iraqi government spokesperson. The attacks in the Akashat area and the town of Al-Qaim, close to the border with Syria, including sites "where our security forces are stationed, alongside nearby civilian places," the government statement said, calling it "aggression against Iraq's sovereignty."
Local authorities in Anbar province said the airstrikes targeted sites used by militias known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashad al Shaabi, including a PMU military base in the Akashat and houses used as weapon warehouses in Al-Qaim. According to the mayor Rutba, Emad Al-Dulaimi, most killed and wounded in the Akashat area are PMU fighters.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the US informed the Iraqi government of its plans before carrying out the strikes. But the Iraqi government has denied that claim, saying the United States is "misleading international public opinion."
The US side "intentionally engaged in deception and distortion of facts, stating coordination with Iraqi authorities for the perpetration of this aggression—an unfounded claim crafted to mislead international public opinion and evade legal responsibility for this condemned act, in violation of international laws," the statement said. The government statement said such attacks "will push the security situation in Iraq and the region to the brink of the abyss, jeopardizing ongoing efforts to establish the necessary stability."
Syria and Iraq warn US airstrikes fuel conflict in the Middle East
Syria has warned that the US strikes that targeted various locations in Iraq and Syria late on Friday "fuel the conflict in the Middle East in a very dangerous way." "[Syria] condemns this blatant American violation [and] it categorically rejects all the pretexts and lies promoted by the American administration to justify this attack," the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The US said it hit 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria on Friday in response to a deadly drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan on Sunday. Syria's military said the strikes caused "significant damage" and killed civilians and military personnel. CNN cannot independently verify the number or nature of the casualties.
US airstrikes killed civilians and soldiers and caused "significant damage," Syrian military says
“[The United States] launched a blatant air aggression against a number of sites and towns in the eastern region of Syria, and near the Syrian-Iraqi border, which led to the martyrdom of a number of civilians and soldiers, the injury of others, and the infliction of significant damage to public and private property,” the Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement early Saturday.
US lawmakers react to military strikes in Iraq and Syria
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson, a Republican, criticized the military response, writing in part, “The administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response. The public handwringing and excessive signaling undercuts our ability to put a decisive end to the barrage of attacks endured over the past few months.”
Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, a Democrat, praised the response of US President Biden, saying in a statement that “this was a strong, proportional response. In fact, the 85 targets struck tonight mark a greater number than the prior administration.”
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a Republican, said, "Finally" and added on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Iran needs to know the price for American lives,"
Biden says US military response "will continue at times and places of our choosing"
"This past Sunday, three American soldiers were killed in Jordan by a drone launched by militant groups backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Earlier today, I attended the dignified return of these brave Americans at Dover Airforce Base, and I have spoken with each of their families.
This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces. Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.
The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond."
Unless you're an American stuck in Gaza...
U.S. citizens, residents, kin stuck in Gaza
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/dec/24/us-citizens-residents-kin-stuck-in-gaza/
The State Department says 300 American citizens, permanent legal residents or their parents and young children are still trapped by the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. Relatives in the United States and other advocates are pleading for the Biden administration and Congress to help them flee.
Among them is Fadi Sckak, who has already lost his father to the violence in Gaza and said he wants to help his mother escape that fate."I just want to see my mother again, that's the goal," said Sckak, a university student in Sunnyvale, Calif. The 25-year-old is one of the Palestinian couple's three American sons, including an active-duty U.S. soldier serving in South Korea. "Being able to hold her again. I can't bear to lose her." His mother, Zahra Sckak, 44, was holed up Saturday with an older, ailing American relative in a Gaza City building along with 100 others.
Israeli jets drop fake ‘newspapers’ across central Gaza slamming Hamas
Currently Online צה"ל מנסה לגרום לתושבי רצועת עזה להתקומם נגד חמאס - חיל האוויר פיזר כרוז בצורת עיתון בשם "המציאות" ובו כתוב: "הם הרגו את הילדים שלכם, הרסו כל טוב, הפקירו את משפחותיכם בחורבות בזמן שהם מוגנים במנהרות, שרפו את הכסף של העם על מנהרות ואמל"ח - ואתם עדיין שותקים?" @Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/i0dvQCJzwx
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) February 3, 2024
Video shows aftermath of Israeli attack on south Lebanon
Lebanese media outlet Al Jadeed has shared video of destroyed buildings in the town of Yaroun after the Israeli army targeted it earlier today. Several hours ago, the Israeli army said in a statement that it destroyed a “military headquarters” belonging to Hezbollah in the town.
شاهد - آثار الدمار الذي خلفه قصف طيران الإحتلال لبلدة #يارون في جنوب لبنان pic.twitter.com/5RjmStliUZ
— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) February 3, 2024
Another shelter camp set up in Mawasi, Khan Younis
The Palestine Red Crescent has said it completed setting up the fifth shelter camp since October 7, providing shelter for approximately 70 displaced families. Raed Namis, PRCS officer, said, “These families were targeted in their homes in both the Khan Younis and central Gaza Strip governorates.” “Right now, we are accommodating around 40 families, and work is ongoing to shelter more, especially in the face of this severe cold.”
The Palestine Red Crescent completes the establishment of the fifth shelter camp in the Mawasi area of #KhanYunis, providing shelter for approximately 70 displaced families. #Gaza #Humantarians 👏 pic.twitter.com/HL1AyL78ZI
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 3, 2024
‘Settler terror is a daily reality’: Israeli rights activists
Mistaclim, a group of Israeli citizens who oppose the occupation, have shared videos of armed settlers attacking Palestinian shepherds in the Jordan Valley, stealing their sheep, under the watchful eye of Israeli forces. “Settlers terror is not a campaign. It is a daily reality,” they say in a post on X.
Events that Smotrich calls an anti-Semitic lie:
Ras El Ein, south of the Jordan Valley, on the holy Sabbath and with white shirts, armed settlers, invading the barn with the aim of stealing and looting the sheep of the Palestinian shepherds community. With the knowledge and under… pic.twitter.com/WgjdDZyI98
— מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים (@Mistaclim) February 3, 2024
One week since ICJ ruling, Israel still carrying out violations in Gaza
Since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an emergency ruling in the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel in December, the following violations have been documented:
People who fled fighting in the Gaza Strip gather along an overcrowded street in Rafah in the southern part of the Palestinian territory
Video shows Israeli military opening fire as civilians flee Khan Younis
Al Jazeera’s Arabic service has obtained footage showing an Israeli military vehicle apparently opening fire on Palestinian civilians fleeing Khan Younis. Clashes and shelling have been reported in Khan Younis city, in the southern Gaza Strip, which was deemed safe for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced to flee north and central Gaza.
آليات الاحتلال تطلق النار على المدنيين أثناء نزوحهم من خان يونس#حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/wvUR4NklRY
— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) February 3, 2024
Hamas deploys police, distributes funds in sign of resurgence
Hamas began deploying police and making partial salary payments to some civil servants in Gaza City in recent days, resurfacing in areas where Israel withdrew the bulk of its troops a month ago. Four Gaza City residents told The Associated Press uniformed and plainclothes officers deployed near police headquarters and other government offices, including near al-Shifa Hospital. Residents said they saw both the return of civil servants and subsequent Israeli air raids near the makeshift offices.
The return of police marks an attempt to reinstate order in the devastated city. Signs of a Hamas resurgence in the Gaza Strip’s largest city underscore the group’s resilience despite Israel’s deadly air and ground campaign. Israel says it’s determined to crush Hamas militarily and prevent it from returning to power in Gaza.
Hamas demands Israel release Marwan Barghouti during truce talks
He’s viewed by some Palestinians as their Nelson Mandela and he’s a prime candidate to become their president in the future. He’s also the highest-profile prisoner held by Israel. Now Marwan Barghouti’s freedom is at stake in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Hamas leaders demanded Israel release Barghouti as part of any deal to end the fighting in Gaza.
The demand brings new attention to Barghouti, who plays a central role in Palestinian politics even after spending more than two decades behind bars. His release could lay the groundwork for his eventual election to national office. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan called for Barghouti’s release as international mediators try to push Israel and Hamas towards an agreement after nearly four months of war.
For Palestinians, the plight of their imprisoned loved ones is deeply emotional. Palestinians widely see them as heroes battling Israeli occupation. Virtually every Palestinian has a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been imprisoned.
Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti was jailed for life by Israel in 2004
“There have been campaigns to free Barghouti for years, namely to nominate him for a Nobel Peace prize. Like Mandela, he has spent more than 20 years in prison, so this reinforces his symbolic value as a political negotiator,” said Chagnollaud. “It’s quite logical because basically, it reinforces the notion that he has the capacity to be a unifying leader and get out of an impossible situation.”
A prison stay has long been a source of legitimacy for the Palestinian people, he noted. "Those who come out of prison are adorned with a halo, it’s a kind of resistance rite of passage,” said Chagnollaud. On the political stage, few people can fill Barghouti’s shoes. “Potential leaders have no charisma and what’s more, are hated by the population precisely because they’re part of the Palestinian security apparatus that collaborates with Israeli security,” said Chagnollaud.
Number of Palestinians arrested by Israel reaches 6,500
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says 12 people have been detained in overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, bringing the total number of Palestinians arrested since October 7 to 6,500. Israel routinely uses administrative detention to place Palestinians behind bars for an initial period of six months. Their detentions can then be repeatedly extended for an indefinite period without charge or trial.
Boys and their toys
US and UK strike over 30 Houthi targets in Yemen, officials say
The US and the United Kingdom have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms — including F/A-18s — on over 30 targets across 13 locations, according to officials. The US and UK carried out the strikes with the support of several other countries, according to a joint statement on Saturday.
“Today's strike specifically targeted sites associated with the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars,” the statement released by the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand said.
The Houthis said US and UK warplanes struck multiple provinces in Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa. Two US destroyers fired Tomahawk missiles as part of the strikes, a US official told CNN. The USS Gravely and USS Carney fired the land-attack cruise missiles and F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier were also involved, officials said.
US defense secretary says strikes send "clear message to the Houthis" to end attacks on shipping routes
The additional strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen send a clear message to the Iran-backed militia, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday.
"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 previous coalition strikes on January 11 and 22, 2024, including the January 27 attack which struck and set ablaze the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda."
It added: "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 continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats."
If only Gaza was a container ship....
US strikes make it difficult to reach a political solution in the region, Iran tells UN
Recent strikes by the US military in the Middle East make it difficult to reach a political solution in the region, Iran's foreign minister told the United Nations' special envoy for Yemen on Saturday, according to Iran's state-run news agency.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the comments prior to US officials confirming the latest strikes Saturday on Houthi targets. The attacks follow multiple joint US-UK airstrikes on the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen last month. During their meeting in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian told Special Envoy Hans Grundberg that the US strikes and its decision to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization have "complicated the situation and made it more difficult to reach a political solution," the state news agency, IRNA, reported.
Amir-Abdollahian also called US strikes "the continuation of Washington’s wrong and failed approach to resolve issues by force and through militarism," IRNA reported.
"We will meet escalation with escalation," Houthi senior official says in response to strikes in Yemen
Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a top member of the Houthi Political Council, said the group will continue its military operations until the siege on Gaza is lifted and vowed to respond to the latest US and UK strikes in Yemen. In the group's first reaction to the latest wave of attacks, he warned: "We will meet escalation with escalation."
"The US-British coalition’s bombing of a number of Yemeni provinces will not change our position, and we affirm that our military operations against Israel will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza are stopped and the siege on its residents is lifted, no matter the sacrifices it costs us."
"Our war is moral, and if we had not intervened to support the oppressed in Gaza, humanity would not have existed among humans. The American-British aggression against Yemen will not go unanswered, and we will meet escalation with escalation," he said.
UK says strikes on Houthis in Yemen are about protecting innocent lives
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Saturday that strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen are about protection. “The Houthis’ attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea are illegal and unacceptable and it is our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation,” Shapps said in a statement after the United Kingdom and United States conducted the strikes against the Iranian-backed rebel group.
Why do boats deserve more freedom than people?
People in Gaza never had freedom of navigation and it's in the declaration of human rights.
US, UK, Canada, Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, The Netherlands, New Zealand, you all look pathetic.
Protecting your weapons sales/shipments to Israel to keep the genocide going.
With as little fuel as there is
Israeli attacks hit fuel tank near European Hospital in Khan Younis
Several Palestinians have been injured and killed amid Israeli bombardment of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, reports Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum.
“Within the past few hours, they have targeted the facility of the European hospital,” says Abu Azzoum. Shrapnel caused damage to hospital buildings after a nearby fuel tank was destroyed, Abu Azzoum adds. The Wafa news agency, meanwhile, reports that one person was killed and six others injured when the fuel station was hit. Wafa also reports Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Manara neighbourhood, southeast of Khan Younis and artillery shelling in the Miraj area of Khan Younis province.
No one knows the fate of 6-year-old Hind
Nepal Farsakh, the director of media at the Palestinian Red Crescent, tells Al Jazeera that only Israeli forces know what happened to Hind, a little Palestinian girl its ambulances dispatched to rescue several days ago. “We are worried about the child Hind and our team, whose fate we do not yet know,” he said. The PRCS said it lost contact with the ambulance crew it sent to undertake the rescue.
No evidence given on how US Army selects targets
We put a question to the National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, on Friday on how targets [following the air strikes in Iraq and Syria] were selected. We were told there was clear and irrefutable evidence that these were linked to attacks on US interests. When asked if we could see this evidence, none was provided. When we asked if this evidence would be forthcoming, we were told that we would just have to trust the US military.
You’ll remember that we were told to trust the US military back in 2003, prior to the US invasion of Iraq. And that intelligence turned out to be faulty. This time around, the US military is promising to be more transparent.
Probably "Israel told us where to strike"
Israeli settlers raid village near Jenin: Wafa
According to the report, the settlers were accompanied by Israeli occupation forces when they raided several homes in the village of Farasin, southwest of Jenin.
The report said the settlers damaged the contents of the houses and seized surveillance camera recordings. Malik Al-Zaban, a resident of the village, said the settlers ransacked a poultry farm he owns, which they destroyed after tearing down greenhouses and smashing equipment. He added that the settlers broke down the doors and windows of several houses.
Settlers also took control of a plot of agricultural land in the mountainous area of the nearby Zabda village, which they are now using for their livestock to graze. They are also preventing the Palestinian landowners from accessing their properties while under the protection of the Israeli military, Wafa reported.
Israel considering moving border crossing from Rafah over Egypt tensions
As diplomatic tensions between Israel and Egypt continue to rise over Israel’s continuing war on Gaza and its military’s plans to seize the strip’s southern border with Egypt, Israel is considering closing the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reports.
If Israel decides to go ahead with the move, the crossing would be placed at the Israel-Gaza-Egypt border triangle area, near Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), and would not have any involvement from Egyptian authorities in security checks, the broadcaster says. Its report adds that Israel has raised this issue with the Egyptians but has not yet gotten a definitive response.
Instead of sanctions, even more money for Israel
US House panel recommends $17.6bn in military aid for Israel
The funding bill, offered by a House of Representatives appropriations panel, could come to a vote in the full House sometime next week, Speaker Mike Johnson said in a letter to members. The Republican-controlled House had previously approved $14.3bn in new military aid to Israel but with the requirement that it be paid for by clawing back a chunk of money already targeted for the US Internal Revenue Service.
Likely won't go through, but shows the sentiment in the House of Representatives.
Only 450 out of 2700 Palestinians referred for treatment abroad have left Gaza: Doctor
Dr Sobhi Skaik, director general of the Turkish Friendship Hospital, who has been pushed to another hospital in Rafah like most of the internally displaced, says the referrals to be treated abroad are high but the injured are not being allowed out of Gaza fast enough.
Skaik tells Al Jazeera that the services he and his staff have been able to provide are “simple” due to a lack of equipment and medicine, and that the small number of specialists is not enough to sustain the large numbers of injured and sick. “We have no cancer medications at all in Gaza. We also don’t have the facilities to diagnose illnesses: Our doctors have been killed, our infrastructure has been destroyed, no medications to our patients, we are merely receiving patients to alleviate their pain,” he said.
Daily cry for help, still falling on deaf ears
UNRWA warns of catastrophe in Gaza
In a post on X, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warns that “an unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes”. “Each hour is more desperate. People are dying at the world’s watch,” it said as it displayed a picture of children, women and the elderly in Gaza trying to get their share of food being provided.
📍#Gaza: An unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes. Each hour is more desperate.
People are dying at the world’s watch. pic.twitter.com/O9JgTsNDG8
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 3, 2024
Israeli soldiers continue to record their own crimes: Palestinian research centre
One week after the ICJ ruling ordering Israel to take action to prevent genocide in Gaza, its soldiers continue to film themselves as they commit crimes, according to Bisan Research and Development Center.
Deadly Israeli raid on kindergarten in Rafah: Wafa
Israeli warplanes bombed a kindergarten where displaced people were sheltering east of Rafah at dawn on Sunday, the Wafa news agency is reporting. Several people, including two girls, were killed in the attack, and dozens of others were injured, Wafa reports, citing medical sources.
As Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported earlier, Israeli attacks on the Al-Salam neighbourhood, east of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, have been intensifying as concern grows Israel will expand its ground invasion to Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering in overcrowded conditions.
Israeli drones and fighter jets clearly heard at midnight in Rafah
Israeli drones and fighter jets could be clearly overheard at midnight in Rafah where Palestinians now are taking shelter in mass makeshift shelters where they have been living. Until now, the ongoing bombardment did not stop in the city of Rafah.
Israeli forces have been widely attacking the eastern areas of Rafah, especially in the al-Salam neighbourhood adjacent to the city of Khan Younis. There are growing concerns about the next steps that the Israeli forces might take, especially if they want to transfer the battles and start the ground incursion into Rafah District. What we have been seeing the past 24 hours is they have been intensifying the military attacks on Rafah, especially in the eastern part, which is considered to be the main starting point for any possible ground invasion in order to take full control of Rafah city.
‘We were told Rafah was safe’
Israel has intensified its attacks on Rafah in the south near the border with Egypt. It’s the city where Israeli forces ordered Palestinians to go. “I’m still in shock, we were told Rafah was safe,” Adel Abu Mahmoud told Al Jazeera. “My mother was killed in these attacks. Enough please.”
US and UK have no respect for international law or other cultures, Irish MEP says
Irish MEP Mick Wallace has condemned the US and the UK for bombing Yemen, accusing the allies of having no respect for other cultures or international law.
“The people of #Yemen stand in Solidarity with the #Palestinian people no matter what happens,” Wallace, a member of Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL, said in a post on X. “The #US + #UK are bombing Yemen because they have no respect for other cultures or for International Law – No respect for anything that doesn’t suit their Political Agenda…”
The people of #Yemen stand in Solidarity with the #Palestinian people no matter what happens. The #US + #UK are bombing Yemen because they have no respect for other cultures or for International Law - No respect for anything that doesn't suit their Political Agenda... pic.twitter.com/EjHUT8KWeq
— Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) February 3, 2024
Biden is not fully supporting Israel's war, far-right Israeli minister Ben Gvir tells WSJ
US President Joe Biden is not fully supporting Israel’s goals in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir told the Wall Street Journal. "Instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel (to Gaza), which goes to Hamas,” he said."
“If Trump was in power, the US conduct would be completely different," Ben Gvir, head of the nationalistic Jewish Power party, added. Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and a member of Israel’s war cabinet, hit back at Ben Gvir, calling his comments “irresponsible” in a post on X and urging Netanyahu to “call (him) to order.” "It is permissible to have disputes, even with our largest and most important ally (the United States), but they must be conducted in the relevant forums and not in irresponsible statements in the media, which harm the strategic relations of the State of Israel, the security of the state, and the war effort at this time,” he said.
Head of the opposition Yair Lapid also slammed Ben Gvir’s comments on X, saying that the interview was “a direct attack on Israel's international standing, a direct assault on the war effort, harmful to Israel's security, and, above all, proves that he understands nothing about foreign policy.” Netanyahu is under pressure from all sides, as disputes in his coalition and war cabinet threaten to bring the government to a breaking point, and large rallies across the country are demanding he step down and send the country to an election.
Anti-government protests in Israel draw thousands as frustrations grow over hostage crisis
Thousands of people protested in parts of Israel on Saturday to demand a change in government and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. In the coastal town of Caesarea, protesters rallied in the rain before marching toward one of the private residences of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some were seen calling for the prime minister's removal, chanting, “Guilty, guilty, guilty!”
In Tel Aviv, protesters gathered at Habima Square to call for immediate elections in what was the third weekend in a row of demonstrations directly targeting Netanyahu and his government. Many waved Israeli flags and held up signs with images of the Israeli hostages, calling on the government to “bring them home.”
"The government of Israel declares in its actions that it is not competent and that the good of the state and its citizens are not at the top of its mind,” the protesters taking part in a demonstration titled “Calling for elections now!” said in a statement announcing the protest on Saturday. " “We will go out to demonstrate that our future depends only on us - we the people will determine our destiny!,” the said.
Pressure mounts: With more protests scheduled for next Saturday, the demonstrations are becoming a regular occurrence. Last Spring and Summer, mass weekly protests against Netanyahu and his government occurred over planned judicial reform, but were put on hold after the brutal October 7 attack. With the anger over Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis rising, such demonstrations could soon be returning.
Gantz and Netanyahu are about even in the polls, Ben G'Vir would gain a bit more power.
https://www.jns.org/poll-shows-netanyahu-coalition-pulling-ahead-of-gantz-opposition/
Right-wing bloc:
Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu – 27 (32)
Shas, Aryeh Deri – 10 (11)
Otzma Yehudit, Ben Gvir – 9 (6)
United Torah Judaism, Yitzhak Goldknopf – 7 (7)
Religious Zionism / Otzma Yehudit, Bezalel Smotrich – 4 (14)
Total: 57 mandates (70)
Left-wing bloc:
National Unity, Benny Gantz – 26 (12)
Yesh Atid, Yair Latid – 12 (24)
Yisrael Beitenu, Avigdor Lieberman – 11 (6)
Meretz, Zehava Galon – 4 (0)
Total: 53 mandates (42)
10 seats left for the smaller parties
United Arab List / Ra'am - ? (5)
Hadash Ta'al - ? (5)
Israeli Labour party - ? (4)
The left-wing bloc is still mostly pro genocide. Benny Gantz who stands to win the most, still wants the war to continue for months.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/gantz-war-against-hamas-could-last-an-entire-generation-hostages-must-remain-top-priority/
And now it looks like Netanyahu is ahead again.
Smear campaign on Unwra continues
UNRWA is entangled with Hamas: Israel’s FM
Israel Katz claims on X that UNRWA “perpetuates the false narrative of Palestinian ‘refugees’ needing to return to Israel.” “We are actively working to disengage UNRWA from Gaza. They are a part of the problem and not a part of the solution,” he said. This comes after Israel alleged that several UNRWA staff were part of the October 7 attacks. Some states decided to halt funds to the UN agency pending an investigation.
UNRWA, entangled with Hamas's terrorist activities in Gaza, perpetuates the false narrative of Palestinian 'refugees' needing to return to Israel. We are actively working to disengage @UNRWA from Gaza. They are a part of the problem and not a part of the solution.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) February 4, 2024
Israel has provided no evidence to back UNRWA accusations: Lazzarini
UNRWA’s commissioner-general told the Financial Times (FT) that Israel has yet to provide evidence of its claims that about a dozen UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attacks. Philippe Lazzarini said although he was taking the allegations against the organisation seriously, he could not comment on the progress of the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation.
The FT report said the intelligence assessment did not provide evidence for the claims, which include an accusation that a staff member kidnapped a woman. The claims have led 15 donor countries to withdraw their funding to the UNRWA, a move that Lazzarini said could lead to the UNRWA being forced to end lifesaving assistance and operations in the Gaza Strip by the end of February.
Limited clean water access puts thousands at risk in Gaza: UNRWA
The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees has said there is very limited access to clean water and sanitation amid relentless bombardment in Gaza. “The humanitarian crisis, antagonised by limited aid deliveries and destruction of infrastructure, puts thousands of vulnerable people at risk of disease,” the UNRWA said on X.
Water is life &📍#Gaza is out of water.
There is very limited access to clean water & sanitation amid relentless bombardment.
The humanitarian crisis, antagonised by limited aid deliveries & destruction of infrastructure, puts thousands of vulnerable people at risk of disease. pic.twitter.com/WS5kBQ5Ycm
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 4, 2024
Humanitarian disaster at Al-Amal Hospital: Red Crescent
The PRCS says that after 14 days of continuous siege, food for displaced families has been depleted, and the quantity of fuel needed to operate the hospital is sufficient for only one week. “Some medical supplies and medicines are at zero stock, with a significant shortage of essential drugs for chronic diseases,” the Red Crescent says.
Israeli attack drones shoot at every moving object in Gaza City
An Israeli soldier releases a drone near the border with Gaza
More reports are emerging from Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip where there are renewed air strikes and artillery shelling in the eastern part of the city in the Shujayea neighbourhood. In the western part of Gaza City, multiple attack drones are shooting at people and any moving objects.
So far, the situation is getting worse despite the talks about a possible ceasefire deal. A lot of people here in Rafah are hopeful because the last thing they want to see is the military operation expanded here. The displaced people have nowhere else to go from here. There is nothing but an Egyptian border to the south which they don’t want to cross as they fear a permanent displacement.
Israeli bombardment kills tens of people in Deir el-Balah
Heavy Israeli bombardment has hit Deir el-Balah, an overcrowded city in central Gaza where many are seeking refuge. The number of drones hovering in the skies has also increased here, after a few quieter days. One of the air raids has hit Al-Shuhada mosque, while two others have flattened family homes. The terrifying sound of bombing is relentless as ambulances rush to reach victims. We are hearing that there are tens of people killed and wounded.
Palestinian journalist recounts torture, ill-treatment during 33 days in Israeli detention
Diaa Al-Kahlout, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza working for Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper, has spoken about the constant torture and ill-treatment he was subjected to during his 33 days in Israeli detention. Al-Kahlout said he was denied medical treatment despite suffering from a herniated disk and was subject to physical and psychological violence, including six hours of “shabeh”, a torture method used by Israeli soldiers, which involves sensory isolation, sleep deprivation, and infliction of pain.
📝Torture in Israeli Detention: Diaa Al-Kahlout, a Palestinian #journalist from #Gaza working for Al-Araby Aljadeed newspaper, speaks of his 33-days in Israeli detention and the constant torture and ill-treatment he was subjected to by the #Israeli occupation forces. Diaa was… pic.twitter.com/jGRrIT0Bmo
— Palestinian Centre for Human Rights - PCHR (@pchrgaza) February 4, 2024
Palestinian doctor resumes work after 45 days in Israeli detention
Palestinian doctor Said Abdulrahman Marouf examines patients at Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah
Abdulrahman Marouf says Israeli forces subjected him to abuse during 45 days of captivity, including sleep deprivation and constant shackling and blindfolding, according to Reuters news agency. Dr Said Abdulrahman Maarouf, who was released last week, was working at al-Ahli al-Arab hospital in Gaza City when it was surrounded by Israeli forces in December. Maarouf’s arrest was the last moment he had news of his family, and he still does not know if they survived the onslaught as Israeli forces advanced into Gaza City under an intense artillery barrage.
At least 14 Palestinians arrested overnight in West Bank
Israeli forces have arrested at least 14 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since Saturday evening, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. The group said the arrests, which also targeted former prisoners, mainly took place in the cities of Qalqilya and Nablus, but also in Tulkarem, Ramallah and Jenin.
The total number of Palestinians arrested since October 7 rose to 6,512, the group added.
Death toll in Gaza goes up
At least 27,365 Palestinians have been killed and 66,630 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry says. Almost 130 of them were killed in the last 24 hours, it added. In addition, at least 382 people have been killed in Israeli army and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank.
Israeli army officials admit staff was behind graphic Gaza Telegram channel
The Israeli army has been operating an unofficial psychological warfare Telegram channel called “72 Virgins – Uncensored” that regularly dehumanised Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Israeli publication Haaretz. On the channel, Palestinians were called “cockroaches” and graphic videos were posted to celebrate their mutilation, maiming, killing and humiliation, the publication reported.
Firstly it was Iran that killed few us soldiers so Us is giving them a taste of their medicine. Don't poke the bear if you know you can't win. Secondly Israel was attacked first from the music festival by Hamas group. they have every right to retaliate. Hamas group has always poked Israel as they know their strategy of fighting war will garnered support from the world What's Hamas tactic??.. massive tunnels under school s, hospital and civilians home . Some of the leaders love next to civilians. They know when they attack Israel , Israel will bomb them hitting civilians. Hamas don't care about Gaza people. They only care for themselves so they are willing to use gaza people has human shields. This whole conflict is because arab states don't want to share borders with Israel and when they attacked Israel in 36, 48 and 6, day war they lost and the lost territories. That's the spoils of war. U can't start the war , then lose the war and then expect the victor to return it back 😅. The only solution is to get ride of Hamas group permanently, then get rid of Israel leader and then give Gaza back to its people not to a extremist terrorist group and sign a peace treaty.. but that will never happen. Iran won't allow it.. https://youtu.be/pjOEJumoABg?si=wrvyYHVpji5nd1pb . Watch this video..this is a talk from the son of one of the Hamas group.founder. he's seen it all and his own dad arrested him. vennoJ said: Boys and their toys US and UK strike over 30 Houthi targets in Yemen, officials say
The US and the United Kingdom have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms — including F/A-18s — on over 30 targets across 13 locations, according to officials. The US and UK carried out the strikes with the support of several other countries, according to a joint statement on Saturday. “Today's strike specifically targeted sites associated with the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars,” the statement released by the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand said. The Houthis said US and UK warplanes struck multiple provinces in Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa. Two US destroyers fired Tomahawk missiles as part of the strikes, a US official told CNN. The USS Gravely and USS Carney fired the land-attack cruise missiles and F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier were also involved, officials said. US defense secretary says strikes send "clear message to the Houthis" to end attacks on shipping routes The additional strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen send a clear message to the Iran-backed militia, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday. If only Gaza was a container ship.... US strikes make it difficult to reach a political solution in the region, Iran tells UN Recent strikes by the US military in the Middle East make it difficult to reach a political solution in the region, Iran's foreign minister told the United Nations' special envoy for Yemen on Saturday, according to Iran's state-run news agency. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the comments prior to US officials confirming the latest strikes Saturday on Houthi targets. The attacks follow multiple joint US-UK airstrikes on the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen last month. During their meeting in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian told Special Envoy Hans Grundberg that the US strikes and its decision to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization have "complicated the situation and made it more difficult to reach a political solution," the state news agency, IRNA, reported. Amir-Abdollahian also called US strikes "the continuation of Washington’s wrong and failed approach to resolve issues by force and through militarism," IRNA reported. "We will meet escalation with escalation," Houthi senior official says in response to strikes in Yemen Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a top member of the Houthi Political Council, said the group will continue its military operations until the siege on Gaza is lifted and vowed to respond to the latest US and UK strikes in Yemen. In the group's first reaction to the latest wave of attacks, he warned: "We will meet escalation with escalation." "The US-British coalition’s bombing of a number of Yemeni provinces will not change our position, and we affirm that our military operations against Israel will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza are stopped and the siege on its residents is lifted, no matter the sacrifices it costs us." UK says strikes on Houthis in Yemen are about protecting innocent lives UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Saturday that strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen are about protection. “The Houthis’ attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea are illegal and unacceptable and it is our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation,” Shapps said in a statement after the United Kingdom and United States conducted the strikes against the Iranian-backed rebel group. Why do boats deserve more freedom than people? |
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