More from the streets of Tel Aviv as Israeli protesters watch Netanyahu’s speech

Bearing flags and posters of captives, hundreds of Israelis have marched along a busy street in Tel Aviv, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza as their prime minister addressed the US Congress.

“Get out of the AC, get out of your houses, come to the street!” one of the demonstrators called through a microphone to bystanders watching from bars and balconies in Israel’s largest city.

“We are not a parade! You are seeing here families whose children were kidnapped in their beds on a Saturday morning,” he shouted. “It could have been your family.”

Responding to Netanyahu’s speech, the Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said “45 minutes of speech and applause won’t erase the one sad fact: The words ‘Deal Now!’ were absent from the prime minister’s address.”

Israel’s national anthem loudly jeered at Olympic football match

Israel’s national anthem was loudly jeered before its football team kicked off play at the Paris Olympics against Mali.

The Israel team arrived under a heavy police escort, with motorbike riders at the front and around a dozen riot police vans following behind.

Boos and whistles immediately rang out when it came to Israel’s anthem. Once play began, Israeli players were booed each time they touched the ball.

Security officials intervened in what appeared to be a heated argument between some fans, where one woman was holding a Palestinian flag.

France is under pressure to make the Paris Games safe. France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin previously said Israeli athletes would be protected 24 hours a day by elite police unit GIGN, which is in charge of counterterrorism and the protection of government officials, among other things.

Israeli attack targets gathering of people in Gaza City

Video obtained and verified by AL Jazeera shows the bodies of killed Palestinians and blood on the ground in Gaza City’s Beit Lahiya neighborhood.

Local sources say that Israeli shelling hit a group of people in the neighbourhood, leaving multiple people killed and many others wounded. Exact casualty numbers are not available at this time, but we will keep you updated.

Displaced Palestinians sleep on steps of Gaza’s Nasser Hospital

Dozens of Palestinians are sleeping on the steps outside Gaza’s Nasser Hospital saying they have no other place to go after Israel launched an assault on Khan Younis.

Tulkarem refugee camp is a ‘disaster area’: Official

Faisal Salameh, head of committee in charge of providing services to the camp, has said that consecutive Israeli military raids have led to the “complete destruction of infrastructure”.

“This includes waste management infrastructure, water pipes, power and telecommunications lines, as well as roads inside the camp,” Salameh said.

Tulkarem and its refugee camp have been subject to repeated and sometimes deadly Israeli army raids since October. They have led to roads being upturned and damage to underground infrastructure.

Salameh added that homes and businesses have also been damaged in the repeated Israeli military incursions – in addition to “cars, which have been targeted by military bulldozers”.

“Everything at the camp is a target for Israeli forces,” he said. “This is part of its policy of collective punishment.”

Netanyahu decries critics of war in Gaza as ‘Iran’s useful idiots’ in speech to Congress

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/24/politics/benjamin-netanyahu-address-washington/index.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broadly criticized protests against Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, forcefully decrying anti-Israel protestors as “Iran’s useful idiots” in an address to Congress on Wednesday.

Netanyahu painted protestors with a broad brush, claiming that “many choose to stand with evil” and that “they stand with Hamas” and “rapists and murderers.”

“I have a message for these protestors: When the tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” Netanyahu said.

_{REp. Rashida Tlaib protests during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, July 24}

“Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred,” Netanyahu said. “Just as malicious lies were leveled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being leveled at the Jewish state. The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonize the Jewish state and to demonize Jews everywhere.”

“Whenever and wherever we see the scourge of antisemitism, we must unequovically condemn it and resolutely fight it without exception,” Netanyahu said during the speech to loud cheers and applause from members of Congress.

“For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu said to loud cheers from lawmakers in attendance. “Because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose.”

“As we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back and I thank you for it – all sides of the aisle,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu slams accusations of genocide

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called accusations that Israeli is engaged in genocide against Palestinians in Gaza “outrageous slanders” in his address to Congress.

“The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonize the Jewish state, and to demonize Jews everywhere,” said Netanyahu.

He compared what he called such “wild accusations” to the sort of historical anti-Semitic lies that led to the Holocaust.

Netanyahu specifically slammed the International Criminal Court allegations that Israel is starving Palestinians in Gaza, calling it “utter, complete nonsense” and “a complete fabrication.”

Netanyahu urges US to fast-track military aid to "dramatically expedite an end to the war"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his address to Congress urged the United States to fast-tack military aid to Israel as the war in Gaza continues.

“Fast-tracking US military aid can dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East,” he said.

“Today, as Israel fights on the front line of civilization, I, too, appeal to America: Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster,” referencing former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s call to the US for aid during World War II.

Netanyahu framed weapons deliveries to Israel as a way for the US to avoid getting involved in conflict in the region.“We help keep Americans’ boots off the ground, while protecting our shared interests in the Middle East, he said.

Netanyahu says Israel is fighting for US interests when it battles Iran's proxies in the region

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the case that Israel is fighting for American interests because his country is fighting against Iran in its war.

“Iran understands that to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East – and for this it is uses its many proxies, including the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas. Yet in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud pro-American democracy, my country the state of Israel,” Netanyahu told Congress on Wednesday. “For Iran, Israel is first, America is next. So, when Israel fights Hamas, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah we’re fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran,” he said.

And more nonsense here https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/netanyahu-speech-congress-07-24-24/index.html

Protesters burn American flags and paper mâché depiction of Netanyahu outside Union Station in DC

_{Protestors burn a representation of Benjamin Netanyahu outside of Union Station on Wednesday, July 24}

Pro-Palestinian protesters outside of Union Station in Washington, DC, have taken down and burned US flags in protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit.

The protesters have also put Palestinian flags on flag poles outside of Union Station. 

CNN crews on the scene saw at least three people detained by police. The crowd followed them as they were taken away chanting, “Let them Go!”

Netanyahu didn't mention ceasefire negotiations during address

During his nearly 52-minute address to US Congress Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention ceasefire negotiations despite months of international pressure to find a deal.

Palestinian rights advocate says Netanyahu's speech to Congress was "full of lies"

Lapid slams Netanyahu for failing to announce Gaza deal at US Congress

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has taken a swipe at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to announce a ceasefire deal that includes the release of the captives in Gaza during his speech at the US Congress earlier.

“Netanyahu had the opportunity to announce that he accepts the deal and returns the captives before they all die in the tunnels. He didn’t do it,” Lapid said in a video posted on X.

He added that Netanyahu spoke of October 7 “as if he had no idea who was the prime minister and who was responsible for the disaster.”

Netanyahu, who was serving as prime minister when Hamas fighters staged the attack that killed at least 1,139 people, has been under attack for failing to prevent it.

He has dismissed demands for the creation of a state commission of inquiry into these events, saying “first, I want to defeat Hamas”.

‘Slow-motion trainwreck’ in Gaza as Netanyahu addresses US Congress: NGO

While the media focus on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, the humanitarian situation in Gaza “is in a nosedive”, the humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps has warned.

“No humanitarian goods are crossing into Gaza via Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] because the unloading zone has been full for weeks. High insecurity, lawlessness, and bombardments in areas under Israeli military operation make collection and distribution impossible,” Vice President of Global Policy and Advocacy Kate Phillips-Barrasso said in a statement.

“We have been warning for months about a looming famine and secondary diseases taking hold, and now we face the threat of a polio outbreak, with the virus detected in sewage samples, putting countless lives at risk to this crippling disease. While Netanyahu speaks to Congress, the slow-motion trainwreck in Gaza continues.”



As Netanyahu today slammed the International Criminal Court allegations that Israel is starving Palestinians in Gaza, calling it “utter, complete nonsense” and “a complete fabrication.” According to the UN, 96% of the population of Gaza currently faces “crisis or worse levels of food insecurity.”

Netanyahu also said Israel has “enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza,” a number also disputed by the UN.

Netanyahu accused Hamas of stealing the food, rather than Israel blocking it from entering. However, there have been very few public instances of mass diversion of aid by the group.

A humanitarian official told CNN Wednesday that “no humanitarian goods are crossing into Gaza via Kerem Shalom because the unloading zone has been full for weeks.

Nowhere is safe in Gaza

Netanyahu promotes his genocide to a cheering US Congress – Marwan Bishara

Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara has highlighted Benjamin Netanyahu’s role as a war salesman, following the Israeli Prime Minister’s much-criticised speech at a joint session of US Congress on Wednesday.

Bishara emphasised Netanyahu’s shameless promotion of his actions to cheering US lawmakers and suggests this behaviour amounts to genocide.

Sanders calls Netanyahu a ‘war criminal’ following Congress speech

US Senator Bernie Sanders has called Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and a “liar” following the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech to a joint session of US Congress where he spoke of his “vision for Gaza” with a “future of prosperity, security and peace”.

“All humanitarian organizations agree: Tens of thousands of children face starvation because his extremist government continues to block aid,” Sanders wrote on X.

Sanders, who boycotted the speech along with a number of other high-profile Democratic senators, accused Netanyahu of coming “to Congress to campaign” amid his rising unpopularity among Israelis.

Pelosi says Netanyahu address the ‘worst’ given by ‘any foreign dignitary’ at US Congress

US Democratic Senator Nancy Pelosi has described a speech given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington as “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary” ever at US Congress.

“Many of us who love Israel spent time today listening to Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings,” she wrote on X. “These families are asking for a ceasefire deal that will bring the hostages home – and we hope the Prime Minister would spend his time achieving that goal.”

Body of captive retrieved from Gaza: Report

The body of a 56-year-old woman who was being held by Hamas in Gaza has been recovered, according to a statement by the Nir Oz kibbutz along the Israeli border, which was targeted in the October 7 attacks.

“Tonight we were informed that the body of Maya Goren was recovered in a military rescue operation,” the statement said, according to The Times of Israel. “After nine months, she was brought home for burial.”

Goren was identified as a teacher in Nir Oz. Her husband, Avner, also 56, was killed inside the couple’s home, according to the Israeli newspaper’s report.

Out of about 250 people who were taken on October 7, a total of 116 captives are believed to remain in the besieged enclave, with more than 40 confirmed dead in the Israeli military attacks.

Second Israeli kibbutz says army returned body of another captive

A second Israeli kibbutz has announced that the army retrieved from Gaza the body of captive Oren Goldin.

Goldin’s death had been previously announced by the Israeli military.

“This evening, we were informed about the rescue operation for the late Oren Goldin, a member of the kibbutz emergency team, who fell on October 7 during the attack by Hamas militants,” kibbutz Nir Yitzhak said in a statement.

Two more Israeli soldiers seriously wounded in southern Gaza

Israel’s military has reported that two of its soldiers were badly wounded in battles in the southern Gaza Strip.

An Israeli paratrooper was “seriously injured” on Wednesday and a member of the Givati Brigade also sustained serious injuries on Tuesday in fighting in the south of the Palestinian territory.

Both were evacuated to Israel for treatment, the military said.

According to recent figures released by the military, 683 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7 with 326 of that total killed in Gaza or along the territory’s dividing fence with Israel since the beginning of Israeli ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.

Additionally, 2,147 Israeli soldiers have been injured since the launch of the ground offensive against Gaza.

Health Ministry releases an updated list of Palestinians killed

The Palestinian Health Ministry has released an updated comprehensive list of Palestinians killed in Israel’s nine-month war. While the ministry releases a daily update to the overall death toll, this is the fifth time it has released a detailed list identifying the dead by name, age and gender.

The document, dated June 30, reported a total of 37,900 dead. That includes 28,185 names, and 9,715 others who remained unidentified.

The large numbers of unidentified deaths have drawn accusations from Israel that the ministry has inflated the death toll. But Palestinian health officials say it takes time to identify the dead because the health system has been overwhelmed by the war and some bodies are badly disfigured or not immediately claimed by their families.

They also say the true death toll is likely much higher because thousands of bodies are believed to be trapped under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes.

WHO calls for more Gaza evacuations as 15 children arrive in Spain

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more medical evacuations from Gaza after 16 people were transferred to Spain. Among them were 13 children with complex injuries, one child with a chronic heart condition and one suffering from cancer.

They crossed into Egypt before May 6, after which evacuations became almost impossible due to the closure of the Rafah Crossing, the organisation said. Only 23 people have been evacuated since then via the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing.

“These children are just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of people of all ages still remain in Gaza who need to be medically evacuated and are at risk of dying if they are unable to quickly access the advanced medical care they need,” Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement.

“Patients who need evacuation outside of the Gaza Strip must be able to exit, preferably to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, but also to Egypt or Jordan and then onwards.”

Israel seizes archaeological site in West Bank

The Israeli army has seized 1,300 square meters of land at an archaeological site in the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, the mayor has told the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The mayor of Sebastia, Muhammad Azem, told the news outlet that the Israeli army stormed the town and handed over a decision to build military barracks.

Azem said establishing a military facility inside the archaeological site violated UNESCO laws and threatened to harm tourism in Sebastia.

He added that the plan was part of Israel’s effort to permanently extend its control to the Palestinian territory.

Lot of Roman remains there.

Israeli military shells neighbourhood in Gaza City, killing 4

The Israeli military has shelled the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, killing at least four people, including women and children, the Wafa news agency reports.

Wafa also reports that Israeli military vehicles have fired machineguns towards the eastern areas of the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, with no casualties currently reported.

In southern Gaza, Israeli forces have surrounded a house containing 10 people, including women and children, in the town of al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis. Israeli fighter jets have also bombed the entrance to the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. No casualties have been reported in either incident.