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

SvennoJ on 04 August 2024

Central Gaza hospital overwhelmed after mass-casualty school attacks

We’re still receiving horrific reports from inside the only health facility in central Gaza, the al-Ahli Hospital. The hospital was already overwhelmed from previous attacks, but today’s strikes caused further casualties and a great deal of destruction. Victims arrived at the hospital with severe bleeding and burns and the hospital does not have enough medical staff or supplies required for treatment.

The two schools that were targeted were next to each other and housing thousands of people who had come from different parts of Gaza. Some came recently from neighbourhoods of northern Gaza due to the recurring Israeli incursions that forced them to be internally displaced again.

Gaza hospitals overwhelmed by hepatitis A, impetigo outbreaks


Witness recounts Israeli attacks on Gaza City schools

More on Israel’s bombing of Hassan Salama and Nassr schools. Abdullah Akila, a witness, told Al Jazeera that the attacks tore children to pieces.

"We were just sitting down when a bomb fell here, and another hit the school next door. The two schools were housing displaced civilians and children,” he said in a video. “We have been retrieving the remains of children for the past hour. This is so unfair. How long will we remain like this? We are tired…enough!”


Two civilians killed in Israeli bombardment of house in Deir el-Balah

We’re getting reports that Israeli attacks targeting a house in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza have killed two Palestinians. The Wafa news agency, citing witnesses, reported that some people were also wounded after the Israeli military hit a house in the centre of Deir el-Balah.



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SvennoJ on 04 August 2024

Fire erupts during Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank

Footage shared by Palestinian media outlets, and verified by Al Jazeera, documents fighting between young Palestinian men and Israeli forces conducting a raid in the town of Sa’ir, northeast of Hebron.

In dramatic scenes, a vehicle can be seen in flames as smoke billows over the town’s skyline. Several other vehicles appear to be damaged.


Israel seizes $26m tax funds meant for Palestinian Authority

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has ordered the seizure of about 100 million shekels ($26m) of tax funds meant to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

He says the money will be given to the families of Israeli victims of “terror” inflicted by Palestinians.

“The fight against terrorism is not only a military fight but a combined fight that includes a war against the wild incitement of the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist funds which it directs from its budget to the families of terrorists,” Smotrich wrote in a post on X.

“We will continue to protect the security of the citizens of Israel and fight with all the tools at our disposal against terrorism and its supporters.”



Israeli settlers march around Al-Aqsa Mosque with police protection

Translation: Settlers march around the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the occupation police.



SvennoJ on 04 August 2024

Pro-Palestine activists target building of company for working with Israel’s Elbit

The Palestine Action network of activists has released this video of its members targeting the London offices of CDW. The group accuses the US-based technology provider of having ties with major arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.

Pro-Palestine demonstrations in front of Norwegian parliament

Translation: A sit-in in front of the Norwegian Parliament in solidarity with Gaza.

Italy, Turkey issue travel advisories for Lebanon

Italy and Turkey joined a host of nations in urging their citizens to leave Lebanon amid fears of an escalation in tensions following the assassinations of Haniyeh in Tehran and top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged Italians in Lebanon to “return to Italy on commercial flights as soon as possible” and not to travel to the south of the country “given the worsening situation”.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry advised its citizens in Lebanon “to exercise caution and avoid travelling to the regions of Nabatieh, South Lebanon, Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel unless absolutely necessary”.

The statement also advised citizens to leave Lebanon “if their presence is not essential” while commercial flights are still available.



SvennoJ on 04 August 2024

Air raid sirens blare in northern Israel

Rocket and missile warning sirens sounded in several areas in northern Israel as the country’s air defence systems shot down projectiles fired from Lebanon, according to Israeli media.

The Upper Galilee Regional Council said that fires broke out in some open areas after several rockets were shot down, the Ynet broadcaster reported.

In addition to the Upper Galilee, air raid sirens also sounded in the Hula Valley, Ynet reported.


Two Israeli soldiers wounded in northern Israel

The Israeli military said that two of its soldiers have been “moderately wounded” in a rocket attack on Ayelet HaShahar in northern Israel.

The military said firefighters were working to put out fires that broke out in the area as Israel’s air defences intercepted the rockets launched from Lebanon.


Hezbollah claims drone attack on northern Israel

Hezbollah said it attacked the barracks of the Israeli military’s 91st Division in Ayelet HaShahar with a squadron of drones. The Lebanese group claimed Israeli soldiers were killed and wounded in the direct hit.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack, which it described as a rocket strike, and said two soldiers were “moderately wounded”.



SvennoJ on 05 August 2024

Israel forces set fire to Nablus market: Reports

Israeli forces have thrown burning tyres into the central fruit and vegetable market known as hisbeh in the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, causing a large fire to break out there, according to Palestinian media.

Quds News published a video of the blaze on X, while the Wafa news agency said the fire broke out at the western facade of the market.

Translation: Fire breaks out inside Nablus’s hisbeh after occupation forces threw burning tyres inside the market.

The fire came as Israeli forces raided the city in preparation to escort settlers to Joseph’s tomb, triggering clashes between soldiers and Palestinian fighters, according to Wafa.


Israeli soldiers, Palestinian fighters clash in Nablus

We’ve been covering an ongoing Israeli raid on the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces have arrested several Palestinians in the operation, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic, while the Nablus Battalion of the Jerusalem Brigades, a Palestinian armed group, said its fighters confronted Israeli soldiers near the flashpoint Joseph’s Tomb and “detonated an explosive device”.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, meanwhile, said its fighters also fired bullets at Israeli soldiers near the Balata Camp in eastern Nablus.

Joseph’s Tomb has been the scene of repeated clashes between Palestinians and Israelis, who believe it is the burial place of the Jewish patriarch. Palestinians say it is the shrine of a sheikh.


Woman dies after Israeli arrest in occupied West Bank

A 50-year-old woman has succumbed to her wounds in the occupied West Bank following an arrest by Israeli forces from her home two months ago.

Wafaa Nayef Jarrar was arrested on May 21 during an Israeli operation in Jenin.

Shortly after her arrest, Israeli forces announced that Jarrar was injured and transferred her to the Emek Medical Center in the northern Israeli city of Afula, issuing her an administrative detention order for four months.

However, the severity of her injuries led to the amputation of her legs above the knee and a series of injuries to her body.


Five Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces near Bethlehem

Israeli forces have arrested five young men from the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian media.

Security sources told the Wafa news agency that those arrested include: Bilal Awad Hamamra, 19; Zaid Muhammad Hamamra, 22; Marwan Ahmad Zaoul, 21; Zaki Tayseer Zaoul, 21; and Muhammad Raouf Abu Yabes, 21.

The five were arrested at dawn during a raid after the search of their homes. The Palestinian Information Center also reported about the arrests, sharing their photos on X.

Translation: The occupation forces arrested five young men after storming their homes in the town of Husan in Bethlehem at dawn today. They are: Marwan and Zaki Zaoul, Zaid and Bilal Hamamra, and Muhammad Abu Yabes.


Israeli forces demolish 2 homes northeast of Jenin, occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have demolished two houses in the village of al-Jalameh, northeast of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.

The head of the village council, Radwan Shaaban, told Wafa that Israeli forces stormed the village accompanied by three bulldozers and demolished the two houses.

One of the houses, measuring 170 square metres (1,830 square feet), belonged to Jamal Abu Farha, and the second, measuring 220sq metres (2,368sq feet), belonged to Hashem Mahmoud Abu Farha. Shaaban said Abu Farha had just finished preparing his home to house his son, who is due to get married soon and was scheduled to move in.

Last month, Israeli authorities conducted 98 demolition operations, affecting 135 facilities, including 62 inhabited homes, 14 uninhabited ones and 12 agricultural facilities. According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC), authorities also issued notifications, including orders to demolish 16 other homes and facilities in the occupied West Bank governorates.


At least 25 Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank

Two children are among at least 25 Palestinians who have been arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank from Sunday evening to this morning.

That’s according to a joint statement from the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. It said the arrests were made in the governorates of Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem and Jenin.

The statement added that Israeli forces issue threats against detainees and their families and destroy their homes during raids and arrests.



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SvennoJ on 05 August 2024

Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Deir el-Balah

We are getting reports that Israeli fighter jets carried out air raids in central parts of the Gaza Strip, hitting the Nuseirat refugee camp and an area near al-Qastal Towers in the nearby city of Deir el-Balah.

There was no immediate report of casualties.

Earlier, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic reported another Israeli raid, on the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of northern Gaza City, targeting Radwan Mosque. The Wafa news agency said the attack did not cause any casualties.


Israeli helicopters fire on various targets in central Gaza

Israeli helicopters have fired on the east of the Bureij refugee camp, the Maghazi refugee camp, the city of Deir el-Balah and a nearby village of al-Musaddar, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

Also in central Gaza, there was a shooting from Israeli military vehicles in the al-Mughraqa area north of the Nuseirat refugee camp, the report said.


Rescuers still looking for survivors of Israeli attacks on 2 Gaza City schools

It’s a very difficult operation for the emergency services. All rescue teams on the ground are struggling to recover the missing people.

At least 16 Palestinians are still missing, including children, under the remnants of these areas that were targeted by Israel without any prior warning.

Civil defence crews have been using only their bare hands in order to look for survivors. They have been saying that sometimes the process for recovering and pulling out victims can take days simply because there isn’t enough fuel to operate the vast majority of bulldozers, and due to the Israeli attacks on bulldozers at the municipal facilities, used in the initial months of the war to rescue victims.

There is a surge of Israeli attacks on evacuation centres. People are afraid to go to areas that are supposed to be humanitarian, safe areas, including evacuation centres, the yards of hospitals and even UN-run facilities that have been targeted.


A wounded child receives treatment at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City following Israeli bombardment on the Hassan Salama and Nassr schools housing displaced Palestinians on August 4


Bodies of 84 Palestinians handed over by Israeli army

The Israeli army has returned the bodies of 84 Palestinians to Gaza through the Karem Abu Salem (Karem Shalom) crossing, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, showed mass graves being dug in the Turkish Cemetery in the southern city of Khan Younis to bury them.

According to our team on the ground, the bodies were handed over with the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza. They were delivered to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis before the burial.

It was not clear when or how they were killed. According to The Times of Israel newspaper, the Israeli army had seized the bodies for identification, checking whether Israeli captives were among them.


Gaza death toll rises

More than 39,623 Palestinians have been killed and 91,469 have been injured in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. At least 40 people have been killed and 71 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry said.


Israel confirms killing Gaza official

Abdul Fattah al-Zurai’i, Gaza’s undersecretary of the Ministry of National Economy, has been killed in an Israeli air attack, the Israeli military confirms.

It comes a day after the death was announced by Gaza’s Government Media Office.

The Israeli army claims al-Zurai’i was a “key operative” in Hamas’s military wing, where he was allegedly responsible for its manufacturing department, which “operates to increase Hamas’ weapons capabilities”, including by collaborating with other organisations across the Middle East.

Gaza’s media office said al-Zurai’i was a government official who served as “an example of sincerity and dedication in his work and service to the sons of our Palestinian people”.


Woman describes Israeli tanks running over her family in southern Gaza

In footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, a Palestinian woman has recounted the details of Israeli tanks attacking her and her family while they were inside displacement tents in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The woman said Israeli forces began firing towards the tents without warning or requesting evacuation.

“When the tank advanced, my husband threw himself over three of my children to protect them. He was shot in the back and he and the children could not escape,” she said.

The woman said the tank advanced towards her and one of her children. It trampled her until it reached her back.

“I was waiting for the tank to come back and run me over … I do not know what happened with my husband and two of my sons who were run over and killed. I don’t know whether they were buried or bulldozed.”



SvennoJ on 05 August 2024

Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with Israeli police at recruiting office

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are protesting at an army recruiting office in Tel Hashomer against a plan to draft members of the community into the army.

In June, the Supreme Court decided that the army would now enlist draft-age ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the military despite previously being exempt from the mandatory conscription, as the war on Gaza continues and the tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border intensifies.

According to The Times of Israel newspaper, 900 previously exempt students are expected to report to the recruitment offices later today. Protests are also expected to grow later in the day.

Translation: Clashes between police officers and protesters at the recruiting office in Tel Hashomer.


Israel expanding settlements to prevent Palestinian statehood: Smotrich

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the Israeli government is working “to remove the threat” of Palestinian statehood as Western countries, including its ally the US, call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He said on X that any path to “this agenda” would be blocked through “strengthening settlements in construction, development, establishment and regulation of settlements and infrastructure”.

“Stopping the Arab takeover of the open areas, fighting the terrorist financing of the Palestinian Authority and its leaders and complete Israeli control of the territory [the occupied West Bank]. This is the only way,” Smotrich added.


Gallant urges ‘partners to stand by Israel at this time’

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has made the remarks after his conversation with his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto, about “threats posed by Iran and its proxies”.

“Thank you Minister, for your solidarity, leadership, and firm stance regarding the Iranian issue. Also discussed the immediate importance of achieving an agreement for the return of hostages. We urge our partners to stand with Israel at this time,” he said on X.


Israel’s opposition leader slams Netanyahu for ‘waiting to be bombed’

Yair Lapid has criticised the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming it has “no deterrence” against the expected Iranian attack.

“The Israeli government, is what we are seeing in recent days the new standard? Is it acceptable to you that for five days an entire country has been sitting and waiting for us to be bombed? Because there is no deterrence and there is no government,” he said on X.



SvennoJ on 05 August 2024

Australia raises terror threat level amid Middle East tensions

Australia has raised its terror threat level to “probable” from “possible”, citing an increase in “extremist views” in the country leading to a more than 50 percent chance of the planning of an onshore attack in the next 12 months.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he made the decision following advice from security services, but said there was no imminent threat of an attack.

Mike Burgess, the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the country’s main intelligence agency, said tensions in the Middle East, including Israel’s war on Gaza, were a contributing factor to raising the threat level.

“The conflict has fuelled grievances, promoted protests, undermined social cohesion and elevated intolerance,” he said.


Japan urges citizens to leave Lebanon

The Japanese Foreign Ministry has issued a travel warning advising its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country due to the rising tensions in the Middle East.

Many other countries made a similar announcement for their citizens.

It comes in anticipation of a response to the Israeli attacks that killed Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.


Ireland advises citizens not to travel to Israel, Lebanon, Palestine

Prime Minister Simon Harris has advised Irish citizens against travelling to Israel, Lebanon and Palestine.

He said the updated travel advice comes “due to growing instability in the region”.


Lufthansa to avoid Iraq, Iran airspace until August 7

Germany’s Lufthansa airline says its flights will avoid Iraqi and Iranian airspace until at least August 7 due to escalating tensions in the region.

In a statement the aviation giant also said its flights to Jordan’s Amman and Iraq’s Erbil will be suspended until that date, while those to Israel’s Tel Aviv, Iran’s Tehran, and Lebanon’s Beirut will be suspended until August 12.



SvennoJ on 05 August 2024

US diplomacy at ‘highest level’ to protect Israel from Iran

We’re going to have President Joe Biden talking to King Abdullah of Jordan in the coming hours, just hours before he convenes the security advisers in the situation room.

There is a very real awareness now that we may not be talking about weeks or even days, an attack by Iran could be something that takes place within a matter of hours. That is why we have seen over the past few days, all of these meetings, all of these calls for de-escalation.

The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, spoke to his Israeli counterpart twice in the past few days, firstly to reiterate his country’s commitment to Israel, but also calling for the need for de-escalation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to G7 nations yesterday to urge them to do whatever they can to exert any diplomatic pressure they can on Iran to really de-escalate this.


Arab, international diplomats seek to contain possibility of regional war

International and Arab diplomats are trying to contain the possibility of a full-on regional war.

The message from Iran is that it will not be restrained, that the decision has been taken, especially since we heard from the supreme leader himself that there will be severe punishment for Israel.

Even the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah referred to Iran by saying that its dignity was harmed in this attack that led to the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

We saw the Jordanian foreign minister on a very rare visit to Tehran on Sunday. Jordan is in a very difficult position because the last time Iran directly attacked Israel, Jordan did play a role. It helped the US military intercept Iranian missiles, and Iran has warned that any country that takes part or helps the United States will be considered a target.

That’s why the Jordanians are saying they are not mediators and not delivering messages between Israel and Iran.

Now, the question is what kind of a response will Iran carry out, and what kind of response Hezbollah will carry out.


‘Punishing Israel necessary’ to prevent further instability: Iran Foreign Ministry

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani says Tehran is not looking to escalate regional tensions but it believes “punishing Israel is necessary” to prevent further instability.

Other points made by Kanaani:

  • The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran is a violation of international law.
  • Iran reserves its right to defend its national security and sovereignty over its lands.
  • Tehran has the right to discipline Israel, deter it and stop its crimes.

Earlier, a report from the US news site Axios quoted three unnamed sources as saying US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his G7 counterparts in a conference call that Iran and Hezbollah could launch an attack against Israel as early as today.

The G7 – which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom – issued a statement expressing “deep concern over the heightened level of tension in the Middle East” and calling for restraint on all sides.



SvennoJ on 05 August 2024

Israeli air attack kills 2 in southern Lebanon’s Meiss el-Jabal

At least two people have been killed in the Israeli air attack in the vicinity of Meiss el-Jabal, a town in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese emergency service cited by the National News Agency (NNA).

The report also said one of the two victims was a paramedic.


Israel intercepts ‘hostile explosive’ drone launched from Lebanon

The Israeli army says a “suspicious aerial target” that crossed from Lebanon has been intercepted in the Western Galilee area.

“Rocket and missile sirens were sounded due to the danger of falling shrapnel from the interceptor,” the military said on Telegram. It added that a “hostile explosive UAV [unmaned aerial vehicle]” fell in the area of Malkia but no injuries were reported.

Separately, the army reported that the air force struck a “weapons storage facility and multiple Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites” in Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon overnight.

The areas of Shebaa and Rachaya al-Fakhar in southern Lebanon were also fired upon by the Israeli army.


Hezbollah claims to have hit Israeli military site near Malkia

The Lebanese group says its drone attack on an Israeli military site near the Malkia settlement in northern Israel hit “its targets accurately”.

Earlier, the Israeli army said it had intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” that crossed from Lebanon in the Western Galilee area. The statement said the UAV fell in the area of Malkia, with no injuries reported.


More on Israeli attack in Lebanon’s Meiss el-Jabal

We have reported earlier that at least two people, including a paramedic, have been killed in an Israeli air attack near Meiss el-Jabal, a town in southern Lebanon.

That was according to the Lebanese emergency service as quoted by the National News Agency (NNA). Now, the Israeli army said the attack carried out by a drone targeted members of a cell of Hezbollah operatives.

Hezbollah said the dead included Ali Shuqair, a member of the group, and Muhammad Hammadi, a paramedic who was a member of the Islamic Risala Scout Association.

They were residents of Meiss el-Jabal.