BBC, ITV exposed for complicity; pro-Gaza MP Zarah Sultana mocked, sneered at

Palestinian Representative Calls Out UN for Being too Slow

Iran blames UNSC’s ‘inaction’ against Israel for Middle East instability

The failure of the UNSC to react to the “Israeli crimes” is the most important cause of instability in the region, according to Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s acting foreign minister.

He was quoted by Iran’s IRNA state news agency as saying that Iran would exercise “its legitimate and inherent right to prevent the terrorist act committed by the [Israeli] regime with the aim of protecting its national security”.

Israel will ‘certainly receive a response for its crimes and insolence’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has told Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran that Israel will “certainly receive a response for its crimes and insolence”.

“The criminal actions of the Zionist regime against the defenceless people of Gaza and its assassination of martyr Ismail Haniyeh in our country was a clear example of violating all international rules and laws,” the president was quoted as saying by his website.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is by no means after expanding the scope of war and crisis in the region, but the regime will certainly receive a response for its crimes and insolence.”

Israeli defence minister says military should prepare for ‘swift transition to offense’

Yoav Gallant has held a meeting with Israeli air force officials in Tel Aviv.

“We must be prepared for anything – including a swift transition to offence,” the defence minister said as Israel braces for a potential retaliatory attack by Iran and Hezbollah following strikes last week in Beirut and Tehran.

Ready to escalate further...

Israeli claims about tunnels beneath Gaza-Egypt border dismissed

As we reported yesterday, the Israeli military said it had discovered underground tunnel routes along the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.

But earlier today, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera News dismissed the Israeli claims about the existence of operational tunnels in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor. These “are an Israeli attempt to divert attention away from its failures in Gaza and to justify its aggression,” the station said, citing a well-placed Egyptian source.

“Israel has not provided evidence of operational tunnels along the Gaza border and is leveraging the existence of closed tunnels in Gaza to disseminate false claims for political purposes,” the source said.

Are there still people around that believe anything the IDF claims? Apart from Fox news...

‘Heartbreaking’: Bodies returned from Israel are unidentifiable

This is the fourth time we have seen bodies of Palestinians brought back to Gaza from Israel. The heartbreaking part of this is that none of these bodies are identifiable.

Families of the missing met a cargo container that unloaded the bodies at Nasser Hospital today. They searched through the blue-coloured plastic bags with Hebrew inscriptions on them, looking for anything they could identify their loved ones with.

Unfortunately, what we are looking at is completely unidentifiable bodies, largely decomposed. Unless there is a DNA test, which is not available at this time in the Gaza Strip, none of these bodies are going to be identified.

Mass grave for unidentified Palestinians

People in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, bury the bodies of unidentified Palestinians at a mass grave after they were handed over by Israel.

Gaza officials say Israeli forces took 2,000 bodies over course of war

Gaza’s Government Media Office says that Israeli forces have taken 2,000 bodies from cemeteries throughout the course of the war, and that some corpses have been handed back in ways that “desecrated the bodies” of those killed.

“Over the course of 304 days of the genocide, the occupation has kidnapped more than 2,000 bodies of martyrs and dead people from dozens of cemeteries in the governorates of the Gaza Strip, which the occupation bulldozed with bulldozers and military vehicles and turned their graves over, in a scene that violates humanity and human feelings,” the statement reads.

“The Israeli occupation army desecrates the dignity of the bodies of 89 martyrs, handing them over as skeletons and decomposed corpses.”

Decomposed Palestinian bodies highlight ‘unprecedented crimes’ in Gaza

Hamas says that the fact that 80 decomposed bodies have been released by the Israeli military further highlights the “unprecedented crimes” committed in Gaza.

“They kill unarmed civilians in hospitals and shelters, kidnap their bodies, and exhume graves of martyrs and the dead, transferring them to occupation centres,” Hamas said, adding that this doubles the pain of Palestinian families who only wish to know the fate of their killed loved ones and bury them with dignity.

“This necessitates a clear stance from the international community to reject and condemn these actions and to work on holding the occupation leaders accountable for these heinous inhumane practices,” Hamas said.

حفر قبر جماعي بخان يونس لدفن 80 جثة سلمها الاحتلال #حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/Ub41VPTgNG

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) August 5, 2024

Turkey to file ICJ genocide case application on Wednesday

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Turkey will file its application to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Wednesday.

The Turkish foreign minister made the comments during a joint presser with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo.

Fidan also called the killing of Hamas’s political leader a “treacherous assassination” and warned that that the region can no longer tolerate Israel’s “provocations”.

Erdogan’s slams ‘digital fascism’ targeting Palestinians

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attacked social media platforms for censoring photographs of Palestinian victims in Gaza as Ankara negotiates with Instagram to reinstate access after cutting it on August 2.

“They cannot even tolerate photographs of Palestinian martyrs and immediately ban them,” Erdogan said at a human rights event. “We are confronted with a digital fascism that is disguised as freedom.”

Erdogan also called Israel a “blood-thirsty genocide network” and vowed that Turkey will not be deterred from standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

More ‘genocidal statements’ coming from the Israeli government: CAIR

The US-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says a top member of the Israeli government has once again released a statement that shows genocidal intent.

“If the [US] Biden administration can’t bring themselves to take action to stop the genocide, forced starvation, ethnic cleansing and mass destruction of civilian infrastructure, they should at least be able to condemn the genocidal statements that Israeli officials have been making since last year,” the organisation said in a post on X.

This comes after far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza is “justified and moral”.

Once again, we hear a top Israeli govt official saying the quiet part out loud. If the Biden admin can't bring themselves to take action to stop the genocide, forced starvation, ethnic cleansing &mass destruction of civilian infrastructure, they should at least be able to condemn… https://t.co/0wNr3BmgZg

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) August 5, 2024

Israeli military says CENTCOM commander in Israel for ‘joint preparations’

The Israeli military has said that US CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla arrived in Israel today for “joint preparations” as the countries brace for retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) oversees United States military activities in the Middle East.

“The commanders held a joint situational assessment on security and strategic issues, as well as joint preparations in the region, as part of the response to threats in the Middle East,” the Israeli military said in a social media post.

“The [Israeli army] will continue to deepen its relationship with the US Armed Forces stemming from a commitment to strengthening regional stability and coordination between the two militaries.”

The Commander of @CENTCOM , General Michael Erik Kurilla, arrived in Israel today as the official guest of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi.

The commanders held a joint situational assessment on security and strategic issues, as well as joint preparations in the… pic.twitter.com/u7A8YIPUrW

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 5, 2024

Israeli media reports say gov’t ‘confident’ of US backing in event of retaliatory strikes

The Jewish Insider news outlet is reporting that Israel is “confident” that the US will stand by its side amid preparations for retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah.

Citing Israeli officials, the report said there could be a cooperative effort on the part of Israel and allies such as the US and the UK to intercept as many missiles as possible, as occurred during a previous attack by Iran in April.

Despite reports of antipathy between Netanyahu and the administration of US President Joe Biden, the United States has thus far refused to consider steps such as suspending arms transfers to Israel, ignoring calls to use US leverage to bring Israel’s war on Gaza to an end.

Long queues reported at Beirut airport

We’re getting reports of chaotic scenes at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport after several international airlines temporarily suspended their flights to Lebanon due to concerns about a military escalation.

Many passengers have been waiting for their flights since early in the morning. Sources at the airport told the dpa news agency that the queues were enormous with delays leading to passenger panic in some cases.

Others were frustrated because they missed connecting flights. “I was supposed to fly to Germany via Istanbul at dawn, but the flight kept getting postponed,” a passenger named Ahmed told dpa.

The airport in Beirut is Lebanon’s only international airport.

_{Passengers wait at the departure terminal of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport}

Jordan asks airlines to carry 45 minutes of extra fuel

The move is seen as a precautionary measure in case of an attack by Iran against Israel.

The NOTAM, a safety notice provided to pilots, was issued by Jordanian authorities, asking all airlines to carry the reserve fuel for “operational reasons”. It is effective until 22:00 GMT on Tuesday.

In a bulletin, OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, said the move was ahead of the anticipated closure of Jordanian airspace, a cautionary move in case of an attack on Israel by Iran.

“The Jordan NOTAM is relevant because in the April aerial attack on Israel, Jordan was the first country to close their airspace by NOTAM, well ahead of even Israel, Iran or Iraq,” Mark Zee, OPSGROUP’s chief executive, told Reuters.

“The 45 minutes would be intended to provide enough additional fuel for an aircraft to leave Jordanian airspace and land elsewhere,” he added.

Some airlines are already avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon amid growing fears of an escalation of the conflict in the region.

Pro-Palestine rally in Hiroshima

Demonstrators in the Japanese city expressed their opposition against Hiroshima’s Mayor Matsui Kazumi for inviting Israel to the peace ceremony commemorating the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb tragedy.

Israeli rights group decries ‘systemic’ torture of Palestinians in Israeli detention

B’Tselem has released a report documenting what it calls “systemic” torture of thousands of Palestinians swept into Israeli detention centres, many without charge, since the war on Gaza started in October.

While Palestinians have spoken about the widespread use of torture in Israeli detention facilities for decades, a series of reports suggest that those abuses have surged amid the war.

The report titled “Welcome to Hell” comes after right-wing protests erupted in Israel last week in support of Israeli soldiers faced with arrest over accusations of forcibly sodomising Palestinian detainees.

The group says that the report on the abuse of Palestinians held in Israeli “torture camps” shows “a reality of harsh, arbitrary daily violence, sexual assault, humiliation, starvation, inhumane hygiene conditions, sleep deprivation, denial of medical care, and more”.

Report says nearly half of Palestinian detainees held without trial

We can now bring you more on the report by the Israeli human rights watchdog B’Tselem that found widespread torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

The report adds that nearly half of these Palestinians are being held without trial, a practice known as administrative detention and long criticised by rights groups for its denial of basic civil liberties.

The report states that of the 9,623 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons as of early July, 4,781 had been detained without trial. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society more recently put the number of Palestinians held by Israel at about 9,900.

“Some were jailed simply for expressing sympathy for the suffering of Palestinians,” the report states. “Others were taken into custody during [Israeli] military activity in the Gaza Strip, on the sole grounds that they came under the vague definition of ‘men of fighting age’.”

UN says nine employees ‘may have been involved’ in October 7 attack

The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) says nine UNRWA staff members “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack, adding that they have been fired.

OIOS released its findings from its investigation of 19 UNRWA staff amid allegations of their involvement in the armed attacks in southern Israel.

“In one case, no evidence was obtained by OIOS to support the allegations of the staff member’s involvement, while in nine other cases, the evidence obtained by OIOS was insufficient to support the staff member’s involvement.

“In respect of the remaining nine cases, the evidence obtained by OIOS indicated that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023. The employment of these individuals will be terminated in the interests of the Agency”.

In January, Israel accused UNRWA staff members of abetting the October 7 attack on Israel.

In April, an independent review for the UN headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna found that Israel has not presented credible evidence to support its claims that UNRWA staff were members of “terrorist” groups.

‘OIOS not able to independently authenticate most of the information’

As we reported earlier, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) says nine UNRWA staff members “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack, adding that they have been fired.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, says “OIOS was not able to independently authenticate most of the information provided to it that was in the hands of the Israeli authorities”. “That is information that remains in the custody of Israel.”

So if I read this right, they couldn't find an alibi for the 9 employees "that may have been involved". Who cares about proof. Accusations are all Israel needs to make.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/05/middleeast/un-probe-unwra-gaza-israel-intl-latam/index.html

OIOS investigators met with Israeli officials as part of their investigation and review their intelligence. They also reviewed UNRWA employees’ communications and media reports.

“Because of safety concerns,” they did not meet with the accused UNRWA staff or corroborating witnesses.

“In some cases, however, OIOS was able to request and secure videorecorded statements from the subjects who responded to a series of set questions addressing the allegations of their involvement in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023,” the UN said in a statement.

After all the news of torture, I wouldn't trust recorded statements to a series of set questions one bit. But it's possible some of the 14,000 UNWRA employees were around where the wall was breached. That doesn't make UNWRA a terrorist organization.

Israeli forces raid Jenin in occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli forces have stormed Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, and raided a money exchange shop.

The report cited local sources as saying that Israeli forces “rammed their military vehicles into residents’ vehicles”.

Two people were reported wounded in the raid.

Seven Israeli soldiers wounded in Gaza

The Israeli military confirms that seven of its soldiers have suffered injuries in the Gaza Strip, including four who were in serious condition.

The troops are from a reserve armoured brigade and are believed to have been wounded by an explosive device.