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

SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Kamal Adwan Hospital director says 11 sick children at risk of death due to fuel shortage

The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, has told Al Jazeera that “11 sick children in the nursery and intensive care units are at risk of death within hours due to fuel shortages” that threaten to shut down the facility.

According to Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, who is reporting from Gaza, Abu Safiya warned that the children, some of whom are infants, are “at risk if fuel does not come and enter the northern part of the Gaza Strip”, where the hospital is located.

“We know that the World Health Organization has a convoy filled with fuel and medicine heading to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, but so far, they are still on the checkpoint waiting for the green light from the Israeli forces to cross,” Khoudary reported.

“So there’s no guarantee that they’re going to make it to the hospital.”

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 33 health facilities have been out of service since October 7. The remaining hospitals need “at least 4,000 litres [1,056 gallons] of fuel every day to continue operating”, Khoudary added.


Israeli air attacks kill nine people in Shati, four in az-Zarqa

At least nine people have been killed in an Israeli air attack targeting a group of Palestinians in the UNRWA-run Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

Earlier, at least four people were killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian car in the az-Zarqa neighbourhood, north of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian Information Center (Palinfo).

The casualties were taken to al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.

Palinfo also reported that Israeli warplanes were firing at homes in the Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City.


Israeli military says one soldier killed in failed air strike on Gaza

An Israeli soldier was killed in a failed Israeli air strike on the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military said. Lieutenant Shahar Ben Nun, 21, was a commander in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit and his killing brings the Israeli military death toll since October 7 to 694.

How many Israeli soldiers have been killed by its own army in Gaza?

This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred since Israel’s war on Gaza started.

  • In January, the military published a report acknowledging that some of its soldiers were killed in air strikes and by shrapnel from their own explosives. Some were run over by Israeli armoured vehicles or mistakenly identified and hit by tank fire, shelling and guns, according to the report.
  • According to the military’s website, 53 soldiers killed in Gaza died as a result of what it calls “operational accidents”.
  • Twenty-eight of them were killed by “friendly fire”, five died because of “firing irregularities”, and 20 as a result of “accidents”, including those involving weaponry and trampling by military vehicles.
  • In May, five Israeli soldiers were killed in “friendly fire” in the Jabalia refugee camp where a tank fired two shells at a building where they were gathered.


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SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Group petitions Israeli Supreme Court over severe water shortages in Palestinian neighbourhood

Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, says it has demanded the immediate provision of “a regular, continuous, and adequate water supply” to Kafr Aqab, the largest Palestinian neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.

The petition, filed on behalf of 204 residents, argues that the “Israeli authorities’ failure to provide a continuous and adequate water supply undermines the petitioners’ right to health, as well as their right to life and bodily integrity”.

Kafr Aqab is one of eight Palestinian neighbourhoods that are part of the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality but are located beyond the Israeli separation barrier. It is home to 100,000 people, roughly 30 percent of East Jerusalem’s Palestinian population.

Since mid-May, the supply of water to Kafr Aqab sharply deteriorated, resulting in a water crisis, the group said. In May, residents received an average of just 12 hours of water per week. As of mid-July, residents were supplied with a weekly average of only a day and a half to two and a half days of water.

“The water crisis … during the height of summer clearly demonstrates Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinians’ fundamental rights. Israeli authorities are fully aware of the crisis and refuse to act,” Adalah said.



At least one Palestinian wounded in Israeli raid on West Bank refugee camp

An Israeli military raid at the Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, has left at least one man injured, Wafa news agency reported. The report added that Israeli forces raided several homes in the camp, leading to fighting.

Soldiers also fired live rounds, tear gas and stun grenades at citizens, and shot a young man in the abdomen, while others were treated for tear gas inhalation.


Palestinian man critically injured in Israeli army raid on West Bank town

A man was critically injured by Israeli military fire in the town of Dura, south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency has reported. According to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry, a man was hit with a live round in his right eye and it lodged in his skull. He was taken to hospital in critical condition.

Wafa said that fighting erupted when Israeli forces raided the town, shooting live rounds and sound grenades at a group of young Palestinian men.


Palestinians injured by Israeli gunfire across occupied West Bank

A Palestinian man was wounded by Israeli military fire in the town of Dura, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reports. Earlier, we reported that a man was wounded with a live round in his right eye and was taken to hospital in critical condition.

We also reported that an Israeli military raid at the Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, has wounded at least one man. That number has now risen to three – all of whom were taken to hospital with wounds caused by live ammunition.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Hezbollah says it attacked two Israeli military barracks

Hezbollah says it shelled the Zabdin barracks in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms this afternoon, adding that Ramim barracks were also targeted. We reported earlier that Hezbollah claimed to have hit Israel’s Bayyad Blida military site near the Lebanon-Israel border with a Burkan missile.


Lebanon files complaint to UN over Israeli military jets’ sonic booms

The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has filed a complaint with the UN Security Council about Israeli military jets breaking the sound barrier over the capital Beirut. The ministry said this was a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and its airspace, as well as a violation of relevant UN resolutions.

Throughout the war on Gaza, Israel has been launching sonic booms by flying jets at low altitudes over Lebanon.

“Psychologists in Beirut have reported a surge in patients experiencing symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder, with individuals describing flashbacks, panic attacks, and an overwhelming sense of dread and helplessness,” according to Anera, an organisation that works with refugees in Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon.


Israeli raid targets Hezbollah arms depot

We’re getting reports that an Israeli strike has targeted a Hezbollah arms depot in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. The report by Reuters quotes two security sources. Since the war on Gaza began, Israeli strikes have regularly targeted Hezbollah fighters and rocket launch sites, but strikes on arms depots have been more rare.

Israel continues to escalate, yet it's Iran that gets blamed...


Israeli forces wound girl in southern Lebanon attack

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says the Israeli army raided the town of al-Mansouri where an 18-year-old female was injured, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Four activists face criminal charges after sabotaging UK weapons factory

Four activists face criminal charges after sabotaging a weapons factory in the United Kingdom’s Shipley, according to the anti-war group Palestine Action.

The network of activists said the four managed to halt production of parts for Israel’s missiles and fighter jets in their effort at the facility belonging to US-based industrial conglomerate Teledyne Technologies in April and are now facing charges “despite acting to stop a genocide”.



Defend the right to bomb children! Fuck the UK government. Bunch of war criminals supporting war criminals.


Turkey says ‘bloodthirsty Netanyahu gov’t’ must be held accountable

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has noted that the Israeli military has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, adding that “the bloodthirsty Netanyahu government must be held accountable before international courts as soon as possible”.

Israel continues to “commit crimes against humanity by indiscriminately killing humanitarian aid workers and volunteers, especially UNRWA staff”, the ministry said about the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees.


Scottish government suspends all meetings with Israel

External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson says the Scottish government will not accept any invitation for further meetings with Israel until there is real progress on the Gaza conflict.

“This will remain our position until such time as real progress has been made towards peace, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance is provided and Israel cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes,” Robertson said.

He made the comments after he met Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, about two weeks ago, sparking criticism within the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Robertson said his view was that given Grudsky had requested the meeting, it was “an opportunity to express the Scottish government’s clear and unwavering position” on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“And I did exactly that. No one intended that this meeting be presented as legitimatising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza,” he said, adding that the Scottish government has been consistent in its “unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities” in Gaza.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

UN official says ‘even wars have rules’ and ‘civilians are not a target’

Imran Riza – UN deputy special coordinator for Lebanon, resident coordinator for the Middle Eastern country and humanitarian coordinator – says that “while the world is failing civilians in conflict and many around the world are losing hope in humanity, our mantra has been and remains: Even wars have rules, civilians are not a target.”

Riza, who made his comments to mark World Humanitarian Day, said he visited Hebarieh in southern Lebanon, where seven paramedics were killed when the Israeli army struck a centre belonging to the Lebanese Ambulance Association at the end of March.

Riza said he visited families and displaced people in the village “who have been uncertain about their future for more than 10 months”.

“Humanitarians are not a target,” he said in a post on X.


Politicisation of aid ‘dangerous’ and ‘disturbing’: ICRC

According to a new United Nations report, more than half of the 280 aid workers killed worldwide in 2023 died during the first three months of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Alyona Synenko, a regional spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), says several factors are “endangering” global aid workers.

“We have seen an increase in the number of armed conflicts around the world in the past decades. If we compare to now, we see three times the number of armed conflicts to what we had at the beginning of this millennium,” she told Al Jazeera.

Synenko said what was even more “disturbing and dangerous” was the politicisation of humanitarian aid.

“Sometimes it is the outright denial of these basic principles of international humanitarian law that are protecting civilians and that are protecting the humanitarian workers.”



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SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Protesters outside Democratic convention focus on Kamala

Protesters have rallied outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in the US on its opening day, saying they are determined to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza and other issues.

“We have to play our part in the belly of the beast to stop the genocide, to end US aid to Israel and stand with Palestine,” Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, told The Associated Press.

Organisers said they hoped the turnout for the march and rally in Chicago would be at least 20,000.

Protesters said their plans have not changed since President Joe Biden left the presidential race and the party quickly rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the Democratic nomination this week.

Taylor Cook, an organiser with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, traveled from Atlanta for the march. Cook said the group was pushing all Democrats to call for an end to aid to Israel with a particular focus on Harris.

“We’re saying to Kamala, she has been complicit in this. People think it’s just Biden, but she is vice president,” Cook said. “So we’re saying, you need to stop if you want our vote.”


Palestine supporters protest on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois




Chicago: Largest city with Gaza ceasefire resolution

The thousands of demonstrators outside the Democratic National Convention site are only the latest push in Chicago to protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. Chicago has the distinction of being the largest city in the US to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the conflict.

Only Los Angeles and New York have larger populations.

The Chicago ceasefire resolution, however, passed by a tight margin in February. The city council was evenly split over the issue, with progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson casting the tie-breaking vote.


Thousands of protesters gathered near the convention at Union Park in Chicago


The protesters hope to encourage the Democratic Party to halt its support for Israel’s war in Gaza and push for a ceasefire


Captives’ families want Blinken to push Netanyahu for a deal

Family members of Israeli captives held in Gaza have staged a protest outside a Tel Aviv hotel where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was holding meetings as part of a trip aimed at facilitating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Protesters blocking the road waved US and Israeli flags and chanted “SOS USA”. Meanwhile, inside the hotel, Blinken met with families of captives who hold US citizenship.


Supporters of captives demand their release during a protest outside a press event attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 19



SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Entire health sector has collapsed in Gaza: Palestinian doctor

Al Jazeera spoke to Dr Khalil al-Degran, spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah. He said Israeli forces “continue to target and pound unsuspecting residents” who are staying in civilian areas.

“Yesterday, the Israeli official forces targeted a residential building. In this building, seven members of the same family were killed. Six children, together with their mother,” he said.

He said 25 hospitals are out of operation in the besieged enclave, and very few are still functioning. With the Rafah border crossing with Egypt closed for more than 200 days, he said the hospital is experiencing a severe shortage of medical supplies.

The staff at the hospital cannot provide “the most basic medical necessities” for injured patients, “a clear signal that the entire health sector has collapsed in Gaza”, he said.

Al-Degran said Israeli forces have a clear intent to commit “genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population”.


Gaza’s ‘humanitarian zone’ shrinks to 11 percent

Family mourns slain journalist as colleagues protest Israeli killings


Relatives mourn Palestinian photojournalist Ibrahim Muharab, 26, on Sunday after he was killed by Israeli forces north of Khan Younis


Muharab, a freelance photojournalist and member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, was killed when Israeli forces targeted a group of journalists covering the Israeli ground invasion in Khan Younis

Muharab’s colleagues staged a protested on Monday, decrying the Israeli attack that killed him and also wounded journalist Salma al-Qadoumi

Palestinian killed in West Bank after Israeli forces shoot him in the head

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man after shooting him in the head during clashes in the occupied West Bank city of Dura.

Earlier, we reported that a man in Dura was hit with a live round in his right eye and was taken to hospital in critical condition.

At least 635 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October, as Israeli soldiers and settlers ramp up attacks there as the war on Gaza continues.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Democratic Convention protesters to Harris: Israel arms embargo or no vote

Rich Barnes says that opposing Israel’s war in Gaza is not a complicated issue.

“Are we for mass murdering babies, or are we against it? To me, it’s a pretty simple equation,” he said, holding Palestinian and Irish flags near the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Monday.

Barnes was one of thousands of protesters who blanketed the grass of Union Park, blocks away from the Democratic National Convention, to demand an end to United States support for Israel’s war.

As the Democrats gathered at the convention to present Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee, several Palestinian rights advocates told Al Jazeera that they will not vote for Harris unless she agrees to an arms embargo against Israel.

The demonstration, dubbed the “March on the DNC”, also demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.


People protest against presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza in Chicago on Monday

What did Blinken achieve during his visit to Israel?

Blinken’s latest visit to Israel is his 10th since the war on Gaza began and was aimed at applying pressure on Israeli officials to agree to a ceasefire deal.

Blinken’s day began with a meeting with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, in which he said this could be the last chance for a deal. And for nearly three hours, Blinken sat down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting the premier described as positive.

In a statement from his office, Netanyahu said he reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the table, which he says takes Israel’s security needs into account.

Blinken then met with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, stressing the importance of diminishing the chance of any further escalation in the region that could impede efforts to secure a deal.

Before he left Israel to travel to Cairo and Qatar on the next leg of his shuttle diplomacy, Blinken revealed that Israel’s government has accepted what the Americans are describing as a bridging proposal put forward by mediators last week.

He is now calling on Hamas to also accept the latest proposal to seal a ceasefire deal. But the Palestinian group has already said the current framework includes new Israeli conditions and is not in line with the original proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden back in May.

Egypt insists on full Israeli withdrawal from Philadelphi corridor: Reports

Egypt’s Al-Qahera News is reporting that Cairo has rejected Israel’s demand to maintain control of the Philadelphi corridor and the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

The broadcaster cited a high-level and informed Egyptian source.

The source told Al-Qahera that reports in Israeli media that suggest Egypt has agreed to the continued presence of Israeli forces in the border region are “false in form and substance” and said that Cairo reiterated its insistence on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the area.

The US news site Axios also reported that Egypt rejected the Israeli demand.

“Israeli, Egyptian and US officials met in Cairo on Sunday and Monday to discuss the Philadelphi corridor,” Axios reported. “On Netanyahu’s orders, the Israeli side presented a map that showed Israel reducing some of its forces but still deploying them all along the corridor, the Israeli officials said. The Egyptians rejected that plan.”




So Blinken just made concessions to Netanyahu and he now expects Hamas and Egypt to accept the new conditions. Blinken is just stalling for time, not negotiating in good faith. But what can you expect from the biggest supporter of Israel's genocidal regime.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2024

Former Israeli Spy Chief: If I Was A Palestinian, I Would Fight Against Israel’s Occupation

Mehdi Hasan interviews Ami Ayalon, the former head of Israel's Security Service, Shin Bet, and the ex-commander of the Israeli Navy, in the latest episode of ‘Mehdi Unfiltered.’

Ayalon discusses why he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir pose a threat to Israeli democracy, calls for an end to the occupation, and explains why he would resist Israel if he were Palestinian.

As reports of Israeli torture and abuse against detained Palestinians continue to emerge, Hasan also challenges Ayalon on allegations of torture under Shin Bet during his tenure. The former security chief admits he has "many regrets."

UK Diplomat RESIGNS Over Israeli War Crimes - And UK Complicity

The resignation of diplomat Mark Smith is explosive for so many reasons.



Antony Blinken exposes Joe Biden’s lies with claims on Benjamin Netanyahu | Janta Ka Reporter

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday claimed that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to terms of the ceasefire plan that Joe Biden announced on 31 May. However, little did Blinken realise that his claims would expose the lies of Joe Biden, who on 31 May had said that he ceasefire plan being announced by him was the Israeli proposal. More than two months later, Blinken had to convince Netanyahu to agree to the ceasefire that was supposed to be the proposal from the Israeli PM.



SvennoJ on 20 August 2024

Hezbollah’s tunnel video threatens enemies but leaves much unknown

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/19/hezbollah-warns-israel-with-new-video-of-underground-tunnels

The slickly made video shows fighters driving large trucks and motorbikes through well-lit underground roads.

Some of the trucks are carrying what appear to be missiles, and as the vehicles drive through, it becomes clear what the makers of the video – the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah – are unveiling: an extensive tunnel network used to store and launch missiles and what will surely be a vital resource in any conflict with Israel.

The video, unveiled last week and titled Our Mountains, Our Treasures, serves as a warning that Hezbollah can use its expansive and concealed weapons arsenal to retaliate in kind against Israel if it launches a major operation against the group, analysts told Al Jazeera.

“This was a message to the Israelis [from Hezbollah]: We have barely scratched the surface of the type of damage we can inflict on you,” said Nicholas Blanford, an expert on Hezbollah and a fellow at the Atlantic Council, a think tank based in Washington, DC.


Eight wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV is reporting that at least eight people have been wounded in Israeli air raids on Bekaa Valley in eastern parts of the country. The channel cited the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The report came after the Israeli military confirmed that its fighter jets bombed Hezbollah’s ammunition depots in the Bekaa region on Monday. Videos from the scene, posted on social media, showed huge clouds of smoke as fireballs lit up the night sky.


Israel carries out more attacks on Lebanon

The Israeli military says its fighter jets destroyed Hezbollah rocket launchers in al-Mansouri and Taybeh in southern Lebanon. The attacks followed strikes on what the Israeli military said were Hezbollah weapons depots in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

At least eight people were wounded in Bekaa, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Six of the victims were Lebanese citizens and two were Syrian children.

Reuters estimates that some 622 people, including 416 Hezbollah fighters and 132 civilians, have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the clashes last year.


Hezbollah responds to Israel’s Bekaa strikes with large rocket salvo

In an official statement, the Lebanese group says it targeted the headquarters of the Israeli army’s Golan 210th Division in the Nafah barracks, as well as the headquarters of the artillery and armoured regiments of the 210th Division in the Yarden barracks.

It described the attack as “intense barrages” of rockets and said it was in response to Israel’s overnight strikes on the Bekaa region.

Last night, Israel carried out a series of air strikes on the area in eastern Lebanon – away from the border region. It claimed to target Hezbollah weapons depots.

Videos from the scene showed large fires and secondary explosions following the initial strike. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said nine people were injured – six Lebanese and three Syrians.

For its part, the Israeli army says that it detected the launches of “about 55” rockets in Upper Galilee and the occupied Golan Heights, adding that some were intercepted while the rest fell in open areas without causing casualties.

“Shortly after the launches, air force aircraft attacked one of the launchers from which the launches were made,” the army added.


Wildfires spreading in northern Israel after Hezbollah strikes

We reported earlier that Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched about 55 rockets at areas in Upper Galilee and the occupied Golan Heights. Israeli media says that as a result of some of the rockets making landfall, three large brush fires are spreading in open areas.

The Israeli army says that fire crews are working to extinguish them. This video from the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom shows one fire:



Israeli army says it struck targets in southern Lebanon

The military says it hit a Hezbollah rocket launcher in Lebanon’s Beit Lif area earlier today. A statement said there were attacks on Israel from the launching post yesterday.

Fighter jets also hit a building used by Hezbollah in Aita al-Shaab, the statement added.


Two people killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least two people have been killed in Dheira with the National News Agency reporting that Israeli jets carried out two air strikes on the southern Lebanese village.


Hezbollah launches rockets and drones on northern Israel

The Israeli military has confirmed that about 40 rockets and multiple drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights in the past few hours.

After air raid sirens sounded across the Upper Galilee, it said most projectiles were intercepted and reported no casualties. Some of the drones made impact in the occupied Golan Heights, it said.

Hezbollah, which has claimed 10 attacks on Israeli positions so far today, said it targeted multiple military headquarters in both areas, achieving hits.

The armed Lebanese group has launched more than 100 rockets at Israeli positions today in retaliation for the Israeli air raids last night that caused large secondary explosions after hitting a Hezbollah ammunition depot in the Bekaa region.