Khan Younis hospital performing dozens of eye surgeries each week

As casualties continue to multiply in southern Gaza, there is only one specialised health facility in the area performing eye surgery, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

That facility, al-Amal Hospital’s ophthalmology department, treats about 150 people per day and provides surgery for 40 people each week, according to the PRCS, which runs the facility.

Located in Khan Younis, the hospital “continues to provide its services to patients and the injured without charging any fees,” said the PRCS.

The Abdel Qader Al-Jazairi Ophthalmology and Eye Surgery Center at the PRCS #AlAmalHospital in #KhanYunis continues to provide a variety of free medical and surgical eye services. ⭕️The center receives around 150 cases daily and performs 40 surgeries weekly under the supervision… pic.twitter.com/rZM80LMlA1

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) August 27, 2024

Palestinians transform plastic rubbish into energy

Amid a severe fuel shortage, Palestinians have found ways to turn plastic rubbish into energy, cutting it into small pieces and burning it in a makeshift furnace to eventually create diesel. While the process comes with health and environmental risks, it is the only solution many have found to generate some power.

More on settler attack on Wadi Rahal

We’ve seen a video of the Israeli settler attack on Palestinians in the village of [Wadi Rahal]. Dozens and dozens of settlers attacked the village, killing a 40-year-old Palestinian. Usually [during such settler attacks], Palestinians rush to protect their land and their loved ones. But they’re ultimately overpowered, not only because of the number of Israeli settlers, but because the settlers are often accompanied by Israeli soldiers giving them protection.

Another important element is that Israeli settlers are often armed. Since the war started, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been lifting restrictions [on arms], allowing Israelis to access them more easily. That’s why we’ve seen the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers increase.

Palestinian prisoners treated like ‘human animals’ in Israeli jails: Rights group

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has issued a warning about “grave” violations against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including “physical and psychological torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment, medical neglect, and starvation policies”.

Based on a recent visit to the Naqab Prison, located in southern Israel, by Al Mezan’s lawyer, the group said that torture and abuse were widespread and not confined to the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility, where a serious sexual assault on a Palestinian prisoner led to the arrest of several Israeli soldiers.

According to the rights group, Israeli authorities are currently holding approximately 600 residents of Gaza in deplorable conditions at Naqab and some estimate the number could be as high as 900.

“Israeli authorities have abused Palestinians in their custody for over ten months now, amid international silence and the absence of accountability,” Al Mezan said in a statement.

“Palestinian residents of Gaza are treated as ‘human animals’, demonstrating that the dehumanizing and genocidal rhetoric employed by the highest levels of the Israeli leadership to characterize Palestinians as a group was embraced throughout all ranks within the military and the IPS [Israeli Prison Service],” it added.

Israel withholding bodies of 552 Palestinians: Prisoners’ society

Israel continues to withhold the bodies of at least 552 Palestinians, including 149 killed during the continuing war, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

These figures do not include an estimated additional hundreds of Palestinians killed in Gaza, for which Israeli authorities have not released an official count, according to the group.

Israel regularly keeps the bodies of Palestinians it killed who were accused of violent crimes against Israelis, a policy denounced by rights groups as unlawful.

Amnesty calls for war crimes investigation into Israeli attacks on Rafah tent camp

Amnesty International is calling for a war crimes investigation into an Israeli attack that killed at least 36 Palestinians sheltering in tents in west Rafah on May 26, including a toddler and a woman who were decapitated by metal fragments.

Amnesty weapons experts who analysed photographs taken after the attack found Israeli forces dropped US-made 113kg (249 pound) GBU-39s, “capable of throwing metal fragments hundreds of metres”.

Amnesty said it identified four fighters killed in the attack, but questioned Israel’s claim it used “the smallest munitions which can be launched by fighter jets” and said it appeared the attack was likely “disproportionate and indiscriminate”.

“The Israeli military would have been fully aware that the use of bombs that project deadly shrapnel across hundreds of metres … would kill and injure a large number of civilians,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research and Advocacy.

“Under international humanitarian law, the presence of fighters in the targeted area does not absolve the Israeli military of its obligations to protect civilians,” she added.

Update on M/V SOUNION:

The MV SOUNION has been on fire since August 23rd.

An EUNAFOR ASPIDES 🇪🇺 unit transiting the area reported that there are fires on at least 5 locations observed on the main deck of the vessel. It is estimated that these are located around the hatches of… pic.twitter.com/ta0IuLhIoY

— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) August 26, 2024

Israel launches more attacks on south Lebanon

The Israeli military said its fighter jets hit Hezbollah structures in the areas of Meiss el-Jabal, Khiam, Hair and Bint Cabal in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese armed group, meanwhile, claimed three separate attacks on Israel on Monday.

These include drone attacks on Israeli surveillance equipment at Ramyah, the headquarters of the 146th Division Command in the Shraga barracks, and the headquarters of the 91st Division in Ayelet HaShahar.

As the school year is just about to begin, Columbia SJP has been permanently banned from Instagram. Our account was permanently deleted at 124k followers at the same time as our backup account, and when we made a new page it was deleted within 2 days.

— Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (@ColumbiaSJP) August 26, 2024

Israeli protesters block Tel Aviv highway

Israeli protesters have staged a demonstration on the Ayalon Highway, which runs north to south past Tel Aviv, calling on the government to bring home the captives from Gaza.

Video of the rally shared by Israel’s Army Radio shows dozens of protesters lined up across the highway, blocking it, while holding up large banners and photos of Gaza-bound captives.

For much of the war, Israel’s government has been rocked by domestic protests – many attended by captives’ relatives – against its handling of the war and demanding that it strike a ceasefire deal that would see captives returned from Gaza.

• Israel has not achieved its stated aim of eradicating Hamas in Gaza.
• Israel is trying to collectively punish Palestinians in Gaza.
• Israeli PM Netanyahu has a political interest in dragging out the war.

As the conflict progresses, Ghafar also sees Israel increasingly carving up Gaza in West Bank-style, building new military corridors that make it more disconnected and easier to control.

“All of us are watching this and want the war to end,” Ghafar told Al Jazeera. “But what happens in the long term is the perpetuation of the occupation and division of Gaza into … smaller jails effectively.

“Instead of having a bigger jail, you end up with smaller pieces of this jail.”

Netzarim, Philadelphi corridors are ‘another Israeli land grab’

Adel Abdel Ghafar, the director of the foreign policy and security programme at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, spoke to Al Jazeera about the Israeli army’s latest evacuation orders.

He said it is another example of “the collective punishment inflicted on the Palestinian people” by the Israeli military.

The Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors established by the Israeli military, Ghafar noted, represent another “Israeli land grab” and are a “perpetuation” of what is often referred to as the world’s largest “open-air prison”.

The Netzarim Corridor is a 6.5km (4-mile) road located south of Gaza City that effectively cuts the Gaza Strip in two. The Philadelphi Corridor, also known as the Philadelphi Route, is the 14km (8.7-mile) long strip of land representing the entire border area between Gaza and Egypt.

Rescued Israeli captive arrives at hospital: Reports

Israel newspaper Haaretz reports that the Israeli captive al-Qadi was taken from a village south of Rahat from the packaging warehouse in Kibbutz Magen, where he worked. Haaretz reported that he is married and has 11 children.

The Israel Hayom newspaper published a video on X showing an ambulance that it said was transporting al-Qadi to hospital.

Haaretz posted a separate video which it says shows the moment al-Qadi’s family ran into the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba to meet him.

Hostage families’ group praises captive’s rescue

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of Israeli captives in Gaza, has welcomed the reported rescue of Qaid Farhan Alkadi.

In a statement on Facebook, the group thanked Israeli forces for helping secure Alkadi’s return, which they said was “a sign of light amongst the darkness” for captives’ family members.

However, the group emphasised that “a deal is the only way to secure the return of the remaining 108 hostages”.

Western media is quick to report the rescue... What happens to Palestinians, crickets.

Israel rescues 52-year-old hostage held by Hamas during ‘complex operation’ in Gaza

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/27/middleeast/israel-hostage-rescue-gaza-hamas-intl/index.html

Israel’s military said Tuesday it had rescued a 52-year-old hostage held by Hamas since October 7, in a “complex operation” in southern Gaza.

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The Hostages Families Forum, which campaigns for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, celebrated the return of the father of 11.

“Kaid’s return home is nothing short of miraculous,” it said. “However, we must remember: military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages, who have suffered 326 days of abuse and terror.”

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Last week the bodies of six Israeli hostages were retrieved from Gaza during an overnight military operation in Khan Younis, Israeli authorities said.