By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

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

SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Palestinians feel that Israel is reminding them of its ‘ultimate power and control’

People have ceased repairing the damage left by Israeli raids, as the intervals between reconstructions and subsequent attacks are short, leaving them vulnerable to new assaults.

Reports indicate that some armed groups are retaliating against the Israeli forces. We’ve seen videos showing improvised explosive devices detonating as Israeli soldiers move through the refugee camps.

However, Israeli forces assert their intent to intensify their crackdown on Palestinian fighters.

However, it is important to note that Palestinians view these groups as part of their resistance against Israel’s prolonged occupation. Many feel that Israeli forces are executing a strategy to remind the people of their ultimate power and control over every aspect of their lives.


‘No one protecting the Palestinians’



Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer, says it is not surprising that Israeli forces are now assaulting the occupied West Bank.

“Look, when you see what has happened in Israel and the fact that Israel’s been allowed to get away with genocide for nearly 11 months … with very little condemnation by the international community, of course they’re going to turn their sights to the West Bank,” she told Al Jazeera. “Their aim is to try to get rid of as many Palestinians as possible.”

Buttu said the lack of support from the international community means that there is little support for Palestinians’ “right to resist”.

“It’s terrifying to be a Palestinian, and it’s terrifying to be a Palestinian knowing that Israel can do whatever it wants to do and literally, quite literally, get away with it,” she said. “Nobody … is protecting the Palestinians.”


Situation in the West Bank is continuation of war against Palestinian people



Adel Abdel Ghafar, the director of the foreign policy and security programme at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, says the situation in the West Bank is “troubling” as it highlights a potential expansion of the Israel-Gaza conflict into the West Bank.

“I think the Israelis here are pursuing two objectives. First of all, their stated objective is to go after the militants in the West Bank,” he told Al Jazeera. “But more widely, really, this is the continuation of the war against the Palestinian people and the potential expansion of the settlement.”

Ghafar added that increased settler violence and the increasingly harsh rhetoric of the Netanyahu government all point in that direction.

"This is really part and parcel of the collective punishment of Palestinian people. We’ve seen 40,000 dead, destruction of the civilian infrastructure, the return of polio, the use of starvation as a weapon of war.”


Israel’s West Bank operation must not go ‘down the path’ of Gaza

More from Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and visiting professor at Princeton University, who spoke to Al Jazeera earlier about Israel’s major incursion into the occupied West Bank

“The last thing that we want is this kind of massive displacement taking place in the West Bank, too,” Roth told Al Jazeera.

“Frankly, ‘the dream’ of the far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s government is to ‘solve the problem’ of the West Bank. ‘Solve the problem’ of the apartheid regime that Israel is maintaining there, by just getting rid of the Palestinians,” Roth said.

“That would be a massive war crime. But this is what certain members of the Netanyahu government – whose votes in the Knesset Netanyahu needs to stay in power – this is what they talk about,” he said.

“This is an urgent reason to nip this in the bud and not to let this continue down the path that we have seen in Gaza,” he added.


Palestinians face ‘unlawful killings’ in West Bank: Amnesty

Israeli forces have followed their “escalation in unlawful killings” in the occupied West Bank with a major military assault on the Palestinian territory that puts “more Palestinians at risk”, Amnesty International said.

Describing an already “horrifying spike in lethal force” against Palestinians by Israeli soldiers and armed settlers, Amnesty said the new military operation will result “in further loss of Palestinian lives” as well as “an increase in forced displacement, destruction of critical infrastructure and measures of collective punishment”.

“Amid alarming reports that Israeli forces have encircled and blocked off access to hospitals, Amnesty International urges the Israeli authorities to take action to safeguard health facilities and personnel,” Amnesty’s Erika Guevara Rosas said in a statement.

“As the occupying power, Israel has a clear obligation to protect Palestinians, their homes and the infrastructure throughout the occupied Palestinian territory,” Guevara Rosas said.



Around the Network
SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Update on the situation in Tulkarem

Our colleague from Al Jazeera Arabic, Laith Ja’ar, has an update from Tulkarem:

  • Israeli forces are still besieging the camp from all sides, conducting extensive search operations in civilian houses.
  • According to local sources from inside Nur Shams refugee camp, specifically from the al-Manshiyya neighbourhood, five houses have been burning, injuring dozens of people.
  • Israeli forces prevented rescue teams and the Palestinian Red Crescent from entering the camp to put out the fires and evacuate the injured.
  • The Israeli army claims that there were explosive devices inside houses it had targeted.


A car stands under the destruction caused to a residential building by an Israeli raid in Nur Shams camp near the city of Tulkarem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank


Israeli government not motivated by ‘security’

Ofer Cassif, a member of the Israeli Knesset, says the assault on the occupied West Bank has nothing to do with Israel’s security.

“This government, led by fascists like Netanyahu … Smotrich and others, they are not interested in the security of anyone including the Israelis,” he told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv.

Cassif added that the government’s “negligence” in its handling of the captives situation.

“Had they had any kind of commitment to the security of the Israelis, the first thing that this government would have done is to release the hostages, but they are not interested in that,” he said. “They are interested in the subjugation of the decisive plan, which boils down to annexing the Palestinian, the occupied Palestinian territories, deporting the Palestinians from their homeland and killing them.”


People in Israel who oppose the war ‘need support from international community’

Cassif says Israelis who oppose the war on Gaza and the assault on the occupied West Bank face “political persecution”.

“There is an opposition – not big enough – but there is a Jewish-Arab opposition within Israel. But we do need the international community to support us,” the Israeli Knesset member told Al Jazeera.

He criticised US “hypocrisy” regarding the war.

“On the one hand, the Biden administration and its spokespeople speak against the continuation of the massacre in Gaza but at the same time continuously arm Israel and veto a decision in the Security Council,” he said, adding that the war would be over “if the United States wanted that to stop”.


They are ‘shooting anyone who is moving’



Mohammed al-Atrash, a colleague from Al Jazeera Arabic reporting from Jenin, gives an update on the situation on the ground. Here are the main takeaways:
  • Israeli snipers are placed on top of houses “shooting anyone who is moving”. This is how two people – out of nine – were killed in Jenin.
  • Several areas were under curfew as Israeli soldiers inspected civilians’ houses.
  • The Jenin Governmental Hospital is besieged with Israeli forces delaying an ambulance with a wounded person from reaching the facility.


SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Dozens of extremist Israelis storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

Wafa news agency reports that at least 160 far-right Israeli settlers have entered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem today, under the protection of Israeli security forces.

Wafa added that the settlers performed Talmudic rituals there and that Israeli forces tightened their military measures in the Old City of Jerusalem and restricted the entry of Palestinian worshippers.

Extremist Israelis have stepped up their actions against the Muslim holy site in recent months, threatening a tenuous status quo and provoking members of the Islamic world.

In July, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the mosque, in a move that was widely condemned by the international community.


Freed Israeli captive’s Bedouin village targeted for demolition

Israeli authorities plan to demolish much of the Bedouin village of Khirbet Karkur, where recently freed Israeli Bedouin captive Kaid Farhan al-Kadi hails from, because they consider its structures illegal.

A spokesperson for the Israel Land Authority said that it would not issue a demolition notice to al-Kadi’s family “in light of the situation”, but declined to comment on the plight of his fellow villagers, 70 percent of whose homes are slated for demolition.

The conflict underscores the complicated relationship between Israel’s government and the Bedouin community, which often faces discrimination. While Bedouins are Israeli citizens and some serve in the army, about a third live in villages the government has deemed illegal and wants to tear down.

There have been 1,325 Bedouin homes demolished in the first six months of 2024, a 51 percent increase over the same period in 2022, according to the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality, which tracks demolitions in the Bedouin community.


Israeli forces demolish Hebron home of family of 17: B’Tselem

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has released footage that shows the home of a Palestinian family of 17 people, including 11 children, being demolished by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

Home demolitions are a frequent practice carried out against Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, particularly those living in Area C, which is under full Israeli control, and even Palestinians living in Israel.

Israeli authorities often officially say that the structures built do not have the proper permits, but Palestinians and human rights groups say the permits are rarely granted to Palestinians as illegal Israeli settlements expand across the occupied territory.


Israeli operations in Tubas continues

The governor of the occupied West Bank governorate has spoken to Al Jazeera Arabic about the Israeli operation in Tubas.

Here are his translated comments:

  • What is happening in the West Bank is a major massacre.
  • The occupation forces isolated the Far’a camp from the city of Tubas.
  • There is a presence of occupation forces and military aircraft and the siege of the governorate continues.
  • The occupation has destroyed all the sewage networks in the Far’a camp.
  • The occupation blocked the road to ambulances and attacked medical crews.


SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Jewish activists say US must stop arming Israel amid West Bank raid

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a US-based advocacy group, says Washington has long “facilitated” Israel’s “genocidal violence” against Palestinians and the flow of US weapons to Israel must urgently stop as it launches a major military operation in the occupied West Bank.

“From Gaza to the occupied West Bank, genocidal violence against Palestinians is allowed, permitted, and facilitated not only by the Israeli government, but by the United States,” JVP said in a series of social media posts.

“It’s never been more urgent to demand that the US government stop sending weapons to the Israeli military,” the group said.

“This massive and coordinated invasion is a direct result of our government’s continual enabling and co-signing of the Israeli government’s genocidal actions across all of occupied Palestine.”


US legislator accuses Delta, United and American airlines of ‘effectively boycotting’ Israel

Congressman Ritchie Torres has written to the CEOs of the three airlines to express his concern over their suspension of air travel between the US and Israel.

“Airlines should be prohibited from effectively boycotting or otherwise discriminating against the world’s only Jewish state,” the Democratic lawmaker wrote in the letter published online.

“It is one thing to temporarily suspend air travel to Israel on security grounds as defined” by the Federal Aviation Authority, he wrote, “but to unilaterally suspend air travel indefinitely until mid-2025, as American Airlines has done, has the practical effect of a boycott”.

Torres said all three airlines must restore air travel to Israel “to prevent the appearance and the substance of discrimination against the Jewish state”.

The three carriers stopped flying to Israel following the Hamas attacks of October 7. Delta has since extended the suspension of its flights to Israel through October 31 while American Airlines has done so until March 29 of next year.

Meanwhile, United said it has suspended its service for the foreseeable future.

Since when do airlines have an obligation to serve Israel?



SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Father of Israeli captive at Gaza border: ‘We’ll keep fighting our government that is blocking a deal’

A group of Israeli captives’ relatives have staged a rally near the Gaza border, calling on their government to immediately bring their loved ones home, reports Israel’s Haaretz news outlet.

One of the protesters at the border is Yehuda Cohen, the father of Israeli captive Nimrod Cohen.

Yehuda used a loudspeaker aimed at the border to send a message to his son, telling him “we continue to fight for you” and “will not give up until you come home”, according to a video posted by Haaretz.

He added: “We will continue to fight until we make a deal, and we will continue to fight against our government that is blocking the deal.”


Captives’ families breach Gaza fence in protest

Israeli media is reporting that the families of the captives held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian groups have broken through the border fence from the Israeli town of Nir Am.

Israeli outlet Channel 12 reported one of the family members as saying “We are inside Gaza and we will go to release them. The government did not bring them back, so we will do it ourselves.”

Reports say that the families were confronted by security forces and asked to leave Gaza, and that they complied. Footage shared by a group representing the captives’ families with local newspaper Haaretz shows the group of protesters.

Translation: Family members of captives cross the fence of Kibbutz Nir Am and run towards the Gaza Strip, today.



Around the Network
SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

EU’s Borrell raises possible sanctions against Israeli ministers

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has raised the prospect of levying sanctions against Israeli ministers who call for international law violations.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Borrell said he has begun the process of asking EU member states “if they consider (it) appropriate to include in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers (who) have been launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians, and proposing things that clearly go against international law”.

Borrell’s remarks come after Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter said she would fully back sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who have called to expel Palestinians from Gaza and even re-settle the enclave.

"begun the process of asking whether member states could consider it appropriate" WTF kinda soft language is that. The ICJ has already ruled the occupation of the West Bank illegal, that Israel is effectively an apartheid state. Following that it's the duty of UN member states to come to action.

Borrell should be demanding sanctions, not could you maybe begin to consider it appropriate. Grow some balls.


‘It cannot be business as usual’

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has spoken to reporters in Brussels.

“I am very conscious of the conclusions of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion published last month which places obligations on states and international organisations like the EU to examine its relations with Israel in the context of its illegal occupation of the West Bank and of Gaza,” he said.

He referred to the Association Agreement, which regulates ties between the EU and Israel. Ireland and Spain have been pressing their EU partners to examine whether Israel has broken the rules.

“It’s clear to us that international humanitarian law has been broken,” Martin said.

In a landmark ruling in July, the ICJ said Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”.


Former UK Labour Party leader calls for end to arms sales to Israel

British member of parliament and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for an end to arms sales to Israel amid the continuing attacks across the occupied West Bank.

“Israel knows it can commit war crimes with impunity. That is why it has launched its largest assault on the West Bank since 2002,” Corbyn said on X. “We are witnessing the total erasure of Palestine – and our government is shamefully complicit. End all arms sales to Israel, now,” he added.


‘Police state’: Pro-Palestinian group condemns UK government moves

The UK-based Palestine Action group of activists has criticised the reported arrest of a member for online posts, as well as a raid on the address of one of 10 previously arrested members, and the issuing of charges against another for supporting a “terrorist” organisation.

“This is what you call a police state – one which is trying desperately to protect the interests of a foreign genocidal entity,” the group said in a post on social media.

In protest at the war on Gaza, the group has been focusing on disrupting weapons manufacturers in the UK that supply arms to Israel.



SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Mediators eye new plan to resolve dispute over Philadelphi, Netzarim corridors: Report

Mediators in Gaza ceasefire negotiations are expected to put forward a new plan in the coming days to address disputes over the future security control of Gaza’s Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, reports Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

However, a foreign diplomat quoted by the paper stated that it was unclear whether this would mean “significant progress” towards a ceasefire deal, as major gaps remain between Israel and Hamas.

As we reported, Israel sent officials from the military, Mossad intelligence agency and Shin Bet security service to Qatar yesterday for more ceasefire negotiations.

Negotiations have recently been held up by the status of Gaza’s Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, with Israel’s government pushing for continued security control and Hamas insisting on Israel’s full withdrawal.


Defence minister calls for end to attacks in northern Israel to be part of war goals

Yoav Gallant said that the goals of the war on Gaza should be expanded to include a return for Israeli civilians to their homes in northern Israel, which have been evacuated because of the continuing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Our mission on the northern front is clear – to ensure the safe return of northern communities to their homes. In order to achieve this goal, we must expand the goals of the war, and include the safe return of Israel’s northern residents to their homes,” said Gallant.

“This will not diminish our absolute commitment to dismantling Hamas and returning the hostages,” Gallant added, according to a statement from his office.

Israeli officials are increasingly calling for an all-out war against Hezbollah, which has fired rockets and drones at northern Israel since October 8 in solidarity with Gaza, as Israel attacks areas across Lebanon. Both sides have so far avoided escalating to a full conflict, despite appearing to come close on several occasions, notably on Sunday when the Lebanese group fired a large barrage of projectiles at Israel in response to the assassination of a senior Hezbollah commander, and Israel launched attacks in southern Lebanon.


Israel says shooting at World Food Programme vehicle ‘error’

That’s the Israeli defence, according to the deputy US envoy to the UN.

Robert Wood told a UN Security Council meeting that an initial review had found the shots were fired at a WFP vehicle after a “communication error”. The vehicle was clearly marked as belonging to the UN, and the shots were fired at the windows, directly at what would have been the people inside the car.

“We have urged them to immediately rectify the issues within their system,” Wood said. “Israel must not only take ownership for its mistakes, but also take concrete actions to ensure the [Israeli military] does not fire on UN personnel again.”

But it’s not the first time Israel has fired upon humanitarian workers. In early April, seven aid workers from the US-based group World Central Kitchen were killed after the vehicles they were travelling in were targeted by an Israeli air raid.



SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Israel accuses Iran of smuggling weapons to West Bank, ‘threatening existence’ of PA

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has justified the largest Israeli incursions into the occupied West Bank in two decades by accusing Iran of smuggling weapons into the territory.

Katz claimed in a post on X that Tehran is smuggling arms through Syria to Jordan and then to the West Bank, particularly to Palestinian refugee camps.

“The Palestinian Authority is unable to confront this threat, which also endangers its existence,” the diplomat said in the latest Israeli threat to dismantle the body.

“Offensively, Israel must act decisively against the terror infrastructure being built on the ground, as we have already begun. Defensively, a security fence along the Israel-Jordan border must be constructed quickly to prevent an influx of advanced Iranian weapons.”

He also called for Western countries to “strengthen” Jordan so the kingdom can defend its borders.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) was established by the Oslo Accords in the 1990s. It was designed to pave the way to a Palestinian state. But Israel has refused to agree to a two-state solution and has increased the construction of illegal Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank, simultaneously making the possibility of a Palestinian state less realistic and weakening the PA.

The PA is unpopular among Palestinians, partly because of the security coordination it performs with Israel, which results in it arresting Palestinians.



Jordanian minister accuses Israel of spreading ‘disinformation’

Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, says Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is the “biggest threat” to the security of the region while accusing unnamed Israeli officials of spreading “disinformation” about his country and regional security.

“Radicals who celebrate the killing of children, use starvation as [a] weapon, bomb hospitals and schools, attack UN humanitarian missions, violate the sanctity of Muslim and Christian Holy sites in occupied Jerusalem and deny the right of the Palestinian people to life have no credibility,” he posted on X.

“Numerous Security Council resolutions, ICJ [International Court of Justice] rulings and testimonies by international organization[s] are more credible than the claims of an Israeli official who promotes collective punishment against the Palestinian people.”

Earlier, Katz, Safadi’s Israeli counterpart, called for a security fence to be dug along the Israel-Jordan border to stop what he said was the smuggling of Iranian weapons and also said Western countries need to “strengthen” Jordan so it can defend its borders.



SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

Just sounds like hollow words now. Deeply troubling, but here's more bombs, continue the genocide.

US calls Israeli attack on WFP vehicle ‘deeply troubling’

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has labelled an Israeli military attack on a UN World Food Programme (WFP) convoy in Gaza a “deeply troubling incident”.

“Humanitarian workers are there to help innocent civilians, and Israel must ensure they are protected,” he wrote on X.

The WFP has said it is suspending humanitarian operations in Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on the “clearly marked” UN aid convoy at a checkpoint on Tuesday evening.

It said in a statement the WFP vehicles had received “multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach” the checkpoint before Israeli forces opened fire, striking a vehicle 10 times with bullets.

The Israeli military has claimed that an initial review of the incident has found the shots were fired after a “communication error”.

Harris says ‘too many innocent Palestinians’ killed in Gaza, but won’t stop weapons delivery to Israel

US Vice President Kamala Harris has said a captives-for-ceasefire deal is needed in Gaza and reiterated that too many innocent civilians are being killed in the enclave.

The Democratic presidential nominee, however, told CNN that she would not break with President Joe Biden’s policies on Israel, including the delivery of weaponry.

“No,” she said when asked in an interview with the US network on Thursday if she would withhold weapons. “Israel has a right to defend itself … and how it does so matters. Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, and we have got to get a deal done,” she said.

Fuck Harris, no different from Biden.

Israeli military carries out attack on second aid convoy in southern Gaza: Reports

There are reports that Israel’s military carried out an air strike on a vehicle travelling in a convoy organised by US-based humanitarian group Anera in southern Gaza on Thursday evening.

According to unconfirmed reports, five people were killed in the strike on the convoy, which was carrying medical supplies and fuel to a hospital in Rafah. Anera’s Palestine country director, Sandra Rasheed, has described the attack as “shocking” in reports.

The Israeli military claimed it carried out the deadly strike after “armed men took over a vehicle at the front of the convoy and began to lead it”.

“There was no damage to the other vehicles in the convoy and it reached its destination according to the plan. The attack on the armed men removed the threat of them taking over the humanitarian convoy,” the Israeli military said.

Anera’s Rasheed did not confirm the Israeli military’s version of events about armed men, saying instead that “several individuals, all employed by the transportation company we work with” were killed.

“The convoy, which was coordinated by Anera and approved by Israeli authorities, included an Anera employee who was fortunately unharmed,” she said.

The air strike comes only hours after Israeli soldiers opened fire on a World Food Programme vehicle that was clearly marked with UN insignia, in an attack even the US – Israel’s strongest supporter of the war on Gaza – described as “deeply troubling”.

Five killed following Israeli attacks in Khan Younis, Jabalia camp

The Israeli military has killed at least five people, including a child, after carrying out attacks in the town of Abasan al-Kabira in southern Gaza and the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, the Wafa news agency reports.

Israeli fighter jets bombed a house in Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis, killing three people and injuring others, according to Wafa.

Two people, including a child, were also killed when Israeli forces bombed an apartment near the al-Hawja intersection in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.



SvennoJ on 29 August 2024

WHO tells UNSC: Gaza polio plan ‘not perfect’ but staff committed to rollout

This was a welcome announcement for the UN Security Council and the international community that had been voicing increasing alarm over the possibility of the spread of polio among the children of Gaza.

The announcement came just before the UNSC meeting that was called by the United Kingdom and Switzerland who are very concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. The WHO – briefing council members – said that the agreement is not perfect, not ideal. But it is something that they can work with.

They have divided the Gaza Strip into three zones: the middle, south and north, and they will spend three days at a minimum in each of those zones trying to reach 640,000 children under the age of 10.

That is just the first dose. There is a second dose that they will have to do as well. And they have gotten an agreement from Israel if they need to go an extra day beyond the three days so they can do that. They say that’s very likely something that they will need to do.

They have more than 2,100 workers ready to go and make this happen in very difficult circumstances. But they are committed and they are relieved at least at this baby step forward given the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.


Palestinian ambassador tells UNSC ‘humanity unravelling’ in Israel’s war on Gaza

Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s representative to the United Nations, has warned the UN Security Council (UNSC) that the world is witnessing the “unravelling” of humanity and the rule of law in Gaza as Israel carries out genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In a lengthy letter to the council, Mansour said, “Nothing is sacred, not even the life of a child, nothing too shameless, too deranged, too vicious for the occupying army to commit” in Gaza.

“Israel must be stopped, and the international community must act decisively. Every single day [Israel] proves that it has zero regard for international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, nor any regard for the Charter and authority of the UN,” he said.


UN official says war on Gaza challenges world’s commitment to ‘international legal order’

Joyce Msuya, acting UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, has told the UN Security Council of the severe hardships in providing aid to desperate people in Gaza and Israel’s orders to forcibly dislocate the population that “appear to defy the requirements of international humanitarian law”.

“We cannot plan more than 24 hours in advance because we struggle to know what supplies we will have, when we will have them or where we will be able to deliver,”  Msuya told the UNSC.

“Civilians are hungry. They are thirsty. They are sick. They are homeless. They have been pushed beyond … what any human being should bear,” she said.

“More than 88 percent of Gaza’s territory has come under an [Israeli] order to evacuate at some point,” Msuya said, adding that civilians, “in a state of limbo”, were being forced into an area equivalent to just 11 percent of the Gaza Strip.

“What we have witnessed over the past 11 months … calls into question the world’s commitment to the international legal order that was designed to prevent these tragedies,” she added.

“It forces us to ask: What has become of our basic sense of humanity?”