Palestinians in Jenin still stranded at home without food, water

This is the fifth day of the military operation in Jenin. It happened suddenly so no one was prepared for it. Now, many Palestinians are left without water and food.

We’ve been speaking to families who say that their children are waking up scared of the noise. People cannot provide their loved ones with a sense of safety. This is a reminder of what it means to be a Palestinian under military occupation. You have no control over your town, no control over your streets. You don’t know if you’re going to get home safely or even if your home is going to be spared.

Israel ‘blocking and even targeting’ ambulances in Jenin assault

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says Israeli forces have been obstructing access to health facilities, blocking traffic and targeting ambulances in Jenin, delaying people’s access to care.

The NGO has called the “scale and intensity” of Israel’s ongoing assault on Jenin “alarming”, adding that Israeli forces are surrounding the Khalil Suleiman Hospital – also known as the Jenin Government Hospital – in the city, where electricity and water supplies are at risk.

The organisation also mentioned receiving reports that an MSF-trained volunteer was beaten and interrogated by Israeli authorities in Tulkarem.

Israeli forces arrest 36 Palestinians in West Bank raids

Palestinian prisoners’ groups report that Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since yesterday evening, including a journalist, four female students from Hebron and former prisoners.

A joint statement by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said Israel has arrested 110 Palestinians since the start of the military operation in the city of Jenin on Wednesday – the largest Israeli incursion into the West Bank in decades.

This brings the number of Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank and Jerusalem to more than 10,400 since the start of the war on October 7.

Problem with that is Israel considers everyone in Gaza 'Hamas'. But you're right, when all Palestinians are dead, this part of the war can end. That's the end goal, to clear Gaza and the West Bank from Palestinians. It's a war on civilians, or rather the Palestinians identity.

Accept occupation and apartheid or leave / die.

It's ethnic cleansing Israel is after.

Hamas was created as resistance to Israel's occupation and displacement of Palestinians. Hamas surrendering will not change anything, only pave the way for the next flare up.

If Israel cares about Israel, they should stop this madness. Israel is on a self destruct course. What's not reported is millions of Jews leaving Israel, Israel's economy weakening and the massive drain on society from the ongoing military draft and casualties.

Israel isn't going to stop even if Hamas surrenders.

(Plus executing people that surrender is another war crime)

UK PM calls for captive release, ceasefire in Gaza

UK PM Keir Starmer says he is shocked by what he describes as “the horrific and senseless” killing of six captives in Gaza.

“My thoughts are with their loved ones at this awful time,” Starmer said in a post on X. “Hamas must release all the hostages now, and a ceasefire deal must be agreed by all sides immediately to end the suffering.”

Between October 7 and end of May this year, the UK granted more than 100 export licences for the sale of weapons and military equipment to Israel, official figures show.

The value of these deals has not been revealed.

Israel claims it struck Hamas ‘command and control centre’

The Israeli army said its air force hit what it called a Hamas “command and control centre” embedded inside the former “Safad” school in Gaza City.

The army said its forces will continue to “firmly operate against the terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, who systematically exploit schools and additional civilian infrastructure for their terrorist activities”.

Still zero credible evidence Hamas has used any school as a command and control center. Just more lies.

Israeli trade union calls for general strike on Monday

The head of Israel’s Histadrut labour union has called for a general strike on Monday to pressure the government into reaching a deal to return Israeli captives still held in Gaza.

Arnon Bar-David called on all civilian workers to join the strike and said Ben Gurion airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, would be closed from 8am (05:00 GMT).

“We must stop the abandonment of the hostages… I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken,” said Bar-David in a statement.

“We need to reach a deal, a deal that is more important than anything else. A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable.”

Who is taking part in Israel’s strike on Monday?

The head of Israel’s biggest labour union has called for a general strike on Monday to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to bring back Israeli captives held in Gaza as thousands of protesters take to the streets.

Earlier, Israel recovered the bodies of six captives from a tunnel in southern Gaza, according to the military, prompting fury and grief among Israelis. The call for a one-day general strike was made by Arnon Bar-David, whose Histadrut  union represents hundreds of thousands of workers.

Others backing the strike include:

Israeli finance minister warns those who strike won’t be paid

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on workers to ignore labour union chief Arnon Bar-David’s calls to strike. saying it would “represent the interests of Hamas”, the Times of Israel reports.

Several unions in Israel have called for a general strike on Monday to force the government to agree to a deal that will secure the return of captives held in Gaza. However, Smotrich said anyone who does strike would not be paid.

He added that since the Oslo Accords, “we [Israel] surrendered and fled, gathered behind walls and fences. We asked for artificial peace and tranquility in the present and mortgaged the future for it”.

Now, he said, is the time for a “correction” and to prove to the world there is a “military solution to terrorism, that it can be destroyed with determination and persistence”.

Netanyahu still insists on military solution to Gaza conflict

Some Israeli officials are saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that military pressure is the only way to bring about the release of the captives.

Netanyahu says Hamas killed these captives and that Hamas is not interested in a deal. But Netanyahu, for so long, has had these incredibly hard lines that have caused a lot of tension within his own government.

There’s also pressure now from families of captives. We’ve been seeing it since the beginning of the war. They have said he is neither capable nor willing to make a deal, and that is still their belief that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for personal and political gains.

He maintains that military solutions are the only way to continue this conflict.

Well that's true, stop the 'military solutions' and the conflict can be resolved. Slip of the tongue? Or admission he only wants to continue the conflict.

Israeli minister seeks court approval to halt Monday’s strike

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked the country’s attorney general to submit an urgent request to the courts to block a planned nationwide strike that aims to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to bring back Israeli captives held in Gaza.

In his letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Smotrich argued a strike had no legal basis since it aimed to improperly influence significant policy decisions of politicians on issues related to “state security”.

He also said a broad strike – which would shut the country including outgoing international flights – has significant economic consequences that would cause unnecessary economic damage in wartime.

The call for a one-day general strike by Arnon Bar-David, whose Histadrut union represents hundreds of thousands of workers, is backed by Israel’s main manufacturers and entrepreneurs in the high-tech sector. The stoppage would begin at 6am (03:00 GMT).

Israelis call for return of captives held in Gaza

<sub>People attend a demonstration calling for the immediate return of captives held in Gaza, outside the Israeli prime minister’s office in Jerusalem


Demonstrations erupted after Israel announced its troops found six dead captives in a Gaza tunnel</sub>



Biden sends the bombs to kill them...

_{Relatives and supporters of Israeli captives block a major road in central Jerusalem on Sunday, September 1}

‘We are suffering here so much and we are going out to show it’

Daniel Lifshitz, the grandson of a captive taken to Gaza on October 7, says it’s devastating to hear the news of the deaths of six more Israelis.

“For me personally, I’m very worried because I have a grandfather who has been there for nearly one year. He’s someone who for all his life did everything for co-existence and for peace,” Lifshitz told Al Jazeera.

He said Israelis will continue civil disobedience to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal for the release of those held, with new momentum after the six bodies were recovered in Gaza on Saturday.

Lifshitz said there are 29 captives alone from his kibbutz of Nir Oz who are still being held. “We are suffering here so much and we are going out to show it. Finally, this deal will bring back our loved ones and end the suffering of the Gazans.”

‘Take to the streets and shut down the country’

Thousands of Israeli protesters are blocking roads in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and demonstrating outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of some of those held in Gaza, said the death of six captives is the direct result of Netanyahu’s failure to secure a deal to halt the fighting and bring their loved ones home.

Gil Dickmann – cousin of Carmel Gat, whose body was among those returned – urged Israelis to put pressure on the government in a post on social media platform X.

“Take to the streets and shut down the country until everyone returns. They can still be saved,” Dickmann wrote.

_{The mother of Eden Yerushalmi, a captive whose body was retrieved from Gaza, mourns at her funeral in Petach Tikva, Israel, on Sunday}

Relatives of killed captive refuse Netanyahu condolence call

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he spoke to the family of Alexander Lobanov, whose body was among the six recovered from Gaza, apologising and expressing “deep sorrow” over his death.

But the family of another captive, Carmel Gat, said they refused to speak to Netanyahu, and instead called on Israelis to join protests demanding a deal to release the remaining captives.

“We have no interest in talking to whoever murdered Carmel or being a prop in his media circus. We will not allow him to use us as justification and legitimisation for the murder of the next abductee. The blood of the kidnapped is on his hands,” Gat’s cousin, Gil Dickmann, wrote on X.

Israelis block main Tel Aviv highway to demand Gaza ceasefire

מכת"זית מתיזה מים על אנשים שאפילו לא נמצאים על איילון

צילום: דנור אהרון pic.twitter.com/TkLZpP9Ny2

— אלימות ישראל (@Alimut_Israel) September 1, 2024

‘Stop the war,’ says Peace Now

Israeli activist group Peace Now has said on X “the people have had enough with this bloody government” as it reposted an image of tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrating in Tel Aviv for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Stop the war. Hostage deal now,” the group said.

Mass protests in Israel unlike any before

The anti-government demonstrations in Israel are markedly different than previous protests throughout the war, according to Ori Goldberg, a political commentator.

“The people who have been demonstrating for the hostages up until now … [were] generally perceived to be somewhat similar to the people who had been protesting against Netanyahu for a year before the war broke out, which means demonstrations were classified as political,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera.

That has shifted within the last 24 hours because Israel’s two stated goals of the war – returning the captives and destroying Hamas – no longer seem complementary to Israeli public opinion, he added.

Israeli citizens have realised the six captives’ deaths could have been avoided and the Israeli military “is running around like a headless chicken”, Goldberg said.

“The understanding that has seeped into the public consciousness … [is that] the military pressure our prime minister was so proud of, not only is it not assisting in the return of the hostages, it’s killing them.”

Israeli outcry over captive deaths: ‘This is an earthquake’

Despite rising criticism, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the fighting until Hamas is destroyed. The Israeli army, noting the difficulty of rescue operations, has acknowledged a ceasefire deal is the only way to bring home large numbers of captives safely.

Some analysts said the public outcry over the six hostages who died could signal a new level of political pressure on Netanyahu.

“I think this is an earthquake. This isn’t just one more step in the war,” said Nomi Bar-Yaacov, associate fellow in the International Security Program at Chatham House, shortly before Sunday’s mass protests.

Critics have accused the prime minister of putting his personal interests over those held in Gaza. The war’s end likely will lead to an investigation into his government’s failures in the October 7 attacks, the government’s collapse, and early elections.

Huge Israel protests – ‘Netanyahu can handle it’

Gideon Levy, a columnist with Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, expressed scepticism that the massive protests in Israel will finally force Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government into a ceasefire deal to return the captives held in Gaza.

“No, it will not be enough – unless it’s the beginning of something big – because if it will all be concluded tomorrow Netanyahu can handle it. Don’t forget most of those protesting are not from the political base of Netanyahu,” Levy told Al Jazeera.

He noted the far-right parties in the government “could not care less about the hostages”.

Here come the condemnations etc, "thoughts and prayers"

German Chancellor Scholz condemns death of captives, calls for ceasefire

“The news of six hostages found dead in the Gaza Strip fills us with sadness and anger. Hamas terrorists are responsible for the deaths of these women and men, with one of them having a connection to Germany,” Olaf Scholz said in a post on X.

The chancellor called for a ceasefire, saying the captives held by Hamas must have top priority.

The news of six hostages found dead in the Gaza Strip fills us with sadness and anger. Hamas terrorists are responsible for the deaths of these women and men, with one of them having a connection to Germany.

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) September 1, 2024

Italian FM mourns killed captives, calls for ceasefire

“Deepest condolences … to the people of Israel for the killing of six hostages kidnapped by Hamas last October 7,” Antonio Tajani said in a post on X. “We ask for an immediate ceasefire to guarantee the release of the hostages and aid to the Palestinian population.”

Spain denounces death of six captives

The Spanish Foreign Ministry has condemned the killing of the six Israeli captives held in Gaza. In a statement, the ministry said: “The government of Spain sends a message of condolence and support to the families of the victims.

“We reiterate our call to the parties and mediators to achieve a permanent and lasting ceasefire agreement, which will allow the immediate release of all captives, the entry of humanitarian aid, and progress towards peace in the Middle East.”

Prominent US Democrat urges Gaza deal after dead captives recovered

Senator Dick Durbin said in a post on X that he’s “heartbroken and devastated” by the news of US-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s death, echoing the sentiments of other American officials and lawmakers.

“A ceasefire must be reached immediately that allows all remaining hostages to be released, humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, and an elusive and neglected long-term vision for peace and stability to become a reality,” said Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the US Senate.

I’m heartbroken and devastated to learn of Hersh Goldberg-Polin's murder in captivity. I will be keeping the entire Goldberg-Polin family in my thoughts, especially Hersh’s parents, Jon and Rachel, during this unimaginable time.

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) September 1, 2024

The fuck?

Republican Senator Graham blames ‘Great Satan’ Iran for captive deaths

Hardline US Senator Lindsey Graham has blamed Iran for the death of six Israeli captives in Gaza and pressed the administration of US President Joe and Israel’s government to target Tehran’s oil refineries in response.

“If you want the hostages home, which we all do, you have to increase the cost to Iran. Iran is the Great Satan. Hamas is the junior partner,” Graham told the ABC news programme This Week.

“I would urge the Biden administration and Israel to hold Iran accountable for the fate of [the] remaining hostages, and put on the target list oil refineries in Iran if the hostages are not released.”

Graham told Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “tell the Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei] what he values is on the target list. Until that happens, nobody is coming home”.

And the war continues without missing a beat

Eleven killed after Israel bombs school housing war displaced

Gaza’s civil defence agency says 11 people were killed and dozens wounded when Israel bombed the former “Safad” school in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. The school now houses displaced Palestinians.

Earlier, we reported the Israeli military’s claim that its air force hit a Hamas “command and control centre” allegedly embedded inside the facility.

Six Palestinians killed in the north, four in central Gaza in Israeli strikes

The civil defence agency reports six people have been killed during Israeli bombing in the northern Gaza Strip. Authorities also said four people died when Israeli forces attacked a civilian vehicle on Salah al-Din Street, south of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

At least 40,738 Palestinians have been killed and 94,154 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023.

‘Best vaccine for children is peace’: WHO chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, posted pictures of children in Gaza receiving “much-needed political vaccines today”.

But, he said, “ultimately the best vaccine for these children is peace”.

Earlier we reported the WHO chief saying polio vaccination teams in Gaza must be “protected and allowed to conduct the upcoming campaign in Gaza safely”.