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

SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Israeli forces killed Palestinian man, child distributing food in Jenin: Report

The Wafa news agency is reporting that the 17 people killed in Israel’s ongoing raids on Jenin included a Palestinian man and child who were shot while trying to distribute bread to the besieged residents of the city.

The two were killed on Sunday at the entrance to the village of Kafr Dan on the outskirts of the city of Jenin, Wafa reported.


Israel’s military confirms air attack on Jenin

The military said in a post on X that its aircraft hit a group of people “throwing explosives” at Israeli forces in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

We reported earlier that a young Palestinian man was killed in an Israeli drone attack on the town of Silat al-Harithiya, in the Jenin governorate. He was the 17th person killed by Israeli forces since they launched large-scale operations in the northern area.


Israeli forces stop and search ambulance in Jenin

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has posted a video on X showing Israeli forces stopping and searching one of its ambulances in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

“The soldiers entered the vehicle after forcing the crew out and preventing them from staying nearby during the inspection,” the PRCS said.

The incident is the latest in a series of Israeli actions the PRCS said has obstructed the work of medics in the occupied West Bank. These include preventing ambulances from reaching wounded people in areas under attack.

As we’ve been reporting, Israeli forces are laying siege to Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp for a sixth day as part of a military operation that has killed 17 people there and 29 across the northern West Bank.


Car with explosives stopped from entering Israeli settlement

Israeli security forces have intercepted a car laden with explosives from entering the illegal settlement Ateret in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council of the occupied West Bank, Israeli media outlet Ynet is reporting.

The report added that the area has been sealed off by security personnel, who are now working to dismantle two large gas canisters attached to a detonator found in the vehicle.


Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank

Jenin resident Ayman Rajeh Abed has died as a result of beatings and torture by Israeli security forces, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said in a joint statement.

“According to the initial medical examination of the martyr Abed … the traces of the handcuffs were clear on his hands, and the traces of beating and torture on his body,” the statement said.

Abed, 58, was arrested from his home earlier today.

At least 24 Palestinians have been killed in a five-day Israeli assault that began on Wednesday, one of the largest raids in the occupied West Bank in decades.



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SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Palestinians in Jenin say Israel handing out collective punishment

What Palestinians have been repeating to us in Jenin over the past six days is that this is collective punishment.

They say Israel wants to show that Palestinians would pay a heavy price for supporting armed fighters – those who pick up arms and try to combat Israeli forces while they are raiding Palestinian homes, refugee camps and cities.

They say that they could have dealt with the security necessities that Israel says it’s interested in without damaging the lives of Palestinians, without depriving them of food and water, demolishing roads and homes.

This is not a country where people have an abundance of money. You are talking about refugee camps and cities without a solid economy. People are mostly living in poverty.


Israeli settlers set fire to olive tree fields in the occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers set fire to large swaths of land in the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, the news agency Wafa reported.

The head of the village council, Yaqoub Awis, told Wafa that settlers set fire to olive tree fields near the road between Ramallah and Nablus.

In August, the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission found that Israeli settlers had undertaken 206 acts of vandalism and theft of citizens’ property.

The settlers also stole 509 herds of sheep, seized nine vehicles and tractors, and uprooted 477 trees, including 397 olive trees, in Hebron, Salfit, Bethlehem, Nablus and Ramallah.


Palestinian journalist assaulted by Israeli soldiers in West Bank

Israeli forces have attacked Mohammed Abu Zeid, a Wafa news agency photographer, in Ramallah. The agency reported that the soldiers also confiscated the memory card from his camera.

Abu Zeid said he was assaulted with rifle butts, verbally abused and briefly detained by the soldiers.

Attacks on Palestinian journalists have intensified since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7. According to preliminary figures by the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 111 journalists and media workers were among those killed since the war broke out.

The Government Media Office in Gaza says the figure is at least 172.


Israeli gunfire reported in central Jenin

Our colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli soldiers have opened fire near the Cinema Roundabout in the centre of the city.

The death toll from Israel’s ongoing operations in the northern parts of the occupied West Bank is at least 29, the news agency Wafa reported. These include 17 killed in the Jenin governorate, five in Tulkarem, four in Tubas and three in Hebron.


Israeli bulldozers raze streets in Jenin city

Israeli bulldozers have razed streets in the centre of Jenin city, which has experienced a widespread assault by Israeli forces since Wednesday, the news agency Wafa reported.

Wafa said bulldozers completely razed the Cinema Roundabout in the city’s centre, the streets leading to it, sidewalks and stalls in front of shops on Nablus Street.

It added that Israeli forces threatened members of the press in the area with shooting if they were present near the Cinema Roundabout.



SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Israel bombs several towns in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military said its fighter jets bombed a Hezbollah rocket launcher in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon and carried out artillery attacks on Kfarchouba and Shebaa.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli jets also hit another Hezbollah launcher in Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, as well as the group’s buildings in Beit Lif, Taybeh and Odaisseh, it said.


Two killed in Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon

Two people have been killed in Israeli drone strikes near Naqoura in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry says. It did not provide information about the identity of the victims.

Lebanese media reported the strikes targeted a vehicle.

Separately, the Israeli army confirmed carrying out overnight air raids on what it says were Hezbollah “military buildings” in Yaroun, Ayta al-Shab, Hanine, Tayr Harfa and Blida in southern Lebanon.


Hezbollah says it hit Israel settlements with rockets

The Lebanese armed group says it has bombed the settlements of Ein Yaakov, Ga’aton and Yehiam with Katyusha rockets.


Merchant ship attacked near Yemen: Report

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has announced an attack on a merchant vessel some 70 nautical miles (130km) northwest of Yemen’s Saleef, according to the Reuters news agency.

The UKMTO, in an advisory note, said the vessel was hit by two unknown projectiles and that damage control was under way. It said a third explosion occurred in close proximity to the vessel, but that there were no casualties on board.

There were no further details.

The incident comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched attacks on international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.


Projectiles hit vessel off Yemen’s coast

Two projectiles hit a merchant vessel off Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate, the British maritime security agency said, reporting that the crew was safe and assessing the damage.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship reported it was “hit by two unknown projectiles” before “a third explosion occurred nearby”. “Damage control is underway,” UKMTO said, adding there “are no casualties onboard and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call”.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the presumed attack in the area where Yemen’s Houthi group has targeted ships it says are linked to Israel in a campaign in solidarity with Palestinians.

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 02 September 2024

SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

More "thoughts and prayers"

France’s Macron calls for immediate truce, release of all captives

In a post on X, the French president expressed “shock and indignation at the discovery of the six hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza”.

“My thoughts are with their loved ones,” Emmanuel Macron said.

“There must be an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, including [French-Israeli captives] Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Kalderon,” he added. “The war must stop.”


Malaysia, New Zealand PMs call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his New Zealand counterpart Chris Luxon made the appeal during a joint news conference in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

“We both are very united in calling for an immediate ceasefire, getting the parties around the negotiating table and finding a two-state solution,” Luxon told reporters.

Anwar said prospects for a ceasefire did not look encouraging at present, saying there was a lack of commitment from countries, particularly the US, who could exert their influence to stop the conflict.

“The only hope is to engage the United States to take a stronger stance,” the Malaysian leader said.



SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Who is taking part in the general strike in Israel?

As we’ve been reporting, Israel’s biggest labour union, Histadrut, has called for a general strike starting at 6am local time (3GMT) to pressure Netanyahu and secure the release of captives held in Gaza.

The Times of Israel and Reuters news agency said others backing the work stoppage include:

  • The Israel Business Forum, which represents most private-sector workers from 200 of the country’s largest companies
  • companies from Israel’s tech sector such as Wix, Fiverr, HoneyBook, Playtika, Riskified, AppsFlyer, Monday.com, AI21 Labs and Lemonade
  • workers at Ben Gurion airport, Israel’s main international transport hub, which will be closed from 8am (05:00 GMT)
  • Israel Bar Association, whose chief Amit Becher called on “all lawyers to go on strike”
  • the Teacher’s Union, a branch of the Histadrut, which said all K-12 schools in Israel will only be open until 11:45am local time, except schools for special needs students
  • The Association of University Heads, which said Israel’s research universities will also join the economic shutdown, though some scheduled exams will still be had
  • Tel Aviv’s municipality, which provides services to the country’s largest economic hub
  • the Manufacturers Association of Israel, which accused the government of failing in its “moral duty” to bring the captives back alive
  • Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who called for the economy to be shut down to pressure “Netanyahu and the death cabinet”.


Will the mass protests in Israel make a difference?

Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and an international adviser to Jewish Voice for Peace, described the mass protests in Israel as well as the upcoming strike action as a “big deal”.

“It seems this is the biggest set of protests that we’ve seen since the beginning of this round of horrific assaults on Gaza that began after October 7. The question will be whether the quantitative increase – it’s now up to about 500,000 [protesters] apparently – whether that becomes a qualitative difference in the impact on government decisions,” she told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC.

“They’re talking about a strike that would involve the health sector, shutting down the international airport which is very key for the Israeli economy, as well as there’s been calls from the tech sector and from manufacturing to shut down factories and shut down the the tech world. Those are huge components of the Israeli economy,” she said.

“So that means there will be a huge impact on the government – whether it’s enough to change the position of Netanyahu and his closest allies remains very unclear. But that is a very big step to take and […] that hasn’t happened in at least a couple of years.”


US needs to stop arming Israel to force change in Netanyahu’s stance on Gaza

More from Bennis at the Institute for Policy Studies. The analyst said US pressure is needed in combination with mass protests to force the Israeli government to change its tack on the war in Gaza.

“Clearly the best way to bring all the hostages home, to get the Palestinian prisoners released – some 10,000 of them who are being held illegally inside Israeli prisons, 6,000 of them without any charges, and stopping this genocidal war that Israel is waging in Gaza – the best way to do that is for the United States to stop sending weapons,” Bennis told Al Jazeera.

“Because whatever statements come from the president, from the vice president from anyone else, from Congress – none of it matters as long as the United States continues to send weapons that make it possible for Israel to continue this war. That’s the one qualitative distinction that can happen and we seen no indication yet that it’s about to.”



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SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Trains delayed, cancelled in Israel as strike takes effect: Report

Israel’s Ynet News is reporting disruptions to light rail services in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem as workers joined a general strike called to pressure Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of captives held in Gaza.

Tevel, the company that operates light rail services in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, said train services will “operate in a reduced format” and that there may be disruptions and delays, according to Ynet.

In West Jerusalem, operator Cfir said the city’s light rail system will not operate until 12pm local time (09:00 GMT) because of the strike called by Histadrut, the country’s largest labour union.

Services will return to normal once the strike ends, Cfir said, according to Ynet.


Israel’s finance minister says striking workers will not be paid

Bezalel Smotrich said he has directed the treasury not to pay anyone who joins the general strike called by Histadrut.

The far-right minister, who has also called on the courts to stop the strike action, also accused the chairman of Histadrut, Arnon Bar-David, of working in the interests of Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar.

“I regret that instead of the Histadrut Chairman choosing to support the State of Israel in these difficult times by helping to strengthen the Israeli economy, support businesses, and back reservists, he is effectively fulfilling Sinwar’s dream,” Smotrich said in a statement.

“Instead of representing Israeli workers, he chooses to represent Hamas’s interests.”


Israeli court to hear petitions against general strike: Report

Israel’s Labour Court is set to hear a petition seeking an injunction against the general strike declared by Histadrut at 10:30am (07:30 GMT) today, according to Ynet News.

The petition was filed by smaller right-wing organisations representing the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza, including the Tikva Forum, which called the strike a “death sentence for the surviving hostages”.


Israeli government seeks injunction against Histadrut strike

The Times of Israel and Ynet News are reporting that Netanyahu and Smotrich have filed a court request seeking a ruling against the ongoing strike, declared by the labour union Histadrut.

The petition asked the court to declare that the strike “announced by the Histadrut chairman, regarding all employees of the state, is not a strike for a collective labor dispute, and is, therefore, a political strike”.



SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Disruptions reported at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport

Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting the suspension of flights and disruptions at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport as a result of the ongoing general strike. A video shared by the channel on X shows baggage conveyor belts at a standstill and large numbers of passengers gathered around the check-in desks.

Operations at the airport are expected to face disruptions between 8am and 10am local time (05:00- 07:00 GMT). Channel 12 also cited a source at Histadrut saying the labour union is considering continuing the strike on Tuesday as well.

Protests in Israel ‘could push Netanyahu out of his corner’

Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says the ongoing protests and strike in Israel could bring the country to a critical junction should they grow in number and threaten Netanyahu’s coalition.

“If the Histadrut joins these protests, they could grow bigger and put real pressure on the Netanyahu government,” Qarmout told Al Jazeera, referring to Israel’s main labour union which called for a general strike today.

“There is anger, there is frustration and there is also the realisation that now we are closer to a year of this war, that the goals that Netanyahu has declared are near impossible to achieve.

“Before the onset of this war, Israel was already a divided society. Now you have the likes of [Finance Minister] Smotrich – he wants to impose sanctions, he calls for these demonstrations to end.”

The US could use the demonstrations to increase pressure on the Israeli government, he argues. “We are approaching the US elections now. If the Americans are serious about exercising any leverage on Netanyahu, this could push Netanyahu out of his corner.”


Workers, civil aviation companies at Tel Aviv airport extend strike

Israeli media reports that the two-hour strike at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, originally planned for this morning, is set to continue as workers and civil aviation companies decide to prolong their action in response to a call by Israel’s main labour union Histadrut.

The union called for a nationwide general strike today following the recovery of the bodies of six captives in Gaza on Saturday, aimed at putting pressure on the government to make a deal with Hamas for the release of the remaining captives.

Israeli outlet Ynet News reported that seven flights were allowed to take off from the airport, but other scheduled flights remain grounded.


Passengers wait for flights at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv during a nationwide strike on September 2



SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Israeli court orders nationwide strike to end

Israel’s Labour Court in Tel Aviv has ruled that the ongoing strike across the country must end at 2:30pm (11:30 GMT), according to local media outlets.

Earlier we reported on the Israeli government filing an injunction against a general strike today by one of the country’s largest labour unions, Histardrut.

The strike was declared to pressure the government into agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the deaths of six captives held by Hamas triggered mass protests across the country.

The chairman of the labour union Histadrut says he has instructed workers to go back to work following the order by an Israeli labour court to end the general strike by 2:30pm (11:30 GMT), Israeli media outlet N12 is reporting.

“We live in a state of law and respect the court’s decision. Therefore I instruct everyone to return to work at 2:30pm,” Arnon Bar-David said, according to N12. “It is important to emphasise that the identification strike was an important move and I stand behind it.”

Strikers hope to apply ‘economic pressure’ on Israeli government

As Israelis take to the streets to force the government to agree to a ceasefire deal, it’s still “difficult” to say how much this will change Netanyahu’s mind, as the country’s Labour Court rules the general strike must end early, according to Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut.

“Even though some of these strikes might end early, people are still going to be protesting in the streets. The last time we saw a large labour union strike like this was when the country was protesting a different issue, and it had an impact on the government that actually allowed them to change course in their legislation,” Salhut said.

She added that it’s the “economic pressure” that the demonstrators and the labour union are hoping to apply on Netanyahu and the government so that “there can be a deal, ultimately to release the captives”.

Israeli police arrest protesters in Tel Aviv

Israeli police have arrested some protesters in Tel Aviv as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to demand the government agree to a ceasefire deal to return the captives held in Gaza.

Demonstrators block major roads across Israel, call for captives’ release


Family, friends and supporters of Israeli captives take part in a protest on the Israeli coastal road outside the Yakum kibbutz

Demonstrators have gathered in central Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and elsewhere across Israel to demand that the government reach a deal with Hamas for the release of the remaining captives, amid a general strike called by Israel’s largest labour union.


Demonstrators gather in central Jerusalem, lifting placards and chanting slogans as they stop traffic to call for the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza

The strike on Monday shuttered parts of the country, though some sectors were unaffected.

It comes a day after mass demonstrations following the army’s announcement that troops had recovered the bodies of six captives in a Gaza tunnel.

The Labour Court of Israel ordered a halt to a strike, citing its “politically motivated” nature.


Families and supporters of Israeli captives lift placards and chant slogans calling for their release during a rally in Tel Aviv, on September 2


Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid attends the rally in Tel Aviv



SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Attack on ‘safe zones’ keeps repeating itself, says Israeli historian

Following the Israeli air strike in Deir el-Balah near a hospital that had been designated as “safe” for Palestinians to bring their children to get a polio vaccination, Ilan Pappe, an Israeli historian, says: “We’ve been here before.”

“When supposedly safe zones for Palestinians in Gaza were bombed, this keeps repeating itself. An Israeli prime minister is adamant in continuing a situation of the war as he would see it as long as he can until the next elections in Israel in 2026,” Pappe told Al Jazeera.

“He would do everything possible to make sure that there are no conditions or circumstances for ending the Israeli genocidal attack on Gaza.”

He added that the “cynical attack” that just occurred in Deir el-Balah indicates that this “inhuman cynicism would be perpetrated again and again” unless there is external intervention.


Netanyahu, coalition only ones that determine Israeli policies in Gaza

As an Israeli court ordered protesters to end their strike, calling them “politically motivated”, Israeli historian Ilan Pappe says the label is just a “game, it has nothing to do with legality or illegality”.

“This is a balance of power by which, until now at least, the base of Netanyahu, his coalition allies and himself, are still the ones who determine Israeli policies inside Israel and towards the Palestinians in Gaza,” Pappe told Al Jazeera.

Amid reports that the United States is expected to hand Netanyahu a “take-it-or-leave-it” ceasefire deal, Pappe said these statements have come repeatedly, and the US is still a key mediator.

“Netanyahu is going to reject the American proposal, whatever it is… his main strategy is to continue the situation of the war because he believes that’s the only way that can assure his political survival,” Pappe said.



SvennoJ on 02 September 2024

Biden says Netanyahu not doing enough to secure captives deal

US President Joe Biden says he does not believe Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing enough to achieve a prisoner-captives exchange deal with Hamas.

Netanyahu has insisted on staying in the Netzarim and Philadelphi Corridors, which has become a negotiation stalemate.

He's said it before, but instead of doing something Biden seems to have given up.

Israeli official pushes back on Biden’s comments

Following Biden’s comment that Netanyahu was not doing enough to secure a ceasefire deal with Hamas, Israeli media is quoting a senior Israeli official as saying that Biden’s remarks were “puzzling”.

The official, who is part of Netanyahu’s office, said the PM agreed to the US proposal “as early as May 31 and to the US bridging proposal on August 16”.

Biden’s comment “is especially dangerous when it is made just days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, including an American citizen”, the official added.

However, the May 31 US proposal the official is referring to was a speech Biden gave that shared details of the captives deal. It did not include the demand by Israel to maintain control over the Philadelphi Corridor.

This demand, made by Netanyahu, was only made in July and has since become a key obstacle in securing a deal.


Biden comments acknowledge Netanyahu undermining deal: Hamas

Responding to US President Joe Biden’s remarks on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “not doing enough” during ceasefire talks, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri says the comments are an acknowledgement that Israel’s leader is undermining efforts.

Any proposal for a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be received positively, Abu Zuhri said.


Biden says close to presenting final deal for Gaza

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said he was close to presenting a final proposal for a deal to release captives held in Gaza.

Israeli forces, over the weekend, recovered the bodies of six captives, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American-Israeli, from Gaza. That sparked criticism of the Biden administration’s Gaza ceasefire strategy and ratcheted up pressure on Netanyahu from Israelis to bring the remaining captives back.

Asked whether he thought Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a hostage deal, Biden said: “No.”

He did not elaborate. Asked if he was planning to present a final deal to both sides this week, Biden said: “We’re very close to that.”

I guess Iran will see that as a green light to retaliate for the bombing of Ismail Haniyeh in Theran. Netanyahu isn't going to accept it, Hamas won't accept it if Biden's altered deal includes Netanyahu's extra stipulations.