UNRWA ‘a target’ for what it represents since assault on Gaza began

Ibrahim Fraihat, an associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has been “a target by the Israeli government” since the war on Gaza was launched.

His comments came after Wednesday’s attack on the UN-run al-Jaouni school, which killed 18 Palestinians, among them six UN staff members.

The UNRWA flag on the school, he said, made it a target instead of protecting it from Israeli bombardment.

“From the beginning of this genocide … [UNRWA] has been a target by the Israeli government for what it represents,” Fraihat said.

“UNRWA represents … the right of return for the Palestinian refugees who were kicked out of their homes in 1948. So UNRWA represents a cause – a right of return for refugees – and this is what Israel has been trying to eliminate.”

The agency has come under attack numerous times and has lost more than 220 of its staff in various attacks since October 7.

UNRWA is the most “knowledgeable of the situation in Gaza”, and has been working with refugees in the enclave for decades, making it “very indispensable”, Fraihat said.

“It has a system of operations that extends all over Gaza that makes humanitarian deliveries essential and indispensable – no one, no international organisations … can come into Gaza and substitute UNRWA.”

Israeli army arrests four Palestinians in Tubas: Report

The Israeli army has arrested four people in Tubas during a large, ongoing military operation across the West Bank. The Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society in Tubas as saying that one man and his two sons were among those arrested in a raid on their home.

The Israeli military has been raiding Tubas for a second day and has arrested a total of nine people, the agency said.

PRCS retrieves bodies of three Palestinians after strike in Gaza City

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says it has retrieved the bodies of three people killed in an Israeli air raid in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.

The organisation said on X that it was also providing medical treatment to three people injured in the strike.

One Palestinian killed in Israeli attack on Shujayea, Civil Defence says

_{Palestinians search the rubble for survivors at the site of an Israeli air strike}

Gaza’s Civil Defence says its teams have also pulled five wounded Palestinians from the scene of the attack on a residential home in Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood.



The home on al-Nazaz street belonged to the Abu Assr family, it said in a statement, adding that its teams are working on putting out a fire.

Several other people remain trapped under the rubble.


_{Palestinians survey the debris of a destroyed house belonging to the Abu Assr family}


Not many options left for al-Jaouni school attack survivors

There is a “very narrow window of options left” for those who survived Wednesday’s Israeli attack on the al-Jaouni school that was housing displaced families, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said.

There are few places left for Palestinians fleeing continuous bombardment after “the destruction of the vast majority of residential neighbourhoods” across Gaza, said Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah.

Those who were initially forced to leave northern Gaza have now been fleeing southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. They are now “trapped in the central area and in the outskirts of al-Mawasi”, he said. "Those people have been going through horrific humanitarian circumstances and they were forced to head to UN-run shelters,” Abu Azzoum noted.

Hamas brigade in Rafah ‘dismantled’, Israel’s army says

The Israeli military says it has completed the destruction of Hamas’s brigade in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza.

Israeli forces killed 2,000 fighters and destroyed 13km (8 miles) of underground tunnels dug under the area, it said in a statement. About 250 fighters in Rafah’s western Tal as-Sultan district were killed in recent weeks, including the commander of the battalion and most of the chain of command, the army said.

It wasn’t possible to verify the Israeli claim, and there was no immediate response from Hamas. Israel began its attack on Rafah in early May, forcing more than one million Palestinian civilians to flee the city.



No doubt they'll still claim everything is a Hamas command center.

New Israeli attack on Nuseirat kills two Palestinians

Gaza’s Civil Defence says its teams have retrieved the bodies of two Palestinians after an Israeli attack targeted a home in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.

At least seven people have been wounded in the strike on the Shaheen family home. They were transported to al-Awda Hospital, it said in a statement.

Rescue teams also rushed to another location in the camp, which was struck a short while ago. “It’s been a harsh and difficult night in the middle area as the occupation continues bombarding residential homes,” the agency said.

Death toll rises to six in attacks on Nuseirat in central Gaza

At least six people have now been killed in a string of attacks on several homes across central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.

Several others have been injured, it said.

This brings the total number of Palestinians killed across the enclave today to 40, Wafa said, citing medical sources.

US aircraft carrier in the Middle East is heading home

According to United States officials, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading home, ending the Pentagon’s rare move to keep two US Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East over the past several weeks.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the Roosevelt to extend its deployment for a short time and remain in the region as the USS Abraham Lincoln was pushed to get to the area more quickly. The administration of US President Joe Biden beefed up the US military presence there to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and to safeguard US troops.

The decision to bring the Roosevelt home comes as the war in Gaza has dragged on for 11 months, with tens of thousands of people dead, and international efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas repeatedly stalled as they accuse each other of making additional and unacceptable demands.

US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements, told AP news agency that the San Diego, California-based Roosevelt and the USS Daniel Inouye, a destroyer, are expected to be in the Indo-Pacific Command’s region today.

UN investigators call on Israel to stop attacks on West Bank journalists

UN experts have condemned rising violence, intimidation and obstruction of journalists working in the occupied West Bank.

“We strongly denounce the attacks and harassment of journalists in the illegally occupied West Bank, which are nothing but crude attempts by the Israeli army to block independent reporting on potential war crimes,” the experts said.

The experts include Irene Khan, special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.

They cited at least three incidents in September in Jenin and Tulkarem, in which Israeli forces fired live ammunition at journalists or their vehicles while reporting on military raids and civilian casualties.

At least four journalists were wounded as a result, even though several wore clearly marked “press” jackets.

“It is deeply disturbing to see Israeli soldiers in the West Bank replicating the same disdain for the safety of journalists as in Gaza in blatant violation of international law. Foreign media continue to be denied access to Gaza, and now their safety in the West Bank is also being seriously threatened, gravely hindering their journalistic work,” the UN experts said.

Turkey to seek international arrest warrants over killing of US-Turkish activist

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the country had evidence regarding the Israeli military’s killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank last week and will be seeking international arrest warrants for those responsible.

Earlier, we reported that Turkey has announced it will conduct its own investigation into Ezgi Eygi’s killing and will bring the case before the UN and push for the body to launch an independent inquiry.

Tunc said the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office is investigating “those responsible for the martyrdom and murder of our sister, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi”.

On Tuesday, Israel’s military said it was “highly likely” its forces shot  Ezgi Eygi “indirectly and unintentionally” while they were aiming at a “key instigator” of an anti-settlements protest she was taking part in.

Municipal crews removing rubble, debris in Tulkarem

The Wafa news agency is reporting that municipal workers in the occupied West Bank city and its refugee camp have begun making repairs and removing rubble and debris from the streets after Israeli forces withdrew from the area on Thursday afternoon.

The agency reported “great and widespread destruction” in the city and its refugee camp after the deadly three-day operation.

At least five Palestinians, including a girl were killed, while several more were arrested, it said.

At least 20 homes were blown up or burned to the ground, while roads were dug up and water, sewage and electricity networks were bulldozed, Wafa added, citing local officials.

The three-day raid was Israel’s second offensive on Tulkarem since August 28.

It came as Israel’s military carries out a large-scale operation against Palestinian armed groups in the northern governorates of the occupied West Bank. The campaign is Israel’s biggest in the territory since the second Intifada of the early 2000s.

_{Palestinian children walk past damaged buildings, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 12}

Israeli forces carry out raids, arrests across the occupied West Bank

The Israeli military has stormed several towns across the occupied West Bank, according to local media sources.

Israeli forces bomb home in Nuseirat, killing 2 children: Report

The Israeli air strike, which hit a home on al-Ishrin Street in the Nuseirat refugee camp, also injured seven people, mostly children, according to the Palestine Information Center.

The victims have been transferred to the al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia. The strike is the latest in a string of deadly Israeli attacks on homes in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza in recent hours.

Israel’s school attacks suggest ‘complete disregard’ for Palestinian lives

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has condemned Israel’s attack on the al-Jaouni school in central Gaza and said the military’s latest assault on displaced Palestinians emphasises its failure to comply with international humanitarian law.

The bombing of al-Jaouni – which killed at least 18 people, including six UN staff – came after Israeli forces launched at least 16 attacks on Gaza’s school-turned-shelters in the month of August, OHCHR said.

This comes up to a “rate of one school attack every other day”, it said.

The office also addressed Israel’s claims it was targeting Hamas fighters in the attacks.

It said the use of the presence of civilians by armed groups “to shield a military objective from attack violates international humanitarian law”. Nevertheless, such violations do “not negate the Israeli forces’ obligations” under international law to comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack.

“The pattern of attacks on shelters leading to verifiably high civilian fatalities, especially in an area that the Israeli military has unilaterally declared safe, suggests a complete disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians and raises grave concerns about the systematic commission of disproportionate attacks or attacks directed at civilians, which are war crimes,” it added.

Suggest? It's been that way for decades.

Plus zero evidence there was a Hamas command center there, or at all the other humanitarian locations Israel keeps bombing. The biggest example, Al Shifa hospital. No command center found, all lies, hospital destroyed, patients executed, mass graves all over the place.

Palestinian PM outlines ‘day after’ Gaza governance plan

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has outlined a vision of a united Gaza and West Bank after Israel ends its war.

“This suffering, a consequence of both war and prolonged occupation, must end for peace and stability to be achieved,” Mustafa writes in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.

He said with a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority “stands ready to resume responsibility for the Gaza Strip, leading efforts to fully integrate governance across both it and the West Bank”.

“Our ‘One Palestine’ vision, rooted in the unity of the Palestinian people and our shared identity, is central to this effort. As we steadfastly pursue an end to the Israeli military occupation and the realization of our right to self-determination, these principles will guide the rebuilding and governance of Gaza, addressing the unprecedented humanitarian crisis and laying the foundation for lasting peace and stability.”

Spain to host meeting on Palestinian statehood

Foreign ministers of several Muslim and European countries will meet in Madrid on Friday to discuss how to implement a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will host the meeting, which will be attended by his European counterparts, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza.

In May, Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised a unified Palestinian state ruled by the Palestinian Authority comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital. With them, 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations now recognise Palestinian statehood.

The Gaza Contact Group – an initiative of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – includes countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.

Starmer's spy flights over Gaza risk complicity in Israeli torture

Israel’s torture of Palestinian prisoners should have serious consequences for UK intelligence cooperation with Tel Aviv, human rights groups have warned.

It comes as Keir Starmer suspended some arms exports to Israel last week, which the government said was partly due to “credible claims of the mistreatment of detainees”. However Royal Air Force (RAF) surveillance flights continue almost daily over Gaza to help Israel locate hostages held by Hamas.

Campaigners fear the flight paths may be informed by intelligence Israel obtained through torture. Declassified has seen testimony from three Palestinian civilians who allege Israeli troops interrogated them about the location of hostages and tunnels while under extreme torture.

Sharing such intelligence with Britain would breach rules designed to prevent a repeat of the extraordinary rendition scandal, which saw MI6 collude with CIA abuses after 9/11.

Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe is a lawyer at the Global Legal Action Network. She also represents Palestinian rights group Al-Haq in its lawsuit to stop UK arms exports to Israel. She told Declassified: “In our view it is possible, if not probable, that information and assurances Israel gives to the UK are founded on information derived from torture”.

Freedom from Torture, a British medical charity, also expressed concern, commenting: “The UK must take all steps in its power to ensure that it does not take receipt of or make use of intelligence provided by any authorities where there is a real risk that it has been obtained by torture or other ill-treatment.”

When contacted by Declassified, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) avoided our questions about whether RAF surveillance of Gaza was informed by Israeli intelligence that may have been derived from torture. A government spokesperson would only say: “Our focus remains on securing an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a rapid increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and compliance with international humanitarian law.”

Israel’s Ministry of Defence said it was unable to comment when asked about intelligence sharing with the RAF.

‘Justice for Palestinians Means Justice for Israelis’: Exclusive Interview With Jamaal Bowman

In this episode of "Mehdi Unfiltered," U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a member of "The Squad," joins Mehdi to discuss his recent primary defeat, the role AIPAC played in it, and his continued fight for social justice.

Mehdi also breaks down former President Donald Trump’s "embarrassingly incoherent but shamelessly dishonest" debate performance against Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.

Also in the episode, Mehdi interviews Palestinian lawyer and Zeteo contributor Diana Buttu to discuss protests in Israel against the Netanyahu government, where more than 700,000 people called for a hostage deal and criticized Netanyahu's leadership.

Antony Blinken enters race with BBC to touch new low on support for Israel | Janta Ka Reporter

The role of the BBC and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in backing Israel even as UN Secretary General Antonio Gutterss called the death of UNRWA staff unacceptable has been nothing less than shameful.

CNN's Dana Bash confronted for pushing Israeli propaganda

The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal, Aaron Mate and Anya Parampil discuss the furor over an anti-genocide protester's confrontation with CNN's Dana Bash, who has consistently spread Israeli propaganda since Oct 7, while painting critics of Israel's war on Gaza as antisemitic.

Former UN Official ACCUSES Western Media Of Genocide Complicity In Gaza

International human rights lawyer and former senior United Nations Official Craig Mokhiber explains why Western media can (and should) be held legally accountable for its role in the Gaza genocide.

Craig explains: “Western corporate media reporting on the genocide in Palestine is, nothing short of shocking. Plenty of people have said that it is unethical from a journalistic point of view. Some of it may also be unlawful. There are precedents in international law in particular for holding media companies and personalities accountable for things like incitement to genocide, incitement to violence more generally.

Incitement to genocide, if it's direct and public, are international crimes, defined very clearly as international crimes. In legal terms, the acts that they're perpetrating, they're perpetrating knowingly. This is not just mere negligence or a lack of journalistic ethics. They know very well how they are misrepresenting what's happening on the ground. They are publicly and systematically disseminating propaganda for genocide, including disinformation, dehumanization of the Palestinians.”

And, Craig points out, there is legal precedent for holding media figures accountable for their words. There’s a long tradition going all the way back to Nuremberg of holding media accountable for incitement to genocide or complicity in crimes against humanity. And when it came time then to draft a genocide convention, a separate crime of incitement to genocide was included in that convention. That applies not just to states and state actors, but to private actors as well.

The infamous case of the Nazi publisher Julius Streicher for incitement and persecution on political and racial grounds, because his publication, Der Stürmer, during the genocide against European Jews, was broadcasting inciting material. And he was in fact found guilty at Nuremberg for incitement to murder and extermination.

That trend of looking at the role of media was very important when the International Tribunal for Rwanda covering the Rwanda genocide found a number of media, people accountable. Three different people were, were found guilty of incitement to genocide in that case by the tribunal. Judge Pele famously said, ‘without a firearm, machete, or any physical weapon, you caused the death of thousands of innocent civilians’.”

Israel’s war on Gaza complicating Yemen peace efforts, envoy says

Hans Grundberg, the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, made the statement during a briefing of the UN Security Council on Thursday.

He said his primary objective remained “the mediation of a sustainable and just resolution to the conflict” between the Houthi rebels and Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

But, “unfortunately, the ongoing war in Gaza, and the regional escalation associated with it, complicates my efforts”, he added.

The Houthis, who have launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in a bid to pressure Israel to stop its war, are continuing their attacks, Grundberg said, while the US and UK are also pressing on with their assaults against Houthi targets inside Yemen.

“I reiterate my concern over this escalatory trajectory and repeat my call for the parties to put Yemen first and to prioritise a settlement of the conflict in Yemen,” the envoy said.

HRW calls for sanctions on Israel’s Ben-Gvir

The Human Rights Watch has called on Western governments to do more to end Israel’s abuses in the occupied West Bank, including by imposing sanctions on government ministers responsible for the unlawful use of lethal force in the territory.

These include far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been distributing weapons to Israeli settlers and directing police not to enforce laws against violent settlers, the group said.

“For months, the world’s eyes have been on Gaza, but atrocity prevention is needed in the West Bank too,” said HRW’s Director of Crisis Advocacy Akshaya Kumar.

Israel says 3 UN staff among 9 Hamas fighters killed in school attack

The Israeli military has identified some nine men it said were Hamas fighters who were killed in Wednesday’s attack on the UN-run al-Jaouni school in central Gaza. As we’ve been reporting, the attack killed at least 18 Palestinians, including six UNRWA staff members.

The Israeli military said three of the men had doubled as UNRWA workers.

But UNRWA’s Director of Communications, Juliette Touma, said the names that appeared on the Israeli statement “have not been flagged to us before by the Israeli authorities in previous occasions”.

Israel has previously accused UNRWA staff of being members of “terrorist” groups but an independent review led by a former French foreign minister found it did not present credible evidence to support its claims.

And 90% of the ones Israel did flag were disproven, only a couple remained as possibilities after 2 independent investigations. No solid evidence whatsoever, only some allegations from 'testimonies' from captives under interrogation. Information extracted under torture.