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

SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

While Israel continues to reject a (temporary) ceasefire (Hamas’ demands for hostage deal are "disconnected from reality," Israel’s hostage coordinator says)


"Large number” of medical personnel, patients and displaced people remain trapped inside Nasser Medical Complex

A “large number” of medical personnel, patients and displaced people remain trapped inside southern Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said in a statement on Friday night local time. It said those trapped in the maternity building had been subjected to “interrogation in harsh and inhumane conditions” by Israeli forces.

Electricity also remains cut off to the complex as a result of generators not working, increasing the chances of death for cases requiring oxygen. Five medical personnel and 120 patients remain in the old building of the compound without food or water, it said. The statement also claimed Israeli forces had prevented the evacuation of serious cases to other hospitals.

In a statement issued Saturday, the IDF said operations were still underway in Khan Younis, where Nasser hospital is located, with “approximately 100 individuals suspected of terrorist activity being apprehended.” “In parallel to the searches, IDF troops killed terrorists around the area of the hospital,” it said. Israeli special forces entered the hospital complex on Thursday, with the IDF saying “Hamas terrorists are likely hiding behind injured civilians inside Nasser hospital."

The IDF also claimed there was "credible intelligence from a number of sources, including from released hostages" that bodies of deceased hostages may be present there. The military did not publicly release evidence to back up its claim.Hamas said it had “no business” in the hospital. 


With Al Shifa the IDF still bothered to doctor up some 'evidence' (which all got debunked) They know now Western media doesn't care, simply repeats it as truth anyway. Even CNN, while reporting there is no evidence, reports it as fact in their summaries.




Flee North, flee South, makes no difference, no where to go.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Rafah after intensified Israeli airstrikes, say UN officials


A woman reacts as she stands before a vehicle loaded with items secured by rope as people flee from Rafah, Gaza on February 13.

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza’s southernmost Rafah city are reportedly fleeing towards northern Deir al Balah as Israeli airstrikes intensify amid the prospect of ground operations, according to a UN body. “Intensified airstrikes on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population are crammed into less than 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip, and statements by Israeli officials about a ground operation in Gaza have reportedly led to the movement of people out of Gaza’s southernmost governorate toward Deir al Balah,” said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Earlier on Friday, former Israeli prime minister and current war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Israel “won’t stop” until all hostages are returned, even if that means continuing hostilities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He added that Israel is preparing for a military incursion into Gaza and will act “in dialogue” with its partners, including Egypt, and “direct the population to protected areas.”

In a separate statement on Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters that Israel had “no intention” of sending Palestinians into Egypt as part of an evacuation of Rafah, the focus of its next military offensive. Gallant provided no details about a potential evacuation but said “we are thoroughly planning future operations in Rafah, which is a significant Hamas stronghold.” Israeli officials have said the military is working on a detailed plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned offensive there but have yet to share details.

 

"We were walking in water, sand, mud": Palestinian women describe terror of 12-mile escape on foot from Gaza City

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/middleeast/gaza-city-escape-israel-hamas-war-cmd-intl/index.html


Palestinians walk next to damaged buildings in Gaza City, on February 11.

After being trapped in a building for more than a week in a neighborhood of Gaza City besieged by Israeli troops, a group of Palestinian women told CNN they were forced to flee south with their children, leaving other family members behind and some walking barefoot for more than 12 miles along a stretch of coastline to escape. One woman said she had no choice but to abandon her elderly stepmother on the beach, and feared she’d since been attacked by dogs that were roaming the area.

CNN spoke with the four women at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, where they arrived on February 3 with their 16 children – age 9 months to 12 years – after walking for about eight hours in the cold rain from Gaza City. The group of relatives and neighbors, who are from Abu Eskandar, a neighborhood in northern Gaza, said they had sought shelter in Gaza City on their journey south, holding up in an apartment building in the Al-Rimal neighborhood.

In extensive interviews, the women alleged that Israeli forces abducted their husbands and sons, older relatives, and one sister, a female doctor, from the apartment building where they were sheltering in Gaza City. They accused the Israeli military of blowing up the building, as well as others nearby.



And the reporting keeps suggesting it's all not that bad with headlines like these

ICJ decides that situation in Gaza does not demand additional provisional measures

Much further down the article the reason comes out. No additional measures are needed, the ones set need to be implemented / adhered to and have continued to be violated.

“This perilous situation demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024, which are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures,” the court’s decision reads.

“The Court emphasizes that the State of Israel remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and with the said Order, including by ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” the ICJ said.

And always a good opportunity to re-iterate Israel's right to self defense

Reacting to the latest urgent request at the ICJ, Israel accused South Africa of trying to deny Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens. "South Africa's legally and factually unfounded submission proves once again that it is the legal arm of the Hamas terrorist organization," Lior Haiat, Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson, said Wednesday.


Western media is complicit in genocide, plain and simple



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SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

Back to Al Jazeera

Hezbollah strikes Israeli targets near border

The Lebanese armed group says it targeted and wounded an Israeli army sniper, and also hit spy equipment at the Birkat Risha site, according to statements on its official Telegram channel. Images posted by the group showed the strikes took place near the Lebanese-Israel border.

Hezbollah has been trading fire with the Israeli military across Lebanon’s southern border since October 8, a day after the war in Gaza began. The cross-border attacks have killed at least 200 people in Lebanon, including more than 170 Hezbollah fighters, as well as 10 Israeli soldiers and five civilians.


The prospect of 1.5 million refugees (getting outside of Gaza) woke up the G7. Can't have war refugees coming over. Probably why Israel and Egypt keep vehemently denying plans for moving the Gaza population into the Sinai desert.

G7 concerned by risk of forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza

G7 foreign ministers have expressed concern at the risk of forced displacement of Palestinian civilians out of Gaza and the possible consequences of an Israeli military operation in Rafah.

“They called for urgent action to address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly the plight of 1.5 million civilians sheltering in Rafah and they expressed deep concern for the potentially devastating consequences on the civilian population of Israel’s further full scale military operation in that area,” says a statement released by Italy, which is currently chairing the group.

“They underscored the need for a permanent, sustainable end to the conflict, as Israelis and Palestinians have an equal right to live in safety, dignity, and peace.” The statement by the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States added that “all parties must refrain from unilateral actions that undermine the prospect for a two-state solution”.

That's what Putin did wrong. He needed to build a wall around Ukraine first, then the West would have let him have it, like Crimea and Donbas as those refugees weren't bordering Western Europe... Having to receive and shelter refugees is all the West cares about.



Settler scum targeting children as well

Two Palestinian children beaten in Israeli settler attack near Hebron

Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that two children were injured in the village of al-Mufaqara, in Masafer Yatta near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. The news agency’s correspondent said that heavily armed settlers attacked farmers and herders there.

At least 700,000 Israelis live in illegal, fortified, Jewish-only settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, the majority of which were built either entirely or partially on private Palestinian land. Since October 7, attacks by these settlers on Palestinians have increased exponentially in the occupied West Bank.

Shocker... Still zero evidence for any of the IDF's claims.

Israel hasn’t given evidence Hamas diverted UN aid: US envoy

David Satterfield, the Biden administration’s special Middle East envoy for humanitarian issues, says Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting UN aid in Gaza. The envoy, in a rare public criticism of Israel, added that Israel’s recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely.

He said the lawlessness, as well as regular Israeli protests, at crossing points by those opposed to aid going into Gaza have disrupted delivery and distribution. “We are working with the Israeli government, the Israeli military in seeing what solutions can be found here because everyone wants to see the assistance continue,” Satterfield told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.


David Satterfield says Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting UN aid in Gaza


Time has run out, will the West report this?

Girl, 8, dies of starvation and dehydration: Watchdog

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says it has documented the case of a young girl named Hanin Jum’aa in northern Gaza, who died from starvation. Her father, Saleh, said Hanin, who was calcium deficient, complained she was hungry the night before she died.

In the pre-dawn hours, he said, she seemed unwell, “like she was on the verge of death”, so he used a donkey cart – no cars were available – to take her to a hospital “where the doctor told me she died of starvation and dehydration”.


Heartbreaking doesn't cover this. My grandmother lost her first born from malnutrition while imprisoned in a Japanese WW2 camp. She never got over it and it caused a rift in the family that last on well after my grandmother's death. She had 4 more children, my mother, an aunt and 2 uncles but never recovered from the loss which caused a rift between the siblings. My mother and her sister never talked and eventually died without reconciliation. These kind of wounds don't heal.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

Fears grow for patients in raided Nasser Hospital

Not only has the Nasser Hospital, in Gaza’s main southern city of Khan Younis been under siege for the past 20 days, the Israeli military has stormed it, destroying its equipment and a warehouse where its supplies were being stored. It was turned from a healing place into a combat zone.

Humanitarian convoys from the World Health Organization (WHO) are being prevented from reaching the besieged hospital. At least 120 patients and five medical teams are stuck without water, food and electricity in the Nasser Hospital, according to the health ministry.

Israel torturing detainees from Gaza: Prisoners’ rights group

The Palestinian Prisoners Society says Israeli authorities are refusing to reveal the fate or whereabouts of people it detained from Gaza.

In a statement, the organisation said, “134 days into the war on Gaza, and the ongoing genocide, our fears are rising that Israeli forces will commit horrid crimes to our detainees, especially as more testimonies are emerging from former prisoners, who say they were subject to torture.” It added that the prisoners include women, children, and the elderly, as well as medics and doctors.


Red Crescent shares images of ‘brutality’ towards doctors

The PRCS has posted photos of two Palestinian doctors arrested a week ago from al-Amal Hospital by Israeli soldiers, who were later allegedly tortured, beaten and humiliated before their release on Friday. “The Israeli occupation arrested 12 PRCS teams, including seven who were arrested from inside Al-Amal Hospital about a week ago”, the Red Crescent said.

PRCS said it is concerned for the safety of its detained team members, whose fate remains unknown, and “calls on the international community to urgently intervene to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to immediately release our detained teams and provide protection for PRCS teams working in the Gaza Strip”.

Int’l mechanism needed to compel Israel to protect civilians: Ministry

The Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs has called for an international mechanism to ensure that civilians’ humanitarian needs are secured, as it warned of a serious deterioration in the living conditions of displaced civilians in Rafah. In a statement on X, the ministry said, “We need these mechanisms to safeguard the lives of civilians, something that the international community has failed to do for over 134 days of genocide on our people”.

The international community, the ministry added, is not only failing at halting Israel’s bombardment of homes and hospitals, but is also unable to allow for providing food, water and basic humanitarian relief to the internally displaced.


Palestinians crowd oustide a bakery to buy bread in Rafah on February 15



Air raids reported in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah

A series of air raids have hit Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, an area where displaced Palestinians are returning to since Israel intensified attacks on the southern city of Rafah. Raids hit the east of the city, an area that has come under heavy bombardment over the past week, as well as the south. Ambulances were rushed to the scene to take casualties to the hospital.

“That was insane,” Hany Allouh, a 39-year-old father of two young children. “The rockets flew above us and caused an enormous explosion. They exploded one after the other, causing panic among the people in the streets.”


An ambulance arrives at the scene in Deir el-Balah

11,000 injured in Gaza in need for treatment abroad: Media office

At least 11,000 injured Palestinians in Gaza are in need for urgent treatment abroad, the strip’s government media office says in its latest update. It also estimated that 700,000 people have contracted infectious diseases as a result of displacement, while 60,000 pregnant women face health risks due to poor sanitary conditions.

The office said 350,000 chronically ill patients lack medications and 10,000 cancer patients are at risk of dying without treatment.

‘Pure misery’: 300,000 in Gaza’s north facing famine

The Gaza Strip was already one of the poorest places in the Middle East even before Israel declared a total siege on the territory after Hamas’s October 7 attack. Though much of Gaza was reliant on food aid, enough of it was entering to largely meet the needs of its 2.4 million people. But now, after more than four months of war, the population is inching closer towards famine.

“There are about 300,000 people in the north and I have no idea how they’ve survived,” said Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN humanitarian agency OCHA in the Palestinian territories.

“What we managed to bring up there is absolutely not enough. It is pure misery. Repeatedly, when we are allowed to cross the checkpoint at Wadi Gaza to deliver food assistance, thousands of people block and unload the trucks at the risk of being shot.”



SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

Lazzarini says Israel out to destroy UNRWA

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini says Israel is waging a concerted campaign aimed at destroying the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, with his resignation being part of the Netanyahu government’s push. “Right now, we are dealing with an expanded, concerted campaign by Israel aimed at destroying UNRWA,” he told the Swiss newspaper group Tamedia.

“It is a long-term political goal because it is believed that if the aid agency is abolished, the status of the Palestinian refugees will be resolved once and for all – and with it, the right of return. There is a much larger political goal behind this. “Just look at the number of actions Israel is taking against UNRWA,” he said, citing moves to remove the agency’s VAT exemption and orders for contractors at Israel’s port of Ashdod to “stop handling certain food deliveries for UNRWA”.

More than 150 UNRWA installations have been hit since the Gaza war began, according to the agency. Israel has called for Lazzarini to step down following claims that a Hamas tunnel had been discovered under its evacuated Gaza City headquarters. Lazzarini said the tunnel was 20 metres (66 feet) below ground and UNRWA, as a humanitarian organisation, did not have the capabilities to examine what was underground in Gaza.


The damaged Gaza City headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on February 15

Jabalia refugee camp as Israeli attacks continue



Queueing for water at the Jabalia refugee camp


How Rafah’s songbirds help Palestinians cope with terror of war

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/17/how-the-songbirds-of-rafah-help-palestinians-cope-with-the-terror-of-war

Rafah, Gaza Strip – Near al-Awda Mosque, a small bird flutters in a cage hanging on the outer wall of a school currently used as a shelter for people displaced by Israeli attacks on Gaza. Once sought after for their vibrant colours and soothing melodies, these birds now help Palestinians endure the thunderous sounds of relentless explosions.


Despite the costs, many parents bought birds to help distract their children from the horrors of war

Israeli forces block WHO medicine, fuel for Nasser Hospital

For almost 10 hours now, there’s been two trucks filled with medical supplies outside of Nasser Hospital. They’re also carrying much-needed fuel for generators to provide power to the besieged health facility. These two trucks were sent by the World Health Organization but have been blocked by Israeli military tanks and bulldozers. They’ve been surrounded and prevented from moving, they’re about 50 metres from the hospital’s front gate.

This threatens the lives of hundreds of people trapped inside, including babies in incubators and patients in the intensive care unit. Medical staff have reportedly been detained and beaten. The coming hours will be difficult as this unfolding tragedy continues.


Wounded Palestinians receive care at Nasser Hospital in southern Khan Younis


Gaza war death toll now at 28,858

The Health Ministry in Gaza says at least 28,858 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during the war with Israel. A ministry statement said 68,667 people have also been wounded in Gaza since war erupted on October 7. Thousands of bodies are believed buried in the rubble throughout the war-ravaged territory, meaning the actual death toll is far higher.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

US report: Israel ‘takes effective action to prevent gross violations’

The Wall Street Journal reports the US plans to transfer more weaponry to Israel as it continues to bomb and kill Gaza civilians in staggering numbers. The Journal noted an arms-transfer report was done by the American embassy in Jerusalem, which said “there were no potential human rights concerns with the sale”.

“Israel takes effective action to prevent gross violations of human rights and to hold security forces responsible that violate those rights. In the past, Israel has been a transparent partner in US investigations into allegations of defence article misuse,” the news report quoted the document as saying.

About 21,000 precision-guided missiles have been provided to Israel already since the war began in October, it said. Nearly 29,000 people have died in Gaza, mostly children and women, in Israeli attacks.

US plans to send more weapons to Israel: Report

The United States intends to bolster Israel’s military arsenal even as Washington pushes for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. The Israeli government requested the “rapid acquisition” of tens of millions of dollars worth of weapons from the US, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. According to unnamed current and former US officials cited, the proposed arms delivery includes about 1,000 each of:

  • MK-82 bombs
  • KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to add “precision guidance” to bombs
  • FMU-139 bomb fuses

The Biden administration would need congressional committee members to approve the transfer, an official told WSJ, although the administration has bypassed Congress to increase weapons sales to Israel in recent months.

‘Tools of empire’: African Methodist Episcopal Church urges US to pull support for Israel

The Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church has called on the US to immediately withdraw funding and other support to Israel, according to a statement. The statement said Israeli forces have denied Palestinians access to food, water, shelter and healthcare.

“After this torture, they plan to murder them. The United States of America will have likely paid for the weapons they use. This must not be allowed to happen,” it read. The church said Israel has shown a “willful disregard for the human dignity of Palestinians” since 1954, and called for a ceasefire, denouncing Hamas’s October 7 attack as well.

“Surely there is a grassroots solution that affirms the dignity and humanity of all God’s people in Palestine and Israel,” the council said. “The tools of empire, colonialism, and domination will not solve the problems they created.”


Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a residential building in Rafah


Thousands march in Madrid demanding Gaza ceasefire

Waving pro-Palestinian flags and banners, thousands have marched through the streets of Madrid to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The crowd snaked through closed-off streets in the Spanish capital from Atocha train station to the central Plaza del Sol square behind a large banner that read: Freedom for Palestine. Many carried signs that read “Peace for Palestine” and “Don’t ignore Palestinian suffering”.

At least six ministers from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s cabinet took part in the demonstration, five from hard-left party Sumar, his junior coalition partners, as well as Transport Minister Oscar Puente of the premier’s Socialist party. “We need an immediate ceasefire, an end to the killing and attacks against innocents, we must achieve the release of all hostages,” Puente told reporters at the start of the march.

London protest in solidarity with Palestinians

Organisers say the demonstration taking place in London is expected to be among the top three in terms of size since the start of the war in Gaza in October.

This could be an indication of the increasing concern about the situation in Gaza, on the cusp of Israel’s intended intensification of military operations in Rafah in the south. YouGov has issued a poll saying that two-thirds of people in the UK now support an immediate ceasefire.

It’s certainly in the tens of thousands at least, as people march in the eastern and southern fringes of Hyde Park. They’re marching down Park Lane and towards the entrance to Kensington High Street. There will be a static protest outside the Israeli Embassy and this is where the main body of the march will arrive.



Police say there are 1,500 officers on the streets of London and that they are keen to ensure that sensitivities are monitored and any hate speech is acted against. The organisers timed the setting off of this march to ensure that an event at a nearby Jewish synagogue was over. There has been one arrest so far with regard to a placard of a proscribed organisation.




Tokyo activist protesting against Gaza war for three months

Yusuke Furusawa has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza for the past three months. Furusawa demonstrates alone in Tokyo, with a banner that reads: Stop Gaza Genocide. The activist also uploads videos to his Instagram account and chooses his protest locations strategically, and is often seen outside Starbucks and McDonald’s outlets.





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SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

China’s top diplomat: Fighting in Gaza root cause of Red Sea tensions

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says “the root cause” of the Red Sea tensions is the ongoing fighting in Gaza. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he reiterated China’s stance, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of channels for humanitarian aid into the besieged coastal enclave.

“We cannot allow this humanitarian disaster to continue,” Wang said. “An international peace conference [must be held] as soon as possible to revive the two-state solution.”



African Union Commission head says Gaza being ‘annihilated’

In his remarks at the African Union Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the president of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, has voiced alarm about the continuing conflict in Gaza. “Gaza is being completely annihilated and its people are deprived of all their rights,” Faki said. “We denounce the Israeli operation, which has no parallel in the history of humanity.”

He added that the Palestinian people “must enjoy their full freedom and independent, sovereign state”. Faki added that the African continent stands in full solidarity with the Palestinian people and their demands for justice, backing South Africa’s demands that the International Court of Justice take action to end the killings in Gaza.

Palestinians have right to establish state with Jerusalem as capital: AU chair

African Union chairperson Azali Assoumani says the Palestinian people have the right to establish their own state with Jerusalem as its capital. In his remarks at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, he demanded an immediate cessation of the Israeli bombings in Gaza.

Assoumani, the Comoros president, had previously criticised Israel’s military campaign, stressing that there will be no peace in this region unless a two-state solution is reached.

In AU speech, Shtayyeh draws parallel with Africa’s anti-colonial fight

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has called for Israel to be ostracised internationally and for sanctions to be imposed in response to its crimes and violations of international law. Speaking at the two-day African Union Summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Shtayyeh drew a parallel between the Palestinian struggle and Africa’s fight against European colonialism.

“We defend our land, our people, and our sacred places, just as you defended your homelands against colonialism,” he said. Shtayyeh called on the international community to recognise the State of Palestine and for the UN Security Council to set a timetable for ending the occupation. He added that illegal settlement activities should be placed under international sanctions.

Crucial moment for Palestinians to have voices heard at AU Summit

Palestine has always had a strong presence at the African Union. But this summit comes after over four months of war in Gaza, so it’s a very crucial moment for the Palestinians to have their voice heard. This is exactly what just happened. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has thanked Africa for its support, mentioning, for instance, the genocide case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.

But he wants more. He wants Africa to boycott Israeli goods because Israel is waging a “war of revenge”, as he described it, which is going to continue until the last Palestinian because Netanyahu wants to stay in power. He said Palestinians are grateful and need more support from the continent, including the boycotting of settlers’ activities in the West Bank.




Fear pervades West Bank hospital after deadly Israeli raid

A climate of fear pervades Jenin’s Ibn Sina Hospital in the occupied West Bank, where patients and doctors are reeling from last month’s deadly raid by Israeli agents disguised as medics. At the rehabilitation ward, two patients recalled hearing the screams of a nurse as Israeli forces reached the third floor.



“I opened the door and saw a man. I didn’t know they were special forces,” says a patient, a grey hoodie pulled up over his head to conceal his face. “The man was choking the nurse with his hand and hit her with the butt of his gun.” His account matched that of an elderly patient, who recalled hearing shouting while he stayed put in his room. Neither knew that through a sky-blue door just metres away, the Israeli unit shot dead three Palestinians, including a paraplegic patient hospitalised for months.

“It’s toughest at night,” said the patient, who had been shouted at by the undercover agents to shut his door during the assault.



Israeli commandos arrest 100 people at besieged Nasser Hospital

The Israeli army arrested about 100 people at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis during its raid there in recent days, according to Israeli broadcaster Kan. Israeli forces have kept the hospital – Gaza’s largest functioning medical facility – under siege for weeks now. Hundreds of people, including patients, medical staff and displaced Palestinians remain trapped there.

“Special forces are operating at Nasser Hospital based on intelligence indicating terrorist activity at the hospital,” the military said in a post.

Hamas has dismissed accusations of using the health facility for military operations as “lies”.

Translation: In the south of the Gaza Strip, forces continue to operate against terrorist targets in the Khan Younis area. The commando formation, Sheitat 13 fighters and special forces under Division 98 are operating at Nasser Hospital based on intelligence indicating terrorist activity at the hospital. This activity led to the arrest of about 100 suspects.




Hamas won’t accept anything less than ‘complete’ cessation of hostilities

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh says the Palestinian group will not accept anything less than a “complete cessation of the aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation army from Gaza and the lifting of the unjust siege”. Israel must also free Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences in any upcoming swap deal, Haniyeh said in a statement. The Hamas leader blamed Israel for the lack of progress in achieving a ceasefire agreement.

Here’s what Ismail Haniyeh said:

  • We hold Israel responsible for the lack of progress in reaching a ceasefire agreement.
  • We will not accept anything less than a complete cessation of the aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation army from Gaza, and the lifting of the unjust siege.
  • We responded positively and responsibly to the mediators in order to stop the aggression against our people.
  • The occupation continues to procrastinate on important issues to our people, while its position is focused on the release of the prisoners held by the resistance.
  • Our goal is to achieve a prisoner exchange deal by which our prisoners, especially the old ones and those with long sentences, will be released.
  • We will use all available means to stop the bloodbath carried out by the enemy against our defenceless people.

Hamas warns of suspending talks until aid delivered

A leading official has spoken to Al Jazeera about the ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza. Here are their translated comments:

  • The movement intends to suspend negotiations until aid and relief are brought into the northern Gaza Strip.
  • Negotiations cannot be held while our Palestinian people are struggling to fend off starvation.

 


‘We should do everything we can to prevent attack on Rafah’: Slovenian PM

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob tells Al Jazeera on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that “there is a common consensus in saying that we should do everything we can to prevent an attack on Rafah.” “There is a call for an urgent ceasefire, but unfortunately some of my colleagues in the European Union are not backing this call and we’ll need to do more in this regard,” Golob said.

“The same goes for humanitarian aid: We need to do whatever we can to get more aid on the ground, as well,” he added.

Golob said there was some hope to negotiate a two-state solution in the future, but that the priority at present remained Rafah. “Hopefully, there will be some developments in the next days or perhaps weeks,” he said.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

Time has run out

Netanyahu claims Israel has "realistic" plan for Rafah as he faces dire warnings about fate of civilians


Displaced Palestinians camp in Rafah, Gaza, near the border fence with Egypt, on February 16.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that his forces have a "realistic" plan for their ground operations in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, where he is facing growing international pressure to protect civilians.

Roughly 1.5 million Palestinians are seeking shelter in the southern Gaza city near the border with Egypt — many of them already displaced from elsewhere in the enclave. The United Nations aid chief has said an operation there could lead to "a slaughter." Palestinians in the city say they have nowhere left to go.

“Our ability to enter Rafah has been proven as realistic,” Netanyahu said in a news conference Saturday, claiming there is room for the displaced to move north, but "we have to do it in an orderly way." He said he told US President Joe Biden this week that, "Israel is going to fight until we reach total victory, and that includes also ground offensive in Rafah — of course after we let citizens there to evacuate to other safe places." “Whoever is telling us not to operate in Rafah is telling us to lose an ear,” he says.

When Biden spoke with Netanyahu Thursday, he urged him not to proceed with operations without a "credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians," according to the White House.

On hostage talks: Netanyahu also echoed the remarks of his hostage coordinator, who told CNN on Saturday that Hamas' demands for a ceasefire and hostage release — such as stopping the war and releasing thousands of Palestinian prisoners — are "delusional."

Pressure at home: The prime minister's comments came as thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Caesarea on Saturday, calling for the dismissal of Netanyahu and his government. The prime minister called for "unity," saying, "The last thing we need now is a new election."

 

‘Have we lost our minds?’: UN official on Rafah operation

Reacting to earlier reported comments by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that ground operations against Rafah will take place, United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese says such a move will lead to “another Nakba”.

“Rafah stands as the last line of Palestinian existence in Gaza amidst the relentless anguish faced by the people trapped therein … Have we really lost our minds??” she posted on X.

The Nakba, or “catastrophe”, refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the near-total destruction of Palestinian society in 1948.

Netanyahu’s goals in Gaza ‘unachievable’

Earlier, we reported in a televised statement Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the country’s military “pressure is working” against Hamas, and the war will continue until all goals are achieved. Analyst Menachem Klien says the prime minister’s “zero-sum” policy, and his speaking in “definitive” terms, was not a realistic approach to the continuing war in Gaza.

“Absolute goals are unachievable on the battlefield, nor in politics,” he told Al Jazeera. “Anyone who has studied history knows that … and he refuses to acknowledge that this is a recipe for continuous suffering and fighting,” he noted, adding that it will not help bring back the captives or achieve a ceasefire.

Moreover, Klien said Netanyahu had “political and personal” reasons to continue the war. “That is why he speaks in absolute terms. This is not in the interest of the Israeli public,” he said.




Herzog to Blinken: Hamas must be eradicated before ‘normalisation’ deal

While at the Munich Security Conference, Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog who addressed the secretary of state’s earlier comments about “normalising” with Arab countries.

“I heard your remarks today, and I think that I find them very interesting. I think there are opportunities; they need to be studied in depth. However, first and foremost, Israel’s security must be preserved, and for this, we have to complete the work of undermining and eradicating the basic infrastructure of Hamas,” Herzog says.

There is an “extraordinary opportunity” in the near future for Israel to be integrated into the Middle East as Arab countries are willing to normalise ties with it, Blinked said earlier in the day.

Netanyahu: ‘Israel will continue denying recognition of a Palestinian state unilaterally’

Speaking in a televised address, the Israeli prime minister has again come out against a two-state solution and an independent Palestinian state. “We shall not bow down to international dictates in regards to a future deal with the Palestinians. Such a compromise should be through direct negotiations with no preconditions,” he said. “How can we give recognition to such a state after the massacre of October 7. This would be a reward for terrorism,” he continued.

While Israel cashes in the rewards for continued state terrorism

Saudi FM: Two-state solution only path for security in Middle East

At the Munich Security Conference, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that Saudi Arabia is more focused on a truce in the Gaza war than on normalisation with Israel.

“We are focused on a ceasefire and on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and we are focused on humanitarian access for the people of Gaza,” he told reporters.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stated it would not open diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised.




Hundreds outside Netanyahu’s residence call for exchange deal, elections

Demonstrators outside the Israeli prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem are calling for a captive-prisoner exchange deal and immediate elections in the country.

The rally is taking place in the wake of Netanyahu’s decision last week not to send an Israeli delegation to Cairo for further negotiations on a deal to release captives. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called the decision a “death sentence” for the remaining captives.

Israelis in Tel Aviv protest against Netanyahu

Thousands of people are protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, calling for elections to be held. In one of the largest protests since the war on Gaza began, demonstrators are blocking the road outside the defence ministry.

Moments ago during a news conference, the Israeli prime minister said that the “last thing” Israel needs now is elections.





No one else left to turn to...

PRCS chief meets Pope Francis

Younis al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, has participated in a private audience with the Roman Catholic pope, the PRCS says on X.

The organisation said that al-Khatib briefed the pope on the “catastrophic humanitarian conditions experienced by civilians in the Gaza Strip”, as well as the efforts the PRCS is making to alleviate suffering there and provide medical services.

The PRCS’s facilities, staff and ambulances in Gaza have come under constant attack by the Israeli armed during the war in Gaza. Its hospital in Khan Younis, al-Amal Hospital, has been bombarded, besieged and raided by the army.

‘Extraordinarily bloody day’ in the Gaza Strip: Al Jazeera’s corespondent

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum says that in the past few hours, Israel has pounded areas across the Gaza Strip with a series of attacks that have killed and injured dozens of Palestinians.

“Starting with Rafah, Israeli forces had tarred an agricultural land,” he said, killing several Palestinians. The attack took place in the northern part of the city in the last hour, he added.

Also in the last hour, he continued, a group of residents was targeted in Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, killing at least four.

Citing the Gaza Government Media Office, Abu Azzoum said that about 44 Palestinians have been killed in the central Gaza Strip today, with many more trapped under rubble as civil defence crews work tirelessly to recover injured. Exclusive footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows dozens of bodies of the people killed in these attacks piling up at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.

In the north, he said, the town of Beit Hanoun has been heavily targeted by Israeli artillery shelling.

At least 30 killed by Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza, according to doctors


People mourn a child who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on February 17

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured due to Israeli airstrikes on multiple neighborhoods in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Saturday, doctors from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital told CNN. Video obtained by CNN from Al-Aqsa shows injured children among those being rushed in for treatment, and dead bodies wrapped in cloth on the hospital floor, including a deceased baby.

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck a series of Hamas "operational command and control centers" in central Gaza Saturday. The IDF said its jets hit Hamas targets in the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah neighborhoods.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

More photos of the protests today on today's Global Day of Action

https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/tens-of-thousands-march-in-istanbul-to-mark-global-day-of-action-for-gaza-17020260



London


Istanbul


Rome

Toronto

Madrid

Sana'a (Yemen)


Sydney


I'm guessing there were protests in the USA today as well, however nobody reporting on it (yet)



SvennoJ on 17 February 2024



Despite Israel, Egypt and the USA continuing to deny any planned expulsion, the evidence / reality on the ground points elsewhere:
(Egypt claims it is building a ‘logistical area’ in Rafah for receiving aid)





SvennoJ on 17 February 2024

ICJ hearings on Israel’s actions in Palestine to begin on Monday

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will begin public hearings on Monday in a case brought by the UN General Assembly on Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian Territories.

The case pre-dates South Africa’s ICJ filing under the genocide convention and requests the court’s opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian Territories more broadly. The UN General Assembly decided to bring the case before the ICJ back in December 2022, with 87 countries voting in favour, 26 countries voting no and 53 abstaining.

Israeli settlers attack West Bank town: Report

The Wafa news agency says Israeli settlers are attacking homes in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya. The Israelis also set fire to a vehicle, the agency said

Turmus Ayya was the scene of a large scale settler attack last June, when hundreds of Israelis set fire to homes and cars and killed at least one Palestinian man. At the time, residents of the town said Israeli forces “cleared the way” for the settler attack.

Netanyahu is ‘still playing games’ on negotiations: Hamas official

Osama Hamdan, a senior spokesperson for Hamas, has told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu is “still playing games” on negotiations. “The main point of disagreement is Netanyahu and his games,” Hamdan told Al Jazeera from Beirut. “He is trying not to have any arrangements or agreements. That is clear.”

Hamdan reiterated that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh had expressed a “positive position” towards negotiations and “willingness” to achieve a ceasefire, in a statement on Saturday.


US still playing games as well

US says current draft of UNSC resolution ‘will not be adopted’

The US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield has issued a statement responding to reports that Algeria is planning to put its proposed ceasefire resolution to a vote on Tuesday. “Should it come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

The US has previously used its veto to prevent the UN Security Council (UNSC) from passing resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Algeria requests Security Council vote on a ceasefire: Reports

Algeria has asked the UN Security Council (UNSC) to vote on a draft ceasefire resolution on Tuesday morning, diplomatic sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. Most of the UNSC’s 15 members reportedly support the resolution put forward by Algeria but negotiations to try to get the United States – which holds veto power – on board have been ongoing.

‘Deals not deaths’ – peace protesters arrested in Tel Aviv





‘We want flour’: Palestinians in northern Gaza appeal for food

Palestinians in Jabalia have gathered outside UNRWA headquarters in a protest calling for food to be delivered to the refugee camp in northern Gaza. Palestinian journalist Moamen Abu Odeh filmed a child at the protest saying, “We want flour, we want flour”, in a video posted on social media.

“There are about 300,000 people in the north and I have no idea how they’ve survived,” said Andrea De Domenico, the head of the UN humanitarian agency OCHA in the Palestinian territories. “What we managed to bring up there is absolutely not enough. It is pure misery.”


Palestinians try to continue their daily life despite almost no food reaching the Jabalia refugee camp in Jabalia, Gaza on Saturday