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

SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Israel trying to push Hezbollah to cave in with air campaign

There hasn’t been any mass evacuation from Sidon yet. Many of those who were displaced from areas closer to the border have since moved here. That includes Lebanese and Syrians. Remember, this country is host to a large Syrian population and they have nowhere to go.

Israel’s strategy since the launch of its wide-scale air campaign is to improve its negotiating position, to maximise its leverage. It is hoping it can put pressure on Hezbollah so that the group will cave in to its demands.

Israel’s demands are for Hezbollah to hold fire so that tens of thousands of Israelis can return to their homes in northern Israel. We also understand that Israel wants a new security arrangement along the border.

But Hezbollah is an organisation that does not negotiate under fire.


Hezbollah treading carefully and choosing de-escalation

Hezbollah has still not responded to this shock and awe campaign. It has still not used its strategic assets.

Yesterday, it released a video showing its long-range missiles, telling Israel: “We can escalate, but we are choosing to de-escalate at the moment.” Hezbollah’s missiles can hit population centres in Israel.

Hezbollah is still treading carefully. What we understand from Lebanese government sources is the proposal put forward by the US and France is acceptable because it mentions a Gaza ceasefire.

It is also acceptable because it mentions the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701. But officials and our sources are saying that they do not believe Israel is serious about reaching any sort of settlement.


Israeli military ‘not yet ready’ for ground invasion of Lebanon

While Israel says it is preparing for a ground invasion of Lebanon, it is not quite ready to go in, according to Andreas Krieg, a professor at King’s College London.

“I don’t think this incursion is imminent,” Krieg told Al Jazeera. “I don’t think the Israeli military is ready to open a third front on the ground.

“A war on the ground against Hezbollah, with infantry, with combined arms, will be extremely difficult. I think the Israeli military is quite overstretched. It’s a different ball game – fighting Hezbollah on the ground versus pounding them from the air.”

The Israeli military’s air campaign in Lebanon, meanwhile, is aimed at pushing Hezbollah to “come to the negotiating table” and consider withdrawing its fighters north of the Litani River, Krieg said.

However, he believes Hezbollah is unlikely to make such concessions “as long as Israel is not making any concessions on the Gaza front”.



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SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Ceasefire news ‘not true’, says Netanyahu’s office

The Israeli PM’s office has released a statement on Netanyahu’s X page saying the “news about a ceasefire is not true”.

The US, France, Canada, Australia, Japan, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have backed a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon. But his office said that Netanyahu “did not even respond” to the proposal. “The news about the supposed directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth.”

The statement added that the PM instructed the Israeli forces “to continue the fighting with full force, and according to the plans presented to him”.


Qatar says no formal mediation for Lebanon ceasefire yet

A formal mediation track to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon has not yet been put in place, according to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Qatar is also not aware of a “direct link” between proposals for Lebanon and Gaza, said ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari at a press briefing.

Qatar, which mediated rounds of Gaza ceasefire talks along with the US and Egypt, has repeatedly warned of the risk of regional fallout from the Gaza war.


Right-wing Israeli officials oppose Lebanon ceasefire

Numerous right-wing Israeli figures have voiced strong opposition to a proposed 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, arguing it would stop the Israeli military’s momentum there and give Hezbollah time to regroup.

  • Nissim Vaturi, a member of parliament with Netanyahu’s Likud party, said it would amount to “surrender” to the Lebanese group.
  • Far-right MP Almog Cohen, with the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party, said a ceasefire would be a “national disaster”, demanding “Hezbollah must pay”.
  • Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionist Party, said a ceasefire would enable Hezbollah to recuperate and pose more danger to northern Israeli towns.

Israeli Army Radio quoted security officials as saying Israel needed to carry on its offensive longer to achieve its war aims before striking a ceasefire.


Israel’s foreign minister rules out ceasefire with Hezbollah

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz rejected proposals for a ceasefire in Lebanon after the US and France called for a 21-day halt in the fighting to allow time to reach a diplomatic solution.

“There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight … with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” he said on X.

Earlier, Israel’s PM Netanyahu said he has instructed the military to keep fighting and has not yet given his response to the ceasefire proposal.



SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

More than 500 shelters set up for displaced people: Interior minister

Speaking at the press briefing, Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi applauded the public for their “solidarity and unity” amid the crisis.

He said there is a major influx of displaced people from southern Lebanon and more than 500 shelters, many within schools, have been set up to accommodate them. Provincial mayors are overseeing the shelters, where people with special needs and chronic health issues are being given “special attention”, Mawlawi said.


Our plans are ‘in action’: Interior minister

Mawlawi thanked the Red Cross and other relief agencies for working with the government to urgently assist displaced people.

He also said a number of sub-committees have been set up to provide resources to the displaced. They are coordinating with Lebanon’s crisis management commission and provincial mayors on an hourly basis, he added.

“From the moment our citizens started to leave their homes and move up, our operations as planned came into action,” said Mawlawi.


No confidence in a ceasefire in Lebanon

There is no confidence in a ceasefire agreement here in Lebanon.

Hezbollah and the Lebanese have been clear that they do not see the US as an honest broker, given that weapons are still reaching Israel and being used in Gaza and Lebanon.

On Hezbollah’s part, there has always been a ceasefire proposal on the table. If there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, they will cease hostilities. This has always been the deal since October 8.

Ceasefire talk has been going on for months in Gaza, but every time they get close, the Israeli PM ups the ante and the talks fall apart. The Lebanese government has yet to react to the talks of a possible ceasefire and perhaps they will do that later through their UN ambassador in New York.


Lots of ‘enthusiasm’ in Israel for Lebanon offensive

Many in Israel see the continuing military operation in Lebanon, including last week’s pager explosions and recent air strikes, as a “success” against Hezbollah, according to Israeli investigative journalist Meron Rapoport.

However, the memories of Israel’s bloody wars in Lebanon in 1982 and 2006 still linger, leading to more hesitancy about a ground operation, Rapoport told Al Jazeera.

“I think if Israel really [waged] a ground operation, this will change things. And I think this is why Israel is still hesitant,” he said. Israel’s government “is talking about a ground operation, threatening a ground operation” but starting a ground operation, is “another story”, he added.


China tells its citizens not to go to Lebanon

The Chinese embassy in Lebanon has warned its citizens against travelling to the country amid Israel’s continuing air offensive. The embassy also activated an emergency response plan and advised citizens in Lebanon to leave.

Various countries have already urged their citizens to leave or avoid travelling to Lebanon this week, including Italy, Belgium, the UK, Russia, India, Australia and Malaysia.


Turkey preparing to evacuate citizens from Lebanon

Turkey is getting ready to potentially evacuate its citizens and foreign nationals from Lebanon, according to a Turkish defence ministry source cited by Reuters news agency. “Preliminary planning and preparations for a potential evacuation operation are being made,” the source said.

The report comes as Netanyahu said the news of a ceasefire with Hezbollah is “not true” and instructed his military to keep fighting with full force.



SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Lebanon is experiencing a massive displacement crisis

We’re witnessing a humanitarian crisis, a massive displacement crisis.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 90,000 people have been on the move in the past four days, adding to the 110,000 people who have been displaced in the past year.

We have heard the minister of interior say that shelters are accommodating more than 70,000 people. Some of the displaced are having to rent apartments, and some are staying with friends and relatives, but no doubt this is a crisis for a near-bankrupt state.

Lebanon is a country that has been living off international aid for years now and does not have enough funds to help people in need. This is not going to be easy and it seems that we’re just at the beginning.


‘Chaotic, dehumanising’: Displaced Lebanese student describes being forced out of hometown

Khadija Basma, a student at the Lebanese American University, said she fled her hometown near Tyre amid Israeli air strikes with her family in a hurry, taking few belongings.

They travelled to a town further north, a trip that usually takes just 30 minutes. But the chaos, traffic jams and bombardment in nearby areas caused the trip to take 11 hours, she said.

“You don’t have access to phone service so you can’t call your loved ones to check on them or check which roads are open,” Basma told Al Jazeera.

While travelling, she saw crowds of displaced people with “nowhere to go”, some sleeping in their cars, others sleeping on the side of the road. “It was very hectic, chaotic, dehumanising and humiliating,” she said.


Israeli attacks putting ‘immense pressure on Lebanon’s fragile health system’

The level of displacement and violence taking place in Lebanon is putting “immense pressure on an already fragile health system”, Luna Hammad, the medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told Al Jazeera.

“Health facilities are operating with extremely limited capacity due to the shortages of fuel, supplies and staff,” Hammad said, adding that the country was already in need of trauma care, chronic disease management and mental health support.

Lebanon plunged into a deep economic crisis in 2019 that crippled its health system. “People here are already facing immense hardship due to the economic crisis and this has deepened their suffering,” Hammad said.



SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Hezbollah claims strike on military facilities north of Haifa

Hezbollah has said in a statement it launched a “barrage of missiles” on Israel’s Rafael military facilities, in the Zevulun area, north of Haifa. Israel’s army has not confirmed this strike but earlier said that 45 rockets had been launched from Lebanon.


More air strikes in Tyre

There have been a couple of recent air strikes in the Tyre area. That adds to the five that took place earlier today.

Israeli air strikes are extending to every area of Lebanon. That’s what we saw yesterday and that’s what’s happening today. There are reports [of strikes] from Hermel to the northeast and Nabatieh towards the southeast.

Despite discussions about a truce on the ground, things are still not changing.


A man watches as smoke billows over southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, in Tyre, Lebanon, on September 26


Three dead, 17 wounded around Lebanon’s Tyre

Three people have been killed and 17 wounded in Israeli air raids in the area of Tyre, in southern Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry said in a statement.

  • One was killed and three wounded in Qana.
  • Two were killed and one wounded in Cadmus.
  • Five were wounded in Burj al-Shemali.
  • Four were wounded in Tyre.
  • Two were wounded in al-Qalila.
  • One was wounded in Hanaway.
  • One was wounded in Houmayri.


Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Tyre, Lebanon, on September 26


Israel army says it hit Hezbollah infrastructure on Syria-Lebanon border

The Israeli army said it hit Hezbollah infrastructure on the Syria-Lebanon border used by the Lebanese group to transfer weapons from the neighbouring country.

Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh earlier told Reuters news agency that the Israeli strike hit the Syrian end of a small bridge that provides a crossing into Lebanon.

More than 22,000 people have crossed into Syria amid Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to Syrian security sources quoted by AFP.


Blast heard and smoke seen in Beirut’s southern suburbs

A large blast has been heard in Beirut’s southern suburbs and a thick cloud of smoke has emanated from the area.

Israeli military conducting raids on Beirut

The Israeli military has said in a statement it is carrying out raids in Beirut, shortly after a large blast was heard in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital.

Explosion in Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut

There has been an explosion in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh. This is an area where Hezbollah has a presence. We have recently seen assassinations of top commanders of the armed group, so this is part of the continuing Israeli assault.

This is another marked escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah air commander targeted in Beirut attack: Report

Israel’s Army Radio is reporting that the head of Hezbollah’s air unit was targeted in an air raid in Beirut.

Reuters, citing a security source, also reports a senior Hezbollah leader was the target of the latest air raid, which struck Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh where the group is known to have a presence.


Israel making precision strikes based on intelligence

This is the fourth targeted strike in under a week. The Israeli army is saying that an F-35 fired at least three missiles, and what they are claiming is that the target was the head of Hezbollah’s drone unit.

So this is becoming more frequent, these attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs. On Monday, Israel launched intensive and extensive air strikes in areas where Hezbollah has a presence in the south of the country, in the east of the country, and even in some locations north of Beirut and south of Beirut.

But Beirut’s southern suburbs, this densely populated area, they haven’t been carrying out those intensive strikes. What they’ve been doing are these targeted assassinations.


Air strikes continuing around city of Tyre

There have been more than 20 strikes in the area of Tyre today. A huge air strike hit the entrance of Tyre, in what was the closest strike to the city.

Currently, several air strikes are hitting just above the neighbourhood of Hosh and further south. Many people in these villages have already left, but some lack the capability to leave and we can see that clearly reflected in the number of people killed.

While Israel is hitting every and each area on the map, Hezbollah is still operating from the border. Despite all that has been said of a ceasefire, there has been a clear escalation in Israeli attacks.



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SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Wars, conflicts could become breeding ground for new superbugs

The ongoing wars and conflicts around the world, including in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine, could become a breeding ground for new superbugs to develop, according to Ahmed Ogwell, vice president of global health strategy at the UN Foundation.

“The presence of humanitarian crisis, where you find people living in very unsavoury conditions – being forced to consume very unhealthy water or food, forced to breath very unhealthy air – the risks are twofold,” Ogwell told Al Jazeera.

“A situation like that becomes breeding ground for new superbugs to develop. When you start developing a certain coping mechanism, the bugs in you will also start adjusting to that new situation. If they get out in communities that are not under similar stressful circumstances, it becomes a new variant or a new type of resistance that developed with those bugs.

“The rest of the world immediately becomes at risk, whether it is a resistant variant or deadlier variant. And these environments, these conflict areas, can wreak havoc on the rest of the health system across the world.”


Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon could mark point of no return

If Israel’s military does go into Lebanon on the ground, it’s going to be entering a very different fight. A far more difficult and challenging fight. Hezbollah is not Hamas.

It would be entering terrain Hezbollah knows very well. The Israeli military has learned about its challenges in the past – in 2006 certainly.

There is still talk about a potential temporary ceasefire. Even though there has been pushback from Netanyahu and from his office … we understand that Netanyahu has been part of this conversation since the beginning.

I think if we do see a ground invasion, and it’s still a big if, then we are entering another phase of this war. And it might well be the point of no return.


A ground invasion in Lebanon ‘would be a humanitarian catastrophe’: NGO

A ground invasion in Lebanon “would be a humanitarian catastrophe”, international nongovernmental organisation Action For Humanity has said in a statement, adding that it called on leaders to take a stand against such a move at the UN General Assembly.

“We are calling on the US and Western governments to do more to stop Gaza being erased and Lebanon being dragged into a bloody war,” Chief Executive Officer Othman Moqbel said.

“For the sake of the entire region and for the sake of humanity, we need to halt all arms to Israel and bring about a ceasefire.”


Ben-Gvir threatens to quit if permanent ceasefire is reached with Hezbollah

The far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has threatened to quit the coalition if a permanent ceasefire is reached with Hezbollah.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Jewish Power party, threatened to suspend cooperation with the coalition if a temporary deal is reached. “If a temporary ceasefire becomes permanent, we will resign from the government,” he said.

It was the latest sign of displeasure from Netanyahu’s hardline government towards international ceasefire efforts. If Ben-Gvir leaves the coalition, Netanyahu would lose his parliamentary majority and could see his government come toppling down, though opposition leaders have said they would offer support for a ceasefire deal.



SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Gallant approves continued ‘offensive activity’ against Hezbollah

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approves “the continued [Israeli military] offensive activity” in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Time of Israeli reports, citing Gallant’s office.

According to his office, Gallant met with the army’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, head of the Operations Directorate, Major-General Oded Basiuk, and head of the Intelligence Directorate, Major-General Shlomi Binder to approve the continuation of the army’s plans against Hezbollah.

During the meeting, four officials also observed the air raid in Beirut, which Israeli Army Radio reported was targeting a senior Hezbollah commander.


White House says Lebanon truce call ‘coordinated’ with Israel

The US White House insists that a US-led international call for a ceasefire in Lebanon was “coordinated” with Israel, despite Israel later rejecting the truce and vowing to keep fighting Hezbollah.

“The statement was indeed coordinated with the Israeli side,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, adding that talks are continuing at the UN General Assembly in New York City.

The United States, France, and several Arab and European countries called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border following intense discussions at the United Nations on Wednesday.


Israel secures more than $8.7bn in US military aid package: Ministry

Israel’s defence ministry says it has secured an $8.7bn aid package from Washington to support the country’s ongoing military efforts, including upgrading air defence systems.

“The package includes $3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement … and $5.2 billion designated for air defence systems, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and an advanced laser system,” the ministry said in a statement.


‘Committed from very beginning to provide Israel necessary things’: US

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says the United States will continue to provide military aid to Israel no matter what happens in Lebanon and Gaza.

Asked about “red lines” for US support to Israel, Austin told reporters the US won’t change its commitment to help Israel protect itself.

“We’ve been committed from the very beginning to help Israel, provide the things that are necessary for them to be able to protect their sovereign territory, and that hasn’t changed and won’t change in the future,” Austin said after a meeting in London.




UK pushes for Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire

The United Kingdom pressed Israel and Hezbollah to quiet their guns as fears grow over a full-blown war in the Middle East.

“I urge Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Lebanese Hezbollah leaders to listen to the common voices at the United Nations to reach a ceasefire agreement. A 21-day ceasefire where talks can start and fighting can end and an opportunity for a long-term settlement may emerge,” said British Defence Secretary John Healey.

Israel says that’s not going to happen. “There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office earlier said he has “not even responded” to the truce proposal, and ordered the military “to continue the fighting with full force”.

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 26 September 2024

SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

‘Horrific scenes’ from al-Ahli Arab Hospital

There’s too much pressure on health facilities, particularly in northern Gaza where there are almost no health facilities operational whatsoever.

We’re talking about one health facility that is running at a very low capacity, that doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate a large number of injuries transferred to its property – we’re talking about the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, an already crippled healthcare system across the northern part of the Strip.

In the past hour, there have been quite horrific scenes from the hospital. We looked at some of the footage – not suitable for viewers – we looked at people pick up flesh from the ground of the bomb site.

This is an evacuation centre and known in Gaza and Jabalia refugee camp and this is probably more than the 50th time this particular area, Jabalia refugee camp, has been repeatedly and deliberately targeted b the Israeli military.


Two Palestinians killed in Israeli attack on Rafah

The Israeli air strike targeted “a group of citizens” in the al-Zuhoor neighbourhood in the southernmost Gaza city, Palestinian Civil Defence agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal says.

Israel has continued its relentless attacks on Rafah despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering it to put an end to the military operation there months ago. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched the ground invasion on May 7.

Israeli troops also took over the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, further slowing sporadic deliveries of aid for Gaza’s 2.3 million people.


‘Barbaric attack’: Hamas decries deadly Jabalia school strike

Hamas has condemned Israel’s attack on Jabalia’s Hafsa al-Faluja School, which killed 15 people, describing it as “a crime and a continuation of the genocide” in Gaza. Dozens were wounded in the attack on the school, which serves as a shelter for war-displaced Palestinian families.

“The escalation in barbaric attacks across the Gaza Strip in the last few days, especially on shelters and tents housing displaced people … highlights how civilians are deliberately targeted and how heinous massacres are committed against them,” Hamas said in a statement.

The international community must intervene to stop “the terrorism and grave violations of international and humanitarian laws”, it said. Israel’s forces have repeatedly attacked schools-turned-shelters during its year-long assault on the Palestinian enclave.


Bodies returned by Israeli army to Gaza unidentifiable

The past few hours have been quite emotional, but particularly for families waiting to know anything about their missing children. Many of these people were taken from evacuation centres, kidnapped, tortured, and dehumanised by the Israeli military. The last thing their families heard was that they were killed, and some of them heard that they would be sent back alive to the Gaza Strip.

The truck that was carrying the 88 bodies … [came] back to Nasser Hospital. Family members were gathered around the hospital, around this truck, in a desperate attempt to find out who these bodies are, and if their missing children – who had been gone for the past year almost – were among them. The bodies were taken to their final resting place in a mass graveyard in the Turkish cemetery around Nasser Hospital.

This is the fifth time the Israeli military has returned the bodies of Palestinians believed to have been tortured and killed after being kidnapped from evacuation centres. This is the first time that none of these bodies were able to be identified, simply because they were all deceased … they came back in fully skeletal shape … with no signs to [help identify] them.


The bodies of more than 80 Palestinians, taken by the Israeli military in Gaza, were returned this week in Khan Younis


Casualties after Israeli forces hit central Gaza

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report a Palestinian was killed and others injured following an Israeli attack on a civilian car in Bureij camp.

Israel’s military continued its attacks across the besieged coastal enclave, killing at least 37 Palestinians including 15 in another bombing of a school shelter for war-displaced civilians.

The Israeli campaign has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians in Gaza – mostly women and children – since October 7, 2023.


Four Palestinians killed in new attack on northern Gaza’s Jabalia

At least five others were wounded in the blast that struck a residential home that belonged to the al-Batch family, Gaza’s civil defence agency says. It said its teams are also working on putting out a fire that erupted in the apartment when it was targeted.



SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Abbas takes the stage at UN General Assembly

Abbas opened his speech by immediately saying that Palestinians will not exit Gaza.

“We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave,” he said. “Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers, our grandfathers. It will remain ours.” “And if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers.”

Abbas accused Netanyahu of lying when he told US Congress in July that “practically” no children had been killed in Gaza.

“I ask you by God, who is it then that killed more than 15,000 children?” he said. “Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel.”

“This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”

Mahmoud Abbas also said that people in Lebanon are being subjected to a “war of genocide”.

“We condemn this aggression, and we demand that it stops immediately,” said Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.


Abbas slams settlers as ‘terrorism gangs’

Mahmoud Abbas criticised Israeli forces under the leadership of PM Benjamin Netanyahu for supporting “terrorism gangs of settlers” as they destroy hundreds of houses in the occupied Palestinian territories and take land.

“They’re building everywhere in Palestine,” the Palestinian leader said of the settlers.


Abbas calls on international community to impose sanctions on Israel

Israeli forces have destroyed most of Gaza’s buildings and infrastructure, Mahmoud Abbas says, calling on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel.

“Anybody who goes to Gaza, who’d known it before, would not recognise it anymore,” the Palestinian Authority leader said. “It’s no longer there. Seventy-five percent of everything in Gaza has been fully destroyed.”

“The international community must immediately impose sanctions on Israel.”

Abbas says he doesn’t understand why the United States “insists on opposing” Palestinians.

“We regret that the United States, the largest democracy in the world, obstructed three times draft resolutions of the Security Council demanding Israel to observe a ceasefire,” said the Palestinian Authority president. “The US alone stood and said, ‘No, the fighting is going to continue.'”

He added that this only encouraged Israel to continue the war. “As long as the US is supporting it, then why not keep going?”

 

Abbas give 12-point proposal to UNGA

Abbas laid out a 12-point proposal to the UNGA for what needs to be done the day after the war ends.

  • A comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the military aggressions and attacks by terrorist settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
  • Humanitarian aid must be delivered urgently, in an organised manner and in sufficient quantities because there’s nothing in Gaza, and they need everything. This humanitarian aid must be delivered throughout Gaza.
  • A full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. We refuse the establishment of buffer zones or taking any part from Gaza. We demand that we stop the forced displacement inside the Gaza Strip or outside the Gaza Strip. We demand the return of those displaced to their homes and to have housing provided to them.
  • We demand the protection of UNRWA and humanitarian organisations from Israel’s actions and to provide political and financial support to these organisations so that they can perform their role and offer their services to the Palestinians.
  • We demand international protection for the Palestinians on the lands of their occupied land. We want protection. We are not fighting Israel. We cannot fight Israel, and we don’t want to fight.
  • The State of Palestine must shoulder its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip and impose its full mandate and jurisdiction on it, including the border checkpoints, especially the Rafa international border between Egypt and Palestine, as part of a comprehensive plan.
  • The authority of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian government and the PLO, the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people, will have authority on all Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem, as has been stipulated for us by international law. We are not asking for more, but we will not accept any less.
  • We will continue to mobilise the largest possible international support so that the State of Palestine can achieve full membership in the United Nations as soon as possible. We like to be sitting among you.
  • The full implementation of the General Assembly resolution on the advisory opinion that we mentioned, issued by the International Court of Justice, in a manner that would lead to the end of the occupation in 12 months.
  • Hold an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations within a year to apply the two-state solution. So we hold this international conference so that we would resolve all the problems that remain between us and Israel. By the way, we recognise the state of Israel, but Israel doesn’t recognise us.
  • Adopt international peacekeeping forces by virtue of a Security Council resolution between the states of Palestine and Israel to guarantee the security of both countries. We call for guaranteeing the security of both countries.


Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ‘has been missing in action’

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, says the first half of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN General Assembly was “quite argumentative”, calling out the US for refusing a permanent ceasefire earlier in the war on Gaza, refusing to recognise the state of Palestine, and turning a blind eye to Israeli aggression.

“However, overall Abbas seems to me like a statesman who never changed. For the past 50 years, he’s been repeating the same arguments, making the same points – again and again,” Bishara said.

“Over the past year, as Israel was carrying out its genocide in Gaza and its war crimes in the occupied West Bank, Abbas has been missing in action. With the exception of a few appearances here and there and international forums, Abbas is nowhere to be seen in Palestine, speaking on behalf of or defending the people of Gaza.”

While Abbas offers “strong arguments” against “occupation and apartheid”, he is still making “the same gestures towards Israel, speaking about peace and security”, said Bishara.


SvennoJ on 26 September 2024

Two people killed in Israeli air raid in Beirut

This strike was carried out by Israel, and they used three missiles to target the ground floor within a residential building in the heart of Dahiyeh. According to the Health Ministry, as of now, two people have been confirmed dead and at least 15 others injured, including one woman who is in critical condition.

Now, of course, this targeted strike by Israel comes in this area of Dahiyeh that is heavily populated by civilians. Dahiyeh is a suburb of Beirut that is home to about 700,000 people and this is not the first time this area has been targeted by Israel. It has been carrying out assassinations of high-ranking Hezbollah commanders. This is the fourth attack in less than a week in Dahiyeh that Israel carried out.

They have so far killed two high-ranking Hezbollah commanders in attacks they have launched. There was an assassination attempt on Monday that was not successful, and we’ll have to wait and see who the target was in today’s assassination attempt and whether or not it was successful.


Two people killed in Israeli attack on Beirut suburb

At least 15 others have been wounded in the latest Israeli air raid, which struck Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh a short while ago, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports.

It cited local medial sources as saying a woman is among those injured and is in “critical condition”.


Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets into Israel

The Lebanese armed group says in a statement that its fighters have bombarded the northern city of Safed with 80 rockets. Earlier, we reported two people were killed in an Israeli attack on a Beirut suburb, while at least 15 others have been wounded.


Tens of thousands flee to Syria as Israeli attacks continue

Lebanon says more than 31,000 people crossed into Syria during the past two days as Israeli air raids pound the country. Lebanese authorities “recorded the crossing of 15,600 Syrian citizens and 16,130 Lebanese citizens into Syrian territory”, a statement from the country’s disaster management unit said.


People fleeing Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border in Jdeidat Yabus


Hezbollah fires 130 more rockets into Israel

The Lebanese armed group says in a statement that it bombarded the Kiryat Ata settlement near Haifa with 50 rockets. Earlier, Hezbollah added that it fired 80 projectiles towards Safed in Israel’s north.

The attacks come after two people in Lebanon were killed in an Israeli attack on a Beirut suburb while at least 15 others were wounded.


Israeli army launches new attacks in eastern Lebanon

Israeli forces conducted air raids on the outskirts of the Lebanese towns of Sahmar, Yahmar and Labaya in the western Bekaa Valley.


Actual number of displaced people likely 250,000: Lebanon minister

Lebanon’s Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, who is coordinating the crisis response during Israeli attacks, says more than 77,000 people are currently sheltering in evacuation centres across the country.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Yassin said local ministries, municipalities, and international organisations are coordinating to ensure needs are being met and aid is being effectively distributed.

The number of displaced people has likely surpassed 250,000 – with many now living among friends and relatives. “We are trying our best to manage our response, but the challenges are many,” he said.


Lebanon says more than 1,500 people killed by Israel since October 2023

Lebanon says the death toll from Israeli assaults across the country hit 1,540 since last October.

The Disaster Risk Management Unit said in a report the number of wounded stands at 5,410, and “the number of displaced individuals registered in approved shelters had risen to 77,100 by Wednesday afternoon”.

The report said shelters in public facilities increased to 565 including schools, vocational institutes, and agricultural centres.