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

SvennoJ on 29 February 2024

Amnesty says investigating deadly Israeli attack on aid seekrers

The UK-based rights group says there must be an “urgent investigation” into the incident, which led to the deaths of at least 112 Palestinians. “Amnesty is investigating this as part of its ongoing documentation of violations against Palestinian civilians,” it said in a post on X.

“As the occupying power, Israel has a clear obligation to meet the basic needs of Palestinians, including by ensuring their unimpeded and safe access to aid.”




More 'hearts and prayers' statements

Emmanuel Macron expresses ‘deep indignation’ at Gaza massacre

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed the “strongest condemnation” of Israel’s killing of more than 100 Palestinian civilians waiting for food aid in Gaza City. “Deep indignation at the images coming from Gaza where civilians have been targeted by Israeli soldiers,” he wrote on X.

“All civilian populations must be protected. A ceasefire must be implemented immediately to allow humanitarian aid to be distributed.”

The French Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel’s attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for a convoy of food assistance in northern Gaza.

“The fire by Israeli soldiers against civilians trying to access food is unjustifiable,” the ministry said, adding that the “tragic event” came amid an “increasing and unbearable number of Palestinian civilians” suffering from hunger and disease.

France took part in an airdrop of humanitarian assistance into Gaza earlier this week, stating at the time that it has pushed Israel for the “immediate opening of all crossing points to Gaza and the massive entry of humanitarian aid”.

Spain condemns ‘unacceptable’ attack on Palestinians awaiting aid

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has condemned an “unacceptable” Israeli attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for food assistance in northern Gaza, where Israel has denied and delayed aid deliveries for several months leading to the spread of mass hunger.

“The unacceptable nature of what happened in Gaza, with dozens of Palestinian civilians dead as they were waiting for food, underlines the urgency of a ceasefire,” Albares said in a social media post.

“Humanitarian aid must be able to enter without obstacles. Compliance with international humanitarian law is mandatory.”




Deaths of Palestinians seeking aid ‘unacceptable’: EU top diplomat

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says depriving people of food was a “serious violation” of international humanitarian law.

“These deaths are totally unacceptable … Unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza must be granted,” he posted on X.




It's also unacceptable Europe still supports Israel.



Better too late than never...

US senators call on Biden to send hospital ship to Gaza

US senators Jack Reed and Angus King have sent a letter to the Biden administration urging the president to send a hospital ship to help treat the wounded in Gaza, where medical groups have said that Israeli attacks and restrictions on supplies have brought health services to the brink of collapse.

“Consequently, we urge you to take additional steps to deliver humanitarian aid by deploying a US Navy hospital ship and support elements to the region and by working with the Israeli and Egyptian governments to establish maritime logistics routes and ensure civilian access to aid,” the senators wrote.

The letter also says that the US should establish a sea route for the delivery of aid into Gaza.

Israel under ‘severe pressure’ over shooting of aid seekers; Netanyahu says war will not stop

Israel clearly recognises the severe pressure it is going to come under now internationally as a consequence of what has happened in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military says that, initially, what had happened was that the aid trucks were at Wadi Gaza – this is where Israel has created a divide between the south and the north of Gaza. The trucks had gone through this checkpoint and were rushed by thousands of Palestinians trying to get at the food, and people were crushed or even killed by vehicles.

The military said it didn’t open fire at this stage. Then later, as the trucks moved further north, some people approached the Israeli military. They say it was threatening in manner and so their troops opened fire.

The Israeli media is reporting what the military is saying and also acknowledging that this could put a lot of pressure on Israel to give more concessions in any potential ceasefire talks.

Benjamin Netanyahu in a press conference this evening said that he’s coming under a lot of international pressure, generally. But he will not stop the war until Israel has achieved its objectives in Gaza.

More lies. No reports of crushed people coming in from Wadi Gaza, while most of the wounded have injuries from getting shot.
Wadi Gaza is 5 km from Nabulsi Roundabout.
There is video proof Israeli forces opened fire first while people were following the trucks.

Either the IDF is trigger happy and very afraid of emaciated people looking for food, or more likely, doing the same as they have been every time people go out looking for food. Shoot a couple to cull the herd and create panic. Probably both as the IDF mainly consists of drafted people, with the only combat experience, if any, harassing Palestinians in the West Bank. They're send in with impunity without any restrictions, picking off some targets in the dark with night vision goggles. (Massacre happened at 4 in the morning)



And Israel continues without missing a beat

Israeli military bombs house in Bureij refugee camp, killing four

The Israeli military has killed four people after bombing a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, the Wafa news agency reports. Many more were injured in the strike on the home, which was owned by the al-Qarinawi family, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report.



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SvennoJ on 29 February 2024

Exposing IDF lies



@chunnelglazer: I have a Master's focused on Palestinian liberation. I lived in the West Bank in 2005 and 2008, and worked in Gaza in 2005 with an aid organization. Truly, it is one of the most defining experiences of my life. Despite all that experience and education, I am at a loss as to what I should be doing. I contacted my elected officials, but they all have been bought off by AIPAC, so it falls on deaf ears. I donate what I can. I protest when I can. And yet, I feel absolutely useless. Beyond being passionate about Palestine, as a human being, I can't stand that my tax dollars have always been used to fund the Israeli occupation, and now the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Gaza. I'm absolutely shattered. I need to do more...

I feel the same here in Canada, useless

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 29 February 2024

SvennoJ on 29 February 2024

You think you've reached the lowest point and the US will dig a little deeper

US blocks UNSC statement that would have blamed Israel for Gaza City massacre

The US has blocked a statement put forward by Algeria to the UN Security Council that would have assigned blame to Israel for the killing of more than 100 Palestinians awaiting food aid in northern Gaza.

Palestine’s UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, told reporters that the statement was backed by all of the UNSC’s 15 members except the US.

Explaining the decision to block the statement, US Ambassador Robert Wood said, “We don’t have all the facts on the ground – that’s the problem.”

He said that the US is trying to verify the “circumstances around how people died” to see if “we can find some language that everyone can agree on”.


Robert Wood, deputy permanent representative of the US to the United Nations, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting in January 2024

The UNSC is pointless, both genocidal maniacs, Russia and the US have veto power.

UN chief says Gaza aid massacre requires independent investigation

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the killing of more than 100 Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City will require an independent investigation, the Reuters news agency reports. Speaking in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ahead of a regional summit, Guterres added that he was “shocked” by the latest loss of life in Israel’s war on Gaza.

When asked about the failure of the UN Security Council to agree on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, he said that geopolitical divides have “transformed the veto power into an effective instrument of paralysis of the action of the Security Council”.

Overcrowded prisons, better kill them in the streets instead of more nasty probes into prison deaths

Israeli military says ‘administrative detainees’ to be freed to make space for new prisoners

Israel’s military said that due to a “shortage of space in the prisons”, a decision had been reached to release “administrative detainees” early “in order to make room for detainees with a higher threat level”. In a post on social media, the military did not say how many detainees would be freed. The release applied to those who are due for release “in the coming month”, it said.

Administrative detention allows Israeli forces to arrest Palestinians and put them behind bars – without charge or evidence of wrongdoing – for an initial period of six months. Their detentions can then be repeatedly extended for an indefinite period, again without charge or trial.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society reports that more than 6,500 Palestinians have been arrested just since October 7 alone.



LurkerJ on 01 March 2024

Biden is a joke.

Instead of doing something about this evil, like a true politician, he deviously capitalises on it and uses it as an excuse as to why the Monday-ceasefire he prematurely announced (or more accurately, lied about to stop the uncommitted movement in Michigan) isn't happening! 

You lying half bowl of shit, both Hamas and IDF came out and said no ceasefire in sight the morning after you lied while eating ice cream, shooting starving civilians rushing to aid has nothing to do with why your Monday-ceasefire isn't happening. 

.... and as usual, claiming we don't know everything and there is an alternative facts that will be uncovered here. Ok, what about the other 1000 stories in which you admitted there was no alternative explanation? you asked the IDF to open an investigation and hold those responsible for war crimes accountable, continued to shield Israel, give money and weapons, rinse, repeat. Barf.



SvennoJ on 01 March 2024

This Miller guy, just like Biden, please drag them off to the ICC.



Here we go again, "Why can't you condemn the killing of Palestinian children", "We don't know yet who was shooting, we must remember Hamas put these children in harms way, Hamas started this on Oct 7, Hamas continues to hide behind women and children human shields"  Can somebody just finally punch this guy out. Doubling down on it started on Oct 7, nothing that happened before Oct 7 justified the attack. (yet Oct 7 justifies this ???)

Fuck the USA, this makes me so fucking mad. Boycott the US, evil empire.


And Fox news denies it all, let's the IDF say we just fired warning shots and them moved out of the way. The people killed themselves.



"We're concerned about the 134 hostages (at least 31 less alive now) that have been living in hell on Earth for the past 146 days" Hell you created, you idiot.

Apparently trucks running people over and people trampling each other magically creates bullet holes in the human body... The presenter helpfully suggest was it Hamas trying to steal the aid. Then the presenter is concerned whether this could delay the Rafah invasion...

I don't think the USA has ever passed on from 9/11, which it brought on itself as well. What's been happening in Israel is basically the same as what's been happening in the USA since 9/11. Just sped up in Israel. The oppressed fight back and the empire crumbles. Ruling the country with fear and propaganda while lashing out at everything that could challenge their 'morality'

Americans are a lovely people, individually. Victims of a state that only cares about lining their pockets. Stop living in fear, immigrants are not your biggest threat. They're not responsible for your economic hardship, Washington is. Vote for an independent, 3rd party. The democracts and republicans are both corrupt to the core and will only drag the country further down into demise.



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SvennoJ on 01 March 2024

And it only gets worse

An ‘incredibly bloody’ 24 hours in Gaza

Over the past few hours, we have seen more Israeli military strikes from the north to the south of Gaza.

A few moments ago, the Israeli military targeted a residential building in Jabalia refugee camp to the far north.

We have also seen more air strikes on the city of Khan Younis, where at least four Palestinians were reported killed when a flat in the Hamad residential neighbourhood was targeted.

Rafah has also been widely attacked, particularly the eastern part of the city. There, a family’s home was struck and reduced to rubble, killing at least one Palestinian and injuring dozens. Civil defence crew are still working to try to recover the injured under the rubble of the destroyed homes.

The past 24 hours have been incredibly bloody.

Hamas: Seven captives killed in Israeli bombing of Gaza

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, announced that it had confirmed the news after investigations conducted over the past few weeks after it had lost contact with fighters who had been holding the captives. It was not immediately clear when the seven died. Several captives have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks in Gaza, including three who were shot by Israeli forces.

Three more Palestinians found dead from Gaza City attack, death toll at 115

The bodies of three more Palestinians killed while waiting for aid near Gaza City on Thursday morning have been found recovered, Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesperson has announced. This brings the overall death toll from the Israeli attack on aid-seekers to 115, with 760 wounded, the ministry said.


WHO says health system in Gaza ‘on its knees’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says people in Gaza are risking their lives to find food, water and other supplies – such is the level of hunger and despair during the Israeli assault on the strip. “The system in Gaza is on its knees. It’s more than on its knees,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva. “All the lifelines in Gaza have more or less been cut.”

Lindmeier said this has created a “desperate situation”, as seen on Thursday when more than 100 people seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza were killed. “People are so desperate for food, for freshwater, for any supplies that they risk their lives in getting any food, any supplies to support their children, to support themselves,” Lindmeier said.

“The food supplies have been cut off deliberately. Let’s not forget that,” he added.

Jordan airdrops aid into northern Gaza

The Jordanian army says it has carried out three airdrops of food aid in several areas in northern Gaza. Jordan and Egypt have airdropped aid in recent days while the US and Canada said they were considering playing a similar role.

Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said Jordan airdropped 48 packages of aid.

The president of Refugees International, Jeremy Konyndyk, said on Thursday that the amount of aid delivered in airdrops is so “negligible” that it helps “perpetuate the overall blockade strategy”.

“Facilitating airdrops and driving media coverage around them gives the public appearance that Israel is cooperating with humanitarian efforts,” said Konyndyk, who is also a former USAID official. “The fact that they need be considered is a major policy failure.”


Every bit helps, but indeed, that's just a bit more than the contents of a single truck. Hence deliver by sea, yet the Israeli naval blockade prevents that.
"Jordanian Air Force pilots dropped 33 tons of food and supplies on Gaza on Thursday"
"According to COGAT, 13,834 trucks carrying 254,210 tons of supplies have been transferred. Out of those, 8,021 trucks included 167,080 tons of food."
That comes to 20 tons of food per truck, so not even 1.5 trucks worth of aid.

500 trucks a day are needed, 10,000 tons of aid needs to come in daily to curb the catastrophe. More initially since everything has run out, 500 trucks is really just the pre war level of trucks going in daily while the water, electricity and gas were still on and Gaza could still produce its own food. (Now most agricultural land has been bulldozed, bombed or left stripped of anything edible, livestock killed by Israeli soldiers or eaten out of necessity, including the animal feed)

After 146 days, on a 500 trucks a day basis, they're about 60,000 trucks behind.
Cogat's numbers come out to less than a 100 trucks admitted daily which last month dropped to a daily average of 46.
Starvation by design.

Airdrops deliver ‘much lower’ amounts of aid than trucks: WHO

WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn says the UN’s health agency has not been able to send missions to northern Gaza in months due to the situation on the ground. Peeperkorn, who has just left Gaza, explains to Al Jazeera that while he is not “against” aid airdrops because they can be lifesaving interventions, the amount of supplies they can deliver is “much lower” and they are more expensive.

“It’s absolutely not needed in Gaza. The simplest, safest way and most effective way to deliver aid to people is through crossings. Not just Rafah. It should [also] be Kerem Shalom,” he said, referring to the crossing with Israel known in Arabic as Karem Abu Salem.

He added that the UN has been “more than ready” to supply Gaza with the aid it desperately needs but “a lot of our missions got delayed [and] denied [by Israel]”.


Palestinian Red Crescent teams transport body

The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance teams transported the body of a killed Palestinian who arrived in the Al-Jaafrawi area in Deir el-Balah. The person was killed in an Israeli drone attack targeting a group of civilians in the al-Kaf area north of Khan Younis city – an area where Israeli forces are carrying out a targeted military operation.


Dozens of bodies remain under the rubble in Zeitoun neighbourhood

In the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, dozens of dead bodies remain under the rubble after Israeli forces invaded the densely populated area on two occasions since launching the ground invasion on October 31. Widespread devastation with burned-down buildings could be seen after deadly Israeli bombardments in addition to ground attacks.

“Destruction on a massive scale, beyond any description. Our homes were destroyed. Nothing remained of our property,” one resident told Al Jazeera. “After 10 days of tight siege, my family was still at home. The last time I called them was five days ago, they told me the situation was dangerous. I asked them to leave, they told me snipers and drones were all around and they cannot leave. I do not know where they are, killed and buried underneath or elsewhere.”

The resident urged the Red Cross and world leaders to help with recovery efforts, so families can find each other.

Location of food aid delivery was shared with Israel, says charity

The exact location of where food aid would be delivered in northern Gaza was shared with Israeli forces before the shooting that killed at least 112 Palestinians on Thursday, Muhammad Ahmad, a trustee from the Ummah Welfare Trust, one of the organisations that delivered food aid to Gaza, said.

“Our partners on the ground, who are in the south, liaised with the Israeli ministry that organises convoys in the north, and they had a plan in place. The trucks were moving together, and the location of the distribution was disclosed, and that’s [where] people were waiting all night,” Ahmad told Sky News in an interview on Friday.

“Unfortunately, a moment which would have given us some happiness and relief that aid had reached those in need became a bloodbath.”



SvennoJ on 01 March 2024

South Africa condemns Israel over deaths of Palestinians awaiting aid

South Africa says the killing of Palestinians awaiting aid in Gaza breached the World Court’s provisional orders in a legal case in which Pretoria has accused Israel of committing genocide in the coastal enclave.

“South Africa condemns the massacre of 112 Palestinians and the injury of hundreds more as they sought life-saving aid,” South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.

“This latest atrocity is another breach of international law and in breach of the binding provisional orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”

India says it is deeply shocked at civilian deaths in Gaza during aid delivery

India says it is deeply shocked at the loss of lives in northern Gaza on Thursday when at least 112 people were killed while waiting for an aid delivery. “Such loss of civilian lives and the larger humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be a cause for extreme concern,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Lebanon condemns ‘deliberate killing’ of Palestinian aid seekers

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemns the deliberate killing of dozens of defenceless Palestinian civilians and the wounding of hundreds” after the Israeli army opened fire on a crowd of people seeking humanitarian aid near Gaza City. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the incident fell “within the framework of the policy of mass starvation and extermination of the Palestinian people, which drives them to despair and adds fuel to the fire”.

This “lowers the chances of a just and comprehensive peace” being achieved, it said. It also called for an end to this “absurd war that increases extremism and hatred” and for the establishment of an international investigation committee to determine the responsibilities for Thursday’s incident and ensure accountability.

Yemen condemns Israeli shooting of aid seekers in Gaza

Yemen has condemned Israel’s killing of more than 100 Palestinian civilians waiting for food aid near Gaza City, saying the ongoing “massacres”, including the bombing of shelters and of places where aid is distributed, amount to “war crimes and the collective punishment of innocent people”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the “crimes and massacres against defenceless Palestinian people kill peace every day and foster terrorism and extremism in the region”.

It called on the international community and the UN Security Council to take immediate measures to halt the war and deliver urgent humanitarian aid.

Israel’s military operation has no ‘ethical or legal limits’

Brazil has condemned the killings of more than 100 Palestinian aid seekers and says Israel’s military operation has no “ethical or legal limits”. “Humanity is failing the civilians of Gaza. And it’s time to prevent further massacres,” Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Brazil has been vocal in its defence of Palestinians in Gaza throughout the war and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire.

Portuguese FM ‘deeply shocked’ by killing of Palestinians awaiting food aid

Joao Gomes Cravinho has joined the rising international condemnation of Israel for the attack on thousands of starving Palestinians awaiting food relief that left more than 100 dead and many hundreds injured.

“Deeply shocked by the death in Gaza of over 100 people while waiting to receive aid,” the foreign minister said in a post on social media.

“Civilians and humanitarian operations must be safe under IHL [international humanitarian law]. We call again for an urgent immediate ceasefire [and] for safe access to humanitarian aid, in compliance with ICJ provisional measures,” he said.

German foreign minister ‘shocked’ by Gaza aid attack

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says she is “shocked” by the killings of aid-seeking Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli forces. “People wanted relief supplies for themselves and their families and found themselves dead,” she wrote on Twitter. “In Gaza people are closer to dying than alive. More humanitarian aid needs to come in. Immediately.”

“The Israeli army must fully explain how the mass panic and shooting could have happened. My condolences go out to the families of the victims,” she added.

It happened with your help.

EU’s von der Leyen ‘deeply disturbed’ by Gaza attack on aid seekers

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she is “deeply disturbed” by the killing of Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza. “Every effort must be made to investigate what happened and ensure transparency,” she said. “Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and access to it must be ensured.”

Von der Leyen has been accused of bias towards Israel, including by EU High Representative for Foreign and Defence Policy Josep Borrell, who said she was obstructing efforts to achieve an independent Palestinian state.

Another one, you supported this

30,000 prior deaths weren't all that shocking I guess, shocked by the level of desperation the international community has created.


Aid agencies call on EU and member states to resume UNRWA funding

Seventeen international aid agencies have signed a joint statement calling on the European Union and member states to resume funding to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). Several European countries stopped funding the aid agency in January after Israel alleged UNRWA members were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack.

“We urge the EU and Member States to take note that other aid agencies cannot replicate UNRWA’s central role in the humanitarian response in Gaza, and amidst the current crisis, many will struggle to even maintain their current operations without UNRWA’s partnership and support,” the statement published by the Norwegian Refugee Council read.

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini welcomed the joint statement on X and said, “Resumption of funding is key to keep the largest humanitarian operation in Gaza uninterrupted + to keep our schools & health clinics running for Palestine Refugees across the region”.

EU Commission to send 50 million euros to UNRWA

The European Commission says it will disburse 50 million euros ($54m) to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) next week.

The commission allocated 150 million euros ($162.2m) for 2024 to support the Palestinian population across the region, including 82 million euros ($87.7m) of aid to be distributed through UNRWA and 68 million euros ($73.5m) through international partners including the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.

In a statement, it said it had assessed its funding decision in light of the “very serious allegations” made on 24 January by Israel implicating several UNRWA staff in the attacks of October 7.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini had previously warned that internal divisions within the bloc threatened to derail the funds, which would provide a vital financial lifeline for the agency in coming weeks in light of the suspension of funding on the part of some Western countries.


Serious allegations that have still not produced any evidence. Aren't their laws about making false accusations and libel. UNWRA should be suing for damages if there was any sort of working justice system in this world.


UN probe still waiting on Israeli intelligence backing up allegations against UNRWA

Israel has yet to provide intelligence documents to a UN investigation into Israeli claims that around a dozen staff at the UN agency for Palestinian refugee (UNRWA) were involved in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, the DPA news agency reports.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a briefing on Thursday that the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was currently seeking “to corroborate additional information and to compare the information obtained with materials held by Israeli authorities, which OIOS expects to receive shortly”.

The OIOS investigation started a month ago, DPA reports.

More than a dozen countries – including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden, among others – suspended funding to UNRWA on the basis of the Israeli allegations.

Palestinian officials have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA.





Palestinian Foreign Ministry calls for sanctions on Israel

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has called for sanctions to be imposed on Israel after the killing of more than 100 Palestinians waiting to receive humanitarian on Thursday. “The Ministry calls for imposing deterrent sanctions on the Israeli government to compel it to ensure the protection of civilians and secure their humanitarian needs,” it said in a press statement.

It also accused Israeli PM Netanyahu of being a front for “fascist” Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

On Thursday, the ministry said the attack was part of Israel’s continuing “genocidal war” and called on the international community to “urgently intervene” to forge a ceasefire as “the only way to protect civilians”.

‘UNSC vetoes costing Palestinians their lives’

Palestine’s ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, says Palestinians are paying the price of paralysis at the UN Security Council. “According to the information we have, dozens of them [aid seekers killed in Gaza] have bullets in their heads,” Mansour said.

“It’s not like firing in the sky to restrain people if there was confusion and chaos. It was intentionally targeting and killing. This outrageous massacre is a testimony to the fact that as long as the Security Council is paralysed and vetoes casted, it is costing the Palestinian people their lives.”

UN spokesperson refuses to point the finger at Israel over food aid massacre

The spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is not calling it a massacre. Instead, he called it an appalling incident that needs further investigation to get to the bottom of who the perpetrators were.

During his noon briefing, journalists pressed the spokesperson multiple times about who exactly he was condemning and why he would not point the finger at Israel. He was also adamant that the UN was not involved in any way in this aid delivery.

The UN has said that it had to pause aid delivery to northern Gaza because it is simply too dangerous. And the deconfliction mechanism that they were working on with the Israeli military is simply not working.

They say they’re trying to find any avenues they can to resume food delivery to the north, but it is very difficult until there is a ceasefire.



SvennoJ on 01 March 2024

Settler attacks taking place across West Bank

Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank are being targeted by Israeli settlers after a Palestinian gunman killed two people near the Eli settlement.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting the following:

  • Settlers established an outpost consisting of six caravans on the lands of the al-Lubban Asharqiya village south of Nablus. On Thursday evening, a group of settlers attacked some residents in the same village, which is located near seven settlements, including Eli.
  • Residents in the town of Jalud, southeast of Nablus, were attacked by settlers in the early morning hours.
  • Attacks on Palestinian private vehicles have been reported east of Hebron.
  • Settlers demolished two agricultural barracks in Kisan, east of Bethlehem, belonging to a Palestinian resident.



Israeli army needs 7,000 new soldiers, says report

Israeli news outlet YNet is reporting that the army needs to bolster its personnel and requires 7,000 new soldiers, half of which would be transferred to maintain its war efforts in Gaza. Earlier this week, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said all parts of Israeli society, especially the ultra-Orthodox, to be drafted into the military and referred to it as a matter of “national need”.

“To attain the goals of the war, to handle the threats from Gaza, from Lebanon, from Judea and Samaria, and to prepare for the emerging threats from the east, we need unity and partnership in decisions about our future,” Gallant said in a news conference on Wednesday. He added that drafting all of society was “essential to winning the war” and a “national-security matter of utmost importance”.

Shooting of aid seekers in Gaza makes headlines in Israel

The Maariv newspaper, which tends to lean to the left, leads today’s edition by saying “Dozens killed in line for aid, Hamas says Israel responsible”. Yedioth Ahronoth, which leans towards the right, has a night-vision picture of a Palestinian crowd gathering around a food truck with a headline saying the “massacre of the breadline” did not happen at the hands of Israel.

In some newspapers, the news didn’t make the front page, so this is being covered in all sorts of ways, especially when it comes to attributing responsibility.

The Israeli army has blamed crowding, trampling and “Gaza truck drivers” for the deaths. A military official later said the troops “opened fire at the crowd” after some Palestinians began heading towards Israeli forces in a way that “endangered” them.

Israelis view this as an example of the kind of challenges that the army will be facing if it remains in Gaza and takes responsibility for the two million people there. A lot of commentators are saying this is the kind of incident we can expect more of in the future.

Footage shows barricades preventing access to Al-Aqsa Mosque

Footage shared on Palestinian Telegram groups shows the Israeli army erecting barricades in front of Lions’ Gate and preventing worshippers from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the Friday prayer in occupied East Jerusalem. The video shows a group of Israeli soldiers with their faces partially covered pushing away a Palestinian man who approached the gate.

Restrictions on access to the site have long caused friction, particularly around the month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin this year on March 10. PM Netanyahu’s office said it will impose some restrictions on access to al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month according to “security needs”.

Far right Israelis storm Gaza boundary to build illegal settlement

Far-right Israeli activists forced their way through an Israeli military checkpoint and entered Gaza near the Beit Hanoon (known as Erez to Israelis) crossing, but were prevented from carrying building materials into the Palestinian territory in order to establish an illegal settlement.

A group of approximately 100 far-right activists took part and some advanced as much as 500 metres (0.3 miles) into Gaza, according to reports.

Images captured the activists building a temporary settlement in an Israeli military zone between a boundary fence and a wall separating Israel from the war-torn Gaza Strip.


Israeli far-right activists carry material for building temporary shelters as they rallied and crossed into Gaza on Thursday



Far-right Israelis build a structure in the military zone between Gaza and Israel when prevented from carrying the material into Gaza

Biden urges Republicans to pass military aid bill so ‘Israel can defend itself’

A statement from US President Joe Biden has urged House Republicans to pass a foreign aid bill in order to “help ensure that Israel can defend itself against Hamas and other threats”.

Biden said the bipartisan national security supplemental package, which House Republicans are refusing to hold a vote on, will also provide “critical humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people”. “Because the truth is, the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough, and nowhere fast enough. Innocent lives are on the line,” the statement said.

Biden’s call comes as Israeli soldiers opened fire on a crowd of hungry Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza City, killing more than 100 people and causing a stampede.

The bill that also bans future funding of UNWRA



SvennoJ on 01 March 2024

UN: Many victims of Gaza City attack have gunshot wounds

During a visit to al-Shifa Hospital, a team from the United Nations was able to confirm that many people being treated there who were victims of Thursday’s attack near Gaza City “had gunshot wounds”, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general.

Speaking to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, Dujarric said the UN team observed “a large number of gunshot wounds” at the health facility, where many of Thursday’s wounded were taken.

While an Israeli military official conceded that troops “opened fire” at some Palestinians who moved in a way that “endangered” the troops, the Israeli army has blamed the aid-seekers’ deaths on trampling, crowding, and “Gaza truck drivers”.

Witnesses of the attack told Al Jazeera they were hit by direct Israeli artillery shelling, drone missiles and gunshots.



Gaza hospital director: 80 percent of victims of Gaza City attack at his facility were hit by gunfire

Mohammed Salha, the acting director of al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, has confirmed that the vast majority of the Gaza City food aid attack victims brought to his health facility showed injuries from gunfire.

Of the 176 wounded who were brought to al-Awda Hospital, 142 had gunshot wounds, while the other 34 showed injuries from a stampede, Salha told the Associated Press.

He said he could not provide information on the cause of death of the victims who were killed because their bodies were transported to other facilities.

Earlier, a UN team who visited al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza also confirmed that many victims had been injured by gunfire.



CNN staff criticise network for Gaza coverage in meeting: Report

An all-hands meeting held by the US media network became an opportunity for several staff members, including star presenter Christine Amanpour, to criticise its coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, with many reflecting external criticism that the network has been biased towards Israel.

A recording obtained by The Intercept revealed Amanpour speaking of her “real distress” with CNN’s editorial process when it comes to coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict, before she added that the network should have sent more experienced reporters to the region to cover the war. Other staffers went further in their criticism, with one journalist who worked from Lebanon last year saying that she found CNN “platforming people over and over again, that are either calling for my death, or using very dehumanising language against me … and people that look like me”.

“I want to ask as well, what have you done, and what are you doing to address the hate speech that fills our air and informed our coverage, especially in the first few months of the war,” the journalist added, according to The Intercept. CNN Editor-in-Chief Mark Thompson defended the network’s coverage in the meeting, saying that he was generally satisfied with it, and adding that it had been difficult to cover the Palestinian side because of a lack of access to Gaza.


Before CNN closed down it's live coverage of the war, they were pretty much 'balancing' IDF propaganda with actual news from the ground. Since the live blog was closed it's more 70-30 now with the 30 still heavily curated / censored.


They did publish this piece today, criticizing Israel's obstruction of aid

Anesthetics, crutches, dates. Inside Israel’s ghost list of items arbitrarily denied entry into Gaza

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/01/middleeast/gaza-aid-israel-restrictions-investigation-intl-cmd/index.html

Humanitarian workers and government officials working to deliver urgently needed aid for Gaza say a clear pattern has emerged of Israeli obstruction, as disease and near-famine grip parts of the besieged enclave. The Israeli agency that controls access to Gaza for the multi-billion-dollar aid effort has imposed arbitrary and contradictory criteria, according to more than two dozen humanitarian and government officials interviewed by CNN.

CNN has also reviewed documents compiled by major participants in the humanitarian operation that list the items most frequently rejected by the Israelis. These include anesthetics and anesthesia machines, oxygen cylinders, ventilators and water filtration systems. Other items that have ended up in bureaucratic limbo include dates, sleeping bags, medicines to treat cancer, water purification tablets and maternity kits.

Israel’s throttling of aid came into sharper focus Thursday when its military opened fire as desperate Palestinians gathered around food aid trucks in western Gaza City, according to eyewitnesses. This triggered panic and some people [at least 142] were shot while others were plowed by trucks whose drivers tried to flee, eyewitnesses say. At least 112 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were injured, according to health officials. The IDF said it had fired warning shots to disperse a crowd after seeing that people were being trampled.

...

For months, queues of trucks bound for the enclave have been backed up along the highway leading from the Egyptian town of Arish, a major logistical hub for aid, to the Rafah crossing with Gaza. In a satellite image from February 21, a queue of trucks can be seen stretching out for 4 miles from the crossing.

...

“While there’s a war being fought in Gaza, we are fighting a different war here,” said one humanitarian worker at Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza. “It is a war to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.” (Most of CNN’s sources requested anonymity for fear, they said, of reprisals and further Israeli restrictions on an already choked aid pipeline) Several sources said a substantial portion of the donations they handled were either rejected or held up by a long wait for clearance by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, which manages the flow of aid into the strip.

“It is perfectly engineered chaos,” said one CNN source who oversees donations from four different relief organizations at one of the transit routes. Over 15,000 tons of their relief supplies await Israeli approval to enter Gaza, the source said. More than half consists of food items. “It’s deliberately opaque, deliberately ambiguous,” said another senior humanitarian official. “You can receive clearance from COGAT and arrive to find police or finance and customs officials who will send the truck back.”

COGAT has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment on the findings of its investigation. COGAT insists that it facilitates the delivery of humanitarian aid. In a post Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter, it said: “There is no limit to the amount of aid that can enter Gaza.”



SvennoJ on 01 March 2024

More words. Have any of the US' words turned into tangible action yet...

US to work on maritime corridor for Gaza aid

More US announcements on aid into Gaza, this time from White House spokesperson John Kirby. He said Washington would redouble its efforts to establish a maritime corridor to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, and would “continue to push Israel to facilitate more trucks going in and more routes being opened”.

Kirby said Cyprus could potentially be used as part of the maritime corridor and added that Thursday’s attack by Israel on Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza City underscored the need to continue to find alternative routes for getting aid into Gaza.

Israel – and by extension the US – have come under intense global criticism for Thursday’s attack, which has put the spotlight on the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, with food and water scarce.


US airdrops in Gaza to start in ‘coming days’

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said the US’s humanitarian aid drops into Gaza will begin in the “coming days”.

He also said the US was continuing to work towards a ceasefire that would allow even more aid to flow into the enclave. However, he previously acknowledged that the killing of at least 115 aid-seekers in northern Gaza on Thursday – after Israeli forces opened fire in the area – could complicate these efforts.

The current amount of aid getting into Gaza, Biden said, is not enough to meet people’s needs, and he wants to see “hundreds” more aid trucks get in.

The cynic in me says he's just gonna do it once for photo op and 'see we do our best' just like the 'continue to work on a ceasefire' delay tactics.
Just more lies, trying to cover his own ass for the elections. Words mean nothing anymore, we need actions.


Yeah thought so:

Biden still unwilling to budge on Israel policy, despite global condemnation of Gaza City attack

US officials told NBC News that the American president “remains unwilling to make any major shifts in his policy toward Israel, including placing conditions on military aid to Israel”.

The officials also expressed doubt that Israel would “provide a full accounting” of the attack on Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza City on Thursday, with one official saying that there is “no question” the deaths would negatively affect continuing negotiations for a ceasefire.

Yet, despite the continuing conflict worsening Biden’s domestic position as the 2024 presidential election gets closer, he does not appear to be willing to substantially change tack and heavily increase pressure on Israel to stop.

Stay the course, old white fascist.

Survivor shares account of Gaza ‘flour massacre’

Yousri Alghoul, a Palestinian author who witnessed the mass shooting of aid seekers by Israeli forces, says people facing hunger in northern Gaza often head to the Nabulsi area in southwest Gaza City, where assistance trucks occasionally arrive during the absence of UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies.

He said Israeli forces target Palestinians there daily, but the scale of the violence early on Thursday was unprecedented as Israeli soldiers methodically opened fire at people with the aim to kill.

Alghoul told Al Jazeera in a voice note that Israeli snipers shot hundreds of victims in their upper bodies – in the chest and the head. “It was a massacre, which is incredible. We were waiting just to get food,” he said. “We don’t have food. There’s starvation here in north Gaza. Even the food of animals, we don’t find it. We’re just eating plants.”

 


UK instead of condemning the flour massacre and demanding an immediate ceasefire

UK PM Sunak signals crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations in ‘chilling’ speech

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says that the UK has seen “a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality”, in a speech delivered a week after the country’s parliament descended into chaos during a vote on a ceasefire in Gaza. Sunak denounced what he perceived security threats against members of parliament, as well as the victory of left-wing George Galloway in a by-election on Thursday.

The Conservative prime minister’s hardline speech conflated elements of the UK’s large pro-Palestinian movement with “extremism”, saying that “Islamist extremists” and the far right were “two sides of the same extremist coin”, before also threatening foreign students with deportation and promising to increase support for a much-criticised anti-extremism programme.

Sunak’s speech has been denounced by left-wing politicians and commentators, with Labour parliamentarian Nadia Whittome calling it a “truly chilling speech”.

“The mask has really dropped,” said Green Member of Parliament Carolina Lucas. “If there were any doubt who the real extremists are, it is [Sunak’s] government – threatening to take visas off protesters and stirring up anti-Muslim hate.”



Boycott the UK as well, they started this whole conflict to rid their hands of the Jews.


Israeli MP: Opposition being ‘persecuted’ as Israel teeters on ‘dictatorship’

“We are on the brink of a fascist dictatorship,” said left-wing Israeli legislator Ofer Cassif, who narrowly avoided expulsion from the Knesset for supporting South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Cassif said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is using the war in Gaza to “cling to power” while cracking down on any form of dissent.

“It is not only the ongoing massacre and destruction in Gaza that the Israeli government is responsible for, it is also the ethnic cleansing in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank,” he said.

“And it is also the political persecution of any opposition voice that is raised within the state of Israel — mainly if it comes from Arab citizens, but not only. All of us — leftists, democratic Jews, and first and foremost Arab citizens — are under an ongoing, violent persecution by the government and its proxies, like the Israeli police.”




Biden’s staff taking ‘extraordinary’ steps to avoid pro-Palestinian protesters

The US president’s team is carefully organising his public appearances so as to minimise “disruptions from pro-Palestinian protests,” reports NBC News.

This includes keeping his public events smaller, not disclosing their exact location ahead of a time, and staying away from college campuses, the US outlet said, citing a Biden ally and a source “familiar with his planning”.

The measures come after Biden was interrupted more than dozen times by pro-Palestinian protesters while speaking at a campaign rally in January. Protesters at the January 23 event shouted phrases such as “ceasefire now”, “let Gaza women live”, and “genocide Joe”.



US, UK and Israel, match made in hell.

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 01 March 2024