Tag: gaza genocide

  • Israeli forces disguised as doctors kill three in West Bank hospital

    Israeli forces disguised as doctors kill three in West Bank hospital

    Israeli forces disguised as doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff burst into a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday and shot three Palestinians dead, one of whom was lying paralysed in bed.

    A border police counter-terrorism unit and a unit from the internal security forces, known as the Shin Bet, entered Ibn Sina hospital on the outskirts of the city’s refugee camp early Tuesday, CCTV footage of the aftermath of the operation showed.

    The shooting was carried by undercover operatives while the men were sleeping at the hospital, according to the statements issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Israeli army.

    The Israeli military identified one of the men killed as Mohammad Jalamneh, aged 27, who it claimed was planning an imminent attack and had been transferring weapons and ammunition to other members, Al Jazeera reported.

    The two other men killed, brothers Basil Ayman Al-Ghazzawi and Mohammad Ghazzawi, were hiding inside the hospital and were involved in attacks, the military alleged. “A gun was found on a wanted person, which was confiscated by the forces.”

    CCTV footage from the hospital showed a group of about 10 people, dressed in civilian clothes, pacing through a corridor, armed with assault rifles and moving into the hospital.

    The hospital’s director, Dr Naji Nazzal, said the Israeli team had entered the hospital at around 5:30 am and made its way stealthily to the third floor, ringing the bell to enter the ward where the men were sleeping.

    “They executed the three men as they slept in the room,” he told Reuters.

    Hours later, a bloodied blue hospital pillow pierced by a bullet remained on a bed, while a folding bed nearby was also stained with blood, apparently from a shot to the head.

    Targeted attacks

    Dr Nazzal said Mr Basil had been receiving treatment since October 25 for a spinal injury which had paralysed him.

    According to the medical staff, one of the three Palestinians killed in the hospital was being treated for an injury received during a previous army raid months ago, Al Jazeera reported.

    “The Israeli army often surrounds and in some instances has attacked the three Palestinian hospitals in Jenin during nightly raids on the city,” he said.
    “But this is the first time they have entered a civilian medical facility in what seems to have been a well-planned, targeted assassination operation that Palestinian authorities are calling another violation of international law,” he said, adding that there were no attempts to arrest these men.

  • Angelina Jolie slams global hypocrisy on human rights

    Hollywood A-lister and human rights activist Angelina Jolie, has talked about the hypocrisy in the world when it comes to human rights application.

    “The world is suffering from ambivalence on the issue of human rights,” she remarked in a recent interview.

    Jolie lamented the duplicity and discrimination of the world regarding human rights, saying that the scale of human rights is different for everyone, the fact is that the world works on business interests. Her comments come on the heels of her unequivocal demand for a ceasefire of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    “Human rights can be for some people and some people can never be. Accountability for some people’s crime and not at all for some people, this is the ugly face of the world.”
    The actress said that she does not know of any country in the world which is free from these things.

    “Some people think that the colonial system has ended but the fact is that the control and exploitation of developing countries is still going on,” the actress observed.

    In her statement about Gaza, the Hollywood actress said that what happened in Israel cannot be a justification for bombing the civilian population of Gaza, pointing out that a few trucks cannot meet the aid needs of the besieged population, more than 20,000 of whom have been killed by Israel while the rest are at risk of starvation and disease.

    Angelina Jolie added that Gaza has a total population of two million, half of whom are children, who have been living under siege for two decades.

  • Social media users criticize Kim Kardashian over Christmas gift wrapping choice

    Social media users criticize Kim Kardashian over Christmas gift wrapping choice

    In a recent Instagram post, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, 43, ignited a controversy surrounding her Christmas gift-wrapping choices.

    Kardashian showcased her gifts wrapped in cotton jersey fabric T-shirts from her brand SKIMS, highlighting their potential for reuse.

    Kim Kardashian posted, “Wrapping gifts in our family is always such a fun family tradition to see what each family member did and their vibe for the year. Each represents us so well! I did all-white SKIMS cotton jersey t-shirt fabric. I’m excited to reuse it and make other things.”

    However, social media users were quick to point out the striking similarity between the packaging style and Muslim funeral shrouds.

    The controversy gained momentum when users pointed out the striking resemblance between Kardashian’s wrapped gifts and the traditional Muslim practice of wrapping dead bodies in white cloth.

    This practice is a significant aspect of Muslim burial rites, and users were quick to express their disapproval of Kardashian seemingly mimicking this solemn tradition for festive gift wrapping in light of the aggression Palestinians are undergoing.

    Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in front of the morgue in Deir al Balah on October 31. Fatima Shbair/AP

    A social media user said on X (former Twitter) “first the zombie football jerseys to mock little palestinian injured kids and now wrapping her christmas gifts in a a white cloth to mock dead palestinians. @KimKardashian has constantly proven that she’s inhumane. this is not a mere coincidence. Cancel her.”

    https://twitter.com/e_crimina1/status/1738437969277792563?s=20

    Another user said, “Kim Kardashian hosting a Coke sponsored Christmas party. You can’t convince me this sh*t isn’t deliberate. You’re a billionaire, maybe pay for your own parties. Ones that aren’t funding a ge-no-cide.”

    https://twitter.com/ZunairaInam/status/1739216258372182463?s=20

    This is not the first time Kardashian has faced criticism for her choices related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Previously, she had attracted negative attention for her children’s Halloween costumes resembling injured Gaza children.

    In addition to cultural insensitivity, critics also highlighted the perceived incongruity of Kardashian’s sustainability efforts, contrasting her eco-friendly gift wrapping with her frequent use of private jets and the resulting environmental impact.

    It’s worth noting that Kardashian publicly expressed her support for Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 attack, issuing a statement that has not been revisited since.

    This controversy echoes recent incidents involving fashion brands such as Zara and Marks and Spencer, where insensitivity to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict sparked public outrage.

    Zara faced backlash for a campaign featuring a model draped in fabric resembling shrouded bodies, while Marks and Spencer drew criticism for an advertisement depicting the burning of Palestinian flag-colored papers.

  • Pakistani Ambassador at UN lauded for Palestine resolution speech

    Pakistani Ambassador at UN lauded for Palestine resolution speech

    Pakistani Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, delivered a strong statement on the war that is taking place in Gaza during the 10th Emergency Special Session on December 12.

    He expressed Pakistan’s allegiance to the resolution submitted by the Arab and Islamic countries proposing an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and release of all hostages. Ambassador Munir also criticised America, one of the permanent members, for vetoing that resolution. Calling out the friend of Israel, for proposing an amendment that “condemns one side while exonerating the other”. He called it “unfair and inequitable”.

    The Pakistani ambassador reminded the world that Israel has dropped 25,000 tons of explosives on Gaza which is nearly equivalent to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He stressed that “Israel’s goal is not to erase Hamas, this is a war against the Palestinian people, not just to erase people but to erase the entire idea of Palestine. It is the same as racial slaughter conducted by settler colonial power in the past.”

    Munir Akram ended the speech by calling out the UN that its duty should not be “to justify the genocide that is taking place.”

    Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, especially thanked the Pakistani Ambassador for his stance and the effective speech by calling him a lawyer of the Palestinian cause in the tenth emergency session. He said that Ambassador Munir Akram shredded to pieces the amendments proposed in favour of perpetrators. He praised the Pakistani Ambassador stating that due to his efforts “even one of the opposing countries voted in favour of the resolution today”.

    Member states then adopted a resolution demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and well as “ensuring humanitarian access”.

    It passed with a large majority of 153 in favour and 10 against, with 23 abstentions.

  • Twitter outraged after TIME magazine sidelines Gaza journalists, names Taylor Swift ‘person of the year’

    Twitter outraged after TIME magazine sidelines Gaza journalists, names Taylor Swift ‘person of the year’

    Time magazine announced yesterday that the coveted title of ‘Person Of The Year’ 2023, went to singer Taylor Swift. The decision was met with severe backlash from the internet, who called it out as another example of how the Western media has silenced journalists in Gaza, who were risking their lives to reveal the realities of the genocide.

    A Twitter user is going viral for drawing a comparison between Ukraine-Russia war and Israel’s aggression.

    Twitter users were outraged at Gazan journalists like Motaz Azaiza, Plestia, Bisan and Saleh being ignored, stressing that censorship lays bare that Gazan lives are considered disposable by the western media.

    Many Twitter users are also criticising Taylor Swift to be a white feminist, after a quote from her article with Time went viral where she spoke about the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy.

    “What has existed since the dawn of time? A patriarchal society. What fuels a patriarchal society? Money, flow of revenue, the economy. So actually, if we’re going to look at this in the most cynical way possible, feminine ideas becoming lucrative means that more female art will get made. It’s extremely heartening.”

  • ‘No justification for attacking innocent people’: Malala calls for ceasefire in interview with Shahzeb Khanzada

    ‘No justification for attacking innocent people’: Malala calls for ceasefire in interview with Shahzeb Khanzada

    Nobel Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai was a guest on GEO’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ where she spoke at length about why she stressed on the need to address the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, adding that a ceasefire in Gaza should be demanded by everyone.

    Speaking to host Shahzeb Khanzada, Malala said she has consistently called for a ceasefire since the last month because targeting innocent people cannot be justified.

    “There is no explanation for attacking innocent people. So many children have been killed and families have become homeless because of the attack,” stressed the girls education activist. “I’m worried that there isn’t a lot of pressure right now to stop the war.”

    Malala urged audiences to pressurise their leaders to call for the UN to insert global pressure on Israel to stop the genocide.

    On Tuesday, Malala was the target of outrage when during a 15 minute speech at the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, she did not call out Israel for being an apartheid state because of the ongoing Gaza genocide which has now claimed more than 20,000 lives.

    READ MORE: ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    Malala also spoke on the show about the Nelson Mandela event where she was the key note speaker, discussing the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, where women and girls face oppression from the Taliban.

    “When I got the opportunity to speak at the Nelson Mandela event, it was important for me to speak about the gender apartheid we’re witnessing today in Afghanistan against women and girls. We can call this situation an apartheid because women and girls are being oppressed and are being deprived of their basic human rights. The state, which is responsible for protecting these women, is the one who is oppressing them.”

    Malala said her lecture addressed the world and the United Nations to urgently address this matter, and to reform the definition of apartheid to include gender in it, so the conversation keeps going forward. She said she will continue to push world leaders to reflect on how women in Afghanistan cannot study, go outside their homes or even visit a doctor without permission from a man.

    Malala also addressed the ongoing Afghan refugee crisis in Pakistan, calling it a “cruel decision” to send young Afghan girls back to a country where they would never be allowed to study again.

    “This is a difficult time for many Afghan families who are being forcefully sent back to Afghanistan. Several of them escaped in 2021 because of the threat of the Taliban’s rise, and among them are several feminist activists whose lives are under threat if they went back. Some of these families had stayed in Afghanistan for 20 to 30 years, and have girls who were studying in schools…I am extremely worried for these girls because she will never be able to see a school if she is sent back to Afghanistan.”

    Malala slammed the government decision as against our “human rights, culture and religion’. She pointed out that in Islam, Muslims are urged to take care of others. The activist urged Pakistani authorities to revoke the decision and give support to Afghan refugees, to prevent little girls from going back to a country which would rob them of their rights.

  • ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    Girls education activist Malala Yousafzai was selected to give the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. In her speech, the Noble Prize Winner spoke at length about the gender apartheid in Afghanistan against women and girls, with no mention of the genocide of Gaza where the death toll has now crossed 15,000 civilians.

    In an interview with The Associated Press, Malala urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, pointing to attention to the countless schools and homes that have been bombarded in the war, and for war criminals to be held accountable.

    Nelson Mandela was a staunch pro-Palestine supporter, who famously said during his visit to Gaza in 1999 that he “felt at home among compatriots”.

    “There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now,” wrote a user.

    “Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela’s struggle, yet not a word about Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide. Nothing but just a mouthpiece can’t be my inspiration anymore,” wrote another user.

    “She’s visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset,” said a tweet.

    Previously Malala released a statement on October 10 grieving for the Palestinian and Israeli children who were caught in the war. Many were quick to slam the feminist activist for failing to recognise that this was a genocide where more Palestinian lives were being lost everyday.

    Many have drawn comparisons between Malala’s silence and climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s outspoken resistance against the genocide of Gaza. Greta published an op-ed for The Guardian where she criticised Israel as the death toll grows in Gaza, with more children passing away from Israeli airstrikes.

  • While bombs rain down on Gaza, viral videos show Israelis dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance tour’ film

    While bombs rain down on Gaza, viral videos show Israelis dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance tour’ film

    Social media has been outraged after several videos went viral on the internet where Israelis can be seen dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance Film’, playing in theatres this week. At the same time, Gaza is being bombarded with severe airstrikes.

    In the videos, Israelis can be seen dancing to ‘Break My Soul’, claiming it was the IDF’s new fight song against the Hamas. Twitter users expressed outrage at Beyonce’s silence on the on-going genocide, after several X (formerly Twitter) users have pleaded with her to pull the film from Israel.

    “THIS is why Beyonce not allowing her film to screen in Israel mattered . This is why- even if the location of screenings was out of her control (debatable) she should have at LEAST made a Pro-Palestine statement. Now a song about Black liberation is tied to a GENOCIDE.”

    Many expressed outrage on how Beyonce had the power to refuse this, but chose to let this happen.

  • Number one song in Israel calls for murder of Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa

    Number one song in Israel calls for murder of Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa

    A hip hop song ‘Charbu Darbu’, trending on Israel’s Youtube and Spotify charts, is advocating to kill Palestinians in Gaza, and saying supermodel Bella Hadid, singer Dua Lipa and adult film star Mia Khalifa, all vocal supporters of Palestine, should be killed.

    Written and performed by Ness Van Stilla, the title means ‘swords and strikes’ in Syrian Arabic, referencing to raining hell down on the Hamas.

    The song refers to Hamas as the Binlical Amalek, promising to obliterate them. The chorus calls for the IDF’s combat units to destroy all of Gaza.

    The song ends with a list of names whom the singers promise to obliterate as they are enemies of Israel including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and Mia Khaifa.

    “Every c*nt’s last day will come/ Bella Hadid, Dupa Lipa, Mia Khalifa!”

    Journalist Ahmed Eldin shared a clip of an article by The Times Of Israel on his Twitter account.

  • Oscar winner Olivia Colman among 1,000 artists signing petition slamming institutions for censoring Palestine

    Oscar winner Olivia Colman among 1,000 artists signing petition slamming institutions for censoring Palestine

    British acting giant Olivia Colman and ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Derry Girls’ star Nicola Coughlan are among the 1000 artists who have signed a petition slamming Western institutions for aiding and abetting the “repressing, silencing and stigmatising of Palestinian voices and perspectives.” The letter includes signatures from ‘Sex Education’ star Aimee Lou Wood and multiple Emmy-award winner Harriet Walter.

    “This includes targeting and threatening the livelihoods of artists and arts workers who express solidarity with Palestinians, as well as cancelling performances, screenings, talks, exhibitions and book launches.”

    The letter shed light on the ongoing genocide of Gaza, where the death toll has crossed 15,000 civilian lives, with members of the Israeli government now openly calling for ethnic cleansing, and using starvation as a war weapon.

    “The wholesale destruction of civilian infrastructure, the bombing of hospitals, schools, churches and mosques, the killing of 14,500 people in a matter of weeks, amount to a policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people. The United Nations and hundreds of legal scholars have called on the international community to prevent genocide.”

    The letter then proceeded to criticise the ongoing censorship and repression of voices, including Susan Sarandon, who was dropped by her agency, and actor Melissa Barrera, who was fired from the ‘Scream’ series for her vocal pro-Palestine posts.

    “As artists and cultural workers,” the petition points out, “we stand in solidarity with those facing threats and intimidation in the workplace. The arts sector must urgently align its actions with its stated values of justice and inclusivity, and to refuse the dehumanisation of Palestinian people.”

    The petition states that for artists to stay silent in the face of mass injustice and humanitarian crisis “would be an abrogation of moral duty”. It also pointed out that more artists are refusing to work with those institutions that are complicit in this heinous act.

    The petition also shared four demands from the signatories which were:

    – Publicly demand a permanent ceasefire.
    – Promote and amplify the voices of Palestinian artists, writers, and thinkers.
    – Stand up for artists and workers who voice their support for Palestinian rights.
    – Refuse collaborations with institutions or bodies that are complicit in severe human rights violations.