Tag: International Relations

  • US government official resigns over ‘provision of lethal arms to Israel’

    US government official resigns over ‘provision of lethal arms to Israel’

    A senior US State Department official has resigned from his position on Wednesday in the light of the Biden administration’s role in the Israel-Palestine escalation.

    Josh Paul, director of congressional and public affairs at the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, posted a letter on his LinkedIn account announcing his resignation and the reasoning behind it.

    While he clarified his stance on October 7 and deemed the Hamas attack on Israel as “a monstrosity of monstrosities,” he also stated that “I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people – and is not in the long term American interest.”

    “I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse”, he added

    In the latest developments following October 7, Israel has been more aggressive in its attacks in Gaza which has resulted in the killings of more than 3,300 Palestinians whereas Biden pledged to support Israel in its so-called right to defend through and through.

    “When I came to this bureau … I knew it was not without its moral complexity and moral compromises, and I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt … the harm I might do could be outweighed by the good I could do,” Paul acknowledged in his letter.

    “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain.”

    He also pointed out that “I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it any longer.”

    HuffPost spoke to Paul following his resignation.

    “I’ve been surprised by how many have said, ‘We absolutely understand where you’re coming from, we feel similarly and understand’”, he said.

  • Surgeries conducted on floor, without anaesthesia: What do we know about day 12

    Tuesday night, an Israeli air raid on al-Ahli Arab Hospital killed more than 500 Palestinians.

    Biden meets Netanyahu

    President Biden landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, today, to meet PM Benjamin Netanyahu, less than a day after more than 500 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital.

    Without any proof to back up his claim, Biden said that the al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing seems to be carried out by the “other team, not you”, indirectly putting the blame on Palestinians.

    Read more: ‘Civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas’: Netanyahu meets Biden

    Read more on false information from day 12:
    Israel tries deflecting blame for hospital attack; evidence proves otherwise

    “Time is OVER!”

    Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has called for unity across the world to stand up to Israel after the hospital bombing, calling it a “massacre of … innocent women and children”.

    “After the terrible crime of the Zionist regime in the bombing and massacre of more than a thousand innocent women and children in the…hospital the time has come for the global unity of humanity against this fake regime more hated than ISIS and its killing machine,” he wrote on social media.’

    Protests across the world

    The hospital bombing led to spontaneous protests across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond but many ended with confrontations with security forces.

    Palestinians got together in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the Lebanese gathered in capital Beirut outside the US Embassy, hundreds gathered outside the French embassy in Tunis, all of which were interrupted and dispersed by the police.

    Other major protests were recorded in Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq.

    EU and Russia want facts

    The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is “saddened” by the recent hospital attack in Gaza.

    She posted on X saying, “There is no excuse for hitting a hospital full of medical staff and civilians,

    “All the facts have to be established and those responsible must be held accountable.”

    Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has asserted that Israel must provide satellite images to prove their claims that they were not involved in the Gaza hospital attack.

    RIA news agency quoted her as saying that “Russia classifies the attack as a crime and an act of dehumanisation”.

    UN calls for ceasefire

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has now called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Israel-Gaza war.

    The UN Security Council is also said to vote on a Brazilian-drafted resolution on Wednesday to halt the escalation between Israel and Hamas and to continue humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip.

    The head of World Health Organization (WHO) post on X saying, “We need violence on all sides to stop,” and the situation in Gaza is “spiralling out of control”.

    “Every second we wait to get medical aid in, we lose lives. For four days, WHO supplies have been stuck at the border. We need immediate access to start delivering life-saving supplies.”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said

    Surgeries without anaesthesia

    Gaza already lacks enough healthcare facilities due to the Israeli blockade and after the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital, 350 people were rushed to al-Shifa Hospital which was already assisting a large number of wounded patients from other Israeli air strikes.

    According to reports by the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra, some of the victims were decapitated, disembowelled or were missing limbs.

    And because the number of patients is now beyond capacity, doctors are forced to perform surgeries on floors and in the halls, mostly without anaesthesia.

    “We need equipment, we need medicine, we need beds, we need anaesthesia, we need everything,” Abu Selmia told The Associated Press.

    “Viable” solution is needed, says El-Sisi

    In a news conference in Cairo while visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President el-Sisi asked Israel to shift the affected Palestinians to Negev desert instead of expecting Egypt to host them.

    “There is the Negev desert in Israel. The Palestinians can be moved to Negev desert until they [Israel] do what they wish to do with the military operatives in the Gaza Strip before returning [the Palestinians] back,” he said.

    “If the Palestinians are transferred to Egypt, the military operation initiated by Israel may last for years and years to come. In this case, Egypt will continue to bear the consequences and Sinai will be a base for operations against Israel and in this case, Egypt will be labelled as a base for terrorists,” he said.

    “The acts by Israel, cutting power, water, electricity is a means to forcibly transfer Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, which we totally reject.”

    Casualties, arrests

    Israeli forces have detained 65 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and since October 7, the number has now reached 750 excluding the detained workers from Gaza which are yet to be confirmed.

    Additionally, 61 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,250 injured.

    As for Palestinians in Gaza, more than 3,300 have been killed while 13,000 injured, according to Palestinian health minister.

    On the contrary, the death toll in Israel remains at 1,400, with another 3,500 injured.

    Jordan cancels US summit

    Biden was due to visit Jordan but after the hospital attack, the meeting was cancelled.

    White House spokesperson John Kirby, however, said that the decision was “mutual” and that the reason was the declaration of a three-day mourning after the hospital attack.

    Credit: Al Jazeera

  • ‘Civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas’: Netanyahu meets Biden

    ‘Civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas’: Netanyahu meets Biden

    President Biden landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, today, to meet PM Benjamin Netanyahu, less than a day after more than 500 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital.

    Without any proof to back up his claim, Biden said that the al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing seems to be carried out by the “other team, not you”, indirectly putting the blame on Palestinians.

    Last night, following the attack, Biden took to X to say that he had directed his “national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened”.

    However, his claims are already inclined in support of Israel. Al- Jazeera reports that he also drew comparisons of Hamas to ISIL (ISIS), saying that atrocities committed by Hamas militants made ISIS look “somewhat rational”.

    Biden also posted on X saying “I’m proud to be in Israel to honor the courage, commitment, and bravery of the Israeli people.

    Americans are grieving with you following last week’s terror attacks.”

    On the other hand, Netanyahu asserted that Israel will do everything to ensure the protection of civilians. Contrary to his words, more than 3,000 Palestinians have been killed.

    And while both the leaders were in a meeting, it was reported by Al Jazeera that a residential building in Khan Younis was targeted which resulted in the death of seven people and left forty seriously injured.

  • ‘This will be a long war; the price will be high’, says Israel: What do we know about day 11

    ‘This will be a long war; the price will be high’, says Israel: What do we know about day 11

    Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank

    Israeli forces in have arrested around 30 Palestinian workers in the occupied West Bank, as per Al Jazeera Arabic.

    Up until the Hamas attacks of October 7, around 14,000 workers from Gaza were living in Israel and were heavily examined for security purposes.

    Their employment in Israel was a part of the deal between the Gaza labour ministry and Israel which helped money come into the Gaza Strip whereas Israel benefited from cheap labour and were able to avoid Israeli labour laws.

    After the escalation of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, the workers have been “dumped” in the occupied West Bank by their employers, interrogated, and sent to refugee camps. 

    Southern Gaza: 71 reported killed in Israeli air raids

    Another night went by in the southern Gaza Strip with Israel carrying out air raids, killing 71 people.

    Many of those killed were women and children.

    Medical sources have confirmed that hundreds were wounded in the air raids while houses were also bombed in Rafah and Khan Younis.

    The Israeli military has claimed to have carried out more than 200 strikes.

    The injured are being sent to hospitals that are already overcrowded while on the other hand, many people are still trapped in the rubble of bombed buildings.

    Northern Gaza: Heavy shelling

    Currently, reports of heavy Israeli artillery shelling are being reported from different areas in the northern Gaza strip. 

    So far, there are no reports of casualties.

    11,000 people injured in Gaza

    A World Health Organization official reports 11,000 injured people in Gaza, half of whom are women and children.

    So far, 115 attacks have been made on health facilities in Gaza.

    As for casualties, 2,800 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7.

    16 journalists killed in current fighting

    The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement reporting the killings of at least 15 journalists since October 7, including 11 Palestinians, three Israelis and one Lebanese.

    Eight journalists were reported injured and three others were reported missing or detained.

    Israeli captives under Hamas

    Hamas’s Qassam Brigades have claimed to have 200 Israeli captives whereas other Palestinian groups are said to be having 50 more. A spokesperson said the Qassam Brigades has stated that they will release captives with foreign nationalities “as soon as it was feasible to do so”.

    ‘This will be a long war; the price will be high’

    The defence minister of Israel, Yoav Gallant, has stated that the attack on Gaza will be “a long war” and “the price will be high”.

    A “great ally”, as described by Gallant after his meeting with Blinken, the US has been deploying aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean. 

    The minister believes that no matter the time and cost the war against Hamas takes, Israel will win.

    On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden is also expected to pay a visit to Israel to express his support  while the country prepares for the potential ground operation against Hamas in Gaza, Anthony Blinken has said. 

    A total of 500 Palestinians, including those that Israel alleges are Hamas members, have been arrested across the West Bank. 

    Iran’s strongest warning so far

    On Monday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian gave his most stern statement so far, warning of a possible preemptive strike in the coming hours.

    He asserted that Iran-backed groups will not allow Israel to commit atrocities in Gaza, mentioning Lebanon’s Hezbollah who has exchanged cross-border fire with Israel in the past week. 

    At least 55 Israeli police officers killed since war started

    The Israeli police say at least 55 officers have been killed since the war started on October 7.

    Police added the latest officer to lose his life was Mumtaz Enin Sivan, a member of the Bedouin community police unit in the Negev region of the country’s south.

    UN says concerned by risk of waterborne diseases in Gaza

    On one hand, Gaza is said to be running out of water due to Israel’s embargo while on the other hand, the UN has said that there is a risk of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

    “Concerns over dehydration and waterborne diseases are high given the collapse of water and sanitation services, including today’s shutdown of Gaza’s last functioning seawater desalination plant,” the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement.

    Southern Gaza reportedly received water for three hours on Tuesday that could only provide for only 14 per cent of the population.

    $10m in assistance to Gaza civilians from Japan

    Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has stated that Japan will provide $10m in assistance for the people in Gaza.

    Credit: Al Jazeera

  • 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza deprived of health services: what do we know about day 10

    50,000 pregnant women in Gaza deprived of health services: what do we know about day 10

    It has been estimated by the United Nations that about one million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced during the first week of the conflict. The agency has described the situation in the besieged enclave as “catastrophic”.

    ‘May humanitarian rights be respected’, says Pope

    Pope Francis has asserted the need for humanitarian corridors to help the people in besieged Gaza.

    He addressed a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly speech, “I forcefully ask that children, the sick, the elderly and women and all civilians do not become the victims of the conflict”.

    “May humanitarian rights be respected, above all in Gaza, where it is urgent and necessary to guarantee humanitarian corridors to help the entire population,” he said.

    The Vatican has also offered to mediate in the crisis.

    Gaza ‘no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance’

    Another alert has been issued. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) chief has warned that hundreds of thousands of people in need in Gaza will no longer be assisted.

    “My UNRWA colleagues in Gaza are no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance.The UNRWA operations is the largest United Nations footprint in the Gaza Strip, and we are on the verge of collapse. This is absolutely unprecedented,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told a press conference.

    It was also notified that water and power supplies are depleting, and they will run out of food or medicine in a matter of time.

    UNRWA facilities, including schools, are currently sheltering about 400,000 people in the south among whom, a large number is in need of assistance.

    Additionally, the UN has reported that at least four hospitals in northern Gaza are now no longer operational as a result of Israeli bombings, whereas according to WHO, 21 other hospitals have been asked to be evacuated by Israel.

    Persistent warnings are being given that “forced evacuation of hospitals may amount to a violation of international humanitarian law”.

    50,000 pregnant women in Gaza deprived of health services

    The UN has reported that 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip are without basic maternal medical help among whom 5,522 are due to give birth next month.

    “Imagine going through that process in those final stages and your last trimester before giving birth, with possible complications, without clothing, without hygiene, support and not sure about what the next day, next hour, next minute will bring for themselves and for their unborn child,” United Nations Population Fund representative for Palestine, Dominic Allen said during her interview with CNN.

    16 members of a single family killed in Israeli air raid

    An Israeli air attack has reportedly killed a total of 16 members of a family, as stated by Palestinian territory’s media office.

    Previously, Palestinian health ministry said 45 families have been entirely wiped out from the Gaza civil registry, which means that entire family trees and their potential legacy have perished.

    At least 1,000 people under the rubble in Gaza

    As the Israeli forces continue to bombard Gaza, more than 1,000 people remain missing under the building debris.

    Among them are injured as well as dead, while many have been pulled alive after 24 hours of the collapse, says Palestinian civil defence team .

    So far, more than 2,670 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza with at least 9,600 wounded.

    199 Israeli captives taken by Hamas

    Daniel Hagari, Israel’s army top spokesperson, has claimed that families of 199 people who were taken captive by Hamas have been notified by the military. The number of Israeli captives have reportedly increased from 155.

    “We are making valiant efforts to try to understand where the hostages are in Gaza, and we have such information,” Hagari was quoted by Israeli media.

    “We will not carry out an attack that would endanger our people,” he said.

  • Saudi prince MBS kept U.S. Secretary waiting for hours

    Saudi prince MBS kept U.S. Secretary waiting for hours

    Only a couple of weeks back, the US was apparently succeeding in normalising the relationship between Saudi Arabia, arguably the most powerful Muslim country, and Israel. And while Saudi Arabia commenced talks, they made it clear that they will never compromise on their pro-Palestinian stance.

    However, the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7 and the consequential escalation has created a gulf between Saudi Arabia and Israel as well as Saudi Arabia and America.

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been visiting the Arab world to persuade them to side with Washington’s narrative on the Israel-Hamas war.

    Washington Post has reported that after meeting Egypt’s Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Blinken told reporters on Sunday that “I heard a lot of good ideas about some of the things we need to do moving forward.”
    However, there came a conflict of views when it came to Israel’s right to wage intensified war in Gaza as both the Arab leaders do not approve of it.

    It was further reported that in Riyadh, “the Saudi ruler kept Blinken waiting several hours for a meeting presumed to happen in the evening but which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning.”

    While the US is in full support of Israel’s operations in besieged Gaza, El-Sisi and MBS, both stressed on the need for the Israeli forces to stop the attacks.

    MBS also stressed on lifting the siege of Gaza that has deprived residents of water, food, electricity and more.

    On the other hand, Sisi pointed out that Israel’s attacks have crossed “the right of self-defense,” and turned into “collective punishment.”

    And while he condemned Hamas, he blamed Israel for the devastating situation of the Palestinian.

    When Blinken brought into conversation his own Jewish heritage, Sisi, who himself grew up with Jew neighbours in Egypt, replied, “You said that you are a Jewish person and I am an Egyptian person who grew up next to Jews in Egypt.They have never been subjected to any form of oppression or targeting and it has never happened in our region that Jews were targeted in recent or old history.”

  • 70% of people in Gaza without health services: what do we know about day nine

    70% of people in Gaza without health services: what do we know about day nine

    More than 400 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids in one day

    Wafa news has reported that Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 400 Palestinians and 1,500 have been wounded in the past 24 hours.

    China on Israel

    During a call with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi deemed Israel’s operation in Gaza as “beyond the scope of self-defence” and alluded to the Israeli government to “cease its collective punishment of” Palestinians.

    “All parties should not take any action to escalate the situation and should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”, he added.

    Gaza death toll climbs to 2,329

    According to the health ministry, at least 2,329 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as the result of Israeli attacks whereas 9,714 have been wounded.

    On the contrary, 1,300 people have been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.

    126 Israeli captives

    According to the Israeli army, 126 people have been taken captive by Hamas since October 7 attacks, whereas at least 279 soldiers have died.

    Israeli military at Gaza border

    As per Al-Jazeera’s investigation, the Israeli army has been “struggling to deal with infiltrations by fighters from Gaza” since October 7 attacks by Qassam Brigades.

    Nonetheless, Israel continues to attack Gaza and intercept rockets.

    Israel’s military is also setting themselves along the border as hundreds of tanks and heavy military equipment are proceeding with operational positions, indicating severe operations in the coming days.

    Israeli soldiers harassing Palestinians in Jerusalem Old City

    Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Old City are now under intensified harassment at the hands of the Israelis.

    Al Jazeera spoke to Palestinians who said that they are now facing “new interrogation tactics at its entry points, including phone searches, increased use of physical force and vulgar insults”.

    Additionally, as per Wafa news, 50 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

    No access to health services for 70% of people in Gaza

    Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, reported that 70 percent of residents in the besieged Gaza Strip are without health services after the UNRWA evacuated its centres.

    Water crisis in Gaza

    As per the United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians, water has become a “matter of life and death” in the Gaza Strip as Israel has blocked water supply.

    UNRWA has stated that more than two million people are at risk.

    “It has become a matter of life and death. It is a must: Fuel needs to be delivered now into Gaza to make water available for two million people,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

    Additionally, it has been a week since no humanitarian supplies have been allowed into Gaza.

    Credits: Al-Jazeera

  • Palestinian bodies stored in ice cream refrigerators now: what do we know about day eight?

    Palestinian bodies stored in ice cream refrigerators now: what do we know about day eight?

    Go to ‘tent cities’ in Egypt’s Sinai Desert

    Previously, Israel had told 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to move to south Gaza within the span of 24 hours in the light of a potential ground operation.

    This led to a backlash from the UN, Palestinians, and many other humanitarian organisations who deemed it to be “impossible” and catastrophic.

    Yet again, Israel’s former deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, while speaking to Al Jazeera, suggested that Palestinians in Gaza should flee to Egypt’s Sinai Desert, where tent cities would be built for them.

    “The idea is for them to leave over to the open areas where we and the international community will prepare infrastructure … tent cities, with food and with water, just like for the refugees of Syria.”

    Evacuation impossible, says WHO

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that is impossible to evacuate hundreds of critically injured patients from hospitals in northern Gaza “without endangering their lives”.

    “Of the thousands of patients with injuries and other conditions receiving care in hospitals, there are hundreds that are severely wounded and over 100 who require critical care.

    “These are the sickest of the sick. Many thousands more, also with wounds or other health needs, cannot access any kind of care,” the WHO added

    The statement also pointed out that “The compressed timeframe, complex transport logistics, damaged roads, and, above all, lack of supportive care during transport all add to the difficulty of moving.”

    WHO has also called on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza and to establish a “humanitarian corridor” on urgent basis.

    Hospital staff refuse to leave

    Despite no medical supplies and blockade of food, water and power, the medical teams at a hospital in the northern Gaza Strip have refused to evacuate, rejecting the Israeli army’s order.

    70 dead while fleeing northern Gaza on Israel’s callOfficials have revealed that a significant number of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids while fleeing the northern Gaza Strip.

    Among the 70 killed were mostly children and women and were in their transport, on their to South.

    324 Palestinians killed in less than 24 hours

    The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza has reached 324 according to health ministry whereas 1,000 have been wounded as the result of Israeli air raids in the last 24 hours.

    Reportedly, 66 percent of the affectees are women and children.

    Previously, hospitals in Gaza report that since October 7, Israeli air raids have killed at least 256 people, including 20 children, and wounded 1,788 others in less than 24 hours, according to hospitals in Gaza.

    According to WAFA’s correspondent, Israeli forces have targeted Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza city and the Red Crescent’s al-Quds Hospital that was currently sheltering hundreds of families.

    Simultaneously, dozens of homes and residential buildings have also been destroyed. Israeli fire has killed at least 52 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since Hamas’s attack on October 7, according to Palestinian health officials.

    Palestinian bodies stored in ice cream refrigerators due to lack of space in hospitals

    Due to lack of space in hospital morgues in Gaza, the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli air raids are now being stored in ice cream refrigerators instead.

    1,300+ buildings destroyed in Gaza: UN

    The United Nations reports that more than 1,300 buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed in the Israeli attacks.

    OCHA calculates the destruction of “5,540 housing units” in the destroyed buildings and nearly 3,750 homes have become uninhabitable.

    Top Hammas military commander dead

    According to the Israeli military, a senior military commander of Hamas heading the group’s aerial operations has been killed in Israeli air raids.Hamas is yet to respond to the news.

    credits: Al-Jazeera

  • Israel tells 1.1m people to evacuate Northern Gaza within 24 hours: what we know about day seven

    Israel tells 1.1m people to evacuate Northern Gaza within 24 hours: what we know about day seven

    Where do they go?

    The Gaza Strip consists of 2.3 million people. More than 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern part of the Strip are being asked to move towards the South by Israeli forces — that too, within 24 hours as there are plans of ground operations.

    The UN has deemed the call as “impossible”, stating that it can lead to a serious humanitarian crisis: “It is ‘impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” the UN said.

    Israeli military sent a warning to Gaza saying, “This evacuation is for your own safety. You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made. Do not approach the area of the security fence with the State of Israel.”

    Hamas, however, has told Palestinians to not give into the “fake propaganda”“Remain steadfast in your homes and stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation”, stated the Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs.

    Nowhere to sleep

    The International Committee of the Red Cross has revealed that as a large number of people in Gaza are being displaced, “hundreds of thousands have nowhere to sleep”.

    It added that more than 2 million people lack basic necessities, water and electricity; ambulances cannot reach the wounded.

    423,000 people displaced

    The United Nations has revealed that 423,378 people have been displaced after forcibly fleeing their residences in Gaza.

    The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said that this number has reportedly risen by an addition of 84,444 people on Thursday.

    ‘Genocide’ in Gaza, says Hamas

    In a video statement, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad describes the current Israeli moves as “genocide” which are being backed by the Western countries who, he added, are not seeking a resolution.

    “There is no safe area for the people in Gaza to seek refuge or shelter,” he said.

    “Every area and every building is under possible attack. Everyone is targeted and vulnerable to Israel’s killing, including women, children, the elderly and even disabled people.”

    “The Israeli leaders are giving clear instructions to their army to carry out a genocide [against] more than two million citizens in the Gaza Strip. We are facing unprecedented crimes in modern history,”

    30 airstrikes in one night

    Israel conducted 30 airstrikes during the night in a span of just one hour.

    This indicates the intensification of attacks in the northern part of the Gaza Strip after excessive attacks in the southern part, targeting Rafah.

    Use of white phosphorus

    The use of white phosphorus has now been confirmed by Human Rights Watch.

    “Human Rights Watch verified videos taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, and interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza,” they have stated.

    Additionally, Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch explains that “Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,

    “White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.”

    Lebanese forced to flee too

    After Palestinians, thousands of people from southern Lebanese villages are forced to leave their houses due to high chances of Israel-Hezbollah war.

    Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group. They have a frictional history with Israel and both of them have, time and again, attacked each other’s territory.

  • World reacts to Israel’s breach of international laws

    World reacts to Israel’s breach of international laws

    While many of its old allies still support Israel as it continues to bomb Gaza, a number of countries are now raising concerns over Israel’s breach of international laws.

    Russia

    President Vladimir Putin responded to the Israel-Palestine escalation by condemning the “catastrophic” deaths and criticised Washington’s involvement in the Middle East peace settlement.

    During a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, he said “This is a vivid example of the failure of Middle East policies of the United States [as it] tried to monopolise the [peace] settlement”.

    “But, unfortunately, [the US] was not concerned about the search for compromises for both sides and, vice versa, promoted their own conceptions about how it should be done, [and] pressured both sides,” he added.

    Moscow has also refused to label Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

    “We maintain contact with [both] sides of the conflict,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

    “Of course, Russia continues to analyse the situation and keeps its position as a nation that has the potential to participate in the settlement process.”

    China

    On Thursday, China’s top diplomat and foreign minister Wang Yi stated that the issue of Palestinian is central to the Middle East conflict, and that denial of “justice” to the Palestinian people was at its core.

    Turkey

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, asserting that a lasting solution to the conflict lies in the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem within the 1967 borders .

    Ireland

    Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has criticised Israel for violating international humanitarian law and halting water, food and electricity supply into the Gaza Strip.

    “Israel is under threat. They do have a right to defend themselves, but they don’t have the right to breach international humanitarian law,” he said in an interview with TVE.

    “To me, it amounts to collective punishment. Cutting off power, cutting off fuel supplies and water supplies, that’s not the way a respectable democratic state should conduct itself.”

    He has, however, also urged Hamas to release all the Israeli captives, saying that Israel is “justified in attacking Hamas in Gaza and elsewhere.”

    Former Irish President Mary Robinson has also commented on the escalation, deeming Israel’s response to Hamas attacks as collective punishment.

    Robinson asserted that Ireland has been a “very good voice in acknowledging the suffering of occupation and the continual problems of Palestinians over decades.”

    Richard Boyd Barrett, Irish MP, addressed the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, during a discussion on the Irish Government’s response to the situation in Gaza.

    “The Israeli Government has brazenly, publicly and openly declared its intention to commit a war crime, and has commenced that war crime against the people of Gaza”, he said.

    Scotland

    Hamza Yousaf, the first minister of Scotland, has also spoken up against the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    He posted on X (formerly Twitter), quoting the latest UN statement that warns about the dire consequences of Israeli orders of evacuation of Gaza.

    “The international community must step up and demand an end to collective punishment. Enough. There can be no justification for the death of innocent men, women & children.”

    He also shared a video of his mother-in-law, Elizabeth El-Nakla, calling for help.

    She was visiting her relatives with her husband when Hamas attacked on Saturday.

    Norway

    The Norwegian foreign minister, Anniken Huitfeldt, has said on Thursday that while Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, a total blockade of Gaza cannot be supported.

    “The establishment of a full blockade, including on access to electricity, water, food, and other goods that are indispensable for the survival of the civilian population in Gaza, is unacceptable,” she stated.

    She further pointed out that self-defense measures must be taken within international law.

    “The scale of destruction in Gaza is enormous. A large number of civilians have been killed. Given a full blockade by Israel, closed border crossings, and continued Israeli attacks, I fear that the civilian population in Gaza will face even greater hardship in the days to come,” Huitfeldt said.

    She also warned that suspension or decrease in assistance to Gaza can worsen the matter.

    “Functioning Palestinian institutions and the delivery of basic services are crucial to avoid further destabilisation and preserve the objective of the two-state solution.”