Tag: #palestine

  • Gaza’s main public library destroyed by Israeli airstrikes

    Gaza’s main public library destroyed by Israeli airstrikes

    Gaza’s main public library was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Monday, during the humanitarian truce held between Israel and Palestine. Authorities in Gaza City have condemned the destruction, and revealed the library was regularly used by school children and other members of the community before the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

    Municipal authorities in Gaza have criticised the Israeli army for destroying countless books and historical documents. They have appealed to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to “intervene and protect cultural centers and condemn the occupation’s targeting of these humanitarian facilities protected under international humanitarian law.”

    Writing on the attack, acclaimed literary website Literary Hub slammed it as Israel’s attempt to “erase all evidence of Palestinian life, Palestinian humanity, from Gaza. To turn the besieged enclave—with its ancient mosques and archeological sites, its labor-of-love bookstores and meticulously-curated libraries, its pesky health care workers and journalists and sole survivors—into an empty soccer field.”

    Social media users were outraged at the attack that happened during the humanitarian pause declared by Israel.

  • Rage Against The Machine, Kid Cudi, Arooj Aftab among 2000 musicians calling for ceasefire in Gaza

    Rage Against The Machine, Kid Cudi, Arooj Aftab among 2000 musicians calling for ceasefire in Gaza

    A petition formed by ‘Musicians For Palestine‘ features 2000 signatories calling for an end to the genocide of Gaza and a ceasefire. The letter describes “a textbook case of genocide” happening to the 2.3 million population of Gaza, half of whom are children.

    “We cannot remain silent in the face of such injustice,” the letter notes. “We cannot be silent as 17 years of Israeli blockade, now a “complete siege,” have made Gaza extremely unliveable. Almost all of its water is unfit for human consumption. Its healthcare system has largely collapsed. The majority of its children are anaemic, with many suffering from severe malnutrition.”

    The letter further says it drove inspiration from the acclaimed Artists Against Apartheid that helped end the apartheid in South Africa. “We refuse to let our music be used to whitewash oppression and human rights violations anywhere. We insist that all governments stop sending weapons and military funding to Israel and to any other state involved in crimes against humanity.

    Among the 2000 signatories who have signed the letter are acclaimed rock band Rage Against The Machine, rapper and actor Kid Cudi, and Grammy winning Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab.

    Tom Morello was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, where he posed with his award along with a slogan that said “Ceasefire”. The gesture was widely applauded by social media.

  • UN goodwill ambassador scorecard: How many spoke up for Palestine?

    UN goodwill ambassador scorecard: How many spoke up for Palestine?

    Since October 7 when Netanyahu declared war on Gaza and commenced bombardment that many experts are calling a genocide, social media users have expressed outrage against celebrities remaining silent about the atrocities, especially those who work with UNICEF. The UN body provides protection and aid for children from marginalised communities in countries like Syria and Vietnam.

    But as the genocide of Gaza goes on, several people have noticed how prominent big names have remained silent.

    Social media feels it’s absolutely necessary to point out that any person with a massive platform and influence has a responsibility to condemn a genocide or at least ask for a ceasefire. If you’re the goodwill ambassador of an organisation that is advocating for the rights of children, then the onus lies on you to speak out when it matters.

    We have a list of big names who are working with UNICEF, and what was their stance on the death toll in Gaza.

    Selena Gomez

    Selena, the most followed person on Instagram, sparked outrage when she posted a vague statement on her social media accounts, writing that she was against the murder of little children, and was taking a break because of the violence. She also added that “an Instagram post doesn’t change anything,” leading many to criticise the actress for being a hypocrite for using her 430 million followers to promote products, but not to stop a genocide.

    Later, Selena announced she was deleting her account because of the backlash, causing further outrage. She then signed the petition calling for a ceasefire, and donated to charities in both Israel and Palestine. Social media was still not happy because the CEO of Rare Beauty, Selena’s beauty brand, has publicly expressed his Zionist ties.

    Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry

    Orlando released a neutral statement on October 14 on his Instagram account expressing his grief on the innocent lives lost both in Israel and Palestine, calling for an end to the war. Then the celebrity couple signed the open letter calling President Biden to bring all hostages home and ending the Hamas.

    David Beckham

    The former football star and UNICEF ambassador released a statement on his Instagram stories expressing his grief on lives lost on both sides and called for the violence to stop.

    Priyanka Chopra

    Priyanka was among the several South Asian celebrities who signed the petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and had also not attended the Diwali party held by Kamala Harris at the White House.

    Alyssa Milano

    The actress released a statement criticising the calls for ‘no ceasefire’ at the Israeli march held in Washington, and called for a radical peace movement that helps the innocent children of Palestine.

    Amitabh Bachchan

    The Bollywood giant was previously seen taking a selfie with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 2018 event. He has not released a statement about the death toll of children and women killed in Gaza.

    Leo Messi

    The Argentinian football player is a UNICEF ambassador and has made no public statement about the children killed in Gaza.

    Millie Bobby Brown

    ‘Stranger Things’ star Millie Bobby Brown has not commented anything about the lives lost in Gaza,

    Serena Williams

    Famous tennis star Serena Williams has said nothing on the innocents killed in Gaza.

    Liam Neeson

    The actor has not said anything on the mass atrocities committed in Gaza.

    Jackie Chan

    The prominent Asian actor has said nothing about the civilian lives lost in Gaza.

  • Truce between Israel and Hamas extended for two days

    Truce between Israel and Hamas extended for two days

    Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – A truce between Israel and Hamas will be extended by two days, mediator Qatar said hours before the pause was due to end Tuesday, as more hostages were freed from Gaza in exchange for the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

    “The Palestinian and Israeli sides have reached an agreement to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza for two additional days under the same conditions,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

    Militant group Hamas also confirmed the extension and Israeli media reported the government had received a new list of 10 more hostages who would be freed. However there was no official word from Israel.

    The news of the extension came as 11 more hostages were freed from Gaza overnight, along with the release of another 33 Palestinian prisoners — the last exchange under the existing deal.

    The extension of the truce, which had been scheduled to end at 7:00am (0500 GMT), was welcomed internationally.

    UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it “a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war”.

    The truce paused fighting that began when Hamas militants poured over the border into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping dozens, according to Israeli officials.

    Israel’s retaliatory ground and air operation in Gaza has killed almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s Hamas government.

    Late Monday, 11 hostages arrived in Israel, the country’s military said.

    “Our forces will accompany them until they are reunited with their families,” it said in a statement, adding that the military “salutes and embraces the released hostages upon their return home”.

    Most of the group are dual nationals, with Argentinians, Germans and French among those released, and all 11 were from the Nir Oz kibbutz, the community said.

    The releases brought “a sigh of relief to our community, however we remain deeply concerned about our loved ones that are still held hostage,” kibbutz official Osnat Peri said.

  • Israel continues arresting Palestinians: What we know about day 52

    Israel continues arresting Palestinians: What we know about day 52

    3,200 arrested by Israel in West Bank since October 7

    Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs has released a report revealing that 3,200 Palestinians have been arrested by Israel since October 7 in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

    Among the arrested are 41 journalists, 29 of whom are in detention.

    This means that the total number of arrested Palestinians has crossed 7,000 since October 7.

    The total includes more than 200 children, about 78 female prisoners plus “hundreds” of sick and wounded people, some of whom need “urgent medical intervention”, the report added.

    The recent arrests are also said to have been accompanied by “widespread raids and abuse, in addition to vandalising and destroying of citizens’ homes, and severe beatings of the families of detainees” as well as the shooting of unarmed Palestinians, resulting in deaths.”

    How many prisoners and captives have been released?

    A four-day long truce between Israel and Hamas started on Friday and so far, three captives exchanges have taken place.

    Al Jazeera reports that 175 people have been released which includes:

    • 39 Israeli citizens released by Hamas, in three groups of 13
    • 117 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel, in three groups of 39
    • 17 Thais released by Hamas
    • One Filipino released by Hamas
    • One Israeli-Russian released by Hamas
    • Hamas said that in total, 50 women and children are to be freed in return for 150 Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails under the truce deal.

    Netanyahu has stated that the extension of truce can be considered if more captives are released at a rate of 10 per day.

    Two-kilometre long lines for cooking gas in Gaza: UN

    The UN humanitarian agency in Palestine (UNOCHA) has said that people in Gaza are lining up through the night in a line that stretches for two kilometres (1.2 miles) to refill cooking gas canisters.

    These ques were outside a filling station in Khan Younis in southern Gaza after Israel allowed aid supplies – including cooking gas – into Gaza Strip for the first time since October 7.

    The UN, however, claims that the “amounts fall well below the needs” and that people are reportedly “burning doors and window frames to cook”.

  • Three Palestinian students studying in US shot for wearing keffiyah

    Three Palestinian students studying in US shot for wearing keffiyah

    Three Palestinian students were shot for wearing their country’s traditional keffiyeh scarves in Vermont, USA.

    The three boys – identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed – were in Burlington for Thanksgiving holidays when they were targeted and injured, leaving one critically wounded.

    The victims, aged 20, were students of Harvard University, Brown University and Trinity University.

    According to the police, they were walking while visiting the home of one of the victim’s relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a gun.

    “Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement.

    “The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,” he added. “But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”

    According to a statement released by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”

    It further revealed that a man shouted at and harassed the three young men, who were chatting in Arabic, and then shot them.

    The FBI Albany, New York, posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) stating that they are
    “actively” investigating the case with the Burlington Police Department, ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.

  • ‘Israel is the only country that keeps children as prisoners of war’: Gigi Hadid

    ‘Israel is the only country that keeps children as prisoners of war’: Gigi Hadid

    Palestinian-American supermodel Gigi Hadid has criticised Israeli for abusing and torturing Palestinian children as a tactic to destroy Gaza. During the four day ceasefire which began on Friday, several captives who were locked in Israeli prisons were released, including children.

    Gigi shared a picture of a Palestinian boy, who has developed mental health issues after remaining locked away in Israeli prisons. Taking to Instagram to share the picture of Ahmed Almansara, the model slammed Israel’s tactics of raping and torturing Palestinian children, a routine practice before the October 7 attacks.

    “Israel is the only country in the world that keeps CHILDREN AS PRISONERS OF WAR. ABDUCTION, RAPE, HUMILIATION, TORTURE, MURDER OF PALESTINIANS. YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS BEFORE OCTOBER 7 2023.”

    Gigi shared another news report revealing how Israelis were against the release of women and children by claiming that they were terrorists.

    “Israel sees any Palestinian as a ‘terrorist’. Any person supporting Palestinian rights as an ‘anti semite’ and any Jew that is opposed to the government’s actions as ‘self-hating’-even telling them to denounce their Judaism. So… everyone’s lying and wrong, except Israel?!

    If it wasn’t so evil and disturbing, it would be comedic.”

    Gigi shared another video by a Palestinian boy who prayed that the ceasefire is established for good and ends the war, writing that she prayed that every child deserves peaceful days.

  • Israeli soldier posts video playing guitar he stole from Palestinian after bombing

    Israeli soldier posts video playing guitar he stole from Palestinian after bombing

    A heartbreaking video is going viral on the internet where an Israeli soldier was seen playing a guitar he stole from a Palestinian home after bombing it. The guitar belonged to Hamadah, who shared online that the guitar was gifted to him by his late father, who passed away after the 2014 Gaza attacks.

    “I was shocked today when I saw this TikTok video of an IOF soldier playing guitar in the midst of the rubble in Gaza. I know this guitar very well, because there are not many guitars like this in Gaza. My dad gifted me this guitar 15 years ago. My dad died shortly after the 2014 attack on Gaza, and now they have come to take the last thing I have from him.’
    Isn’t it enough that they take away our loved ones, our homes, our families, and even our music and memories? Where does the injustice stop?!”

    Hamadah shared two videos where he was seen humming a melody on the guitar, and then an Israeli soldier strumming it at a bombed site.

    The video has since then gotten responses with users writing they’re horrified by the brutality displayed by Israeli soldiers.

    “this is actually sinister. I’ve seen countless videos of them “playing” amongst the rubble. What could be so awful inside you to push you to do that? It’s inhumane. It’s lacking compassion empathy emotions and humanity,” one user wrote.

    Comedian Anees and activist Shaun King expressed their outrage over the video.

  • Four-day Israel-Gaza truce: What to expect on day one?

    A four-day pause between Israel and Gaza is now in progress.

    The first group of Israeli hostages, reportedly including 13 women and children, are to be released today. They will be escorted by the Red Cross to the Rafah border crossing where the Israeli military will take them in and carry out the identification process.

    The hostages will then be taken to Tel Aviv for physical and psychological tests.

    On the other hand, 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israel in exchange for the first day. They will be taken from two Israeli prisons in the southeast of Haifa and will be driven to the Ofer prison, south of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. They are then to be taken to the nearby crossing where their families will receive them.

    Humanitarian aid is also expected to be sent into Gaza from Egypt. Hamas has claimed that 200 aid trucks and additional fuel trucks will enter Gaza daily.

  • Journalists at BBC, Los Angeles Times accuse employer of ‘double standard’ in covering Gaza

    Journalists at BBC, Los Angeles Times accuse employer of ‘double standard’ in covering Gaza

    Eight BBC journalists have written a letter to Al Jazeera accusing their employer of a “double standard” in its reporting on Israel and Palestine while being “unflinching” in its reporting of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

    According to Al Jazeera, the 2,300-word letter states that BBC “has failed to accurately tell this story – through omission and lack of critical engagement with Israel’s claims – and it has therefore failed to help the public engage with and understand the human rights abuses unfolding in Gaza.”

    The eight journalists are based in the United Kingdom but their names have been kept anonymous.

    The letter highlights that while the BBC names Israeli victims and interviews affected families, “humanising coverage of Palestinian civilians has been lacking.”

    The journalists add that the Palestinians are asked whether they “condemn Hamas” and pro-Israeli guests “are not equally asked to ‘condemn’ the actions of the Israeli government”.

    “Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since October 7. When will the number be high enough for our editorial stance to change?” the letter said. “…We are asking the BBC to better reflect and defer to the evidence-based findings of official and unbiased humanitarian organisations.”

    It continued: “It is largely in the last few weeks – as civilian deaths have exponentially increased and Western countries’ appetite for Israel’s attacks has waned – that the BBC has made more effort to humanise Palestinian civilians. For many, this feels too little too late, and shows that the positions taken by governments in the UK and US have undue influence on coverage.”

    When contacted by Al Jazeera, a BBC spokesperson denied the allegations contained in the letter and said: “When interviewing either the Israeli government, Hamas, Palestinian representatives, or other leaders, we are robust, challenging and aim to hold power to account.”

    Read more on the letter: As Israel pounds Gaza, BBC journalists accuse broadcaster of bias

    Los Angeles Times

    Semafor has reported that The Los Angeles Times is not allowing staff to cover the Gaza issue for at least three months if they signed an open letter condemning Israel’s military operations in the region.

    Nearly a dozen staffers at the LA Times signed the open letter earlier this month criticising the Israeli attacks on Gaza, adding the military operations are a threat to journalists and news investigation.

    The letter also called on newsrooms to use language including “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “genocide” when referring to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

    The published letter was reportedly signed by over 1,000 current and former journalists, calling for an end to Israeli operations in Gaza which, as it stated, represented a “slaughter of our colleagues and their families by the Israeli military and government.” The letter laid out an estimate of the number of journalists and their families who had been killed in the conflict, saying Israel’s military actions “show wide scale suppression of speech.”

    It also criticised mainstream news organisations, deeming them as apprehensive in their coverage of the situation and for being “hesitant to quote genocide experts and accurately describe the existential threat unfolding in Gaza,” adding that newsroom heads often “undermined Palestinian, Arab and Muslim perspectives, dismissing them as unreliable and have invoked inflammatory language that reinforces Islamophobic and racist tropes.”

    “We are writing to urge an end to violence against journalists in Gaza and to call on Western newsroom leaders to be clear-eyed in coverage of Israel’s repeated atrocities against Palestinians,” the letter read.