Tag: #palestine

  • 80 per cent of Gaza burns victims are children: What do we know about day 15

    80 per cent of Gaza burns victims are children: What do we know about day 15

    13 Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank

    At least 13 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.

    The Israeli raid led to clashes in the Nur Shams refugee camp.

    Among the killed Palestinians are seven children whereas one Israeli officer also died.

    Israel-Lebanon border

    Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah alongside Palestinian armed groups are still at odds as cross-border attacks continue.

    Al Jazeera reports that the attacks are limited to areas only a few kilometres on each side of the border, adding that Hezbollah is trying to stop Israeli potential operation into Gaza.

    ‘Fuel will not enter Gaza’: Israeli army spokesperson

    Daniel Hagari says the 20 trucks carrying aid into Gaza from Egypt will go to the southern part of the besieged enclave.

    But he stated that “fuel will not enter Gaza”.

    At a news conference after the opening of the Rafah crossing earlier, Hagari told reporters that only food, water and medical aid will be allowed to enter the enclave.

    Israeli air raids kill 46 in Gaza

    Air raids through the night have reportedly killed at least 46 people.

    Preparations for ‘next phase of war’

    Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has disclosed that the war will be carried through three phases and that preparations are underway “for the next phase of the war” which is said to be a ground operation.

    The first phase is under way which, as he explained, aims to destroy the military infrastructure of Hamas military. The second phase will be “lower intensity” operations to “destroy pockets of resistance”.

    “The third phase will require the removal of Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza strip, and the establishment of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel,” as highlighted in his statement.

    800 EU officials condemn chief’s support of Israeli attacks on Gaza

    In the light of the recent incessant Israeli attacks on Gaza, more than 800 EU officials have written to European Union’s chief, Ursula von der Leyen, condemning her “uncontrolled” support of Israel.

    Al Jazeera has reported seing the letter whereas the signatories of the letter say they “hardly recognise the values of the EU” and that there has been a “seeming indifference demonstrated over the past few days by our institution towards the ongoing massacre of civilians in the Gaza Strip, in disregard for human rights and international humanitarian law”.

    The signatories are also upset by the Commission’s “double standards” as on one hand, the Russian blockade of Ukraine is deemed as an act of terror, while Israel’s blockade of Gaza is “completely ignored”.

    “If Israel does not stop immediately, the whole Gaza Strip and its inhabitants will be erased from the planet,” the letter read.

    “We urge you [von der Leyen] to call, together with the leaders of the whole Union, for a ceasefire and for the protection of civilian life. This is at the core of the EU existence,” they said, warning “the EU risks losing all credibility”.

    The letter brings to light the conflict within the EU on the Israel-Gaza war.

    The letter also read that the European Commission’s “recent unfortunate actions or positions seem to give a free hand to the acceleration and the legitimacy of a war crime in the Gaza Strip”.

    “We would have been proud if the European Union … had called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and indiscriminate violence against civilians,” the letter read.

    UN update on casualties in Gaza, West Bank
    Death toll in the Palestinian enclave has risen up to 4,137 which includes 70 percent of children and women.

    Additionally, more than 1,000 people are said to be missing and are presumably under the buildings attacked by Israel.

    1.4 million people are internally displaced in Gaza while at least 30 percent of residency has been destroyed or damaged in Gaza.

    80 per cent of Gaza burns victims are children

    Ghassan Abu Sitta has said that medical workers no longer have dressings for burns victims.

    “We have more than 70 wounded with burns covering more than 40 per cent of their body surface. 80 per cent are children,” Abu Sitta said on X (formerly Twitter).

    10,000 Palestinians imprisoned in two weeks

    There were already about 5,200 Palestinians in Israeli prisons before the attacks of October 7. Following the incident, 4,000 Gazan labourers in Israel have reportedly been arrested while other 1,070 have been taken in in army raids in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

    Cairo Peace Summit to address war on Gaza

    More than a dozen countries participated in a conference in Cairo, Egypt to discuss ways to “de-escalate” the Israel-Palestine escalation while there is also a fear of the conflict rippling throughout the Middle East.

    The Cairo Summit for Peace was attended by Jordan, France, Germany, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Qatar, South Africa and other countries alongside the United Nations and European Union.

    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi urged all the leaders to collectively carve out a way to end the “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip and establish peace between the two sides.

    He also asserted the need to deliver aid to Gaza and call for a ceasefire as well as attainment of the two-state solution.

    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also attended the summit and appealed for the opening of the humanitarian corridors.

    “We will remain on our land.”, he added, saying that Palestinians will not leave.

  • Colombia to open embassy in Palestine

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been very vocal in his condemnation of Israel’s war on Gaza. In one of his recent statements, after a meeting with both the ambassadors of Palestine and Israel, he showed his solidarity with the children from both sides and pledged to open an Embassy in Ramallah, Palestine.

    “I have expressed my position to achieve an international peace conference that opens the way for two independent and free states. I reiterated my solidarity with Israeli and Palestinian children, who must and have the right to live in peace,” he said in a post on X (former Twitter).

    The Colombian president further pledged, “We will send a plane with humanitarian aid to the outskirts of Gaza waiting for a humanitarian corridor to open. Colombia will open its embassy in Ramallah, Palestine.”

    It is crucial in the context of the ongoing conflict as Petro has refused to condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel and compared Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany. In response to this, the country bore the cost in the form of suspension of defence imports from Israel — their biggest supplier of warplanes, surveillance equipment, and assault rifles since the 1990s.

  • ‘Sit down’: Mahira Khan shuts accusations against her of not supporting Palestine

    ‘Sit down’: Mahira Khan shuts accusations against her of not supporting Palestine

    As social media users and human rights activists rally across the world for a free Palestine with an end to the genocide, several Twitter users in the past week were critical of Pakistani actresses who were silent. Mahira Khan was a target of such accusations when a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account went viral with users accusing her of playing both sides. The actress wrote about praying for peace and humanity to triumph over evil.

    A user in the comments section slammed the actress for posting a vague message so that she can continue working in Hollywood, to which Mahira responded bluntly. “Uhhh I call it loud and clear. Sit down. Use your time to pray for Palestine.”

    Over the past week, the ‘Humsafar’ actress has used her social media account to consistently share updates on the on-going genocide in Gaza, where the death toll has reached to 4200 civilians as reported by Al-Jazeera. She has also shared clips of activists and scholars who condemned Israel’s apartheid-like policies towards the Palestinian community.

  • ‘You shut the F up’: Dave Chappelle gives it to Israeli supporter as crowd cheers him on

    ‘You shut the F up’: Dave Chappelle gives it to Israeli supporter as crowd cheers him on

    An account about comedian Dave Chappelle, posted on Twitter, is going viral on social media.

    A user posted that during a Boston show, in front of a sold-out crowd 22,000 strong, Chappelle criticised Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Podcaster Imran Muneer narrated that Dave acknowledged the attacks by the Hamas were wrong, but Israel had no right to slaughter countless Palestinian civilians. An attendee in the crowd shouted “Shut the f* up Dave”, to which Chappelle responded “No you shut the f* up.”

    “You don’t take tens of billions from my country to go kill innocent women and children and come and tell me to shut the f* up,” narrated Imran.Dave then went on to criticise Israel for begging USA for money, and then using it to drop bombs on women and children: “He said don’t come begging for money from my country and then go drop bombs on children and cut off innocent people water and electricity. You have the audacity to pay to come see me and then tell me shut the f* up, no you shut the f*** up. The crowd started clapping and cheering for him and saying yes Dave and chants of free Palestine and then he said you’re damn right free Palestine.”

    Imran also pointed out the crowd at Dave’s show comprised of 80% white, 5% black and the rest were Latins.

  • Only 20 trucks of aid allowed into Gaza

    Only 20 trucks of aid allowed into Gaza

    The Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza has finally been opened for aid trucks into Gaza on Saturday.

    Al Jazeera reports that Hamas’s media office confirmed that “The relief aid convoy that is supposed to enter today includes 20 trucks that carry medicine, medical supplies, and a limited amount of food supplies [canned goods],”

    The World Health Organization took to X to highlight that its trucks consists of trauma supplies for 1,200 people, portable trauma bags for on-the-spot stabilisation for 235 people, medication for chronic diseases for 1,500 people, essential health supplies for 300,000 people for three months.

    It is, however, important to note that the besieged Gaza Strip has a population of 2.3 million people.

    Humanitarian workers have been saying that 20 trucks are not enough for the catastrophe caused by Israeli attacks on the Gaza strip. So far, more than 4,000 people have been killed while more than 12,000 are injured.

    The UN reported that there is a severe dearth of food and drinking water while sanitation facilities, water wells, reservoirs, and pumping stations have been destroyed due to air raids.

    Hamas’s media office has also stated that this aid “will not change the catastrophic medical conditions in Gaza”.

    Previously, US President Joe Biden visited Israel and announced the agreement to allow 20 trucks in Gaza through Egypt.

  • More Hollywood stars including Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett ask for ceasefire in Gaza

    More Hollywood stars including Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett ask for ceasefire in Gaza

    As social media users and human rights activists put out a loud chorus to end the genocide in Palestine, celebrities are also adding their voice. According to Variety, a group of 55 actors which included A-list celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, Joaquin Phoenix and Riz Ahmed, have signed an open letter demanding US President Biden to call a ceasefire in Gaza.

    The letter includes celebrities like Ayo Edebiri, Muslim comedian and host behind Netflix’s ‘Patriot Act’ Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong, Jessica Chastain, Jon Stewart, Sandra Oh and veteran Hollywood legend Susan Sarandon.

    The letter demanded from Joe Biden to open his eyes to the current destruction and chaos in Gaza: “More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”

    “We urge your administration,” the letter further states. “And all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”

    The statement also quotes UNICEF spokesperson James Elder who condemned the misuse of international law on how Gazan civilians are stripped of their basic necessities and are living within destruction.

    “‘Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.’ – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.”

    The letter ends with the signatories calls for everyone to stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people. “We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.’”

  • Hamas releases two American hostages

    Hamas releases two American hostages

    Hamas has released two American captives who were captured in the October 7 attacks on Israel.

    Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan are also the first ones to be released since the attacks.

    Al Jazeera reports that Hamas’s armed wing al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubaida said that they freed the hostages “for humanitarian reasons” following mediating attempts made by Qatar.

    US President Joe Biden thanked Qatar and Israel for their collective efforts in ensuring their release.

    A spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry stated that the release was the result of “many days of continuous communication with all parties” and that they hope to “release of all civilian hostages from every nationality”.

    The Israeli military believes that many of the detained are still alive.

    Following October 7 and the killings of 1,400 Israelis at the hands of Hamas, Israel has killed more than 4,000 Palestinians in Gaza Strip as a response; and has also foisted a “complete siege” which it says it will not lift till Israeli hostages are freed.

    Red Cross released a statement stating, “The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helped facilitate this release by transporting the hostages from Gaza to Israel, underscoring the real-life impact of our role as a neutral actor between the warring parties,

    “The ICRC continues to call for the immediate release of all hostages. We are ready to visit the remaining hostages and to facilitate any future release following an agreement reached by the parties.”

  • 400 congressional staffers demand ceasefire in letter to Congress

    400 congressional staffers demand ceasefire in letter to Congress

    On Thursday, Muslim and Jewish congressional staff members in the US signed a letter demanding that Congress call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. They termed the situation “especially urgent” in view of “antisemitism, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian sentiment on the rise nationwide.”

    The letter has been reportedly signed by 411 staffers, opposing the Biden administration’s approach to the Israeli assault on Palestine.

    Following the events of October 7, an Illinois man killed a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child in Chicago. Jewish and Muslims have expressed fear of increasing hate crimes.

    As the letter condemned the Hamas attack on Israel, it then highlighted the “catastrophic suffering” of the Palestinians “at the hands of the Israeli government”.

    It underlined the 6,000 bombs dropped on the Gaza strip, death of more than 4,000 Palesinians, shortage of food, medicine, water, electricity etc because of Israeli blockade.

    “We have appreciated seeing nearly every Member of Congress express quick and unequivocal solidarity with the Israeli people, but we are profoundly disturbed that such shows of humanity have barely been extended to the Palestinian people. Only a fraction have called for a cease fire or at least cessation of hostilities. We believe that Palestinian civilians deserve to be remembered,mourned, and defended with the same rigor that Jewish Israelis deserve from the U.S. Congress.”the letter read.

    “As Muslims and Jews, we are tired of reliving generational fears of genocide and ethnic cleansing. We are tired of leaders pushing us to blame each other, exploiting our pain and our histories to rationalize political agendas and justify violence.”

    Previously, a US Department of State senior official had resigned after America’s assurance to provide increased military aid to Israel, saying the US-back Gaza war would consequently result in trouble for Israelis as well as Palestinians.

    Josh Paul, a director in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, published a note on social media on Wednesday that the administration of President Joe Biden was repeating the same mistakes Washington has been making for decades.

    “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,” he wrote.

    “I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer,” he said, adding that the Biden administration’s “blind support for one side” was leading to policy decisions that were “shortsighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse”.

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

  • Faryal Makhdoom calls out Israel’s attempt to bribe influencers to stay quiet on Palestine

    Faryal Makhdoom calls out Israel’s attempt to bribe influencers to stay quiet on Palestine

    Social media influencer and wife to boxer Amir Khan, Faryal Makhdoom has used her social media platform to speak out on the Israeli bombardment of Palestine. She shared a screenshot today of a message she received from the Israeli government, asking her to cease supporting Palestine in exchange for money.

    In the caption, Faryal wrote: “I got this message last night. Like it’s going to stop me from posting the truth.”

    Faryal shared another post of an Israeli commentator on her Instagram account who attempted to sway her support for Palestine by writing that Hamas was behind the controversial hospital attack in Gaza. Faryal shut the user down with a list of facts that proved the attack was by Israel.

    Egyptian influencer Dina Tokio shared a similar message she received on Whatsapp and condemned this by writing “typical behavior”.

    Several users have reported receiving bribe offers from organisations demanding them to pull back from posting content about Palestine. British influencer Cara Watson is going viral on social media for criticising a company trying to pressure her with money to support Israel’s ongoing genocide.

  • How can Pakistani’s help the Palestinian movement?

    How can Pakistani’s help the Palestinian movement?

    As the genocide of Palestinians goes on with the death toll currently reported to be 12,493 people in Gaza as per Al-Jazeera. Many of us Pakistanis are feeling a sense of helplessness as videos are emerging showing children killed, shell-shocked or traumatised by the violence they witnessed, asking how they can continue to support the fight for a free Palestine. Here are the several ways you can support the Palestinian cause:

    Donate:

    We are listing down several organisations that are taking donations from Pakistan to help provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians.

    Doctors Without Borders

    This is an organisation that is currently working to provide medical relief and aid to countless injured civilians in Gaza. Pakistani’s can visit their website and provide donations through Mastercard or Visa.

    Al Khidmat Foundation:

    This organisation is working on the ground to provide humanitarian assistance to the wounded in Gaza. Click on their website to send a donation.

    Palestine Children’s Relief Fund:

    The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is actively working in Gaza to provide medical surgery, mental health programs and also to sponsor children who have become orphans as a result of the war. You can visit their website to find out details on how to donate.

    Read more books about the Palestinian liberation movement and from Palestinians authors

    Here are some books you can look up on to learn more about the origins of apartheid in Palestine, and how did the Nakba begin. These books are currently available at The Last Word or you can download them as pdf’s online.

    Children Of The Stone: the power of music in a hard land by Sandy Tolan

    Chronicles the story of Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan, a child from Palestinian refugee camps who rose to become a music student and founded a music school with the help of musicians around the world.

    The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising History, Narrating The Subaltern, Reclaiming Memory by Nur Masalha.

    This book debunks some of the narratives presented by Israelis in an attempt to suppress the resistance, by directly narrating history from Palestinians.

    Freedom Is A Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the foundations of a movement by Angela Davis

    This book is a collection of essays, interviews and speeches written by activist and scholar Angela Davis who draws the comparison between state violence and oppression throughout the world such as Ferguson and the Palestine struggle.

    Watch movies and documentaries made by Palestinians

    Five Broken Cameras: A documentary made by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi on the protests led by Palestinian farmers in Bil’in, a West Bank village which was encroached by the Israeli West Bank barrier. Available on Netflix.

    Chilldren Of Shatila (1998): A documentary that focuses on the lives of two Palestinian children growing up Beirut’s Palestinian Shatila refugee camp. Available on Netflix.

    Gaza (2019): A documentary that looks in to the lives of Gazan citizens and their everyday routine. Available to stream online.

    Follow Palestinian influencers on Instagram and TikTok

    Subhi who goes by sbeih.jpeg on Instagram provides regular updates on the on-ground situation in Gaza.

    Mohammad Elkurd is a Palestinian poet whose Instagram account mohammadelkurd provides updates on the situation in Gaza.

    Plestia Alaqad is a journalist who gives regular updates on Gaza on her TikTok and Instagram account byplestia

    Boycott brands that are providing donations to Israel

    Here is an official list of brands listed by the Palestinian BDS Movement a group of activists currently leading the call for the end of genocide in Gaza.