Tag: war

  • 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.”

  • Who are the celebrities siding with Israel as onslaught on Gaza continues?

    Who are the celebrities siding with Israel as onslaught on Gaza continues?

    The bombing on Palestine continues with latest reports showing that more than 5,600 Palestinians have died in Gaza at Israel’s hands. In these past few days, many celebrities have voiced their support for Israel, some of them using misinformation as justification for the bombardment of civilians. Social media users have expressed outrage on the way the slaughter of Palestinians is being shown as a positive thing rather than a war crime.

    Here are all the public faces who have so far expressed their support for Israel.

    More than 700 Hollywood entertainers have signed an open letter with Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) voicing their support for Israel as the bombing of Gaza continues. This included former IDF soldier and actress Gal Gadot, comedian Amy Schumer, actors Chris Pine, Mark Hamil and Debra Messing.

    The letter described the war as “terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions.”

    The letter ended by urging on other members of the entertainment industry “to speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.”

    ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp released a statement that riled up social media.

    Kim Kardashian shared a statement on her Instagram account expressing her support for Israel.

    Harry Potter writer J.K Rowling shared a video clip of journalists claiming the Hamas had beheaded 40 babies from Israel with the caption: “Now let the snivelling apologists for rape, murder and torture explain how this, too, was justified.”

    Since then, the news has since then been debunked by journalists, as well as the IDF who said no such confirmation was given by them. However, Rowling has not taken down her post.

    Jamie Lee Curtis shared and then deleted a picture of children looking up at the sky in terror, along with the Israeli flag in the caption. This picture is actually from war-torn buildings in Gaza.

    Justin Bieber shared a picture of war-torn Gaza with the caption ‘Pray for Israel’ on his Instagram stories, and twitter users criticised him for spreading misinformation.

  • Israel paying YouTube to put false news in children’s videos

    Israel paying YouTube to put false news in children’s videos

    As the genocide of Palestine’s continues to go on, Israel is now paying streaming platforms to put out misinformation on children’s content. Journalist Ahmed Eldin shared a clip on his Instagram account of a children’s animated video on YouTube. Before the video starts, a message pops up on screen giving parents misinformation about the conflict.

    “Israel has dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza, killing more than 500 innocent children. And they paying to brainwash kids and parents into believing they are somehow justified in this war crime,” writes Ahmed. “International law is clear, a war crime doesn’t justify another war crime.”

    The news of Hamas beheading 40 babies was debunked by several international journalists and the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) itself.

    Read more: Did Hamas actually decapitate Israeli children and women? No, they did not

  • ‘We have a lot of fighters, people who want to support us’, says Hamas: what we know about day six

    ‘We have a lot of fighters, people who want to support us’, says Hamas: what we know about day six

    No electricity in Gaza

    As fuel, food, and other necessities are halted by Israel in Gaza Strip, the besieged area’s only electric power plant is now exhausted. This means that 2.3 million people are now without electricity whereas hospitals and other necessary services have been affected.

    And with an increasing number of wounded people, people are left to wait for their turn. According to AL-Jazeera, 50 patients are waiting to get surgeries in Gaza’s largest hospital.

    United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called out the blockade of resources and necessities into Gaza, stating that fuel, water, and food “must be allowed into Gaza”.

    Hamas releases children, Israel calls it a farce

    Hamas’ Qassam Brigade has released a video showing the release of two children and a woman who were initially under their custody. This comes after the circulation of false news stating that Hamas beheaded 40 Israeli babies — Hamas denied the allegations.

    Nonetheless, Israel has deemed the video as a farce stating, Hamas is trying to change the truth through the theatrics of publishing a propaganda video through its media mouthpieces,”

    White House retract Biden’s claim

    Earlier, false news had been circulating on social media that Israeli women and children have been beheaded by Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.

    Anadolu Agency reached out to the Israeli spokesperson on Tuesday who stated that the Israeli army has no information confirming allegations that “Hamas beheaded babies.”

    Nonetheless, in his address, US President Joe Biden stated that “I never really thought that I would see, have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children.”

    However, The Washington Post reported that “A White House spokesperson later clarified that US officials and the president have not seen pictures or confirmed such reports independently,”

    Talks on releasing Israeli captives, Red Cross

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is currently in conversation with Hamas in efforts to free Israeli captives.

    “We are now in contact with Hamas and Israeli officials as part of the efforts on the hostage issue,

    “As a neutral mediator, we are ready to conduct humanitarian visits; and facilitate any eventual release.”

    According to Israel, 150 of their people are under Hamas’ custody including women, children, and soldiers.

    No attacks from Gaza but Israel continues airstrikes

    According to the Israeli army, no rockets were striked from Gaza and Lebanon last night.

    But airstrikes from Israel continue. At least 10 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, have been killed by an Israeli missile attack on the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City.

    ‘We are not afraid’, says Hamas

    Al-Jazeera spoke to a Hamas leader, Ghazi Hamad, who asserted that they are prepared to face Israeli troops who are reportedly going to be deployed in Gaza as they are apparently preparing for a ground operation.

    “We are not afraid. We are a strong people. We have a strong determination to continue. We have a lot of fighters and a lot of people who want to support us, Hamad said.

    Israel expels Palestinian employees in West Bank

    Many Palestinians from Gaza had been working in the occupied West Bank due to better job prospects.

    After the attacks, however, their employers took them to checkpoints and then to the occupied West Bank as directed by Israeli police.

    Al-Jazeera reports that there is no going back for them and reportedly, they were also attacked by Israeli police after getting picked up.

    They are currently stuck at the Palestinian Authority facility in Ramallah and have not been able to return to their homes even though some have lost their family members in Gaza in Israel attacks.

    Palestinians in occupied West Bank

    Palestinian health ministry has revealed that Israeli settlers have killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

    Reuters reported that according to the witnesses, settlers shot the father and son who were at the funeral of four Palestinians who were also killed by settlers and soldiers on Wednesday.

    Casualties

    According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 1,200 have been killed in Gaza and about 5,600 wounded.

    In Israel too, 1,200 have died while 3,000 have been injured.

    The UN reveals that as a result of Israel’s attacks, 338,934 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza.

  • Israel is dropping white phosphorus bombs on Gaza: what we know about Day Five

    Israel is dropping white phosphorus bombs on Gaza: what we know about Day Five

    Use of white phosphorus

    The official channel of Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates have posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the Israeli military attacked the Al-Karama neighbourhood in Gaza with white phosphorus bombs.

    White phosphorus bombs burn up oxygen and suffocate people in the area. Moreover, white phosphorus causes burns and can spread fire over an area of hundreds of square yards.

    Power supply to deplete

    Authorities have claimed that the electricity supply in Gaza can shut down “within hours” as “it is running out of fuel”.

    Palestinian enclave houses more than two million people. Hospitals and shelters are currently operating without electric power.

    Additionally, an ambulance in Gaza was attacked, killing two. The health ministry has accused Israel of “deliberately targeting” medical workers.

    Attacks on Gaza

    Hamas has stated that in the span of one night, at least 30 people have been killed and hundreds wounded after Israel launched hundreds of air raids.

    According to Salama Marouf, who spoke with AFP news agency, dozens of residential buildings, factories, mosques and shops were hit.

    On the contrary, the Israeli military has claimed to have hit several Hamas targets at night.

    Displaced, wounded, dead

    According to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, more than 260,000 people have forcibly fled their homes following the Israeli attacks.

    “Over 263,934 people in Gaza are believed to have fled their homes,” and “this number is expected to rise further”.

    Whereas the Palestinian health minister has reported that the death toll has reached 950 with more than 5,000 wounded.

    Moreover, at least 260 children have also been killed due to attacks on Gaza.

    As per the Palestinian foreign ministry, since Saturday, Israeli air strikes have destroyed more than 22,600 residential units and 10 health facilities and damaged 48 schools.

    Israel refuses food, medical supply

    The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) requested the delivery of food and medical supplies into Gaza “but Israel refused”.

    “We call on international humanitarian institutions and the international community to intervene urgently to stop the aggression and allow the entry of relief materials and restore electricity and water, because the Gaza Strip is facing a major humanitarian catastrophe,” PLO official Hussein al-Sheikh said on X.

    Israeli death toll rises to 1,200

    An Israeli military spokesperson has confirmed that the Israeli death toll has now risen to 1,200, with more than 2,700 injured.
    Biden’s speech in support of Israel

    The US president Joe Biden gave a speech on Tuesday, condemning the attacks by Hamas and deeming them as “sheer evil”.

    “Let there be no doubt: The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself — today, tomorrow, as we always have. It’s as simple as that,”

    He noted that 14 US citizens are also among those who died in Israel while others have been taken captives.

    Biden has committed to giving more military assistance to Israel, adding that the US has altered its military disposition in the region to warn anyone “seeking to take advantage” of the conflict.

    Biden said that he spoke with Neyhanyatu, “We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law,” Biden added.

    What’s next?

    Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israeli military has announced that hundreds of thousands of troops are assembling near the Gaza Strip for the war with Hamas.

    In a video posted on X, he stated that Israel has sent infantry, armoured soldiers, artillery corps and soldiers — 300,000 in total.

    “And that is to make sure that Hamas, at this end of this war, won’t have any military capabilities by which they can threaten or kill Israeli civilians,” he said.

    Courtesy: Al-Jazeera

  • Hamas calls for Muslims to stand with Palestine on Friday: what we know about Day Four

    Hamas calls for Muslims to stand with Palestine on Friday: what we know about Day Four

    In the latest update, Hamas has called on people all over to come out in solidarity with the Palestinian cause coming Friday.

    Flee to Egypt

    The Israeli military has suggested the Palestinians flee to Egypt to escape air attacks in the Gaza Strip.

    Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht, chief military spokesperson of Israel addressed foreign media, stating, “I am aware that the Rafah crossing (on the Gaza-Egypt border) is still open. Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out,”

    Soon after this, news came in that the Rafah border was closed.

    1,500 bodies of Hamas fighters with Israel

    The Israeli army has claimed to have about 1,500 bodies of Hamas fighters that they found in Israel and Gaza Strip.
    According to Hecht, control over the border has “more or less” been restored along the besieged Gaza Strip.

    200 areas in Gaza bombed

    The Israeli military has bombed more than 200 targets in Gaza Strip including an alleged weapons storage site inside a mosque as well as an apartment used by Hamas’s antitank guided missile forces.

    Situation in Gaza ‘extremely worrying’: UNRWA

    The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees has revealed in an interview with Al-Jazeera that thousands of people in Gaza who left their homes to escape the Israeli attacks have been “unable to access basic services”.

    “It is extremely damaging for people. For us, it is extremely worrying that they cannot access any of these basic services,” al-Rifai said.

    14 of UNRWA distribution centres have been bombarded while on the other hand, at least 137,000 people have been displaced and seeking shelter since Saturday.

    Israeli forces ‘taking revenge’ by killing civilians

    The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor posted on social media that Israeli forces are committing “mass killing crimes against civilians” in Gaza.

    “The Israeli forces are taking revenge on Palestinian armed factions by committing mass killing crimes against civilians,” the group said of Israel’s relentless bombardment of densely populated areas, as it posted a photo on social media of a levelled neighbourhood.

    “Even in cases of military necessity, Israel must adhere to provisions of international humanitarian law in its attack on Gaza.”

    “We will purify the area and attack terrorists wherever they are,”

    The Israel Defense Forces’ spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, held a press conference, in which he stated that Hamas terrorists are in Israel, and that Israeli troops are on a hunt and killing them.

    “We will purify the area and attack terrorists wherever they are,” he says.

    Spain and France oppose blockade of aid to Palestine

    On Monday, EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi’s announced that payments from the development programme for Palestinians would be “immediately suspended”.

    This, however, was followed by rejection of the suspension from Spain, Ireland and Luxembourg.

    The EU then reconsidered its approach.

    “This cooperation must continue; we cannot confuse Hamas, which is in the list of EU’s terrorist groups, with the Palestinian population, or the Palestinian Authority or the United Nations’ organisations on the ground,” said Spain’s acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

    Similarly, the Foreign Ministry in Paris said, “We are not in favour of suspending aid that directly benefits the Palestinian people, and we made this clear to the European Commission yesterday,”

    Courtesy: Al-Jazeera News

  • Israel announces ‘complete siege’ on Gaza

    Israel announces ‘complete siege’ on Gaza

    Gaza Strip, an already besieged area, will now face a “total” blockade from Israel including a ban on food and water.

    On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that authorities are to cut electricity and block food and fuel as part of “a complete siege” on Hamas-run Gaza which consists of a population of 2.3 million people — one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

    “We are putting a complete siege on Gaza … No electricity, no food, no water, no gas – it’s all closed,” Gallant said in a video statement.

    Israel-Hamas war

    On October 7, in an unexpected turn of events, Hamas fighters attacked Israeli bases and settlements.

    Hamas launched dozens of rockets into Israel as part of ‘Operation Al Aqsa Storm’ against illegal settlements in the occupied territory.

    From Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif gave a statement, stating, “Today the people are regaining their revolution,” he said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight and “expel the occupiers and demolish the walls.”

    “We must set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers,” Deif added.

    He also claimed to have fired over 5,000 rockets into Israel.

    On the contrary, Israel has declared a “state of readiness”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “We are at war and we will win”

    “Our enemy will pay the type of price which it has never known,” Netanyahu said in video statement.

    Read more:

  • Hamas launches 5,000 rockets into Israel

    Hamas launches 5,000 rockets into Israel

    Hamas has launched dozens of rockets into Israel as part of ‘Operation Al Aqsa Storm’ against illegal settlements in occupied territory.

    In an unexpected turn of events, on Saturday, Palestinian fighters attacked Israeli bases.

    According to Israeli radio, Hamas fighters took 35 Israelis captive.

    AFP has reported that rocket fire was launched from multiple locations starting at 06:30 am in the morning from besieged Palestine and continued for nearly half an hour.

    From Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif gave a statement, stating, “Today the people are regaining their revolution,” he said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight and “expel the occupiers and demolish the walls.”

    “We must set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers,” Deif added.

    He also claimed to have fired over 5,000 rockets into Israel.

    On the contrary, Israel has declared a ‘state of readiness’. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “We are at war and we will win”

    “Our enemy will pay type of a price which it has never known,” Netanyahu said in video statement.

    Previously, a Palestinian was killed during friction with illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Huwara, where the settlers became violent during the victim’s funeral, resulting in nine hospitalised.

    Moreover, apart from the tensions along Israel’s border with Gaza, and clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, at least 247 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this year, whereas 32 Israelis and two foreign nationals have been killed in Palestinian attacks.

    World reacts

  • Russian woman lived with needle in brain for 80 years

    Doctors in Russia have found an inch-long needle in the brain of an 80-year-old woman, most likely inserted when she an infant.

    According to a post on Telegram by the Ministry of Health in Sakhalin, radiologists found the three-centimeter long needle during an x-ray scan, embedded in the woman’s left parietal lobe

    The woman’s name has not been disclosed and the discovery is said to have occurred in 2023. She is said to have born around the year 1943, making her at least 80.

    Officials claim that the needle has been in her brain since infancy, and doctors believe her parents tried to kill her when she was a baby.

    The ministry explained that during wars, “some desperate parents would insert a needle into a soft spot of a newborn’s head, where bones in the skull hadn’t yet come together.

    “That spot — the fontanelle — would then close and obscure the needle, though the infant would die.”
    Such cases were not uncommon during the famine years, the ministry added.

    Even though she pulled through the attempted infanticide, she never suffered headaches because of the needle.
    Doctors have decided against the removal of the needle because a surgery can worsen her condition, the ministry highlighted.

    The woman is currently being monitored by a physician, and her health is not in danger.

    According to Insider, Sakhalin is an island with a population of around 500,000 in the Sea of Okhotsk in north of Japan’s Hokkaido.

    Sakhalin was divided amongst the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire in the early 20th century and was later fully seized by Moscow during World War II.

  • ISPR says Bajwa’s statement that Pak isn’t ready to fight India is taken ‘out of context’

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has clarified that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement about Pakistan army not being fully compatible to fight against India has been taken out of context.

    “To this end, views of the former army chief on the future threats to Pakistan, which he shared with media persons in an off-the-record interactive session, have been quoted out of context,” ISPR said.

    It added that the army “always took and will continue to take pride in our operational preparedness and utmost combat worthiness.”

    Earlier, Senior Journalist Hamid Mir said that Bajwa had told journalists in 2021 that the Pakistan Army is not capable of getting into combat against the rival country.

    He claimed that immediately after the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had to visit Pakistan in 2021 but the then-Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former PM Imran Khan weren’t aware of it.

    When Khan demanded that details regarding Modi’s visit should be given to Foreign Office (FO) “Bajwa came to the FO with his entire convoy and gave a lecture”.

    “This was the same lecture that he gave in front of us once too that army tanks are not capable of running and there is no diesel for troop movement,” the journalist said.

    The journalist’s claims were picked up by Indian media and reported by major news outlets.