Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #6

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4min ago

Israeli officials insist release of US hostages won’t impact planned Gaza operation​

Senior Israeli officials tell the Ynet news site that the release of two US citizens taken captive by Hamas will not influence Israel’s plans for a military operation against the Gaza-ruling terror group.

The comments by the unnamed officials come as Israel is facing pressure to hold of its expected offensive in the Gaza Strip, with Western governments hoping that further talks will result in the release of more hostages.
 

At least 22 journalists killed, says campaign group​

At least 22 journalists have been killed since fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out on 7 October, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

These include 18 Palestinians, three Israelis and one Lebanese, the committee says in a statement.

The CPJ attributes 15 of these deaths to Israeli airstrikes and two to Hamas attacks in southern Israel. Eight journalists have been reported injured and three are either missing or have been detained, it adds.

"CPJ emphasises that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties," a spokesperson says.

 
RANCH said:
SBM
I'm waiting for clear and confirmed information that Israel actually demanded that a Gaza hospital be evacuated. There's been a lot of misinformation from Hamas and Palestinian sources in this conflict.

Hamas benefits greatly from propaganda to gain support for their "cause" which I call terrorist acts of violence. I sure hope that Hamas is not using that hospital to launch attacks against Israel. JMO.
Click to expand...
I have no reason to not believe the Red Crescent or the Jerusalem Post about the hospital evacuation. In fact, the media reported the IDF extended the evacuation deadline and the doctors still refused to do so. I have also seen no evidence the Palestinian civilians are putting out any propaganda.

I certainly did not imply in my posting that I support the terrorist acts of Hamas. There is no evidence that Hamas is using the hospital to launch terrorist attacks considering the thousands of Palestinian civilians who have sought safe shelter there.

JMO

www.jpost.com

Red Crescent: Israeli forces warning to evacuate Gaza's hospital

The Palestinian Red Crescent announced on Friday that they received a warning from Israeli forces to 'immediat
www.jpost.com www.jpost.com
The Palestinian Red Crescent announced on Friday that they received a warning from Israeli forces to 'immediately evacuate' Gaza's Al-Quds hospital, which currently houses over 400 patients and 12,000 displaced civilians.
 
Regarding the Orthodox Church explosion... most say church compound or "grounds". From everything I've seen, the target appeared to be a building near the church (not the church itself).

Here are a couple of reports, though...

Israeli Airstrike Hits Greek Orthodox Church Compound in Gaza City - Israel’s military acknowledged it had damaged the church site while targeting what it said was a Hamas command center nearby.

This article from 44 min ago
www.nytimes.com

Israeli Airstrike Hits Greek Orthodox Church Compound in Gaza City

Israel’s military acknowledged it had damaged the church site while targeting what it said was a Hamas command center nearby.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

And, another report (Can't say I know much about GreekCityTimes but they look okay to me ;))

An explosion occurred within the grounds of one of the world's oldest churches, Gaza City's St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, on Thursday evening while numerous Palestinian families were seeking refuge on the premises. Brave rescuers were on the scene, working diligently to extract people from the debris, and regrettably, several of them sustained serious injuries.



Just sharing what I've found (for clarity!)
 
“Biden indicated that Hamas are hiding behind civilians and placing their headquarters were civilians are”

And …

“Hamas has a long history of using Shifa hospital as military headquarters”

thehill.com

US law requires Biden to impose sanctions on Hamas for using human shields

President Joe Biden has repeatedly, and rightly, condemned Hamas in recent days for using civilians as human shields. A U.S. federal law therefore now requires the president to turn his rheto…
thehill.com
 
fred&edna said:
Regarding the Orthodox Church explosion... most say church compound or "grounds". From everything I've seen, the target appeared to be a building near the church (not the church itself).

Here are a couple of reports, though...

Israeli Airstrike Hits Greek Orthodox Church Compound in Gaza City - Israel’s military acknowledged it had damaged the church site while targeting what it said was a Hamas command center nearby.

This article from 44 min ago
www.nytimes.com

Israeli Airstrike Hits Greek Orthodox Church Compound in Gaza City

Israel’s military acknowledged it had damaged the church site while targeting what it said was a Hamas command center nearby.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

And, another report (Can't say I know much about GreekCityTimes but they look okay to me ;))

An explosion occurred within the grounds of one of the world's oldest churches, Gaza City's St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, on Thursday evening while numerous Palestinian families were seeking refuge on the premises. Brave rescuers were on the scene, working diligently to extract people from the debris, and regrettably, several of them sustained serious injuries.



Just sharing what I've found (for clarity!)
Click to expand...
Red bolding mine.

It is my opinion that Hamas is not beneath hiding behind patients at a hospital, or placing their command center near a church where its' own people are gathered.

I don't know if they have launched any attacks from the hospital grounds, but I wouldn't put it past them.
Massacring babies is unthinkable; but Hamas did just that -- and putting their own people in harms' way would be a much lesser offense to terrorists ?
Using citizens as shields is cowardly but not impossible for Hamas.
Disposable population.
Revolting and so sad.

Gypsy Road said:
“Biden indicated that Hamas are hiding behind civilians and placing their headquarters were civilians are”

And …

“Hamas has a long history of using Shifa hospital as military headquarters”

thehill.com

US law requires Biden to impose sanctions on Hamas for using human shields

President Joe Biden has repeatedly, and rightly, condemned Hamas in recent days for using civilians as human shields. A U.S. federal law therefore now requires the president to turn his rheto…
thehill.com
Click to expand...
Bbm.
This ^^^
 
IDF announces the death of a reservist soldier in the anti-tank guided missile attack on the Lebanon border last night. He is named as Staff Sgt. (res.) Omer Balva, 22, a commander in the 9203rd Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade, from Herzliya.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1715585230059270589

IDF says it struck a number of Hezbollah sites, as well as an anti-tank guided missile launcher, in southern Lebanon overnight in response to earlier attacks on northern Israel.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1715585886555927038

IDF says it carried out strikes against numerous Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip overnight, including hitting command centers and various other infrastructure. The IDF says it also hit anti-tank missile launch sites and sniper positions in high rise buildings.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1715587018837692743
 
Friday Fan said:
CNN
www.cnn.com

Gaza hospital says it faces imminent threat of airstrike from Israeli army

Two American hostages, a mother and her daughter, were released Friday by Hamas and are with Israeli authorities, according to Israel's prime minister. The US citizens will be reunited with family at an Israeli military base, officials said.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for linking this @Friday Fan !

These questions are directed towards the link/CNN :
Can we trust that the Palestinian Red Crescent is not being influenced by nor controlled by Hamas in any way ?
Is there any chance that they are repeating what Hamas tells them to say ?

If Israel told them to evac., it was to lessen human casualties.
There are trucks waiting at the border with medical supplies, food & water, etc., so the patients could be cared for.
The hospital and the Palestinian R.C. makes it look like Hamas has weapons & ammunition stored someplace at the hospital.
Omo.
 
Israel-Hamas war live: White House walks back Biden’s comment agreeing that Israel should delay Gaza ground assault (theguardian.com)
8m ago00.45 EDT

As it turns 7.45am in Gaza City and Tel Aviv, here’s a snapshot of where things stand.
  • The White House has stepped back from Joe Biden’s comment apparently agreeing that Israel should delay a potential ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages can get out, saying the US president did not fully hear the question. ...
  • Two newly freed American hostages have been reunited with family inside Israel as relatives celebrated back home in Illinois, nearly two weeks after Hamas gunmen abducted them and dozens of others near Gaza. ...
[...]
  • Israeli aircraft struck six homes in northern Gaza early on Saturday, killing at least eight Palestinians and injuring 45, Palestinian media reported. The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the main Palestinian Christian denomination, said Israeli forces had struck the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, where hundreds of Christians and Muslims had sought refuge, Reuters reported.
  • Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October aimed to disrupt a potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Joe Biden said on Friday. “One of the reasons Hamas moved on Israel ... they knew that I was about to sit down with the Saudis,” the US president said.
[...]
  • The US and the EU said they were “concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. “It is crucial to prevent regional escalation. We call for the immediate release of all hostages and emphasise our shared view that a two-state solution remains the viable path to lasting peace,” a joint statement said ...
  • The Palestinian Red Crescent said its operations at Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City face an “imminent threat” after the Israeli military ordered the hospital’s evacuation. The PRCS posted in an “urgent appeal” on Friday saying that the hospital was “a sanctuary for over 400 patients and around 12,000 displaced civilians”.
[...]
  • Israel security officials have signalled their readiness to embark on a ground offensive into Gaza that they say will be far more comprehensive and ferocious than any previous conflict with Hamas.
  • The UN secretary general, António Guterres, flew to the Sinai peninsula in an effort to open a humanitarian route into Gaza, with the first aid delivery expected “in the next day or two”. ...
  • Joe Biden said on Friday that he believed trucks carrying much-needed humanitarian aid should enter Gaza “within the next 24-48 hours”. ...
[...]
 
Last edited:

Gaza: UN experts decry bombing of hospitals and schools as crimes against humanity, call for prevention of genocide​

19 October 2023

GENEVA (19 October 2023) – UN experts today expressed outrage against the deadly strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which killed more than 470 civilians on Tuesday (17) and trapped hundreds under the rubble. The strike reportedly followed two warnings issued by Israel that an attack on the hospital was imminent if people inside were not evacuated.

The UN experts called for the protection of all humanitarian workers, after the World Health Organization (WHO) documented more than 136 attacks on health care services in the occupied Palestinian territory, including 59 attacks on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of at least 16 health workers since the beginning of hostilities on 7 October. Israeli bombardment on Gaza has also killed 15 staff of the United Nations Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA) and four Palestine Red Crescent paramedics in an ambulance. An ambulance driver of Magen David Adom in Israel lost his life while driving to treat injured people.

“The complete siege of Gaza coupled with unfeasible evacuation orders and forcible population transfers, is a violation of international humanitarian and criminal law. It is also unspeakably cruel,” the experts said.

They recalled that the wilful and systematic destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure, known as ‘domicide’, and cutting off drinking water, medicine, and essential food is clearly prohibited under international criminal law.

“We are sounding the alarm: There is an ongoing campaign by Israel resulting in crimes against humanity in Gaza. Considering statements made by Israeli political leaders and their allies, accompanied by military action in Gaza and escalation of arrests and killing in the West Bank, there is also a risk of genocide against the Palestinian People,” the experts said.


[…]

 
23 min ago

Hospitals in Gaza "on the brink of collapse," UN says​

From CNN’s Jennifer Hauser in Hong Kong

Hospitals in Gaza are "on the brink of collapse," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned, saying that the number of patients treated or waiting to be treated is at 150% of the hospitals' capacity, and people are lying on the floors and corridors.

It said 60% of primary healthcare facilities have shut down in Gaza, while hospitals are struggling to operate amid shortages of power, medicine, equipment and specialized personnel.

"Only eight (out of 22) of UNRWA health centers in Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates are providing primary health care services to critical outpatients and patients in need of treatment for non-communicable diseases," the statement said.
Click to expand...

The water situation in Gaza also remains dire. The last functioning desalination plant shut down last Sunday due to lack of fuel, as did the last functioning wastewater treatment plant, the UN reported.

[…]

Sanitation is deteriorating. All five wastewater treatments in Gaza have been shut down due to a lack of power, so a lot of sewage is being dumped in the sea, and "most of the 65 sewage pumping stations are not operational," according to OCHA. Trash is also piling up.

Food security is unstable. Three out of the five World Food Programme (WFP) bakeries in Gaza closed on Friday due to fuel shortages and lack of ingredients, OCHA said. Wheat flour across Gaza could run out in "about five days," and only one of the five mills in Gaza is currently running.

edition.cnn.com

October 21, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

The first convoy of aid trucks passed through the Rafah crossing and entered besieged Gaza on Saturday morning, as the Israeli military said it's preparing for an operation on the ground there. Follow for live updates.
edition.cnn.com edition.cnn.com
 
Last edited:
One medic, Dr Ahmed Muhanna, says he regularly gets calls from Israeli forces demanding hospital premises are evacuated in preparation for an attack.

“I’ve stopped picking up their calls now,” he told The Independent. “How can we evacuate all of these people? It’s impossible. Where can we go?

“Nowhere is safe. It’s wrong by all laws of humanity and ethics. It’s a crime. My team and I have taken an oath to help these people. We will not leave them. We will stay.”

He says that 75 per cent of the people at the hospitals he overseas across Jabaliyya and Awda in northern Gaza are women and children.

“I have their documents, their ID and photos of every single patient if you want evidence. Every person here is a civilian.”

While supporting patients at Jabaliyya Hospital, Dr Muhanna says surrounding residential buildings were struck killing four of his medical staff including their children and families.

www.independent.co.uk

‘Nowhere’s safe’: The doctors fighting to save lives as healthcare ‘targeted’ in Gaza

The Al Ahli Hospital blast has raised urgent concerns about attacks on healthcare during the Israeli-Hamas conflict
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
 
JennieM said:
One medic, Dr Ahmed Muhanna, says he regularly gets calls from Israeli forces demanding hospital premises are evacuated in preparation for an attack.

“I’ve stopped picking up their calls now,” he told The Independent. “How can we evacuate all of these people? It’s impossible. Where can we go?

“Nowhere is safe. It’s wrong by all laws of humanity and ethics. It’s a crime. My team and I have taken an oath to help these people. We will not leave them. We will stay.”

He says that 75 per cent of the people at the hospitals he overseas across Jabaliyya and Awda in northern Gaza are women and children.

“I have their documents, their ID and photos of every single patient if you want evidence. Every person here is a civilian.”

While supporting patients at Jabaliyya Hospital, Dr Muhanna says surrounding residential buildings were struck killing four of his medical staff including their children and families.

www.independent.co.uk

‘Nowhere’s safe’: The doctors fighting to save lives as healthcare ‘targeted’ in Gaza

The Al Ahli Hospital blast has raised urgent concerns about attacks on healthcare during the Israeli-Hamas conflict
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
Click to expand...
I would think that some areas are more dangerous to be in than others. Such as sites that are launching rockets into Israel.

It makes sense to have non combatant civilians leave those areas. JMO.
 
RANCH said:
I would think that some areas are more dangerous to be in than others. Such as sites that are launching rockets into Israel.

It makes sense to have non combatant civilians leave those areas. JMO.
Click to expand...
Dr Ahmed Muhanna is clear that there are only civilians in his hospital and he cannot evacuate them. Where are you getting your information that his hospital is a launching rocket site?
 
JennieM said:

Gaza: UN experts decry bombing of hospitals and schools as crimes against humanity, call for prevention of genocide​

19 October 2023

GENEVA (19 October 2023) – UN experts today expressed outrage against the deadly strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which killed more than 470 civilians on Tuesday (17) and trapped hundreds under the rubble. The strike reportedly followed two warnings issued by Israel that an attack on the hospital was imminent if people inside were not evacuated.

The UN experts called for the protection of all humanitarian workers, after the World Health Organization (WHO) documented more than 136 attacks on health care services in the occupied Palestinian territory, including 59 attacks on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of at least 16 health workers since the beginning of hostilities on 7 October. Israeli bombardment on Gaza has also killed 15 staff of the United Nations Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA) and four Palestine Red Crescent paramedics in an ambulance. An ambulance driver of Magen David Adom in Israel lost his life while driving to treat injured people.

“The complete siege of Gaza coupled with unfeasible evacuation orders and forcible population transfers, is a violation of international humanitarian and criminal law. It is also unspeakably cruel,” the experts said.

They recalled that the wilful and systematic destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure, known as ‘domicide’, and cutting off drinking water, medicine, and essential food is clearly prohibited under international criminal law.

“We are sounding the alarm: There is an ongoing campaign by Israel resulting in crimes against humanity in Gaza. Considering statements made by Israeli political leaders and their allies, accompanied by military action in Gaza and escalation of arrests and killing in the West Bank, there is also a risk of genocide against the Palestinian People,” the experts said.


[…]

Click to expand...


The U.N. isn't objective or neutral when it makes pronouncements about Israel. They even go so far as to accuse not only Israel of committing crimes aginst humanity in Gaza, but also mention that statements made by Israel's allies in support of Israel could lead to genocide. Are they referring to the United States, I wonder? They also refer to Israel as unlawful, brutal occupiers over the last 16 years.

Hardly sounds like an unbiased source.
 
Chimera said:
It is my opinion that Hamas is not beneath hiding behind patients at a hospital, or placing their command center near a church where its' own people are gathered.
Click to expand...

Their tunnels are placed strategically. The IDF has put out this advice to explain about the tunnels.


Hamas exploits the Palestinian population of Gaza by building tunnels beneath densely populated areas. Many times, the tunnels’ access points are hidden between schools, mosques, hospitals and other civilian buildings.

The terrorist organization deliberately embeds its terrorist infrastructure inside civilian neighbourhoods, knowing that the IDF is reluctant to strike civilian areas.

The tunnels openings sometimes lead beyond the Gaza border, into Israeli territory.

On July 17th, heavily armed terrorists climbed out of a tunnel near the Israeli community of Sufa, a few kilometers from the Gaza border. Four days later, terrorists wearing full IDF uniforms infiltrated Israel through a different tunnel.

IDF ground and aerial forces operation along the security fence and inside Gaza conduct meticulous searches for the tunnels and their access points. The tunnels are well hidden, often beneath civilian structures or open areas.

Each tunnel uncovered is carefully mapped and examined before its demolition.

 
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