Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #10

[JennieM]

Growing concerns from allies over Israel’s approach to fighting Hamas as civilian casualties​

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY AND DAVID RISING
Updated 8:29 AM GMT, November 11, 2023

[…]

Palestinian civilians and rights advocates have pushed back against Israel’s portrayal of the southern evacuation zones as “relatively safe,” noting that Israeli bombardment has continued across Gaza, including airstrikes in the south that Israel says target Hamas leaders, but that have also killed women and children.

The U.S. and Israel also have diverging views on what a post-war Gaza should look like. Netanyahu and military leaders have said this needs to be dictated solely by Israel’s security needs, such as ensuring no threats emerge from the territory. Israel has said a key goal of the war is to crush Hamas, a militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to reporters Friday during a tour of Asia, laid out what he said were fundamental principles for a post-war Gaza, some of which seemed to run counter to Israel’s narrow approach.

Blinken said these principles include “no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no use of Gaza as a platform for launching terrorism or other attacks against Israel, no diminution in the territory of Gaza, and a commitment to Palestinian-led governance for Gaza and for the West Bank, and in a unified way.”

[…]

FIGHTING AROUND HOSPITALS​

Concern has grown in recent days as fighting through the dense neighborhoods of Gaza City has come closer to hospitals, which Israel claims are being used by Hamas fighters.

On Saturday, Palestinians said Israeli troops were within view of Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest. Israel has said Hamas’ main command center is located underneath the hospital, claims Hamas and Shifa staff deny.

Thousands of civilians had been sheltering in the Shifa compound in recent weeks, but many fled Friday after several nearby strikes in which one person was killed and several were wounded.

[…]

Thousands have fled Shifa and other hospitals that have come under attack, but physicians said it’s impossible for everyone to get out.

“We cannot evacuate ourselves and (leave) these people inside,” a Doctors Without Borders surgeon at Shifa, Mohammed Obeid, was quoted as saying by the organization.

“As a doctor, I swear to help the people who need help.”

The organization said other doctors reported that some staff had fled to to save themselves and their families, and urged all hospitals be protected.

[…]

Growing concerns from allies over Israel's approach to fighting Hamas as civilian casualties mount

Israel’s prime minister is pushing back against growing calls from Western allies to do more to protect Palestinian civilians as troops closed in on Gaza’s largest hospital.

apnews.com

 

[JennieM]

CASUALTIES RISE​

More than 11,070 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people have been reported missing and are thought to be possibly trapped or dead under the rubble.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said six people were killed early Saturday in a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp that hit a house. The camp is located in the southern evacuation zone.

At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mainly in the initial Hamas attack, and 41 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began, Israeli officials say. The Foreign Ministry had previously estimated the civilian death toll at 1,400, and gave no reason Friday for the revision.

An Israeli official told The Associated Press that the number had been changed after a painstaking weekslong process to identify bodies, many of which were mutilated or burned in the Hamas rampage. The final death toll could still change, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.

Nearly 240 people abducted by Hamas from Israel remain captive.

About 250,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate from communities near Gaza and along the northern border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have traded fire repeatedly.

Growing concerns from allies over Israel's approach to fighting Hamas as civilian casualties mount

Israel’s prime minister is pushing back against growing calls from Western allies to do more to protect Palestinian civilians as troops closed in on Gaza’s largest hospital.

apnews.com

 

[JennieM]

Remarks at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza​

9 November 2023

[…] intolerable humanitarian situation in Gaza.

[…] a reminder of the intimate connection between war, diplomacy, humanitarian values and the respect for the rights of innocents wherever they may be.

The devastating and growing civilian toll of this conflict is as distressing as it is unconscionable.

[…]

The situation is insupportable. To allow it to continue would be a travesty.

[…]

First: We must have complete respect – by all parties – for international humanitarian law and basic human dignity. This means that civilians must be protected, and their essential needs met, wherever they are in Gaza.

However, the UN cannot be part of a unilateral proposal to push hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians in Gaza into so-called safe zones.

The UN has not been involved in preparing for the arrival of displaced people in any prospective “safe zone” in Gaza.

On behalf of the humanitarian community that I represent, I can tell you that we have serious concerns:

Concerns about the safety of civilians in any so-called safe zones if there is no agreement between all the parties on their establishment.

Concerns that satisfactory conditions do not exist anywhere in Gaza to ensure adequate shelter, food, water, sanitation and health.

And concerns regarding the protection of civilians anywhere in Gaza.

Second: We must be allowed to get essential supplies and humanitarian relief – including fuel – into Gaza safely, without impediment, reliably and at scale.

The modest number of trucks we have so far managed to get in via the Rafah border crossing is wholly inadequate compared to the vast sea of needs. I want to thank the Government of Egypt for facilitating access via Rafah and for consenting to host the UN technical humanitarian team in Al Arish. But we are clear that we need more than one entry point into Gaza. We need to get hundreds of trucks per day into Gaza, not dozens, and be allowed to reach every place people are sheltering.

Third: We need a humanitarian ceasefire.

In plain terms, this is a cessation of fighting for humanitarian purposes to provide some respite from the onslaught, to expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid, and to facilitate the release of hostages. This must be our objective and our priority.

[…]

Remarks at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory

I want to extend my sincere thanks to President Macron for convening this conference today on the intolerable humanitarian situation in Gaza.

www.ochaopt.org

 

[JennieM]

Remarks at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza​

9 November 2023

[…]

As desperate and appalling as the situation is in Gaza, it is also a warning.

It is a warning that we cannot lose sight of the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, where incidents of violence against Palestinians are increasing and are the worst they have been in years.

And most importantly, it is a warning that we cannot allow a regional escalation of this war.

[…]

War is a virus that catches every chance to expand.

The current conflict is a wildfire that could consume the region – with wide-ranging global impacts – unless we bring it under control.

Unless multilateral and diplomatic efforts can be maximized to ensure the protection of civilians, enhance humanitarian access and secure the release of the hostages so viciously taken on October 7th, I have real fears that this could just be the beginning.

[…]

Finally, I want to thank UNRWA and Philippe for what they are doing on the ground in Gaza: for being the thin line between tragedy and safety, between slaughter and humanity. We mourn the loss of the unbearable number of UNRWA staff who have been killed. I pay tribute to all our humanitarian colleagues who have lost their lives, and to those who continue to serve selflessly and bravely.

Remarks at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory

I want to extend my sincere thanks to President Macron for convening this conference today on the intolerable humanitarian situation in Gaza.

www.ochaopt.org

 

[JennieM]

11m ago

Fabrizio Carboni, the International Committee of the Red Cross’s regional director for the near and Middle East, says the situation at al-Shifa hospital“cannot continue like this”.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1723261217551032341

Israel-Hamas war: UN calls Gaza fighting ‘reprehensible’ – as it happened

This blog has now closed. You can read all our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war here

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

Hamas minister reports 'ferocious' gunfire outside hospital​

The deputy minister of the Hamas-run health ministry Dr Youssef Abu Alreesh says he's inside the Al-Shifa hospital, from where he's given an account to Al Jazeera of what's been going on.

He said "ferocious" gunfire could be heard outside, and parts of the hospital including the intensive care unit have been strucl. The doctor said he feared fire would engulf the building with them all inside it.

"A few families tried to leave but they were targeted; now they are lying dead outside the hospital," he said. We heard the same from a surgeon who messaged our correspondent Jeremy Bowen this morning.

"No one is able to move around the compound, snipers are stationed all over the place in addition to the drones that target and kill any moving person," Dr Abu Alreesh said.

"This is the moment we have been warning the whole world of."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67385263

 

[JennieM]

Israeli military acknowledges 'ongoing intense fighting' near Al-Shifa​

We asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the reported military activity at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital - including claims the intensive care unit has been hit and that civilians have been shot when trying to leave.

The IDF said it couldn't confirm "specific military activity currently under way", but acknowledged "ongoing intense fighting against Hamas in the vicinity of the area in question".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67385263

 

[JennieM]

UK

3m ago
Nicholas Soames, a former Conservative minister and a grandson of Winston Churchill, has said that while he understood some of the concerns around the march, he had confidence in the police. He stressed that those who died in the first world war died for freedoms such as the right to protest.

“This is the weekend that we commemorate at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month the life and death of all those who died in defence of our country and in the cause of freedom. This is what they died for – the right to protest,” Soames told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He said the march would begin a while after 11am, did not pass by the Cenotaph, and would be policed. “These people are coming to demonstrate on a cause which, in anyone’s terms, looks to me like a catastrophe,” he said.

Stressing that “nothing can ever forgive what Hamas did”, Soames went on to call for a ceasefire. “The British government are quite right to support Israel in its moment of agony but surely there comes a moment when the terror that is being dispensed by the Israelis to the [Palestinian] civilians … children dying in great numbers … that the moment really has come for a far greater effort, involving Britain, to secure a ceasefire,” he said.

“I think it is the moment for ceasefire – I think that this has gone on enough.”

London’s pro-Palestine march live: 126 people arrested as police highlight ‘deeply concerning’ rightwing violence – as it happened

Met assistant commissioner Matt Twist says nine officers were injured while preventing a violent crowd reaching the Cenotaph

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

UK

12m ago

The PA news agency reports that fights have broken out between police and groups attempting to reach the Cenotaph.

The agency says:

The large crowd of people bearing St George’s flags was seen walking along Embankment and shouting “England till I die”.

A line of police attempted to stop them from reaching Whitehall but the group pushed through, with some shouting “let’s have them” as officers hit out with batons.

The group appears to have reached Whitehall where the Cenotaph is situated.

Many more are pushing through, shouting “forward”.

The Guardian was not at the scene and so has not independently verified this reporting.

London’s pro-Palestine march live: 126 people arrested as police highlight ‘deeply concerning’ rightwing violence – as it happened

Met assistant commissioner Matt Twist says nine officers were injured while preventing a violent crowd reaching the Cenotaph

www.theguardian.com

 

[Momoffourboys]

The child survivors of Be’eri talk. Listen to them. Don’t look away.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1723298778625589616

 

[Momoffourboys]

IDF says it has eliminated a Hamas commander who "held hostage approximately 1,000 Gazan residents at Rantisi Hospital."In a statement, the IDF says that following intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence Directorate, troops of the Givati Brigade directed a fighter jet to strike Ahmed Siam, the commander of Hamas's Nasser-Radwan company.Two days ago, the IDF said Siam was preventing some 1,000 Palestinians from evacuating Rantisi Hospital.The IDF says Siam was killed while hiding at the al-Buraq school along with other Hamas operatives under his command.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1723280634758447250

 

[Momoffourboys]

We learn hate for Israel on TikTok and Instagram say young protesters​

Exclusive | We learn hate for Israel on TikTok and Instagram say young protesters

A frenzy of hate for Israel is being shared on social media, fueling poster-ripping by young people who claim they “do their own research” and ignore Hamas’ massacre of civilians.

nypost.com

 

[Momoffourboys]

'ZERO TOLERANCE'

Hamas sympathiser living in Britain has visa REVOKED for supporting banned terror group​

Hamas sympathiser has British visa REVOKED for supporting terror group

A HAMAS-sympathising radical has been stripped of his UK visa, The Sun can reveal. The foreign national was living in Britain but has now had his right to remain removed after expressing support fo…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[Momoffourboys]

"This is educational material..."An Israeli journalist embedded with the IDF in Gaza, discovers a school, in which Hamas terrorists were embedded, including a weapons storage facility.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1723283041731203209

 

[Brightchaser47]

15 min ago

Negotiators discuss dayslong pause in fighting in exchange for freeing large group of hostages​

From CNN's MJ Lee

The parties involved in the ongoing negotiations to secure the release of hostages that Hamas is holding in Gaza are working toward a deal that would entail a sustained, dayslong pause in fighting in exchange for a large group of hostages being freed, a senior US official familiar with the talks told CNN Friday.

If a deal were to be struck, the hostages would exit Gaza in stages on a rolling basis – with priority placed on extra vulnerable groups, like children and women – in a process that is expected to take multiple days, the official said.

Still, they repeatedly cautioned that the talks could at any point stall or deteriorate: “It’s been close before. There’s no certainty at all.”

Many details have yet to be worked out — and it would still likely be days, even in the best-case scenario, before a deal could be reached, the official said. But even as a deal was being considered, Israel did not relent in its Gaza offensive. CNN reporters witnessed a heavy bombardment by Israeli forces in Gaza late Friday.

Remember: The US, Israel and Hamas – with Qatar playing a significant mediating role – have been engaged in talks for weeks to free the hostages from Gaza.

November 10, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave one of his most direct condemnations yet of the mounting death toll in Gaza, saying "far too many Palestinians have been killed."

edition.cnn.com

Although the international community is outraged and horrified at the civilian death counts in Gaza (and rightly so), I don't see Hamas bowing to "peer pressure" to release hostages. I'm seeing peer pressure on Israel to stop fighting. I'm seeing Palestinians in sorrow and anger address Hamas, and I'm seeing Israel allowing safe passage and humanitarian aid to Palestinians, while still fighting Hamas. Quite frankly, I question just how much (and what kind of) "negotiating" has gone on, all this time. Do we really believe there  is any negotiating going on? Israel has been asked to explain and defend every. single. move. since October 7. Hamas (who started all this) has not. JMO

 

[Momoffourboys]

IDF expands humanitarian pause amid heavy fighting near hospital used as Hamas HQ

https://twitter.com/x/status/1723267327234347284

 

[Elley Mae]

We learn hate for Israel on TikTok and Instagram say young protesters​

Exclusive | We learn hate for Israel on TikTok and Instagram say young protesters

A frenzy of hate for Israel is being shared on social media, fueling poster-ripping by young people who claim they “do their own research” and ignore Hamas’ massacre of civilians.

nypost.com

Tik Tok - china

Instagram - zuckerberg

…

Funny how somethings posted to those sites gets removed for hate, misinformation yet hate towards Israel is OK.

Jmo

 

[Momoffourboys]

A brave girl in Gaza tells the truth to a stunned, unsuspecting pro-Hamas reporter:Hamas is putting the people of Gaza in danger. Its fighters are hiding in the tunnels, leaving civilians to fend for themselves.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1723241318858555848

 

[Brightchaser47]

Tik Tok - china

Instagram - zuckerberg

…

Funny how somethings posted to those sites gets removed for hate, misinformation yet hate towards Israel is OK.

Jmo

Definitely not neutral or objective, imo.

 

[Momoffourboys]

Microsoft chief says Russia is spreading Middle East disinformation​

…
He says that Microsoft and its competitors were fighting against disinformation, in particular by using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Smith says that Microsoft and other companies are doing this “by creating technological tools that facilitate the detection of manipulated, modified, altered content,” according to remarks translated into French by the France Inter radio station.

“We are getting very good at identifying a Russian campaign, like when they tried to tell people not to get the COVID vaccine,” he says.

“Or today, when we see Russian disinformation in the Middle East,” he adds.

He says the three options facing technology platforms that identify this kind of disinformation are to do nothing, delete it, or re-label it and flag the content has been modified.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/microsoft-chief-says-russia-is-spreading-middle-east-disinformation/