Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #2

[JennieM]

WHO says 11 medical workers killed in Gaza since Saturday​

The World Hearth Organisation (WHO) says it has documented 34 attacks targeting the provision of healthcare in Gaza since Israel's retaliatory strikes started last Saturday.
Eleven health workers on duty have been killed and 16 injured.

In a statement, the body also says that access for emergency medical teams in the field has been hampered by infrastructure damage. It reports damage to 19 health facilities and 20 ambulances.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67073970

 

[JennieM]

BBC reporter at Gaza hospital: 'Inside are my friends, my neighbours'​

BBC Arabic's reporter Adnan Elbursh and his team have visited the main hospital in Gaza City. He described it as one of the most difficult days of his career.

Warning: The footage contains some distressing scenes.

[Video at link]

'Bodies lie everywhere in Gaza hospital, the injured scream for help'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67073970

 

[JennieM]

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #6​

12 Oct 2023

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #6 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory

Exchanges of fire in the towns and communities in Israel surrounding Gaza continued for the second consecutive day following the infiltration of members of Palestinian armed groups into Israel. Palestinian armed groups in Gaza continued rocket fire into Israel. Simultaneously, Israeli continued...

ochaopt.org

 

[justtrish]

Nearly 50% of the population of Gaza and Western Bank is under the age of 18.

How is this even possible? It certainly makes sense that a majority of the deaths are children because half the population is children. So many questions come to mind. Where are the elders in this community?

 

[JennieM]

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #6​

12 Oct 2023

KEY POINTS​

• Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land have continued and intensified across the Gaza Strip for the sixth consecutive day. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, between 18:30 yesterday and 14:00 today, 317 Palestinians were killed and 929 others injured. In total, 1,417 have been killed and 6,268 injured in Gaza since 7 October. Human rights organizations have expressed concerns about incidents where civilians and civilian objects appear to have been directly targeted by Israeli airstrikes
• Palestinian armed groups in Gaza continued their indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population centres, albeit with lesser intensity than in previous days. As a result, since yesterday noon, two people were killed in the southern Israel and several others were severely injured. According to Israeli official sources, at least 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel since 7 October and at least 3,391 have been injured, the vast majority during the initial attack carried out by Palestinian armed groups
• Mass displacement continues. In the Gaza Strip, the cumulative number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) increased by 25 percent over the past 24 hours, now exceeding 423,000 of whom over two thirds are taking shelter in UNRWA schools.
• Since yesterday at 14:00 Gaza has been undergoing a full electricity blackout, which has brought essential health, water and sanitation services to the brink of collapse, and exacerbated food insecurity. This followed Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply to Gaza on 8 October, which in turn triggered the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant yesterday, after it depleted its fuel reserves. Secretary-General António Guterres stressed yesterday that “crucial life-saving supplies, including fuel, food and water, must be allowed into Gaza”
• Between 100 and 150 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, some of whom are women and children, as well as some foreign nationals, have been captured and forcibly taken into Gaza. The Secretary-General called yesterday for the “immediate release of all Israeli hostages”. Hostage-taking is forbidden under International Humanitarian Law.
• Settler attacks, alongside confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces, continued across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the killing of eight Palestinians, including two children, since yesterday noon

[More at link]

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #6 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory

Exchanges of fire in the towns and communities in Israel surrounding Gaza continued for the second consecutive day following the infiltration of members of Palestinian armed groups into Israel. Palestinian armed groups in Gaza continued rocket fire into Israel. Simultaneously, Israeli continued...

ochaopt.org

 

[JennieM]

Fury at 'disgusting' couple in London ripping down posters of missing Israelis

A woman screamed "this is for Palestine" after being confronted as she ripped up posters next to a Costa Coffee in north London.

www.express.co.uk

What idiots!

 

[JennieM]

1m ago

Egypt's Sisi says Gazans must 'remain on their land' amid calls to allow civilians to leave​

The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, said Gazans must “stay steadfast and remain on their land” amid growing calls for Cairo to allow safe passage to civilians fleeing Gaza.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip since Saturday and appears poised to send ground troops into the Hamas-controlled enclave where 1,500 Palestinians – including 500 children – have been killed in the past few days.

The only viable exit for Gazans to flee is through the Rafah border crossingbetween Egypt and Gaza, the only passage in and out of the enclave that is not controlled by Israel.

Egypt has long restricted the flow of Gazans on to its territory, and previously insisted the two sides resolve conflicts within their borders.

Cairo has discussed plans with Washington and others to provide humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing, but rejected any move to set up safe corridors for refugees fleeing Gaza.

Egypt is committed to ensuring the delivery “of aid, both medical and humanitarian at this difficult time”, Sisi said in a speech at a military ceremony on Thursday. But Gazans must “stay steadfast and remain on their land”, he said.

The Rafah crossing has been closed since Tuesday after Israeli bombardments hit on the Palestinian side, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing officials in Gaza and Egyptian sources.

Palestinian death toll passes 1,500 – as it happened

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

Irish PM warns Israel against 'collective punishment' of Gaza​

Ireland's Taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar has said Israel does not have the right to engage in collective punishment of the Gaza Strip, and has called for restraint from both sides amid the ongoing conflict.

But he warned actions leading to the failure of Gaza's only operational power station could "breach international humanitarian law".

"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," Varadkar said.

He told Ireland's state broadcaster RTÉ: "Israel is a country that is surrounded by enemies, brutal savage groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, countries like Iran, often supported by Islamic fundamentalists and antisemites around the world.

"So 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 added.

Varadkar also stressed the importance of opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow aid to reach Palestinians.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67073970

 

[steeltowngirl]

Local and federal law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are stepping up their patrols of Jewish houses of worship, Jewish-owned businesses and Israeli diplomatic buildings as calls for attacks on the Jewish community in the United States intensify online.

Former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal recently called for Friday to be a global day of "anger" in support of the recent Hamas attack on Israel, which has left over 1,300 Israelis dead. He said demonstrations would send a "message of rage to Zionists and to America."

U.S. officials step up security at Jewish houses of worship, businesses

Former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal recently called for Friday to be a global day of “anger” in support of the recent Hamas attack on Israel.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[JennieM]

2m ago

Iran warns crimes against Palestinians could open 'a new front' in war​

Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, warned that the “continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza” could open a new front of war, and that Israel will be “responsible for the consequences”.

Speaking through a translator in televised remarks on Thursday, Abdollahian said:

Some Western officials have questioned if there is an intention to open a new front against the Zionist entity. Of course, in light of the continuation of these circumstances that are war crimes.

The Iranian minister said the displacement of Palestinians and cutting water and electricity to the Gaza Strip are considered war crimes. He added:

The continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis. And naturally, the Zionist entity and its supporters will be responsible for the consequences of that.

Abdollahian arrived in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday, where he was received by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Hamas among other pro-Iran groups. He is scheduled to meet Lebanese officials on Friday before heading to Damascus, AFP reported.

Palestinian death toll passes 1,500 – as it happened

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[fred&edna]

I hope this isn't off topic

As desperation in Gaza grows, Israel pledges to block vital aid until Hamas releases hostages

“Not a single electricity switch will be flipped on, not a single faucet will be turned on and not a single fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home,” Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said on social media

 

[JennieM]

UK paper to share images of Israeli babies killed​

The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph's Friday front page

A UK newspaper will publish images of babies Israel says were killed by Hamas militants in the coming hours.

The Daily Telegraph posted the front page to its account on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday night. It said the images, first shared by Israel's account on the site, would be published inside its Friday morning edition.

The images, shared by the @Israel account on X, are extremely graphic and the BBC is not showing them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67073970

 

[JennieM]

15m ago
Hungary has evacuated a further 65 citizens from Israel, foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said.

The evacuated Hungarian nations are en route by ship to Cyprus, from where they will be flown back to Hungary, he said in a statement.

Earlier this week Hungary had evacuated 325 people, including 46 children, from Israel by air. Szijjártó said in an earlier statement on Thursday:

We would like it if they could come home as soon as possible.

Palestinian death toll passes 1,500 – as it happened

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[branmuffin]

Curious to know how the terrorists chose which people to outright murder and which ones to abduct?

Were a greater number of people abducted from the music festival (lots of young attractive females) than from other places where they abducted the elderly and small children?

Did they take the easiest, lightest people to carry off, or chose people who did not look Israelis, to raise the bargaining chips with other countries? imo, speculation.

The festival is a key to this attack, imo. Like most raves that attract thousands of young people the details regarding the actual location are secret until the last minute. They are unlicensed events which adds to the cachet as well as to avoid any whiff of law enforcement shutting them down. Just as they are in North America and Europe, the secrecy is to avoid scrutiny of LE so they usually take place in unused warehouse s, farmers fields in the middle of nowhere, etc. Drugs abound; there is no attempt to keep young people away, etc. Ticket are issued online and ticket holders are advised by a phone call, very close the the time the event takes place, where the location is. The organizers of the rave were Osher and Michael Vaknin; Osher is deceased, he was killed during the rave and his brother is missing. Survivors of the rave should be able to advise the ADF when they received notification of where the festival was to be held. For so many Hamas terrorists to engage in the attack either means many were already attending the event or they hacked the phones or computers of those who organized the event. MOO

Palestinian modus operandi: kidnapping, rape, murder

An electronic music festival was one of the first targets of terrorists from Hamas

tvpworld.com

 

[Inthedetails]

The festival is a key to this attack, imo. Like most raves that attract thousands of young people the details regarding the actual location are secret until the last minute. They are unlicensed events which adds to the cachet as well as to avoid any whiff of law enforcement shutting them down. Just as they are in North America and Europe, the secrecy is to avoid scrutiny of LE so they usually take place in unused warehouse s, farmers fields in the middle of nowhere, etc. Drugs abound; there is no attempt to keep young people away, etc. Ticket are issued online and ticket holders are advised by a phone call, very close the the time the event takes place, where the location is. The organizers of the rave were Osher and Michael Vaknin; Osher is deceased, he was killed during the rave and his brother is missing. Survivors of the rave should be able to advise the ADF when they received notification of where the festival was to be held. For so many Hamas terrorists to engage in the attack either means many were already attending the event or they hacked the phones or computers of those who organized the event. MOO

Palestinian modus operandi: kidnapping, rape, murder

An electronic music festival was one of the first targets of terrorists from Hamas

tvpworld.com

Yeah, I don't think it was happenstance that the terrorists were at a dance party that wasn't an annual event with a well-known date.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

"While there is no reported credible threat, CBS News has reviewed multiple internal law enforcement bulletins and security assessments circulated in the last 48 hours that warn that homegrown and domestic violent extremists are likely to mobilize in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict."

"Authorities in New York City, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles have boosted security at Jewish and Muslim sites, temples and schools this week, over concern that fighting in Israel-Gaza could prompt hate crime"

U.S. cities bolster security as Israel-Hamas war continues

CBS News has reviewed internal law enforcement bulletins and security assessments sent in the last 48 hours warning domestic violent extremists are likely to mobilize in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[JennieM]

2m ago

Summary​

It’s 2am in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. Here’s where we stand:

• Israel began the long and sorrowful process of burying the victims of the weekend’s attacks by Hamas. The most recent death toll in Israel stands at 1,200. Israel’s military spokesperson said the government has been able toconfirm the identities of 97 people taken hostage into Gaza during the attack by Hamas. More than 100 are believed to have been taken.
• More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry said on Thursday. Among them are 500 children and 276 women, it said. A further 6,612 were wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave, the ministry said.
• More than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, the UN said on Thursday, as heavy Israeli bombardmentscontinue to hit the Palestinian enclave.
• The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, said Gazans must “stay steadfast and remain on their land” amid growing calls for Cairo to allow safe passage to civilians fleeing Gaza. The only viable exit for Gazans to flee is through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, but Egypt has rejected any move to set up safe corridors for refugees fleeing Gaza.
• The World Health Organization said it has documented 34 attacks on health care in Gaza since last Saturday that have resulted in the death of 11 health workers, 16 injuries, and damages to 19 health facilities and 20 ambulances. In a statement on Thursday, the WHO warned that the health system in the Gaza Strip is “at breaking point”, and that “time is running out to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe”.
• The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said the situation in the Gaza Strip is “dire” and “devastating” and warned that crucial supplies were running dangerously low after Israel imposed a total blockade on the territory. Israel’s energy minister, Israel Katz, said no power, water or fuel will be allowed into Gaza until Israeli hostages are returned home.
• Human Rights Watch said it had concluded Israel used white phosphorus in military operations over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border this week. Israel’s use of white phosphorus in crowded civilian areas “poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering” , the organisation warned.
• A ground offensive will be launched on Gaza “when opportune and fit for our purposes”, the IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said in an update early on Thursday.

[More at link.]

Palestinian death toll passes 1,500 – as it happened

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gardenista]

Sydney government apologizes for pro-Palestine protest that had ‘gas the Jews’ chants

Sydney government apologizes for pro-Palestine protest that had ‘gas the Jews’ chants

Police are investigating a separate incident in Melbourne in which a group of men allegedly said they were 'on the hunt to kill Jews'

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[JennieM]

Israel’s information minister resigns​

Israel’s information minister, Galit Distel Atbaryan, resigned on Thursday, and asked for her ministry’s funds to be directed instead to citizens in southern Israel.

Her department's role was to explain Israel to the world and did not wield much power to begin with. Since the conflict began about a week ago, it has lost even more agency.

She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it is now “a waste of public money".
Translated from Hebrew to English she said: "This office cannot make a significant contribution to the country and the good of the country is more important to me than anything else."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67073970

 

[Kingsley]

Local and federal law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are stepping up their patrols of Jewish houses of worship, Jewish-owned businesses and Israeli diplomatic buildings as calls for attacks on the Jewish community in the United States intensify online.

Former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal recently called for Friday to be a global day of "anger" in support of the recent Hamas attack on Israel, which has left over 1,300 Israelis dead. He said demonstrations would send a "message of rage to Zionists and to America."

U.S. officials step up security at Jewish houses of worship, businesses

Former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal recently called for Friday to be a global day of “anger” in support of the recent Hamas attack on Israel.

www.nbcnews.com

I’m afraid that tomorrow will bring widespread misery. I so hope I’m wrong.