Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #5

[JennieM]

2h ago

Ireland will provide €13m (£11m) in funding for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, Tánaiste and foreign affairs minister, Micheál Martin,announced.

The funding will help the UN and others provide essential support to “extremely vulnerable people, in particular those in Gaza who are dealing with acute and severe challenges”, a statement from his office said.

We are witnessing tragic and shocking events in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in the aftermath of the heinous attack by Hamas on Israel. I have said repeatedly that there should be a humanitarian ceasefire to meet the urgent basic needs of the people in Gaza. It is essential that humanitarian relief is provided to those who need it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714690360859840645

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

2h ago

Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, hinted that Israel may annex part of Gaza in a radio interview on Wednesday.

Cohen was reported by the Times of Israel as saying:

At the end of this war, not only will Hamas no longer be in Gaza, but the territory of Gaza will also decrease.

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

2h ago
Patrick Wintour

Israel is using media and diplomatic channels to try to convince leaders of Arab countries that Tuesday’s blast at a Gaza hospital was caused by a misfiring jihadist missile, after even its regional allies rushed to blame it for the explosion.

Tuesday’s explosion, which killed hundreds, was blamed by Palestinian officials on an Israeli airstrike. Israel said it was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame.

Arab state foreign ministries have issued individual statements condemning Israel for the explosion, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain,which established ties with Israel in the Abraham Accords of 2020.

Morocco, another country that recognised Israel in 2020, also blamed it for the strike, as did Egypt, which became the first Arab country to normalise relations in 1979.

Saudi Arabia, which has ended talks on potential ties with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war flared, called the blast a “heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces”.

The rapid apportioning of blame coincided with angry rallies across the region, with more planned on Wednesday after calls for a “day of rage”. With regional public opinion so inflamed, observers have cautioned that there is a low likelihood of statements being retracted regardless of whether conclusive evidence points to a failed rocket launch being to blame.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also blamed Israel in a statement released after the 57-member bloc of Muslim-majority countries held an emergency meeting of foreign ministers, while Iran called for “an immediate and complete embargo” on Israel, including oil sanctions, “in addition to expelling Israeli ambassadors if relations with the Zionist regime have been established”.

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[cottonweaver]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714723886401536113

 

[JennieM]

French court says bans on pro-Palestinian demos must be case-by-case​

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor


A top French court has rejected an appeal against a blanket ban on pro-Palestinian protests, but says it is for regional prefects to decide "case-by-case" whether they should be barred.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin imposed the ban in a bid to prevent "disruption to public order" and stop tensions from the Hamas war with Israel seeping into France.

Despite the ban, pro-Palestinian demos have been increasing in France and a challenge to the order was made to the Council of State, which advises the government on law.

The court says while the bans don't threaten freedom of expression, they cannot just be based on a government order or because a demonstration seeks to show support for the Palestinian population.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589

 

[Gypsy Road]

What a mess. Sad article. There has to be a different way.

'I won't condemn Hamas': Some Palestinians find it hard to denounce attacks on Israel

As Israelis mourn civilians massacred by Hamas, some Palestinians find it hard to denounce the attacks because of mounting deaths in the Gaza Strip.

www.usatoday.com

 

[JennieM]

Could Hezbollah open up a new front from Lebanon?​

Frank Gardner
Security Correspondent


The biggest strategic fear for Washington, Israel and many Western countries is that the current crisis metastasises into a regional war which spills beyond Israel’s borders.

Iran has already threatened it will not stand by while Palestinians are killed in Gaza.

There are now reports in the Arab media that Iranian-backed militias are moving westwards from Iraq and Syria into southern Lebanon, closer to Israel’s borders.

Some of these fighters have had recent combat experience supporting the Syrian army against rebels.

Of all the various pro-Iranian militias in the region, Hezbollah in Lebanon is the most potent.

It fought an inconclusive war with Israel in 2006 and since then it has restocked its supplies of rockets and missiles that are now thought to number around 150,000.

Some of these are long-range and precision-guided, enough to flatten whole ministries in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, if they can overwhelm Israel’s air defences.

To deter Hezbollah - and Iran - from joining Hamas’s war against Israel, the US has stationed two entire aircraft carrier strike forces offshore, in the eastern Mediterranean.

Tensions in the region were already high before the deadly hospital blast in Gaza.

If and when Israeli forces make a full-scale incursion into Gaza, there is a serious risk this could be the trigger for Hezbollah to open a new front from Lebanon.

Dousing those flames would not be easy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589

 

[Cedars]

Not all U.S. media are trying to stir up controversy. Last night, NBC's Lestor Holt specifically used the word, "propaganda" and ABC's Dan Abrams has called out the media who continue to stir it up.

JMO

Dan Abrams Calls Out Media For Credulously Reporting Hamas Claims About Deadly Hospital Strike in Gaza

Dan Abrams blasted the media for credulously reporting on Hamas blaming Israel for an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday

www.mediaite.com

I was referring to much more general, wide-ranging tendencies.

As though I am looking at satellite photos of a region/issues over a long period of time. Not through a microscope at one tiny current detail (which will soon become irrelevent when the next "big thing" happens and everyone becomes obsessed with that).

JMO

 

[cottonweaver]

2h ago

Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, hinted that Israel may annex part of Gaza in a radio interview on Wednesday.

Cohen was reported by the Times of Israel as saying:

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

no wonder that many are refusing to leave
Also mirrors what Egyptian President has been saying

but contrasts with this from Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan & Biden's warning

https://twitter.com/x/status/1713728587608609128

 

[Simply Southern]

40 min ago

United Nations will want to do its own investigation into deadly Gaza hospital blast, UN official says​

From CNN’s Ben Kirby

A senior United Nations official has called for a UN investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deadly blast at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday.


Hundreds of people were killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the center of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Authorities in Gaza blamed Israel, while the country said its intelligence indicated the cause was a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad. The group has denied this.

The US currently believes Israel is "not responsible" for the blast, according to the National Security Council. CNN cannot independently confirm what caused the blast nor the extent of casualties.

Asked whether Israel’s evidence so far to support its denial of responsibility meant the matter was done, Griffiths said, “It’s not done for me, because I’m not in the business of judging human rights abuses and atrocities of that kind.”

A UN investigation might allow important lessons to be learned, he added, “to stop it happening to the next hospital, to the next school, to the next institution where people are fleeing.”

Griffiths also said the UN stands ready to provide humanitarian aid and called for airstrikes to cease in areas where access was needed.

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages as President Biden visits Tel Aviv

During a high-stakes trip to Israel, US President Joe Biden urged the region to seek peace and not to be "consumed" by rage as violence continues in the aftermath of Hamas' attacks and Israel's subsequent response. Follow here for live updates.

edition.cnn.com

Well this should be a quick investigation. I'm sure most/some of the members have military satellite imagery. There should be many independent choices, even Russia, China.

Bring on the popcorn, it won't change the truth.

I'm betting they will spin this for weeks even months. Such a waste of good money.

Moo

 

[cottonweaver]

Could Hezbollah open up a new front from Lebanon?​

Frank Gardner
Security Correspondent


The biggest strategic fear for Washington, Israel and many Western countries is that the current crisis metastasises into a regional war which spills beyond Israel’s borders.

Iran has already threatened it will not stand by while Palestinians are killed in Gaza.

There are now reports in the Arab media that Iranian-backed militias are moving westwards from Iraq and Syria into southern Lebanon, closer to Israel’s borders.

Some of these fighters have had recent combat experience supporting the Syrian army against rebels.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589

snipped by me

over the last few days, some of the OSINT accounts who tracked Syrian conflict have been mentioning that Iran's proxy fighters have been on the move

 

[JennieM]

Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al-Ahli hospital blast​

By Paul Brown, Joshua Cheetham, Sean Seddon and Daniele Palumbo
BBC Verify

• • Published
    8 minutes ago
  
  

The Hamas-controlled Palestinian authorities in Gaza immediately blamed Israel, claiming it was a deliberate air strike. Israel has denied involvement.

Amid the claim and counter-claim, getting to the truth is harder than ever.

BBC Verify is trying to unravel what is and isn't known - looking at video footage, still imagery and other evidence, including eyewitness accounts. In addition, a BBC journalist has been to the blast site, where there is limited access.

New information is emerging all the time, so we will continue to update this article as we learn more and talk to experts about the evidence.

It is also important to note that as well as the physical fighting, this conflict is playing out as an information war. This is not the first time authorities in Israel and Gaza have given completely different accounts of an explosion. We are also looking at their various claims and statements.

[…]

What we don't know yet​

One of the most critical pieces of evidence is the nature of the crater left behind by the explosion.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) say that the absence of a large crater, or blast damage to adjacent buildings, proves that the explosion was not caused by its weapons.
You can see one small crater and we're seeing if any of the other marks represent other craters.

Another important part of missing evidence is missile fragments. Projectiles are often identifiable by the wreckage of their shell, and they can be used to determine the projectile's origin. But in this case, we have not seen that evidence.

The IDF has released a recording of what it says is an intercepted conversation between two Hamas militants acknowledging the hospital was hit by a projectile fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). PIJ is the second largest militant group in Gaza, and supported Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel.

It is not possible to independently verify this recording. In a statement, PIJ denied any involvement and blamed Israel for the blast.

Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al-Ahli hospital blast

BBC Verify is analysing evidence from the Al-Ahli hospital explosion amid competing claims over responsibility.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

2m ago

The UK Foreign Office says it’s advising British citizens against all travel to Lebanon due to the risks associated with the conflict between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

It also encouraged British nationals currently in Lebanon to leave the country now “while commercial options remain available”.

Meanwhile, in London on Wednesday night, hundreds of protesters attended a vigil outside Downing Street for victims of Tuesday’s deadly blast at the al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza.

Braving heavy rain, protesters gathered in Westminster holding signs that read “stop the massacre” and “stop bombing Gaza”, the Press Association reported.

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

Well this should be a quick investigation. I'm sure most/some of the members have military satellite imagery. There should be many independent choices, even Russia, China.

Bring on the popcorn, it won't change the truth.

I'm betting they will spin this for weeks even months. Such a waste of good money.

Moo

Should it not be investigated then? personally I think an investigation is important.

 

[JennieM]

16m ago
A joint statement from Democrat Mark Warner (Virginia) and Republican Marco Rubio (Florida), the respective chair and vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, backs the official US government position that militant terrorists were responsible for the deadly blast at Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab hospital:

The Senate intelligence committee has received and reviewed intelligence related to the attack on al-Ahli hospital in Gaza.
Based on this information, we feel confident that the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by militant terrorists and not the result of an Israeli airstrike.

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[MyBelle]

You can’t expect those who “needed” photos of beheaded babies (and still don’t believe that) to believe aerial surveillance shots And actual video.

ITA.
What I find truly bizarre is the demand for photos of beheaded babies as though that somehow made the child's torture and murder more heinous than, for example, being burned alive. smh

JMO

 

[PrairieWind]

Not all U.S. media are trying to stir up controversy. Last night, NBC's Lestor Holt specifically used the word, "propaganda" and ABC's Dan Abrams has called out the media who continue to stir it up.

JMO

Dan Abrams Calls Out Media For Credulously Reporting Hamas Claims About Deadly Hospital Strike in Gaza

Dan Abrams blasted the media for credulously reporting on Hamas blaming Israel for an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday

www.mediaite.com

That is really good work by Dan Abrams. And he is right on the money. Immediately BBC reported it was IDF and actually left that article up until recently, despite pretty good evidence against it. And now we see riots in areas because people believed these stories that they thought were legit because they came from "legit" news sources.

 

[MyBelle]

I was referring to much more general, wide-ranging tendencies.

As though I am looking at satellite photos of a region/issues over a long period of time. Not through a microscope at one tiny current detail (which will soon become irrelevent when the next "big thing" happens and everyone becomes obsessed with that).

JMO

I scroll and roll past links that aren't from the U.S. media. U.S. reporters are there, on the ground and are reporting factually and objectively rather than emotionally.

JMO

 

[Chimera]

Not all U.S. media are trying to stir up controversy. Last night, NBC's Lestor Holt specifically used the word, "propaganda" and ABC's Dan Abrams has called out the media who continue to stir it up.

JMO

Dan Abrams Calls Out Media For Credulously Reporting Hamas Claims About Deadly Hospital Strike in Gaza

Dan Abrams blasted the media for credulously reporting on Hamas blaming Israel for an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday

www.mediaite.com

Thanks for your comment and link !
This is important for everyone.
Including myself.

Question : Did you have a link for Lester Holt/MSNBC , using the word "Propaganda" in relation to the Hamas' assertion that the missile came from Israel ?
Tia

Eta : Found it.

Nightly News Full Broadcast (October 17th)

Lester Holt anchors from Israel with the latest coverage on the deadly Gaza hospital blast and on President Biden traveling to Israel.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[cottonweaver]

Impossible situation

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714715114266652797