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Category: Palestine

  • A Group Of US Veterans Has Joined The Global Flotilla Sailing To Gaza

    The Global Sumud Flotilla, which departed Barcelona on August 31, is the largest civilian maritime attempt to break Israel’s siege of Gaza. Dozens of boats are sailing across the Mediterranean to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

    On the night of September 23, the boats were hit with a barrage of attacks.

    “Multiple drones, unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed and explosions heard from a number of boats,” said the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) in a statement. “We are witnessing these psychological operations first-hand, right now, but we will not be intimidated.”

    This was not the first time the flotilla had been targeted.

    Alleged drones hit two boats in the flotilla earlier this month, and, while Israel’s involvement has not been proven, the country’s Foreign Ministry has denounced the mission as a “jihadist initiative.”

    The post A Group Of US Veterans Has Joined The Global Flotilla Sailing To Gaza appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Yemen just ramped up their retaliatory action against terrorist Israel with another drone strike

    As the Israeli occupation’s air and ground offensive is obliterating Gaza City, Yemen’s Houthis are taking retaliatory action. Yesterday, 24 September, they launched a drone strike which hit the city of Eilat.

    Yemen retaliatory drone strike: serial failures of Israel’s Iron Dome

    The drone struck near a shopping centre in the Red Sea tourist resort in southern Israel, injuring 20. Israeli media has reported at least five people were hit by shrapnel, one of them seriously, and others were treated for “anxiety”:

    The Iron Dome failed to intercept and shoot down the Yemen drone strike, which may have been because it was flying very low over the city and, because of its late detection, the Israeli occupation’s air force was unable to dispatch fighter jets in time, to shoot it down. The air force now says it is investigating the failure.

    This attack comes a week after the iron dome failed to intercept another drone from Yemen, which exploded at the entrance to a Hotel in Eilat, sparking a fire but causing no injuries, and two weeks after the Houthis hit the passenger terminal at Ramon Airport, which left two airport employees slightly injured.

    Israel’s Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, has vowed revenge, posting on X:

    The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza – and will learn the hard way. Whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold.

    These attacks also come after previous strikes on Ben Gurion Airport, signaling a sustained campaign targeting Israel’s key infrastructure. Analysts warn the attacks expose vulnerabilities in Israel’s defenses and could mark a dangerous escalation in the regional conflict.

    Houthi attacks the occupation to show solidarity with Palestinians

    The Houthis say their military actions against Israel are a response to Israeli aggression and genocide in Gaza, and it is their religious and moral duty to stand in solidarity with, and defend the oppressed Palestinians. They insist they will continue until a ceasefire and end to the Gaza blockade is achieved.

    Since October 2023, the Houthis have carried out near-daily attacks against Israeli-linked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, as well as targeting Israeli infrastructure, such as air and sea ports. They have stepped up their campaign against the occupation since Israel broke the ceasefire in March, launching dozens of missiles and drones at it.

    These attacks have been successful, with huge impacts on Israel. More than 100 commercial ships in the Red Sea have been targeted, resulting in costly detours and insurance hikes, and Eilat Port has been forced to reduce its operations by 90 percent.

    Israeli occupation war crimes in Yemen

    These actions have been met with relentless Israeli retaliation against Yemen. This month, a day after the Israeli occupation bombed Doha, Israeli strikes in Yemen killed at least 46 people and wounded over 165 in Sanaa and the Al-Jawf Governorate, hitting civilian residential areas, medical facilities, government buildings, and media offices, killing 31 journalists. But according to the Israeli occupation forces, the strikes hit:

    Houthi military camps where operatives were gathered, the headquarters of the terror group’s propaganda division, and a fuel depot.

    In late August, Ahmed al-Rahawi, the Houthi-backed Prime Minister of Yemen was killed by an Israeli occupation airstrike on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, which the military had said struck a “Houthi terrorist regime military target”.

    Feature image via screengrab.

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel’s brutal genocide has left 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza at risk of hearing loss

    A Palestinian association has warned that around 35,000 children and adults in the Gaza Strip are at risk of permanent or temporary hearing loss as a result of Israel’s ongoing genocide and its severe impact on the deaf community.

    Israel’s genocide leaving tens of thousands in Gaza with hearing loss

    The association Our Children for the Deaf explained that children under the age of five are most at risk. It noted that this group faces a direct threat to the development of their speech and language skills due to the difficulty of accessing appropriate treatment and rehabilitation.

    The association detailed that the destruction of rehabilitation and treatment infrastructure has prevented those affected from accessing treatment centers. Israeli restrictions have led to the loss of assistive devices, including hearing aids, cochlear implants, spare parts, and batteries, further increasing the suffering of children and those affected.

    It confirmed that more than 89% of children suffer from psychological trauma, including night crying and bedwetting. The association has suffered severe damage that has led to a complete halt in its educational and rehabilitation services.

    It stressed that repeated displacement hinders the injured from reaching health centers. The organisation is therefore calling on the relevant authorities to urgently secure hearing aids, establish mobile units to test children’s hearing in displacement areas, and support the remaining rehabilitation centers to provide the necessary care.

    Disabled Palestinians under attack

    The association added that 8% of Palestinians over the age of 18 in Gaza are disabled. In 2023 alone, there were more than 12,000 new cases, including deafness, reflecting the worsening crisis and the urgent need for intervention to prevent the deterioration of the health situation of disabled Palestinians.

    These warnings come amid the ongoing genocide on Gaza, which has had a devastating impact on children, older, and disabled people. Israel’s siege has led to a scarcity of basic services and ongoing challenges in accessing medical and rehabilitation assistance.

    For years, the Gaza Strip has suffered from a tight blockade and repeated crises as a result of armed conflicts, leading to a sharp deterioration in health, education, and social infrastructure. Children and disabled people are the most affected, as they face extreme difficulty in accessing necessary treatment and rehabilitation. This increases their suffering, and threatening their lives, as well as their educational and social future.

    Care services for deaf children are extremely limited, with a shortage of assistive devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and batteries. This is in addition to the wholesale destruction of rehabilitation centers and disruption of educational services.

    This situation exacerbates the psychological trauma of children and those affected, making humanitarian intervention urgent and necessary to avoid permanent damage to their health and psychological and social development.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israeli soldier confirms troops ordered to stand down, not patrol on 7 October

    An Israeli soldier who survived the Palestinian raid on 7 October 2023 told reporters, on camera, that he and all the troops in the area of the fence between southern Israel and Gaza were ordered, early on the morning of 7 October, to stay in their posts and not to patrol the fence for several hours – the hours in which the raid began.

    The soldier’s testimony, from August 2025, is being recirculated on social media:

    The fact that Israel knew – and was warned by other governments – in advance of the raid has been discussed openly in Israeli media since shortly after the raid:

    Curiously, this is still being ignored by UK media and politicians eager to maintain and amplify Israel’s propaganda justifying its genocidal slaughter of approaching 700,000 Palestinians, around 94% of them civilians according to the Israeli military’s own data.

    The same UK silence has applied to the long-known fact that Israel killed most of the Israelis who died that day.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Skwawkbox

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Spanish government seems united in its response to Israel’s terrorism on the flotilla

    Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez announced on that his country will send a warship from the port of Cartagena in southeastern Spain to support the international Global Sumud Flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade.

    Spain to send a warship to protect the ‘ray of hope’ Gaza humanitarian flotilla

    Sánchez said in a press statement after participating in the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday that:

    a naval vessel equipped with all the necessary resources will leave tomorrow (Thursday) from Cartagena to support the flotilla and carry out rescue missions if necessary.

    Spanish media reported that the government’s decision came after a similar move by Italy, noting that the Spanish Ministry of Defence confirmed that the ship would operate exclusively in international waters.

    Commenting on the move, deputy prime minister and minister of labor and social economy Yolanda Diaz said:

    We have called for the protection of the flotilla, and we are proud that the government has decided to send a ship for this purpose.

    She added via the Bluesky that:

    pressure works, and the Gaza flotilla is a ray of hope that must be protected.

    For her part, minister of youth and children Sira Rego called for:

    lifting the blockade, opening humanitarian corridors, and stopping the genocide,” stressing that “the Global Solidarity Flotilla is moving forward and will not remain alone.

    Culture minister Ernesto Urtasun stressed that:

    Spain is taking action while others remain silent. Solidarity is not just rhetoric, but action.

    Spain and Italy stepping after Israel’s attacks

    The Spanish move comes after Italy announced it was sending the multi-mission frigate ‘Fasan’, stationed north of Crete, to the Aegean Sea to secure its citizens and support the Global Sumud Flotilla after it was attacked by drones. The Italian government stressed at the time that protecting activists and humanitarian crews is a moral duty, while the Italian opposition emphasised the need for broader action at the European level.

    The Global Sumud Flotilla, which includes more than 50 boats heading towards Gaza to break the siege and open a humanitarian corridor, was attacked on 24 September by drones believed to be Israeli, resulting in several explosions and a loss of communication, but no human casualties.

    In this context, UN Human Rights Commission spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan condemned the targeting of the flotilla, while the opposition in Greece and France called for its protection.

    Israel’s repeated threats

    The flotilla confirmed that 12 explosions targeted nine of its ships as a result of drone strikes, without specifying the timing of the attacks or who was responsible for them, while Israel remained silent despite its previous threats to prevent the flotilla from reaching Gaza.

    Israel has previously detained individual ships that attempted to sail to the Strip in recent years and deported the activists on board. Now, for the first time since the start of the 18-year blockade, this large number of ships is setting sail together, loaded with humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, towards Gaza. The fleet is doing so in solidarity with 2.4 million Palestinians that call the besieged Strip home.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel just shut off the only land crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank

    The Israeli occupation indefinitely closed the Allenby Bridge border crossing – also called King Hussein Bridge or Karama Crossing – on Wednesday morning, 24 September, marking a significant heightening of tensions in the West Bank. Although it has been announced that passenger traffic will be allowed to cross once again, from Friday, the closure still deeply impacts over three million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

    Closure of Karama Crossing between Jordan and West Bank ‘collective punishment’

    Karama is the only land crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, and is vital for Palestinians. It not only allows international travel and family visits- because the Israeli occupation’s restrictions severely limit their travel through Israeli airports, but is the only route for the transport of commercial goods between Jordan and the West Bank, and aids Gaza via humanitarian convoys. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has called its closure an “unjustifiable” act of “collective punishment”.

    The closure follows an incident last week in which a Jordanian truck driver transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire at the occupation’s soldiers stationed at the crossing, killing two of them. The Israeli occupation responded by temporarily closing the border, then fully and indefinitely shutting it down from Wednesday morning, 24 September, without specifying a reopening date.

    This crossing is critical for Palestinians as it is the only international gateway from the West Bank that does not require passing through Israeli territory, and is the only route for goods to enter and leave the West Bank.

    In a statement on 25 September, Palestine’s Ministry of National Economy called the decision to close the Karama border “arbitrary”, and warned of serious economic, social, and humanitarian repercussions.

    The occupation is tightening its control

    The decision to reopen the Karama Crossing for pedestrians tomorrow will be welcome news for the thousands of Palestinians left stranded, but the economic and humanitarian implications are grave, as the flow of goods is halted, making worse an already fragile economy in the West Bank, and a desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially as the Zikim crossing in the North of Gaza has been closed since 12 September, severely limiting aid getting to the north.

    The occupation is tightening its control over the occupied West Bank. While some coalition members are pressuring for annexation of the territory, Palestinians believe the Karama border closure coincides with growing international recognition of the State of Palestine, which seems to have prompted a hardening Israeli response.

    Netanyahu has publicly rejected the idea of a Palestinian state and to enforce this idea he has recently approved the E1 Settlement Plan, a project that will completely split the occupied West Bank in two and separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory.

    Since the start of the Israeli occupation’s genocide in Gaza there has also been a significant surge in the number of movement obstacles in the West Bank, including military checkpoints, isolating communities, and controlling the population.

    Around 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the occupation since October 2023, while mass arrests, home demolitions, and forcible displacement due to settler attacks and access restrictions have further fragmented Palestinian society.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Netanyahu avoided European airspace on his way to the UN to avoid potential arrest

    Israeli occupation prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent flight to New York- where he will attend the UN General Assembly on Friday, and will visit Trump on Monday, for the fourth time – took a highly unusual route, avoiding the airspace of certain European countries due to an outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him. This detour, which added significant distance and time to his journey, highlights the escalating international legal and diplomatic tensions tied to Netanyahu’s travel abroad.

    Netanyahu avoiding European airspace due to ICC arrest warrants

    Although, according to the Times of Israel, France gave permission for Netanyahu’s plane – the Wing of Zion – to fly over its airspace, this route was not taken:

    Netanyahu

    Instead, the plane circumvented the airspace of ICC member states including Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands, countries legally obligated to arrest him if he landed or was forced to make an emergency stop at their airports:

    Netanyahu flew the length of the Mediterranean Sea, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, and briefly flew over Greece and Italy. This was a detour of several hundred miles.

    The ICC had issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza where, according to conservative estimates, more than 65,000 Palestinians have already been killed and more than 167,000 injured people since October 2023.

    ICC members have a legal obligation to arrest him

    The travel of Netanyahu despite active ICC arrest warrants remains legally contentious, as the 125 ICC member states are bound under international law to comply with the warrant and arrest him when he enters their territory, yet enforcement has not, as yet, happened. Some countries, have either refused to enforce the warrant or have taken steps to protect Netanyahu from arrest.

    In January, Poland’s government announced it would ignore the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu, and would grant him safe passage during the country’s 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who called the arrest warrants “outrageously brazen” and “cynical”, refused to detain Netanyahu when he visited the country in April 2025, despite an official request sent by the ICC, and announced Hungary’s decision to withdraw from the ICC.

    Others, including the UK, have avoided a clear answer as to whether they would fulfill their legal obligation to arrest him if he entered their country.

    The debate also extends to the question of immunity. Back in 2024, France argued that “immunities apply” to Netanyahu, as a sitting head of state and that Israel is not a party to the ICC, complicating enforcement. But the ICC Rome Statute states that no individual, regardless of official capacity, is exempt from criminal responsibility, undermining claims of immunity in this context.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • When The Governments Fail, We Sail

    This week, nearly two years after the Al Aqsa flood, which marks a growing escalation of the US Zionist genocide of Palestinians. Multiple Anglo-European states, including the UK, France and Canada, declared their recognition of the State of Palestine, joining the global majority of more than 144 states who had already done so. A statement put out by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer this past Sunday reads: “in the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and of a two state solution.”

    Despite his words, the UK continues to collaborate with the Zionist regime by frequently flying spy planes over Gaza, directly collaborating with the occupation forces.

    The post When The Governments Fail, We Sail appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Palestine Action and Defend Our Juries are trying to stop the Home Office in its tracks

    On Thursday 25 September the Home Office attempted to overturn the High Court ruling of 30 July that granted a full judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action.

    Palestine Action: Home Office attempts to overturn permission for judicial review

    The High Court granted permission for the legal challenge of the ban on grounds that it breaches freedom of expression and assembly, and that the home secretary’s failure to consult those affected by the ban contravenes the right to natural justice. If successful, the legal challenge would quash the ban on the protest group.

    Previous home secretary Yvette Cooper decided to pursue an appeal on this. This would prevent the courts reviewing the legality of the ban, despite the High Court’s warning that “different and possibly conflicting decisions” before different judges and juries arising out of prosecutions following mass arrests would be a “recipe for chaos”. Justice Chamberlain concluded that:

    there is a strong public interest in allowing the legality of the order to be determined authoritatively as soon as possible.

    Time to ‘bin the ban’ on Palestine Action

    Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammorri sought to cross-appeal the grounds that the High Court refused on 30 July. The grounds are as follows:

    • Ground 1: That Yvette Cooper had acted for an improper political purpose rather than in the interests of national security.
    • Ground 5: That Cooper erred in giving weight to the views of Israel, to questions of financial loss and to other stated factors in concluding terrorism.
    • Ground 6: That Cooper failed to give weight to the need to oppose Genocide.
    • Ground 7: The fact that only 3 of 387 actions were deemed to be terrorist according to the Terrorism Act 2000 by the government’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.

    A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said:

    The police have not been able to arrest everyone who has resisted this draconian ban by peacefully holding cardboard signs, so it has already proved to be unenforceable. It’s time for the government to bin that ban, and start taking action to prevent genocide instead, including brining an immediate end to the weapons of death leaving from factories in this country.

    Proscription has had a ‘chilling effect’ on free speech and the right to protest

    The claimant, Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, said:

    It’s deeply troubling that the previous Home Secretary decided to try to stop a full legal review of her widely condemned decision to ban a protest group as a ‘terrorist’ organisation for the first time in British history.

    When leading legal figures, from the United Nations, Amnesty International to a former Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as voices from across the political spectrum – including the overwhelming majority of Labour Party members – have condemned the ban as authoritarian, this alarming attempt to prevent judicial scrutiny of her extreme and unprecedented decision will spark further outcry.

    Just over 100 people had been arrested when the High Court warned of “a recipe for chaos” in the criminal courts if the legality of the ban was not determined authoritatively through a Judicial Review as soon as possible. Now that number has soared to over 1,600 people, with thousands more due to risk arrest in a series of mass actions starting on Sunday, it would be reckless in the extreme for the new Home Secretary to continue these delaying tactics.

    This monumental waste of taxpayers’ money is pushing an already overburdened court system towards collapse as thousands of ordinary people – priests, pensioners, retired healthcare workers and teachers – are dragged through the courts for holding signs saying they oppose Israel’s genocide and the ban on Palestine Action, in entirely pointless prosecutions which may be unlawful.

    A successful appeal would not only shield an unlawful ban from scrutiny – it would deny justice to thousands of people whose fundamental free speech rights have been violated by this ban. This affects not only the thousands who have defied Palestine Action’s ban but the countless others who the High Court identifies as being impacted by the chilling effect the ban has on legitimate speech about Israel’s genocide and the British Government’s complicity in these horrific crimes against humanity.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Zack Polanski urges UK to protect Gaza flotilla, as other countries risk war to resist Israeli impunity

    Green Party leader Zack Polanski has written an urgent letter to Keir Starmer’s government asking for immediate action to ensure Israel doesn’t injure British nationals and others in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). This comes after yet another Israeli attack on the humanitarian volunteers in Greek waters.

    Zack Polanski: on the right side of history again

    Zack Polanski has previously stressed that he’s “a Jewish person who criticises the Israeli government’s actions *because* of my Judaism not in spite of it”. And on 24 September, he reminded the UK prime minister and foreign secretary that the aid mission to Gaza:

    is made up of 52 boats, carrying humanitarian supplies and peace activists determined to support civilians facing unimaginable suffering.

    Israel’s genocidal government has predictably tried to smear the peaceful flotilla members as ‘Hamas’. And as Polanski noted:

    We know from past experience that when Israel smears peace activists with unfounded claims of links to Hamas, it is often a precursor to violent attacks.

    Considering Israel’s previous attacks on humanitarian flotillas this year, he called for Britain to ensure Israel treats GSF participants “safely and in line with international law”. He added:

    The Israeli Government’s ongoing assault on Gaza is a genocide, and those who try to break the siege to deliver aid must not be targeted… I urge you to act immediately to secure cast-iron assurances from Israel that no harm will come to those on board, 13 of whom are British nationals.

    Israel’s impunity must not continue

    International courts recognise that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is illegal. Human rights organisations have long called the apartheid state’s brutal blockade of Gaza illegal. The UN has just concluded that Israel clearly wants permanent control of Gaza. And there is overwhelming consensus in the world that the war-criminal government has been committing genocide in Gaza.

    The illegality of Israel’s attacks on flotilla humanitarians, meanwhile, is also clear. As Irish comedian and GSF participant Tadhg Hickey made clear:

    we’re off the coast of fucking Greece. Israel doesn’t own the oceans.

    With escalating Israeli threats as the flotilla continues to advance towards Gaza, NATO members Spain and Italy have both now sent navy vessels to accompany the humanitarian ships. This followed a massive general strike in Italy in solidarity with Gaza, which put significant pressure on the Italian government:

    Genocide-apologists have called for Israel to consider any entrance into Palestinian waters as an act of war:

    UN expert Francesca Albanese called for other European nations to join the protection of the flotilla and to help “break the blockade” once and for all:

    As she rightly said, if opposing genocide isn’t the moment for people and countries to take a firm stand for humanity, what the hell is? This is why Zack Polanski’s stance is so important.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Ed Sykes

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • BREAKING: Israel threatens Hind Rajab Foundation chairman and family

    The Hind Rajab Foundation, the justice organisation set up to pursue Israeli war criminals legally in the name of Hind Rajab, the five-year-old girl murdered along with her family by 355 bullets from an Israeli tank at point blank range, says it has uncovered a credible threat to its chair Dyab Abou Jahjah and his family from Israeli agents.

    Hind Rajab Foundation: threatened by Israel

    The Hind Rajab Foundation has lodged criminal complaints with local governments against a number of alleged war criminals sheltering in countries outside Israel. In a statement this morning, it explained what it had uncovered:

    The HRF is gravely concerned about a serious and imminent security threat against our Chairman, Mr. Dyab Abou Jahjah, and his family.

    Credible information indicates that individuals linked to Israeli security networks active in Antwerp, and with possible connections to extremist organizations such as the Jewish Defense League, are involved in this threat. There are also concerns that such structures may be connected to official Israeli state bodies.

    While this is first and foremost a direct threat to the personal safety of Mr. Abou Jahjah and his family, it also constitutes a threat to the Hind Rajab Foundation and its work in seeking justice and accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.

    In light of these developments, the Belgian police and other security services have initiated measures, and the protective arrangements already in place for Mr. Abou Jahjah have been significantly tightened. The Hind Rajab Foundation and Mr. Abou Jahjah are fully collaborating with the relevant authorities to ensure that all necessary steps are taken.

    → The Hind Rajab Foundation and its Chairman will not be intimidated.
    → ​We will continue our work undeterred, but we expect all levels of security and state protection to treat this situation with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

    The threat against the Hind Rajab Foundation is by no means notional.

    Israel has repeatedly murdered its targets in on the territory of other countries, from its bombing of Iranian officials in an embassy in Syrian capital Damascus to its killing of Hamas’s then-lead peace negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, to its murder of more than thirty journalists in their media offices in Yemen, to its failed attempt to murder the current Hamas peace delegation in the capital of US ally Qatar, which killed a number of innocent bystanders.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Skwawkbox

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Footage is now showing Israeli tanks advancing on Al-Shifa hospital

    There have been several reported sightings of Israeli occupation tanks advancing on Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital. One involved a sniper targeting passing civilians, while quadcopter drones hovered overhead.

    These sightings came as the Israel occupation forces claimed that Hamas is “using an active hospital as a terror launch post”, and has fired on them from within Al-Shifa hospital, thereby:

    knowingly endangering the lives of patients, medical staff, and innocent residents.

    Israel’s tanks advance on Al-Shifa hospital

    Al-Shifa hospital was once Gaza’s largest and most vital medical complex, but has faced immense destruction and repeated sieges since the start of the Israeli occupation’s genocide. Ground assaults and airstrikes have reduced the hospital almost to ruins, destroying critical departments such as surgery, intensive care, and emergency services, and at times putting the facility out of service completely.

    To justify its attacks, the occupation’s military claimed Hamas used the hospital as a base for its military operations, and had established a command and control centre underneath the hospital, hiding weapons and coordinating attacks from there, in an attempt to make the facility a legitimate military target. But Hamas and the hospital administration have always denied any military use of the medical complex, and no credible evidence has been produced.

    Israel committing ‘medicide’ in the Gaza Strip

    The World Health Organization (WHO) and international humanitarian organizations have condemned attacks on health care, including the targeting of hospitals and restricting the delivery of essential aid such as medical supplies, fuel, and water, as violations of international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, the UN accuses the Israeli occupation of deliberately attacking and starving healthcare workers, paramedics and hospitals to wipe out medical care in the Strip, and calling the targeted destruction ‘medicide’.

    The occupation has frequently prevented essential medical supplies reaching the hospital, and cut off essential electricity, leading to the deaths of patients, including premature infants who relied on incubators and critically ill adults lacking oxygen and basic care. Medical staff have had to operate in extremely unsanitary conditions, with shortages of medicines including anesthetics and painkillers, and fuel, while there is a constant influx of patients suffering from malnutrition and severely injured civilians from the constant bombardments.

    More hospitals out of action

    Medical staff at Al-Shifa hospital, as with healthcare workers throughout Gaza, are exhausted and starving, but still keep working to serve their patients. They are now worried that all their patients, staff and thousands of displaced civilians will soon be forcibly evacuated by the occupation, yet again.

    Hospitals are struggling to remain open, due to the horrendous conditions, and on 23 September, Gaza’s Health Ministry took two Gaza City hospitals out of operation, due to damage and escalation of the ongoing ground offensive. One of these was the recently bombed Al-Rantissi Children’s Hospital.

    According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, between 12am and 5.25pm local time, 24 September, 92 Palestinians had been killed across the Gaza Strip, 25 of these received at Al-Shifa Hospital.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • UN experts call for FIFA and UEFA to expel Israel from global sporting events

    On Tuesday 23 September, United Nations (UN) experts called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel’s participation in international competitions due to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

    The experts said in a statement that international sports bodies should not ignore gross human rights violations. It noted that suspending the membership of national teams has been done before for countries that committed similar violations. They recalled that the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 26 January 2024 confirmed the obligations of every state to confront the crime of genocide.

    UN FIFA and UEFA: call for Israel’s suspension from international football events

    The statement added:

    Sport should reject the idea that business as usual can continue, and its institutions should not allow their platforms to be used to normalize injustice.” The experts called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli national team’s membership, demanding that FIFA stop what they described as “legitimizing the illegal situation resulting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

    In this context, Times Square in New York witnessed the launch of a new campaign on Wednesday 17 September under the slogan #GameOverIsrael. Via a huge billboard, the campaign called on the football associations of Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, and Spain to boycott the Israeli national team. It demanded they prevent Israeli players from participating in local competitions, in protest against the ongoing attacks in Gaza.

    Last January, the ICJ issued provisional orders for Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. The orders also called for an end to direct incitement to it. The ICJ rejected Tel Aviv’s request to dismiss the case brought against it by South Africa.

    In August, the UN rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, called on the UEFA to expel Israel from its competitions.

    Israel murdering Palestinian athletes

    Last Thursday, the Palestinian Football Association called for the suspension of Israeli teams and players from participating in various international competitions until the genocide in Gaza ends. According to a previous statement by the federation, 774 Palestinian athletes and scouts have been killed since October 2023. This includes 355 soccer players, 277 members of sports federations, and 142 scouts, in addition to 119 missing persons.

    According to official Palestinian data, since 7 October 2023, Israel, with US support, has committed genocide in Gaza, resulting in 65,382 martyrs and 166,985 wounded. Most of them are children and women. In addition to this, Israel’s engineered famine has claimed the lives of 442 Palestinians, including 147 children.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Premature babies at risk of mass death in Gaza as hospitals come to a standstill

    The director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Dr Munir Al-Barsh, has warned that hospitals would come to a complete standstill within 48 hours due to a severe fuel shortage, in an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster”.

    Hospitals in Gaza: a complete standstill within the next 48 hours

    Al-Barsh explained that the Israeli occupation continues to directly target the health system, pointing to the destruction of Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital and Al-Ayoun Hospital, the complete shutdown of Hamad Rehabilitation Hospital, and the bombing of a medical relief center in central Gaza. He added that the occupation has disabled or destroyed 38 hospitals since the start of the war, leaving only 13 hospitals partially operational. These are largely unable to meet the needs of thousands of patients and wounded.

    Al-Barsh said that the remaining fuel reserves are only enough to operate vital departments for two days, warning that the loss of electricity to incubators, respirators, and intensive care units would mean:

    mass deaths of patients and premature babies.

    He added that the oncology, kidney, and heart departments at Al-Rantisi Hospital are out of service, leaving hundreds of patients without treatment.

    Al-Barsh emphasised that the occupation is systematically targeting the health system by destroying facilities and killing personnel. The number of martyrs among medical staff has risen to 1,723, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.

    Al-Barsh called on international institutions to provide urgent protection for medical personnel and ensure the immediate delivery of fuel and medical supplies, in addition to the need to evacuate some 16,000 critically ill patients who cannot be treated within the Strip.

    Systematic destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure

    These warnings come as the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the collapse of the health system in Gaza due to the blockade and fuel shortages, confirming that hospitals are operating at double their capacity amid unprecedented overcrowding.

    The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, with US support since 7 October 2023, has so far left more than 65,000 martyrs and 166,000 wounded. Most of them are children and women.

    For years, the Gaza Strip has suffered from a tight blockade imposed by Israel, which has led to a severe deterioration in infrastructure, particularly in the health sector. Many hospitals are operating at limited capacity and suffer from a shortage of basic medical equipment and medicines, making any military escalation a direct threat to civilian lives.

    Targeting medical facilities and health personnel is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and international organisations have repeatedly called for the protection of personnel and hospitals. Reports indicate that most of the medical personnel killed were attempting to provide care to the wounded in extremely difficult conditions, further exacerbating the fragility of the health system in Gaza.

    Feature image via Al Jazeera English/Youtube

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • New document leak exposes US ordering diplomats to use pro-genocide script

    Newly leaked documents obtained by US journalist Ken Klippenstein has exposed the pro-Israel talking-points script the Trump regime ordered US diplomats to use at the this week’s UN Security Council briefing on the West Asia.

    Trump regime: keep to the pro-genocide script

    Diplomats were ordered to defend Israel at all costs, constantly blame Palestinian resistance groups for Israel’s mass murder of Palestinians, reject even the idea of recognising Palestinian statehood – and to dismiss, under all circumstances, any mention of Israel’s genocide in Gaza as a:

    politically-motivated and categorically false… deliberate, cynical propaganda campaign

    even to the extent of attacking the United Nations and demanding the dissolution of its Gaza inquiry and copying Israel’s tactic of calling the UN Hamas-enablers:

    Trump

    Trump

    Israel is a terror state. The US is its bad-faith, murderous enabler. Together they are destroying international law and the protections all ordinary people rely on.

    Klippenstein noted that Israeli foreign ministry officials were beginning to follow his X account after his exposure of the leaked emails.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Skwawkbox

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Breaking: Spain joins Italy in sending warship to support Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla

    Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that a Spanish warship will set sail tomorrow to accompany the Global Sumud Flotilla of volunteer-crewed humanitarian vessels as they sail to Gaza to try to break Israel’s illegal starvation blockade:

    The Spanish government demands full respect for international law and for the right of our citizens to navigate the Mediterranean in safety. That is why a naval vessel will depart Cartagena tomorrow, equipped with all necessary means, to assist the Gaza flotilla.

    Spain to protect the flotilla

    Spain joins Italy in sending a naval vessel to the flotilla’s aid after it was again repeatedly bombed by Israeli drones in international waters off the coast of Greece. Turkiye, and Egypt have reportedly also pledged military vessels in support.

    Israel has attempted to smear the flotilla as ‘organised by Hamas’ to justify its attacks. Spain’s move ought to be the start of a flood of warships heading to Gaza to break the siege and end Israel’s genocide, which has already taken the lives of almost 700,000 Palestinians, but with the UK, Germany and other European nations refusing their obligations under international law, it is not likely to happen soon, particularly with the Trump regime threatening anyone who tries to intervene in the genocide in accordance with recognised international law and treaties.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Skwawkbox

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Italy Sends Naval Ship to Aid Sumud Flotilla After It Was Attacked by Drones

    The Italian government says it has sent a naval ship to assist the Global Sumud Flotilla after it was attacked by several drones. Organizers of the flotilla said that the boats, which are carrying humanitarian aid for the starving people of Gaza, were attacked by a swarm of 15 drones early Wednesday morning, with the convoy in the Mediterranean Sea about 600 nautical miles from the enclave.

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Was Trump’s Anti-Migrant, Anti-Climate Science UN Speech Directed at Far Right?

    On Tuesday, Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly at its headquarters in New York City, criticizing the international governing body, immigration and the science of climate change, while boasting about his presidency and the military power of the United States. In what became the longest U.N. speech ever made by a U.S. president, Trump bragged about ending “seven unendable…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • In Gaza City, I Have Been Rendered Homeless in My Homeland

    Had I remained one more day on the seventh floor of my apartment building in Gaza City, I would have died. How am I to endure the feeling of being homeless in Al-Rimal, the neighborhood where I grew up — now reduced to a ghost city after so many apartment towers were destroyed? How can I be displaced in my own city, with no place left for me in the north or the south? I am homeless in my…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Italy Redirects Navy Ship To Assist Global Sumud Flotilla After Attacks

    Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in a statement on 24 September that an Italian navy ship has been redirected towards the Global Sumud Flotilla to provide it with “possible assistance,” after it came under a series of Israeli attacks overnight.

    The Italian defense minister strongly condemned the overnight drone attacks.

    Activists on board several of the flotilla’s boats reported at least 10 explosions after witnessing drones launch several attacks early on Wednesday. The boats were situated off the coast of Greece.

    “Multiple drones, unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed, and explosions heard from a number of boats. We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated,” Global Sumud Flotilla said.

    The post Italy Redirects Navy Ship To Assist Global Sumud Flotilla After Attacks appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • ‘A March Of Humanity’: Italy Rediscovers Its Collective Voice For Palestine

    On September 22, Italy witnessed one of the largest mobilizations in its recent history. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in nearly 80 cities to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and to denounce Italy’s political, military, and economic collaboration with Israel. The day coincided with a 24-hour general strike called by the base union USB together with Cub, Adl, and Sgb.

    The strike extended across both the public and private sectors, with major disruptions in transport and port activity. Demonstrators demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to Italy’s collaboration with Israel, and a halt to the rearmament that is reshaping Europe’s political agenda.

    The post ‘A March Of Humanity’: Italy Rediscovers Its Collective Voice For Palestine appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Colombian president Gustavo Petro just called for an international army to free Palestine

    In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September, Colombian president Gustavo Petro not only accused Trump of being “an accomplice to genocide”, and the UN forum “a mute witness to a genocide”, but also proposed the creation of an armed United Nations peacekeeping force to enter Palestine.

    Gustavo Petro calls for an international army to liberate Palestine

    Petro called for an international army “to liberate Palestine” and stand up to “tyranny and totalitarianism” from the US and NATO, saying:

    We need a powerful army of the countries that do not accept genocide. That is why I invite nations of the world and their peoples more than anything, as an integral part of humanity, to bring together weapons and armies. We must liberate Palestine.

    To date, numerous countries have put forward UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and permanent ceasefires, but the US has consistently shielded Israel by striking down these resolutions using its veto power six times already.

    Uniting for Peace resolution bypasses the US veto

    The Uniting for Peace Resolution provides an alternative route, when the Security Council is deadlocked because of these vetoes, by empowering the UN General Assembly to convene an Emergency Special Session at the call of one member state or through a majority, enabling it to make recommendations, to maintain or restore international peace and security. Colombia, has now started this process, which the US is unable to veto, and all member states will be required to vote on this.

    Last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory illegal, and the UN General Assembly set a 12-month deadline for Israel to end its unlawful presence there, and comply with a range of measures. This deadline expired on 17 September 2025, marking yet another example of non-compliance by Israel. The UN must now uphold the ICJ decision, and use a General Assembly vote to stop the genocide in Gaza, and establish an armed peacekeeping force to protect Palestinians.

    ‘If Palestine dies, all of humanity dies with it’

    Earlier this month at a televised address, Petro said:

    Humanity cannot allow genocide to exist, because the bombs that fall in Gaza will also fall in Bogota, in Caracas, in Quito, in Buenos Aires… Because today the mathematical war that is being waged is against the peoples of the world who are not wealthy, who do not buy enough, and who are rebellious in the sense that we want a humanity at peace and full of life…. I have said it before, and I repeat it today: If Palestine dies, all of humanity dies with it. Therefore, every action of opposing extermination, every voice that defies indifference, is an act of life.

    Petro has maintained a critical stance on the Israeli occupation since the start of the genocide, and became one of the first voices in the world to describe what was happening as a genocide. He has introduced a wide range of measures against Israel, including severing diplomatic ties with the regime, and implementing an energy embargo.

    Feature image via screengrab.

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel Attacks Children’s Hospital in Gaza, Forcing It to Close

    Israeli attacks have forced a pediatric hospital and the only eye care hospital in Gaza to close, according to Middle East Eye. The pediatric hospital, Al-Rantisi Hospital, provides care not available anywhere else in Gaza, the outlet reports. “There are no safe routes to reach hospitals and medical facilities, preventing patients and the wounded from accessing care…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Anti-war activists to protest in three countries on Sunday over UK bases’ collusion in Gaza war

    Anti-war campaigners plan to hold simultaneous protests in three countries this Sunday, 28 September, in protest against UK military operations in Cyprus collaborating in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    ‘Bases Off Cyprus’

    The UK-US: Bases Off Cyprus campaign will hold demonstrations at:

    • the Ministry of Defence in London’s Whitehall at 2pm local time
    • outside Nicosia District Court at 4pm before marching to the British High Commission and
    • at Legends Mall in Reno, Nevada at 1pm Pacific time

    A statement by the campaign explained that the gatherings will protest the UK government’s use of its Akrotiri RAF base to support Israel’s slaughter in Gaza:

    Since October 2023, around 600 spy flights have been launched from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus over Gaza, supplying live intelligence directly to Israel.

    RAF planes out of Akrotiri have flown daily spy missions over Gaza throughout much of the genocide and have been over key locations in Gaza at the moments that Israel has slaughtered British aid workers and gatherings of Palestinian journalists, raising questions that the government has refused to answer about British collaboration in unequivocal Israeli war crimes.

    Increasing opposition

    In an evident attempt to distance the UK government from Israel’s actions without materially changing its collaboration, Britain recently transferred the Cyprus surveillance operations from RAF aircraft to a private US contractor, the Sierra Nevada Corporation, a US defence contractor based in Reno. Mirroring its silence over RAF involvement in targeted murders, the UK government has refused to say how much it is paying the corporation for the flights, which continue to be controlled by the RAF. The UK government has been forced to confirm that it shares intelligence directly with the Israeli military but refuses to disclose footage footage to the British public that it has shot during Israeli atrocities, including the triple bombing that murdered British aid workers.

    Local people in Cyprus have increasingly opposed the continued presence of an RAF base on Cyprus as collusion by their government in British and Israeli crimes and as an infringement on their territorial sovereignty since Cyprus gained its independence from Britain in 1960. The protest organisers criticise the Christodoulides government for allowing and aiding UK and US military operations. Protest organisers include Genocide-Free Cyprus, the Pancyprian Peace Council, Codepink, Far Right Watch, Palestinian Youth Movement, United for Palestine Cyprus, AFOA, Spirithkia, EDON and Proodeftiki and the UK’s Peace & Justice Project and Stop the War Coalition.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Skwawkbox

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Italy just sent a naval vessel to support the Gaza flotilla against Israel

    Italy’s defence minister Guido Crosetto has today strongly condemned last night’s Israeli attack, in international waters off the coast of Greece, on the volunteer humanitarian flotilla en route to deliver aid to Gaza. The latest in a string of bombings by the rogue state involved bombs dropped by at least fifteen drones – revised up from initial reports of twelve – some hitting small vessels directly.

    Italy: a pointed move against Israel?

    Crosetto has ordered an Italian navy frigate to join the flotilla immediately, joining Turkish and Egyptian navy ships pledged to its defence.

    The flotilla had already delayed its departure on its final leg to Gaza until the weekend, but has said the latest attack has not changed its schedule:

    Despite last night’s attacks, the Global Sumud Flotilla is still sailing strong towards Gaza. Solidarity cannot be bombed, and humanity cannot be silenced.

    As the Times of Israel reported:

    Crosetto said the Italian Navy’s frigate Fasan, which was sailing north of Crete, was “already heading towards the area for possible rescue operations.” Italy has informed Israel about the decision.

    “In a democracy, demonstrations and forms of protest must also be protected when they are carried out in accordance with international law and without resorting to violence,” Crosetto said.

    UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and crew volunteer Greta Thunberg went live this afternoon on the flotilla’s ‘X’ stream with legal observers from the Shireen boat to discuss the attacks as violations of international law.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Skwawkbox

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel launches more drone attacks on the Gaza humanitarian flotilla

    The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which is currently in Crete, was attacked by Israel with drones in the early hours of this morning, 24 September, just days before its expected arrival in Gaza.

    Israel attacks the Global Sumud Flotilla with drones – again

    In a post on X, the GSF said:

    Explosions, unidentified drones, and communications jamming. We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated.

    The peaceful humanitarian mission, which is carrying aid for the people of Gaza and aiming to break Israel’s ongoing siege, reported that at least 13 explosions were heard on and around several flotilla boats, with widespread disruption in communications, raising urgent concerns for the safety of the activists on board:

     

    In a statement which claimed drones or aircraft also dropped sound bombs and chemical materials, and unidentified objects on at least 10 of the boats, the GSF said:

    The lengths to which Israel and its allies will go to prolong the horrors of starvation and genocide in Gaza are sickening. But our resolve is stronger than ever. These tactics will not deter us from our mission to deliver aid to Gaza and break the illegal siege. Every attempt to intimidate us only strengthens our commitment.

    Ongoing campaign by the occupation to criminalise the flotilla

    For weeks, the Israeli occupation, which is now referring to the GSF as a ‘Hamas flotilla’, has escalated its campaign to discredit and criminalise the GSF, portraying it as a “security threat” and trying to manufacture consent for lethal force against the flotilla. The flotilla consists of more than 45 ships, with a crew of more than 500 unarmed civilians from 44 countries. According to the occupation, the flotilla’s crew are “insincere” and “pursuing a violent course of action” because they refuse to transfer the aid to Ashkelon Marina so Israel can:

    forward it promptly to the Gaza Strip.

    The activists, although concerned, say they will continue with their mission undeterred.

    In a post on X, Israeli occupation’s Ministry of Foreign Affair’s spokesperson Oren Marmorstein, who believes Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza is legal, again threatened the flotilla:

    This flotilla, organized by Hamas, is intended to serve Hamas. Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade….If the flotilla continues to reject Israel’s peaceful proposal, Israel will take the necessary measures.

    Post on X from Oren Marmorstein which reads: "t? Israel Foreign Ministry reposted Oren Marmorstein @OrenMarmorstein · 18h Ø ... We were sorry to hear the response from the Hamas flotilla representative that the flotilla insists on pursuing a violent course of action and refuses our proposal to transfer, in a coordinated and peaceful manner, any aid that might be aboard the flotilla to the Gaza Strip via the nearby Ashkelon Marina. This response once again highlights the insincerity of the flotilla members and their mission to serve Hamas, rather than the people in Gaza. If the flotilla continues to reject Israel's peaceful proposal, Israel will take the necessary measures to prevent its entry into the combat zone and to stop any violation of a lawful naval blockade, while making every possible effort to ensure the safety of its passengers. We reiterate: if your intentions are sincere, transfer any such aid to the Ashkelon Marina so it can be forwarded promptly to the Gaza Strip in a peaceful and non-violent manner."

    On Sunday night, several drones followed the flotilla across the Mediterranean, but no incidents were reported. In a statement, the flotilla said:

    This surveillance is not neutral. It coincides with the ongoing attempts to criminalise and delegitimise a civilian mission whose only purpose is to challenge the siege and stand with Palestinians. For Palestinians in Gaza, drones are not just cameras. They are daily tools of terror and violence, used to surveil, intimidate and kill. Their constant presence is a reminder of the occupation’s grip over every aspect of life. The policing of these waters is part of the same system that denies Palestinians freedom of movement and keeps Gaza cut off from the rest of the world.

    Earlier this month, the GSF was again attacked by drones, while in Tunisia.

    A call for international protection for the flotilla crew

    The flotilla is now around 600 nautical miles from Gaza. Its volunteers are sailing to break the occupation’s siege of Gaza, which has been ongoing for the last 18 years. They are acting in accordance with international law, because they are civilians undertaking a humanitarian mission in international waters. They are asking for international protection for all participants on the ships.

    Last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza illegal under international law. This means all states are legally bound to recognise Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as unlawful, and must take action to end this situation, while also not aiding Israel in maintaining its occupation.

    Feature image via Al Jazeera/Youtube.

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel’s apartheid systematically destroys all aspects of Palestinian life

    Through its practices, laws and policies, the Israel enforces systematic segregation, discrimination, and domination over Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and within Israel itself – amounting to apartheid.

    Widespread consensus on Israel’s apartheid regime

    A multitude of human rights organisations and legal experts – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and even the former head of Mossad, have all concluded that these combined policies and practices constitute a regime of apartheid because they are intentional, systematic, and widespread, and intended to dominate Palestinians and deny them equal rights based on their ethnicity or race.

    In 2024, the ICJ issued a historic advisory opinion finding that Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) constitute apartheid and breach international law, demanding urgent international action to end this regime, and concluding that:

    Israel’s legislation and measures impose and serve to maintain a near-complete separation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between the settler and Palestinian communities.

    Apartheid is an Afrikaans word meaning ‘separation’. It is a crime against humanity under international law, as defined in the Apartheid Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), entailing inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group over another, and characterised by systematic discrimination, oppression, and segregation. In the case of Israeli apartheid in the occupied territory, it is a system whereby Jewish Israelis receive special rights and freedoms while Palestinians living under Israeli rule, in the same area, are treated as inferior in rights and status to Jews, and systematically deprived of their rights.

    Israel’s apartheid aims to advance Jewish supremacy

    According to Amnesty International, the Israeli occupation enforces a system of apartheid against all Palestinians living under their effective control – whether they live in Israel, East Jerusalam, the West Bank, Gaza, or in other countries as refugees. Oppression is institutionalised, and Israeli laws and policies are specifically designed to deprive Palestinians of their rights, while advancing the regime’s goal of Jewish supremacy in the entire area under its control.

    This has even been confirmed by Netanyahu, when he came to power in 2023 and declared:

    The Jewish people have an exclusive and inalienable right to all spaces of the Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop settlement in all parts of the Land of Israel – in the Galilee, in the Negev, in the Golan, in Judea and Samaria (the biblical name for the West Bank.

    While Israeli law gives people and their spouses from anywhere in the world with one or more Jewish grandparents the right to relocate to Israel and acquire citizenship, the 7.25 million Palestinians who were expelled from their homes or homeland during Israel’s formation in 1948, and are now refugees in their own country or abroad, are being denied by the occupation their legal right to return to areas from which they have fled or were forced. They’re unable to receive compensation for damages, and to either regain their properties, or receive compensation and support for voluntary resettlement.

    Although it withdrew its military and its settlers in 2005, the Israeli occupation still maintains complete control over Gaza and its population of two million, through a land, sea, and air blockade. This means it’s effectively controlling the movement of people and goods. Because of the Israeli occupation’s actions, Gaza has long been referred to as an ‘open-air prison’, with a failing economy and the inability to travel to the rest of Palestine, or abroad.

    Separate legal systems for Jews and Palestinians

    In the West Bank, where oppression due to Israel’s apartheid is most severe, discrimination is institutionalised, as two separate legal systems are applied in a single territory, and which one you have depends on who you are. Palestinians live under Israel’s harsh military law, marked by arbitrary detention, torture, and discrimination, while illegal Jewish settlers, who live in illegally established settlements in the same territory, live under the protection of full Israeli civil law.

    More than 1,800 military orders intervene in almost all aspects of Palestinian daily life, while the Israeli occupation’s police, soldiers, and private security firms are stationed throughout the area to ensure these orders, which are justified as ‘state security’, are obeyed.

    For those not adhering to these military orders, punishment is severe, with military law ignoring basic rights such as fair trials, and allowing arbitrary detention of Palestinians. Palestinians are often arrested and taken from their home unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, and interrogated without a lawyer. They are tried in a military court, with military judges, prosecutors, and translators. Proceedings are conducted in Hebrew, which many Palestinian defendants do not understand, and there is a conviction rate greater than 99%.

    A two-tier legal system legitimising apartheid

    This dual legal system, in violation of international law, has helped to legitimise the occupation and illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, enforces inequality, and is a key part of Israel’s apartheid as it creates two populations living in the same area with drastically different rights.

    Since 1948, when Israel forcibly displaced almost 800,000 Palestinians from their homes and destroyed hundreds of towns an villages, the occupation has aimed to control as much Palestinian land and resources as possible, and to take this for the Jewish population only. By expanding its settlement enterprise in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel has not only demolished the possibility of a Palestinian state, but is also cementing its control over the territory.

    Illegal Jewish settlements soaring: Palestinian home demolitions on the rise

    These Israeli settlements are segregated housing units for Jewish Israelis built on Palestinian land and, although illegal under international law, Jews from around the world are welcomed by the Israeli occupation to colonise Palestine.

    There are currently more than 737,000 illegal Jewish settlers living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and these have the state’s full ideological and material support, being armed by the government and protected by the Israeli occupation’s police and soldiers. These settlers only aim is to force Palestinians off their land, so their colonial settlements can be built there instead, and they do this by storming villages and terrorising residents, burning homes, killing livestock, and destroying crops and trees.

    Israel’s steps to replace Palestinian communities with settlers and extend its sovereignty over the West Bank and East Jerusalem have accelerated. The biggest expansion of Jewish settlements in decades is now taking place, while the number of Palestinian home demolitions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is the highest it has been since occupation started in 1967.

    Forced demolitions: a tool of ethnic cleansing

    Forced demolition of homes and other structures – including water pipes, wells, and roads – have long been a tool of ethnic cleansing. They are a war crime, and devastate Palestinian families and communities. When carried out by the Israeli occupation, these demolitions can cost the owner of the structure the equivalent of around £20,000. So, to avoid paying this fine, Palestinians are often forced to bulldoze and tear down their own home, making their family homeless in the process.

    The majority of demolition orders are issued because a home or structure is supposedly ‘illegal’, as it has been built without an Israeli permit, which are almost impossible to obtain. Demolitions are a form of collective punishment and can also be carried out as part of military activities. Thousands of Palestinians lose their homes yearly through demolitions, and this forced displacement breaks Palestinian communities and increases Israeli control over the land.

    Water apartheid by Israel

    The Israeli national water company Mekorot implements an apartheid policy of water management in the occupied Palestinian territory, illegally restricting access to water, depriving Palestinians of a sufficient water supply, and violating World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

    So, while these illegal Israeli settlements have unrestricted access to water, 65% of the Palestinians in the West Bank are not even supplied with daily running water in their homes, according to B’Tselem. And in the Jordan Valley, the herding communities consume just 26 litres a day, while the settlers consume 400-700 litres of water per capita per day. This is collective punishment and apartheid directed at Palestinians.

    Military checkpoints fragmenting Palestinian communities

    And while Israeli settlers living in these illegal settlements drive freely on Jewish only roads, and can move between the West Bank and Israel, Palestinians are unable to do this, instead, facing severe movement restrictions. Military checkpoints, roadblocks, and the separation barrier – which the Israeli occupation calls the ‘security fence’ – fragment Palestinian communities and restrict access to education, health services, and economic opportunities, splitting Palestinian homes and farmland apart, and creating isolated enclaves. Meanwhile a strict permit system controls when and where Palestinians can go and makes life extremely difficult. These movement barriers destroy their social and economic life.

    Even when traveling within their own neighbourhoods, they are held back at checkpoints, and treated as intruders in their own land. Palestinian authorities last week warned that in East Jerusalem alone, the Israeli occupation has erected 88 military checkpoints and iron gates in and around the city. This is not about security, but about an apartheid system of control.

    Failed responsibility of the international community

    Apartheid is both an international wrong and a crime against humanity. When a crime against humanity is committed, the international community has an obligation to not only prevent it, but also to hold those who have committed the crime to account. This has not yet happened in the case of the Israeli occupation.

    Michael Lynk, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, summed up the situation in 2022, when he said:

    For more than 40 years, the UN Security Council and General Assembly have stated in hundreds of resolutions that Israel’s annexation of occupied territory is unlawful, its construction of hundreds of Jewish settlements are illegal, and its denial of Palestinian self-determination breaches international law……if the international community had truly acted on its resolutions 40 or 30 years ago, we would not be talking about apartheid today.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • The UN just exposed orphaned children in Gaza are eating sand and drinking poisonous water

    On Tuesday 23 September, the president of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned of the worsening humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, confirming that thousands of orphaned children are wandering among the ruins of destroyed homes. The tragic conditions have driven some of them to eat sand and drink contaminated water due to Israel’s blockade and lack of basic necessities.

    Annalena Baerbock: UN failing Gaza’s orphaned children

    Referring to the international community’s failure to stop the tragedy, during her speech, Baerbock asked:

    When civilians are killed in Gaza, is it international humanitarian law at fault, for failing to protect them?

    Her warning comes many months after the Israeli occupation resumed its air strikes on Gaza on 18 March. This was in a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on 19 January, lasting for nearly two months. The raid violating the agreement resulted in more than 400 martyrs and 500 wounded in a few hours. Most of them women and children, bringing scenes of destruction and mass killing back to the forefront.

    The first phase of the ceasefire ended in early March after 42 days. It saw the implementation of a prisoner exchange deal in several stages between Palestinian resistance factions and Israel. This was along with a limited withdrawal of Israeli forces that allowed thousands of displaced people to return to their destroyed homes. However, these understandings quickly collapsed with the renewal of aggression and the absence of any real commitment on the part of the occupation.

    Calls for the international community to hold Israel to account

    UN data indicates that Gaza’s population of approximately 2.3 million is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern times. Most are suffering from severe shortages of food and drinking water and a collapsed health system. Children are experiencing psychological distress due to the ongoing war and the loss of their loved ones.

    The ongoing tragedy in Gaza is putting international humanitarian law to the test. Baerbock’s delivered her speech amid growing calls for the international community to intervene decisively to stop the aggression and hold those responsible for crimes against civilians accountable, given the continuing blockade and the absence of any prospect of a political solution that would protect lives and stop the bloodshed.

    Feature image via screengrab.

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Displacement in Gaza begins with bombing – but doesn’t end in the open air

    The Gaza Strip is experiencing one of the largest waves of forced displacement in its history. Israel has forced tens of thousands of families leave their homes under the weight of continuous bombing. With the destruction of towers, homes, tents, and shelters, many have found themselves homeless, resorting to living in the open or even next to garbage dumps, in a scene that sums up the scale of the worsening humanitarian disaster.

    Displacement does not begin with a family’s decision, but with a moment of bombing that wipes out a home or an entire neighbourhood. Suddenly, civilians find themselves with only one choice: to leave. There is no time to gather their belongings, no safe place to go. Memories are left under the rubble, and fear dominates their faces. It is the beginning of a journey into the unknown.

    In just two weeks, more than 1,600 towers and residential buildings were destroyed, along with 13,000 tents. It has left thousands of families homeless on the streets.

    Gaza displacement: walking into the unknown

    After leaving, a difficult journey begins along dangerous roads. Some families walk on foot, others ride in crowded trucks. However, they all share the same experience: thirst, hunger, and constant anxiety from the bombing that follows them, even on the road.

    Every step of the way is a new battle for survival. Children sleep on sidewalks, women drag older people along with them, and fathers carry what remains of their lives on their shoulders. There is not enough water or food to sustain them. Fear of the unknown looms at every stop.

    Lost shelter: worn-out tents or the open air

    When the displaced arrive in the south, they do not find the safe haven they dream of. The tents that were set up two years ago have worn out. They are no longer fit for habitation. The occupation prevents the entry of temporary homes or new tents, leaving hundreds of thousands without a roof over their heads.

    The statistics reveal the scale of the disaster. More than 288,000 families are homeless, and 125,000 tents have been completely worn out. And the occupation has destroyed 273 shelters. The result: hundreds of thousands are crowded into a small geographical area, where there is neither space nor capacity to accommodate such a huge number of people.

    Life next to garbage: dignity under threat

    In some cases, the displaced have found no place to live but garbage dumps. Amid foul odors, skin diseases, rodents, and insects, families live in conditions unfit for human dignity. Displacement is no longer just the loss of a home, but the loss of the minimum conditions for life.

    Amid these conditions, tattered tents near garbage dumps become a ‘temporary home’. There, children are forced to play among filth and the sick must coexist with suffocating odors. The cruel irony is that the search for safety from bombing has led them to live in the midst of health and environmental hazards.

    An endless wait: a future without answers amid Gaza’s displacement

    After a bitter journey and living in the open or among garbage, the displaced face a painful question: where to go? The future seems uncertain, return is not guaranteed, and the present is fraught with difficulties. Hundreds of thousands live in areas no larger than a few square kilometres. They do so amid daily evacuation orders and scarce aid that barely keeps them alive.

    It is a harsh wait, accompanied only by a faint hope that something will change. With each passing day, the feeling grows that displacement is no longer a temporary stop, but a long-term fate that threatens to turn the lives of an entire generation into an open-ended journey of wandering and suffering.

    What is happening in Gaza shows that displacement is not just a ‘forced move from one place to another’, but a journey of suffering that begins with bombardment, continues along a desolate road, and ends in places unfit for human habitation. It is a loss of home, memory, dignity, and the most basic necessities of survival.

    Feature image via Al Jazeera/Youtube.

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Recognition Of Palestine: What It Does, What It Doesn’t Do, And Why Now

    The United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and Australia officially recognized the State of Palestine in a series of separate but coordinated statements on Sunday, September 21. Other European and Western nations, including France, Belgium, New Zealand, and several other key allies of Israel, are expected to join the chorus of recognitions at today’s UN General Assembly meeting in New York. The summit is based on a joint Saudi-French initiative to revive a two-state solution called “the New York Declaration,” which was first issued at a conference on September 12. The conference was boycotted by the U.S, which opposed the summit.

    The post Recognition Of Palestine: What It Does, What It Doesn’t Do, And Why Now appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.