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FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA - FREE PALESTINE
  August wk3  -- August 2 P2 -- August wk2 -- August wk1 P2 -- August wk1 -- July wk4 P3 --  July wk4 P4/2-- July wk4P4 -- July wk4 P3 --  July wk4 P2 --   Click here for an overview by week in 2024
 

Special reports: TRIBUTES TO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN Shoroughs' family August 7, 2024: 'My children cry all day from the heat': Life in Gaza’s tent camps... and August 5, 2024: Shorough 'We have nothing left in this world, except our daughter': a young mother on life in Gaza... Alaa al-Nimer  and daughter Nimah July 28, 2024 "My baby girl was born on the street": A traumatic birth in Gaza

July 22, 2024 Ms. Maram Humaid: "A letter to my son: As you turn one today in Gaza, I feel joy and sorrow"  July 12, 2024 Noor Alyacoubi - "I'm fighting to keep my baby alive" and other stories Mothers and children: Boom-And again Boom Special report: July 12, 2024: Scorched Hospitals - Schools -  Housing - Bodies -- fake or fact?

August 10 - 8, 2024 Opinion by Gino d'Artali: Smotrich should be hung high and more actual news proving why

August 7 - 5, 2024 Food for thought: "The Israelis claim it is a safe zone. Why are they shelling the area now? This is all false propaganda." and "Welcome to Hell" and actual news

August 6 - 3, 2024 <<Israel's 'Samson syndrome' in Gaza... and <<Israeli rights group details systematic abuse of Palestinians in Israel's jails... and <<Israeli prisons 'operate like torture camps' for Palestinian detainees... and <<Live: UN calls for 'urgent de-escalation' as tensions mount in Middle East... and <<Israeli strikes killed 12 people in Gaza, including four in a tent camp for displaced people... and <<Inside the one place left for Gaza's population to go, civilians live among the dead... and more actual news   Click here to go throughout July and earler, 2024

June 14, 2024 Palestinian-Jordanian journalist Hiba Abu Taha sentenced to one year in prison

Related news: July 11, 2024: Media organizations demand access to Gaza July 2 2024: Arrests of Palestinian journalists since start of Israel-Gaza war   Click here for earlier stories/news

May 23, 2024 In commemoration of Roshdi Sarraj and tribute to Shrouq Al Aila

 
When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

<France 25 - August 10, 2024
<<Gaza civil defence says at least 90 killed in Israel school strike
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday the death toll from the latest Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians had risen to more than 90, as Israel's military said it struck a militants' command centre.
AFP could not independently verify the toll which, if confirmed, would appear to be one of the largest from a single strike during 10 months of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants. "The death toll is now between 90 to 100 and there are dozens more wounded. Three Israeli rockets hit the school that was housing displaced Palestinians," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. The government media office in Hamas-ruled Gaza said the strike killed more than 100 people. With most of Gaza's 2.4 million people displaced during the war started by Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, many have sought refuge in school buildings.
Saturday's incident brings to at least 14 the number of schools struck in Gaza since July 6, killing more than 280 according to an AFP tally of tolls previously given by officials in the territory. AFPTV live images from the scene showed a large complex with a courtyard where debris lay inside and out. Part of the structure appeared to be a mosque, the upper story of which was partially blown out and charred. Images showed white-shrouded bodies, blood stains on the ground, and smoke rising from the rubble.
'Precise munitions'
Israel's military said it struck a Hamas <command and control centre> that was <embedded> in Al-Tabieen school in the Daraj neighbourhood.
<Numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information,> a statement said. The military has repeatedly made similar accusations after strikes on school shelters. Hamas has previously denied Israeli claims that it uses schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities for military aims. The Islamic Jihad, a militant group fighting alongside Hamas, said the strike took place "during the dawn prayer". Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Gaza government media office, told AFP that the strike "resulted in more than 100 martyrs and dozens of injuries, most of which are in severe and critical condition". Gaza government media sources said the school was housing around 250 people, about half of them women and children. On Thursday, the civil defence agency said Israeli strikes hit two schools in Gaza City, killing more than 18 people. That came after two other schools were hit last Sunday in the city, with at least 30 dead, according to the agency. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas command centres in both instances. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and in January the military said it had dismantled the group's command structure in northern Gaza. But the military has since found itself returning there and to other areas of the territory to battle militants again.
AFP>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240810-gaza-civil-defence-says-at-least-90-killed-in-israel-school-strike

BBC - August 9, 2024
<<Behind the scenes as Hamas chose its new leader
Over the past week, watched by the world's media, the top leaders of Hamas descended on Qatar to choose a new political leader for their group.
Delegates flooded in from across the Middle East after almost a year of fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. Some arrived shaken, having woken just days before to the news that the group's previous political leader - Ismail Haniyeh - had been killed in a blast in Tehran, allegedly by Israel. Haniyeh, who had overseen his group's negotiators in talks with Israel, played a crucial role in Hamas, balancing the militant wing's desire to take the fight to Israel with calls from some to reach a settlement and end the conflict. His position, it was clear, had to be filled quickly. At the mourning ceremony in Doha, Hamas leaders lined up shoulder to shoulder in a huge white tent with carpets and fancy chairs, decorated with pictures of Ismail Haniyeh. Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the movement's late leader and his bodyguard. The scene was more than a memorial service - it signalled the end of an era and the beginning of a new, more extreme phase. This was not the first time I had witnessed Hamas's top officials gather to choose a new leader after an unexpected funeral. Back in 2004 I witnessed them meet after Israel assassinated the group’s founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin - the meeting taking place in his house in Gaza. Less than a month later, Israel killed his successor Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. But this time the backstage discussions reflected the extent of the crisis and challenges they are facing.
Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October last year, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back into Gaza. Since then, Israel's military retaliation has killed more than 39,600 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and wounded tens of thousands more. More than half the buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed and almost the entire population has been displaced. Dissent against Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has been growing. The group itself has taken severe losses.
On top of this, the killing of Ismail Haniyeh on 31 July in Tehran - a place he had always felt to be a safe haven - was a real shock for the organisation. Hamas is convinced that Haniyeh was killed by an anti-personnel missile while he was browsing on his phone. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said a projectile with a 7kg warhead was used. Some Western media reports say he was killed by a bomb planted in the room beforehand. Back at Haniyeh's mourning ceremony in Doha, one man in his mid-60s with white hair and a short beard stood in a corner away from the spotlight. "Pay close attention to him," a Hamas media officer told me. Who was he? "He is the shadowy man, Abu Omar Hassan," he said. Abu Omar Hassan, or Mohamed Hassan Darwish, is the head of the Supreme Shura Council, the top consultative body in Hamas. According to Hamas's constitution, he was in prime position to be the organisation's interim head until elections which had been scheduled for next March.
"He is the man of the big missions," I was told.
As the mourning ceremony ended, these leaders’ real work began. For two days, the movement's veteran faces and shadowy figures held meetings in Doha, which has hosted Hamas's political bureau since 2012, to elect a new leader. They chose Yahya Sinwar, already the group's leader inside Gaza since 2017. The choice may come as a surprise to many, but anyone following his career since Israel released him in the 2011 exchange deal for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit knew he was always likely to lead Hamas one day. No political leader in Hamas has ever been closer to the group’s armed wing. His brother Mohammed leads the largest Hamas military battalion, while Mohammed Deif - the elusive Hamas veteran who led its armed wing for two decades until Israel said it killed him last month - was his neighbour, friend, and classmate. The pair grew up together in Gaza's sprawling Khan Younis refugee camp. Despite all this, many may see appointing him to the most important position in Hamas as madness. Israel's security agencies believe Sinwar planned and executed the attack on southern Israel, and he is top of their wanted list. "Not all of the people inside Hamas leadership were in favour of the decision," a senior Hamas official told me. "Some leaders raised their concerns, others pushed for a more moderate person. But in the end he got the majority of the votes." Another Hamas official who attended the meetings said the movement felt unable to choose the powerful shadow operator Abu Omar Hassan because he had little public profile and was unknown outside the movement, whereas the 7 October attack had given Yahya Sinwar global notoriety. "Sinwar has become a trademark after 7 October and he has great popularity in the Arab and Islamic worlds," the official said. "He enjoys close relations with the axis of resistance supported by Iran, and his appointment in the midst of the war sends a message of defiance to Israel."
The <axis of resistance> is a network of armed groups backed by Iran. Other members such as Lebanon-based Hezbollah also present threats to Israel.>>
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyl3yg7wzzo

BBC - August 9, 2024
<<Israel accepts proposal to attend 'urgent' new ceasefire talks
Israel has agreed to send negotiators to a new round of talks over a ceasefire and hostage release deal, after a diplomatic push from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. The three nations released a joint statement on Thursday pushing for the talks to take place between Israel and Hamas on 15 August in Doha or Cairo. Hamas is yet to respond. The statement said a <framework agreement> was ready and that it had <only the details of implementation left to conclude>. The push for new talks will be seen as an attempt by the US and its partners to stop regional tensions from spiralling out of control, after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran last week. Iran, blaming Israel, has vowed a response - though Israel has not commented directly on the killing. The statement invited Israel and Hamas to restart talks "to close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay". "As mediators, if necessary, we are prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties," it said. The statement was signed by US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It said the <framework agreement> was based on <principles> previously outlined by President Biden on 31 May - which proposed a deal that would start with a full ceasefire and the release of a number of hostages. The UN Security Council endorsed that framework. European Union chief Ursula Von der Leyen said she "strongly" supported the efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement. "We need a ceasefire in Gaza now. That's the only way to save lives, restore hope for peace, and secure the return of hostages," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK "fully endorses" the plan for talks, adding that it welcomed "the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States".
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Thursday evening he had spoken with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to brief him on changes to US forces in the region and "reinforce my ironclad support for Israel's defence". "I also stressed the importance of concluding a ceasefire deal in Gaza that releases the hostages," he said. Despite numerous rounds of talks, the challenge of reaching a ceasefire and hostage release agreement has so far proved elusive. Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in June that the group was pushing for a "permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal [of Israeli troops] from the Gaza Strip" and a swap-deal involving Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said the conflict can only stop once Hamas is defeated.
On Thursday, Israel continued its bombardment of the Gaza strip. Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence force said it hit two schools, killing more than 18 people. The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas command centres. Any proposed talks could be made even more difficult by Hamas' decision to elect Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, replacing Haniyeh. Sinwar, who Israel holds responsible for the planning and execution of the 7 October attacks, is seen as one of the group's most extreme figures. Amid fears of an attack from Iran or its allies, Israel's security cabinet met in an underground bunker on Thursday, instead of its usual meeting place, Israel's Channel 13 reported.>>
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07e99ver7ro

Le Monde - August 9, 2024 - By Lucas Minisini (Tel Aviv, special correspondent)
<<Israel-Hamas war: Gaza's Yarmouk stadium, the sports arena turned detention center
The sports venue where Palestinian athletes used to train dreaming of the Olympics was destroyed at the start of the war. Before being converted into a makeshift camp for the displaced, it was used as an interrogation site by the Israeli army. Part of the stands were destroyed by missile fire. The football pitch, once green and neatly trimmed, has been bulldozed. Mixed with the rubble, the athletics track is barely recognizable. The Yarmouk stadium, located in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City, one of the few sports venues in the coastal strip to meet international standards, is now unusable because of the damage inflicted on it by the Israeli army. "The soldiers even destroyed the electricity and irrigation systems," said Adel Al-Fasih, the facility's manager, who lost his wife and five of his children in a strike on his house. The Yarmouk stadium has been the training ground for athletes dreaming of competing in the Olympic Games since 1995, when Palestine joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But since October 2023, the war waged by the Israeli army in the enclave has resulted in the death of many athletes. Among them, Hani Al-Masdar, the assistant coach of the Palestinian national football team. He died along with around 40 others in a bombing raid on Deir Al-Balah on January 6.
The star striker of the Palestinian team, Mohammed Barakat, scorer of 114 goals for the Khan Yunis club, was killed on March 11, in the same town by an Israeli strike that destroyed his house. On June 11, Majed Abu Maraheel, a long-distance runner and the very first Palestinian athlete to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, died in the Nuseirat refugee camp from a lack of medication to treat his kidney failure. "The list goes on and on," said the president of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Nader Jayousi, estimating that around 400 Gazan athletes have been killed since October 7, 2023. Like the Yarmouk stadium, many sports facilities in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed by the Israeli army, with no security justification whatsoever.
'Symbol of Arab cooperation'
The arena, with a 9,000-spectator capacity, was inaugurated in 1952 when the enclave was administered by Egypt. "Our parents and grandparents saw it as a symbol of Arab cooperation and support for the Palestinian cause," recalled Al-Fasih. A place of "triumphs" and "challenges" for local clubs and national teams, the stadium, one of the oldest and largest in Palestine, offered brief escapes to the population under blockade since 2007.
As well as sporting events, the municipality of Gaza, which owns the site, organized festivals and some major weddings there. Damaged by bombardments during each war, as was the case during Operation "Cast Lead" at the end of 2008, the stadium has always been rebuilt identically, thanks to funding from the German development bank KfW, said Tamer Al-Absi, vice-president of the Palestinian Athletics Federation.>>
Read more here:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/08/09/israel-hamas-war-gaza-s-yarmouk-stadium-the-sports-arena-turned-detention-center_6711731_4.html

France 25 - August 9, 2024 - Video by: Charlotte HUGHES
<<Gazans flee Khan Younis as Israel launches another offensive
Thousands of Palestinians continued to flee the devastated southern city of Khan Younis on Friday after Israel launched a fresh offensive and issued evacuation orders. Families fled in vehicles and on foot from eastern parts of the city, where many had returned less than two weeks ago after the Israeli military’s last incursion in July.
Summary:
Israel agreed to resume Gaza ceasefire talks on August 15 at the demand of US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said overnight Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call on Friday with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, during which Macron reaffirmed his calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israeli air strike on a car deep inside Lebanon killed a senior figure from Palestinian armed group Hamason Friday evening. Israel launched another offensive on the devastated southern city of Khan Younis on Friday as thousands of Palestinians fled the area following the military's evacuation orders
At least 39,699 Palestinians have been killed and 91,722 injured in Israel's war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240809-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-israel-agrees-to-resume-gaza-truce-talks-on-august-15-binyamin-netanyahu-hamas-qatar-egypt-us

Jinha - Womens News Agency - August 9, 2024
<<Thousands of people in Gaza fleeing west
Thousands of people in Gaza have been fleeing west toward Al Mawasi after the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order on Thursday, the UNRWA said on Thursday.
News Center- Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general, held a press briefing on Thursday, giving information about the latest developments on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. "The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that our partners on the ground have observed thousands of people fleeing west toward Al Mawasi, after the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order earlier today," Farhan Haq said. "Initial estimates from our partners monitoring population in movements in Gaza indicate that more than 15,500 people had been living in those areas, which comprise more than 30 neighborhoods." Calling for all parties to the conflict to "respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by taking constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects," Farhan Haq said, "Meanwhile, the World Food Programme warns that ongoing hostilities, damaged roads, and the lack of public order and safety have severely hampered food transport operations in Gaza, forcing WFP to reduce rations. WFP urgently needs fuel deliveries, increased flow of food supplies, and greater capacity to deliver hot meals, particularly in Gaza City and North Gaza."
In the West Bank, WFP estimates that the escalation of violence there could push the number of people facing food insecurity up to at least 600,000. At the start of last year, some 352,000 people in the West Bank were food insecure.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/thousands-of-people-in-gaza-fleeing-west-35504?page=1

Al Jazeera - August 8, 2024
<<Palestinians burned alive in Israeli attack on Khan Younis 'safe zone'
Palestinians have been burned alive after Israeli air attacks hit a crowded camp that had reportedly been designated a 'safe zone'.>>
Source incl. video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/8/8/palestinians-burned-alive-in-israeli-attack-on-khan-younis-safe?traffic_source=KeepReading

Al Jazeera - August 8, 2024 - By Al Jazeera Staff
<<Palestine urges ICC arrest warrant for Smotrich over call to starve Gaza
Palestinian Foreign Ministry slams Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for saying starving Palestinians may be 'moral'. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for saying it may be <justified and moral> to starve Palestinians in Gaza. In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry described Smotrich's comments as an "explicit admission of adopting and bragging about the policy of genocide". "The Ministry further affirmed that such [a] statement is considered a direct disregard for international legitimacy decisions and international consensus on protecting civilians and securing their basic humanitarian needs," the statement said. "It called on the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against Smotrich for approving and supporting the policy of genocide." The ministry also urged countries around the world to condemn Smotrich and ban him from entering their territory. Smotrich had said earlier this week that Israel has <no choice> but to allow aid into Gaza in order to maintain what he called <international legitimacy> for the war. <We can't, in the current global reality, manage a war. No one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages,> he said. Israel has imposed a suffocating blockade on Gaza bringing it the territory to the verge of starvation. Relentless bombing by the Israeli military has also made it difficult to distribute the aid that does enter Gaza.
Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in 10 months, mostly women and children, and more than 91,600 others injured, according to Gaza's health authorities.
ICC prosecutors are seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yaov Gallant, but not for Smotrich.
The far-right finance minister often makes anti-Palestinian statements that stir international outrage. For example, last year, he said the Palestinian village of Huwara in the occupied West Bank should be <wiped out> - a statement that Washington called <repugnant>. Several countries criticised Smorich's latest comments on Gaza. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on the Israeli government to retract and condemn the remarks. "International law could not be more clear - the deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime," Lammy said in a social media post. The European Union echoed that position. "We expect the Israeli government to unequivocally distance itself from the words of Minister Smotrich, as well as to establish transparency on the reported acts of torture in the Sde Teiman prison," the bloc said in a statement. The United States, Israel's top weapon supplier, also condemned Smotrich's remarks. "We are appalled by these comments and reiterate that this rhetoric is harmful and disturbing," a US State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera in an email. "The President and Secretary have stated the need to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the need to remove any obstacles to the flow of aid and restore basic services for those in need."
Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara slammed countries that objected to Smotrich's comments while still supporting Israel despite its siege on Gaza. "Just take a moment and think about that - they are horrified by what Smotrich said but not by the reality that has been unfolding for the past 10 months," Bishara said. Meanwhile, Israeli media outlets have also published footage purporting to show Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman prison. Numerous reports have documented horrific abuse at the facility, including rape, torture, starvation and extrajudicial killings. On Wednesday, the United States urged Israel to investigate allegations of sexual assault against Palestinian detainees. "There ought to be zero tolerance for sexual abuse, rape of any detainee, period. It's a fundamental belief of the United States," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. "And if there are detainees who have been sexually assaulted or raped, the government of Israel and the [Israeli military] need to fully investigate those actions and hold anyone responsible accountable to the full extent of the law."
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/8/palestine-urges-icc-arrest-warrant-for-smotrich-over-call-to-starve-gaza?traffic_source=KeepReading

Al Jazeera - August 8, 2024
<<Israeli strikes on Gaza schools kill 15 amid renewed evacuation orders
Some 30 others are wounded as Palestinians are forced to evacuate Khan Younis once again.
Israeli strikes on two schools in Gaza have killed at least 15 Palestinians and injured another 30, as renewed evacuation orders are given to residents in several districts in eastern Khan Younis city. Many Palestinians remained trapped underneath the rubble of the schools - Abdel Fattah Hamoud and al-Zahraa - sheltering Palestinian families in the Tuffah district of Gaza City, Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary reported on Thursday.
Reporting from the destroyed al-Zahraa School, Palestinian journalist Ibrahim al-Khalili told Al Jazeera that two missiles directly hit the school. He said civil defence crews have so far been unable to rescue the survivors trapped underneath due to a lack of tools.
"The situation is catastrophic," he said.
The Israeli military said the schools in Gaza City housed Hamas command centres. <The school compounds were used by Hamas terrorists and commanders … from which they planned and carried out attacks,> the military said in a statement. Reporting from al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, Khoudary said in the past two weeks, Israeli forces have targeted at least eight schools across the Gaza Strip. <Palestinians were sheltering in there and were seeking refuge ... [Israeli forces] have been targeting those schools without any prior notice, without any warning, and that’s why dozens of Palestinians were killed in those air strikes,> she said.
At least 39,699 Palestinians have been killed and 91,722 wounded in Israel's war on Gaza, which has displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population of the besieged enclave amid widespread hunger and spreading diseases.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 taken captive.
'A state of panic'
Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Thursday also renewed evacuation orders to Palestinian residents in several districts in eastern Khan Younis, saying it would act forcefully against fighters who had unleashed rockets from those areas. The army posted the evacuation order on X, and residents said they had received text and audio messages. It marks the second time in one month that thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee Khan Younis under Israeli bombardment. Residents said families had begun to leave their homes and head west towards al-Mawasi, a humanitarian-designated area but one that is overcrowded by displaced families from around the enclave. "People want a place where there's access to water, where there's no garbage. Here where we are, there's a huge pile of garbage just beside us, and that's why not a lot of people are setting up their tents over here," Khoudary said. She added that there is "a state of panic among Palestinians" who have been ordered to evacuate as they "do not have any place to go to, everywhere is packed". "These people went back to their houses a couple of days ago when there was another warning for them to evacuate during the past couple of weeks. The same exact area is being called for evacuation," Khoudary said. "Those same exact families - children, parents with all their belongings - were scattered on the streets for weeks because they did not have any place to evacuate to when the Israeli forces warned them."
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/8/israeli-strikes-on-gaza-schools-kill-15-amid-renewed-evacuation-orders

France 25 - August 8, 2024 - By: Benjamin DODMAN
<<'Our way of showing resistance': Olympians raise Palestinian flag at Paris Games
Ten months into a brutal war that has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, Palestinian athletes are aiming for a lot more than medals at the Paris Olympics, hoping to shed light on the suffering of Gazans as they fly the colours of a stateless people scattered across the globe. Layla Almasri described the Palestinian delegation in Paris as "diplomats for our people as well as athletes". Yazan al-Bawwab's first and only race of the Games lasted less than a minute - long enough to have the colours of the Palestinian Territories projected onto his lane at the Olympic pool near Paris.
It was a fleeting appearance for both flag and athlete; but to the 24-year-old swimmer, it meant the world. "France, like many European countries, still doesn't see Palestine as a country," he told FRANCE 24. "But we have a lane here at the Paris Olympics." A two-time Olympian, al-Bawwab is one of eight athletes representing Palestine at the Games, competing in such diverse sports as boxing, judo, athletics and taekwondo. Most were born outside the Palestinian Territories but remain deeply tied to their parents' and grandparents' homeland. "We're 15 million Palestinians scattered around the world. I'm just one who's able to give a voice to a people who are not heard," said al-Bawwab, the son of Palestinian refugees who was born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Dubai. "It's an honour to raise my flag in a country that does not recognise Palestine," added the Palestinian flagbearer, who swam with a Palestinian flag tattooed on his chest. "It's my way of showing resistance."
Representing a people
Palestinian athletes have taken part in every Summer Olympics since they were first admitted to the Atlanta Games in 1996. Each participation has carried a special significance for residents of the Palestinian Territories and the Palestinian diaspora, giving the stateless people a venue in which to compete with the rest of the world. "We're definitely diplomats for our people as well as athletes," US-born runner Layla Almasri told reporters after competing in the women’s 800 metres. Speaking of Palestine, she added: "It's in my blood and it's in my heart."
"We're trying to show the world that we're athletes, that we want to play sports like everybody else, that we want to have the same rights as everybody else," added al-Bawwab. "And sport is one tool we can use because we are not treated as human beings right now." Taking part in the Paris Games is all the more significant in the context of the war that has devastated most of the Gaza Strip and killed close to 40,000 people, according to health officials in the Hamas-held enclave, including some of the athletes who had set their sights on the Summer Olympics.
Some 400 athletes, coaches and other staff are estimated to have died since October, according to the Palestine Olympic Committee (POC). Victims include Olympic football team coach Hani Al-Masdar and volleyball star Ibrahim Qusaya, both of them killed by Israeli bombs in Gaza. Another prominent casualty is the long-distance runner Majed Abu Maraheel, who in 1996 in Atlanta became the first Palestinian to compete in the Olympics. He died of kidney failure after he was unable to be treated in Gaza and could not be evacuated to Egypt, Palestinian officials said.
Spotlight on Gaza
The war triggered by the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel has stoked tensions in Paris, with Israeli athletes arriving to events under a heavy police escort. Last week, Paris prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into death threats emailed to Israeli athletes. While Israel has called for the Olympics to remain a neutral space, the Palestinian delegation has used the Games as a platform to shed light on the plight of Gaza. The POC has also asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to boycott Israeli athletes over the continuing bombardment of Gaza. "There's no words to describe what's happening back home," said al-Bawwab. "Our people are not dreaming about gold medals. They're dreaming about basic human rights, about food and water." The Palestinian athletes have been riding a wave of popular sympathy since their arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport on the eve of the Games. They walked through a sea of Palestinian flags at the Paris hub and were greeted with gifts of food and roses.
Their presence at the Olympics, after nine months of devastating warfare, is a statement in itself. Training in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem is a challenge at the best of times. The war has made that challenge next to impossible, with Gaza's sporting infrastructure now demolished. Only one Palestinian athlete, 18-year-old Omar Yaser Ismail, qualified for the Paris Games in his own right, earning his spot on the team at a taekwondo qualification tournament in China. The seven others were selected under a wild-card system designed to enable athletes from poorer nations to compete. Athletes who missed out included Gaza-based weightlifter Muhammad Hamada, Palestine's flag bearer at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, who continued training even as Israeli bombs rained down on the enclave but eventually lost too much weight due to the shortage of food.
Children of Gaza "the real heroes' Ahead of the Olympics, the POC's technical director Nader Jayousi told FRANCE 24 his delegation would aim to send a "message of peace" to the world, while also hoping to inspire "our children whose dreams have been shattered by bombs and rockets".
Ismail, the taekwondo fighter, was inconsolable on Wednesday as his dreams of an Olympic medal were abruptly extinguished in the French capital's majestic Grand Palais. The Palestinian was within five seconds of reaching the third round in the 58kg weight division until a kick to the head by his Spanish opponent sent him crashing out of the tournament. He fell to his knees in tears, his efforts rewarded by a lengthy ovation from the crowd.
"All of this, it's for Palestine," Ismail had told reporters ahead of the fight. "It's true that we play and fight, but the real heroes are the children of Palestine and the children of Gaza."
Palestinian-American swimmer Valerie Tarazi, who competed in the 200-metre individual medley, echoed his words, telling Reuters: "Every time I swim, every time I jump in the pool, I'm thinking about the people of Palestine, their struggles. And I just want to represent them in the best way possible." Al-Bawwab said he did not expect recognition for his performance in the pool, which saw him post one of the slowest times in the 100-metre backstroke heats. "Other athletes are here to talk about their medals and their times, but nobody cares about my medals, my times," he said. "I'm here to talk about a war going on in my country. It's unfortunate, but this is my role and I'm very proud to carry the flag and send this message to the world." >>
Source incl. video:
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240808-our-way-of-showing-resistance-olympians-raise-flag-of-palestine-at-paris-games

Le Monde - August 8, 2024 - By Ghazal Golshiri and Hélène Sallon (Beirut (Lebanon) correspondent)
<<Diplomatic efforts intensify to avoid regional war between Israel and Iran
Tehran still promises a 'firm' response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, but hints that a condemnation of Israel by the UN Security Council could obviate the need for a military response. Iran came to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, August 7, seeking the support of Muslim countries in the escalation pitting it against Israel. Along with Palestine, it had requested an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in response to the death of Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Tehran, in a strike attributed to Israel. Saudi Arabia, leader of the Sunni Muslim world, gave Iran its approval, emerging from the silence it had observed since the death of the Hamas leader to join in the condemnations of the OIC member countries. "Ismail Haniyeh's assassination is a flagrant violation of Iran's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, as well as international law and the United Nations Charter, which threatens to destabilize the region," denounced Saudi diplomacy. Iran has been looking for such support ever since the humiliating attack on the heart of its capital. Although Tehran has promised to inflict a <firm> response on Israel to restore its deterrence, the government is making a diplomatic solution a priority. The country does not want to be drawn into an open war with Israel, which could compromise its rapprochement with the Arab countries and its efforts to break out of its international isolation.
Israel's condemnation
Since July 31, the Islamic Republic has struggled to defend the legality of its potential retaliation under international law and to isolate Israel diplomatically. "If the United States and Western countries want to prevent war and insecurity in the region they should immediately stop selling arms and supporting the Zionist regime," urged Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a conversation with Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, according to the Iranian presidency. Tehran "should also commit to calling the destabilizing actors that it supports to the greatest restraint to avoid a conflagration," the French president argued, calling for an end to "the logic of retaliation." "A condemnation of Israel on the international stage would be a major victory for Iran, much more so than targeting an Israeli base," said Hamidreza Azizi, a researcher at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin. Denouncing a violation of its sovereignty and a threat to regional and international peace and security, Iran invoked its "inherent right to self-defense as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations." As it had already done in April, before leading a full-scale offensive against Israel in response to the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus (which killed high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Guards), Tehran hinted that a condemnation of Israel by the UN Security Council would eliminate the need for a military response. However, no such condemnation was forthcoming. Washington has only denied any involvement in the death of the leader of Hamas - an organization classified as terrorist by the US and the European Union - to avoid exposing itself to reprisals against its bases in Iraq and Syria.>>
Read more here:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/08/08/diplomatic-efforts-intensify-to-avoid-regional-war-between-israel-and-iran_6711465_4.html

France 25 - August 8, 2024 - Video by: Nadia MASSIH
<Two-time olympian swimmer from Palestine Yazan Al Bawwab hopes to help build sports venues
Yazan Al Bawwab is a swimmer and one of eight athletes representing Palestine at the Paris 2024 Olympics. When he swam the 100m backstroke, he was wearing the Palestinian flag on his chest and his bathing cap. "It is an honor to raise it in a country that doesn't recognize it" he said to FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih.>>
Source incl. video:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240808-two-time-olympian-swimmer-yazan-al-bawwab-hopes-to-help-build-sports-venus

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