SPECIAL REPORTS PALESTINE

FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA - FREE PALESTINE
 July wk4 P3 -- July wk4 P2 -- July wk 4 -- July wk 4to3 -- July wk3 P3 -- July wk3 P2 --  July wk3 -- July wk2 P3 -- July wk2 P2 -- July wk2 -- July wk1 P3 --   Click here for an overview by week in 2024
 

Special reports: TRIBUTES TO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN 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?

July 26 - 23, 2024 Note by Gino d'Artali: Normally I quote some latest news headlines here but... I, and with many I'm sure, simply say "Not in my name." Read the latest news below.

July 23 - 22, 2024 Editorial note: we all know that the genocide continues but... please do read all about the actual news and facts and especially do read to the end that really calls out to end it NOW!

July 22 - 19, 2024 <<International Court of Justice calls on Israel to end occupation of Palestinian territories 'as rapidly as possible' and other actual news below but most with a 'give way or go away' yell! 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 - July 26, 2024 - by NEWS WIRES
<<Kamala Harris moves the dial on Gaza after 'frank' talks with Netanyahu
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Kamala Harris insisted she would "not be silent" on the ongoing suffering in the Gaza Strip after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Her remarks signal a major shift in US policy on the war in Gaza. While outgoing President Joe Biden has for the most part maintained an amiable relationship with Netanyahu, Harris said she pressed the Israeli premier to end the "dire humanitarian situation" and "finalise" a peace deal. Kamala Harris signaled a major shift on US Gaza policy Thursday, with the presidential hopeful telling Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to seal a peace deal and insisting she would not be "silent" on the suffering in the Palestinian enclave. Ripping up outgoing President Joe Biden's playbook of mostly behind-the-scenes pressure on Israel, the vice president said after meeting Netanyahu that it was time to end the "devastating" war. "What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,> Harris told reporters. "We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent." The 59-year-old now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee after Biden said over the weekend he would not stand in November's election - said she pressed Netanyahu on the dire situation in the "frank" meeting. She said she "expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there." Biden, for his part, held Oval Office talks with Netanyahu and called on him to swiftly <finalize> a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, and "reach a durable end to the war in Gaza," according to a White House readout of the meeting.
'Get this deal done'
Harris also called for the establishment of a Palestinian state and, similar to Biden, urged both Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal to end the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. "As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done," she said. Harris's outspoken comments were a stark contrast to the largely amiable greetings between Biden and Netanyahu earlier in the day, even if it masked months of tensions between the two men as well as questions over the US president's relevance.>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240726-kamala-harris-moves-the-dial-on-gaza-after-frank-talks-with-netanyahu


Toll of Palestinians killed so far
Jinha - Womens News Agency - July 25, 2024
<<At least 39,175 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct.7
At least 30 Palestinians were killed and 146 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, the Gaza's health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
News Center- The Gaza's health ministry has issued a written statement, updating the number of Palestinians killed and injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. At least 39,175 Palestinians have been killed, 90,403 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the ministry said on Thursday, adding that at least 30 Palestinians were killed and 146 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. According to the statement, there are many bodies under rubble and the civil defense crews cannot reach them due to ongoing Israeli attacks.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/at-least-39-175-palestinians-killed-in-israeli-attacks-on-gaza-since-oct-7-35434


humanitarian situation is beyond catastrophic
Jinha - Womens News Agency - July 25, 2024
<<'The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is beyond catastrophic'
<The humanitarian situation is beyond catastrophic,> said the statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the situation in the Gaza Strip.
News Center- UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell released a statement on Wednesday on the situation in the Gaza Strip. <With each passing week, children and families face new horrors in the Gaza Strip. The devastating attacks on schools and internally displaced sites continue, reportedly killing hundreds more Palestinians, many of them women and children, and leaving already overwhelmed hospitals buckling under the strain.> Doctors and nurses with no resources, struggling to save lives. Thousands of boys and girls are sick, hungry, injured, or separated from their families, Catherine Russell said, stressing that they see children who withstood previous injuries only to be hurt again. <As families are repeatedly forced to move to escape the immediate violence, the humanitarian situation is beyond catastrophic.> The violence and deprivation are leaving permanent scars on their vulnerable bodies and minds. And now, with a breakdown in sanitation and sewage treatment, the polio virus joins the list of threats, especially for the thousands of unvaccinated children, the statement said.
'The dire situation and attacks against humanitarian personnel continue to obstruct our efforts'
<Humanitarian agencies, including UNICEF, are doing everything we can to respond, but the dire situation and attacks against humanitarian personnel continue to obstruct our efforts. Just yesterday, a clearly marked UNICEF vehicle was hit by bullets while waiting at a designated holding point near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. It was one of two vehicles on the way to pick up five young children to reunite them with their father after their mother was killed. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the team managed to reunite the family. Simply put - we do not have the necessary conditions in the Gaza Strip for a robust humanitarian response. The flow of aid must be unimpeded and access must be regular and safe.>
At least aid workers killed in Gaza
According to the statement, at least 278 aid workers in the Gaza Strip have been killed since October 7, 2023. <We need an immediate improved security environment, including security for aid delivery trucks, to allow aid workers to safely reach the communities they intend to serve.> >>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/the-humanitarian-situation-in-the-gaza-strip-is-beyond-catastrophic-35430

France 25 - July 24, 2024 - by NEWS WIRES
<<Wave of protests break out in Washington DC ahead of Netanyahu speech
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week has kicked off a wave of protests in the nation's capital. Police on Tuesday cracked down on Jewish Voice for Peace demonstrators who staged a sit-in at a congressional office building ahead of Netanyahu's address to Congress on Wednesday, and in protest at President Joe Biden's continued military support of Israel. Protesters against the Gaza war staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress, with Capitol Police making multiple arrests. Netanyahu arrived in Washington Monday for a visit that includes meetings with President Joe Biden and a Wednesday speech before a joint session of Congress. Dozens of protesters rallied outside his hotel Monday evening, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators staged a flashmob-style protest in the Cannon Building, which houses offices of House of Representatives members. Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters wearing red T-shirts that read "Not In Our Name" took over the building's rotunda, sitting on the floor, unfurling signs and chanting "Let Gaza Live!" After about a half-hour of clapping and chanting, officers from the US Capitol Police issued several warnings, then began arresting protesters - binding their hands with zip ties and leading them away one-by-one. <I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors and I know what a Holocaust looks like,> said Jane Hirschmann, a native of Saugerties, New York, who drove down for the protest along with her two daughters - both of whom were arrested. <When we say 'Never Again,' we mean never for anybody.> The demonstrators focused much of their ire on the Biden administration, demanding that the president immediately cease all arms shipments to Israel. <We're not focusing on Netanyahu. He's just a symptom,> Hirschmann said. <But how can (Biden) be calling for a cease-fire when he's sending them bombs and planes?> As of 8 p.m. Tuesday night, the Capitol Police said they did not have a final tally of the number of people arrested. But JVP claimed in a statement that 400 people, <including over a dozen rabbis,> had been arrested. Mitchell Rivard, chief of staff for Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., said in a statement that his office called for Capitol Police intervention after the demonstrators <became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office.> Kildee later told The Associated Press that he was confused why his office was targeted, saying he had voted against a massive supplemental military aid package to Israel earlier this year. Netanyahu's American visit has touched off a wave of protest activity, with some demonstrations condemning Israel and others expressing support but pressuring Netanyahu to strike a cease-fire deal and bring home the hostages still being held by Hamas. Families of some of the remaining hostages held a protest vigil Tuesday evening on the National Mall, demanding that Netanyahu come to terms with Hamas and bring home the approximately 120 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza. About 150 people wearing yellow shirts that read "Seal the Deal NOW!" chanted "Bring Them Home" and listened to testimonials from relatives and former hostages. The demonstrators applauded when Biden's name was mentioned, but several criticized Netanyahu - known by his nickname <Bibi> - on the belief that he was dragging his feet or playing hardball on a proposed cease-fire deal that would return all of the hostages. "I'm begging Bibi. There's a deal on the table and you have to take it," said Aviva Siegel, 63, who spent 51 days in captivity and whose husband, Keith, remains a hostage. "I want Bibi to look in my eyes and tell me one thing: that Keith is coming home." Multiple protests are planned for Wednesday, when Netanyahu is slated to address Congress. In anticipation, police have significantly boosted security around the Capitol building and closed multiple roads for most of the week. Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet Thursday, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the White House announcement. Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet with Netanyahu separately that day. Harris, as Senate president, would normally sit behind foreign leaders addressing Congress, but she’ll be away Wednesday, on an Indianapolis trip scheduled before Biden withdrew his reelection bid and she became the likely Democratic presidential candidate over the weekend. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would meet with Netanyahu on Friday.
(AP)>>
Source incl. video:
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240724-multiple-arrests-at-mass-protest-against-us-military-aid-to-israel-and-netanyahu-visit

The Guardian - July 24, 2024 - by Thaslima Begum in Cairo
<<'Life has come to a standstill': the Palestinian refugees struggling to survive in Egypt
Israel's war in Gaza has caused 100,000 Palestinians to cross the border into Egypt, where they have been unable to work or send their children to school, all while living in overcrowded accommodation. On the afternoon of 7 October, Nour Shahtout was busy doing her homework, when she received a text message from school, telling students not to come in the next day. She hasn't been back since. <At the time, I thought I had the day off and could hang out with my friends,> says the 18-year-old. <Little did I know, everything was about to change.> Two weeks later, Shahtout's family home in Tel al-Hawa, a neighbourhood in the south of Gaza City, was bombed in an Israeli airstrike. <We had only 10 minutes to evacuate,> she recalls. <I grabbed my laptop, charger and as many books as I could fit into my bag.> Shahtout, a high-achieving student, had plans to study ICT and business at Al-Azhar University. <But the following month, the IDF destroyed that too,> she says. The family evacuated to Khan Younis but the bombs followed. Over the next few months, they moved from one tent to the next, fled one city to the next, until they realised there was no safe place left in the Gaza Strip. After selling everything they owned to pay for their passage out, the family crossed into Egypt in March, like some 100,000 other Palestinians who have been able to get out of Gaza since the start of the conflict. <I don't like it here, I miss my friends and I want to go home,> says Shahtout, sitting cross-legged on a worn, blue rug in a one-bedroom apartment shared by two families. <I am stuck in this one room all day, where there is no space or privacy,> she adds. <I want to study and complete my degree but life has come to a standstill.> The small living room serves as a bedroom for Shahtout, her parents and two brothers, with two large sofas, a table and a battered mattress leaning against one of the walls; Shahtout's school books are piled in one corner. Most Gazan evacuees have paid thousands of dollars in bribes to leave the besieged territory but their legal status in Egypt gives them few means of supporting themselves. Without documentation, they cannot work, or enrol their children in schools, open bank accounts or travel. Unlike in neighbouring countries, the UN has not taken responsibility for Palestinians who have reached Egypt. Finding housing to rent has been difficult for families, who are often unable to pay deposits and say they feel a certain prejudice from Egyptian landlords. Expired 45-day visas also mean many are living in fear of being fined or arrested. The Palestinian embassy in Egypt is seeking temporary residency permits for Gazans, which could ease conditions for them until the war is over. In an interview, Diab al-Louh, the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, stressed that those who had recently arrived have no plans to settle in Egypt and that residency permits would be for legal and humanitarian purposes. <We are talking about a category of people in an exceptional situation,> said al-Louh. <We have confidence that our Egyptian brothers will understand this. They have already provided a lot.> Majdi Omran, 28, from Khan Younis, has been living in a hospital since arriving in Egypt. In February, Omran and his two brothers went out to find food for their families when their car was hit by an Israeli missile. His brothers were killed instantly. Omran lost his left leg, and his rib and lower back were severely fractured. Omran was evacuated from Gaza two weeks later, along with his wife and four children, and taken to hospital in Cairo, where they have been ever since. <There are days when I feel that life is no longer worth living,> says Omran, from his hospital bed. <I am grateful that my family is alive and here with me, but I have no idea how I will support them in the future.> The hospital has provided an extra bed, where Omran's wife and two-year-old twins sleep; the other children sleep on the floor. <We are being pressured to leave but there is nowhere for us to go,> he says. <Living here is difficult but at least there is some sense of security; outside I don't know how we will cope.> To address the housing crisis among displaced Palestinians, regional charity Al Amal has stepped in to raise funds to help families find suitable homes and help with rent. These families don't want charity, they just want the chance to live a dignified life. Both the Shahtout and Omran families are on Al Amal's waiting list. The charity has partnered with the Canadian agency SpotNoor to help with marketing and fundraising and has attracted volunteers from around the world. It has helped more than 200 families since March - raising more than £220,000. On a sweltering hot afternoon in downtown Cairo, a red pickup truck blasting shaabi tunes comes to a halt. Young volunteers pile out, carrying cardboard food boxes. Among them is Mohammad Mustafa, 20, who arrived from Ohio last month and has been helping Palestinian families move into their new homes, assembling furniture and delivering vital food packages. He says he felt <powerless> watching the humanitarian disaster from home. <The world has become so used to Palestinians being dehumanised, we expect them to live in tents and eat from cans, although even these very basics aren't available in Gaza right now,> Mustafa says. At the home of Asma Muhammad, a young mother who has just found a rental flat with the help of Al Amal, the volunteers are bringing in mattresses. Muhammad's three young children jump excitedly from one bed to another.
<This really means the world to them,> Muhammad says. <We've been sleeping on floors and sofas since we arrived. The kids are traumatised and miss their father. Hopefully this provides some sense of normality until things get better.> The family - from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza - arrived in Egypt in March, leaving the children's father behind. Later that afternoon, Hasan Hallal, who is managing the Al Amal campaign, receives a phone call. He has secured a flat for the Omran family and they can move in immediately. <This is the most fulfilling part of what we do,> he says. <It's more than just a home, it's a lifeline.> Rent will be covered by Al Amal until the family can get back on its feet. <These families don't want charity, they just want the chance to live a dignified life,> says Hallal. <We will never be able to give them back what they have lost - the least we can do is put a proper roof over their heads.> >>
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jul/24/life-has-come-to-a-standstill-the-palestinian-refugees-struggling-to-survive-in-egypt.htm

Al Jazeera - July 24, 2024
<<Displaced Palestinians sleep on steps of Gaza's Nasser Hospital
Dozens of Palestinians are sleeping on the steps outside Gaza's Nasser Hospital saying they have no other place to go after Israel launched an assault on Khan Younis.>>
Source incl. video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/7/24/displaced-palestinians-sleep-on-steps-of-gazas-nasser-hospital


Al Jazeera - July 24, 2024
<<Photos: Protesters rally in Washington, DC before Netanyahu speech
Thousands gather in Washington, DC, to protest against Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the US Congress. Thousands of protesters gathered on Wednesday within sight of the US Capitol building, denouncing Israel's war in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hours before he was set to address members of Congress. Protesters carrying signs that read "arrest Netanyahu" and "end all US aid to Israel" shouted "Free, free Palestine" a day after a sit-in at a congressional office building that ended with several arrests. Protest leaders said six intersections leading to the Capitol have been "claimed by the Palestinian people". Organisers had said in advance that they would try to block Netanyahu’s route to the building.
Zeina Hutchinson, director of development for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, read off the names of several Palestinian journalists killed by the Israeli military. "We protest this homicidal maniac, his supporters and his enablers," she shouted from the stage. "And we demand his arrest." >>
Source incl. photos:
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/7/24/photos-protesters-rally-in-washington-dc-before-netanyahu-speech

France 25 - July 24, 2024 - By: Leela JACINTO
<<From Gaza to China: Where Kamala Harris stands on foreign policy issues
US Vice President Kamala Harris has supported President Joe Biden, a seasoned politician with decades of foreign policy experience, on key international issues. With the former California attorney general and senator set to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, it's time for Harris to set her agenda on vital issues concerning the international community. When Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, the US vice president - who also serves as president of the Senate - will not be in her customary seat on the rostrum, behind the visiting Israeli leader. Kamala Harris will instead be at another event in Indianapolis, addressing a national convention of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, one of the nation's oldest university organisations for African American female students. Senator Benjamin Cardin, a staunchly pro-Israel senator from Maryland, will instead take the US vice president's seat next to House Speaker Mike Johnson as Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to address a joint US Congressional session four times - pulling ahead of Britain's Winston Churchill, at three. Harris's team informed the US Senate she would not preside over Netanyahu's speech before the dramatic developments of the weekend, when President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 White House race, endorsing his 59 year-old vice president as Democratic nominee. Briefing reporters on Monday about the scheduling clash, Harris's aides played down the import of her absence, noting that the vice president will meet Netanyahu separately during his first foreign visit since the October 7 Hamas attack. But with Harris set to clinch the Democratic nomination, her decision to skip Netanyahu’s address has come under intense scrutiny, highlighting the divisions among US voters on the Gaza war in the lead-up to the November presidential election.
Foreign policy is not the strong suit of the woman aiming to be the 47th president of the USA. It's also a particularly fraught issue for Washington's allies as they warily eye US security commitments after Trump picked Senator JD Vance - who has openly touted isolationist foreign policies - as his running mate.
............
'Far greater empathy' for Palestinians
On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, support for a two-state solution and Israel's right to self-defence are continuity positions Harris has held since she was elected to the US Senate from California in 2017. As vice president, Harris has been careful not to contradict Biden's positions on the Israeli assault on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks. But she has pushed the envelope with her starkly forthright condemnations of Palestinian casualties and the <humanitarian catastrophe> in Gaza. At a March 5 event commemorating the 1965 crackdown on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, Harris blasted the inhumane conditions in Gaza, directing the bulk of her comments at the Israeli government. <People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act,> said Harris. <The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses,> she added. A month later, the US vice president once again called on Israel to <do more to protect aid workers> after an Israeli strike on a humanitarian convoy killed seven World Central Kitchen staffers, including a US national. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Jim Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, said he had a phone conversation with Harris in October and that she had demonstrated <far greater empathy> for Palestinians than Biden and other White House aides. An eye on young voters in swing states. Democrats are deeply divided over the Gaza war and dozens of left-wing lawmakers within the party are expected to boycott Netanyahu's speech on Wednesday. These include members of <the squad>, the informal group of young, progressive lawmakers, many of whom - such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - have endorsed Harris's White House bid. With opinion polls over the past few months consistently showing younger Americans to be more pro-Palestinian than their elders, Harris's absence at Netanyahu's address is for <electoral purposes>, according to Ekovich. This is particularly true for a couple of swing states like Michigan, where there's Detroit,> he said, referring to the city's large Arab and African American communities. <In Pennsylvania, we have Philadelphia, which has a large Black population. There is a kind of allergy to Biden's very strong pro-Israeli position in these places.> But while the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate has chosen to skip Netanyahu's address, Ekovich says Harris is unlikely to radically change US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240723-from-gaza-to-china-where-kamala-harris-stands-on-foreign-policy-issues

France 25 - July 24, 2024
<<Israel PM to address US Congress amid tensions with Biden, protests
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to the US Congress Wednesday, seeking to rally support at a time of tensions between his country and its main military backer over the war in Gaza. Highlighting opposition to the Israeli leader, at least 200 people protested against Netanyahu's speech at a building in the US Capitol complex on Tuesday.>>
Source incl. video here:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240724-israel-pm-to-address-us-congress-amid-tensions-with-biden-protests

Le Monde - July 23, 2024 - Le Monde with AFP
<<Hamas announces 'national unity' deal with other key Palestinian organizations
The deal agreed on Tuesday in Beijng will create a model to rule Gaza together once the war ends.
Hamas announced Tuesday, July 23, it had signed an agreement in Beijing with other Palestinian organizations including rivals Fatah to work together for <national unity,> with China describing it as a deal to rule Gaza together once the war ends. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who hosted senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk, Fatah envoy Mahmud al-Aloul and emissaries from 12 other Palestinian groups, said they had agreed to set up an <interim national reconciliation government> to govern post-war Gaza. <Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it,> Abu Marzuk said after meeting Wang and the other envoys. China has sought to play a mediator role in the conflict, which has been rendered even more complex due to the intense rivalry between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, which partially governs the occupied West Bank. While it is unclear whether the deal announced in Beijing on Tuesday can hold, it does indicate that the only world power that can engineer a rapprochement between the Palestinian rivals is China. As Tuesday's meeting wrapped up in Beijing, Wang said the groups had committed to <reconciliation.> <The most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government around the governance of post-war Gaza,> Wang said after the factions signed the <Beijing declaration> in the Chinese capital. <Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community,> Wang said. Fatah official Mahmoud al-Aloul thanked China for its <unending support> for the Palestinian cause. <To China, you have our love, you have all our friendship, from all the Palestinian people,> he said. Notably, he did not mention whether any agreement had been reached with Hamas and the other factions. Also present at Tuesday's meeting were envoys from Egypt, Algeria and Russia, according to Wang. Egypt, which neighbors Israel and Gaza, is a key mediator in the conflict. Algeria is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and has drafted resolutions on the war. And while Western powers have sought to isolate Russia over its Ukraine invasion, China has maintained its strategic partnership with Moscow.
'Peace and stability'
China, Wang said, was keen to <play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East.> He also called for a <comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire>, as well as efforts to promote Palestinian self-governance and full recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN. Hamas and Fatah have been bitter rivals since Hamas fighters ejected Fatah from the Gaza Strip after deadly clashes that followed Hamas's resounding victory in a 2006 election. Fatah controls the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Several reconciliation bids have failed, but calls have grown since the Hamas October attack and nine-month war in Gaza, with violence also soaring in the West Bank where Fatah is based. China hosted Fatah and Hamas in April but a meeting scheduled for June was postponed. China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Partner service China has positioned itself as a more neutral actor on the Israel-Palestinian conflict than its rival the United States, advocating for a two-state solution while also maintaining good ties with Israel. And it has sought to play a greater role in the Middle East in recent years, facilitating last year's historic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Le Monde with AFP>>
Source:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/07/23/hamas-announces-national-unity-deal-with-other-key-palestinian-organizations_6695135_4.html


Mother with child
Le Monde - July 23, 2024
<<Director of the Super-Novae NGO: 'Objectively, the entire Gaza Strip is destroyed'
Alexandre Chatillon describes survival conditions in the enclave, which he visited in early July.
Interview by Madjid Zerrouky
A former diplomat, Alexandre Chatillon heads the NGO Super-Novae. Funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it opened an office in Gaza in 2023 to help women find employment and enter the job market. Since October 7, 2023, it has been providing assistance to these displaced women, organizing psychological support and raising awareness of violence against women in refugee camps. It also finances activities for children. On his return from Gaza City, where he visited in early July, he bears witness to the agony of the Palestinian territory. What's the situation in the Gaza Strip, with the Israeli army stepping up its incursions and forcing thousands of inhabitants to move every day? We can no longer access Rafah, in the south. The neighborhood where I stayed in March has been ravaged. The whole south of the Strip is a field of ruins. I was able to access Deir al-Balah and Gaza City. Humanitarian aid is concentrated in a very small area, at the mercy of Israeli attacks. We are supposed to benefit from a <deconfliction> mechanism. A UN platform allows us to locate the houses we are staying in and report our movements, which are sent to the Israeli authorities for approval. They are supposed to call us to evacuate us if they intervene in the area. In reality, this never happens. Protecting humanitarians is not an issue for the Israeli army. People have been coming since October [2023]. Often, they've already moved once, twice, three times. The camps for the displaced are now organized, and it feels like it's going to take a long time. In the south, the entire population is parked in the humanitarian zone, which is 4 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide. Demographic pressure is colossal in such a small area.
Refugees are still living under fire and witnessing a collapse in security. What's the latest?
The first permanent source of insecurity is bombing. The humanitarian zone was supposed to be a protected area, but as we saw in Nuseirat on July 15, a strike aimed at Hamas's supposed number 2 killed a hundred people. When I'm in Gaza City and I ask people why they don't go south, the answer is always the same: Why go there and still get bombed? They'd rather stay at home. All the people in the south are dreaming of a truce so they can go back up north, where 350,000 people still live. But for the moment, those who try to cross are being shot at by the Israelis. People were killed the day before I arrived. While many remain hopeful - and fortunately so from a psychological point of view - objectively, the entire Gaza Strip is destroyed. It will be decades before people can be properly rehoused. Generations will be lost.>>
Read more here:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/07/23/director-of-the-super-novae-ngo-objectively-the-entire-gaza-strip-is-destroyed_6695567_4.html

 Women's Liberation Front 2019/cryfreedom.net 2024