SPECIAL REPORTS

Sept wk4 -- Sept wk3 P3 --   Sept wk 3 P2 -- Sept wk3 -- Sept wk2 P3 -- Sept wk2 P2 -- Sept wk2 -- Sept wk1 P3 -- Sept wk1 P2 -- Sept wk1 -- Click here for an overview by week in 2024

 

Special reports: TRIBUTES TO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN   a   NEW: September 11, 2024: Nour, A midwife in Gaza Sept. 4, 2024: "He can't move at all": A Gaza mother's agony over baby with polio... and September 3, 2024: 'Tragic childhood': Gaza children vaccinated against polio, war continues...   Shoroughs' family August 12, 2024: 'Part of me is missing': How Israel's war on Gaza tears spouses apart earlier stories: 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 daughterNimah 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: UPDATE: September 4, 2024: Gaza is hell for aid workers doubly difficult if you are a woman.   July 12, 2024: Scorched Hospitals - Schools -  Housing - Bodies -- fake or fact?

September 21 - 19, 2024 One question: With the hate and violence against Arab and Muslim communities obviously being on the top-agenda of the Western allies and people, with israel leading, the question is if guantanamo-bay will be re-opened be it now to bring the guilty-ones of the genocide ("several thousand dead, over 11,355 of them are minors...") to justice?. Gino d'Artali Read more below

September 19 - 13, 2024 <<The Middle East doesn't need another war... Food for thought: Really? Well, if something (-one) will trigger it it'll be by the use of pagers as genocidal bombs i.e. another form of 'Zyklon B' as a weapon in Muslim-genocidal warfare.   and still yes do find more killing reports and other actual news Click here to go throughout September and earler, 2024

Additional stories of utmost interest: August 28, 2024: <<Creating hope for Gaza's student doctors amid Israeli bombardment... August 20, 2024: <<Palestinians are being dehumanised to justify occupation and genocide... and August 18, 2024 <<Solidarity with Palestine must be about decolonisation, not just ceasefire...

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

Related news: August 12, 2024 Israel's "blatant act of intimidation and incitement" August 2 - July 21, 2024 Is Western journalism as envisioned dead and other stories   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.




Le Monde - Sept 21, 2024 - By Madjid Zerrouky
<<Gaza's Health Ministry reveals names of several thousand dead, over 11,355 of them are minors
Published on September 16, the 649-page document lists the deaths identified by the local Ministry of Health as of August 31, classified by age.
"Five minutes after getting the birth certificate, I was getting their death certificates." On August 13, Muhammad Abu al-Qumsan, 33, had barely left the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where he had just registered his twins, when he received a phone call asking him to turn back. On the spot, he discovered the bodies of his two children, Aseel and Aser, a boy and a girl born three days earlier and killed in the bombardment of their building in the city of Deir al-Balah, home to some of the 2 million Gazans displaced by the war. "I found them in a cold room, in the morgue," he testified tearfully, filmed from a hospital corridor.
Aseel and Aser Abu al-Qumsan, identity numbers 470333964 and 470333980, are among the 710 children under the age of 1 who have died in Gaza since the start of the war, among a list of 34,344 Gazans who have lost their lives under the bombardments and have been identified by the local Ministry of Health as of August 31; 7,613 people, declared dead on arrival at the emergency room, have still not been identified.
First adult on page 215
Published on September 16, the 649-page document lists the dead, classified by age, national identity number, gender and date of birth. From Noura Walid Abdelsalam Shahine, "0 years old," born on January 1, 2023, to Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Tahraoui, "101 years old," born on January 1, 1922. It highlights the heavy toll among those under 18: 11,355 identified dead. It takes 115 pages before the identity of the first 10-year-old child appears; the first adult, an 18-year-old girl, does not appear until page 215. In March, Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, sounded the alarm at the death toll among the youngest children, which he described as "staggering." "The number of children reported killed in just over 4 months in Gaza is higher than the number of children killed in 4 years of wars around the world combined. This war is a war on children," denounced Lazzarini. "It is a war on their childhood and their future." While the list published by the Ministry of Health on September 16 does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, over 60% of the dead are under 18, or over 60 or female. Since the start of the war, the Gaza Strip's Ministry of Health's assessments have been regularly called into question by the Israeli authorities, who accuse Hamas of manipulating or even inflating the figures. The only source that establishes the assessments is the Ministry of Health in the Palestinian territory, placed de facto under the tutelage of the Islamist movement, which has administered the enclave since 2007. The Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, in the West Bank, also claims the daily reports are accurate. It pays the salaries of the civil servants who compile the data in Gaza and is responsible for monitoring it. On August 15, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said <more than 17,000 terrorists> had been killed in the Gaza Strip. No further details were given. The army did not respond to requests for comment from Le Monde. In May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced <the death of 14,000 terrorists> and <about 16,000 civilians.> >>
Read more here:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/09/21/gaza-s-health-ministry-reveals-names-of-several-thousand-dead-over-11-355-of-them-are-minors_6726814_4.html

Al Jazeera - September 21, 2024
<<Death toll from Israeli strike on Beirut suburb rises to 31
Children, women among victims of attack which Israel says targeted members of Hezbollah's Radwan special forces unit.
The death toll from an Israeli air attack in Beirut's southern suburbs has risen to 31 people, including three children and seven women, Lebanon's health minister says. The strike, which wrecked two buildings in the Lebanese capital's Dahiya district during rush hour on Friday, also injured 68 people, Health Minister Firass Abiad told a news conference on Saturday. The three children killed were aged four, six and 10, according to Abiad, who also said two people were in critical condition. Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh told Al Jazeera Arabic that the bombing of a residential building constituted a "war crime" and that Israel was "dragging the region into a war". He said 23 people were still missing under the rubble. Israel's military said it carried out a <targeted strike> against senior members of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Forces in the Beirut suburb.
Hezbollah confirmed that two of its top commanders, Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmad Mahmoud Wahabi, along with 12 other members, were killed in the attack. In July, an Israeli air strike killed Fuad Shukr, the group's top military commander. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Lebanon had entered a "decisive" phase after the attack on the residential suburb, telling a news conference on Saturday that everything must be done to prevent further violations of Lebanese territory and avoid further deterioration of the security situation. The air attack on the densely populated area followed explosions of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was also blamed on Israel and killed at least 39 people while wounding close to 3,000 others.
What's going to happen next?
Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera's Imran Khan said the city is on edge after the latest attacks, which mark a new chapter in the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah that had so far been confined to border regions. "The big conversation across Lebanon is what's going to happen next. People here aren't really concerned about what Hezbollah does next. They are worried about what Israel is going to do next," he added. The Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the past week have serious implications for international law, said Ibrahim Fraihat, professor of international conflict resolution at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. "What we are seeing in Lebanon takes the disrespect of international humanitarian law to a [new] level," Fraihat told Al Jazeera. "These violations are being normalised by the silence of the West." He warned that the escalation of tensions in Lebanon was bound to divert attention from Gaza, allowing for more human rights violations to take place there. Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi said of the Beirut strike that "Israel knew that there would be civilian casualties and it went ahead and did it anyway. And that's what the Lebanese are saying, that, once again, Israel is acting with absolute immunity."
Top Israeli officials have given indications they are indeed for fiercer conflict with the Lebanese group, which has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israel since October 7, that could stretch deeper into Lebanese territory. <Our goals are clear; our actions speak for themselves,> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after Friday's strike. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant added: <We will continue pursuing our enemies in order to defend our citizens, even in Beirut.> Nearly a year into its war on Gaza, Israel believes it can deal serious damage to the Lebanese group by "doubling down", according to Al Jazeera's Basravi. "They think that forcing Hezbollah through monstering them with military strikes, in multiple areas, on multiple fronts, of varying ferocity, will force it to make some kind of tactical retreat," he added.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/21/death-toll-from-israeli-strike-on-beirut-suburb-rises-to-31

France 24 - Sept 21, 2024
<<Live: Israeli strike on Gaza school shelter leaves multiple dead, say rescuers
Gaza's civil defence agency reported Saturday that an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the Palestinian territory's largest city killed 19 people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah confirmed that its top commander Ahmed Mahmud Wahbi, who oversaw the military operations of its elite Rardwan Force, was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut that resulted in 31 deaths and dozens more wounded, according to Lebanon's health ministry. Summary:
Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli strike Saturday on a school-turned-shelter in the Palestinian territory's largest city killed at least 19 people, including 13 children, while Israeli military claimed it targeted Hamas militants. Lebanon's Hezbollah said Saturday that a second senior commander, Ahmed Mahmud Wahbi, was among 15 fighters killed in an Israeli air raid on its Beirut stronghold the day before. The Israeli military stated that its air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday eliminated Radwan Force chief Ibrahim Aquil as well as other commanders.>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240921-hezbollah-confirms-death-of-top-commander-in-israeli-strike-on-beirut

Al Jazeera - September 20, 2024
<<UN warns escalating Israel-Hezbollah violence risks devastating conflict
At UNSC, UN rights chief says Israel's attacks on Hezbollah devices violated international law and could be a war crime.
A senior United Nations official has told the Security Council that further violence between Israel and Iran-aligned groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon risked igniting a far more damaging conflict. "We risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far," UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the 15-member council on Friday, which met about attacks this week on Hezbollah. "It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy," she said. "I also strongly urge member states with influence over the parties to leverage it now."
As its war in Gaza nears one year old, Israel killed at least 14 people and wounded 66 in an air raid on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday. The Israeli military claimed that a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement were among the dead, and pledged to conduct a new military campaign until it secures the area around the Lebanese border.
Hezbollah has not confirmed the deaths of any commanders on Friday.
Israel's air raid followed two days of attacks in which Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded, killing 37 people and wounding thousands. Those attacks were widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told the Security Council that the attack on Hezbollah communications devices violated international law and could constitute a war crime. Turk said it was "difficult to conceive" how the attacks on Hezbollah's communications devices "could possibly conform with the key principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, under international humanitarian law". He added that he was "appalled" by the attacks using communication devices. "This has unleashed widespread fear, panic and horror among people in Lebanon, already suffering in an increasingly volatile situation since October 2023 and crumbling under a severe and longstanding economic crisis. This cannot be the new normal," he said. Turk called for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation and for those who ordered and carried out the attacks to be held to account. Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told the council that the US expects all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and take all reasonable steps to minimise harm to civilians, especially in densely populated areas. "It is imperative that even as facts emerge about the latest incidents - in which I reiterate, the United States played no role - all parties refrain from any actions which could plunge the region into a devastating war."
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in October in support of Gaza, where Israel is waging a devastating war that has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.
Israel, which last fought an all-out war against Hezbollah 18 years ago, has said it will use force if necessary to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in northern Israel.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/20/un-warns-escalating-israel-hezbollah-violence-risks-devastating-conflict

Le Monde - Sept 20, 2024 - By Helene Sallon (Beirut (Lebanon) correspondent)
<<Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah promises 'hell' to Israel if it invades southern Lebanon
In a televised address on Thursday, the Shiite leader acknowledged that the attack on pagers and hand-held radios had dealt a 'severe blow' to his organization, but insisted that Israel had 'not achieved its objective.' Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did not attempt to downplay the setbacks inflicted on his organization by Israel, but he did dispute their strategic significance in a televised address on Thursday, September 19. In the aftermath of a series of explosions of the Lebanese Shiite party's transmission equipment, which in two days left 37 people dead and almost 3,000 wounded - the majority of which were fighters and employees from its ranks, as well as civilians - Nasrallah recognized Hezbollah had suffered "a severe blow, unprecedented in the history of the resistance, Lebanon and the conflict with Israel," in a speech broadcast live. In response to this "massacre" and this crossing of "all red lines," which could constitute a "declaration of war," Nasrallah promised that Israel would receive "tough retribution and just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not." At the same time, Israeli fighter jets taunted Beirut residents, who were still reeling from the attacks, by crossing the sound barrier and a bombing campaign was launched in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, the most intense to be carried out by the Israeli army since fighting with Lebanon-based Hezbollah began in October 2023. These intimidations and the threats of war made by Israeli officials to induce Hezbollah to cease its attacks on Israel, in support of the Gaza Strip, appeared to have no effect on the Shiite leader's rhetoric. "Whatever the sacrifices, whatever the consequences, whatever may happen, we will not cease our support for Gaza, and Lebanon's front with Israel will not stop until the aggression in Gaza is over," Nasrallah vowed, presenting this support as the main form of resistance to Israel, which seeks to "separate the Lebanese front from that of Gaza."
'Galvanizes us even more'
After hailing the solidarity shown by the Lebanese toward the victims of Tuesday's and Wednesday's attacks, and praising the spirit of resistance of his supporters, Nasrallah gave a full account of the unprecedented lapse in security, with a mixture of self-criticism and justification. He was addressing his detractors as much as his supporters, whose confidence in the movement has been shaken. For political scientist and expert on Hezbollah Chiara Calabrese, "Hezbollah's legitimacy has largely been built, within its base, on the belief that it is the only party capable of protecting it. Its responsibility is at stake. These attacks have left the impression that Israel, with its enormous technological advantage, can do anything without Hezbollah noticing it." >>
Source:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/09/20/hezbollah-chief-hassan-nasrallah-promises-hell-to-israel-if-it-invades-southern-lebanon_6726724_4.html

Al Jazeera - September 20, 2024
<<Israeli forces kill dozens across Gaza as tanks advance deeper into Rafah
At least 13 people, including children, were killed in Israeli attacks on two homes in Rafah, medical sources say. Israeli forces have killed at least 27 Palestinians in tank and air attacks across Gaza, as tanks advanced further into northwest Rafah near the border with Egypt. The unrelenting Israeli attacks in the enclave continued on Friday, even as a parallel conflict in the Lebanon-Israel border area involving Hamas's allies Hezbollah intensified. In the southern city of Rafah, at least 13 Palestinians, including three children, were killed in Israeli air raids on two residential properties in the Mesbah area, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said the two properties were completely destroyed in the attack. "Civil defence crews are scrambling to reach the scene of the attack as fighting between Hamas and Israel rages in the area," he said. "There are still people buried in the debris." Tanks advanced further to the northwest area of Rafah backed by aircraft, residents told the Reuters news agency. Heavy fire and explosions echoed in the eastern areas of the city, where Israeli forces blew up several houses, according to residents and Hamas media. "Our fighters are engaged in fierce gun battles against Israeli forces, who advanced into Tanour neighbourhood in Rafah," Hamas's armed wing said in a statement. Separately, Palestinian health officials said shelling by Israeli tanks killed eight people and wounded several others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central area of Gaza, and six others were killed in an air raid on a house in Gaza City. In the northern town of Beit Hanoon, an Israeli attack on a car killed and wounded several Palestinians, medics said.
The Israeli military has said that forces operating in Rafah have killed hundreds of Palestinian fighters, located tunnels and explosives and destroyed military infrastructure in the last few weeks. The United States and mediators Qatar and Egypt have attempted to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas for months, but have failed to bring about a final agreement. Two obstacles have been especially difficult - Israel's demand that it keep forces in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt, and the specifics of an exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel's latest war on Gaza began after October 7, when Hamas fighters entered Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 captives, according to Israeli tallies. Since then Israel has been relentlessly attacking the enclave, killing more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to allegations of genocide at the World Court, which Israel has denied.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/20/israeli-forces-kill-dozens-across-gaza-as-tanks-advance-deeper-into-rafah


Cartoon
Al Jazeera - September 20, 2024
<<Lawmaker criticises US silence on thousands killed in Gaza
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib criticised her colleagues' silence on the thousands killed in Israel's war on Gaza after a 600-page document with the names of Palestinians killed was made public.>>
View video here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/9/20/lawmaker-criticises-us-silence-on-thousands-killed-in-gaza


NGOs call on all UN Member States
Jinha - Womens News Agency - Sept 20 , 2024
<<NGOs call on all UN Member States to comply with ICJ Advisory Opinion
NGOs urge all states, including UN Security Council members, to adhere to the ICJ’s advisory opinion, which suggests states halt the transfer and sale of weapons and ammunition to Israel.
News Center- A coalition of humanitarian, development and human rights organizations urged all states, including UN Security Council members, to adhere to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which suggests states halt the transfer and sale of weapons and ammunition to Israel. In a joint statement, 34 human rights and aid organizations highlighted the humanitarian consequences of Israel's occupation, the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s occupation, and its devastating impact on the Palestinian population, including the well-being of children, including;
· the use of weapons, by Israeli forces and settlers in attacks, including in apparent violations of international law, resulting in the killing and permanent disabilities of Palestinian civilians, including children, and instances of gender based violence;
· the arbitrary detention and systematic prosecution of Palestinians, including children, in Israeli military courts, often held in horrific conditions;
· the forced displacement of Palestinians through demolitions of Palestinian homes and property, Israeli settlement expansion, Israeli settler violence, and so-called <evacuation> orders amid Israeli bombardment in Gaza;
· a discriminatory permit regime that denies freedom of movement to Palestinians, depriving them of basic services, including vital medical assistance.
"These practices have taken place without accountability for decades, but the intensification over the last 11 months has led to a staggering humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, fuelled by the virtually unconditional supply of weapons, parts, and ammunition," the statement said, adding:
"More than 40,000 people in Gaza have been killed, and tens of thousands face life-altering injuries and potentially irreversible mental harm, including as a result of apparent violations of IHL. Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank is deteriorating at a rapid pace, with large-scale Israeli military ground incursions and airstrikes killing and injuring people almost every day this year. The violence and restrictions under Israeli occupation have rendered the mandates of humanitarian, human rights, and development organizations almost impossible to fulfill."
The organizations urged all governments, including UN Security Council members, to adhere to the ICJ's advisory opinion, which suggests states halt the transfer and sale of weapons and ammunition to Israel, stressing that failure to adhere to the opinion would undermine international law and institutions.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/ngos-call-on-all-un-member-states-to-comply-with-icj-advisory-opinion-35699?page=1

Al Jazeera - September 20, 2024
<<Israeli soldiers filmed pushing bodies off roof in deadly West Bank assault
Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes the act as a ‘crime’ that exposes the Israeli military's 'brutality'.
Israeli forces killed at least seven Palestinians in a raid on the occupied West Bank town of Qabatiya, with video footage showing soldiers pushing what appeared to be dead bodies off a rooftop. The military stormed Qabatiya on Thursday, backed by bulldozers, fighter jets and drones in an hours-long assault, with Palestinian news agency Wafa confirming on Friday that seven people had been killed. Video footage verified by Al Jazeera showed soldiers pushing apparently lifeless individuals off the rooftop of a building that they had earlier surrounded and attacked with antitank rifle grenades, one soldier clearly seen kicking one of the bodies until it fell over the edge.
In a post on X, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the act as a "crime" that exposes the Israeli army's "brutality".
Wafa reported on Friday that the Israeli army had thrown three men off the building, having earlier shot them on the rooftop, a military bulldozer later taking their bodies away. Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, told Al Jazeera that the footage had shown "absolutely savage and inhuman behaviour". Barghouti said he was not sure if the soldiers had checked if the people they threw from the roof "were still alive or not".
Under international law, soldiers are supposed to ensure that bodies, including those of enemy fighters, are treated decently.
The Israeli military, which claims it killed four Palestinian gunmen during the clashes, acknowledged the video evidence of the abuses, saying that the incident was <under review>. <This is a serious incident that is not in line with [Israeli army] values and what is expected of [Israeli army] soldiers,> it said in a statement.
Shawan Jabarin, director of Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, said he was doubtful Israel would properly investigate the incident. "The most that will happen is that soldiers will be disciplined, but there will be no real investigation and no real prosecution," said Jabarin. "The footage we've seen is horrific and it’s making the rounds here in Palestine. But ultimately, Palestinians are not surprised. Israel has a track record of disrespecting the bodies of the Palestinians they kill," said Leila Warah, reporting from Ramallah, as raids across the territory were ongoing on Friday.
Schools siege
The death toll rose to seven after Palestinian Red Crescent teams recovered the body of a Palestinian man, identified as Shadi Sami Zakarneh, from the building that had been besieged by Israeli forces. During the attack on Qabatiya, the Israeli military also bombed a vehicle near a commercial complex in the town, setting it ablaze in an attack that killed two young men, according to Wafa. Medics in the town confirmed another death from "wounds sustained during the Israeli offensive", said the news agency. Eleven were injured by live bullets in the clashes. At least 1,000 children were barricaded in two schools and a kindergarten. The children were eventually evacuated on buses with the help of the Palestinian Red Crescent, but the town remained under siege into the night. Some 200 employees of the Education Directorate were also unable to leave their building as Israeli forces surrounded the compound, Wafa reported. In a brief voice message, a teacher reached by Al Jazeera described "a very dangerous situation around us".
The latest raid came less than a month after Israel staged the deadliest assault on cities in the West Bank since the second Intifada. On August 28, Israeli forces attacked the cities of Tulkarem, Tubas, and Jenin, located in the north of the occupied territory, in raids lasting weeks and killing at least 39 Palestinians.
More than 600 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7 - the deadliest year there since the United Nations began tracking casualties in 2005.
"You cannot say that this is a part of the war because there is no war in the West Bank," said Barghouti. "There is war from one side, military actions from one side on a civilian population.">>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/20/israeli-soldiers-filmed-pushing-bodies-off-rooftop-in-deadly-west-bank-raid

Al Jazeera - September 19, 2024 - By Maziar Motamedi
<<Can Israel fight on two fronts?
Hezbollah is weighing its options after two days of remote attacks targeted its members and civilians.>>
Read more and view video here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2024/9/19/can-israel-fight-on-two-fronts

Al Jazeera - September 19, 2024
<<UN votes against Israel’s occupation of Palestine: Will it change anything?
The resolution orders Israel to vacate occupied Palestinian territory in a year. But its nonbinding nature means that despite an overwhelming majority, the resolution might not change much, analysts say. Most countries have backed a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that sets a deadline for Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory amid rising international criticism of Israel. The resolution, passed on Wednesday, is not legally binding. But it includes stern rebukes of Israel and won the support of many nations in the West that have traditionally backed Israel. It was the first time in the history of the UN that Palestine introduced its own draft resolution for voting in the 193-member General Assembly, thanks to the enhanced rights and privileges it received - still as an observer state - after a resolution in May.
What does the resolution say?
The resolution demands that "Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility, and do so no later than 12 months". The resolution calls for Israel to comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank. It says Israel must return land and other "immovable property" as well as all assets seized since the occupation began in 1967 and all cultural property and assets taken from Palestinians and Palestinian institutions. The resolution also demands Israel allow all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their places of origin and make reparations for the damage caused by its occupation.
What does the underpinning ICJ ruling say?
The UNGA document was based on an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July that declared the occupation illegal and said all states are obliged not to "render aid or assistance in maintaining" it. The world's highest court ruled that Israel is "abusing its status as the occupying power" by building and expanding settlements, using the area's natural resources, annexing and imposing permanent controls over lands, and undermining Palestinians' right to self-determination. The court issued the opinion after it was sought in 2022 by the General Assembly and as the UN and the vast majority of the international community consider the Palestinian territory as Israeli-occupied.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967.
It was forced to withdraw from Gaza under international pressure in 2005 but maintained a land, sea and air blockade over the enclave.
What do the votes show?
The resolution was approved by 124 UN member states with 43 countries abstaining and 14 rejecting it.
Against: The list of those opposed includes Israel and its top ally, the United States. Argentina, which in 2010 had recognised Palestinian statehood, has under current President Javier Milei shifted its stance and grown into one of Israel's staunchest diplomatic supporters. It too opposed the resolution. Paraguay is the only other nation in the Americas that voted against the resolution.
Hungary and the Czech Republic were the only ones to vote no from Europe, joined by Malawi from Africa and multiple Pacific island countries.
For: France, Spain, Finland and Portugal were some of the main European countries to vote in favour. Other prominent backers included Japan, China, Russia and Brazil. Overall, almost all of Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America voted yes.
Abstentions: India's decision to abstain meant that it broke with the rest of the BRICS group of leading Global South countries and with all of South Asia, excluding Nepal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu counts his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, as a close friend. Under Modi - who in 2017 became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel - ties between the nations have grown substantially as New Delhi has slowly drifted away from its traditional, steadfast support for Palestine.
Since the start of the war on Gaza, Israel's Western allies have been mostly abstaining or voting against UN resolutions that seek to protect Palestinians or hold Israel to account. Even watered-down binding resolutions that have been passed by the UN Security Council have not been implemented. Wednesday's vote also had considerably more abstentions than some previous votes, including a Gaza ceasefire vote in the General Assembly in December.
Does Israel's 'right to defend itself' extend to occupation?
All sovereign nations have a right to defend themselves against attacks, an argument that Israel's allies have consistently emphasised to justify the country's killing of tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel.
The US, along with allies that abstained during Wednesday's vote - including Australia, Canada, Germany and Ukraine - said they cannot vote in favour of a resolution that does not spell out Israel's right to defend itself. But they did not explain how the occupation was needed for Israel to defend itself. The US mission to the UN said it believes Israeli settlements in occupied territory are "inconsistent with international law" and Washington "respects" the role of the ICJ but views the document as "a one-sided resolution that selectively interprets the substance of the ICJ's opinion, does not advance what we all want to see, and that is progress toward two states, living in peace, side by side". Washington claimed the resolution advances a <false> idea that a text adopted in New York can resolve the complex conflict.
But UN special rapporteurs, a wide array of experts in international law and a number of countries have asserted that Israel cannot claim it is defending itself as an occupying power that is actively killing Palestinian civilians or depriving them of basic necessities. The ICJ also ruled in an advisory opinion in 2004 that Israel could not invoke the right to self-defence in an occupied territory when the court was reviewing Israel's construction of the separation wall in the West Bank for alleged security purposes. Israel's right to self-defence is a difficult question that remains divisive, according to James Devaney, a senior lecturer of the School of Law at the University of Glasgow. He explained that the ICJ in the past has insisted that states' inherent right to self-defence in international law relates to defence against other states. "While many states express support for a broader right that would allow self-defence also in relation to nonstate actors, the issue of Palestine's statehood is, of course, bound up in such questions. As such, I would say that the question of self-defence is a difficult legal issue that certain states may legitimately disagree on the effects of and may also provide cover for states to vote in a way that aligns with their political positions," Devaney told Al Jazeera.
Will this change anything on the ground?
The nonbinding resolution cannot be enforced and is, therefore, unlikely to change anything for Palestinians in occupied territory in the foreseeable future, analysts said. Devaney said that while the General Assembly resolution sets a deadline for Israel to vacate occupied Palestinian territory, that fact does not change the nonenforceable nature of the resolution. "This 12-month deadline has political significance and may play a role in future political and procedural steps taken at the UN but in my opinion does not change anything in terms of the legal effect of the resolution or the advisory opinion," he said.
Meanwhile, Palestinians continue to be killed, maimed or detained without charge in Gaza and the West Bank on a daily basis, and violence by both the Israeli military and settlers has been sharply increasing.
Israeli forces have also been demolishing Palestinian structures - or forcing Palestinians to do it themselves on fear of fines and arrests - at a rapidly rising rate since the start of the war on Gaza.
At least 11,560 Palestinian structures have been demolished and 18,667 people displaced since the UN started registering this data in 2009, according to the latest figures. More than 1,250 structures have been destroyed in 2024 alone.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/19/unga-resolution-against-palestine-occupation-will-it-change-anything


one meal every other day
Jinha - Womens News Agency - Sept 19 , 2024
<<People in Gaza eat only one meal every other day
People in Gaza are only eating one meal every other day, as 83 percent of required food aid does not make it into the besieged enclave due to Israel’s blockade, 15 organizations said on Wednesday.
News Center- In a statement on Wednesday, 15 aid organizations demand international pressure for an immediate ceasefire, arms embargo, and end to Israel's systematic aid obstruction. "New data has revealed the scale of aid obstruction, and the consequential drastic fall in aid entering Gaza. This is driving a humanitarian disaster, with the entire population of Gaza facing hunger and disease, and almost half a million at risk of starvation," said the statement signed by CARE International, Save the Children, ActionAid, Christian Aid, War Child, Islamic Relief, HelpAge International, American Friends Service Committee, Oxfam, DanChurchAid, Norwegian Church Aid, Mennonite Central Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council and KinderUSA. While Israeli military attacks on Gaza intensify, lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents have been systematically blocked from entering for almost a year. Data analysis by organizations working in Gaza has found that 83% of required food aid does not make it into Gaza, up from 34% in 2023. "This reduction means people in Gaza have gone from having an average of two meals a day to just one meal every other day. An estimated 50,000 children aged between 6-59 months urgently require treatment for malnutrition by the end of the year."
65% of the insulin required and half of the required blood supply are not available in Gaza, the statement noted, adding that availability of hygiene items has dropped to 15% of the amount available in September 2023. "One million women are now going without the hygiene supplies they need."
Only around 1,500 hospital beds in Gaza remain operational, compared to around 3,500 beds in 2023 which was already well below sufficient to meet the needs of a population of more than 2 million people, according to the statement.
"1.87 million people are in need of shelter with at least 60% of homes destroyed or damaged (January 2024). Yet tents for around just 25,000 people have entered Gaza since May 2024."
Call on governments
Ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, aid agencies are calling on governments to demand Israel end aid obstruction and to secure an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, implement an arms embargo and end the export of weapons and military equipment that risk being used in violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, demand compliance with the International Court of Justice's findings and recommendations, an end to the Israeli government's siege of Gaza, and heed the call of the ICJ in its advisory opinion to end the occupation of Palestinian territory. "The situation was intolerable long before last October's escalation and is beyond catastrophic now," said Jolien Veldwijik, CARE Country Director in the West Bank and Gaza. "Over 11 months, we have reached shocking levels of conflict, displacement, disease and hunger. Yet, aid is still not getting in, and humanitarian workers are risking their lives to do their jobs while attacks and violations of international law intensify. Aid, which is urgently required for 2.2 million people at risk of dying in the coming weeks and months, should never be politicized. We demand an immediate and sustained ceasefire, and the free flow of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza." >>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/people-in-gaza-eat-only-one-meal-every-other-day-35694?page=1

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