CRY FREEDOM.net
Welcome to cryfreedom.net,
formerly known as Womens
Liberation Front.
A website
that hopes to draw and keeps your attention for both the global 21th. century 3rd. feminist revolution as well
as especially for the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi uprising in Iran and the
struggles of our sisters in other parts of the Middle East. This online magazine
that started December 2019 will
be published every week. Thank you for your time and interest.
You are now at the section on what is happening in the rest of the Middle
east
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December 24 - 18, 2024 |
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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.
Welcome in my hell - Gazaian lost doll
Al Jazeera - Dec 18 2024 - Esraa Abo Qamar - Palestinian writer based in
Gaza
<<This festive season, Gaza is starving
Winter has made life amid genocide all the more miserable for us.
Winter has now come to the Northern Hemisphere and has ushered in a
festive mood in many places. In Gaza, it has brought more misery. The
cold weather and rain have made the lives of the 1.9 million
Palestinians displaced in Gaza that much more unbearable. It has rained
hard several times already. Each time, tents of the displaced have been
flooded, damaged, or destroyed, and what little some have had, has been
taken away by the floodwaters. That has left many destitute families
even more destitute. A new tent in Gaza right now can go up to $1,000. A
makeshift shelter – with the wood and plastic needed for cover - costs
hundreds of dollars. A new blanket can be as much as $100. No one in the
camps has such sums of money. Many of the displaced had run away from
the bombs with just the clothes on their backs. Some have tried to
salvage clothes from the rubble, but few have succeeded. As winter
approached, the prices of clothes skyrocketed. A light pyjama now costs
$95; a coat - as much as $100. A pair of shoes - a rare commodity - can
go for as much as $75. Second-hand clothes markets have appeared
throughout Gaza to address overwhelming demand, but the prices there are
also too high. As a result, the camps are full of people shuddering in
the cold in thin summer clothes. Children walk around barefoot in the
mud and puddles. Fuel for heating, which is either unavailable or
unaffordable for most families. The cost of 8kg of gas has reached $72.
Wood is a bit less, but also too expensive for most. The lack of clothes
and fuel for heating is increasing the risk of colds, flu and other
diseases during the winter which in Gaza can become life-threatening. A
malnourished, vulnerable body, exhausted by fear and trauma, struggles
even against a simple cold. Gaza's hospitals are barely functioning,
taking care mostly of people gravely wounded in the bombardment.
Suffering from a lack of supplies and staff, they can no longer provide
care for simple illnesses. Diseases are spreading also because hygiene
has also become nearly impossible to maintain. Living in in tents,
without access to warm water, the displaced cannot shower or sometimes
even wash their hands. A bar of soap is now $5, while a bottle of
shampoo can be as much as $23. But perhaps the most unbearable fact of
life in Gaza now is the famine. The amount of humanitarian aid that has
entered Gaza has significantly decreased since October and we have felt
its devastating impact across the Strip. It is not just the north that
is experiencing famine. All of Gaza is. The price of what little food is
available is beyond belief. A single sack of flour now costs more than
$300. Other foodstuffs have also become expensive. A kilo (2.2 pounds)
of lentils or a kilo of rice is $7. Vegetables are hard to find and also
very expensive; 1kg of tomatoes is $14; a single onion is $2. Red meat
and chicken cannot be found at all. We have not seen any for months. The
bakeries that were once a lifeline for families are closed because they
can’t get supplies. Bread, the simplest and most basic of foods, has
become a luxury few of us can afford. Even if a family is able to get
flour, it is often infested with bugs and tastes stale. People are now
forced to rely on 'takaya' - charity soup kitchens - that provide small
portions of food that are barely enough for a family. These
organisations open at 11:00am, which results in large queues forming in
front of their distribution centres. Most families who manage to get a
meal from them have nothing else to feed their children. Hunger is not
just limited to the physical pain that starving people experience. It
also has an unbearable psychological impact. Parents are forced to watch
their children cry for food during the long, cold nights. Some parents
have also had to watch their children die from starvation. This
psychological torment cannot compare to anything else. As I write these
words, I am starving myself, having eaten nothing since morning. As I
look around me, I see children and adults, pale and thin, exhausted by
hunger and cold. I wonder how much more they can take; how much more any
of us can take? The cruellest part of this suffering is the silence of
the world that watches from afar but doesn't act. As the cold bites us
and the hunger makes it worse, we are feeling isolated and abandoned,
like we have been cut off from the rest of humanity. And as much of the
world prepares for a holiday season, we prepare to face loneliness,
despair and death.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not
necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.>>
Source:
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/12/18/this-festive-season-gaza-is-starving
Al Jazeera - Dec 24 2024 - By Mersiha Gadzo and Umut Uras
<<UN condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza’s humanitarian systems
The Israeli military used 'remote controlled robots' to plant explosives
outside Gaza's Kamal Adwan hospital, injuring medical staff and
patients. The United Nations later condemned Israel's repeated attacks
on hospitals and urged its forces to respect humanitarian law.>>
Video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/12/24/un-condemns-israeli-attacks-on-gazas-humanitarian-systems
Al Jazeera - Dec 24 2024
<<Al Jazeera condemns Fatah campaign against it in West Bank
Fatah has banned Al Jazeera from reporting from the Jenin governorate.
Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned an "incitement campaign"
initiated by Fatah in the occupied West Bank against Al Jazeera and its
journalists, particularly against correspondent Mohamad Atrash. The
network in a statement said the "deplorable" campaign was launched
because it covered clashes between the Palestinian National Security
Forces and Palestinian resistance fighters in Jenin. This comes after
the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Fatah, which controls the
Palestinian Authority, announced a ban on the operations of Al Jazeera
in the Jenin governorate due to its coverage of continuing raids by PA
security forces on Palestinian fighters in Jenin. "The Network has been
and remains a platform for the Opinion and the Other Opinion and
professional in its credible and impartial coverage. Al Jazeera has
successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of
the unfolding events in Jenin," the network said in a statement. "The
voices of both the Palestinian resistance and the Spokesperson of the
Palestinian National Security Forces have always been present on Al
Jazeera's screens," the statement continued. Al Jazeera went on to point
out that such a campaign could expose its correspondents to danger. "The
Network holds Fatah, Palestinian National Security Forces, and relevant
institutions of the Palestinian Authority accountable for any harm that
may befall Mohamad Atrash or any of Al Jazeera journalists in the
occupied West Bank." Fatah claimed Al Jazeera was playing a "dangerous
role" with its coverage of the clashes, which spread "discord" and
internal fighting between Palestinian factions, according to a statement
published by the Jordan-based Roya News outlet on Monday. The group also
called on Palestinians across the occupied territory to refrain from
having any dealings with the network.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/24/al-jazeera-condemns-fatah-campaign-against-it-in-west-bank
Al Jazeera - Dec 24 2024
<<Gaza appeals for help as Israeli army attacks key hospitals
The Israeli military intensifies attacks on Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital,
Indonesian Hospital and al-Awda Hospital. The Israeli military is
targeting three major hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip as doctors
and authorities in the enclave request immediate intervention by the
international community. On Tuesday, weeklong Israeli attacks
intensified on the besieged Kamal Adwan Hospital and Indonesian Hospital
in Beit Lahiya, and the al-Awda Hospital located east of the Jabalia
refugee camp. Two explosive-laden unmanned robotic vehicles planted
earlier by the Israeli military blew up in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan
early on Tuesday, wounding approximately 20 patients and medical staff,
hospital director Hussam Abu Safia told Al Jazeera. This was the first
time Israeli forces used the explosives outside Kamal Adwan, but there
have been similar reports of them being used to detonate buildings in
northern Gaza. Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al
Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said, "An eyewitness told us that much of the
area around the hospital has been cleared from buildings, the
infrastructure destroyed and severely damaged, impeding movement in and
out of the hospital." The hospital has been repeatedly bombed by the
Israeli military, rendering various departments, including the intensive
care unit, inoperable. Al-Awda, a charitable facility providing free
healthcare in the northern part of the enclave, was hit on its third
floor by the Israeli military on Tuesday. Parts of the building caught
fire, which also spread to nearby residential buildings. The Indonesian
Hospital, a larger health facility, has also been experiencing increased
attacks and Israeli threats, having also been threatened by the Israeli
forces to evacuate the entire facility. Al Jazeera's Mahmoud said the
two hospitals have been providing medical supplies to besieged Kamal
Adwan and also transferring patients out of there when possible. "The
Indonesian Hospital has been crippled by the attacks in the past few
months. Much of the facility has been damaged, forcing many to evacuate
it. As of midnight, the Israeli military issued a warning to everyone
inside the hospital, including the patients, to leave the building and
be in the streets in the cold weather amid the intimidation by the tanks
and quadcopters," he said. Hospital directors, health authorities and
rights organisations inside and outside Gaza have been condemning the
attacks and calling for international help, but the situation in the
north has only deteriorated. Gaza's Ministry of Health said in a
statement on Tuesday that the Israeli military is trying to put all
three hospitals in the north out of service, and appealed for
intervention. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said more
than 20 attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital in recent days using drones,
shelling and gunfire show that "genocide persists" in Gaza.
Aid delivery 'almost impossible'
The Israeli military continues to launch numerous deadly air raids on
Gaza each day, with medical sources confirming on Tuesday there were at
least 32 deaths in the past 24 hours. Some of the latest Israeli attacks
included the bombing of a house in central Gaza that killed four,
including a child and two women. The Israeli military has kept blocking
humanitarian aid bound for the enclave, with the chaos created by its
ground offensive presenting myriad challenges for safely getting the
meagre trucks coming in to designated locations, aid groups say. On
Monday night, an Israeli drone attack hit an area approximately 1km away
from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, targeting a humanitarian
aid convoy. Al Jazeera's Mahmoud, reporting from the hospital, said the
Israeli military first allowed gangs to attack the convoy with the aim
of looting it, to later launch a drone attack against security guards
trying to protect the cargo. "These seem to be deliberate attacks to
cause more mayhem. Israel has killed 30 of these security guards so
far." Tom Fletcher, the head of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA),
said in a year when more humanitarians have been killed than any on
record, Gaza is currently dealing with its most dangerous situation yet.
"As a result, despite the massive humanitarian needs, it has become
almost impossible to deliver even a fraction of the aid that is so
urgently required. The Israeli authorities continue to deny us
meaningful access - over 100 requests to access North Gaza were denied
since 6 October. We are also now seeing the breakdown of law and order
and the systematic armed looting of our supplies by local gangs.">>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/24/gaza-appeals-for-help-as-israeli-army-attacks-key-hospitals
Al Jazeera - Dec 23 2024 - By Mersiha Gadzo and Umut Uras
<<Israel's Netanyahu tells Knesset 'some progress' made on Gaza deal
Netanyahu, who has been repeatedly accused of sabotaging ceasefire
talks, did not provide a timeline for a potential deal.
Netanyahu trial Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled
to lawmakers that an agreement about the war on Gaza could be nearing.
<I wish to say cautiously that there has been some progress, and we will
not stop acting until we bring them all home,> Netanyahu said in
parliament on Monday, referring to the Israeli captives being held in
Gaza since October 2023. He told the Knesset he does not know how long
it will take and that he cannot divulge details, but that his
administration is taking serious action to bring the captives back.
Talks about a potential ceasefire agreement have heated up in recent
days as Israel and Hamas have held indirect talks in Doha mediated by
Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also said progress had
been made after meeting on Saturday in Cairo. They said the possibility
of reaching an agreement is closer than ever, coming after Hamas said in
a statement that a deal would be possible if Israel stops imposing new
conditions. There have been numerous rounds of negotiations since the
start of the war after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas and
others, during which some 250 people were taken to the Gaza Strip and
more than 1,100 people were killed.
It is believed that 96 of the captives remain in the besieged enclave,
including the bodies of 34 people confirmed dead by the Israeli
military. Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late
November, and four others were released before that, but no negotiations
since have led to results as the Israeli military intensified its
attacks on Gaza. At least 45,317 Palestinians have been killed and
107,713 wounded by the Israeli military since the start of the war, with
dozens more killed in strikes across the enclave on a daily basis.
Israeli forces continue to impose a heavy siege of more than 80 days on
northern Gaza, where hundreds of people have been killed by bombs and
shelling, as only 12 humanitarian aid trucks were allowed in since the
start of October. Kamal Adwan Hospital, the largest healthcare facility
still partially operational in the north, has also been subjected to
daily attacks. Israeli forces detonated remote-controlled vehicles,
wounding at least 20 patients and medical staff overnight. The
hospital's director Dr Hussam Abu Safia said the attacks are aimed at
"killing and forcibly displacing" the hundreds of people inside.
Netanyahu touts military achievements
During his speech on Monday, Netanyahu also said Israel had made <great
achievements> militarily on several fronts, and that military pressure
had forced Hamas to soften its previous demands. The Palestinian group
had maintained that it wanted the Israeli military to fully withdraw
from the enclave, including from the Philadelphi Corridor bordering
Egypt, and the Netzarim Corridor set up to separate the northern and
southern parts of Gaza. Hamas also requested a surge in humanitarian aid
for the starving population, and a bid to reconstruct the enclave. But
Israel has been signalling its intent to rebuild illegal settlements in
Gaza, with a government coalition and far-right lawmakers last week
formalising legislation to allow freedom of presence and the movement of
Israeli civilians in the enclave. The onslaught on northern Gaza has
been widely described as an attempt to "ethnically cleanse" the
Palestinians from their land. The Israeli parliament on Tuesday added
$9bn to the country’s 2024 budget, with the vast majority of the funds
going to defence spending.
Netanyahu protests
Netanyahu is "moving to a position where he has to accept a deal soon",
Rami Khoury, a distinguished fellow at the American University of
Beirut, told Al Jazeera. Sticking to his military strategy "has not
brought him the political dividends that he needs for his Israeli public
audience", he said.
The Israeli government has not been able to devise a political strategy
that matches their perceived prowess in the military field, which is
based on United States support, he said. "It's unbelievable that with
the total power of the US and Israel and some assistance from the United
Kingdom and Germany and others, that Hamas has not surrendered," he
said. "The Israelis are moving to the point where they can politically
accept the key Hamas requirements, and they, in return, get what they
want, which is permanent security guarantees from the United States,
with some arrangements that might spill over into the Arab region," he
said. The Israeli prime minister has been repeatedly accused of
sabotaging numerous previous Gaza ceasefire talks, including through
imposing sudden new conditions and ramping up military attacks. The
families of the captives held in Gaza, who have been holding weekly
protests in Israel, have also accused him of prioritising his own
political survival and his alliance with far-right lawmakers over the
captives.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/24/israels-netanyahu-tells-knesset-some-progress-made-on-gaza-deal
Al Jazeera - Dec 24 2024 - By Mersiha Gadzo and Umut Uras
<<LIVE: Israel attacks two Gaza hospitals, empties third facility of
patients
Israeli artillery has shelled the third floor of the al-Awda Hospital in
northern Gaza's besieged Jabalia refugee camp, according to our
colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. The Israeli army has detonated
remote-controlled explosives in the barely functioning Kamal Adwan
Hospital in northern Beit Lahiya, injuring at least 20 patients and
medical staff.>>
Video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/24/live-dozens-killed-wounded-as-israel-attacks-gaza-hospital-aid-convoy
Al Jazeera - Dec 24 2024
<<Why is the UK denying treatment to children from Gaza?
The UK denies entry to a four-year-old amputee to receive treatment.
Video and Read more>>:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2024/12/23/why-is-the-uk-denying-treatment-to-children-from-gaza
Al Jazeera - Dec 24 2024 - By Al Jazeera Staff
<<Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital director pleads for help before it's 'too
late'
Israel orders emptying of medical facility with nearly 400 civilians
inside, including babies who need oxygen and incubators. Israeli army
accused of targeting Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, breaching
international law: Analysis
The director of one of Gaza's last partially functioning hospitals is
appealing for help, saying Israeli forces have surrounded the medical
facility. Dr Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in
northern Gaza, on Monday urged the international community to act
"before it is too late", calling the situation "horrifying". He said
obeying an Israeli order to empty the facility would be "next to
impossible" because nearly 400 civilians remain inside, including babies
who need oxygen and incubators. "The bombing continues from all
directions, affecting the building, the departments and the staff. This
is a serious and extremely horrifying situation," Abu Safia said.
Outside the hospital in Beit Lahiya, Israeli forces have placed what is
thought to be explosives at the gates. Witnesses said an automated
guided vehicle delivered boxes with the word <danger> written on them.
Al Jazeera's Gaza correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum said the Israeli
military has deployed automated remote vehicles called “explosive
robots” around the hospital. "[The robots] are loaded with tonnes of
explosives that can lead to the destruction of the neighbourhood," Abu
Azzoum said.
"We've seen videos released by some of the medical workers inside Kamal
Adwan Hospital showing how the Israeli military has been using these in
the vicinity of the hospital," he added, saying it could be a sign that
further escalation might take place in the coming days. "The Israeli
military is systematically trying to exert ultimate pressure on the
medical teams by causing severe destruction to the surroundings [of the
hospital]," Abu Azzoum said. Abu Safia said: "The world must understand
that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly
displace us," adding that the Israeli bombing did not stop throughout
Sunday night, destroying homes and surrounding buildings. "We urge the
international community to intervene quickly and stop this fierce
assault on us to protect the healthcare system, the workers and the
patients within it," the hospital director said. Since Monday morning,
the hospital has been targeted with bombs in its courtyards and on its
rooftop dropped by quadcopters, once again threatening the hospital's
fuel and oxygen supplies, he said. "The situation remains extremely
dangerous and requires urgent international intervention before it is
too late," the doctor said. Abu Safia made a similar appeal on Sunday,
accusing Israel of directly bombing the hospital’s intensive care unit.
More than 14 months of Israeli attacks have devastated Gaza and
displaced almost all of its 2.3 million people. More than 45,000 people,
mostly children and women, have been killed in the offensive. Israel's
genocide against Palestinians started shortly after a Hamas-led
incursion inside Israeli territory on October 7, 2023 killed nearly
1,100 people, according to Israeli officials, and about 250 others were
taken captive.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/23/gazas-kamal-adwan-hospital-director-pleads-for-help-before-its-too-late
Al Jazeera - Dec 23 2024
<<Israel bombs al-Mawasi camps, school amid wave of attacks across Gaza
UN's Lazzarini says world must not become 'numb' after Israeli strikes
kill about 50 Palestinians within 24 hours.
Israel pounded Gaza overnight with deadly attacks targeting displaced
people in two camps and a school, as it ordered the forced evacuation of
one of the last hospitals barely operating in the enclave’s besieged
north. The military launched a wave of attacks on the so-called <safe
zone" of al-Mawasi in the south, setting refugee tents ablaze in a drone
attack that killed seven people, with further strikes on a civilian car
and a vehicle carrying security personnel killing four others. In
separate attacks, the military targeted a school housing displaced
people in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, quadcopters and
armoured vehicles firing at the building early on Monday, killing one
person. The military also killed four people in an area north of the
camp, according to Al Jazeera Arabic and Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The raids capped a bloody 24 hours in the Strip, with medical sources
telling Al Jazeera Arabic that a total of 50 people had been killed
since early Sunday. As the attacks continued, the military ordered the
closure and forced evacuation of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya,
endangering about 400 civilians, including babies in incubators.
The hospital is one of the few still functioning in the north, where
thousands of people have been trapped under a punishing siege for nearly
three months. Wafa reported on Sunday that Israeli forces had been
targeting the hospital with bombs, artillery shells and sniper fire,
specifically striking the women's, maternity, and neonatal wards,
killing three civilians. The head of the hospital, Hussam Abu Safia,
told news agency Reuters that the military was directly targeting fuel
tanks, which could potentially "cause a large explosion and mass
casualties of the civilians inside". Obeying the order to shut down was
"next to impossible" because there were not enough ambulances to get
patients out, he said. Palestinian armed group Hamas said the military's
attacks on Kamal Adwan and threats to forcefully remove patients, the
injured and displaced people, were "a crime of ethnic cleansing and
forced displacement". Attacks on 'safe' placesReporting from Deir el-Balah
in central Gaza, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said: "We are in a situation
right now where a marked evacuation zone is not safe for displaced
people, not the evacuation zone in al-Mawasi, not schools, not shelters,
not even hospitals." "We are seeing repeated attacks on these particular
designated areas for the past month," he said. "What we're seeing right
now is highlighting the vulnerability of really ... traumatised,
displaced civilians in these areas." Charity Oxfam said on Sunday that
Israeli authorities have allowed only 12 aid trucks into northern Gaza
in the past two and a half months. "Deliberate delays and systematic
obstructions" by the military meant that only 12 of the "meagre" 34
trucks allowed to enter the zone had been able to distribute aid to
starving Palestinians. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN's agency
for Palestinian refugees, said on Sunday that there had been an
"escalation" in Israel’s war on Gaza over the past 24 hours. In a post
on X, he reiterated his calls for a ceasefire, saying "the world must
not become numb".>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/23/israel-escalates-attacks-on-gaza-killing-civilians-in-two-camps-and-school
Al Jazeera - Dec 23 2024 - By Umut Uras and Maziar Motamedi
<<LIVE: Israeli attacks across Gaza kill 58 Palestinians in a day
Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza, killing dozens in the 24-hour
reporting period, including people in the so-called <safe zone> of al-Mawasi
in the south of the territory. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees decried Israel's "escalation" in Gaza over the past 24 hours,
noting attacks on schools and hospitals have become "commonplace" >>
Video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/23/live-israeli-forces-kill-50-people-in-gaza-including-seven-in-tent-attack
Al Jazeera - Dec 23 2024 - By Umut Uras and Maziar Motamedi
<<LIVE: Israel kills 11 Palestinians in wave of attacks on Gaza’s al-Mawasi
Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza, killing four people in two
separate air raids on the so-called “safe zone” of al-Mawasi, as rescue
efforts continue following another attack that killed at least seven
others in the same area.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees decried Israel’s
“escalation” in Gaza over the past 24 hours, noting attacks on schools
and hospitals have become “commonplace" >>
Video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/23/live-israeli-forces-kill-50-people-in-gaza-including-seven-in-tent-attack
Al Jazeera - Dec 22 2024 - By Umut Uras and Maziar Motamedi
<<LIVE: Israeli attacks kill 32 Palestinians in a day, including
children
Israeli attacks across Gaza-UN: Siege is 'strangling' the humanitarian
response
Israeli attacks have killed at least 32 Palestinians and wounded 54
others across the Gaza Strip in the last 24-hour reporting period,
according to the latest daily update by the Health Ministry in the
territory. Israeli forces launch more attacks on the barely functioning
Kamal Adwan Hospital in besieged North Gaza, after ordering people
inside and near the facility to evacuate. Our correspondents say the
nearby al-Awda Hospital is also under attack.>>
Video:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/22/live-israeli-forces-kill-10-in-gaza-fire-tanks-drones-at-hospital
Al Jazeera - Dec 21 2024 - By Al Jazeera Staff
<<'No concern for Palestinian suffering': Ex-official slams US's Gaza
policy
Former State Department official Mike Casey says the US government is
pursuing Israel's interests over its own. Mike Casey says he has never
seen anything like it. In fact, the former States Department official -
who served as a deputy political counsellor at the United States Office
of Palestinian Affairs - described his experience as a diplomat in
Jerusalem as a humiliation. "It's frankly embarrassing ... to see just
the way we give in to the demands of the Israeli government and continue
to support what the Israeli government is doing even though we know it's
wrong,” Casey told Al Jazeera. "And I've not seen that in any other
country that I've served in." After four years in his post, Casey
resigned in July over what he described as the US government's
unwavering support for Israel despite its devastating military campaign
in the Gaza Strip. His resignation - first reported by The Guardian
newspaper this week - is the latest by a US official angered over
President Joe Biden's staunch military and diplomatic backing for Israel
since the Gaza war began in October 2023. To date, more than 45,000
Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s continued attacks on the
coastal enclave. The conflict has plunged Gaza into a dire humanitarian
crisis, and United Nations experts and leading human rights groups have
accused the Israeli military of committing war crimes, including
genocide. The US has said it is working to secure a ceasefire and the
release of captives held in Gaza. It also said it has pushed Israel to
minimise civilian casualties in its military operations. But Biden has
refused to use American assistance to Israel as leverage to end the war,
rebuffing calls to suspend US weapons transfers to the top ally. That
has spurred anger and criticism from advocates who have dubbed the
outgoing Democratic president "Genocide Joe". The US provides Israel
with at least $3.8bn in military assistance annually, and researchers at
Brown University recently estimated that the Biden administration
provided an additional $17.9bn since the start of the Gaza war. In an
interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Casey said his job in Jerusalem
was primarily focused on writing about the situation in Gaza, from
humanitarian concerns to economic and political issues. He said the US
government is aware of the dire conditions in the territory, including
the widespread casualties and lack of humanitarian assistance. "And yet
we continue to pursue these policies and support what the Israeli
military is doing there," he said. "They receive all of our reporting,
they have everything we write, and they just disregard it." Asked why US
government policy is what it is, Casey said he believes part of the
reason is that "there's no concern for Palestinian suffering". "We
ignore Palestinian suffering. We accept the Israeli government narrative
of events even if we know it's not true, and we really pursue Israel's
interests. We don't pursue our own interests," he told Al Jazeera. "And
that was what pushed me out the door at the end." The State Department
did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on
Saturday.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/21/no-concern-for-palestinian-suffering-ex-official-slams-uss-gaza-policy
Al Jazeera - Dec 21 2024
<<Israel kills 7 children from one family in air strike on Gaza
UNRWA says Gaza has become a ‘graveyard’ as Israel continues its bombing
campaign amid worsening living conditions. An Israeli air strike has
killed 12 members of a family, including seven children, in the northern
part of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Civil Defence rescue agency has
reported. A video posted by the agency on its Telegram channel on Friday
evening showed its staff retrieving victims from under the rubble of the
Khallah family home in Jabalia. "All of the martyrs are from the same
family, including seven children, the oldest aged six," civil defence
spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the AFP news agency. Basal added that the
air raid injured 15 other people. The Israeli army told AFP it had
struck <several terrorists who were operating in a military structure
belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation and posed a threat to IDF
troops operating in the area>. <According to an initial examination, the
reported number of casualties resulting from the strike does not align
with the information held by the IDF,> it added. Pope Francis on
Saturday condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as "cruelty".
"Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war," he
said. "I want to say it because it touches my heart." Israel continued
its attacks across the Gaza Strip on Friday, more than 14 months into
its assault on Gaza. At least eight people were killed by a drone
missile that hit a residential building in the market street of Nuseirat
refugee camp, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Four people were
also killed in an air raid on Beit Hanoon, Al Jazeera correspondents
said. The victims were two girls and their parents. The bodies of three
brothers were also retrieved from the rubble of a bombed home near Kamal
Adwan Hospital.
Trapped in a 'graveyard'
Gaza has become a "graveyard" as heavy winter rains, hunger, dire living
conditions and ongoing hostilities continue to endanger lives, UNRWA
(the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency) Senior Emergency
Officer Louise Wateridge warned on Friday. An entire society here is now
a graveyard … Over two million people are trapped," she said, speaking
from the Nuseirat camp. "It's impossible for families to shelter in
these conditions," she said. "Most people are living under fabric, they
don't even have waterproof structures and 69 percent of the buildings
here have been damaged or destroyed. There's absolutely nowhere for
people to shelter from these elements." UNRWA provides assistance to
nearly six million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the occupied West
Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Israeli politicians in October passed
legislation to bar UNRWA from operating in Israel and occupied East
Jerusalem while raising the prospect of similar measures against other
aid agencies. Sweden on Friday announced plans to stop funding UNRWA in
response to Israel’s ban but pledged to double its aid to Gaza via other
groups. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on X, formerly Twitter, that
the Swedish government's decision was "disappointing" and came "at the
worst time for Palestine refugees". In a resolution adopted on Friday,
the UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
for an advisory opinion clarifying what international law says about
Israel's responsibility to allow the aid work of the UN, international
organisations, and third countries in Palestinian territory. Earlier
this year, ICJ judges ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the
southern Gaza city of Rafah, withdraw from the enclave and provide
safety and humanitarian access to the people of Gaza.
Israel has not complied.
These provisional measures were part of a case brought by South Africa -
later joined by several other countries - accusing Israel of genocide in
Gaza.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/21/israel-kills-7-children-from-one-family-in-air-strike-on-gaza
Cryfreedoms' editor note: Read also this about Swedens' decision:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20241220-sweden-ends-unwra-funding-boosts-gaza-aid-through-alternative-channels
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