SPECIAL REPORTS PALESTINE

Click here for actual updates
and earlier news untill April 22, 2024     
with special thanks to citizen-reporter 'Biba' (Algeria)
May week2 part3 --  May week2 part2 --  May week2 -- Click here for an overview by week in 2024

May 11 - 9, 2024 <<Ex-NHS doctor stuck in Gaza during hospital placement says family are 'terrified' but he 'has to keep going'... and <<Heavy fighting in Gaza's Rafah keeps aid crossings closed, sends 100,000 civilians fleeing... and <<Thousands join Gaza war protest against Israel's Eurovision participation...incl. a 'Food for thought'... and <<FOCUS: On board a humanitarian flight: Injured Gazan children flown to UAE for treatment... and <<60 Palestinians killed in Israel's attack on Gaza in last 24 hours... and more news but most with a 'give way or go away' yell! Next update Monday May 13 20.00 hours GMT

May 8 - 6, 2024 <<Israel-Gaza latest: Israel launches another Rafah operation - as US looks to send message with bomb shipment move... and <<Dozens detained as Paris police clear Gaza war protest at Sorbonne university... and more news about student-protests worldwide... and <<Gaza: Doctors see <acute malnutrition for the first time in 36 years... and <<Live: South Gaza hospitals have only three days of fuel left, WHO says... and <<'Tens of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced in Rafah'... and <<Gaza latest: 'Terror and confusion' in Rafah, as charity says no humanitarian aid getting in - but IDF says key crossing is open... and <<Hopes for ceasefire 'literally blown up': Relentless bombardments in Rafah, like 'lying in a coffin'... and more news but most with a 'give way or go away' yell!

Overview social-media posts edited by citizen-reporter 'Biba'   May 9 - 4, 2024 May 3 - 1 - April 30 - 23,2024 Click here to go throughout April and earler, 2024

 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.


Safaa Tafesh
Jinha - Womens News Agency - May 10, 2024 - by NAGHAM KARAJEH
<<'Women pay the highest price in this war'
Safaa Tafesh hosted 50 displaced people from the Gaza Strip at her home; however, her home was targeted by an Israeli airstrike. <Women pay the highest price in this war. Every day I think about how this nightmare will end,> she said.
Gaza- The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has been deepening since Israel launched military operations on October 7, 2023. Nearly 85 percent of the total population of Gaza have been forcibly displaced amid Israel’s military operations, destroying critical infrastructure in Gaza. Due to attacks targeting health centers, thousands of patients and injured people cannot access healthcare services.
'I lost almost half of my family members'
Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 14,944 children and 9,849 women. Women and children struggling to survive face difficult living conditions. Struggling with difficult living conditions in shelters, displaced women mourn the death of their loved ones. Safa Tafesh, 60, is only one of the Palestinian women, who were displaced after their houses were targeted by Israeli airstrikes. She lives in one of the shelters with her grandchildren. She worked as a midwife at the hospital for 37 years. <I lost almost half of my family members in the Gaza Strip, the other half was displaced and now they stay in shelter centers without humanitarian aid,> she told us.
'I insisted on staying at home with my family'
Although Israeli forces often called on Palestinians to evacuate the northern regions to the south, Safa Tafesh insisted on staying at her home with her family, <Because I thought that the war could end at any moment. However, it did not end and I witnessed the worst.>
Her home targeted by Israeli airstrike
Safa Tafesh told NuJINHA how her home was targeted by an Israeli airstrike. <Even though my house was small, I hosted about 50 displaced people. We thought the house was safe and could not be targeted from the street. However, we were wrong. On November 16, I told my youngest grandson to turn off the lights and go to sleep. At that time, my home was hit by an Israeli airstrike. My grandson was in blood and many people were injured. I did my best to treat them. My daughter was killed in that attack. She left her three children behind. Whenever I see her children, I cannot breathe.>
'I did realize that I was also injured'
Safa Tafesh was also injured in the Israeli airstrike. <I did not feel well and barely walked. Then, I lost my consciousness. My middle daughter realized that I was injured.> Although the health of Safa Tafesh was deteriorating, she could not go to the hospital due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment. <We had to stay at a neighbor's house with other displaced family members until the morning. We used cotton swabs to stop bleeding until morning. In the morning, a doctor came and bandaged our wounds.>
'Every day I think how this nightmare will end'
Then, Safa Tafesh and her family members decided to go to a shelter center near their destroyed house. <We stayed at a school for more than five months. Every day I think about how this nightmare will end. Before I had a good financial situation but now I have to wait in line for a piece of bread, looking for a source of income to take care of my grandchildren.> Safa Tafesh receives psychological support at the shelter center. <Palestinian women pay the highest price in this war although they are strong and make great sacrifices. I call on the international community to end this war and restore peace in the region.> >>
Source incl. video:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/women-pay-the-highest-price-in-this-war-35026

Sky News - May 11, 2024 - by John Sparks International correspondent @sparkomat
<<Ex-NHS doctor stuck in Gaza during hospital placement says family are 'terrified' but he 'has to keep going'
Mohammed Tahir, an orthopaedic and peripheral nerve surgeon from London, arrived at The European Hospital in south Gaza on a short placement just a few days before Israel began its campaign in Rafah.
The European Hospital, in southern Gaza, is a dangerous place to be.
The facility is the only remaining hospital east of the city of Rafah and an Israeli military operation has come perilously close to its doors. It was a hazardous time then, for three British medics to begin a short placement, arriving at the hospital just a few days before the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) began its campaign.
Now they are unable to leave.
We managed to speak to one of these doctors - an orthopaedic and peripheral nerve surgeon from London called Mohammed Tahir. He volunteered with a non-profit medical charity called Fajr Scientific and I asked him to describe what he has been seeing. <In the last few days, with the intensifying of the bombing in Rafah, we are getting many blast injuries here,> he said. <People literally, their limbs and their bodies torn to shreds. Children with mutilated faces, kids whose limbs we've had to amputate because of the complexity of the injuries.> <When did you arrive? What date did you enter Gaza?> I asked. <I'll be honest with you. I mean, right now, night, day, (the) days of the week have all evaporated. I work from morning until night, every day. Sometimes I finish at 4am, so I've lost track of time. I can't even remember what day (it is). It was circa around one and a half weeks ago.> He accepts that he was taking a risk by travelling to Gaza when he did. <Before coming here, I was warned by several friends, do not go now, because the Rafah invasion is imminent, and you are going over a very dangerous time,> he said. <But I was anxious, a little bit scared to come, but then I thought if not me, then who?> Dr Tahir has dealt with anxiety - but has had to grapple with personal distress.
This is the first time he has worked in a war zone and the nature and intensity of the work has been overwhelming. The surgeon says he has dealt with 150 cases in the past 10 days. <(There was) an airstrike, the parents were killed, there were two small children, one of whom we tried to resuscitate, but he was covered in burns from head to toe and we called it, he died,> he said. <His sister by the side was also covered in wounds, massive wounds to her forehead. Her skull was exposed and she had a skull fracture too. And I'm there looking at these two children wondering: 'What did they do?'.>
Israel Rafah incursion explained
The staff at the European Hospital do their best to keep people alive - but their workplace has also become a refuge. <This is a refugee camp,> said Dr Tahir. <It is a hospital within a refugee camp. You have people, children and women sleeping on floors, in corridors, on stairs, even with makeshift tents inside, tents outside too.> >>
Source incl. videos:
https://news.sky.com/story/ex-nhs-doctor-stuck-in-gaza-during-hospital-placement-says-family-are-terrified-but-he-has-to-keep-going-13133251

France 24 - May 10, 2024 - by Gregoire SAUVAGE
<<Why the US suspended a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel
US officials confirmed Wednesday that Washington had suspended a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns they would be used in Rafah without a sufficient plan for civilians there. This decision to halt the delivery of what are likely MK-84s – one of the most destructive munitions used by Western armies - comes as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu doubles down on his determination to launch a lethal ground assault in Rafah despite US warnings. Is this the end of unconditional US support for Israel? With Netanyahu's government seemingly ignoring Washington's warnings of the dire humanitarian consequences of a ground incursion for Rafah's civilian population, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday threatened to stop delivering certain types of munitions to Israel if it pushes into the southern Gaza city, notably the 2,000-pound bombs Israel has been using in its offensive. <Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,> Biden acknowledged in a one-on-one interview with CNN. <I made it clear that if they go into Rafah ... I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities.> The US president's ultimatum came as Netanyahu's government said it was preparing a <limited> offensive in Rafah despite UN warnings that a ground assault could lead to a <bloodbath>. Around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of them displaced by Israel's months-long assault on the besieged enclave, are believed to be crammed into the city. Biden's threat has already partly been carried out, US officials have said. Washington last week suspended the delivery of 1,800 of the 2,000-pound bombs, a US official told AP on condition of anonymity, likely MK-84s as well as 1,700 smaller 500-pound bombs. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing on Wednesday that an area as densely populated as Rafah demanded less powerful and more precise weapons. The city, which borders Egypt, has an average of 20,000 inhabitants crammed into every square kilometre, according to the UN - the same urban density as the city of Paris. <We're going to continue to do what's necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,> Austin said. <But that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah.> Austin said the US was pausing shipment of <high-payload munitions> over Israeli plans for an incursion into Rafah without an adequate plan for protecting the 1 million civilians who have sought shelter there.
A history of violence
MK-84 bombs have been used by the US military since the 1970s, first in Vietnam and then, more sparingly, in Iraq and Afghanistan due to their devastating impact on urban areas. Human Rights Watch has said that these munitions were also used by the Saudi-led coalition in the 2016 bombing of a market in Yemen that killed more than a hundred civilians. Although these bombs can be modified with the addition of a precision guidance system, this measure would likely do little to avoid civilian deaths in an enclave as densely packed as the Gaza Strip. Containing 900 pounds of explosives, these 4.5-metre-long bombs leave immense craters in their wake and scatter thousands of potentially lethal fragments in all directions. Nothing within a 350-metre radius can survive. Military experts say these deadly bombs may have already contributed significantly to the horrific death toll of the war in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, almost 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since war broke out following Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel that killed almost 1,200 people. Israel has frequently used these US-supplied bombs in an effort to dislodge Hamas militants from a labyrinthine network of underground tunnels beneath Gaza. According to a New York Times investigation published in December 2023, Israel dropped MK-84 bombs on Gaza every day during the first six weeks of the conflict. On at least 200 occasions, Israeli armed forces have directly targeted areas that were specifically designated as safe for Gazan civilians. Israel has been criticised for years by human rights NGOs for its widespread use of these gratuitously powerful bombs during previous conflicts in the Gaza Strip. <These bombs are used to inflict extremely heavy damage, either indiscriminately or completely deliberately, on residential areas or civilian infrastructure, which is forbidden under international law,> Amnesty International France director Jean-Claude Samouiller said. <This has not been respected by Israel, either during this current war in Gaza or in the past.>
'Be careful'
Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan described the US move in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 as <a very disappointing decision, even frustrating>. The US is Israel's leading arms supplier by far. Last month, Congress approved the sale of $14.3 billion in additional arms as part of a larger package that also earmarked military aid for Ukraine and Taiwan. That comes on top of the $3.8 billion in military aid the US sends Israel every year, most of which Israel must use to purchase US military equipment and services. But this generous support has been called into question since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Amid outcry from the Muslim community and the progressive left as well as pro-Palestinian protests at major universities, some Democrats are worried about the consequences of the Middle East crisis on the November presidential election. This decision is the most spectacular sign to date of the mounting disagreements that are poisoning the Biden administration's relationship with the Netanyahu government, which has brushed off US requests to take greater care to avoid the loss of Palestinian civilian lives.
<It's an insufficient first step, but it sends a strong signal to Israel,> Samouiller said. Biden's announcement also comes amid the ongoing failure of ceasefire talks in Cairo. The latest ceasefire talks collapsed on Thursday with no agreement to halt the fighting or release hostages. Netanyahu instead maintains he is determined to annihilate Hamas by launching a bloody assault on Rafah, which he maintains is the Palestinian militant group's last refuge.
Israeli troops seized control of the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday - essential in the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza - and ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians. The IDF has also launched what it calls <targeted strikes> in the city’s east. Washington's decision is <some kind of diplomatic message to Mr Netanyahu that he needs to take into consideration American interests more than he has over the last few months>, former deputy head of Israel's National Security Council Itamar Yaar told the Associated Press. Yaar added that while the decision would not have an immediate impact on Israel's military capacities, he stressed that it was <a kind of a signal, a 'Be careful'>.
This article has been adapted from the original in French.>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240510-why-us-suspended-shipment-2-000-pound-bombs-israel-biden

France 24 - May 10, 2024
<<Heavy fighting in Gaza's Rafah keeps aid crossings closed, sends 100,000 civilians fleeing
Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north, a United Nations official said Friday. Story by Tom Canetti.>>
Source incl. video:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240510-heavy-fighting-in-gaza-s-rafah-keeps-aid-crossings-closed-sends-100-000-civilians-fleeing

France 24 - May 10, 2024 - Video by Angela Diffley
<<UN General Assembly overwhelmingly backs Palestinian bid for membership
The UN General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new 'rights and privileges' to Palestine and called on the Security Council to favourably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian sponsored resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions.
.....
Summary:
Israeli tanks captured the main road dividing the eastern and western halves of Rafah on Friday, effectively encircling the entire eastern side of the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
UNICEF's senior emergency coordinator in Gaza said Friday that <more than 100,000 people have fled Rafah> as the city braces for an imminent full-scale Israeli ground assault.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he hopes he and Biden can overcome their disagreements over the war, after Biden withheld some weapons from Israel.
Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the <ball is now completely> in Israel's hands.
At least 34,904 Palestinians have been killed and 78,514 wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240510-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-hamas-says-ball-is-completely-in-israel-s-hands-in-gaza-truce-talks

France 24 - May 9, 2024 - By NEWS WIRES | Video by Tom CANETTI
<<Thousands join Gaza war protest against Israel's Eurovision participation
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Eurovision 2024 host city Malmo on Thursday to protest Israel's participation in the song contest ahead of this year's second semi-final. Some 100,000 visitors have gathered in the southern Swedish city for the annual kitsch-fest, which is taking place amid protests and boycotts over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. <Young people are leading the way and showing the world how we should react to this,> Thunberg, 21, said, wrapped in a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf that has become a symbol for Palestinian resistance. Metal barricades and large concrete blocks have been put up around Malmo Arena, which is hosting the competition. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg attends a rally in Malmo in protest against Israel's Eurovision participation on May 9, 2024. Police are guarding the venue and visitors need to pass through metal detectors before entering the arena. Bags are being checked and visitors are only allowed to bring in small purses. Israeli contestant Eden Golan, 20, will perform her song <Hurricane> in the second semi-final later on Thursday. A large crowd of protesters gathered on Malmo's central square Stortorget, some 7 kilometres (4.35 miles) from the competition venue, waiving Palestinian flags and shouting <boycott Israel>. Swedish authorities have heightened security and are bracing for possible unrest, and there was a significant police presence in the square, live footage showed. Protester Kasia Wiatrowska, from Malmo, wore a green T-shirt with the words <Libre Palestine> on the back. <I do like Eurovision,> Wiatrowska said. <We all love music. But this year music is dividing people, and I don't like that,> she added.
'Hypocrisy and double standards'
Police estimate that about 5,000 people attended the demonstration. <Overall, it's calm, we've turned away a few people,> a police spokesperson told Reuters. Another protester, Palestinian Amar, who only gave one name, said: <I'm here today because I see the hypocrisy and double standards around the world.> <We are against what's happening in Gaza right now. But I also want people to understand that we don't hate Jews,> he added.
A pro-Israel demonstration is also scheduled for Thursday at 1600 GMT. There is high security around the delegations from all the countries, according to Malmo police. <We're keeping a bit of an extra eye on Israel of course, because of the situation,> Lotta Svensson, a police incident commander, told Reuters on Sunday. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event, has resisted calls for Israel to be excluded but asked the country to modify the lyrics of its original song <October Rain>, which appeared to reference the Hamas attack. Israeli contestant Golan says she hopes her performance will help to unite people. <It's a super important moment for us, especially this year,> she told Reuters in an interview this week. <I feel honoured to have the opportunity to be the voice of my country.> Thursday's semi-final is due to begin at 1900 GMT and will also feature contestants from Malta, Albania, Greece, the Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia and Norway.
(Reuters)>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240509-thousands-join-gaza-war-protest-israel-eurovision-participation

More Food for thought.
At present and under the motto 'The show must go on' there's again the so-called eurovision contest. It's not my thing but ok. But... israel is allowed to participate too. Now I have a question: why do the other contestants, countries, accept a multi-thousand serial killer as a competitor? Is the answer 'Fame above humanity and universal conscious? Or, also, it is the name of the game right, the winner takes all? (Tens of thousands Palestinian innocent people and in this foremost women and children)! Yes, the neo-fascist netanyahu in this is only thinking 'the show must go on and I in the end, no matter the cost, and I will win my political career and carry on and as a a trophee my genocidal mission winners-cup.'
Gino d'Artali

France 24 - May 9, 2024 - By Sophie GUIGNON|Chloe DOMAT
<<FOCUS: On board a humanitarian flight: Injured Gazan children flown to UAE for treatment
Children are the first victims of the war in Gaza, with over 14,000 youngsters killed, according to the United Nations. Many of them died due to a lack of medical care. In response to this humanitarian crisis, several countries are evacuating children with the heaviest wounds or with chronic illnesses that can no longer be treated. These medical flights take off from Egypt, after the young patients pass through the Rafah border crossing. Our reporters Sophie Guignon and Chloe Domat followed one evacuation flight organised by the United Arab Emirates. The tiny Gulf state wants to take in 2,000 Gazan children for medical care. Warning: This report contains distressing images.>>
Source and video:
https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20240509-on-board-a-humanitarian-flight-injured-gazan-children-flown-to-uae-for-treatment

France 24 - May 9, 2024
<<Palestinians flee chaos and panic in Rafah after Israel's seizure of border crossing
Families uprooted multiple times by the war are unsure where to go: to the half-destroyed city of Khan Younis, to points even farther north, or to an Israeli-declared <humanitarian zone> in Gaza already teeming with people with little water or supplies? More information with Scott Lucas, professor of US and international politics at the Clinton Institute, University College.>>
Source and video:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240509-palestinians-flee-chaos-and-panic-in-rafah-after-israel-s-seizure-of-border-crossing-1


110,000 Palestinians fled Rafah
Jinha - Womens News Agency - May 10, 2024
<<UNRWA: 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since Monday
UNRWA estimates around 110,000 people have now fled Rafah looking for safety since Monday.
News Center- As Israeli Forces bombardment intensifies in Rafah, forced displacement continues, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a statement on Friday.
'110,000 people have now fled Rafah'
<UNRWA estimates around 110,000 people have now fled Rafah looking for safety. But nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip and living conditions are atrocious. The only hope is an immediate ceasefire,> UNRWA said on X. Some 1.9 million people have been internally displaced in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. Most of the displaced people took shelter in Rafah, having been designated as a <safe zone> by Israel. However, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Rafah on May 6. On Tuesday, the Israeli army launched a ground operation in Rafah and took control of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/unrwa-110-000-palestinians-have-fled-rafah-since-monday-35030?page=1


Gaza - genocidal hell on earth
Jinha - Womens News Agency - May 9, 2024
<<60 Palestinians killed in Israel's attack on Gaza in last 24 hours
At least 60 Palestinians were killed in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, the Gaza's health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
News Center- At least 60 Palestinians were killed, 110 others injured in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, the Gaza's health ministry said in a statement on Thursday. At least 34,904 Palestinians have been killed, 78,514 others injured in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the statement added. Many people are still trapped under rubble and the civil defense crews and healthcare workers are prevented by Israeli soldiers from reaching them, the ministry said.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/60-palestinians-killed-in-israel-s-attack-on-gaza-in-last-24-hours-35025

Women's Liberation Front 2019/cryfreedom.net 2024