Current Final

Tag: Hamas

  • Landlord stabs Palestinian- American child to death, injures mother in hate crime

    Landlord stabs Palestinian- American child to death, injures mother in hate crime

    Joseph Czuba, a 71-year-old man has stabbed a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy to death while also injuring his 32-year-old mother in Plainfield, Illinois USA in what local police have confirmed is a hate crime.

    The Palestinian-American family was reportedly attacked by the man after he got influenced watching and reading about the conflict in the Middle East.

    Czuba reportedly shouted “You Muslims must die” as he entered the family’s rented home and attacked the mother. When she ran to the bathroom to call 911, Czuba stabbed six-year-old 26 times, killing him on the spot.

    President Joe Biden has released a statement, saying that he is “sickened” by the incident.

    “This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are,” he said.

    “As Americans, we must come together and reject Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred.”

    Czuba has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, hate crimes and aggravated battery.

    Will County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday that they received an emergency call while the woman was fighting the killer.

    She “ran into the bathroom and continued to fight off her attacker”, he explained.

    By the time the police reached the scene, the mother and the child had “multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso, and upper extremities”.

    Bothwere taken to hospital, but the boy who was reportedly stabbed 26 times couldn’t survive the attack.

    Czuba, on the other hand, sat “upright outside on the ground near the driveway of the residence.”

    “Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the Sheriff’s office added.

    Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) identified the boy as Wadea al-Fayoume, and his mother as Hanaan Shahin.

    Wadea was born in the US, while his mother was originally from Beitunia in the West Bank and came to the country 12 years ago.

    According to CAIR-Chicago executive director Ahmed Rehab, Wadea had celebrated his birthday only a few weeks back.

  • Saudi prince MBS kept U.S. Secretary waiting for hours

    Saudi prince MBS kept U.S. Secretary waiting for hours

    Only a couple of weeks back, the US was apparently succeeding in normalising the relationship between Saudi Arabia, arguably the most powerful Muslim country, and Israel. And while Saudi Arabia commenced talks, they made it clear that they will never compromise on their pro-Palestinian stance.

    However, the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7 and the consequential escalation has created a gulf between Saudi Arabia and Israel as well as Saudi Arabia and America.

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been visiting the Arab world to persuade them to side with Washington’s narrative on the Israel-Hamas war.

    Washington Post has reported that after meeting Egypt’s Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Blinken told reporters on Sunday that “I heard a lot of good ideas about some of the things we need to do moving forward.”
    However, there came a conflict of views when it came to Israel’s right to wage intensified war in Gaza as both the Arab leaders do not approve of it.

    It was further reported that in Riyadh, “the Saudi ruler kept Blinken waiting several hours for a meeting presumed to happen in the evening but which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning.”

    While the US is in full support of Israel’s operations in besieged Gaza, El-Sisi and MBS, both stressed on the need for the Israeli forces to stop the attacks.

    MBS also stressed on lifting the siege of Gaza that has deprived residents of water, food, electricity and more.

    On the other hand, Sisi pointed out that Israel’s attacks have crossed “the right of self-defense,” and turned into “collective punishment.”

    And while he condemned Hamas, he blamed Israel for the devastating situation of the Palestinian.

    When Blinken brought into conversation his own Jewish heritage, Sisi, who himself grew up with Jew neighbours in Egypt, replied, “You said that you are a Jewish person and I am an Egyptian person who grew up next to Jews in Egypt.They have never been subjected to any form of oppression or targeting and it has never happened in our region that Jews were targeted in recent or old history.”

  • MSNBC reportedly removes three Muslim analysts from shows

    MSNBC reportedly removes three Muslim analysts from shows

    American broadcaster, MSNBC, has allegedly removed three Muslim news anchors from recording new episodes as Israel continues with bombing Gaza.

    Semafor reported that MSNBC did not air The Mehdi Hasan Show on Thursday, altered Ayman Mohyeldin’s programme and planned on having another anchor to substitute for Ali Velshi for the weekend.

    It has also been reported that a conflict within the organisation arose as an NBCU engineer created a “network-wide support event for staff who felt grief over the conflict”. But the conversation heated up after the engineer criticised Velshi’s show’s producer who asked why there were no Palestinians speaking at the event:

    “This is not about Palestinians and Jews/Israelis,

    “This is about terrorists and Jews/Israelis. Anyone entering this group needs to denounce terror and what happened on Saturday. Claims of ‘freedom fighting,’ rationalizations, really, anything not explicitly and unequivocally about being supportive during this difficult time; these do NOT belong here.”

    To which the producer responded, “You’re on here equating the loss of Palestinian civilian life with terrorism and saying that I have no right to grieve, as you do. You’re putting words in my mouth, demanding that I denounce terror as if I had anything to do with it. Not sure how you have managed to twist all this from a simple question asking, where can I, as someone with friends who are currently trapped in both Gaza and Israel, go to grieve?”

    The friction amongst the staff continued.

    According to Semafor, MSNBC has denied all accusations, and has”vehemently pushed back against any notion that anyone was being sidelined in any way.”

    While many pro-Israeli and Islamophobic individuals have welcomed the suspension, others have been highly critical of MSNBC’s open anti-Palestinian approach.

    https://publish.twitter.com/?query=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FIlhanMN%2Fstatus%2F1713256472853827958&widget=Tweet
  • 70% of people in Gaza without health services: what do we know about day nine

    70% of people in Gaza without health services: what do we know about day nine

    More than 400 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids in one day

    Wafa news has reported that Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 400 Palestinians and 1,500 have been wounded in the past 24 hours.

    China on Israel

    During a call with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi deemed Israel’s operation in Gaza as “beyond the scope of self-defence” and alluded to the Israeli government to “cease its collective punishment of” Palestinians.

    “All parties should not take any action to escalate the situation and should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”, he added.

    Gaza death toll climbs to 2,329

    According to the health ministry, at least 2,329 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as the result of Israeli attacks whereas 9,714 have been wounded.

    On the contrary, 1,300 people have been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.

    126 Israeli captives

    According to the Israeli army, 126 people have been taken captive by Hamas since October 7 attacks, whereas at least 279 soldiers have died.

    Israeli military at Gaza border

    As per Al-Jazeera’s investigation, the Israeli army has been “struggling to deal with infiltrations by fighters from Gaza” since October 7 attacks by Qassam Brigades.

    Nonetheless, Israel continues to attack Gaza and intercept rockets.

    Israel’s military is also setting themselves along the border as hundreds of tanks and heavy military equipment are proceeding with operational positions, indicating severe operations in the coming days.

    Israeli soldiers harassing Palestinians in Jerusalem Old City

    Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Old City are now under intensified harassment at the hands of the Israelis.

    Al Jazeera spoke to Palestinians who said that they are now facing “new interrogation tactics at its entry points, including phone searches, increased use of physical force and vulgar insults”.

    Additionally, as per Wafa news, 50 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

    No access to health services for 70% of people in Gaza

    Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, reported that 70 percent of residents in the besieged Gaza Strip are without health services after the UNRWA evacuated its centres.

    Water crisis in Gaza

    As per the United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians, water has become a “matter of life and death” in the Gaza Strip as Israel has blocked water supply.

    UNRWA has stated that more than two million people are at risk.

    “It has become a matter of life and death. It is a must: Fuel needs to be delivered now into Gaza to make water available for two million people,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

    Additionally, it has been a week since no humanitarian supplies have been allowed into Gaza.

    Credits: Al-Jazeera

  • Instagram users say no views when people post pro Palestine content

    Instagram users say no views when people post pro Palestine content

    As the civilian death toll from Israel’s bombing of Gaza continues to rise Instagram users have complained that they are not getting views on pro Palestine content.

    While more than a 1000 Palestinians are dead, including more than 600 children, others are struggling to survive through Israel’s embargo on food, water, electricity, and other basic services.

    Israel’s atrocities in Gaza have resulted in people around the world raising their voice on social media and sharing footage.

    This also includes Pakistani influencers and Instagram users with a significant amount of following.

    They are now highlighting that the viewership on their Instagram stories has starkly decreased every since they started sharing pro-Palestinian content.

    This has not happened for the first time.

    Instagram (i.e. Meta) is known to deliberately restrict the outreach of content that is in support of Palestine or merely stating facts that put Israel in a bad light.

    Quds News Network, the largest Palestinian news outlet, has said that Meta has suspended it’s page on Israel’s complaint.

  • Palestinian bodies stored in ice cream refrigerators now: what do we know about day eight?

    Palestinian bodies stored in ice cream refrigerators now: what do we know about day eight?

    Go to ‘tent cities’ in Egypt’s Sinai Desert

    Previously, Israel had told 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to move to south Gaza within the span of 24 hours in the light of a potential ground operation.

    This led to a backlash from the UN, Palestinians, and many other humanitarian organisations who deemed it to be “impossible” and catastrophic.

    Yet again, Israel’s former deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, while speaking to Al Jazeera, suggested that Palestinians in Gaza should flee to Egypt’s Sinai Desert, where tent cities would be built for them.

    “The idea is for them to leave over to the open areas where we and the international community will prepare infrastructure … tent cities, with food and with water, just like for the refugees of Syria.”

    Evacuation impossible, says WHO

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that is impossible to evacuate hundreds of critically injured patients from hospitals in northern Gaza “without endangering their lives”.

    “Of the thousands of patients with injuries and other conditions receiving care in hospitals, there are hundreds that are severely wounded and over 100 who require critical care.

    “These are the sickest of the sick. Many thousands more, also with wounds or other health needs, cannot access any kind of care,” the WHO added

    The statement also pointed out that “The compressed timeframe, complex transport logistics, damaged roads, and, above all, lack of supportive care during transport all add to the difficulty of moving.”

    WHO has also called on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza and to establish a “humanitarian corridor” on urgent basis.

    Hospital staff refuse to leave

    Despite no medical supplies and blockade of food, water and power, the medical teams at a hospital in the northern Gaza Strip have refused to evacuate, rejecting the Israeli army’s order.

    70 dead while fleeing northern Gaza on Israel’s callOfficials have revealed that a significant number of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids while fleeing the northern Gaza Strip.

    Among the 70 killed were mostly children and women and were in their transport, on their to South.

    324 Palestinians killed in less than 24 hours

    The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza has reached 324 according to health ministry whereas 1,000 have been wounded as the result of Israeli air raids in the last 24 hours.

    Reportedly, 66 percent of the affectees are women and children.

    Previously, hospitals in Gaza report that since October 7, Israeli air raids have killed at least 256 people, including 20 children, and wounded 1,788 others in less than 24 hours, according to hospitals in Gaza.

    According to WAFA’s correspondent, Israeli forces have targeted Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza city and the Red Crescent’s al-Quds Hospital that was currently sheltering hundreds of families.

    Simultaneously, dozens of homes and residential buildings have also been destroyed. Israeli fire has killed at least 52 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since Hamas’s attack on October 7, according to Palestinian health officials.

    Palestinian bodies stored in ice cream refrigerators due to lack of space in hospitals

    Due to lack of space in hospital morgues in Gaza, the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli air raids are now being stored in ice cream refrigerators instead.

    1,300+ buildings destroyed in Gaza: UN

    The United Nations reports that more than 1,300 buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed in the Israeli attacks.

    OCHA calculates the destruction of “5,540 housing units” in the destroyed buildings and nearly 3,750 homes have become uninhabitable.

    Top Hammas military commander dead

    According to the Israeli military, a senior military commander of Hamas heading the group’s aerial operations has been killed in Israeli air raids.Hamas is yet to respond to the news.

    credits: Al-Jazeera

  • Israel tells 1.1m people to evacuate Northern Gaza within 24 hours: what we know about day seven

    Israel tells 1.1m people to evacuate Northern Gaza within 24 hours: what we know about day seven

    Where do they go?

    The Gaza Strip consists of 2.3 million people. More than 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern part of the Strip are being asked to move towards the South by Israeli forces — that too, within 24 hours as there are plans of ground operations.

    The UN has deemed the call as “impossible”, stating that it can lead to a serious humanitarian crisis: “It is ‘impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” the UN said.

    Israeli military sent a warning to Gaza saying, “This evacuation is for your own safety. You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made. Do not approach the area of the security fence with the State of Israel.”

    Hamas, however, has told Palestinians to not give into the “fake propaganda”“Remain steadfast in your homes and stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation”, stated the Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs.

    Nowhere to sleep

    The International Committee of the Red Cross has revealed that as a large number of people in Gaza are being displaced, “hundreds of thousands have nowhere to sleep”.

    It added that more than 2 million people lack basic necessities, water and electricity; ambulances cannot reach the wounded.

    423,000 people displaced

    The United Nations has revealed that 423,378 people have been displaced after forcibly fleeing their residences in Gaza.

    The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said that this number has reportedly risen by an addition of 84,444 people on Thursday.

    ‘Genocide’ in Gaza, says Hamas

    In a video statement, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad describes the current Israeli moves as “genocide” which are being backed by the Western countries who, he added, are not seeking a resolution.

    “There is no safe area for the people in Gaza to seek refuge or shelter,” he said.

    “Every area and every building is under possible attack. Everyone is targeted and vulnerable to Israel’s killing, including women, children, the elderly and even disabled people.”

    “The Israeli leaders are giving clear instructions to their army to carry out a genocide [against] more than two million citizens in the Gaza Strip. We are facing unprecedented crimes in modern history,”

    30 airstrikes in one night

    Israel conducted 30 airstrikes during the night in a span of just one hour.

    This indicates the intensification of attacks in the northern part of the Gaza Strip after excessive attacks in the southern part, targeting Rafah.

    Use of white phosphorus

    The use of white phosphorus has now been confirmed by Human Rights Watch.

    “Human Rights Watch verified videos taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, and interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza,” they have stated.

    Additionally, Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch explains that “Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,

    “White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.”

    Lebanese forced to flee too

    After Palestinians, thousands of people from southern Lebanese villages are forced to leave their houses due to high chances of Israel-Hezbollah war.

    Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group. They have a frictional history with Israel and both of them have, time and again, attacked each other’s territory.

  • World reacts to Israel’s breach of international laws

    World reacts to Israel’s breach of international laws

    While many of its old allies still support Israel as it continues to bomb Gaza, a number of countries are now raising concerns over Israel’s breach of international laws.

    Russia

    President Vladimir Putin responded to the Israel-Palestine escalation by condemning the “catastrophic” deaths and criticised Washington’s involvement in the Middle East peace settlement.

    During a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, he said “This is a vivid example of the failure of Middle East policies of the United States [as it] tried to monopolise the [peace] settlement”.

    “But, unfortunately, [the US] was not concerned about the search for compromises for both sides and, vice versa, promoted their own conceptions about how it should be done, [and] pressured both sides,” he added.

    Moscow has also refused to label Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

    “We maintain contact with [both] sides of the conflict,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

    “Of course, Russia continues to analyse the situation and keeps its position as a nation that has the potential to participate in the settlement process.”

    China

    On Thursday, China’s top diplomat and foreign minister Wang Yi stated that the issue of Palestinian is central to the Middle East conflict, and that denial of “justice” to the Palestinian people was at its core.

    Turkey

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, asserting that a lasting solution to the conflict lies in the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem within the 1967 borders .

    Ireland

    Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has criticised Israel for violating international humanitarian law and halting water, food and electricity supply into the Gaza Strip.

    “Israel is under threat. They do have a right to defend themselves, but they don’t have the right to breach international humanitarian law,” he said in an interview with TVE.

    “To me, it amounts to collective punishment. Cutting off power, cutting off fuel supplies and water supplies, that’s not the way a respectable democratic state should conduct itself.”

    He has, however, also urged Hamas to release all the Israeli captives, saying that Israel is “justified in attacking Hamas in Gaza and elsewhere.”

    Former Irish President Mary Robinson has also commented on the escalation, deeming Israel’s response to Hamas attacks as collective punishment.

    Robinson asserted that Ireland has been a “very good voice in acknowledging the suffering of occupation and the continual problems of Palestinians over decades.”

    Richard Boyd Barrett, Irish MP, addressed the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, during a discussion on the Irish Government’s response to the situation in Gaza.

    “The Israeli Government has brazenly, publicly and openly declared its intention to commit a war crime, and has commenced that war crime against the people of Gaza”, he said.

    Scotland

    Hamza Yousaf, the first minister of Scotland, has also spoken up against the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    He posted on X (formerly Twitter), quoting the latest UN statement that warns about the dire consequences of Israeli orders of evacuation of Gaza.

    “The international community must step up and demand an end to collective punishment. Enough. There can be no justification for the death of innocent men, women & children.”

    He also shared a video of his mother-in-law, Elizabeth El-Nakla, calling for help.

    She was visiting her relatives with her husband when Hamas attacked on Saturday.

    Norway

    The Norwegian foreign minister, Anniken Huitfeldt, has said on Thursday that while Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, a total blockade of Gaza cannot be supported.

    “The establishment of a full blockade, including on access to electricity, water, food, and other goods that are indispensable for the survival of the civilian population in Gaza, is unacceptable,” she stated.

    She further pointed out that self-defense measures must be taken within international law.

    “The scale of destruction in Gaza is enormous. A large number of civilians have been killed. Given a full blockade by Israel, closed border crossings, and continued Israeli attacks, I fear that the civilian population in Gaza will face even greater hardship in the days to come,” Huitfeldt said.

    She also warned that suspension or decrease in assistance to Gaza can worsen the matter.

    “Functioning Palestinian institutions and the delivery of basic services are crucial to avoid further destabilisation and preserve the objective of the two-state solution.”

  • Who are the celebrities siding with Israel as onslaught on Gaza continues?

    Who are the celebrities siding with Israel as onslaught on Gaza continues?

    The bombing on Palestine continues with latest reports showing that more than 5,600 Palestinians have died in Gaza at Israel’s hands. In these past few days, many celebrities have voiced their support for Israel, some of them using misinformation as justification for the bombardment of civilians. Social media users have expressed outrage on the way the slaughter of Palestinians is being shown as a positive thing rather than a war crime.

    Here are all the public faces who have so far expressed their support for Israel.

    More than 700 Hollywood entertainers have signed an open letter with Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) voicing their support for Israel as the bombing of Gaza continues. This included former IDF soldier and actress Gal Gadot, comedian Amy Schumer, actors Chris Pine, Mark Hamil and Debra Messing.

    The letter described the war as “terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions.”

    The letter ended by urging on other members of the entertainment industry “to speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.”

    ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp released a statement that riled up social media.

    Kim Kardashian shared a statement on her Instagram account expressing her support for Israel.

    Harry Potter writer J.K Rowling shared a video clip of journalists claiming the Hamas had beheaded 40 babies from Israel with the caption: “Now let the snivelling apologists for rape, murder and torture explain how this, too, was justified.”

    Since then, the news has since then been debunked by journalists, as well as the IDF who said no such confirmation was given by them. However, Rowling has not taken down her post.

    Jamie Lee Curtis shared and then deleted a picture of children looking up at the sky in terror, along with the Israeli flag in the caption. This picture is actually from war-torn buildings in Gaza.

    Justin Bieber shared a picture of war-torn Gaza with the caption ‘Pray for Israel’ on his Instagram stories, and twitter users criticised him for spreading misinformation.

  • Human Rights Watch confirms use of white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon

    Human Rights Watch confirms use of white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon

    As Israel’s onslaught on Gaza enters the seventh day, multiple sources claimed that Israeli forces were using white phosphorus to attack Gaza and Lebanon.

    The Palestinians claimed the news to be true but many news platforms did not verify the reports.

    The use of white phosphorus has now been confirmed by Human Rights Watch.

    “Human Rights Watch verified videos taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, and interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza,” they have stated.

    Additionally, Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch explains that “Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,

    “White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.”

    The United Nations has banned the use of incendiary weapons in 1972.

    “Incendiary weapons are weapons or munitions designed to set fire to objects or cause burn or respiratory injury to people through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, resulting from a chemical reaction of a flammable substance such as napalm or white phosphorus,” the UN says.

    Nonetheless, it is not the first time that Israel has used white phosphorus against Palestinians. One of the first recorded incidents of its use is from 2009.