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Tag: Israel

  • Scotland willing to take in Palestinian refugees

    Scotland willing to take in Palestinian refugees

    Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf posted a video message on X (formerly Twitter), saying that the U.K. is willing to take Gaza refugees in, following Israel’s bombardment of Palestine.

    “So, many of them don’t want to leave and neither they should have to leave but for the million that have been displaced just in this current conflict, for those that want to leave, there should be a worldwide refugee scheme,

    “Because of the numbers, the world should be involved.”

    Yousaf also urged other countries to open their borders to refugees from Gaza.

    “Let’s say that Scotland will be a place of sanctuary for them as we have shown that kindness and compassion for others. Let us show it once again and this time for the people of Gaza,” Yousaf said, adding that Scotland is willing to lead the way for the rest of the U.K.

    “And Scotland is willing to be the first country in the U.K. to take those refugees,” he said.

    In another video, the First Minister stated that Scotland’s hospitals will care for the Gazans injured in the escalation and requested the U.K. government to “begin work on the creation of a refugee resettlement scheme for those in Gaza who want to, and of course are able to, leave.”

  • Members of UK Labour Party resign in support of Palestine

    Members of UK Labour Party resign in support of Palestine

    Several members of the Labour Party have resigned since the Israel bombing of escalation on October 7.

    The Labour Party is currently in the opposition in the UK whose leader, Keir Starmer, recently stated that Israel has the “right” to cut power and water supplies to Gaza. Similar comments were issued by prominent members including shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry and shadow defence minister John Healey.

    This was followed by a resignation from Oxford City councillor Shaista Aziz. As a former international aid worker, she has worked in the occupied West Bank, Israel, and refugee camps in Gaza.

    Middle East Eye spoke to her and she said, “The Labour Party leader’s stance on not being able to condemn collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza was the final red line for me,”.

    In an interview, Strarmer was asked about the seige, blockade, and the killing by Israel to which he replied that while all action must be taken within the international law, “I don’t want to step away from the core principles that Israel has the right to defend herself.”

    Among other Labour councillors who have resigned are Amar Latif, Mairéad Healy and Jessie Hoskin.

    “As a working GP, I am deeply distressed by the loss of all innocent lives in both Palestine and Israel. However, it cannot be right that there is collective punishment in direct contravention of international law, and it is incumbent on all leaders at a local, national and international level to speak out against this,” said Latif.

    Similarly, Hopkins stated, “I was elected because I believe in human dignity for everyone without exception. The Labour Party no longert reflects those views,”

    While Healy said the Labour leadership was “encouraging collective punishment towards the Palestinian people by condoning the indiscriminate withholding of water and energy supplies in Gaza,” which she believes is illegal under international law.

  • Greta Thunberg calls for ceasefire in Gaza, freedom for Palestine

    Greta Thunberg calls for ceasefire in Gaza, freedom for Palestine

    Climate Change activist Greta Thunberg has raised her voice in calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine. She shared a post on Instagram, holding the poster ‘Free Gaza’ and announced that she was striking in solidarity with Palestine.

    “Week 270. Today we are striking in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.”

    The climate change activist also shared several accounts for her followers to educate themselves on the struggle for Free Palestine.

  • Israel attacks church sheltering displaced Christians and Muslims

    The Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, a shelter for several Palestinian families in Gaza, was struck by Israeli bombing on Thursday night.

    Muslims and Christians, together, were seeking refuge under its roof however, Israel military targeted the Church killing and injuring dozens.

    According to Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, 18 Christian Palestinians were among the killed.

    The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has conveyed its “strongest condemnation” of the attack, saying that “targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli air strikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime”.

    History of Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church

    At the site of Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, a church was built back in 425 AD but in 1150s or 1160s, the Crusaders named it Saint Porphyrius Church after a bishop renowned for introducing Christianity to Gaza in 395 to 420 AD.

  • One million displaced in Gaza till now: What do we know about day 13

    One million displaced in Gaza till now: What do we know about day 13

    PM Sunak visits Israel

    British prime minister Rishi Sunak landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday morning to meet his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog.

    During his meeting with Herzog, he said that it is vital to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating, “Palestinians are victims of what Hamas has done. It’s important that we continue to provide humanitarian access,”

    He, nonetheless, stressed on his full support to Israel to “defend” itself, “to bring security back” in the country to its people, and “to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken”.

    Read more: ‘I grieve with you and stand with you’; British PM visits Israel

    One million displaced in Gaza till now

    The United Nations has reported that one million people have fled their homes in Gaza, including about 352,000 people who are currently residing in UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

    The conditions of these shelters are described as “increasingly dire“.

    121 people killed since yesterday

    Al Jazeera spoke to a medical source who reported that 121 had been killed and 540 injured in the Gaza Strip since last night.

    Additionally, WAFA has reported that a Palestinian man has been killed by Israeli forces while a child was killed in a refugee camp — both in the occupied West Bank .

    The child was reportedly 14-year-old Ahmed Munis Sadouq who was shot in the head.

    Others have been injured.

    Gaza’s only cancer hospital closed

    Al Jazeera reports that Dr Sukeyk, the director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, has issued an alert that the fuel required to keep essential services running is extremely low and so are the medicines needed during chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients.

    There are reportedly more than 9,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip with no other hospital to go to.

    Doctors using vinegar to treat wound infections

    Surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta says he has resorted to using “vinegar from the corner shop to treat pseudomonas bacterial wound infections.”

    “It’s come to that,” he said on X.

    Hundreds of Hamas sites destroyed

    The Israeli army has claimed to have targeted and destroyed hundreds of Hamas’s points in Gaza including anti-tank missile launch sites, tunnel shafts intelligence positions, and more.

    They have reportedly also killed the fighters involved in October 7 attacks.

    Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, confirmed the killings of three of its fighters on Wednesday.

    US vetoes UNSC resolution calling for humanitarian halt

    US President Biden has announced a pact with Egypt’s el-Sisi which will allow 20 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

    Earlier, on Wednesday, US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that, while condemning Hamas’s attack on Israel, called for a pause in the Israel-Palestine escalation and allow aid into Gaza.

    The US was the only opponent in the resolution amongst the 12 members who voted in favour whereas Russia and the UK abstained.

    US reasoning was that the Brazil-drafted text did not assert enough on Israel’s right to self-defence.

    Israel police boss threatens to send anti-war protesters to Gaza

    While people across the globe protest against Israeli atrocities in Gaza, some Israelis too, have taken to streets of Haifa to hold pro-Palestine demonstration.

    Israel’s police chief responded by saying that there will be “zero tolerance” for pro-Palestinian protests in Israel and threatened the protesters with sending them to Gaza.

    Six people have been reportedly arrested

    “Whoever wants to become an Israeli citizen, welcome,” Shabtai said. “Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome. I will put him on the buses heading there now.”

    Anti-war stance not allowed

    A left-wing Israeli parliament member, Ofer Cassif has been suspended for 45 daya by the ethics panel of the Israeli parliament whose statements were deemed as anti-Israel.

    In an interview, he compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza to the Nazis’ ‘Final Solution’ against Jews in Europe.

    Referring to the Hamas attack he claimed that “Israel wanted this violence”.

    Cassif called the suspension “another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression”.

    Credits: Al Jazeera

  • ‘I grieve with you and stand with you’; British PM visits Israel

    ‘I grieve with you and stand with you’; British PM visits Israel

    British prime minister Rishi Sunak landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday morning to meet his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog.

    He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I am in Israel, a nation in grief. I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism. Today, and always.”

    During his meeting with Herzog, he said that it is vital to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating, “Palestinians are victims of what Hamas has done. It’s important that we continue to provide humanitarian access,”

    He, nonetheless, stressed on his full support to Israel to “defend” itself, “to bring security back” in the country to its people, and “to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken”.

    As per reports of the meeting by Al Jazeera, “The Prime Minister and President Herzog stressed the imperative need to avoid further escalation of violence in the region. They agreed to continue working together to that end.”

    Later, PM Netanyahu, during his meeting with his British counterpart, said Hamas’ attack on October 7 was carried out to “destroy Israel’s regional peace moves in the region”.

    PM Sunak stated that the UK will provide increased aid to the region.

    “I’m proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour. As your friend, we will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people, and we also want you to win,” Sunak said.

    In a short press conference, PM Netanyahu said, “This is not merely our battle, it’s the battle of the entire civilised war, the battle of Israel, the battle of moderate Arab countries, the battle of the free world, the battle for the future,

    “We have two forces – one is an axis of evil run by Iran and supported by Hezbollah, Hamas and others that want to bring back the Middle East to the Middle Ages … to the age of war and slavery.

    “The other forces [are those] of progress and humanity who want to push for a world of peace and prosperity.”

    PM Rishi Sunak will depart for Saudi Arabia today to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

  • 500 Jewish protesters arrested after demanding ceasefire inside Capitol Hill

    Protesters in the US entered the Cannon House office building on Wednesday, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

    The demonstrations, however, were intervened by the police who made several arrests.

    “Demonstrations are not allowed inside Congressional Buildings,” Capitol Police posted on X.

    “We warned the protesters to stop demonstrating and when they did not comply we began arresting them.”

    The protest was organised by the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and IfNotNow. The protesters demanded Congress to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    The Biden administration is openly siding with Israel in its increased attacks on Palestinians following the October 7 attacks by Hamas. It has, so far, resulted in the killings of more than 3,300 Palestinians and injury of more than 10,000.

    “The root of violence is oppression, and we’re here to say no in our names,” Jewish Voice for Peace posted on X. “We have the power to stop the ongoing atrocities against Palestinians. We refuse to standby as the Israeli government commits genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

    JVP has reported that around 10,000 protesters gathered outside the Capitol building and 500 more went inside “to demand an end to the Israeli and U.S. government’s genocide in Gaza.”

    “I wish all the Palestinian people would see this. I wish they could see that not all of America want them to die. That they are not disposable, that they have a right to live,” said Rashida Tlaib, the only current Palestinian-American member of Congress.

    On the other hand, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene asked the U.S. Capitol Police to maintain surveillance footage and photos, police reports and arrest records from the protest.

    In a series of posts on X, Greene disapproved of the demonstrations.

  • US government official resigns over ‘provision of lethal arms to Israel’

    US government official resigns over ‘provision of lethal arms to Israel’

    A senior US State Department official has resigned from his position on Wednesday in the light of the Biden administration’s role in the Israel-Palestine escalation.

    Josh Paul, director of congressional and public affairs at the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, posted a letter on his LinkedIn account announcing his resignation and the reasoning behind it.

    While he clarified his stance on October 7 and deemed the Hamas attack on Israel as “a monstrosity of monstrosities,” he also stated that “I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people – and is not in the long term American interest.”

    “I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse”, he added

    In the latest developments following October 7, Israel has been more aggressive in its attacks in Gaza which has resulted in the killings of more than 3,300 Palestinians whereas Biden pledged to support Israel in its so-called right to defend through and through.

    “When I came to this bureau … I knew it was not without its moral complexity and moral compromises, and I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt … the harm I might do could be outweighed by the good I could do,” Paul acknowledged in his letter.

    “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain.”

    He also pointed out that “I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it any longer.”

    HuffPost spoke to Paul following his resignation.

    “I’ve been surprised by how many have said, ‘We absolutely understand where you’re coming from, we feel similarly and understand’”, he said.

  • Surgeries conducted on floor, without anaesthesia: What do we know about day 12

    Tuesday night, an Israeli air raid on al-Ahli Arab Hospital killed more than 500 Palestinians.

    Biden meets Netanyahu

    President Biden landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, today, to meet PM Benjamin Netanyahu, less than a day after more than 500 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital.

    Without any proof to back up his claim, Biden said that the al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing seems to be carried out by the “other team, not you”, indirectly putting the blame on Palestinians.

    Read more: ‘Civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas’: Netanyahu meets Biden

    Read more on false information from day 12:
    Israel tries deflecting blame for hospital attack; evidence proves otherwise

    “Time is OVER!”

    Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has called for unity across the world to stand up to Israel after the hospital bombing, calling it a “massacre of … innocent women and children”.

    “After the terrible crime of the Zionist regime in the bombing and massacre of more than a thousand innocent women and children in the…hospital the time has come for the global unity of humanity against this fake regime more hated than ISIS and its killing machine,” he wrote on social media.’

    Protests across the world

    The hospital bombing led to spontaneous protests across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond but many ended with confrontations with security forces.

    Palestinians got together in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the Lebanese gathered in capital Beirut outside the US Embassy, hundreds gathered outside the French embassy in Tunis, all of which were interrupted and dispersed by the police.

    Other major protests were recorded in Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq.

    EU and Russia want facts

    The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is “saddened” by the recent hospital attack in Gaza.

    She posted on X saying, “There is no excuse for hitting a hospital full of medical staff and civilians,

    “All the facts have to be established and those responsible must be held accountable.”

    Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has asserted that Israel must provide satellite images to prove their claims that they were not involved in the Gaza hospital attack.

    RIA news agency quoted her as saying that “Russia classifies the attack as a crime and an act of dehumanisation”.

    UN calls for ceasefire

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has now called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Israel-Gaza war.

    The UN Security Council is also said to vote on a Brazilian-drafted resolution on Wednesday to halt the escalation between Israel and Hamas and to continue humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip.

    The head of World Health Organization (WHO) post on X saying, “We need violence on all sides to stop,” and the situation in Gaza is “spiralling out of control”.

    “Every second we wait to get medical aid in, we lose lives. For four days, WHO supplies have been stuck at the border. We need immediate access to start delivering life-saving supplies.”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said

    Surgeries without anaesthesia

    Gaza already lacks enough healthcare facilities due to the Israeli blockade and after the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital, 350 people were rushed to al-Shifa Hospital which was already assisting a large number of wounded patients from other Israeli air strikes.

    According to reports by the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra, some of the victims were decapitated, disembowelled or were missing limbs.

    And because the number of patients is now beyond capacity, doctors are forced to perform surgeries on floors and in the halls, mostly without anaesthesia.

    “We need equipment, we need medicine, we need beds, we need anaesthesia, we need everything,” Abu Selmia told The Associated Press.

    “Viable” solution is needed, says El-Sisi

    In a news conference in Cairo while visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President el-Sisi asked Israel to shift the affected Palestinians to Negev desert instead of expecting Egypt to host them.

    “There is the Negev desert in Israel. The Palestinians can be moved to Negev desert until they [Israel] do what they wish to do with the military operatives in the Gaza Strip before returning [the Palestinians] back,” he said.

    “If the Palestinians are transferred to Egypt, the military operation initiated by Israel may last for years and years to come. In this case, Egypt will continue to bear the consequences and Sinai will be a base for operations against Israel and in this case, Egypt will be labelled as a base for terrorists,” he said.

    “The acts by Israel, cutting power, water, electricity is a means to forcibly transfer Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, which we totally reject.”

    Casualties, arrests

    Israeli forces have detained 65 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and since October 7, the number has now reached 750 excluding the detained workers from Gaza which are yet to be confirmed.

    Additionally, 61 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,250 injured.

    As for Palestinians in Gaza, more than 3,300 have been killed while 13,000 injured, according to Palestinian health minister.

    On the contrary, the death toll in Israel remains at 1,400, with another 3,500 injured.

    Jordan cancels US summit

    Biden was due to visit Jordan but after the hospital attack, the meeting was cancelled.

    White House spokesperson John Kirby, however, said that the decision was “mutual” and that the reason was the declaration of a three-day mourning after the hospital attack.

    Credit: Al Jazeera

  • ‘Civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas’: Netanyahu meets Biden

    ‘Civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas’: Netanyahu meets Biden

    President Biden landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, today, to meet PM Benjamin Netanyahu, less than a day after more than 500 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital.

    Without any proof to back up his claim, Biden said that the al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing seems to be carried out by the “other team, not you”, indirectly putting the blame on Palestinians.

    Last night, following the attack, Biden took to X to say that he had directed his “national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened”.

    However, his claims are already inclined in support of Israel. Al- Jazeera reports that he also drew comparisons of Hamas to ISIL (ISIS), saying that atrocities committed by Hamas militants made ISIS look “somewhat rational”.

    Biden also posted on X saying “I’m proud to be in Israel to honor the courage, commitment, and bravery of the Israeli people.

    Americans are grieving with you following last week’s terror attacks.”

    On the other hand, Netanyahu asserted that Israel will do everything to ensure the protection of civilians. Contrary to his words, more than 3,000 Palestinians have been killed.

    And while both the leaders were in a meeting, it was reported by Al Jazeera that a residential building in Khan Younis was targeted which resulted in the death of seven people and left forty seriously injured.