An uneasy truce ends 11 days of Israeli bombardment of Gaza!

[Jadz]

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is insufficient, it will not lead to an end to Palestinian suffering. The military occupation must end, unqualified support by the US must also end.

===

Both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have claimed victory after a ceasefire took hold early on Friday
The conflict saw 11 nights of cross-border bombardments and nearly 250 deaths

Hamas said it had received guarantees of an end to the Israeli aggression in East Jerusalem which helped trigger the conflict

That's been denied by Israel, which said it had significantly degraded the military capabilities of Hamas
The ceasefire was brokered by Egypt, which will send delegations to monitor the truce

Israeli air strikes on Gaza and rockets fired into Israel continued in the lead-up to the truce hour

==

Israel and Hamas will cease fire across the Gaza Strip border as of Friday, the United States said, bringing a potentially tenuous halt to the fiercest fighting in years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his security cabinet had voted unanimously in favour of a "mutual and unconditional" Gaza truce proposed by Egypt, but added that the hour of implementation had yet to be agreed.

Hamas and Egypt said the truce would begin at 2 a.m. (2300 GMT Thursday), after 11 days of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.

In a televised address at 2200 GMT, U.S. President Joe Biden said both sides agreed the truce would begin "in less than two hours".

The sides traded blows again in the countdown.

Sirens warned of incoming rockets in Israeli border communities, and a Reuters reporter heard an air strike in Gaza. A man in his 50s was lightly hurt in a direct hit on an Israeli factory, medics said.

Amid growing global alarm at the bloodshed, Biden had urged Netanyahu to seek de-escalation, while Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations sought to mediate.

Extending condolences to bereaved Israelis and Palestinians, Biden said Washington would work with the United Nations "and other international stakeholders to provide rapid humanitarian assistance" for the reconstruction of Hamas-controlled Gaza.

He said aid would be coordinated with the Palestinian Authority - run by Hamas' rival, President Mahmoud Abbas, and based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank - "in a manner that does not permit Hamas to simply restock its military arsenal".

The United States was also committed to replenishing Iron Dome interceptors that helped Israel fend off the more than 4,300 rockets fired at it from Gaza during the this month's conflict.

Hamas said the ceasefire would be "mutual and simultaneous".

“The Palestinian resistance will abide by this agreement as long as the Occupation (Israel) does the same,” Taher Al-Nono, media adviser to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, told Reuters.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had ordered two security delegations into Israel and the Palestinian Territories to work towards upholding the ceasefire, Egyptian state TV reported.

In a televised speech Abu Ubaida, spokesman of the Hamas armed wing, said: "With the help of God, we were able to humiliate the enemy, its fragile entity and its savage army."

He threatened Hamas rocket fire that would reach throughout Israel if it violated the truce or struck Gaza before the hour of implementation.

Rocket attacks by Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad had resumed after an eight-hour pause earlier on Thursday, as Israel pursued shelling that it said aimed to destroy the factions' military capabilities and deter them from future confrontations after the current conflict.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Twitter that the Gaza offensive had yielded "unprecedented military gains".

Speaking to his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, Gantz said Israel's defence establishment would "continue to work closely and in full cooperation with the Pentagon and the U.S. administration to stabilise the region," Gantz's office said.

Since the fighting began on May 10, health officials in Gaza said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, had been killed and more than 1,900 wounded in aerial bombardments. Israel said it had killed at least 160 combatants in Gaza.

Authorities put the death toll in Israel at 12, with hundreds of people treated for injuries in rocket attacks that caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.

The violence was triggered by Palestinian anger at what they viewed as Israeli curbs on their rights in Jerusalem, including during police confrontations with protesters at Al-Aqsa mosque.

Hamas previously demanded that any halt to the Gaza fighting be accompanied by Israeli drawdowns in Jerusalem. An Israeli official told Reuters there was no such condition in the truce.

"The only way there'll be a Hamas-Jerusalem linkage is if they agree to us drowning them on 'Jerusalem Beach' in Tel Aviv," security cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel's top-rated Channel 12 TV earlier on Thursday.

Hamas is deemed a terrorist group in the West and by Israel, which it refuses to recognise.

The United Nations said its Middle East envoy, Tor Wennesland, was in Qatar on Thursday as part of truce efforts.

Reuters

 

[IAJ]

That is at least first step in right direction, but I agree with you on rest as well.

 

[ahmedzee]

Creasefire is not justice. End of illegal occupation of Gaza, West Bank and Golan Heights is what I call justice.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Its welcome to save Palestinian lives.

But Zionist entity are there for the long term. Goal is a slow process of ethnically cleansing Palestinians or making life so hard they leave.

In this current state terrorism, we have seen Hamas use better rockets, which are far more accurate. The protests around the world in support of the Palestinians has been huge.

The tide is turning in terms of moral support for Palestine but the usual worlds terrorist powerful states are continuing to back their settler outpost.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Its welcome to save Palestinian lives.

But Zionist entity are there for the long term. Goal is a slow process of ethnically cleansing Palestinians or making life so hard they leave.

In this current state terrorism, we have seen Hamas use better rockets, which are far more accurate. The protests around the world in support of the Palestinians has been huge.

The tide is turning in terms of moral support for Palestine but the usual worlds terrorist powerful states are continuing to back their settler outpost.

Far more accurate to kill innocent Israelis?

 

[MenInG]

A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has come into effect.

The ceasefire began early on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of bombardment in which more than 240 people have died, most of them in Gaza.

Palestinians poured onto the streets of Gaza soon after the truce began, while a Hamas official warned its hands "are on the trigger".

Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory in the conflict.

US President Joe Biden said that the ceasefire brought "genuine opportunity" for progress.

On Thursday more than 100 Israeli air strikes targeted Hamas infrastructure in the north of Gaza. Hamas retaliated with rocket fire.

The Israel-Palestinian conflict explainedLife in the Gaza StripThe children who have died in the conflict

Fighting began in Gaza on 10 May after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension in occupied East Jerusalem that culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

At least 232 people, including more than 100 women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to its Hamas-controlled health ministry. Israel has said at least 150 militants are among those killed in Gaza. Hamas does not give casualty figures for fighters.

In Israel 12 people, including two children, have been killed, its medical service says. Israel says some 4,000 rockets have been fired towards its territory by militants in Gaza.

What have the two sides said?

The Israeli Political Security Cabinet said it had "unanimously accepted the recommendation" for a ceasefire.

"The political echelon emphasizes that the reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the campaign," it added.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Twitter that the Gaza offensive had yielded "unprecedented military gains".

What the law says about the fightingIsrael defends Gaza strategy as death toll mountsWhy is Gaza blurry on Google Maps?

A Hamas official told the Associated Press that the ceasefire announced by Israel amounts to a "victory" for the Palestinian people and a defeat for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Soon after the ceasefire started at 02:00 on Friday (23:00 GMT Thursday), large numbers of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza in cars and on foot to celebrate.

Loudspeakers from mosques pronounced "the victory of the resistance achieved over the Occupation during the 'Sword of Jerusalem' battle".

What is Hamas?

But Basem Naim, from the Hamas Council on International Relations, told the BBC he was sceptical about whether the truce would last.

"Without justice for Palestinians, without stopping the Israeli aggression and Israeli atrocities against our people in Jerusalem, the ceasefire will continue to be fragile," he said.

A member of Hamas' political bureau, Ezzat al-Reshiq, issued a warning to Israel.

"It's true that the battle ends today but Netanyahu and the whole world should know that our hands are on the trigger and we will continue to ramp up the capabilities of this resistance," he told the Reuters news agency.

"We tell Netanyahu and his army, if you come back, we will come back."

Bbc

 

[cricketjoshila]

There has to be a long term two state solution. Starting with status quo borders being defined and declared as inviolable. Neither side should interfere in what happens on the other side.

 

[ParwazHaiJunoon]

Far more accurate to kill innocent Israelis?

Israelis are not innocent. They are the occupiers & oppressors in Palestine.

Israel is an illegal country which was created on the lands of Palestinian Arabs after mercilessly expelling them. (Jewish colonization / Colonization in 20th century / esp. Zionist Colonization)

 

[Zaz]

The fight starts now. I urge people to continue the protest Time palestinians get their rights and the oppressor is held to account No freedom No justice

 

[MenInG]

Status quo is restored - Until next Ramadan when I expect it to re-start.

 

[Giannis]

So many lives lost, so many Palestinians lost parents, spouses, children, and siblings. It's like for the people in power their lives never mattered, they were like pawns to them.

 

[Mamoon]

Israelis are not innocent. They are the occupiers & oppressors in Palestine.

Israel is an illegal country which was created on the lands of Palestinian Arabs after mercilessly expelling them. (Jewish colonization / Colonization in 20th century / esp. Zionist Colonization)

Millions of Israelis are just regular people who have nothing to do with this conflict. They have nothing to do with the oppression. They just happened to be born in Israel.

Next time someone generalizes Muslims and accuses them of terrorism, don’t throw a tantrum and don’t moan about Islamophobia, but something tells me that you will.

 

[sindhiboy]

So according to zaid hamid, hammas won the war this time.

Israel faced more casualties, in contrast to 2014.

I don't see the point of this. Israel's genocide of Palestinians is slow and tormenting

 

[sindhiboy]

Millions of Israelis are just regular people who have nothing to do with this conflict. They have nothing to do with the oppression. They just happened to be born in Israel.

Next time someone generalizes Muslims and accuses them of terrorism, don’t throw a tantrum and don’t moan about Islamophobia, but something tells me that you will.

The majority of Israelis support Israels war crimes.
But this is not to say there are many jews outside Israel who condemn the zionists

 

[MenInG]

Images from Gaza etc after ceasefire announcement

 

[Mamoon]

The majority of Israelis support Israels war crimes.
But this is not to say there are many jews outside Israel who condemn the zionists

Majority of people who live in a country support their state narrative because it will be against their interests to protest. Doing so will put their own safety and lives in jeopardy.

Millions of Muslims living in USA and UK pay taxes to their governments who have used their tax money to bomb Muslims and provide Israel with military equipment.

Actions speak louder than words. If they really had a conscience, they would leave. However, that would be super inconvenient because they have jobs, families, assets etc.

Who cares about having the blood of Muslims on your hands and having your money used to support Israel when you are enjoying the privileges and opportunity of living in the developed world.

 

[cricketjoshila]

So according to zaid hamid, hammas won the war this time.

Israel faced more casualties, in contrast to 2014.

I don't see the point of this. Israel's genocide of Palestinians is slow and tormenting

Lol. Zaid Hamid.

 

[OMB]

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it killed 25 senior commanders from the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad and 200 operatives during the 11 days of fighting in Gaza.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza says 232 people were killed, including 65 children and 39 women. Hamas has not given casualty figures for fighters.

A graphic posted online by the IDF also says that more than 100km (60 miles) of Hamas’s underground tunnel network were destroyed in air strikes during what the IDF called “Operation Guardian of the Walls”. Hundreds of rocket launchers and related infrastructure were hit, it adds.

Dozens of facilities used by Hamas’s military wing were also destroyed, according to the IDF. They included nine tower blocks, one of which was used by media outlets including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. In addition, 10 offices of the Hamas government in Gaza, 11 interior ministry branches and five banks were bombed, it adds.

The IDF says Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted about 90% of the rockets fired by militants that crossed into Israeli territory and were headed for populated areas. More than 4,340 rockets were launched towards Israel in total in 11 days.

 

[MenInG]

Turkey welcomed a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and hopes it will last, but Israel must be held to account for crimes it committed in Gaza the last two weeks, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

The truce took hold on Friday after the worst violence in years.

"In order to prevent a repeat of the pain and tears seen in Palestine, Israel must be held accountable in the international arena for the crimes it committed. A lifting of the inhumane siege it imposed on Gaza must be ensured," the ministry said, calling on the United Nations Security Council to take action.

An Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday, but Hamas warned it still had its “hands on the trigger” and demanded Israel end the violence in Jerusalem and address the damages in Gaza Strip after the worst fighting in years.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the country welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel.

US President Joe Biden pledged to salve the devastated Gaza. Israeli aerial bombardment of the densely populated area killed at least 232 Palestinians, while rocket attacks killed 12 people in Israel during the latest bout of Israeli aggression.

Palestinians, many of whom had spent 11 days huddled in fear of Israeli shelling, poured into Gaza’s streets. Mosque loud-speakers feted “the victory of the resistance achieved over the Occupation (Israel).”

Cars driving around East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah at dawn flew Palestinian flags and honked horns, echoing the celebratory scenes in Gaza.

In the countdown to the 2am (2300 GMT Thursday) cease-fire, Israel carried out at least one airstrike.

Each side said it stood ready to retaliate for any truce violations by the other. Cairo said it would send two delegations to monitor the ceasefire.

Death toll

Gaza health officials said at least 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, had been killed and more than 1,900 wounded in aerial bombardments. Israel said it had killed at least 160 combatants.

Authorities put the death toll in Israel at 12, with hundreds of people treated for injuries in rocket attacks that caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.

 

[MenInG]

Here we go - Israeli asliyat

UPDATE: Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, fired tear gas against Palestinians celebrating Gaza ceasefire.

 

[MenInG]

Rescue workers in Gaza recover the bodies of 9 Palestinians, including a 3-year-old girl, from under the rubble, local media says. Death toll now standing at 243, including 66 children.

 

[Zaz]

Here we go - Israeli asliyat

UPDATE: Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, fired tear gas against Palestinians celebrating Gaza ceasefire.

Oppression and subjugation is inherent nature for them . Whats the need to storm the compound now? They just want to control and make sure palestinians are always looking down They cant bear to see palestinians outside their control

 

[guna]

So what was the purpose of all the bombing and rocket firing for the past 1 week then? Many lost their lives, homes destroyed, children and women killed or maimed for life.

How can Hamas even declare victory? They managed to destroy the lives of hundreds of Palestinians for their selfish goals. Iran is a dirty nation. They are not man enough to fight Israel directly. Using innocent Palestinians as human shields to further their agenda is horrible.

This is still an uneasy truce. The tensions will flare up once again. Jews in Israel are not going anywhere. Muslims will never accept Jews as their rulers. This is a temporary bandage.

 

[Varun]

Israel - Palestine is like India - Pakistan. Both sides want the status quo to continue so they can justify their shaky existence.

Especially Israel - if they wanted to truly get rid of Palestine I'm sure they could do it in under 10 minutes. But they won't.

 

[MenInG]

Here we go - Israeli asliyat

UPDATE: Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, fired tear gas against Palestinians celebrating Gaza ceasefire.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch as Israeli forces storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and fire tear gas at Palestinians celebrating the ceasefire after Friday prayers.<br><br>&#55357;&#56628; LIVE updates: <a href="https://t.co/v8UKhitk1T">https://t.co/v8UKhitk1T</a> <a href="https://t.co/xM34b7iIJ6">pic.twitter.com/xM34b7iIJ6</a></p>— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1395724814258688003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Unless the other Muslim nations don't support Palestine militarily, they will never get what they want. These social media outrage is not going to yield anything. Israel is never going to get sanctioned - let us get that straight. Only way to defeat them is combining forces militarily. But will the so called Ummah care?

 

[Firebat]

The veteran Palestinian politician, Hanan Ashrawi, has been speaking to the BBC, warning that unless the underlying issues of the conflict are dealt with then the ceasefire will only be temporary.

“There have been several ceasefires before, so-called ceasefires - [a term that is] misleading, by the way, because this isn't a symmetrical war between two armies or two states. This is a relentless, brutal assault," she told the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme.

“Now that there is this so-called ceasefire, I think that unless we deal with the root causes, unless we deal with the ongoing situation of oppression and aggression, which is the Israeli occupation, history is going to repeat itself.”

 

[cric_man]

So what was the purpose of all the bombing and rocket firing for the past 1 week then? Many lost their lives, homes destroyed, children and women killed or maimed for life.

How can Hamas even declare victory? They managed to destroy the lives of hundreds of Palestinians for their selfish goals. Iran is a dirty nation. They are not man enough to fight Israel directly. Using innocent Palestinians as human shields to further their agenda is horrible.

This is still an uneasy truce. The tensions will flare up once again. Jews in Israel are not going anywhere. Muslims will never accept Jews as their rulers. This is a temporary bandage.

Do you even know what start this round of violence?

 

[Jadz]

A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has come into effect.

The ceasefire began early on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of bombardment in which more than 240 people have died, most of them in Gaza.

Palestinians poured onto the streets of Gaza soon after the truce began, while a Hamas official warned its hands "are on the trigger".

Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory in the conflict.

US President Joe Biden said that the ceasefire brought "genuine opportunity" for progress.

On Thursday more than 100 Israeli air strikes targeted Hamas infrastructure in the north of Gaza. Hamas retaliated with rocket fire.

The Israel-Palestinian conflict explainedLife in the Gaza StripThe children who have died in the conflict

Fighting began in Gaza on 10 May after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension in occupied East Jerusalem that culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

At least 232 people, including more than 100 women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to its Hamas-controlled health ministry. Israel has said at least 150 militants are among those killed in Gaza. Hamas does not give casualty figures for fighters.

In Israel 12 people, including two children, have been killed, its medical service says. Israel says some 4,000 rockets have been fired towards its territory by militants in Gaza.

What have the two sides said?

The Israeli Political Security Cabinet said it had "unanimously accepted the recommendation" for a ceasefire.

"The political echelon emphasizes that the reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the campaign," it added.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Twitter that the Gaza offensive had yielded "unprecedented military gains".

What the law says about the fightingIsrael defends Gaza strategy as death toll mountsWhy is Gaza blurry on Google Maps?

A Hamas official told the Associated Press that the ceasefire announced by Israel amounts to a "victory" for the Palestinian people and a defeat for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Soon after the ceasefire started at 02:00 on Friday (23:00 GMT Thursday), large numbers of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza in cars and on foot to celebrate.

Loudspeakers from mosques pronounced "the victory of the resistance achieved over the Occupation during the 'Sword of Jerusalem' battle".

What is Hamas?

But Basem Naim, from the Hamas Council on International Relations, told the BBC he was sceptical about whether the truce would last.

"Without justice for Palestinians, without stopping the Israeli aggression and Israeli atrocities against our people in Jerusalem, the ceasefire will continue to be fragile," he said.

A member of Hamas' political bureau, Ezzat al-Reshiq, issued a warning to Israel.

"It's true that the battle ends today but Netanyahu and the whole world should know that our hands are on the trigger and we will continue to ramp up the capabilities of this resistance," he told the Reuters news agency.

"We tell Netanyahu and his army, if you come back, we will come back."

Bbc

Thank you, Brother, for correcting and completing this thread - I intended to post a much longer passage, but had to rush off. Sorry about that.

 

[guna]

Do you even know what start this round of violence?

I do not care what started the violence. If 2 nations go to war for 1 week, there should be some result. Especially with so many lives lost (mostly Palestinians). Now they are back to square one. What a pathetic result. If war was never a solution, why even start a war? Why start a war if you cannot finish it and bring permanent peace. The lives of innocents who died on both sides is a joke for Israel, Hamas and Iran.

Just wait for the next escalation, these morons will again run towards each other with their weapons aiming to the other's head.

Whoever is responsible for this war must be prosecuted as war criminals.

 

[Jadz]

Israel - Palestine is like India - Pakistan. Both sides want the status quo to continue so they can justify their shaky existence.

Especially Israel - if they wanted to truly get rid of Palestine I'm sure they could do it in under 10 minutes. But they won't.

Palestinians do not have a state - I think you mean Israel and its proxy, the Palestinian Authority, whose president is Mahmoud Abbas, are quite content for the status quo to continue.

However, successive Israeli governments have deliberately sanctioned the expansion of settlements, and their ultimate aim has been to bring their 'Greater Israel' agenda to fruition.

The US effectively bank-rolls the State of Israel, if it ceased to provide, or reduced, the billions in aid Israel could not continue or function in its current form.

Every few years Israel, employing some pretext or the other, bombards Gaza, kills, maims, displaces thousands and reduces the tiny strip of land to rubble. This is a means of both depopulation and population control. It also lays siege to Gaza, whose inhabitants subsist in a kind of open air prison.

 

[Jadz]

Unless the other Muslim nations don't support Palestine militarily, they will never get what they want. These social media outrage is not going to yield anything. Israel is never going to get sanctioned - let us get that straight. Only way to defeat them is combining forces militarily. But will the so called Ummah care?

Muslims have multiple armies - all nationalistic in nature, none of them designed to protect or defend the 'Ummah.' There are no shortage of fancy weapons, colourful flags and melodious anthems, and this is the crux of the problem, Muslims are dispersed and divided according to nationality, but also sect, tribe, caste, wealth, status.

Leaving Israel and its routine crimes against humanity in the Occupied Territories aside, we ought to condemn what the Saudi regime and its oil-rich Gulf allies - aided, armed and abetted by the West - are doing to impoverished Yemenis. To witness rich Arabs, so-called 'Muslims', starving, slaughtering, maiming and displacing Yemenis - laying siege to this historic nation - is truly sickening. So whilst it is heartening to see mass protests in support of Palestinians, it would be great if Muslims exhibited the same level of outrage and moral indignation against the Saudi regime and war criminal, bin Salman.

It seems as if Muslims have regressed to al-Jahiliyaah, the Times of Ignorance that preceded the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and revelation of the Qur'an, with their national, tribal, sectarian affiliations and attachments taking precedence over unity.

 

[MenInG]

The first convoys of humanitarian aid have arrived in Gaza, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants came into effect.

Thousands of Palestinians returned home to scenes of devastation with officials saying reconstruction might take years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) called for the creation of corridors for injured people to be evacuated.

More than 250 people were killed in the 11-day conflict, most of them in Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas claimed victory.

In southern Israel, residents celebrated the truce but many expressed concern that another conflict in the region was just a matter of time.

Trucks from various aid agencies, including those affiliated with the United Nations, started bringing much-needed medicine, food and fuel into Gaza, after Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing.

More than 100,000 people had to flee their homes in the territory, which is controlled by the militant group Hamas, and nearly 800,000 people did not have access to piped water, the UN children's agency Unicef said.

Palestinian officials say tens of millions of dollars will be needed to rebuild the already impoverished enclave that is also suffering with Covid-19.

Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the WHO, called for immediate access for health supplies and personnel, saying the territory's health facilities risked being overwhelmed by thousands of injuries.

For years, Gaza has been subjected to Israeli and Egyptian restrictions on the passage of people and goods, with both countries citing concerns about weapons reaching Hamas.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unwra) said its priority was to identify and help tens of thousands of displaced people, and that it was urgently seeking $38m (£26m) in aid.

On Thursday, Gaza's housing ministry said 1,800 housing units were unfit for living and 1,000 had been destroyed.

"The damage inflicted in less than two weeks will take years, if not decades, to rebuild," said Fabrizio Carboni, the Middle East director for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Samira Abdallah Nasser, said her two-storey house near Beit Hanoun was hit by a blast during the fighting, reducing it to ruins.

"We're back to our homes and we don't have a place to sit, we don't have water, we don't have electricity, we don't have beds, we don't have anything," she told Reuters news agency. "We're back to our fully destroyed homes."

Another resident, Azhar Nsair, told the Associated Press news agency: "We see such huge destruction here, it's the first time in history we've seen this."

The fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza began on 10 May after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension that culminated in clashes at al-Aqsa, a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews, in occupied East Jerusalem.

Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

At least 248 people, including more than 100 women and children, were killed in Gaza, according to its health ministry. Israel has said it killed at least 225 militants during the fighting. Hamas has not given casualty figures for fighters.

In Israel 13 people, including two children and an Israeli soldier, were killed, its medical service says.

People emerge from shelters in Israel
Many Jewish families emerged from bomb shelters. Emergency restrictions have been lifted while all schools are due to reopen on Sunday.

The Israeli army said militants fired more than 4,300 rockets during the conflict, of which 90% were intercepted by its air defences. But rockets still got through, slamming into homes, synagogues and other buildings.

Many of those rockets were fired at cities in southern Israel, such as Ashkelon, where Tammy Zamir told Reuters she was happy the conflict was over but was "certain there will be another escalation".

In the nearby city of Ashdod, 25-year-old Dan Kiri said Israel should continue attacking Hamas until it collapsed, adding: "It's only a matter of time until the next operation in Gaza".

The ceasefire was tested by clashes at the al-Aqsa compound after Friday prayers. Israeli police fired stun grenades at Palestinian demonstrators, who threw rocks and petrol bombs at officers. At least 20 Palestinians were injured, medics said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said a two-state solution was the only way to resolve the conflict, adding that there could be no peace unless the region unequivocally recognised the right of Israel to exist. He also said the US would organise international help to rebuild the damage in Gaza.

BBC

 

[Robert]

I cannot see anything changing. Violence causes polarisation, so that both sides are led by the worst people.

Israel’s illegal eviction of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories in disregard of Geneva Convention IV will continue. Hamas will consolidate their influence and the next round of provocations will result in indiscriminate civilian casualties, in disregard of the legal right of resistance to occupation where attacking military targets is accepted. Israel’s reprisals will continue. The ceasefire will hold for a while and then Hamas will rearm and launch more rockets. The cycle will continue until all of the occupied territories are colonised by Israeli settles and Palestine ceases to exist.

People wonder why I don’t comment on this much. It is because I see no hope of resolution. I would rather put my remaining energy into something I can change.

 

[OMB]

Palestinians see victory in Gaza truce as Israel warns Hamas

Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel vowed to respond with a “new level of force” to further hostilities.


Israel claimed it inflicted heavy damage on Hamas but once again was unable to halt the rockets. (AP)
Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel vowed to respond with a “new level of force” to further hostilities.

The 11-day war left more than 250 dead — the vast majority Palestinians — and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. But the rocket barrages that brought life to a standstill in much of Israel were seen by many Palestinians as a bold response to perceived Israeli abuses in Jerusalem, the emotional heart of the conflict.

Like the three previous wars, the latest round of fighting ended inconclusively.

Israel claimed it inflicted heavy damage on Hamas but once again was unable to halt the rockets. Even as it claims victory, Hamas faces the daunting challenge of rebuilding in a territory already suffering from high unemployment and a coronavirus outbreak, and from years of blockade by Egypt and Israel.

The conflict brought to the surface deep frustration among Palestinians, whether in the occupied West Bank, Gaza or within Israel, over the status quo, with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process all but abandoned for years.

The continued volatility was on display when clashes broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police following Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims. Clashes there earlier this month were one of the main triggers for the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fended off criticism from his hawkish base who said he ended the offensive prematurely without a more decisive blow to Hamas.

Israel had done “daring and new things, and this without being dragged into unnecessary adventures,” he said. Its forces caused “maximum damage to Hamas with a minimum of casualties in Israel,” he added.

If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong: Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu warned against further attacks, saying, “If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong.” He vowed to respond with “a new level of force” against aggression anywhere in Israel.

He said Israeli strikes killed more than 200 militants, including 25 senior commanders, and hit more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) of militant tunnels. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group have only acknowledged 20 fighters killed.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech from the Qatari capital of Doha that the war “opened the door to new phases that will witness many victories.” He called it a “quantum leap” that will build support among Palestinians for “resistance” rather than failed negotiations.

At least 243 Palestinians killed, including 66 children: Gaza Health Ministry

The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 243 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children, with 1,910 people wounded. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. Twelve people were killed in Israel, all but one of them civilians, including a 5-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl.

Celebrations erupted in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem at 2 a.m. when the cease-fire took hold.

In Gaza City, thousands took to the streets, and young men waved Palestinian and Hamas flags, passed out sweets, honked horns and set off fireworks.

At noon prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, hundreds held similar celebrations, waving flags and cheering Hamas. It was unclear what sparked the ensuing violence, in which police fired stun grenades and tear gas, and Palestinians threw rocks. Israeli police said they arrested 16 people. Similar clashes broke out in parts of the West Bank.

Gazans had a day of recovery after 11 days of Israeli bombardment.

Shoppers stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables at a Gaza City open-air market that reopened after being closed during the fighting. Workers swept up rubble.

“Life will return, because this is not the first war, and it will not be the last war,” said shop owner Ashraf Abu Mohammad. “The heart is in pain, there have been disasters, families wiped from the civil registry, and this saddens us. But this is our fate in this land, to remain patient.”

Residents in the hard-hit town of Beit Hanoun surveyed wrecked homes.

“We see such huge destruction here, it’s the first time in history we’ve seen this,” said Azhar Nsair. “The cease-fire is for people who didn’t suffer, who didn’t lose their loved ones, whose homes were not bombed.”

for complete article read : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/palestinians-see-victory-in-gaza-truce-as-israel-warns-hamas-1805567-2021-05-22

 

[ParwazHaiJunoon]

Millions of Israelis are just regular people who have nothing to do with this conflict. They have nothing to do with the oppression. They just happened to be born in Israel.

Next time someone generalizes Muslims and accuses them of terrorism, don’t throw a tantrum and don’t moan about Islamophobia, but something tells me that you will.

Universal rule is "Children of thieves should give up all the stolen wealth if they don't want to be called thieves."

So, those 'regular' Israelis should left Israel & live abroad whether in Europe or USA or Asia or Africa. Otherwise, they all are "beneficiaries of oppression" / "partners in crime" / terrorists.
Similarly, all those Muslims who don't stop terrorists or don't act against them in any capacity whatsoever are terrorists too.

 

[Firebat]

Palestine protest currently taking place in London:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 177.778%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/t8ly9o" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

A huge chance for palestine now with US President Biden's firm statement in favour of a two state solution. Palestine have around the world support and should agree to any deals that would finally give them a free & sovereign state.

 

[MenInG]

Holding Palestinian flags and placards in the pouring rain, tens of thousands of people on Saturday descended on the streets of central London to protest against Israeli attacks in Gaza and the rest of historic Palestine.

Gathering on London's Embankment, protesters marched past the Parliament buildings and through Oxford Street as they chanted "Free Palestine" and demanded an end to Israel's occupation.

Some protesters lit flares showing the colours of the Palestinian flag as they gathered in the capital's iconic Trafalgar Square, chanting "Palestine will be free".

Organisers, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al-Aqsa, estimated that at least 180,000 people attended the London demonstration, making it the largest pro-Palestine protest in British history.

Protests also took place in other UK cities, including Birmingham and Liverpool, as calls mounted for Britain to impose sanctions on Israel for its actions.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-palestine-march-britain-uk-gaza-ceasefire

 

[Firebat]

Biden sends Blinken to Middle East amid Gaza ceasefire

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will leave for the Middle East on Monday to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, among other regional leaders,as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to hold for the fourth straight day.

Blinken will travel to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman through Thursday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah, the State Department said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, in announcing the visit, said he had asked the top U.S. diplomat to make the trip following diplomatic efforts that sought to pause the worst outbreak in fighting between Israel and Hamas in year.

"Blinken will meet with Israeli leaders about our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. He will continue our administration’s efforts to rebuild ties to, and support for, the Palestinian people and leaders after years of neglect," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

Blinken will also discuss "international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza in a way that benefits the people there and not Hamas, and on reducing the risk of further conflict in the coming months," Biden added.

Gaza is ruled by Hamas. Israel has blockaded Gaza since 2007, saying this prevents Hamas bringing in arms.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...amid-israeli-palestinian-conflict-2021-05-24/

 

[OMB]

Israel PM's Warning On "Very Powerful" Response "If Hamas Breaks Calm"

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu met US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to discuss the Gaza issue.

Jerusalem: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that Israel's response would be "very powerful" if Hamas violated the truce that ended 11 days of conflict with the Gaza militants.
PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

"If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful," the Israeli premier said, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was in Jerusalem as part of US efforts to consolidate the ceasefire.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?301181-An-uneasy-truce-ends-11-days-of-Israeli-bombardment-of-Gaza!

 

[MenInG]

The US will help rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to consolidate the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, the secretary of state says.

After meeting Israel's prime minister, Antony Blinken said it was necessary to tackle the grave humanitarian situation to prevent a return to violence.

But he added that the US would ensure the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, did not benefit.

Mr Blinken also reiterated US support for Israel's right to defend itself.

More than 250 people were killed, the vast majority of them in Gaza, in 11 days of fierce fighting that ended on Friday with an Egyptian-brokered truce.

The violence came after weeks of spiralling Israeli-Palestinian tension in occupied East Jerusalem which culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

Mr Blinken began a three-day trip to the Middle East in Jerusalem by meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who thanked him for "firmly supporting Israel's right of self-defence" during the escalation.

"We, too, will give meaning to our commitment to our self-defence: if Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful," Mr Netanyahu warned.

The prime minister also said they had discussed replenishing the Iron Dome missile defence system that protects Israel from Palestinian rocket fire, and ways to prevent Hamas rearming.

Mr Blinken said intense, behind-the-scenes diplomacy by US President Joe Biden had helped produce last week's ceasefire, and that "now we believe we must build on it".

He added: "We know that to prevent a return to violence we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges. And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild."

He said the US would rally international support around that effort while also making its own "significant contributions", including some that would be announced later on Tuesday.

He also promised to ensure Hamas would not benefit from the assistance. Hamas is designated as a terrorist group by the US, EU, UK and Israel.

Israeli authorities said earlier that they were allowing fuel, medicine and food for Gaza's private sector to enter the territory for the first time since the fighting ended.

Mr Blinken is due to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday afternoon to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The UN said on Sunday that 242 Palestinians, including 66 children and 38 women, were killed in the conflict, and that its human right's office had verified that at least 129 of them were civilians.

It added that at least 230 of the Palestinian fatalities were seemingly killed by Israeli forces, and that some of the casualties in Gaza might have resulted from rockets falling short.

The IDF said it killed more than 200 militants during the fighting. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have not given overall casualty figures for their fighters.

In Israel, 13 people, including two children and three foreign nationals, were killed by Palestinian rocket or other fire, or when running for shelter during rocket attacks, its medical service said.

The UN cited the Palestinian housing ministry as saying 258 buildings, comprising 1,042 housing and commercial units, were destroyed during the fighting. In addition, 769 housing units were severely damaged and 14,536 suffered minor damage.

Fifty-four education facilities, six hospitals and 11 primary healthcare facilities were also damaged, as was water, sanitation, and electric infrastructure, according to the UN.

Palestinian officials put reconstruction costs at tens of millions of dollars.

The Israeli government has not yet published its estimate for the damages, but many buildings and vehicles were damaged by rocket-fire.

BBC

 

[cric_man]

I do not care what started the violence. If 2 nations go to war for 1 week, there should be some result. Especially with so many lives lost (mostly Palestinians). Now they are back to square one. What a pathetic result. If war was never a solution, why even start a war? Why start a war if you cannot finish it and bring permanent peace. The lives of innocents who died on both sides is a joke for Israel, Hamas and Iran.

Just wait for the next escalation, these morons will again run towards each other with their weapons aiming to the other's head.

Whoever is responsible for this war must be prosecuted as war criminals.

That is a ludicurious argument. You don't care what started the war but you are quick to blame Palestinians for firing rockets at "innocent" Israelis.

 

[Zaz]

Israel PM's Warning On "Very Powerful" Response "If Hamas Breaks Calm"

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu met US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to discuss the Gaza issue.

Jerusalem: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that Israel's response would be "very powerful" if Hamas violated the truce that ended 11 days of conflict with the Gaza militants.
PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

"If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful," the Israeli premier said, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was in Jerusalem as part of US efforts to consolidate the ceasefire.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?301181-An-uneasy-truce-ends-11-days-of-Israeli-bombardment-of-Gaza!

Hes got a nerve, hes going around arresting hundreds of palestinians on mass as we speak and again leading settlers into the al aqsa with soldiers inciting and violating the sanctity of the place and has the nerve to say if hamas breaks the ceasefire?

The coward has no shame

 

[MenInG]

 

[OMB]

They were just children
Atleast 67 people under age of 18 in Gaza and two in Israel were killed during this month's conflict.

 

[Romali_rotti]

Palestine protest currently taking place in London:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 177.778%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/t8ly9o" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

Thats nice, like this will make any difference to the Palestinians affected by the bombings.

 

[Uzi]

Thats nice, like this will make any difference to the Palestinians affected by the bombings.

It's actually very nice.

 

[MenInG]

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – The grief and anger was palpable as women wept, young men chanted with raised fists, and masked gunmen fired into the air during the funeral of Ahmed Fahd, 24, at the al-Amari refugee camp.

Fahd’s family told Al Jazeera that Israeli undercover agents first arrested him and then shot him in the back several times at close range about 5:30am, before leaving him to bleed to death on a street in the Um al-Shayaret neighbourhood of Ramallah on Tuesday.

“My son was shot without mercy. He was a loving son who had many friends and was always smiling,” Um Fahd said as she clutched a poster of her son and wept uncontrollably.

Fahd, who was an employee at El Bireh Municipality, was to be married in a few weeks’ time.

A spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry, Muhammad al-Awda, told Al Jazeera that according to doctors at Ramallah Hospital, Fahd was shot multiple times at close range.

“Doctors reported that one of the bullets that entered his back made a 2.5cm entry hole but when it exited his stomach the hole was 7cm – proving that he’d been shot at close range,” said al-Awda.

Palestinian medics on the ground have reported Israeli forces using live rounds known as the “butterfly bullet”, which “explode” upon impact, pulverizing tissue, arteries and bone while causing severe internal injuries and large exit wounds.

“He also had several bullet wounds in his legs,” the health ministry spokesman added.

Sabrin Abu Libdeh, a family friend, told Al Jazeera an intelligence official from Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, later phoned the family to apologise, saying agents had not meant to kill the younger Fahd, but were actually after his brother and uncle who they accused of being involved in “terror activities”.

“What good is their apology now?” asked Ahmed’s sister Roseanne, her eyes puffy from weeping. “Will that bring him back?”

While the Israelis acknowledged their “mistake” in this particular incident, Shawan Jabareen, from the Al-Haq human rights organisation in Ramallah, said the ongoing killing of Palestinians by Israeli security forces, particularly the undercover units, was no accident.

“We are currently investigating his death but the killing is part of a deliberate Israeli policy of assassinating Palestinians at close range by undercover units known as Musta’ribeen as well as regular troops,” Jabareen told Al Jazeera.

“The soldiers come into Ramallah nearly every night after 2am to carry out arrests.

“There have been a number of cases where Shin Bet intelligence officers phoned the families of Palestinians they killed after shooting them at close range and blocking ambulances from evacuating those critically wounded – young men whom they accused of armed attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers – saying that ‘the account had now been settled.’

“So clearly these were acts of revenge,” he said.

Jabareen explained his organisation documented numerous cases of Israeli security forces killing Palestinians when their lives had not been endangered.

“We presented statistics and documentation to various international organisations showing that 95 percent of the deaths were unnecessary.”

The Musta’ribeen are Israeli special forces renowned for their brutality who pose undercover as Arabs and operate in Palestinian societies. The commandos dress like Arabs, portray the customs and etiquette of Arab culture, and speak fluent Arabic in the appropriate dialect.

‘Inciting the situation’
Gary Spedding, a consultant on the Middle East, said the activities of the Musta’ribeen “allow the Israeli military and border police to identify protesters they wish to arrest and detain”.

Israeli affairs expert Antoine Shalhat explained the main missions of the Musta’ribeen “include gathering intelligence and counter-terrorist operations”.

These undercover units have also been involved in the sweeping arrest campaign of Palestinians currently being carried out in northern Israel, following protests there against the deaths in Gaza and the violence in occupied East Jerusalem over Palestinians being expelled from their homes.

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) said it received “allegations of undercover officers posing as protesters and inciting the situation, attacking civilians very violently and making severe threats, especially against minors”.

“There have been cases when undercover officers pulled people, including minors, off the street without identifying themselves, which made the arrests look like kidnappings,” said PCATI.

Following the recent establishment of a new undercover unit specifically for operating in Arab areas, Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, sent a letter to senior Israeli police officials and politicians saying no democracy in the world would approve of the establishment of a police unit directed at a specific ethnic group.

Yet the killing of Palestinians on an almost daily basis continues unabated with at least 28 Palestinians killed in the West Bank alone in May during clashes with Israeli security forces or during arrests.

And so does the impunity of Israeli security forces.

“As in the vast majority of cases in which security forces harmed Palestinians, none of those responsible have faced charges,” Israeli rights group B’Tselem said in a report.

Citing some examples from when the second Intifada began in late 2000 through 2015, B’Tselem demanded an investigation in 739 cases in which soldiers killed, wounded, or beat Palestinians, used them as human shields, or damaged Palestinian property.

The rights group said figures from mid-2016 show in one-quarter of cases, no investigation was ever launched, in nearly half the probe was closed with no further action, and only in extremely rare instances were charges brought against the accused soldiers.

B’Tselem said it would no longer cooperate with the “whitewash” military investigations as these had not led to any accountability.

Meanwhile, Israeli human rights group Yesh Din pressed the Israeli military to investigate Palestinian deaths in Gaza during the Great March of Return, when Palestinians protested against the siege at the Israeli barrier.

“The combination of permissive rules of engagement regarding firing at unarmed protesters and a law enforcement system that prevents genuine, effective investigation of protester deaths is a lethal one,” Yesh Din stated in one of its latest reports.

“The result is the unfortunate, unnecessary loss of many lives, a lack of accountability for harming innocents, and the abandonment of Gaza’s residents who remain defenceless against the spectre of losing their lives.”

Al Jazeera

 

[Lonewarrior]

Russia is behind the ceasefire .

 

[Zaz]

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – The grief and anger was palpable as women wept, young men chanted with raised fists, and masked gunmen fired into the air during the funeral of Ahmed Fahd, 24, at the al-Amari refugee camp.

Fahd’s family told Al Jazeera that Israeli undercover agents first arrested him and then shot him in the back several times at close range about 5:30am, before leaving him to bleed to death on a street in the Um al-Shayaret neighbourhood of Ramallah on Tuesday.

“My son was shot without mercy. He was a loving son who had many friends and was always smiling,” Um Fahd said as she clutched a poster of her son and wept uncontrollably.

Fahd, who was an employee at El Bireh Municipality, was to be married in a few weeks’ time.

A spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry, Muhammad al-Awda, told Al Jazeera that according to doctors at Ramallah Hospital, Fahd was shot multiple times at close range.

“Doctors reported that one of the bullets that entered his back made a 2.5cm entry hole but when it exited his stomach the hole was 7cm – proving that he’d been shot at close range,” said al-Awda.

Palestinian medics on the ground have reported Israeli forces using live rounds known as the “butterfly bullet”, which “explode” upon impact, pulverizing tissue, arteries and bone while causing severe internal injuries and large exit wounds.

“He also had several bullet wounds in his legs,” the health ministry spokesman added.

Sabrin Abu Libdeh, a family friend, told Al Jazeera an intelligence official from Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, later phoned the family to apologise, saying agents had not meant to kill the younger Fahd, but were actually after his brother and uncle who they accused of being involved in “terror activities”.

“What good is their apology now?” asked Ahmed’s sister Roseanne, her eyes puffy from weeping. “Will that bring him back?”

While the Israelis acknowledged their “mistake” in this particular incident, Shawan Jabareen, from the Al-Haq human rights organisation in Ramallah, said the ongoing killing of Palestinians by Israeli security forces, particularly the undercover units, was no accident.

“We are currently investigating his death but the killing is part of a deliberate Israeli policy of assassinating Palestinians at close range by undercover units known as Musta’ribeen as well as regular troops,” Jabareen told Al Jazeera.

“The soldiers come into Ramallah nearly every night after 2am to carry out arrests.

“There have been a number of cases where Shin Bet intelligence officers phoned the families of Palestinians they killed after shooting them at close range and blocking ambulances from evacuating those critically wounded – young men whom they accused of armed attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers – saying that ‘the account had now been settled.’

“So clearly these were acts of revenge,” he said.

Jabareen explained his organisation documented numerous cases of Israeli security forces killing Palestinians when their lives had not been endangered.

“We presented statistics and documentation to various international organisations showing that 95 percent of the deaths were unnecessary.”

The Musta’ribeen are Israeli special forces renowned for their brutality who pose undercover as Arabs and operate in Palestinian societies. The commandos dress like Arabs, portray the customs and etiquette of Arab culture, and speak fluent Arabic in the appropriate dialect.

‘Inciting the situation’
Gary Spedding, a consultant on the Middle East, said the activities of the Musta’ribeen “allow the Israeli military and border police to identify protesters they wish to arrest and detain”.

Israeli affairs expert Antoine Shalhat explained the main missions of the Musta’ribeen “include gathering intelligence and counter-terrorist operations”.

These undercover units have also been involved in the sweeping arrest campaign of Palestinians currently being carried out in northern Israel, following protests there against the deaths in Gaza and the violence in occupied East Jerusalem over Palestinians being expelled from their homes.

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) said it received “allegations of undercover officers posing as protesters and inciting the situation, attacking civilians very violently and making severe threats, especially against minors”.

“There have been cases when undercover officers pulled people, including minors, off the street without identifying themselves, which made the arrests look like kidnappings,” said PCATI.

Following the recent establishment of a new undercover unit specifically for operating in Arab areas, Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, sent a letter to senior Israeli police officials and politicians saying no democracy in the world would approve of the establishment of a police unit directed at a specific ethnic group.

Yet the killing of Palestinians on an almost daily basis continues unabated with at least 28 Palestinians killed in the West Bank alone in May during clashes with Israeli security forces or during arrests.

And so does the impunity of Israeli security forces.

“As in the vast majority of cases in which security forces harmed Palestinians, none of those responsible have faced charges,” Israeli rights group B’Tselem said in a report.

Citing some examples from when the second Intifada began in late 2000 through 2015, B’Tselem demanded an investigation in 739 cases in which soldiers killed, wounded, or beat Palestinians, used them as human shields, or damaged Palestinian property.

The rights group said figures from mid-2016 show in one-quarter of cases, no investigation was ever launched, in nearly half the probe was closed with no further action, and only in extremely rare instances were charges brought against the accused soldiers.

B’Tselem said it would no longer cooperate with the “whitewash” military investigations as these had not led to any accountability.

Meanwhile, Israeli human rights group Yesh Din pressed the Israeli military to investigate Palestinian deaths in Gaza during the Great March of Return, when Palestinians protested against the siege at the Israeli barrier.

“The combination of permissive rules of engagement regarding firing at unarmed protesters and a law enforcement system that prevents genuine, effective investigation of protester deaths is a lethal one,” Yesh Din stated in one of its latest reports.

“The result is the unfortunate, unnecessary loss of many lives, a lack of accountability for harming innocents, and the abandonment of Gaza’s residents who remain defenceless against the spectre of losing their lives.”

Al Jazeera

Disgusting Just when you think the zionists cant fall any lower

 

[MenInG]

Activists Muna al-Kurd and Mohammed al-Kurd, who have been at the forefront of a campaign to stop the forced expulsions of Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, have been released from custody several hours after they were arrested by Israeli police.

“No matter what they do to terrorise and frighten us, no number of arrests will scare us off,” Muna told reporters after her release on Sunday.

“We will remain in our homes and we will continue to defend our land that we were born and raised on,” she said.

Mohammed told reporters: “We are not afraid, we are not intimidated, we are going to continue to speak out against all of these injustices, and we’re going to continue to protect our homes.”

Earlier, Nabil al-Kurd, father of the 23-year-old twins, said Muna was arrested after police raided their home in Sheikh Jarrah, while Mohammed had turned himself in at a police station after receiving a summons.

“They want to remove us [from Jerusalem] … but we are here,” Nabil al-Kurd, father of the 23-year-old activists, told reporters.

“The weapons of the Palestinians are the camera, and the words – whereas the Israeli army is heavily armed.”

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said 10 people were injured when Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at protesters outside a police station who were calling for the release of the activists.

The arrests of the activists come a day after Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Givara Budeiri was arrested while covering a demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah. Budeiri was released hours later after her arrest drew global condemnation.

Lawyer Nasser Odeh, speaking outside the police station earlier on Sunday, said the siblings faced “committing acts that disturb public security” and “taking part in riots”.

“The reason for the arrest is that we say that we will not leave our homes, and they do not want anyone to express his opinion, they do not want anyone to tell the truth,” Nabil told Associated Press by phone. “They want to silence us.”

Video posted on social media showed Muna being taken from the home in handcuffs. “Don’t be afraid,” she is seen telling her family, as she is being led out of the house by the Israeli police.

Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the Occupied East Jerusalem, said: “Muna al-Kurd says she was specifically chosen to be detained because she has become a bit of a symbol of what is going on Sheikh Jarrah, the voice of the families that are facing these forced expulsions.”

Police had confirmed the arrest of the 23-year-old woman for allegedly participating in ‘public disturbances’ in Sheikh Jarrah.


Mohammad al-Kurd, along with his sister, are behind a three-month-old #SaveSheikhJarrah social media campaign against the forced expulsions of Palestinians from their homes.

Partly thanks to the siblings, the story of Sheikh Jarrah – a neighbourhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem – has become a global hashtag since last month.

‘Tormenting us, harassing us’
Half of the al-Kurd family home was taken over by Israeli settlers in 2009. Mohammed previously told Al Jazeera that sharing their home with “squatters with Brooklyn accents” was “insufferable, intolerable [and] terrible”.

“They are just sitting in our home, tormenting us, harassing us, doing everything they can to not only force us to leave the second half of our home but also harassing our neighbours into leaving their homes as part of an effort to completely annihilate the presence of Palestinians from Jerusalem,” Mohammed, who, along with Muna, was 11 years old when the settlers forced their way in, said.

In recent months, the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood has seen a series of sit-ins by Palestinians to protest against Israeli orders for them to vacate their homes, which they have described as a continuation of the ethnic cleansing that began with the Nakba in 1948. Palestinian families also face being forcibly expelled from the Silwan area of East Jerusalem.

Rights groups say up to 1,000 Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and the nearby Silwan district face being forcefully displaced.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 in a move never recognised by the international community.

Under Israeli law, Jewish groups can claim land that belonged to Jews before the foundation of Israel in 1948, even if Palestinian families had been living there for decades.

Palestinians whose ancestors became refugees in the 1948 war have no means to retrieve their homes or land in modern-day Israel. More than 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes in 1948 when Israel was declared an independent state.

Beatings, tear gas and sound bombs
On Monday night, dozens of Israeli forces stormed the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and assaulted Palestinian families by beating and shooting tear gas and sound bombs at them.

According to local Palestinian media, 20 people were injured, and at least four Palestinian men and one girl were arrested, with two being released on Tuesday.

Last March, the Israeli district court in occupied East Jerusalem ratified orders for six Palestinian families – the al-Kurds included – in Sheikh Jarrah to vacate their homes in order to make way for settlers. The same court also ruled that another seven families should leave their homes by August 1.

The protests in Sheikh Jarrah spread early last month to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, sparking a crackdown by Israeli security forces against Palestinian worshippers. The storming of Al-Aqsa by Israeli forces caused global outrage.

The Israeli crackdown in occupied East Jerusalem and the raid on al-Aqsa prompted Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, to fire rockets on Israel, after Israeli security forces ignored a deadline to vacate the mosque.

Israel launched an 11-day military assault on Gaza that left more than 250 Palestinians dead, including 66 children.

Al Jazeera

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My family whatsApp group is suddenly filled with questions about loud sounds heard in parts of Gaza. And it is now confirmed. Israeli forces are bombing Gaza. It took the new Israeli PM 48 hours to take a decision to do this. Our families have not healed yet.</p>— Malaka (@MalakaShwaikh) <a href="https://twitter.com/MalakaShwaikh/status/1404929849731465219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

srael says it has carried out air strikes against Hamas militant targets in Gaza, in retaliation for incendiary balloons launched from the territory.

Explosions were heard in Gaza City in the early hours of Wednesday.

Several balloons were sent from Gaza into Israel earlier on Tuesday causing multiple fires, according to the Israeli fire service.

It is the first major flare-up since 11 days of fighting between the two sides ended in a ceasefire on 21 May.

It followed a march by Jewish nationalists in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, which had drawn threats from Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its fighter jets had hit military compounds operated by Hamas in Khan Younis and Gaza City.

It said "terrorist activity" took place in the compounds, and that the IDF was "prepared for all scenarios, including the resumption of hostilities, in the face of continued terror acts from the Gaza Strip".

It is not immediately clear if the air strikes have caused any injuries.

A Hamas spokesman said in a statement on Twitter that Palestinians would continue to pursue their "brave resistance and defend their rights and sacred sites" in Jerusalem.

Israel's fire service said the incendiary balloons launched earlier from Gaza had caused at least 20 fires in fields by communities in southern Israel.

This is the first violent exchange since Israeli's new coalition government came to power on Sunday, headed by Naftali Bennett and drawing an end to Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Beita, Occupied Israeli West Bank – West Bank tensions have reached boiling point as Israeli settlers continue their expropriation of Palestinian land, in some cases defying Israeli authorities by refusing to evacuate land that Palestinians depend on for their livelihoods.

In May, 34 Palestinians were killed – the highest monthly figure in 10 years – with Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, reporting almost 600 violent incidents, as the Israeli military reinforced its presence in the occupied territory with several more battalions.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in its latest humanitarian report covering the first two weeks of June alone, stated that perpetrators known, or believed to be Israeli settlers, injured 11 Palestinians including four children, damaged vehicles, and destroyed hundreds of olive trees, water systems and other Palestinian-owned property.

As settler violence and Palestinian protests spread, one of the focal points of clashes has been Beita in the northern West Bank near Nablus.

Four Palestinians were recently shot dead by Israeli troops as they protested against the theft of more than five acres (two hectares) of their land, which was previously used for the cultivation of olives, for the construction of the illegal Israeli settlement of Evyatar.

The military’s civil administration unit ruled about 50 prefabricated settler homes constructed on Mount Sabih were illegally built on private Palestinian land and ordered the settlers to evacuate, arguing that their activities were destabilising security in the area.

However, decades of successive Israeli governments’ economic and political support for the settler movement, including prevarication and turning a blind eye to illegal outposts, have emboldened the settlers.

Not only are the settlers in Evyatar refusing to evacuate, but they are planning to appeal the evacuation order with further plans to build another 70 settler homes, a synagogue, daycare centre and a school.

Villages in the occupied West Bank often hold Friday demonstrations against land confiscation, house demolitions, and Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law. Israeli forces usually respond to the protests with disproportionate violence.

Some 475,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank, home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a recent report said Israel is committing the “crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution” against Palestinians. It detailed how Israel has sought to maintain Jewish-Israeli hegemony over the Palestinian people from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Israeli media reported that Zvi Sukkot, one of the leaders of Evyatar, attacked the military’s ruling on the planned demolition of the settlement, saying any regional instability created by the existence of Evyatar was no different from that created by any other Jewish presence in the area for the past 100 years.

“They didn’t accept our presence then and to this day they do not accept our presence anywhere,” said Sukkot.

“To drive Jews out of their homes because of Arab riots can only be called surrender to terrorism. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

Yossi Dagan, head of the northern West Bank settlement authority, the Samaria Regional Council, also disputed that the settlement was on private Palestinian land – in defiance of international law and repeated UN resolutions stating the entire West Bank is illegally occupied by Israel.

Furthermore, many religious settlers strongly believe that God is on their side.

The illegal settlement Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem, was established in 1985 on land expropriated from the nearby Palestinian villages of Husan and Nahalin. It is home to more than 60,000 ultra-Orthodox Israeli settlers.

Superefin, who is married with a young daughter, immigrated to Israel from Belarus eight years ago.

When Al Jazeera asked her about the building of the settlement she lives in on land confiscated from the Palestinians, she was adamant it belonged to Jews.

“The Jews have always been here. There hasn’t been a day in this country without Jews. From 1,000 years, BC, we have been here. The bible says it is our land,” said Superefin.

“From the beginning of the 20th century we purchased all the land we live on honestly and for a fair price.

“We treated the people who were here decently and we had good relations with them. The Arabs were given every opportunity to be part of our society. We never took any Palestinian homes or kicked them out. It was the Jordanians who told the Arabs to leave during the war after assuring them they could return later.”

According to Superefin, Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank was an internationally established and acceptable legal norm, a view contradicting numerous international rulings.

She said she lived in extreme fear of Palestinian attacks, especially when travelling through the West Bank.

“When I see Israeli signposts warning Israelis to keep out of certain areas for security reasons this makes me very afraid and I won’t travel in a private car but only on fortified public transport,” Superefin said.

Muhammad Khabeisa from Beita, who lost olive orchards to the illegal Evyatar outpost, said Palestinian villagers would fight to the last person in defence of their land.

He said the Israelis had moved in about 45 prefabricated homes since the beginning of May. Violent clashes have erupted on Fridays in recent weeks as Palestinians protest against the confiscation of their land, only to be met by attacks from settlers and Israeli forces supporting them.

“Over my dead body will I leave. They will have to kill all of us if they want our land,” Khabeisa told Al Jazeera.

Shulamit, who did not want to give her last name, lives in Ramot in northern occupied East Jerusalem near Shu’afat refugee camp.

She told Al Jazeera she would not leave her home to move within Israel’s internationally recognised Green Line if land was returned to the Palestinians, as “Israel is a democratic country and Israelis have the right to live anywhere as stated by our government”.

“I don’t care whether you call the area Palestine or Israel, is that really an issue? I have no problem sharing the country with others,” Shulamit said.

However, when questioned about Palestinians being made homeless to make way for Israeli settlers, she said she was not aware of any Palestinians being evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah or elsewhere in East Jerusalem.

“I haven’t heard anything about that,” she told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the Israeli settlers’ controversial version of historical events and their land theft are igniting other parts of the West Bank.

Beita’s Erbak al-Layli, or night confusion units – Palestinians whose activities include setting tyres on fire, blowing horns and using flares against Evyatar – have spread to the village of Beit Dajan, north of Beita.

Young men in Beit Dajan have formed their own resistance units on a nightly basis and are facing off with settlers and soldiers from the two Israeli settlements of Hamra and Mekhora, which were built on confiscated land.

According to the OCHA report, recent settler violence also included attacks on Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan.

“Other Palestinians were injured in Al Khadr near Bethlehem, Huwwara near Nablus and the H2 area of Hebron,” said the report.

“Fire was set to about 1,000 olive trees in Al Jab’a near Bethlehem, 30 olive trees and a house in Ni’lin near Ramallah, 70 olive trees in Beita and about 80 haystacks in Tuba near Hebron,” it noted.

AL Jazeera

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-reconstruction-clouded-by-dispute-over-israelis-held-by-hamas-2021-06-28/

Reconstruction of Gaza after last month's fighting between Israel and Hamas is being held up by a dispute over the fate of Israelis long held by the Islamist group and a lack of clarity over how to prevent it from accessing aid funds, officials say.

The Gaza government says 2,200 homes were destroyed and 37,000 damaged by Israeli shelling during 11 days of cross-border exchanges. Rebuilding those dwellings and wider Gaza infrastructure will cost some $500 million, the government says.

Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker a May 21 truce, have pledged $500 million each for reconstruction in the Palestinian enclave, two-thirds of whose 2 million residents rely on aid.

Israel says that can proceed only if it makes headway in efforts to recover two soldiers missing in action in a 2014 Gaza war as well as two civilians who slipped separately into the enclave.

"It's reconstruction in exchange for progress on the missing," a senior Israeli official told Reuters, declining to specify what Israel - which has declared the two missing soldiers dead - would consider "progress".

Hamas, which has not detailed the four Israelis' condition, says talks about them must be based on a swap for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, not aid. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has long opposed releasing jailed Palestinian militants.

With the ceasefire largely holding, Israel on Monday began allowing fuel into Gaza for the first time in weeks, after easing up import and export restrictions on the Strip last week.

But the prospect for aid has been complicated up by Israel's demand - supported by U.S. President Joe Biden - that the funds not be used to arm Hamas. Israel says Hamas bears blame for investing money in its military build-up rather than Palestinian welfare. Hamas denies this.

The Biden administration also wants to involve internationally-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Gaza reconstruction. But Abbas has not wielded clout in Gaza since losing control of it to Hamas in a brief 2007 civil war.

Hamas - deemed a terrorist group by the West - has pledged not to touch donor money. One of its appointees, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Housing Naji Sarhan, said mediators were months away from coming up with a workable funding mechanism.

Sarhan, who has taken part in Cairo-based talks, said rubble from the May fighting would be cleared by the end of July and that "within three months, I think, we will see the start of the reconstruction of Gaza, especially the buildings and the roads infrastructure. This is what we are hearing."

Sam Rose, officer in charge of Gaza affairs for the U.N. aid agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA, told Reuters last week that the agency launched a $162 million campaign for early recovery plans, including humanitarian assistance to displaced families.

Asked when rebuilding could begin, Rose said: "I can't give you a time frame right now. It depends upon facts beyond our control."

For people like Mohammad Ghabayen, who has been living in a U.N.-run school since his house was hit by an Israeli air strike in May, the uncertainty was agonising.

"What is going to happen to us? What is going to happen to my children?" he said.