Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Israeli Forces Raid West Bank Towns, Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa under Police Guard

 

at 4/30/25 4:12am

Israeli forces detained scores of Palestinians in overnight raids across the West Bank on Wednesday, as settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection. Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of overnight and early-morning raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, detaining scores of Palestinians and triggering confrontations in several towns, while illegal Israeli Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under police protection. Raids were reported from Tulkarm and Qalqilya in the north to Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the south.  I Miraculously Survived: A Farmer’s Story amid Rising Settler Violence In the Hebron area, local sources said Israeli forces arrested 20 Palestinians during a raid on the village of Tabqa, south of Dura. In the northern West Bank, the Israeli military stormed neighborhoods in Qalqilya, arresting at least two people. Raids also targeted the nearby towns of Azzun and Hajja. In Tulkarm, a young man was arrested during a raid on the town of Anabta, according to Palestinian sources. Clashes broke out in Qaryut, south of Nablus, following a military incursion. Meanwhile, in Jenin, Israeli forces arrested a youth from the village of Deir Abu Daif. Military raids also continued in the central West Bank, with Israeli forces storming the Jalazone refugee camp near Al-Bireh. In a display of disrespect for the sanctity of the holy site, Israeli Jewish settlers provocatively sing and dance at the Gate of the Chain, one of the main gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide. pic.twitter.com/rPxOpVEWHI — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 29, 2025 Simultaneously, illegal Israeli Jewish settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem under heavy protection from Israeli police.  According to Al-Jazeera, the Jerusalem Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Council has warned of increasing settler incursions into the compound, describing the scale and frequency of the violations as unprecedented.  The Jerusalem Endowments Authority estimated that tens of thousands of settlers have entered the mosque compound in recent days. Elsewhere, settlers also stormed the eastern part of Hizma town, northeast of Jerusalem. These attacks, often carried out with military backing, have involved armed assaults, the destruction of agricultural land, and incursions into Palestinian villages and towns. The escalation in the occupied West Bank comes in parallel with Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.  Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have intensified their operations in the West Bank, deploying tanks, occupying refugee camps in the north, and implementing widespread demolition and displacement campaigns.  According to local reports, these operations have resulted in the killing of approximately 960 Palestinians, the injury of 7,000, and the detention of over 16,000 people. Tens of thousands have also been displaced. (PC, AJA) The post Israeli Forces Raid West Bank Towns, Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa under Police Guard appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, al-aqsa, israel, Israeli Army, Israeli Occupation, Jewish settlers, West Bank]

— LIVE BLOG: US-UK Strikes on Yemen | Scores Killed in Gaza Massacres – Day 572

 

at 4/30/25 3:41am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   The British Ministry of Defense announced that its forces took part in a joint operation with US forces targeting an Ansarallah military site in Yemen. Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out new massacres in Gaza, killing and wounding scores of Palestinians. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 52,365 Palestinians and injured 117,905 others, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Click here for the previous blogs. The post LIVE BLOG: US-UK Strikes on Yemen | Scores Killed in Gaza Massacres – Day 572 appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Blog, News, Slider, Al-Aqsa Flood Live Blog, gaza genocide, israel, Israeli war crimes, palestine]

— ‘I Miraculously Survived’: A Farmer’s Story amid Rising Settler Violence

 

at 4/29/25 1:07pm

By Fayha Shalash Ramallah Last Friday, Shamlawi went to his land when he was suddenly ambushed by five illegal Israeli Jewish settlers, including several youths, who beat him and smashed his phone when he tried to document the assault. Palestinian farmer Aysar Shamlawi never imagined that a routine visit to his land would turn into a violent ordeal, when he was attacked by a group of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers. Settler violence is escalating across the West Bank. In recent weeks alone, dozens of assaults have targeted civilians, homes, vehicles, and agricultural property. These attacks are part of a broader push to establish new settlement outposts and seize more Palestinian land. Alongside this settler violence, the Israeli army is advancing parallel measures: demolishing homes, strengthening existing settlements, and establishing so-called buffer zones under the pretext of security—moves that also result in large-scale land confiscation. According to eyewitness accounts, the Israeli military does little to stop settler attacks. On the contrary, it often participates in them. The army typically intervenes only when settlers appear to be under threat. Endless Displacement: The Tragedy of Forced Evictions in Tulkarm, Jenin Forcible Expulsion Last Friday, Shamlawi went to his land in the town of Haris, near Salfit in the northern West Bank, to spray pesticides on his trees—part of his usual routine. He was suddenly ambushed by five illegal Israeli Jewish settlers, including several youths, who beat him and smashed his phone when he tried to document the assault. They destroyed the pesticide sprayer he carried on his back, pelted his vehicle with stones, and shattered its windows. The attack was horrific and completely unprovoked, Shamlawi told The Palestine Chronicle. They expelled me from my own land as if they were the rightful owners. I barely escaped by getting into my car and fleeing. If I had stayed, they might have killed me with their brutality. The attack occurred near the Revava settlement, which, like many others, is built on confiscated Palestinian land. Similar assaults on farmers in the area have become alarmingly frequent. Star of David Markings: Israeli Soldiers Humiliate Palestinians in Hebron Asked how the Israeli army responded, Shamlawi said, “Thank God they weren’t there. If they had been, they would have accused me of attacking the settlers on my own land. I might have been arrested for simply defending myself.” At the same time, the Israeli military has been carving out a buffer zone along the main road in Haris, bulldozing at least 65 dunams and uprooting more than 4,000 olive trees owned by local residents—again under the pretext of security. Settlers from several settlements are gathering to attack the town intensively, with the aim of intimidating residents and seizing their lands. They arrive on bicycles and ATVs and roam our lands, which we are only allowed to access with great difficulty, he explained. Between October 2023 and October 2024, 43 new settlement outposts were established in the West Bank—most of them agricultural—compared to a previous average of just seven per year over the past 30 years, according to the Israeli NGO Peace Now Outposts are settlements established in violation of Israeli law, but with the tacit approval and often actual support of Israeli authorities. Blinded in Hebron Israel Shot Jannat in the Face and the Media Ignored It These outposts are illegal under Israeli law, yet they continue to receive tacit approval and, increasingly, direct support from Israeli authorities. Peace Now reports that the Israeli government funded these outposts with NIS 28 million ($7.5 million) in 2023 and allocated NIS 75 million ($20 million) in 2024. In addition, eight outposts were retroactively legalized—five of which are now designated to become formal settlements—and NIS 7 billion ($1.9 billion) was earmarked for settlement road infrastructure. Sudden Settlement The town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, has also come under intense settler assault. The aim, locals say, is to establish a new outpost in Area B—territory that, under the Oslo Accords, is meant to be under Palestinian civil control. Last week, 49-year-old Wael Ghafri was killed by Israeli forces after attempting to confront settlers who were setting fire to his facility. Soldiers fired several tear gas canisters at him, causing him to suffocate. That same day, another Palestinian man was shot—his wound so severe that the bullet entered his back and exited through his abdomen. He remains in critical condition. According to Sinjil Mayor Mu’taz Tawafsha, settlers began descending on the southern part of the town just one week ago. They erected a tent—an initial step in establishing a permanent outpost. “This area has never seen settlement activity before. It’s a vibrant part of the town, full of homes, roads, and agricultural rooms,” Tawafsha said. Buying the West Bank: Israel’s New Annexation Method ‘Catastrophic’ Residents did not stand by. They mobilized to protect their land. In response, settlers burned eight homes and four vehicles, attacked orchards and farming equipment, and injured multiple people. Some of the burned homes were located in Area A, which is supposed to be under full Palestinian Authority control. Israeli soldiers were present and assisted settlers in suppressing local residents. During the violence, settlers also burned the tents of displaced Bedouin families from the Jordan Valley and stole 30 heads of cattle. The hill the settlers are attempting to seize spans more than 2,000 dunams. Given the level of political and military support settlers enjoy, local officials fear the land may soon be lost. Two days ago, the Israeli army began erecting an iron fence around Sinjil’s land, citing security concerns. The move could result in the seizure of an additional 8,000 dunams, permanently cutting off Palestinians from their farmland. (The Palestine Chronicle) Fayha Shalash is a Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist. She graduated from Birzeit University in 2008 and she has been working as a reporter and broadcaster ever since. Her articles appeared in several online publications. She contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. The post I Miraculously Survived: A Farmer’s Story amid Rising Settler Violence appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Articles, Features, International Law, Israeli Army, Israeli Occupation, Jewish settlers, West Bank]

— ‘Weaponizing’ Food – Over 65,000 Gaza Children Hospitalized for Malnutrition

 

at 4/29/25 10:40am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s border crossings on March 2 to all humanitarian aid, including water, food, and medical supplies, worsening the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel on Monday of exacerbating Palestinian childrens suffering through its ongoing genocide and blockade, using starvation as a “systematic” weapon of war in the enclave. The Gaza Media Office accused Israel of worsening Palestinian childrens suffering through its ongoing genocide and blockade, causing acute malnutrition in over 65,000 hospitalized children amid widespread hunger https://t.co/RugW9KQk3v pic.twitter.com/Ip8dCpKq0W — Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) April 29, 2025 Israel is “using starvation and thirst as systematic weapons of war against civilians, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” the office said in a statement cited by the Anadolu news agency. The statement added that “the continuous closure of border crossings has caused a catastrophic deterioration in health conditions, especially among children and infants.” 1.1 Million Face Daily Hunger The situation has led to widespread acute malnutrition affecting more than 65,000 hospitalized children out of 1.1 million facing daily hunger, the report noted. The office placed full responsibility on Israel for the worsening humanitarian disaster and for “endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, women and elderly people due to the lack of food, medicine and clean water.” Starvation Spreads in Gaza: WFP Urges Immediate Humanitarian Aid Access The statement called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of all border crossings into Gaza to allow the urgent entry of humanitarian aid, nutritional supplements and medical supplies, particularly for children and critically ill patients, “to save lives and halt the catastrophic humanitarian collapse.” On March 2, Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s border crossings to all humanitarian aid, including water, food, and medical supplies. ‘Land of Desperation’ UNRWA The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday said that Gaza “is facing nearly two months of total siege, far longer than at the start of the war.” “This siege, just to give context, is four times longer than the siege imposed in the beginning of the war. You may well recall there was a two-week siege period when the war started a year and a half ago. Now were speaking of almost two months of tight siege,” Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s Communications Director, said during a UN press briefing. “Imagine not having anything to feed your children. Children in Gaza are going to bed starving,” @JulietteTouma briefed the press @UNGeneva.#Gaza is facing nearly two months of total siege, far longer than at the start of the war. Aid is blocked, clinics are running out of… pic.twitter.com/QqyKdzAt5C — UNRWA (@UNRWA) April 29, 2025 “Imagine not having anything to feed your children. Children in Gaza are going to bed starving,” she stressed. Last Food Parcels Distributed Touma said the ill and the sick are not able to get medical care because of shortages in supplies in hospitals and clinics. “Hunger and desperation, they are spreading as food and relief systems are being weaponized. Gaza has become a land of desperation,” she stated. Little children wait for their turn at a charity kitchen in Gaza to get some bites of food that wouldnt sate their hunger. pic.twitter.com/V3eY0p3riq — PALESTINE ONLINE (@OnlinePalEng) April 18, 2025 The UNRWA official emphasized that the UN agency has run out of flour. “Weve handed out our last food parcels just recently,” she said. Staggering Death Toll Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. Starvation as Weapon ICJ Hearings on Israel’s Aid Obligations in Gaza Continue Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, Anadolu) The post Weaponizing Food Over 65,000 Gaza Children Hospitalized for Malnutrition appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, International Law, israeli government, Israeli war crimes, united nations]

— Shin Bet Chief Announces Resignation following Dispute with Netanyahu

 

at 4/29/25 9:23am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Netanyahu has accused Bar of an intelligence failure over the October 7, 2023, resistance operation led by Hamas. The head of Israels Shin Bet security agency announced on Monday that he will step down on June 15 following a dispute with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government. The dispute led last month to Ronen Bar’s dismissal, which was later frozen by the Israeli Supreme Court. Ronen Bar, head of Shin Bet, Israels internal security agency, announces that hell officially step down from his post on June 15 pic.twitter.com/jbeFhHd3Oy — TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) April 29, 2025 “After 35 years of service, in order to allow for an orderly process of appointing a permanent replacement and professional overlap, I will end my role on June 15, 2025,” Ronen Bar said at a memorial ceremony for fallen Shin Bet personnel. Bar said the Shin Bet had “failed in providing an early warning” that day, adding that “All systems collapsed,” according to the Times of Israel. He also reportedly stated that as the head of the organization, “I took responsibility for this.” ‘Greatest Intelligence Failure’ Netanyahu has accused Bar of an intelligence failure over the October 7, 2023, resistance operation led by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. In an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Sunday responding to testimony Bar submitted last week on the governments decision to dismiss him, Netanyahu said: “Ronen Bar’s claim that he warned of an impending war and alerted all systems is false. Bar’s handling of the (October 2023) events constitutes the greatest intelligence failure in Israels history.” Netanyahu Accuses Shin Bet Chief of ‘Greatest’ Intelligence Failure over Oct 7 The Times of Israel also reported that in remarks that might be seen as addressed to Netanyahu, Bar said in his speech that “The fulfillment of responsibility in practice is an inseparable part of personal example and the legacy of our leaders — and we have no legitimacy to lead without it.” Citing the Yedioth Ahronoth, the Anaolu news agency reported that Bar admitted that “after many years across various fronts, everything collapsed in one night on the southern front — all systems failed, including the Shin Bet’s failure to provide an advance warning.” He said the legal dispute was “not about me personally, but about preserving the independence of future Shin Bet leaders,” adding that he was prepared to cooperate with any future court proceedings. Last week, Netanyahu formally asked the Supreme Court to force Bar to declare an exact date for his resignation. Accusations against Netanyahu Senior legal officials told Yedioth Ahronoth that Netanyahu’s move was a “transparent attempt to avoid submitting a sworn affidavit addressing serious accusations made by Bar and to buy time after the court recently rejected a similar request.” It remains unclear whether Netanyahu plans to submit his own affidavit to the court, which would require him to respond formally to Bar’s claims, the report added. Anadolu said that according to Yedioth Ahronoth, submitting a false affidavit could expose Netanyahu to criminal charges. Shin Bet Chief Says Netanyahu Fired Him after Refusing to Meddle in Corruption Trial Among other allegations, Bar revealed that Netanyahu pressured him to use the Shin Bet against protesters opposing the prime minister, to delay Netanyahu’s corruption trials under the pretext of security concerns, and to politicize the security agency. In early April, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the government from dismissing Bar, appointing a replacement, or issuing directives to Shin Bet personnel pending the outcome of opposition petitions. On March 20, the Netanyahu government approved Bar’s dismissal, which was supposed to take effect on April 10, but the court froze the decision on March 21. Netanyahu justified his decision by citing a “loss of trust following the Oct. 7 attacks. However, Bar hinted that political motives were behind his ouster, specifically his refusal to show “personal loyalty” to Netanyahu. Former Shin Bet Chief’s Remarks Meanwhile, a former head of the Shin Bet has accused Netanyahu of abandoning Israeli captives in Gaza and clinging to power for his personal gain. The truth is that our hostages in Gaza have been abandoned in favor of the government’s messianic ideology and by a prime minister in Benjamin Netanyahu who is desperate to cling to power for his own personal gain, Ami Ayalon wrote in an op-ed published in the Guardian on Tuesday. I used to run Israel’s security agency – now I’m sounding the alarm about our extremist government | Ami Ayalon https://t.co/eQYhQTKU5C — Guardian Opinion (@theguardianfeed) April 29, 2025 “Our government is undermining the democratic functions of the state to shore up and protect its own power. It is forcing us into a perpetual war with no achievable military objectives, which can only result in more loss of life and hatred,” Ayalon continued. Ayalon said 70 percent of the Israeli public agrees that there must be a comprehensive end to the war in return for bringing our hostages home, and an election as soon as possible so that this government can be replaced. Letters of Support The former security chief said thousands of military and intelligence personnel have signed petitions and letters demanding an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in return for Israeli captives. According to the latest Israeli figures, nearly 150,000 Israelis have signed petitions demanding the return of hostages from Gaza and ending the war, Anadolu reported. Over 11,000 Soldiers, Veterans, and Academics Push Netanyahu to End Gaza War We need our friends from outside Israel to express their support for the Israeli people and not an extremist government committed to unravelling the fabric of the state, Ayalon said. He warned that the “crisis we are facing is existential,” adding that “the very existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state is under threat.” Gaza’s Rising Death Toll Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. At least 14 Palestinians have been killed since dawn Tuesday as a result of ongoing Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported, citing medical sources. The director of hospitals in the besieged enclave has reportedly called on the international community to… pic.twitter.com/Fs3c3oK0cd — The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 29, 2025 Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, Anadolu) The post Shin Bet Chief Announces Resignation following Dispute with Netanyahu appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, israeli government, Israeli war crimes, Netanyahu, Shin Bet]

— The US is Losing against Yemen despite Billions Spent on War – Analysis

 

at 4/29/25 9:20am

By Robert Inlakesh From strikes on Yemen’s power plants, generators, gas stations, and civilian apartment complexes, it appears as if the US is getting desperate in its air campaign, due to a lack of intelligence and military targets. Yemen is one of the worlds poorest countries, yet, amidst an unresolved civil war, its Sana’a-based Ansarallah government is managing to effectively repel the richest nation with the most powerful military on the globe. Contrary to US President Donald Trump’s claims that Yemen’s Ansarallah has been “decimated”, over 6 weeks into the American military assault and what is projected to be around 2 billion dollars wasted later, the Sana’a-based government is alive and well. In the latest series of failures for the United States in Yemen, an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet was forced to crash into the sea in order to avoid an incoming missile strike against the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.  The fighter jet is said to cost around 60 million dollars, which would be added to the list of aircraft the US has lost during its recent campaign, including at least 7 MQ-9 Reaper Drones, which cost an estimated 33 million dollars each.  Hypersonic Ballistic Missile Ansarallah Strikes Vital Targets in Haifa, Tel Aviv  While the US anti-missile and anti-drone munitions are costing potentially hundreds of millions in order to stop incoming missiles from Yemen, Ansarallah’s munitions are estimated to be built for a mere cost in the thousands. On Sunday, around 100 officers from the UAE-backed National Resistance Forces (NRF) decided to switch sides and join Ansarallah. This was a huge blow that may have stunted plans for a US-backed ground operation in Yemen. In addition to this, demonstrations have been taking place across southern Yemen, against the Saudi-UAE backed ‘Presidential Council of Yemen” that runs out of Aden.  The protests have taken place in reaction to a lack of electricity, basic services, and economic decline, which has made some 30% of the country’s population, who live under Aden’s rule, poorer on average than the rest of the nation under Ansarallah’s governance. So far, no major leaders in the Yemeni Armed Forces or Ansarallah have been killed. There is also no indication that any significant underground missile facilities have been destroyed either.  In fact, the US has been using its B-2 stealth bombers to attack Yemen since at least October 2024, when the Biden administration failed to collapse a tunnel system built into a mountain. Chinese Satellite Firm Denies US Allegations of Aiding Yemens Ansarallah From strikes on Yemen’s power plants, generators, gas stations, and civilian apartment complexes, it appears as if the US is getting desperate in its air campaign, due to a lack of intelligence and military targets. The latest indicators of this desperation include the bombing of Ras Issa Port, killing at least 80 civilians with no military target in sight, and the more recent airstrikes against a detention facility in Saada. The detention centre was under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Red Cross. The US strikes killed over 100 civilians, injuring scores, most of whom were African migrants. These kinds of attacks, similar to an earlier American strike that targeted a tribal gathering, posted by President Trump on social media, who bragged about it, are telltale signs that the United States is out of options and is killing civilians to cover its failures. Meanwhile, the goals of the US air campaign, which has murdered around 240 civilians so far, have most certainly not been fulfilled. Not only is Ansarallah still firing missiles and drones at Israel, in support of Gaza, while maintaining its Red Sea blockade, but it is also intensifying its defensive operations against the US forces and demonstrating a high level of strategic thinking. Instead of inflicting a death blow on Yemen’s Ansarallah and discouraging its public, the US air campaign is only helping the Sana’a-based administration grow in popular support.  It is now seen by its people, taking on both Israel and the United States, refusing to bow down, while the people under its governance are more well off than those living under the Western-backed authorities in the South. (The Palestine Chronicle) Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. The post The US is Losing against Yemen despite Billions Spent on War Analysis appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Articles, Features, Ansarallah, gaza genocide, israel, United States, Yemen]

— ICC Bars Prosecutor from Publicizing New Applications for Israel Arrest Warrants

 

at 4/29/25 9:03am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   The news comes as the ICC prosecutor reportedly prepares for a fresh round of applications for Israeli suspects in the courts Palestine case. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has been barred from publicizing any new applications for arrest warrants in the court’s Palestine case, the Guardian reported on Monday. ICC judges issued the order “behind closed doors this month” as Khan prepares for “a fresh round of applications for Israeli suspects” in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories, the paper reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. #warcrimes Guardian reporting that ICC judges have stopped chief prosecutor Karim Khan from going public with people he wants to indict before they can review the evidence (Guardian)https://t.co/zmPJsWQhdv — Chris Stephen (@reportingLibya) April 29, 2025 Khan secured warrants of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November last year. The paper also cited sources as saying that Khan’s decision to publicize the first round of arrest warrants in the case “was opposed by some of Khan’s senior staff,” claiming that it placed the judges overseeing the case under “unprecedented public pressure.” West Bank Crimes Court sources told the paper that they expected the new round of warrants to focus on alleged crimes in the occupied West Bank. The report noted that the process for applying for ICC arrest warrants “often occurs in closed proceedings” with the aim of possibly protecting“the integrity of investigations” as well as to “ensure the safety of witnesses and victims, and improve the chances of locating and apprehending suspects.” ICC Rejects Israeli Appeal: Arrest Warrants Still Stand, Legal Expert Tells Palestine Chronicle However, the report added, the prosecutor “has significant autonomy and is able to publicize arrest warrant applications if, for example, it could have a deterrent effect on continuing alleged crimes and does not hinder arrest opportunities.” It said Khan’s predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, “revealed the existence of an arrest warrant only after it was approved by judges.” ICC Requests Hungary to Clarify Failure to Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu Ongoing Genocidal Attacks Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. Amnesty International’s new report paints a grim picture of Gaza’s devastation and accuses Israel of war crimes and apartheid, urging urgent international accountability.https://t.co/nZL9ZJ5t5f pic.twitter.com/kHUQwKhZhr — The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 29, 2025 Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (The Palestine Chronicle) The post ICC Bars Prosecutor from Publicizing New Applications for Israel Arrest Warrants appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, ICC, International Law, Israeli war crimes, Karim Khan]

— ‘Starvation as Weapon’ – ICJ Hearings on Israel’s Aid Obligations in Gaza Continue

 

at 4/29/25 7:59am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Heindricks emphasized that “Despite the horrific attempts by Israeli officials to characterize them otherwise, Palestinians are human beings, they are flesh and blood. South Africa told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday that international law “prohibits Israel from the use of starvation as a method of warfare, including under siege or blockade.” “Israel may not collectively punish the protected Palestinian population, which it holds under unlawful occupation,  South Africa’s representative Jaymion Hendricks said on day two of public hearings in The Hague on Israel’s humanitarian obligations in the Gaza Strip. Israel has deployed the full range of techniques of hunger &starvation, perfecting the degree of.. suffering & death it can cause through food systems, leading to this moment of genocide At the ICJ this morning South Africa quoted the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food pic.twitter.com/j4PPweBcuk — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) April 29, 2025 Hendricks cited the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food as having stated in a July 17, 2024, report that “Starvation reflects a state’s fundamental abandonment of its human rights obligations and further that the state of Israel has deployed the full range of techniques of hunger and starvation, perfecting the degree of control, suffering and death that it can cause through food systems, leading to this moment of genocide.” States Legal Obligation Heindricks emphasized that “Despite the horrific attempts by Israeli officials to characterize them otherwise, Palestinians are human beings, they are flesh and blood. Israel’s humanitarian blockade on Gaza since March 2, including its ban on UNRWA, “renders the Palestinian population significantly less resilient to Israel’s acquisition of territory by force and of its genocide.” “In so doing, Israel is breaching the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people … enshrined in the UN charter,” Hendricks continued, adding that Israel “is impeding the United Nations and third states from exercising their obligations.” Inhumane, Genocidal ICJ Hearings on Israel’s Obligations in Gaza Begin The South African representative pointed out that “States are under a legal obligation to protect the inviolability of all UN premises and property wherever located and by whom ever held.” Israel must therefore cooperate in good faith with the United Nations and render it every assistance, Hendricks continued. He stressed that Israel must comply with its obligations as an occupying power to ensure food and medical suppliers and facilitate the unhindered provision of humanitarian goods, essential services and development assistance by the UN, third states and other international organizations. Reverse UNRWA Ban Hendricks also stressed that Israel must fully seize hostilities and immediately reverse its decision to expel UNRWA and other UN bodies from carrying out their mandated activities. Ambassador Riyad Mansour at the ICJ hearing: Israel annexes our land. It kills, dispossesses and displaces to destroy our people. It steals our resources and revenues. It fragments our territory. It severely restricts our movement and access. From the 18-year blockade over… pic.twitter.com/K0O272d9rs — State of Palestine MFA (@pmofa) April 28, 2025 On the UN’s role, the South African representative said it must demand and negotiate for the removal of barriers imposed by Israel and must continue to render humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people despite Israeli restrictions. He further said third states have an obligation not to recognize Israels internationally wrongful acts, including its banning of UNRWA and to collaborate to bring such acts to an end, urging them to refrain from providing arms to Israel. ‘Collapse by Design’ Earlier, Zane Dangor, the head of South Africas Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told the court: The humanitarian aid system is facing total collapse. This collapse is by design. South Africa is back at the ICJ: “Israel continues to act with impunity.” DIRCO head Zane Dangor tells the UN court: Palestinians face genocide, apartheid & persecution — in full view of the world. Israel enjoys exceptionalism protected from accountability. UNRWA… pic.twitter.com/isOv4aqkNX — Salaamedia (@salaamedia) April 29, 2025 Nokukhanya Jele, another South African representative, stressed that Israel may not impose any measures specifically prohibited by international humanitarian law, such as mass forced displacements, the destruction of property, transferring in of colonial settlers, targeting schools and even targeting the school curriculum to erase the history of the Palestinian people. Breach of Legal Obligations Algeria Algerian representative Samia Bourouba urged the ICJ to declare that Israel is in breach of its legal obligations as a member of the UN with regard to the organization and as an occupying power, the Anadolu news agency reported. Bourouba decried the lack of a response against Israeli actions. Starvation Spreads in Gaza: WFP Urges Immediate Humanitarian Aid Access In view of the violations committed by Israel, we are witnessing a lack of effective reaction from the international community, she said. Maya Sahli Fadel, also representing Algeria, stressed that humanitarian aid should never be used as a political bargaining chip or a weapon of war. Saving lives must never be a controversial issue, she said. The principles of international law that have been developed over the centuries that aim at protecting civilians should not be swept aside, and impunity should not persist. ‘Considered Above Law’ Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia told the ICJ that Israel has disregarded the court’s legally binding provisional orders and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The courts ruling marked a clear path for Israel to follow and finally bringing itself into international legality, said Mohammed Saud Alnasser, the Saudi representative at the hearings, referring to a March 2024 ruling ordering Israel to allow the unhindered provision of aid to Gaza. Sadly, but predictably, Israel chose to ignore the courts ruling, showing that it considered itself above the law. | Saudi Arabia’s representative at the ICJ: #Israel’s hideous conduct fires illegality upon illegality, with its most ruthless form being the siege on #Gaza since October 2023#AlEkhbariyaEN pic.twitter.com/zvRuvjm8Qr — AlEkhbariya News (@alekhbariyaEN) April 29, 2025 Alnasser said Israel ignored those orders, as it has similar calls made by other UN bodies, international organizations and concerned states,” and instead “has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and turned the Gaza Strip into an unlivable pile of rubble, while killing thousands of innocent and vulnerable people. Citing Israels responsibilities towards UN premises in Gaza, he said: Israel’s failure to guarantee the inviolability of UN premises can never be justified on grounds of military expediency or national security. Alnasser added that Saudi Arabia “takes this opportunity to reaffirm its unconditional commitment to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its Capital. This unwavering position is non-negotiable and is not subject to compromises. Risk of Malnutrition Belgium Professor Vaios Koutroulis, speaking for Belgium, said that Gaza is once again faced with the risk of famine and malnutrition, warning that water access and sanitation remain very limited and very unequal. Belgium @ ICJ Advisory Opinion Oral Proceedings: “Gaza is once again faced with the risk of famine and malnutrition. Access to water remains very limited and very unequal, and the sanitation conditions remain alarming and are likely to worsen public health hazards. It is… https://t.co/XPUxLkBkdt — Palestine in NL (@PalMissionNL) April 29, 2025 Koutroulis stressed that Israel’s humanitarian obligations must be interpreted and applied in good faith, and that it is prohibited to attack paramedics and humanitarian workers. Israels military and security interests must be exercised in compliance with international law and not in spite of international law, he underlined. ‘Condemning the Population’ Colombia Colombias representative, Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, for his part, said Israel is breaching its duty by impeding the provision of basic services and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population. Colombia at the ICJ this morning: Israel is in breach of its obligations as a member of the UN. pic.twitter.com/MrDYVtLOPH — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) April 29, 2025 He said Israel must refrain from attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless the goods and assets essential to civilian survival and guarantee safe access for medical personnel and ambulances. Jassir also criticized Israels actions against UNRWA, saying that by hampering the work of international organizations, Israel is condemning the population of Gaza to a worsening humanitarian crisis. ‘Human Suffering’ Egypt Egypt told the ICJ on Monday that Israel remains bound by its obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law as long as its occupation of Palestinian territories continues. There is no doubt that the United Nations role, together with its agencies and other humanitarian organizations, in alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people, a situation entirely of Israel’s own creation,” the country’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hatem Kamaleldin Abdelkader said. Egyptian Assistant FM Hatem Kamaleldin Abdelkader at ICJ hearing: Israel forcibly transferred Palestinians to areas no more secure than places they left Israel is intentionally creating conditions intended to make Gaza uninhabitable Until such time as occupation of… pic.twitter.com/uR7vS8KeO9 — TRT World (@trtworld) April 28, 2025 Describing the situation in Gaza, Abdelkader accused Israel of imposing a brutal siege on civilians, calling it the most recent chapter in Israel’s systematic weaponization of humanitarian assistance, amid what he called a vicious assault on the Gaza Strip. There is no doubt that these practices are part of a widespread, systematic and comprehensive state policy to depopulate the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories) and effect its de facto annexation, he said. Render Gaza Uninhabitable Abdelkader further charged that Israel has forcibly transferred Palestinians to areas no more secure than those they had fled and is intentionally creating conditions intended to make Gaza uninhabitable. Joining Egypt’s oral submissions, Jasmine Moussa, legal advisor to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, described Israel’s military campaign as aimed at achieving a far more insidious end — the removal of Palestinians from their land and their extermination under the fog of war. South Africa Has No Choice but to Support Resistance against Israels Genocide in Gaza This is undeniably Israel’s war aim embedded in its systematic policies to deprive the Palestinians of food, to decimate their hospitals, to deny access to and discredit international independent humanitarian actors, to seize and fragment massive areas of land under the pretext of so-called security zones, and to expand colonial settlement activity in the West Bank, eroding the basis for the two-state solution, Moussa said. She stressed, There can be no possible, moral or legal justification for the prolonged siege and starvation of more than 2 million civilians (in Gaza). ‘Displacement and Elimination’ Malaysia Malaysia on Monday told the Court that Israel’s intention is the ultimate “displacement and elimination” of Palestinians. “What are the obligations of an occupying power and of a member of United Nations that continues without regard for international law or human decency to obstruct, undermine and dismantle the very systems built to preserve human life and dignity in the occupied Palestinian territory?” Malaysian envoy Azalina Othman Said asked the court during public hearings on Israels obligations in the occupied Palestinian territory. Malaysia at the ICJ hearings: “In the last few weeks we have witnessed not only a renewed offensive against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but also statements by Israeli senior Israeli officials that leave no doubt Israel’s intention to bring… pic.twitter.com/FMm1GGbavN — Palestine in NL (@PalMissionNL) April 28, 2025 “In last few weeks we have witnessed not only a renewed war against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but also statements by senior Israeli officials that leave no doubt (that) Israel’s intention is to bring about the ultimate denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination to their eventual displacement and elimination,” she said. Said pointed out how Israeli Defense Minister Katz recently issued threats against Gaza’s civilian population, stressing that “this demonstrates Israel’s intention in no uncertain terms.” “Threatening the civilian population of Gaza with destruction unless they remove Hamas and return the hostages, (this is) an objective that even Israel with all its military might has not even come close to achieving over a year-and-a-half of merciless killing and maiming,” she added. Week-Long Hearings The ICJ is holding hearings this week to assess Israel’s legal obligations for the provision of humanitarian aid and the Palestinian peoples right to self-determination, following a request from the UN General Assembly. Representatives from 40 countries and four international organizations are expected to present oral submissions during the proceedings, including Türkiye, Malaysia, South Africa, China, Russia, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. UNRWA Warns of Famine in Gaza as Aid Warehouses Run Dry Key organizations, including the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Arab League, will also contribute. Israel, which is among the countries that submitted written statements, will not make an oral submission during the hearings. Israel also faces a genocide case at the ICJ for its war on the Gaza Strip, which, since October 2023 has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. (PC, Anadolu) The post Starvation as Weapon ICJ Hearings on Israel’s Aid Obligations in Gaza Continue appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, Gaza siege, ICJ, Israeli war crimes, united nations]

— Unveiling Nasser’s Secrets: Arabs, Palestine, and the Crucial Timing

 

at 4/29/25 5:32am

By Ramzy Baroud   Palestinians expectations from the Arab world have shifted. They no longer seek a call to arms or a comprehensive embargo on Israel, but rather the cessation of any actions that support the adversary. For my fathers generation, Gamal Abdel Nasser wasnt just another Arab leader; he set the standard by which all others have been measured, and none have quite reached it. For the Arab masses, and Palestinians in particular, Nasser was an icon. His heroic image, in the eyes of Palestinians, took hold in Al-Faluja, a key pocket of resistance against the Zionist takeover of historic Palestine in 1948. This small village in southern Palestine came under a significant Israeli military siege, trapping Nasser, then a Major in the Egyptian army, along with thousands of Egyptian officers. The siege lasted for months, ending in February 1949, but only after the Egyptian soldiers had put up remarkable resistance. With the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian Armistice Agreement, the soldiers were finally allowed to withdraw through Gaza. Despite their sorrow over the lost homeland, Palestinians treated these retreating soldiers as heroes. It was during this period that Nassers legend truly began to grow. For that generation, it would have been difficult to associate Nasser with anything other than deep valor, strong honor, and a profound love for Palestine. Even after the disastrous 1967 war – the Naksa, or the Setback – they consistently sought reasons to justify the disorganization and poor planning that led to the historic defeat of Egypt and the wider Arab world at the hands of a Western-backed Israel. That war was particularly devastating, allowing Israel to significantly increase its size, encompassing the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and parts of Syrian and Jordanian territory. The outcome of the war greatly diminished hopes of restoring historic Palestine to its Palestinian owners. On June 9, 1967, Nasser addressed the nation, announcing his resignation – a decision that was quickly reversed, reportedly due to strong popular demands in Egypt, and also in Palestine. Attempts to portray Nasser as a political leader capable of mistakes, or even self-interested, were generally rejected by a generation of historians who had largely idealized him. The underlying reason, perhaps, was the sense that without Nasser, there was no other Arab leader who could truly represent the aspiration for a renewed pan-Arabism or Arab nationalism. This background helps explain why the recent release by Nasser TV of an alleged audio conversation between Nasser and the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has prompted considerable thought and questions. In this purported recording, made not long before his death, Nasser seems to be less of a committed pan-Arabist. A noticeable distrust of Arab rulers comes through in his words, even those who strongly advocated for the forceful return of occupied Palestinian and Arab lands. If anyone wants to fight, let them fight. If anyone wants to struggle, let them struggle, he said, pointedly criticizing the hollow slogans of countries like Algeria, Iraq, Syria, and South Yemen. Nassers desire for war appeared to be low, as he warned that calls to liberate Palestine from the river to the sea were counterproductive and would likely hasten the loss of the West Bank and Gaza (areas already under occupation). One might try to understand Nassers somewhat cynical view as stemming from a feeling of betrayal by Arab states whose limited actions didnt match their strong rhetoric. Yet, Nassers statements in this recording seem to revisit even the pre-Naksa era, suggesting that the 1948 Arab-Israeli War itself led to the loss of historic Palestine. This reference is confusing because the 1948 war was imposed on Palestinians and Arab states, and the poorly equipped and disorganized Arab forces only intervened after Zionist militias, well-trained and equipped by the British, had already largely determined the outcome in Palestine. The alleged conversation between Nasser and Gaddafi reportedly took place on August 3, 1970, around the time that US Secretary of State William Rogers proposed a ceasefire between Egypt and Israel, a plan that, if successful, would have ended the ongoing War of Attrition in Sinai. This ceasefire, known as the Rogers Plan (or Rogers Plan II), was specifically intended to start political talks between Egypt and Israel. It was quite clear that these talks would focus on the future of Sinai and the newly occupied Palestinian territories, notably excluding historic Palestine. Nassers agreement to these talks was seen by many as a profound disappointment. This analysis isnt intended to examine Nassers lasting impact, which remains a highly debated topic among Arabs precisely because of the contrasting opinions he evokes: the founder of modern pan-Arabism and an important anti-colonial figure for some, and a weak, self-serving leader for others. However, a more pressing question is about the timing: who benefits from raising doubts about Nassers stance on Palestinian liberation now, as Palestinian and Arab populations urge their governments to take unified and strong action to challenge Israel? The attempt to undermine Nassers respected status by portraying him as a false idol likely serves the interests of Arab governments that have done little to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing actions in Gaza. Given the usual secrecy surrounding Arab officialdom, one cant help but suspect that the release of this recording has a hidden, and potentially more concerning, motive. Nevertheless, for Palestinians, this revelation, regardless of its authenticity or timing, may not have a significant impact. Unlike the post-Nakba generation, current Palestinians have largely moved beyond the unrealistic expectation of Arab liberators coming to their rescue. That once-cherished dream, perhaps a fantasy, has been eroded by decades of disappointments and unmet expectations. One might even argue that the significant events of October 7 and the ongoing resistance in Gaza, both Palestinian-led initiatives, have clearly shown that Palestinians have largely overcome the psychological barrier of expecting any real help from the Arabs This isnt mere speculation; the language of Palestinians in Gaza and their resistance leaders, who no longer depend on official Arab calls to arms, demonstrates this shift. Their collective stance is understandable given that Arab states have largely failed to significantly aid Palestinians in Gaza and some actively cooperate with the US in ways that appear to support Israel and undermine Palestinian aspirations. Indeed, Palestinians expectations from the Arab world have shifted. They no longer seek a call to arms or a comprehensive embargo on Israel, but rather the cessation of any actions that support the adversary against the two million besieged people in Gaza. If Nasser were the leader of Egypt today, he might have avoided direct military conflict with Israel and its allies. However, its more probable that he would not have become a key supporter of US-Israel-Western interests in the region, nor aligned with Washington and Tel Aviv to undermine the determination of the Resistance. The fact that these modest expectations are all that remain highlights a significant shift caused by an era of considerable Arab weakness, bordering on subservience. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out”. Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net The post Unveiling Nassers Secrets: Arabs, Palestine, and the Crucial Timing appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Commentary, Editorials, Arab World, Gamal Abdul Nasser, History, Nakba, Naksa]

— ‘Live-Streamed Genocide’: Amnesty Details Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza

 

at 4/29/25 5:22am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Amnesty International’s new report paints a grim picture of Gaza’s devastation and accuses Israel of war crimes and apartheid, urging urgent international accountability. In its latest annual report, Amnesty International has accused Israel of carrying out a “live-streamed genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The organization cites the mass forced displacement of civilians and the deliberate infliction of a humanitarian disaster as evidence of genocidal intent. Amnesty stated that Israel acted with “specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, thus committing genocide”. “States watched on as if powerless, as Israel killed thousands upon thousands of Palestinians, wiping out entire multigenerational families, destroying homes, livelihoods, hospitals and schools,” wrote Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard in the report’s introduction. Amnesty Accuses Israel of ‘Live-Streamed Genocide’ in Gazahttps://t.co/lLgeC3iacu — Chris Hutchinson (@ChrisHu34451470) April 29, 2025 Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Worsens On Tuesday, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency reported the killing of four people and injuries to others in an Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced Palestinians near the Al-Iqleem area in southern Gaza. The agency also noted that critical fuel shortages have immobilized eight of the 12 emergency vehicles in the area, including ambulances. The fuel crisis, it warned, “threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens and displaced persons in shelter centres.” Amnestys report detailed how the war has left most of Gazas population “displaced, homeless, hungry, at risk of life-threatening diseases and unable to access medical care, power or clean water.” According to the organization, throughout 2024, Israel committed “multiple war crimes,” including “direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, and indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks.”  Amnesty reported that around 1.9 million Palestinians—roughly 90 percent of Gaza’s population—were forcibly displaced, and accused Israel of “deliberately engineering an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.” Israeli Bombardment Kills 14 Palestinians since Dawn, Hospitals Plead for Help Escalating Violence in the West Bank Beyond Gaza, Amnesty also addressed the growing crisis in the occupied West Bank, accusing Israel of enforcing a violent system of apartheid. “Israels system of apartheid became increasingly violent in the occupied West Bank, marked by a sharp increase in unlawful killings and state-backed attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian civilians,” the report said. Despite large-scale protests in Western capitals, the organization criticized the international community’s lack of action. “The world’s governments individually and multilaterally failed repeatedly to take meaningful action to end the atrocities and were slow even in calling for a ceasefire,” the report stated. Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Director, underscored “the extreme levels of suffering that Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to endure on a daily basis over the past year,” and condemned “the world’s complete inability or lack of political will to put a stop to it.” Amnesty’s findings underscore the catastrophic humanitarian cost of the Israeli occupation’s actions in Gaza and call for urgent global accountability and intervention. (PC, Al Mayadeen) The post ‘Live-Streamed Genocide’: Amnesty Details Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, Amnesty, gaza genocide, International Law, Israeli war crimes, palestine]

— Israeli Bombardment Kills 14 Palestinians since Dawn, Hospitals Plead for Help

 

at 4/29/25 4:52am

Israeli forces escalated their attacks on southern Gaza, striking displaced civilians and collapsing medical infrastructure. At least 14 Palestinians have been killed since dawn Tuesday as a result of ongoing Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported, citing medical sources.  The director of hospitals in the besieged enclave has reportedly called on the international community to intervene to stop what he described as ongoing massacres. Medical sources confirmed that four Palestinians, including three children, were killed and more than 40 others injured in an Israeli strike that targeted tents sheltering displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis early Tuesday morning. According to the same sources, Israeli forces fired shells directly at the tents, causing casualties among women and children.  Some of the wounded are in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll may rise in the coming hours, especially as hospitals continue to suffer from a severe lack of medical supplies and essential equipment. Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis Grieving families prepare loved ones for burial as Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues, claiming the lives of children, women, and the elderly. pic.twitter.com/goXDoMtqhk — The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 29, 2025 A body was recovered following a previous Israeli airstrike on the Al-Manara neighborhood in Khan Yunis, according to Al-Jazeera. Separately, another Palestinian was killed in an Israeli drone attack on the Shejaiyya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. Israeli forces also launched air and artillery strikes on the town of Al-Qarara, north of Khan Yunis, as tanks pushed deeper into the area. On Monday, Israeli attacks across the Strip killed 71 Palestinians and injured at least 153 others. Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals in Gaza, told Al-Jazeera that the international community must act to stop the killings, describing the medical situation as catastrophic. “What happened on a crowded street in Gaza shows that the occupations only goal is to kill Palestinians, regardless of who they are,” he said. The Ministry of Health has again urged international institutions to protect Gaza’s healthcare facilities from Israeli attacks and called for urgent delivery of fuel and generators to avoid a full-scale collapse of the health system amid ongoing border closures. Ongoing Genocide Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. LIVE BLOG: Khan Yunis under Fire | Famine Spreads as Israel Blocks Aid – Day 571 Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, AJA) The post Israeli Bombardment Kills 14 Palestinians since Dawn, Hospitals Plead for Help appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, israel, Israeli Army, Israeli war crimes, palestine]

— “Canadian School Accused of Promoting Zionist Racism Receives $5 Million in Public Funds

 

at 4/29/25 3:45am

By Yves Engler According to a La Presse investigation on Jewish schools benefiting from tax credits for religious instruction, JPPS-Bialik is a leading beneficiary of this questionable subsidy. “Harvard is an Islamist outpost”, explained a Wall Street Journal op-ed penned by Ruth Wisse. The prominent Montrealer’s racism was instilled by one of the city’s many Jewish supremacist schools. In Friday’s Wall Street Journal, the founder of McGill University’s Jewish studies program wrote, “On Sept. 11, 2001, the Islamists of al Qaeda attacked the US in a suicide mission that used American planes as their instruments of destruction. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas Islamists exploited Israel’s openness by invading the country, massacring civilians and kidnapping others. Jihadists use these new forms of warfare against those they can’t conquer by force. What concerns us here is their capture of elite American schools as outposts.” According to Wisse, Muslim donors have captured the elite school where she taught Yiddish literature from 1993 to 2014. “As long as other institutions took Muslim money and ignored the war against the Jews, why should Harvard be holier than the pope?”, she noted. But didn’t billionaire Jewish donors oust the university’s first-ever Black president? Wouldn’t it be more credible to say, “Jewish money” is responsible for Harvard’s “war against the Palestinians”. Wisse’s racist, authoritarian rants have been making the rounds online. It’s important to recognize that her Jewish supremacist views didn’t just drop from the sky. They reflect a Zionist infrastructure almost no one is discussing, let alone systematically confronting. Wisse attended Canada’s oldest Jewish day school, which is now known as the Jewish Peoples and Peretz Schools (JPPS-Bialik). It was created by members and supporters of the Labour Zionist (Poale Zion) movement in 1914. In the 1950s, explained a Tablet article on “The Jewish People’s School of Montreal”, its “animating philosophy was Zionism. We were infused with an appreciation for the heroism of the early settlers of the State of Israel; we sang songs in praise of the bravery and industry of the chalutzim (early colonialists). We collected money for Histadrut and for planting trees in Israel. We knew that the Israelis had made the desert bloom.” Today, an Israeli flag flies outside the school, and its gym is painted in the colours of that country. A teenage Israeli Shinshinim volunteer is seconded to JPPS-Bialik, and in 2018, the Canadian Jewish News published a story about the school “introducing what its creator says may be the first formal course on Israel conducted entirely in Hebrew at a Jewish day school.” During the past 18 months of genocide, its Facebook page has reported on the school participating in the March for Israel in Washington D.C. and a March for Jerusalem and Israel Day rally in Montreal. Students have also raised money for an Israel Relief Fund and arch Zionists Neil Oberman, Loay Alsharee,f and Shabbos Kestenbaum have spoken to students. While largely funded by Canadian and Quebec taxpayers, the school’s Facebook page describes “honoring” Israeli soldiers who defend “our homeland” and “our beloved homeland of Israel.” The school also brings in former Israeli soldiers to speak to students in what may be a bid to “induce” graduates to join a foreign military. As with most private schools in Quebec, JPPS-Bialik receives over $5,000 per student in education ministry funding. The school is also a registered charity so donations to its foundation are subsidized and the registered charity Combined Jewish Appeal Montreal subsidizes many students’ tuition. According to a La Presse investigation on Jewish schools benefiting from tax credits for “religious” (heavily Zionist) instruction, JPPS-Bialik is a leading beneficiary of this questionable subsidy. The paper’s analysis suggests the school receives at least $5 million in public funds annually. This is outrageous. The public shouldn’t give a cent to this school. Moreover, it needs to be investigated for promoting racism and violating Canada’s Foreign Enlistment Act. To stop Israel from killing more Palestinians children we need to upend an education system in this country promoting genocidal Jewish supremacy.  – Yves Engler is the author of Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid and a number of other books. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. Visit his website: yvesengler.com. The post Canadian School Accused of Promoting Zionist Racism Receives $5 Million in Public Funds appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Articles, Commentary, canada, gaza genocide, racism, United States, Zionism]

— LIVE BLOG: Khan Yunis under Fire | Famine Spreads as Israel Blocks Aid – Day 571

 

at 4/29/25 3:43am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Scores of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed as Israel intensified its shelling of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, UNRWA reported that thousands of aid trucks remain stranded at Gaza’s crossings, as Israel continues to block their entry into the Strip. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 52,314 Palestinians and injured 117,792 others, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Click here for the previous blogs. The post LIVE BLOG: Khan Yunis under Fire | Famine Spreads as Israel Blocks Aid – Day 571 appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Blog, News, Slider, Al-Aqsa Flood Live Blog, gaza genocide, israel, Israeli war crimes, palestine]

— South Africa Has No Choice but to Support Resistance against Israel’s Genocide in Gaza

 

at 4/28/25 11:59am

By Iqbal Jassat South Africas groundbreaking legal initiative at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israels genocide in Gaza defined one of the high marks of the country’s commitment to a foreign policy informed by values of human rights and justice.  The date of December 29, 2023, will be recorded in the annals of South Africas post-1994 history as the day it commenced proceedings against Israel at the ICJ, providing comprehensive and sound legal arguments that  Israels conduct in the Gaza Strip violated the Genocide Convention.  South Africas team of lawyers, who included specialists in international law, requested the Court to issue preliminary measures and framed its case for the commission of acts of genocide within the broader context of Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians during its 75-year-long apartheid, its 56-year-long belligerent occupation of Palestinian territory and its 16-year-long blockade of Gaza.  On January 26, 2024, the ICJ ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention, and to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.  In recalling the declaration of Judge Hanqin Xue, we learn that in addition to concurring with her colleagues in upholding South Africa’s standing on a prima facie basis, in instituting proceedings against Israel for breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention, she noted that the question of Palestine has been on the agenda of the United Nations since the inception of the Organization.  And that the people of Palestine, including the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, have not yet been able to exercise their right to self-determination.  She further recalled the relevant United Nations resolutions, where it is stated that “the United Nations has a permanent responsibility towards the question of Palestine until the question is resolved in all its aspects in a satisfactory manner in accordance with international legitimacy”.  In Judge Xue’s view, this responsibility required that the United Nations, including its principal judicial organ, ensure that the Palestinian people are protected under international law, particularly protected from the gravest crime, genocide. What followed between then and now has been a number of interim orders, among which the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.  It also ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing for unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance and to take effective measures to ensure the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or other investigative body mandated by competent organs of the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide.  None of these measures have been adopted by Israel in fact, it has defied them by continuing the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.  Amnesty Internationals Agnes Callamard summed up Israels bloodbath as follows: Taking into account the pre-existing context of dispossession, apartheid and unlawful military occupation in which these acts have been committed, we could find only one reasonable conclusion: Israels intent is the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, whether in parallel with, or as a means to achieve, its military goals of destroying Hamas.  According to former South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, it is abundantly clear that the failure to stop Israel’s genocidal attacks on the Gaza Strip has exposed the shortcomings of international legal mechanisms and renewed urgent calls to reform the UN.  In a recent interview with Anadolu Agency, Pandor expressed her exasperation by stating that “It cannot be that we allow the world to stand by, weak, while the people are being murdered. “We need a capacity that is military, that can go and become a protector of the innocent wherever such harm occurs in the world.” As the world begins “more concrete discussions” about UN reform, she asked: “What form of enforcement capacity should we create in the global community?” “It could be under the remit of the (UN) Security Council, but then the composition of the Security Council cannot be as it is today,” she said. “Because these are the very nations that actually cause a great deal of harm or support it.  As is well known, the US one of the five permanent members of the Council — has repeatedly used its veto to block any action against Israel.  And with Donald Trump in the White House with his misguided obsession to protect and defend the Zionist regime, US-South Africa ties have deteriorated sharply perhaps beyond repair, some may argue, unless the country drops and withdraws the ICJ case.  The genocide in Gaza has challenged the global order to either conform to civilised norms and values or forsake them.  South Africa has no choice but to remain committed to the values of human rights informed by its struggle against apartheid.  It thus has, per the ICJ decision, a duty to not only suspend all forms of support for Israel that enables it to maintain the illegal occupation, but to also prohibit any and all of their citizens and entities from rendering aid or assistance towards maintaining Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  Iqbal Jassat is an Executive Member of the South Africa-based Media Review Network. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. Visit: www.mediareviewnet.com The post South Africa Has No Choice but to Support Resistance against Israels Genocide in Gaza appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Articles, Commentary, gaza genocide, ICJ, israel, palestine, south africa]

— South Africa Has No Choice but to Support Resistance against Israel’s Genocide on Gaza

 

at 4/28/25 11:59am

By Iqbal Jassat South Africas groundbreaking legal initiative at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israels genocide in Gaza defined one of the high marks of the country’s commitment to a foreign policy informed by values of human rights and justice.  The date of December 29, 2023, will be recorded in the annals of South Africas post-1994 history as the day it commenced proceedings against Israel at the ICJ, providing comprehensive and sound legal arguments that  Israels conduct in the Gaza Strip violated the Genocide Convention.  South Africas team of lawyers, who included specialists in international law, requested the Court to issue preliminary measures and framed its case for the commission of acts of genocide within the broader context of Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians during its 75-year-long apartheid, its 56-year-long belligerent occupation of Palestinian territory and its 16-year-long blockade of Gaza.  On January 26, 2024, the ICJ ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention, and to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.  In recalling the declaration of Judge Hanqin Xue, we learn that in addition to concurring with her colleagues in upholding South Africa’s standing on a prima facie basis, in instituting proceedings against Israel for breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention, she noted that the question of Palestine has been on the agenda of the United Nations since the inception of the Organization.  And that the people of Palestine, including the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, have not yet been able to exercise their right to self-determination.  She further recalled the relevant United Nations resolutions, where it is stated that “the United Nations has a permanent responsibility towards the question of Palestine until the question is resolved in all its aspects in a satisfactory manner in accordance with international legitimacy”.  In Judge Xue’s view, this responsibility required that the United Nations, including its principal judicial organ, ensure that the Palestinian people are protected under international law, particularly protected from the gravest crime, genocide. What followed between then and now has been a number of interim orders, among which the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.  It also ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing for unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance and to take effective measures to ensure the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or other investigative body mandated by competent organs of the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide.  None of these measures have been adopted by Israel in fact, it has defied them by continuing the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.  Amnesty Internationals Agnes Callamard summed up Israels bloodbath as follows: Taking into account the pre-existing context of dispossession, apartheid and unlawful military occupation in which these acts have been committed, we could find only one reasonable conclusion: Israels intent is the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, whether in parallel with, or as a means to achieve, its military goals of destroying Hamas.  According to former South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, it is abundantly clear that the failure to stop Israel’s genocidal attacks on the Gaza Strip has exposed the shortcomings of international legal mechanisms and renewed urgent calls to reform the UN.  In a recent interview with Anadolu Agency, Pandor expressed her exasperation by stating that “It cannot be that we allow the world to stand by, weak, while the people are being murdered. “We need a capacity that is military, that can go and become a protector of the innocent wherever such harm occurs in the world.” As the world begins “more concrete discussions” about UN reform, she asked: “What form of enforcement capacity should we create in the global community?” “It could be under the remit of the (UN) Security Council, but then the composition of the Security Council cannot be as it is today,” she said. “Because these are the very nations that actually cause a great deal of harm or support it.  As is well known, the US one of the five permanent members of the Council — has repeatedly used its veto to block any action against Israel.  And with Donald Trump in the White House with his misguided obsession to protect and defend the Zionist regime, US-South Africa ties have deteriorated sharply perhaps beyond repair, some may argue, unless the country drops and withdraws the ICJ case.  The genocide in Gaza has challenged the global order to either conform to civilised norms and values or forsake them.  South Africa has no choice but to remain committed to the values of human rights informed by its struggle against apartheid.  It thus has, per the ICJ decision, a duty to not only suspend all forms of support for Israel that enables it to maintain the illegal occupation, but to also prohibit any and all of their citizens and entities from rendering aid or assistance towards maintaining Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  Iqbal Jassat is an Executive Member of the South Africa-based Media Review Network. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. Visit: www.mediareviewnet.com The post South Africa Has No Choice but to Support Resistance against Israels Genocide on Gaza appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: Articles, Commentary, gaza genocide, ICJ, israel, palestine, south africa]

— Netanyahu Accuses Shin Bet Chief of ‘Greatest’ Intelligence Failure over Oct 7

 

at 4/28/25 11:19am

On March 20, the government unanimously approved Bar’s dismissal, which was set to take effect on April 10, but the Supreme Court froze the decision on March 21 pending review of opposition petitions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar on Sunday of an intelligence failure over the October 7, 2023, resistance operation. Citing the Israeli KAN broadcaster, the Anadolu news agency reported that in a 13-page affidavit to the Supreme Court, Netanyahu said: “Ronen Bar’s claim that he warned of an impending war and alerted all systems is false. Bar’s handling of the (October 2023) events constitutes the greatest intelligence failure in Israels history.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of an intelligence failure over the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, public broadcaster KAN reported https://t.co/sOBEM8Gd7P pic.twitter.com/MQ0h06BuUy — Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) April 28, 2025 The premier was responding to testimony Bar submitted last week regarding the governments decision to dismiss him. Israeli officials have described the Hamas attack as Israel’s “biggest intelligence and military failure,” severely damaging Israel’s global image and that of its military, the  report noted. Netanyahu said that “in 2023, Bar pushed to improve Gaza’s economic conditions and avoid targeted assassinations to maintain calm.” ‘Total Lies’ The prime minister also denied allegations “as total lies” that he had asked Bar to target leaders of the anti-government protest movement or demanded personal loyalty from him in the event of a constitutional crisis. Shin Bet Chief Submits Severe Allegations against Netanyahu in High Court Petition Earlier, Bar submitted his testimony to the Supreme Court, Israel’s highest judicial body, in response to the governments dismissal decision. In his filing, Bar said Netanyahu had requested personal loyalty in case of a constitutional crisis and asked him to use Shin Bet to collect intelligence on anti-government protesters and activists. On March 20, the government unanimously approved Bar’s dismissal, which was set to take effect on April 10, but the Supreme Court froze the decision on March 21 pending review of opposition petitions, the Anadolu report noted. Staggering Death Toll Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. Eight Palestinians were killed following an Israeli bombing of a house in the Al-Satar Al-Gharbi area of Khan Yunis city, southern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/El4UGovS50 — The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 28, 2025 Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (Anadolu, PC) The post Netanyahu Accuses Shin Bet Chief of ‘Greatest’ Intelligence Failure over Oct 7 appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, Israeli Army, Israeli war crimes, Netanyahu, Shin Bet]

— Starvation Spreads in Gaza: WFP Urges Immediate Humanitarian Aid Access

 

at 4/28/25 11:07am

The WFP warns of widespread famine in Gaza as food supplies run out, while the Civil Defense faces a fuel shortage, worsening the humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Monday that its food supplies in Gaza have been depleted due to Israels ongoing closure of crossings for the past seven weeks. International organizations have confirmed that famine is now spreading across the besieged Strip. In a statement, the United Nations program highlighted that Gaza is on the verge of collapse, with two million people entirely dependent on food aid for survival. The WFP stressed the urgent need to deliver food assistance to Gaza immediately. WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain earlier confirmed that Gazans are facing starvation and warned that the situation will worsen as famine spreads, owing to the inability to deliver aid. McCain called for a ceasefire and for humanitarian workers to be allowed to enter Gaza. The WFP reported that over 116,000 tons of food aid—enough to feed one million people for up to four months—are ready in aid corridors, awaiting delivery as soon as Israel reopens Gaza’s border crossings. Latest Israeli Attacks on Gaza Kill 71, Injure over 150 amid Ongoing Genocide In early March, Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza after refusing to proceed with the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. Two weeks later, Israel resumed its offensive on the Strip. Despite repeated calls from the United Nations, as well as from Western and Arab countries, Tel Aviv has announced its intention to continue blocking food from entering Gaza. Meanwhile, the Civil Defense in Gaza reported that it has run out of fuel to operate its vehicles in the southern part of the Strip. Spokesman Mahmoud Basal informed Al Jazeera that this fuel shortage is hindering rescue operations. As a result, only four out of twelve rescue vehicles are operational, limiting the ability to respond to calls in the southern governorates. The Civil Defense blamed Israel for exacerbating the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza due to the ongoing war and blockade. It urged the UN and other international organizations to take immediate action to open the crossings and allow fuel to be delivered to humanitarian agencies. In addition to the fuel shortage, rescue teams are now directly exposed to Israeli fire. Last month, 15 paramedics from the Civil Defense and Red Crescent were killed by Israeli soldiers while attempting to assist trapped civilians. ‘A Homeland Made of Words’: The Lexicon of Displacement in Gaza Ongoing Genocide Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, AJA) The post Starvation Spreads in Gaza: WFP Urges Immediate Humanitarian Aid Access appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, Famine, gaza genocide, israel, palestine, World Food Programme]

— Latest Israeli Attacks on Gaza Kill 71, Injure over 150 amid Ongoing Genocide

 

at 4/28/25 9:36am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   The Israeli army also released 11 more Palestinians from the Gaza Strip on Monday. At least 71 Palestinians were killed and 153 others injured in Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. Medical sources told Al Jazeera that 32 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since dawn on Monday, 26 of them in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip. An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the death toll from the Israeli shelling of a house in Jabalia had risen to 10, including children. Civil Defense officials said it had recovered the bodies of several Palestinians as well as those wounded from under the rubble. A mother painfully bids farewell to her daughter, who was taken from her by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/nsYuGBIJJH — PALESTINE ONLINE (@OnlinePalEng) April 28, 2025 In the southern city of Khan Yunis, a medical source told Al Jazeera that three Palestinians were killed and others injured in shelling that targeted a tent housing displaced persons in the Shafii camp, west of the city. The source reported that the bodies of two Palestinians were recovered from under the rubble of the Kaware family home, which was bombed by Israeli forces on Sunday in Jur al-Lut, Khan Yunis. Zionists bombed a tent and murdered this infant. But this isnt newsworthy for Western journalists.#GazaHolocaust pic.twitter.com/tDperBoRrk — Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) April 28, 2025 An Al Jazeera correspondent also reported that civil defense crews recovered bodies from under the rubble of a house that was bombed by Israel near Khan Yunis, on Sunday night. The correspondent said that civil defense teams were still searching for missing persons under the rubble of the targeted house. Heavy Shelling The Anadolu news agency, according to Al Jazeera, quoted a medical source as saying that seven Palestinians were killed and others were injured in a second attack, when a house belonging to the al-Ghamari family was bombed near Hamad Hospital, northwest of Gaza City. Witnesses told Anadolu that Israeli artillery heavily shelled the neighborhoods of al-Zeitoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiyya, east and south of Gaza City. Breaking | In the latest toll: 8 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck a residential building near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Khan Yunis. https://t.co/GifrU9uaXW pic.twitter.com/CPXYkAB6PI — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 28, 2025 They reported that the artillery shelling also targeted the vicinity of the university college south of Gaza City, while army vehicles opened heavy fire toward the eastern areas of the city. According to witnesses, Israeli artillery also shelled the southern area separating the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah. Displaced Palestinians Targeted In central Gaza, Palestinians were injured in shelling that targeted a tent housing displaced persons near the Abu Qatush roundabout in the Maghazi camp, according to the medical source. Heartbreaking scenes of mass funerals in front of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, as the Israeli occupation continues its brutal slaughter of innocent civilians, including children. pic.twitter.com/WuGXnenpIV — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 28, 2025 Meanwhile, five Palestinians were injured in shelling targeting agricultural land on Abu Sitta Street in the town of Al-Zawayda, according to the same source. Witnesses also reported that Israeli artillery shelled areas northwest of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 52,314, in addition to 117,792 wounded since October 7, 2023. ‘Starving’ Children UNRWA Meanwhile, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that Gaza’s children “are starving.” In a statement on X, UNRWA said the Israeli government continues to block the entry of food and other basics. “#Gaza: children are starving. The Government of Israel continues to block the entry of food and other basics. A manmade and politically motivated starvation. Nearly 2 months of siege. Calls to bring in supplies are going unheeded.” @UNLazzarini pic.twitter.com/wHMV4BuFLQ — UNRWA (@UNRWA) April 27, 2025 “A manmade and politically motivated starvation. Nearly 2 months of siege. Calls to bring in supplies are going unheeded,” the UN agency stated. Detainees Freed The Israeli army released 11 more Palestinians on Monday from the Gaza Strip, who were detained in the past year, Anadolu reported. The detainees were set free at the Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) crossing in southern Gaza, the local Al-Aqsa radio said, citing witnesses. A medical source told Anadolu that the 11 Palestinians were transported by vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the European Hospital in Khan Younis for medical checkups. Palestinian detainee Ahmed Tabash, from northern Gaza, was released this morning, along with ten others, after spending more than five months in Israeli prisons. His debilitated body reflects the inhumane conditions that detainees endure behind prison bars. pic.twitter.com/jrdkYlZPU3 — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 28, 2025 There was no comment from the Israeli army on the releases. The Israeli army has released dozens of Palestinians from Gaza in the past months without any prior coordination or agreement with the Palestinian side, Anadolu reported. Israel’s Prison Authority confirmed that there are 1,747 Palestinian detainees from Gaza in its jails, but Palestinians believe that the figure is in the thousands in army-run prisons, the report added. Staggering Death Toll Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. ‘A Homeland Made of Words’: The Lexicon of Displacement in Gaza Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, AJA, Anadolu) The post Latest Israeli Attacks on Gaza Kill 71, Injure over 150 amid Ongoing Genocide appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, Israeli Army, Israeli war crimes, Netanyahu, UNRWA]

— Israel Rejects Five-Year Ceasefire Proposal, Seeks to Expand Operations in Gaza

 

at 4/28/25 9:15am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Israel has rejected Hamas ceasefire proposal that includes the return of detainees, while the security cabinet discusses expanding military operations in Gaza. Tel Aviv has rejected a proposal for a five-year ceasefire in Gaza, which included the return of all detainees, Israeli media reported.  The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing an unnamed senior political source, reported that the Israeli government is unwilling to agree to a truce with the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, which would allow the group to rearm and rebuild its capabilities to continue fighting Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s Maariv newspaper revealed that the security cabinet will convene for its third meeting this week to discuss the possibility of expanding military operations in Gaza. Two days ago, Hamas signaled its readiness to negotiate a deal to end the war in Gaza, which would involve the release of all remaining prisoners in one go and a five-year truce.  Hamas Signals Openness to Long-Term Ceasefire, Rejects Disarmament Taher al-Nounou, media advisor to the head of Hamass political bureau, stated that the movement is open to a long-term truce but is not willing to surrender its weapons. Sources close to the talks told Reuters news agency that Hamas seeks to gain support from mediators for its proposal, which includes a truce of five to seven years in exchange for halting the war, facilitating Gazas reconstruction, and engaging in a prisoner swap between the two sides. Israel’s conditions for a comprehensive agreement include the return of all prisoners and the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions. However, Hamas has made it clear that disarmament is a red line for the movement. ‘No Plan’ In a related development, the Families of Israeli Prisoners held in Gaza have called for a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, ahead of Israels Independence Day celebrations.  The families are demanding the immediate release of all 59 Israeli prisoners currently held in Gaza and the end of the war. The committee representing these families criticized the rejection of the ceasefire proposal, stating, It is now clear that Netanyahu’s government has no plan. Several family members of the Israeli prisoners criticized Netanyahu during his testimony in a Tel Aviv court, accusing him of abandoning the prisoners and leaving them to perish in Gaza.  In response, a Likud party spokesman dismissed the protesters as spouting nonsense, asserting that Netanyahu is focused on securing the return of the captives. Tel Aviv estimates that 59 Israelis are held in Gaza, while over 9,900 Palestinians remain imprisoned, enduring torture, starvation, and medical neglect, with many having died, according to reports from both Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations. Ongoing Genocide Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, AJA) The post Israel Rejects Five-Year Ceasefire Proposal, Seeks to Expand Operations in Gaza appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, Ceasefire, gaza genocide, hamas, israel, palestine]

— Virgin Atlantic Cancels Flights to Israel in Permanent Decision

 

at 4/28/25 8:47am

By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Virgin Atlantic had initially planned to resume operations in October 2025 but has now confirmed the route will be permanently canceled. British airline Virgin Atlantic will not resume direct flights to Israel following the suspension of its London Heathrow Tel Aviv route after October 7, 2023, Israeli media reported on Monday. “After careful consideration, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel our services between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv,” Virgin reportedly stated in a travel update cited by the Times of Israel.​ Virgin Atlantic, a British airline, announced that it will permanently suspend all flight operations to Israel, closing the London-Tel Aviv route. Also,Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and Turkish Airlines revealed that they will relinquish their time slots at Ben Gurion Airport and… pic.twitter.com/4IKh0CswrO — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 28, 2025 The airline said it would “continue to serve Tel Aviv as the only UK airline to have a partnership with EL AL, Israel’s national carrier, on services between Tel Aviv Ben Gurion and London Heathrow.” Virgin Atlantic had initially planned to resume operations in October 2025, according to Ynet News, but “has now confirmed the route will be permanently canceled after what it described as a ‘thorough review’ of the situation.” Several Airlines’ Suspension The report said Virgin Atlantic was “the only British airline” to maintain a “codeshare partnership” with EL AL. The airline’s first flight landed in Israel in September 2019, the Jerusalem Post reported. Gaza: Israel’s ‘Zone of Interest’ and the Global Silence on War Crimes According to Israel Hayom, the airline joins Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines, which have announced that they would not resume flights to Israel. Since Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza began, several airlines suspended their services to Tel Aviv, including United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Air France and Lufthansa. Some airlines have since resumed their flights to the country. Ongoing Genocide Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. LIVE BLOG: Day 570 Israeli forces escalate attacks across Gaza, killing scores. A US airstrike kills dozens of migrants in Yemen. Meanwhile, the ICJ opens hearings on Israel’s obligations under international law. Follow updates in real time. https://t.co/wKBhnAl4yj pic.twitter.com/M5LVNGSwzn — The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 28, 2025 Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (The Palestine Chronicle) The post Virgin Atlantic Cancels Flights to Israel in Permanent Decision appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, gaza war, israeli government, Israeli Occupation, Israeli war crimes]

— Kyoto Hotel Requires Israeli Tourist to Declare No Involvement in War Crimes

 

at 4/28/25 7:34am

A hotel manager in Kyoto defended a policy requiring Israeli guests to declare they have not participated in war crimes before checking in. A hotel in Kyoto, Japan, asked an Israeli tourist to sign a declaration affirming that he had not committed war crimes during his military service before allowing him to check in, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Saturday. The tourist explained that the incident took place after he presented his Israeli passport at the hotel reception. The clerk handed me this form and told me that without signing it, I wouldnt be allowed to check in, said the man, who served as a combat medic in the Navy reserves. According to the Israeli citizen, the form required him to declare that he had not engaged in war crimes, including rape, murder of those who had surrendered, or attacks on civilians. Although he initially refused to sign, the man said he eventually did after the hotel clerk explained that both Israeli and Russian guests were subject to the same requirement. A hotel in Kyoto, Japan, asked an Israeli settler tourist to sign a declaration confirming he had not committed war crimes before allowing him to check in after presenting his passport. In response, the Israeli embassy in Japan sent a letter after one of the Israeli guests was… pic.twitter.com/imGp9OzoWe — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 27, 2025 The form stated: “I have never been involved in any war crimes in violation of international and humanitarian law, including but not limited to attacks on civilians (children, women, etc.), killing or ill-treatment of those who surrendered or were taken as prisoners of war, torture or inhuman treatment, sexual violence, forced displacement or looting, and other acts falling within the scope of Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).” It continued: I have never planned, ordered, aided, abetted, or incited war crimes, nor have I participated in such acts. I pledge to continue complying with international law and humanitarian law and never to engage in war crimes in any form. Following the incident, Israel’s Ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen, sent a letter to Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki, stating that the practice was unacceptable. However, speaking to Yedioth Ahronoth, the hotel manager defended the policy, saying, “For us, war is a distant thing, and we have never met people who kill women and children and bomb schools.” The paper also reported that a similar case occurred at another Kyoto hotel in June last year. Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military operations in Gaza. In a separate development, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Inhumane, Genocidal ICJ Hearings on Israel’s Obligations in Gaza Begin Ongoing Genocide Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment. On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing. Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers. (PC, Anadolu) The post Kyoto Hotel Requires Israeli Tourist to Declare No Involvement in War Crimes appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

[Category: News, gaza genocide, israel, Israeli war crimes, Japan, palestine]

As of 4/30/25 4:47am. Last new 4/30/25 4:15am.