Thursday, March 28, 2024 Last Update: 9:50 AM GMT

‘We’re Not Going to Lay Out Terms’ – White House on Israel’s Planned Rafah Invasion

White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby. (Photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“We’re not going to lay out terms. It’s a sovereign country. And they have their own military, and they have their own operations to conduct”.

Despite repeatedly urging Israel not to invade Rafah without a plan to protect civilians, the White House has said it will not tell Tel Aviv how to conduct a military invasion of the southern Gaza town where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge.

“We’re not going to lay out terms. It’s a sovereign country. And they have their own military, and they have their own operations to conduct. They have to make those decisions,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson told a press briefing on Friday.

Previously, the US had requested “a credible and implementable humanitarian assistance plan,” from Israel ahead of its planned ground invasion.

‘We Haven’t Seen Such a Plan’ – US Warns against Israel’s Invasion of Rafah

State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller told reporters on March 11 that it was “our judgment that they cannot, should not go into Rafah without a humanitarian assistance plan that is credible and that they can actually implement,” adding “Let’s wait and see what it is they come up with.”

‘Alternatives’

An Israeli delegation is set to visit the White House early next week.

Kirby said on Friday that US officials will use the opportunity to present Israel with “alternatives.”

“We want to present to the Israelis some viable alternatives and options about how they could go after the legitimate threat of Hamas there in Rafah, without sacrificing the safety and security of those people at stake,” he told reporters.

@ramzybaroudofficial Biden does not want Israel to invade Rafah before having a plan to evacuate the civilians. Others are against the invasion period. But in the meantime, thousands are being killed and wounded in other parts of Gaza, without much protest from Washington and its allies. What is the story here? #gazagenocide #gazaunderattack❤️🇵🇸 #rafahinvasion #palestine #joebiden #unitedstates #middleeast ♬ The Champion – Lux-Inspira

“Now, do they have to listen to our advice and counsel? No. But we have seen in the past where they have taken some of it on board. We hope they take this on board,” Kirby added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains determined to press ahead with a Rafah invasion despite international condemnation including from the United Nations, the European Union as well as the International Criminal Court.

‘We Will Do It Alone’

Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting in Tel Aviv on Friday that the only way to defeat Hamas was through a military assault on Rafah, reported the Anadolu news agency.

Netanyahu said he also underlined that Israel would welcome US support for its operation in Rafah, but that “if we have to, we will do it alone,” the report added.

‘In the Name of Humanity’ – WHO Chief Warns Israel on Rafah Invasion

US President Joe Biden has said that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would cross a “red line.”

However, reported Anadolu, Biden’s senior officials were quick to backtrack on those remarks, saying the president did not set any “red lines” for Israel as it carries out its offensive.

Roughly 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, many of whom were displaced from other areas destroyed by Israel in its ongoing military assault on the besieged enclave.

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, issued a warning to Israel last week that “Further escalation of violence in this densely populated area would lead to many more deaths and suffering, especially with health facilities already overwhelmed.”

More than 32,000 Killed

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,070 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,298 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

‘We Will Not Leave’ – Palestinians in Rafah Ask the World to Stop Israel’s Invasion

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(PC, Anadolu)

Call for ‘Thorough Investigation’ – Israeli Drone Footage Shows Killing of Four Palestinians

Footage obtained by Al-Jazeera captured the moment four Palestinians were tracked and then killed in an Israeli drone attack in Gaza. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The footage from a downed Israeli drone captures four men, who appear unarmed, walking along a road devastated by Israeli bombardment, before they are killed in a series of strikes.

Footage obtained by the Al-Jazeera News Network captured the moment four Palestinians were tracked and then killed in an Israeli drone attack in the besieged Gaza Strip, with the UN calling for an investigation into the incident.

The attack reportedly took place in early February, in the southern city of Khan Younis, and the footage was retrieved from a downed Israeli drone.

In the footage, the four men, who appear unarmed, are seen walking along a destroyed road amidst the rubble of homes devastated by the Israeli assault on the area.

The drone pursues and then fires on them, with the first missile strike killing two of the men instantly.

Another of the men manages to survive and stumbles further down the road before a second strike hits. The fourth man is also seen stumbling and then falls to his knees. Another missile strike hits him.

Investigation Required

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for an investigation into the incident.

Farhan Haq, UN deputy spokesperson, told a press briefing on Friday “I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by the video footage.”

“He calls for a thorough, independent and credible investigation into these events,” Haq said.

Guterres also emphasized Haq said, “that all parties to this conflict must comply with international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January ordered Israel to take all measures to stop acts of genocide after South Africa filed a lawsuit accusing Tel Aviv of violating the Genocide Convention in its ongoing military assault on Gaza.

More than 32,000 Killed

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,070 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,298 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

GAZA LIVE BLOG: New Massacres in Gaza | Resistance Fights Back | Israeli Army Invades Khan Yunis – Day 169

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Responds to Truce Proposal | ‘Jordan Attack Foiled’ | Qassam Kill Soldiers | Massacres at Shifa – Day 169

Israeli forces continue to carry out massacres in Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israeli forces carried out new massacres throughout the Gaza Strip, focusing on Deir Al-Balah and Khan Yunis. 

Intense clashes are still taking place between invading Israeli forces and Palestinian Resistance in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. 

Israeli media revealed the goal of destroying Hamas is still far away. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,142 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,412 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

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LATEST UPDATES

Sunday, March 24, 5:45 am (GMT+2)

US CENTRAL COMMAND: US forces clashed with six Houthi (Ansarallah) drones over the southern Red Sea.

AL-JAZEERA:

The occupation army is launching heavy air and ground bombardment, in addition to gunfire from helicopters, in the center and west of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

Several killed and others wounded or are still missing following an Israeli shelling that targeted a house in Al-Geneina neighborhood, east of Rafah.

ISRAELI MEDIA: About 50 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

HEZBOLLAH: We targeted an Israeli military base in Yoav and the Kila barracks in the occupied Golan with more than 60 Katyusha rockets.

Israeli Prisoner Dies from Lack of Food, Medicine – Abu Obeida

Sunday, March 24, 2:15 am (GMT+2)

LEBANESE MEDIA: An Israeli drone fired two rockets at the vicinity of the town of Halta in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon.

AL-QUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades-Tulkarm Brigade said that its members ambushed a car in which an officer and three Israeli soldiers were traveling, killing all of them.

ISRAEL’S CHANNEL 13: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel’s War Council that Hamas would remain even if the army conducted a military operation in Rafah.

HAMAS: We denounce the official international silence on the catastrophe caused by the Israeli occupation military machine in and around Shifa Hospital.

‘This is What We Want’ – Palestinians in Gaza React to UN Resolution, Russian Veto

Saturday, March 23, 11:15 pm (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA: 7 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli occupation bombing that targeted a house in the Al-Hakar area in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

WHITE HOUSE: Joe Biden has signed the budget negotiated in Congress. Congress had approved a temporary budget proposal approving the provision of new military aid to Israel, and halting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until March 2025.

US OFFICIAL (to Al-Jazeera): Blinken visited Israel after Washington’s position changed regarding the Rafah storming.

Saturday, March 23, 10:00 pm (GMT+2)

CHANNEL 12: The heads of the Israeli negotiating delegation will return to Israel tonight.

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES:

We targeted a Zionist troop carrier with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, south of the Al-Shifa complex in Gaza City.

We targeted 3 Zionist tanks and killed or wounded a number of occupation soldiers south of the Shifa complex.

Our battalions targeted enemy soldiers and vehicles penetrating the vicinity of the Shifa complex with mortar shells.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE: The positions are “very different” in the ongoing prisoner negotiations through mediators in Doha, accusing Israel of deliberately “obstructing and blowing them up.”

Saturday, March 23, 9:15 pm (GMT+2)

ABU OBEIDA: We announce the death of the Zionist prisoner, Begev Buchhataf (34 years old), as a result of a lack of medicine and food.

EURO-MED MONITOR: The occupation uses civilians as human shields in Al-Shifa Complex.

Saturday, March 23, 6:45 pm (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA (citing informed sources):

The Israeli response offered a limited return of 2,000 displaced people daily to the northern Gaza Strip two weeks after the start of implementation.

It maintained the framework of the agreement in 3 stages.

Israel’s response, which was presented to the mediators, rejected the cessation of the war, the withdrawal of its forces, and the return of the displaced without conditions.

Israel’s response included the right to deport the life-sentenced prisoners who would be released according to the deal out of Palestine.

UNRWA: Israel prevented an aid convoy from reaching northern Gaza.

KAN: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant will begin a visit to Washington tomorrow, during which he will meet with senior officials.

GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: 19 Palestinians were martyred and 23 others were injured in Israeli targeting of those who were waiting for aid at the Kuwait Square, southeast of Gaza City.

ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army bombed southern Lebanon.

Saturday, March 23, 6:45 pm (GMT+2)

ISRAEL’S FM: Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz described the United Nations as an “anti-Israel organization,” and said on the X platform, “Under (Guterres’) leadership, the United Nations has become an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel organization that harbors and encourages terrorism.”

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two people were killed and several wounded in an Israeli occupation bombing that targeted a number of Palestinians in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

ISRAELI ARMY: We will end our operation in Al-Shifa Hospital only after arresting the last of the “saboteurs”, dead or alive.

Saturday, March 23, 5:00 pm (GMT+2)

WASHINGTON POST: Democratic lawmakers believe that withdrawing 30% of funding from UNRWA’s budget would be disastrous for the residents of Gaza.

US SENATOR (to Al-Monitor): Israel continues to arbitrarily restrict aid. Israel’s restrictions on aid are inconsistent with Washington’s policy.

‘Moral Outrage’ – UN Chief Guterres Visits Rafah Border as Israel Vows to Attack

JERUSALEM POST: A major attack was foiled after the arrest of two people who crossed the Jordanian-Israeli border yesterday

Saturday, March 23, 3:00 pm (GMT+2)

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: We bombarded Israeli forces with mortar shells during their incursion into the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

GUTERRES: It is time for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived on Saturday in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, where he inspected wounded Palestinians in the city’s hospital.

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: Our fighters killed and wounded a number of Israeli occupation soldiers after they were targeted by a shell while they were holed up inside a building in the vicinity of the Shifa Complex.

UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL: Today, Israel prevented a food aid convoy from arriving in northern Gaza. Residents in northern Gaza are living on the brink of famine.

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 32,142 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,412 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: Our fighters targeted an Israeli military vehicle with a Yassin 105 shell in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: Five Palestinians trapped in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex died due to the Israeli siege.

Saturday, March 23, 1:45 pm (GMT+2)

GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: The occupation is committing a massacre at Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

‘Torture, Investigation, Execution’: Israel Threatens to Destroy Al-Shifa Hospital with People Inside

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: An Israeli raid targeted a building west of the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City.

GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: The number of journalist martyrs had risen to 136 journalists since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Saturday, March 23, 12:30 pm (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA: Sirens sounded in the Galilee area in northern Israel.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A number of Palestinians were killed and wounded in an Israeli bombing that targeted Palestinians waiting for aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City.

Saturday, March 23, 11:30 am (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA: One person was killed, and another seriously injured in an Israeli artillery shelling east of the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli tanks and military vehicles penetrated from the east of the Palestinian Mills Company between the cities of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, reaching the Mawasi al-Qarara area.

Saturday, March 23, 11:00 am (GMT+2)

CHANNEL 12: About 6 months of fighting caused serious damage to the military capabilities of Hamas, but the goal of destroying it is still far away.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two people were killed and a number of others were injured in an Israeli bombing east of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

CHANNEL 12: The Israeli army orders thousands of regular soldiers to serve for an additional 4 months.

Saturday, March 23, 10:00 am (GMT+2)

GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: We hold the international community responsible for the crime of the Shifa Complex.

Saturday, March 23, 09:00 am (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA: Israeli forces are firing heavy shells and bullets in the northwestern regions of Khan Yunis Governorate.

UNICEF: What is happening in Gaza as a war on children, stressing that the Strip is no longer a suitable place for children at the present time.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: There were casualties as a result of an Israeli bombing of the Al-Baraka area in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

AL-JAZEERA: A violent Israeli artillery shelling targeted the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Saturday, March 23, 07:30 am (GMT+2)

ISRAELI RADIO: Israeli War Council had granted additional powers to the Israeli negotiating delegation in Doha.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

He Refused to Collaborate, So They Killed Him – Why Israel Turned against the Gaza Clans

Mukhtar Ismail al-Nono was killed by Israel on March 20. (Photo: via AJA)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israeli warplanes bombed al-Nono’s home on March 20, killing him along with his wife, two of his children and two grandchildren.

Palestinian institutions and figures accused Israel of deliberately assassinating Mukhtar Ismail al-Nono, a renowned Gaza dignitary who refused to collaborate with Israel in its attempt to create an alternative to Hamas in the Strip. 

For weeks, Israel has been laboring to create an alternative governing body in Gaza. 

Repeatedly, however, representatives of clans and large families have refused to work with Israel. This rejection, however, came at a price. On March 19, 23 clan committee members, who were involved in aid distribution efforts, were killed in a gruesome Israeli massacre at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City. 

Then, Israel began killing individuals within the Gaza police who are responsible for coordinating aid distribution with the Gaza clans. Three top police officers were assassinated between Monday and Tuesday. They included Fayeq al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated when Israeli forces stormed Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Monday. 

Scores Killed – Israel Massacres Clan Committee Members while Distributing Aid in Gaza

Al-Nono is the latest casualty. 

Israeli warplanes bombed al-Nono’s home on March 20, killing him along with his wife, two of his children and two grandchildren, Al-Jazeera reported.

The murder of the respected Gaza elder followed Israel’s failure to assuage the clans to betray the Gaza government and resistance. 

When it became obvious that its plan was not working, Israel agreed with the UN Palestinian refugees agency, UNRWA, for the latter to take charge of the humanitarian aid, which would ultimately be delivered to starving Palestinians using clan members. 

Soon after, however, the Israelis canceled the agreement and massacred dozens of clan members, followed by some leaders of the clans. 

In a press statement commenting on the targeting of activists involved in the distribution of aid, UNRWA media adviser Adnan Abu Hasna said that Israel “did not provide an explanation for its withdrawal from arrangements to provide aid to northern Gaza.”

Israel’s ‘Malicious Plan’ to Use Gaza Clans as Alternative to Hamas Failed – Bassem Naim

Ismail al-Nono

Ismail al-Nono, 58 was a businessman who owned Alpha Electronics, a company specializing in telecommunications services. 

In addition to his businesses, al-Nono played a prominent role in social and charitable activities, chairing the Salah al-Din area reform committee east of Gaza City, in addition to being chosen as the leader for the al-Nono family.

Over the past few years, al-Nono sponsored many initiatives aimed at sustaining peace in Gaza City, working with other clans to resolve social problems and support those in need. 

Last February, al-Nono posted on Facebook that Israel had burned his house down, destroying it completely several days later, along with the headquarters of his company.

Reasons for Assassination

The Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail Al-Thawabta, confirms that the assassination of al-Nono is directly related to his refusal to cooperate with the occupation.

In a statement sent to Aljazeera.net, he said that “Mukhtar Ismail al-Nono and his family were assassinated against the background of his refusal to cooperate with the occupation in the subject of aid as an alternative to the administrative reality in the Gaza Strip.”

Al-Thawabta condemned “Israeli terrorism” in targeting the man who has labored to provide urgent aid to the starved and displaced refugees throughout Gaza. 

He stressed that the popular committees do not work under the framework of Hamas or its government in Gaza, but according to an agreement between international organizations, meaning UNRWA, and the Israeli occupation.

Leaders of Major Clans in Gaza Mobilize against PA Arrests, Demand Elections

For his part, the head of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Rami Abdo, revealed that al-Nono “categorically rejected” offers from the Israeli occupation authorities to cooperate with them in distributing aid, and “managing the affairs of the Gaza Strip” as an alternative to Hamas.

“Several meetings were held in which al-Nono participated, and he, along with other mukhtars, rejected the Israeli proposals, and rejected any violation of the rule of law in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Even then, al-Nono and other family elders continued to receive calls from the Israeli Coordinator of Army Activities for West Bank and Gaza Strip, demanding that they must cooperate.

Al-Nono’s answer, as conveyed by Abdo, was firm: “This will not happen, and there will be no cooperation with Israel as an occupying power.” 

Al-Nono was later directly threatened that he would ‘lose’, as in he will pay a price for his refusal to collaborate with Israel, leading to his assassination with his wife and other members of his family on March 20. 

(AJA, PC)

‘Should Be Sent to the Hague’ – Netanyahu Could Face Boycott at US Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could face boycott from US Progressive lawmakers. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The only Palestinian American in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, reportedly said Netanyahu “shouldn’t come to Congress, he should be sent to the Hague.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could face a boycott from congressional progressives should he accept a planned invitation to address a joint sitting of the US Congress, according to a report from the news website Axios.

This could be “a sign of how strained relations between some Democrats and Israel have become” since Tel Aviv launched its genocidal assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, the report said.

Blinken Urged Qatar to Threaten Hamas Leaders with Expulsion – Reports

Axios cited prominent figures within the Democratic Party, including Jamaal Bowman, who said “I’m not going,” adding there is “nothing Netanyahu can tell me that can help my district at all.”  Also, “that his constituents are ‘pissed’ at the Israeli war effort,” the report said.

‘Most Extreme Government’

Maxwell Frost told Axios he will not attend “because Netanyahu ‘is a bad person’,” the report added.

Others, like Chuy García, reportedly said “he would ‘probably not’ attend because Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition is ‘the most extreme government in the country’s history’.”

Greg Casar told the news website it will be “important symbolically for people to show and express our disagreement with him.”

‘False Ceasefire Call’ – US Resolution Vetoed by China, Russia at UNSC

Meanwhile, the only Palestinian American in Congress, Rashida Tlaib reportedly said Netanyahu “shouldn’t come to Congress, he should be sent to the Hague.”

“He has no business coming to” the US, Tlaib reportedly added.

Schumer’s Criticism

The suggestion to invite Netanyahu was made on Wednesday “as a way to hit back” at US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for his criticism of Netanyahu when he called on Israeli PM to be replaced, saying he had “lost his way”.

Schumer reportedly said he was willing to agree to an address by the Israeli leader.

‘Course Correction’ – Senator Schumer Tells Netanyahu: Time to Be Replaced

“I will always welcome the opportunity for the Prime Minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way,” the report quoted him as saying in a statement.

Despite the opposition, US House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly said on Thursday that “we’ll certainly extend the invitation.”

Close to 32,000 Killed

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,988 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,188 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

‘Damaging Role of AIPAC’ – Jewish Americans Slam Lobby Group’s Election Influence

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘Typical Hypocritical Spectacle’ – US Gaza Resolution Vetoed by China, Russia

Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of Russia to UN. (Photo: via UN website)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Moscow’s envoy warned that the resolution will “ensure the impunity of Israel, whose crimes are not even assessed in the draft.”

Russia and China vetoed on Friday a US draft UN Security Council resolution which conditioned the ceasefire in Gaza to “immediate” release of all “remaining hostages” currently held in Gaza. 

United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said before the vote that the resolution “would help put pressure on Hamas to agree to a deal on ending the fighting and releasing hostages,” the United Nations News website reported

US ‘Condemned Tens of Thousands to Death’ – US Vetoes UN Resolution

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that the US was trying to “sell a product” to the UNSC by using the term “imperative” without demanding a ceasefire.

“We have observed a typical hypocritical spectacle,” he said.

Nebenzia added that “there was no call for a ceasefire in the text, accusing US leadership of ‘deliberately misleading the international community’,” the report added. 

Moscow’s envoy warned that the resolution will “ensure the impunity of Israel, whose crimes are not even assessed in the draft.”

‘No to Ceasefire’ – US Vetoes UNSC Resolution Aimed at Ending Gaza Slaughter

Nebenzia reportedly slammed the draft resolution as a “false ceasefire call”, adding that an alternative draft was already being circulated by other members of the Council.

For his part, China’s envoy Zhang Jun said that the Council should call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, adding that too much time has been wasted in this regard.

Beijing’s representative also said that China will support a new draft resolution that is already circulating and that “is clear on the issue of a ceasefire and is in line with the correct direction of the Council action and is of great relevance.”

‘Green Light to Continued Slaughter’ – China Slams US Veto on Ceasefire Resolution

In February, the United States vetoed a resolution put forward by Algeria demanding “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties”. 

The move was the third US veto of a UNSC resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Algeria’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amar Bendjama, said on Friday before the vote that if the Council passed his country’s resolution of late February, thousands of innocent lives could have been saved. 

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,988 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,188 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Siege on Al-Shifa Continues | West Bank Tensions Rises | UNSC to Vote on Ceasefire | China: Stop the War – Day 168

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Blinken Urged Qatar to Threaten Hamas Leaders with Expulsion – Reports

US Secretary Antony J. Blinken meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha. (Photo: US Department of State, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The pressure, according to the report, “came at a time when negotiations between Hamas and Israel had stalled”.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressured Qatar to threaten Hamas leaders with deportation from Doha in case the group does not agree on a prisoner exchange deal, CNN reported on Thursday. 

Citing US officials, the report revealed that Blinken conveyed his message to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani during a meeting held on March 5 in Washington D.C.

“US officials said that Qatar, which has been a critical partner to the US in efforts to reach a ceasefire deal, understood the message and received it without major pushback,” CNN reported, adding that Qatari officials did not comment on the “specific meeting.”

The pressure, according to the report, “came at a time when negotiations between Hamas and Israel had stalled, before Hamas came back to the table with a new set of demands which were discussed this week in Doha”.

The report also cited sources familiar with the meeting as saying that “the Emir suggested that the country would be willing to expel Hamas leaders from Doha if they were asked to do so by the US”.

Indirect negotiations continue in Doha between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and with the participation of the US, aiming to achieve a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal.

‘Looking at It Intensely’ – Blinken, Israel Discuss Hamas Response to Ceasefire Proposal

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,988 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,188 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Siege on Al-Shifa Continues | West Bank Tensions Rises | UNSC to Vote on Ceasefire | China: Stop the War – Day 168

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children. 

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’ 

(PC, Anadolu)

‘Reaping Fruits of Criminality’ – Seven Israeli Soldiers Injured in West Bank Shooting 

Mujahid Barakat Mansour, 32, was killed after carrying out a shooting operation that wounded seven soldiers, including two critically. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The Palestinian fighter was killed after a confrontation with Israeli forces that lasted up to five hours involving a helicopter and drone, reports say.

Seven Israeli soldiers have been injured in clashes with a Palestinian fighter who opened fire on a bus carrying settlers in an area west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to reports.

The man, identified as Mujahid Barakat Mansour, 32, was killed following a manhunt and confrontation that reportedly lasted for up to five hours in a mountainous region between the villages of Deir Ibzi’a and Kafr Ni’ma in the early hours of Friday morning.

According to Arab48, Mansour was a former member of the Guard of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The manhunt involved a helicopter and a drone, according to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency.

In videos widely circulating online, an Israeli Apache helicopter is seen firing in the area.

Israeli media confirmed two helicopters and a drone were used in the manhunt, adding that Israeli military reinforcements have been sent to the area.

Al-Jazeera cited Israeli Radio as reporting that the bus came under fire from one or more gunmen in a valley adjacent to the Dolev and Talmon illegal Jewish settlements.

According to Al-Jazeera, seven Israeli soldiers were injured, including two critically.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praised the “heroic shooting operation” in a statement on Friday, affirming that “the enemy reaps the fruits of its criminality, arrogance, and erroneous calculations.”

Heightened Tensions

The Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel confirmed that “seven people were hurt in the incident, including one in critical condition and two in serious condition,” without referring to them as soldiers.

“Troops began a pursuit after the gunman, during which they came under fire several times throughout the morning,” the report added.

Friday’s incident comes as tensions have escalated across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched its genocidal attack on the Gaza Strip, following the October 7 Resistance operation.

Israeli military raids into towns and villages have also increased.

One Killed in Jenin

On Thursday evening, a Palestinian youth was killed and two others were injured, while two young men were arrested, during an Israeli military raid i into the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho.

Nasser Anani, director of Jericho Governmental Hospital, informed WAFA that one young man arrived at the hospital with critical head injuries. The young man, later identified as Ibrahim Abdel Rahim Qatash, was pronounced dead due to his injuries an hour later.

Another Palestinian youth was wounded by Israeli gunfire but is in stable condition, while a young girl sustained injuries from bullet shrapnel.

WAFA reported that a special Israeli military unit infiltrated the camp during Iftar time and besieged a house belonging to the Al-Ayyouti family, where they arrested the two brothers, Amar and Hamdi Al-Ayyouti.

The raid sparked confrontations between residents and the Israeli forces who occupied the roof of the besieged house and opened fire at the residents, resulting in the injury of three individuals, including a young girl. Ambulances were prevented from reaching the scene, reported WAFA.

Hebron (Al Khalil)

Also on Thursday, armed settlers, accompanied by soldiers, attacked the vehicles of Palestinians in the  Wadi al-Hasin area, located east of the city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the occupied West Bank, while Israeli forces prevented a large number of residents from reaching their homes, reported WAFA.

Israeli forces also closed the so-called military Checkpoint 160 in the city, detained and interrogated several civilians, and prevented hundreds of them from reaching their homes, witnesses told WAFA. The Israeli forces also further fired stun grenades and tear gas canisters towards residents.

At least 7,725 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces during military raids across the West Bank since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, according to the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, and the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS).

(PC, WAFA)

‘By Mistake’ – Israel Admits to Publishing False Photos of Hamas Leaders Arrested in Al-Shifa

The Israeli army published false photos showing the arrest of Hamas leaders. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The Israeli occupation army acknowledged that the pictures of Hamas leaders allegedly detained from the Al-Shifa Medical Complex were false.

The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had arrested top Hamas officials during its raid on Al-Shifa Hospital. 

A photo collage released by the army showed that Al-Qassam Brigades leader Raed Saad was among the detainees. 

In a press conference, the Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari boasted of detaining “very significant” senior Hamas commanders, according to The Times of Israel.

‘Inaccurate List’

A security official in the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, however, said in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Thursday that “the list of detainees’ photos at Al-Shifa Hospital released by the spokesperson of the occupation army is inaccurate.”

“Some of the photos on the list belong to individuals currently outside Gaza, and other photos are of martyrs,” the official continued, noting that “three of the photos on the list are of doctors previously released by the occupation.”

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According to Hamas, the reports “about the arrest of dozens of resistance leaders at Al-Shifa Hospital are false.”

“What is published in the Hebrew media is inaccurate and is part of the psychological and moral warfare against the resistance in Gaza,” the official concluded.

Added by Mistake

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that the Israeli army’s announcement that Saad was arrested in the Al-Shifa Medical Hospital turned out to be false.

In a joint statement, the Israeli army and the Shin Bet admitted that “due to human error, there are several photos in the graphic of terrorists who have not yet been caught.”

“A few more (photos – PC) were added by mistake,” Yedioth Ahronoth also reported.

Al-Shifa under Siege

Since early Monday morning, Israeli forces continued to raid the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, despite the presence of thousands of patients, wounded, and displaced Palestinians inside, alongside killings, shootings, and wide-scale arrests carried out among the displaced inside the hospital, and the shelling of nearby houses.

The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it executed 140 Palestinians and detained hundreds for interrogations, transferring at least 160 of them to Israel.

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This is the second time that Israeli forces have raided the complex since the start of the war on Gaza last October 7, as they previously raided it last November 16 after a week-long siege, then withdrew after 8 days, during which its yards, parts of its buildings, medical equipment, and even the power generator were destroyed.

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,988 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,188 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

 Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘Damaging Role of AIPAC’ – Jewish Americans Slam Lobby Group’s Election Influence

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a speech at the AIPAC conference in 2020. (Photo: US Department of State, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“The purpose of AIPAC’s interventions in electoral politics is to defeat any critics of Israeli Government policy and to support candidates who vow unwavering loyalty to Israel”.

Prominent Jewish Americans from diverse backgrounds have come together to voice opposition to the pro-Israel lobby group, AIPAC, and its influence on the upcoming primary elections in the United States.

In a statement released this week, the group calling itself Jewish Americans Opposing AIPAC said, “we’ve agreed to come together to highlight and oppose the unprecedented and damaging role of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and allied groups in U.S. elections, especially within Democratic Party primaries.”

AIPAC is one of Washington’s most powerful pro-Israel lobby groups that is expected to spend over $100 million in the 2024 campaign.

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The group said it recognized “the purpose of AIPAC’s interventions in electoral politics is to defeat any critics of Israeli Government policy and to support candidates who vow unwavering loyalty to Israel, thereby ensuring the United States’ continuing support for all that Israel does, regardless of its violence and illegality.”

‘Isolated Internationally’

“Given that Israel is so isolated internationally that it could not continue its inhumane treatment of the Palestinians without US political and military support,” said the statement, “AIPAC is an essential link in the chain that holds in place the unbearable tragedy of Israel/Palestine. In the coming US elections, we need to break that chain in order to help free the people of Israel/Palestine to pursue peaceful coexistence.”

The statement highlighted that in the 2021-22 election cycle AIPAC endorsed Republican extremists and dozens of Congress members who’d voted against certifying Biden’s victory over Trump. In addition, it said, the AIPAC raised millions from Trump donors and spent the money inside Democratic primaries against progressives, mostly candidates of color.

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This time, “AIPAC is now vowing to spend even more millions in the 2024 Democratic primaries, targeting specific Democrats in Congress – initially all legislators of color – who’ve advocated for a Gaza ceasefire, a position supported by the vast majority of Democratic voters.”

AIPAC’s election spending “increasingly works to defeat candidates who criticize the racist policies of Israel.”

Human and Civil Rights

“In contrast to AIPAC, we are American Jews who believe that US support for foreign governments should only be extended to those that respect the full human and civil rights, and right to self-determination, of all people,” the statement said.

The group said it opposed “all forms of racism and bigotry, including antisemitism – and we support the historic alliance in our country of Jewish Americans with African Americans and other people of color in the cause of civil rights and equal justice.”

It added, “Therefore, we strongly oppose AIPAC’s attempts to dominate Democratic primary elections.”

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The group urged “Democratic candidates to not accept AIPAC network funding, and demand that the Democratic leadership not allow Republican funders to use that network to deform Democratic primary elections.”

The statement is endorsed by more than 100 signatories including civil rights lawyer, Alan Levine; media critic Jeff Cohen; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeff Gottlieb; Jewish Voice for Peace Action’s Lesley Williams; academics Aviva Chomsky, Judith Butler, and Samuel Moyn; Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream; legal scholar Marjorie Cohn; filmmakers James Schamus and Robert Greenwald; actors Morgan Spector and Wallace Shawn; and various artists.

Intense Challenges

Last week, the New York Times reported that AIPAC is facing intense challenges “as it seeks to maintain bipartisan support for Israel” amid the genocidal war on Gaza.

In fact, according to the report, Israel “alienates some Democrats with its increasingly aggressive political tactics”.

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The lobby group held an event recently that was addressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu via a video link.

Netanyahu thanked AIPAC “on behalf of the united people of Israel”, stating “I want to say Thank you, AIPAC. Thank you for everything you are doing for Israel. God bless Israel, God Bless America.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)