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GAZA LIVE BLOG: Children Killed in New Massacres | Reports: Halevi to Resign Soon | Hamas: We Received Response – Day 204

Massive destruction in Gaza. (Photo: Abdallah Aljamal, The Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The Israeli occupation forces bombed 25 targets in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, killing scores of Palestinian civilians, including children. 

Israeli media reported that Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s resignation could be imminent and that discussion is taking place regarding his successor. 

The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas confirmed it received an official response from the Israeli occupation to its proposal, which was presented to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 134,356 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,368 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Click here for the previous blogs.

LATEST UPDATES

Saturday, April 27, 11:30 am (GMT+2)

ISRAELI ARMY: Israeli forces bombed with aircraft a Hezbollah military facility in Al-Rayhan and a military building in Kafr Kila, southern Lebanon.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: 15 Palestinians, including eight children, were killed in Israeli raids on two homes in Rafah and the Nuseirat camp.

AL-JAZEERA: Photojournalist Ibrahim Al-Gharbawi was martyred in an Israeli bombing on Hamad Town in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, Friday.

HEZBOLLAH: Our forces targeted with missiles new positions of Israeli occupation soldiers west of the Shomera settlement in the Western Galilee, and achieved direct hits.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli raids targeted the north and east of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Saturday, April 27, 10:00 am (GMT+2)

ISRAELI ARMY: During the last 24 hours, Israeli forces bombed 25 targets in the Gaza Strip.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The number of martyrs of the Israeli bombing of a house west of Rafah had risen to six, including four children.

Saturday, April 27, 09:00 am (GMT+2)

CHANNEL 12: The resignation of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy is expected and a discussion is taking place regarding his successor.

CYPRUS: aid shipments resumed from Cyprus to Gaza late on Friday evening, with a ship carrying food supplies sailing to the besieged Palestinian Strip after the aid stopped following the killing of 7 aid workers in an Israeli raid.

AL-JAZEERA: Sirens sounded in Shumira in the Western Galilee, northern Israel.

MAYOR OF BEIT LAHIA: the Israeli army has destroyed 70% of the water wells feeding the Palestinian residents of the city.

Saturday, April 27, 04:00 am (GMT+2)

US CENTRAL COMMAND: The Ansarallah fired 3 anti-ship ballistic missiles at two ships in the Red Sea.

AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli raid targeted the town of Al-Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip.

Saturday, April 27, 03:10 am (GMT+2)

HAMAS: We received an official response from the Israeli occupation to the movement’s position on truce, which was presented to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13.

AL-JAZEERA: Renewed Israeli raids on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

8:36 am | Posted in Blog | News | Slider | Read More »

‘Do you know, O Dad’ – After Murdering Her Father, Daughter of Refaat Alareer Killed in Gaza

Refaat Alareer’s daughter was killed by Israel in Gaza. (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Shaymaa Alareer’s death comes less than five months after her father was killed, along with several family members, in a similar airstrike in the Shujaiyya neighborhood last December.

The daughter of acclaimed poet and academic Professor Refaat Alareer, Shaymaa, has been killed along with her husband and their infant son in an Israeli airstrike on their apartment in Gaza City.

Her death on Friday comes less than five months after her father was killed, along with several family members, in a similar airstrike in the Shujaiyya neighborhood last December.

Shaymaa, the eldest daughter of Prof Alareer, who was married to a Palestinian engineer, Mohammed Seyam, gave birth to their first child about four months ago.

A source at the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed that their bodies were brought to the hospital “after being extracted from under the rubble of the destroyed house” in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, western Gaza City, the Anadolu news agency reported.

‘Let It Be a Tale’: Israel Kills the Storytellers of Gaza but Will Not Kill the Story

Message to Her Father

When Shaymaa gave birth to her son she wrote to her deceased father, as conveyed by the Resistance News Network through their Telegram channel:

“I have wonderful news for you, and I wished I could convey it to you face-to-face, handing your first grandson to you. Do you know, O Dad, that you have become a grandfather?

“Yes, Dad, this is your first grandson, and he is already over a month old. This is your grandson Abdul Rahman, whom I have always imagined you holding. But I never thought that I might lose you too soon, even before you could meet him.”

‘If I Must Die’ Poem

A writer and intellectual, Alareer taught at the Islamic University of Gaza, and was one of the founders of the We Are Not Numbers project which “tells the stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news and advocates for their human rights.”

Before his death, Alareer posted on X a now-famous poem titled ‘If I Must Die’ in which he wrote: “If I must die, you must live to tell my story to sell my things…If I must die let it bring hope let it be a tale.”

As with her father’s death, social media was awash with news of her death, rekindling tributes to her father.

Israel Killed Refaat Alareer in Gaza – These Are Some of His Last Words

‘Fly Kites in Their Honor’

On X, Professor Farhana Sultana of the Syracuse University in the US wrote: “They killed Refaat Alareer’s daughter, the one to whom the poem ‘If I must die’ was dedicated to. His entire bloodline being wiped out. This is genocide. May we all fly kites in their honor, reaching the heavens.”

Ramy Abdu, the chairman of the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, posted on X: “We mourn with you the loss of Shaymaa, the eldest daughter of our dear friend Rafat Al-Araeer @itranslate123, and her husband, engineer Mohammed Abdel Aziz Siyam, along with their newborn baby, after their apartment near Al-Ramal Clinic in Gaza was targeted in an Israeli airstrike. Shaymaa joined her father Rafat in less than 5 months.”

Following Prof Alareer’s death, Euro-Med Monitor in December called for “an immediate investigation into this apparently deliberate and targeted killing of a prominent Palestinian academic, writer, poet, and activist.”

According to the organization, which collected information from witnesses and family accounts, “the apartment where Refaat and his family were sheltering was surgically bombed out of the entire building where it’s located”.

‘Telling the Story’

“As Gaza keeps gasping for life, we struggle for it to pass, we have no choice but to fight back and tell her stories. For Palestine,” Alareer wrote in his contribution in the volume ‘Light in Gaza: Writing Born of Fire’.

In a poignant tribute to the storytellers of Gaza, Palestine Chronicle Editor Ramzy Baroud wrote that Alareer “edited several books, including ‘Gaza Writes Back’ and ‘Gaza Unsilenced’, which also allowed him to take the message of other Palestinian intellectuals in Gaza to the rest of the world.

“These storytellers were all killed by Israel, with the hope that the stories will die with them. But Israel will fail because the collective story is bigger than all of us. A nation that has produced the likes of Ghassan Kanafani, Basil al-Araj and Refaat Alareer will always produce great intellectuals, who will serve the historic role of telling the story of Palestine and her liberation.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)

7:41 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

Itamar Ben-Gvir Injured in Car Accident – Developing Story

Itamar Ben-Gvir was involved in a car accident in the city of Ramla. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

According to KAN, Ben-Gvir’s car ran a red light, causing a traffic accident that led to the vehicle’s overturning. 

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was injured in a car accident on Friday in the city of Ramla, near the site of an alleged stabbing operation.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) said that Ben-Gvir was slightly injured, while Channel 12 reported that the injury was between minor and moderate. 

Palestinian sources in the Resistance News Network, however, have claimed that the far-right Israeli politician’s injuries are serious.

According to KAN, Ben-Gvir’s car ran a red light, causing a traffic accident that led to the vehicle’s overturning. 

Israeli media further reported, citing Ben-Gvir’s office, that the minister’s daughter, his guard, and his driver were also injured in the accident.

Ben-Gvir was transferred to the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, near Tel Aviv to receive treatment.

A stabbing operation had allegedly been carried out soon before the accident in the city of Ramla, according to Israeli media. 

Israeli media said that a Jewish settler was seriously injured in the attack and the suspect was killed by Israeli forces. 

Who is Itamar Ben-Gvir?

Extremist politician Itamar Ben-Gvir has been Israel’s security minister for over a year now.

Ben-Gvir had a long track record of racism against Palestinians prior to becoming one of the most powerful men in Israeli politics. 

He also had a lengthy criminal record, having picked up over 50 charges for everything from supporting a terrorist group to inciting racism. 

What Has Ben-Gvir Been Up To? A Glimpse into Israeli Minister’s War Activities

A trained lawyer, leader of the Oztma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party went from being a fringe activist living in one of the most extreme illegal settlements in the West Bank, to being in the position of overseeing the Israeli border police of the occupied territory and creating a state-funded ultra-nationalist militia; the National Guard.

Israel’s infamous national security minister openly advocates for ethnically cleansing Palestinians from the territories Israel occupied in June of 1967.

Since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, Ben-Gvir has advocated to continue the war at all costs. 

(The Palestine Chronicle)

5:55 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Videos | Read More »

‘Only Talk with Bombs’ – Smotrich Urges Mossad to Eliminate Hamas Leaders

Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“The time has come for the Mossad to return to doing what it was trained to do – to eliminate the heads of Hamas all over the world.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on the Mossad intelligence agency to “eliminate” the leaders of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas and to completely destroy the Gaza Strip.

“The time has come for the Mossad to return to doing what it was trained to do – to eliminate the heads of Hamas all over the world and not in negotiations that are conducted irresponsibly and harm Israel’s security,” Smotrich said on X on Thursday.

His remarks followed local media reports detailing an Israeli initiative proposed by negotiators that was presented to the Security Cabinet regarding a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, according to the Anadolu news agency.

“With Hamas from now on we should only talk with shells and bombs,” Smotrich added.

He also called for Israeli forces to enter the southern Gaza town of Rafah ”as fast and as strongly as possible,” adding “and then continue with the Strip until its complete destruction.”

“This is essential for Israel’s security and it is also the only chance to return the abductees. Enough for wasting time and shuffling,” continued Smotrich.

New Proposed Deal

Israel’s war cabinet revealed a new proposed deal Thursday for a prisoner exchange with Hamas and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media.

The new initiative, which hasn’t been officially announced yet, reportedly demands that Hamas release over 20 Israeli captives, Anadolu reported, citing Israel’s Channel 13.

The deal may not encompass the release of the 40 hostages Israel had sought in previous weeks, according to the channel.

‘Serious Rights Abuses’ – EU, US Sanction Extremist Jewish Settlers and Groups 

The channel alleged that Egypt is gearing up to push for the deal, with an Egyptian envoy set to arrive in Israel on Friday to discuss the details. However, there has been no official statement from Cairo on the channel’s report as yet, reported Anadolu.

Qatar, Egypt and the US are trying to reach a hostage swap deal and cease-fire in Gaza as the first pause in fighting lasted only a week in late November last year. This resulted in limited aid entering the Gaza Strip as well as exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and children detained in Israeli jails.

Hamas demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv.

Threats to PA

Smotrich on Thursday also called for the Palestinian Authority to be toppled if it continues to seek recognition at the UN and the arrest of Israelis by international bodies, Israeli media reported, according to the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).

In an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich also warned that if orders are issued to arrest senior Israeli officials and soldiers, he will halt the transfer of funds to the PA.

US to Sanction Israeli Military Unit over West Bank Rights Abuses – Report

The PA “draws encouragement and legitimacy for its actions from the Biden administration’s turning its back on Israel in legal contexts through the imposition of sanctions on the settlers, and apparently also on the IDF, as well as from the harsh tones of the leaders of European countries against Israel in the context of the war in Gaza,” the Times of Israel quoted Smotrich saying.

The paper said the letter came “the day after the US State Department denounced as ‘dangerous and reckless’ Smotrich’s reported plans to legalize dozens of currently illegal West Bank settlement outposts.”

Settler Sanctions

Washington as well as the European Union have issued sanctions against extremist Jewish settlers and organizations in the West Bank, citing serious human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Under the terms of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel collects tax on behalf of the Palestinians and makes monthly transfers to the PA pending the approval of the Ministry of Finance.

Israel has repeatedly withheld some or all of the tax money claiming it is being used to “fund terrorism” without providing evidence for its claims, reported MEMO.

US Will Not Sanction Israeli Battalions despite Admitting Human Rights Violations – Report

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was poised to announce sanctions against the Israeli army’s ‘Netzah Yehuda’ battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank, the American news website Axios reported.

However, the US has since decided that three military battalions, including Netzah Yehuda, will not be sanctioned, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) reported on Friday.

According to ABC, the battalions will remain eligible for US military aid “because of steps Israel says it’s taking to address the problem.”

Gaza Death Toll

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, 34,356 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,368 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: Hezbollah’s ‘Complex Operation’ | Nuseirat under Attack | Egyptian Delegation to Arrive in Israel – Day 203

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly 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, MEMO)

4:46 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

‘Opened Abdomens’ – Suspected Organ Theft from Bodies at Nasser Hospital 

Mass graves were found in Gaza following Israel’s withdrawal. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

”Some bodies were found with tied hands, opened abdomens and stitched in a manner inconsistent with the usual methods of wound suturing in Gaza.”

The condition of some of the bodies found in mass graves at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza has raised suspicion of organ theft by Israeli forces, a Civil Defence official in the enclave has said.

”Some bodies were found with tied hands, opened abdomens and stitched in a manner inconsistent with the usual methods of wound suturing in Gaza, raising suspicions of the disappearance of some organs,” Mohammed Al-Mughayer, the director of the supply and equipment department at the Gaza Civil Defense Agency, told a press briefing on Thursday, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Gaza’s Civil Defense teams uncovered the bodies of 392 people buried in mass graves at the hospital in Khan Yunis. The bodies of children were among the victims.

“The bodies of a man and a mutilated young girl missing limbs were also found wearing hospital gowns, raising suspicions of their being buried alive,” Al-Mughayer added.

‘Signs of Torture’ – 392 Bodies Found in Mass Graves at Nasser Hospital

Plastic Shrouds

In addition, the hands of some bodies were found with plastic restraints “and corpses were wearing white robes used by the Israeli army as clothes for detainees in Nasser Hospital, with marks of gunshot wounds to the head, raising suspicions of their execution and field liquidation.”

”We also found many bodies wrapped in black and blue shrouds made of plastic and nylon, which are different than the color of shrouds used in Gaza,” Al-Mughayer added.

He said this caused “suspicions that the occupation’s goal was to raise the temperature of the bodies to accelerate their decomposition and conceal evidence.”

The civil defence official said evidence “indicates that the occupation committed crimes against humanity and carried out field executions on the premises of Nasser Hospital.”

”We demand the swift opening of an international investigation into this matter,” he stressed.

The Israeli army withdrew from Khan Yunis on April 7 after a four-month-long ground operation in the Nasser Medical Complex.

‘Most Unethical Army in the World’ – Palestine Chronicle Assesses the Damage at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital

Tortured Bodies

Also on Thursday, Yamen Abu Sulaiman, the head of Gaza’s civil defense agency, told a press conference that evidence of torture was found on some bodies.

“There are indications of carrying out field executions against some of the victims, while the bodies of other victims carried signs of torture and others were buried alive,” Abu Sulaiman said.

On Wednesday, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee denied reports about burying Palestinians in mass graves at the Nasser Hospital.

Gaza’s government media office Director, Ismail al-Thawabta reportedly said, “The narrative the Israeli occupation is using to try to escape from its crime in the Nasser Medical Complex are just lies to mislead the public opinion, and there is much evidence of this.”

This is What Happened at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza – Palestine Chronicle Explains

Investigation Urged

On Wednesday Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said “an independent, effective and transparent investigation into the deaths at Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals must be conducted.”

He said “At this point, there are many entities on the ground, including the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. And they can follow up on any rights violations that may have occurred at the grounds of hospitals.”

Earlier this month, the Civil Defense in Gaza said that hundreds of bodies were found after the Israeli army withdrew from the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surroundings in Gaza city, after a two-week siege.

Footage published by Al-Jazeera showed charred bodies of Palestinians in the streets and roads surrounding the complex.

Gaza Horror – Hundreds of Bodies Found as Israeli Forces Withdraw from Al-Shifa Hospital

Over 34,356 Dead

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, 34,356 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,368 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: Hezbollah’s ‘Complex Operation’ | Nuseirat under Attack | Egyptian Delegation to Arrive in Israel – Day 203

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly 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)

2:52 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

‘Not a Viable Option’ – Bezos Earth Fund Declines Israel Investment Due to Gaza War (UPDATE)

Jeff Bezos’ climate fund allegedly pulled out $30 million investment from Israel, according to Israeli media. (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

UPDATE: Following the publishing of the report below, which was composed based on Israeli media reports, the Palestine Chronicle was contacted by an Earth Fund spokesperson, who stated the following: “We are exploring opportunities, including in Israel, but no decision or commitment was made to establish a center.”

Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza has led to the Bezos Earth Fund declining to invest in establishing a center for food technology in Israel, Israeli media reported. 

According to Calcalistech, an Israeli technology news site, the Technion – Israel Institute for Technology and the Hebrew University had responded to a call for proposals by Bezos Earth, the climate fund of Jeff Bezos, last year.

Last week the research teams were informed that “given the uncertainty around the war at the current time, such a large and significant grant for a Bezos Center is not a viable option for us in the current situation.”

Bezos Earth planned “to invest $30 million in a new center, along with $70 million that would be invested by the university chosen to set up the center. That is, a total of $100 million for the center over a five-year period,” Calcalistech reported.

‘Loss for Israeli Research’

The report said Israeli universities “reacted to the news with understandable disappointment.”

“This is a loss for Israeli research and innovation … If until now we have seen the humanities and social sciences suffer because of the war, this is the first time that we have encountered such a blatant refusal due to the war,” Professor Benny Chefetz, head of the Department of Soil and Water Sciences of the Hebrew University, reportedly said.

“The email we received describes the most simple and cruel way the reality of Israeli academia and research these days: people don’t want to invest in Israel at this time and this also raises concerns going forward.”

The Technion, the report said, “does not discuss private correspondence publicly.”

Judea vs ‘Fantasy Israel: Ilan Pappe on the Collapse of Israeli Pillars, and the Opportunities for Palestine

Over 34,356 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, 34,356 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,368 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: Hezbollah’s ‘Complex Operation’ | Nuseirat under Attack | Egyptian Delegation to Arrive in Israel – Day 203

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly 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)

2:11 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

‘In Opposition to Gaza Policy’ – US State Department Spokesperson Resigns

Arabic language spokesperson of US State Department, Hala Rharrit, resigned. (Photo: via US State Department website)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States’ Gaza policy,” Hala Rharrit announced.

The Arabic-speaking spokesperson of the US State Department has resigned, stating her opposition to Washington’s policy concerning the war on Gaza, marking at least the third departure from the department due to the same issue.

Hala Rharrit, who also served as the Dubai Regional Media Hub’s deputy director, had been working with the State Department for nearly two decades, initially joining as a political and human rights officer, according to information on the department’s website.

She expressed her decision to resign On her LinkedIn profile. “I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States’ Gaza policy,” she wrote 

In response to inquiries about Rharrit’s resignation during a press briefing on Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said that the department has mechanisms for staff to voice dissent regarding government policies.

US State Department Official Resigns over Arms Transfer to Israel

Previous Resignations

Nearly a month earlier, Annelle Sheline, from the State Department’s human rights bureau, also announced her resignation, while Josh Paul, another State Department official, resigned in October. 

Criticism has been mounting globally and from various human rights organizations towards the United States for its support of Israel amidst the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed and wounded well over 100,000 Palestinians.

In November, over 1,000 officials from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a branch of the State Department, signed an open letter urging for an immediate ceasefire. 

Additionally, cables expressing criticism of the administration’s policy have been submitted through the State Department’s internal “dissent channel,” according to Reuters news agency.

‘Unconditional Support’ – Biden Administration Mulls $1 Billion-Plus Weapons Deals with Israel

Widespread Dissent

Last January, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that “dissent inside the Biden administration over the president’s Gaza policy is growing”.

Tariq Habash, a senior official in the US Education Department and of Palestinian-American descent, decided to resign while a letter signed by several campaign staffers called for an immediate ceasefire and the conditioning of aid to Israel. 

“I hope it resonates with the president and the people who are making policy decisions on this issue that is affecting millions of lives,” Habash was quoted as saying.

“I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives,” the official wrote in his resignation letter.

Following Habash’s resignation, the White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that “people have the right to voice their opinion,” wishing him the “best in his future endeavors,” The Guardian reported.

Outrage without Condemnation – Biden’s Bias toward Israel Transcends his Humanity

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, 34,305 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,293 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: Hezbollah’s ‘Complex Operation’ | Nuseirat under Attack | Egyptian Delegation to Arrive in Israel – Day 203

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly 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)

2:02 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

US Will Not Sanction Israeli Battalions despite Admitting Human Rights Violations – Report

Blinken will not sanctions Israeli battalions that committed human rights violations in West Bank (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The decision comes after a report published by the American news website Axios indicated that Blinken had decided to punish Israel’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion.

After determining that three military battalions with the Israeli army committed “gross human rights violations” against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, the United States decided that they will not be sanctioned, American Broadcasting Company (ABC) reported on Friday.

According to ABC, the battalions will remain eligible for US military aid “because of steps Israel says it’s taking to address the problem.”

ABC further reported that “the administration assessment, which has not yet been made public, was outlined in an undated letter by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to House Speaker Mike Johnson”.

US to Sanction Israeli Military Unit over West Bank Rights Abuses – Report

The human rights violations occurred prior to the military operation carried out by the Palestinian Resistance on October 7.

The decision comes after a report published by the American news website Axios indicated that Blinken had decided to punish Israel’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, known for its human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians. 

According to Axios, the  sanctions were expected to prohibit the battalion and its members from receiving any form of US military assistance or training, as outlined by a 1997 law authored by then-Senator Patrick Leahy.

Named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Virginia, this committee was established in accordance with the 1997 laws that mandate the US to suspend aid to any military, foreign, or law enforcement units credibly accused of gross human rights violations.

Blinken’s Inaction

A report, published by the investigative website ProPublica on April 17, disclosed that a special committee under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had advised the minister that the United States should limit arms sales to Israeli military units accused of human rights violations.

“But Blinken has failed to act on the proposal in the face of growing international criticism of the Israeli military’s conduct in Gaza, according to current and former State Department officials,” ProPublica reported. 

The report highlighted that most of the documented incidents occurred in the West Bank prior to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

Killings, Rapes, Torture – Report Reveals Blinken’s Inaction on Calls to Hold Israel Accountable

These incidents include extrajudicial killings by Israeli border police, including an incident where a battalion’s actions led to the death of an elderly Palestinian-American man, as well as “an allegation that interrogators tortured and raped a teenager who had been accused of throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.”

According to an informed source cited by the investigative website, recommendations for action against Israeli units were forwarded to Blinken in December. The website quoted a source stating that “these reports have been in his possession ever since.”

No Double Standards?

Two days after the publication of the report, Blinken said that he had “made ‘determinations’ regarding accusations that Israel violated a set of US laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights,” Reuters news agency reported.

Asked at a press conference in Italy about the reports, Blinken said: “I think you’re referring to the so-called Leahy Law and our work under that”.

‘The Answer is No’ – Blinken Denies US Double Standard for Israel

“So this is a very important law. And it’s one that we apply across the board. And when we’re doing these investigations, these inquiries, it’s something that takes time. That has to be done very carefully, both in collecting the facts and analyzing them,” the US secretary of state added.

Additionally, on April 22, Blinken rejected accusations of “double standards” when applying US law to reported abuses by the Israeli army. 

“Do we have a double standard? The answer is no,” Blinken stated during a press conference announcing the Department’s annual human rights country reports.

“In general, as we’re looking at human rights and the condition of human rights around the world, we apply the same standard to everyone. That doesn’t change whether the country is an adversary, a competitor, a friend or an ally,” he said.

 

12:35 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

Israeli Strikes Kill Scores of Palestinians in Gaza – Genocide Continues

Israel continued to bomb Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

Scores of Palestinians were killed and others were wounded in Israeli strikes targeting various sites across the Gaza Strip.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, Israeli forces committed five massacres in the last 24 hours, killing at least 51 Palestinians and wounding 71 more. 

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli fighter jets bombed a house belonging to the Al-Shawa family in the Al-Remal neighborhood. 

Rescue teams reportedly recovered the bodies of three victims, including a child and a woman, along with several wounded, from the rubble of the targeted house.

The casualties and injured were taken to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the only functioning hospital left in Gaza City after the destruction of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex by Israeli forces last month.

Israeli warplanes also struck the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, and a residential building on the Al-Wahda Street in the city center, resulting in the killing of at least one civilian and injuries to others.

In Rafah, a Palestinian fisherman was killed, and another was injured by the Israeli navy. 

Additionally, a body was retrieved from the rubble of the Jouda family’s house in the Shaboura refugee camp, which was targeted by an Israeli airstrike last Saturday.

In central Gaza, heavy airstrikes hit the northern areas of Nuseirat and Maghazi refugee camps, as well as Al-Zawayda town. 

Israeli occupation forces also demolished residential buildings in nearby Al-Mughraqa town.

Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted areas north of Beit Lahia and the eastern regions of northern Gaza, while military vehicles fired live ammunition along the northern border.

Meanwhile, rescue teams continued retrieving bodies of Palestinians from mass graves discovered in the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis. 

At least 392 bodies have been recovered, with 165 remaining unidentified due to alterations made by Israeli forces to identification marks and the advanced state of decomposition.

Gaza Genocide Continues

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, 34,305 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,293 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.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly 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, WAFA)

11:41 am | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

‘Complex Operation’ – One Killed as Hezbollah Ambushes Israeli Military Convoy

Hezbollah targeted several Israeli military sites. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

An Israeli military truck, belonging to the 12th Brigade in the Israeli Golani Division, was among the Israeli vehicles ambushed by Hezbollah. 

The Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah announced a series of operations on Thursday, targeting Israeli soldiers and military sites and culminated in a series of ambushes in the occupied Sheeba Farms. 

Hezbollah said in a statement that the fighters “prepared a combined ambush of guided missiles, artillery, and rocket weapons for a mechanized convoy near the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kfar Shuba”.

“Upon its arrival at the ambush point (the convoy) was targeted with guided weapons, artillery, and missiles, which led to the destruction of two vehicles,” the statement continued, adding that “the enemy worked to create a smokescreen to cover the losses.”

For its part, the Israeli army announced an exchange of fire with Hezbollah where aircraft were also deployed. 

According to the Lebanese news network Al-Mayadeen, Israeli media were prevented from publishing details related to the incident.. However, the Israeli army spokesman described it as very difficult. 

On Friday morning, the Israeli army admitted to the killing of an Israeli, without providing further details. 

“An Israeli citizen was killed as a result of Hezbollah firing anti-tank missiles at Mount Dov during the early hours of Friday,” the Israeli army radio reported.

“In response, army aircraft attacked Hezbollah targets in the Shebaa region in southern Lebanon,” the radio added.

In Support Of Gaza – Lebanon’s Hezbollah Expands its Range of Fire

What Happened

Al-Mayadeen cited informed sources as saying that an Israeli military truck, belonging to the 12th Brigade in the Israeli Golani Division, was among the Israeli vehicles ambushed by Hezbollah. 

The same sources reportedly told Al-Mayadeen that the Israeli military trucks “were completely destroyed, directly hit by a guided missile near the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site”.

The source reportedly added that shells fired by Hezbollah “fell inside the Israeli site during a gathering of occupation soldiers, resulting in confirmed injuries.”

Al-Mayadeen correspondent in southern Lebanon confirmed that fire was directed towards the Israeli military site.

The correspondent added that the Israeli military force was targeted with various types of weapons and that the Israeli army combed the area to evacuate the injured among its troops. 

Weakened Deterrence – Hezbollah Intensifies Confrontations as Israel Seeks Help from France

Meanwhile, Israeli infantry forces were reportedly ambushed in the vicinity of the military site in occupied Al-Malikiyah.

Al-Mayadeen also quoted Lebanese analyst Abbas Fneish as saying that Hezbollah is implementing its strategy of matching Israeli escalation “by expanding and deepening its scope of confrontation.”

The analyst added that, in the case of an Israeli invasion of the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Hezbollah will further escalate its operations.

(PC, Al-Mayadeen)

10:57 am | Posted in Blog | News | Videos | Read More »
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