November 27: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 52
Updates on humanitarian aid, Israeli truce violations, prisoners, Palestinian students in Vermont shot, US military, Elon Musk, and more
Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.
Some people are led to be skeptical of the Al Jazeera news network. However, the network has won several Emmys, a Peabody and the Overseas Press Association’s Edward R. Murrow award, among many other honors. The New York Times reports that “its reporting hews to international journalistic standards and provides a unique view on events in the Middle East.” it’s important to remember that all news sources may potentially have bias. For example, CNN uses anchors who used to work for the Israel Lobby, who have lifelong attachment to Israel, and who often exhibit pro-Israel spin and omission in their broadcasts. Similarly, Fox News is strongly influenced by Rupert Murdoch, who has a similarly strong attachment to Israel, and who may have fired Tucker Carlson, the network’s most popular host, in part due to the host’s opposition to war and his pattern of failing to exhibit sufficient devotion to Israel).
Latest statistics:
Palestinian death toll: at least 14,568* (~14,329 in Gaza** (including at least 6,000 children and 4,000 women), and at least 239 in the West Bank). *IAK does not yet include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile is being disputed; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation. Israel killed more Palestinians in a little over a month after Oct. 7 than in all the previous 22 years combined.
Palestinian injuries: 38,904** (including at least 36,000 in Gaza** and 2,904 in the West Bank). **NOTE: it is impossible to offer an accurate number of injuries in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and communication disruption.
It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. in Gaza**, . About 1.7 million people have been displaced; 6,500 are missing (4,400 children) and presumed to be under rubble.
Reported Israeli death toll has been reduced to ~1,200*** (The Israeli spokesman said the original figure of deaths on March 7 was an “initial estimate” – 4 killed in West Bank, 75 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and ~5,400 injured). The names of the 1,219 identified (about 30 of them children) are here.
RECOMMENDED READING: Israel has lost control of the narrative – October 7 truths coming out
***NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org
Israeli truce violation: A Palestinian farmer was killed and another injured after they were targeted by Israeli forces in the Maghazi refugee camp in the center of Gaza yesterday, the Palestine Red Crescent said. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the report.
Humanitarian update:
UNRWA: “Everything is closed in Gaza … the shops, the pharmacies. While humanitarian assistance is fundamentally critical, and life-saving of course, it is not going to be enough in the medium to longer term. What needs to happen is commercial supplies that need to come in support of the private sector so it [Gaza] can stand on its own feet.” (10:15 GMT)
The UN has said that people are lining up overnight in lines that extend for 1.2 miles to refill cooking gas canisters. The lines were reported outside a filling station in Khan Younis in southern Gaza after Israel allowed aid supplies that included cooking gas to enter Gaza for the first time since October 7. (03:30 GMT)
On 26 November, aid convoys reached areas north of Wadi Gaza. UN agencies and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) distributed 1,062 metric tonnes (MT) of ready-to-eat food to four UNRWA shelters in Jabalia camp; 185 MT of tents and blankets and 890 MT of bottled water to various sites; as well as 164 MT of medical supplies to Al Ahli hospital in Gaza city.
Key service providers, including hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and IDP shelters, have continued receiving fuel on a daily basis to operate generators.
Over the past three days, cooking gas has entered Gaza, contrary to the time before the pause. However, the amounts fall well below the needs. Queues at a filling station in Khan Younis have reportedly extended for about 2 kilometres, with people waiting at them overnight. Meanwhile, reports indicate that people are burning doors and window frames to cook.
RECOMMENDED READING: UN: Forced displacement in Gaza threatens lives of pregnant women
RECOMMENDED READING: How will I live now that Israel has killed my children?
Truce, hostage, prisoner update:
Monday is the last day of the 4-day truce, although mediators are working to extend the deal. Since Friday, Hamas has released 58 people, including citizens of Israel, Thailand, the US and Russia. Israel has released 117 Palestinians from its prisons. 184 Israelis are still detained in the Gaza Strip.
The latest batch of Palestinian children released by Israel as part of the truce deal with Hamas have spoken of their experiences in prison. They claim that they were beaten, tortured, abused, deliberately starved and intentionally deprived of information about what was going on in the world beyond the prison walls. (Read more here.)
Truce extension possible: Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators are close to agreeing on a truce extension butaere still discussing details. Hamas is reportedly seeking a four-day extension, while Israel wants day-by-day extensions, with negotiations continuing over which Palestinian prisoners would be freed.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING: What can be done to keep the fragile truce in Gaza alive? | Inside Story
West Bank news:
Since Saturday, at least eight Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank despite the truce. At least 239 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7.
Israeli forces carried out overnight raids and prevented an ambulance from reaching a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank to help injured Palestinians.
Israeli forces wounded 21 Palestinians in a crowd awaiting released prisoners at Ofer Prison, the Palestine Red Crescent has said. Among those injured were seven who sustained gunshot wounds as well as four who were hit by rubber bullets and 10 by tear gas. (03:20 GMT)
A report released by Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs said that of the 3,200 Palestinians arrested by Israel since October 7, 41 were journalists, 29 of whom remain in detention. more than 200 children, and about 78 female prisoners, as well as hundreds of sick and wounded people, some of whom need “urgent medical intervention”, the report added.
It also noted that the recent arrests were accompanied by “widespread raids and abuse, in addition to vandalising and destroying of citizens’ homes, and severe beatings of the families of detainees” as well as the shooting of unarmed Palestinians, resulting in deaths. (00:50 GMT)
Home demolition witness deported: Alison Russell, a Scottish-born Belgian citizen and Human Rights Defender, was detained by the Israeli occupation authorities while documenting the demolition of a house in Masafer Yatta, in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank.
Israeli police alleged in a public statement that Alison “supported a terrorist organization.” Her attorney pointed out that this claim had no basis. Nevertheless, the presiding judge issued a verdict couched in fiery nationalist rhetoric, claiming that “There are many faces to Hamas terror. There are various kinds of terrorists. Some terrorists wield guns and bombs while others use a computer keyboard”.
Israel news:
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to allocate large budgets to promote settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. “Smotrich talked about a budget adjustment that allocates millions of shekels to expand the Israeli settlements in Area C in the West Bank and allocates a budget to prevent Palestinians from building in those areas,” the ministry said in a statement posted on X. (10:40 GMT)
Josep Borrell, EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that funding of new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories will “not make Israel safer”. “The settlements are a grave international humanitarian law breach, and they are Israel’s greatest security liability,” he posted on X. (09:35 GMT)
Elon Musk caves to Israel: Israeli PM Netanyahu and Elon Musk walked through the destroyed kibbutz Kfar Aza Monday, and officials described to Musk what had taken place. Musk has been accused recently of promoting antisemitism.
Musk stated, “Those who are intent on murder must be neutralized. Then the propaganda must stop. They’re just training people to be murderers.” He also said Gaza must be made “prosperous.” “If (all) that happens, I think it will be a good future,” he said. “I’d love to help.”
Musk and Israeli leaders also reportedly reached an understanding, whereby “Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip”.
Starlink is a satellite internet venture operated by SpaceX, owned by Musk, that makes it easier to provide internet services in rural and isolated regions of the world where the internet terminals and cables are not strong. (08:15 GMT)
US news:
Three men of Palestinian descent studying in the US were shot in Burlington, Vermont on Sunday. Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said on Sunday that the students were walking to the home of one of the victim’s relatives when they were confronted by a white man armed with a handgun. “Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Murad said. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.” The three were graduates of the Ramallah Friends School (Quaker) who had left the occupied West Bank to study in the US.
Murad said two of the victims were in a stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries”. Two of the victms were wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.
A suspect was arrested Sunday afternoon:Jason J. Eaton, 48. According to his mother, he had struggled with depression. Inflammatory, inaccurate media reports repeated by Biden, including the false claim that Hamas fighters had “beheaded 40 babies,” have incited outrage in numerous people who don’t know they’re untrue. (While Israeli forces have killed 6,000 Palestinian children including an unknown number of babies in October-November, Gazans have killed approximately 29 Palestinian children, including one infant.)
US Navy in Arabian Gulf: In a statement posted on X, the US Navy said that its aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower had crossed the Strait of Hormuz and reached the waters of the Arabian Gulf “to support” the missions of the US Central Command. The US said the aircraft is patrolling the area “to ensure freedom of navigation in key international waterways” while also supporting the US Navy’s “requirements throughout the region”. The USS Eisenhower is being accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and the USS Stethem and the French frigate Languedoc.
US special forces reportedly were deployed to help Israel track down hostages held in Gaza
The Pentagon has “awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to build U.S. troop facilities for a secret base it maintains deep within Israel’s Negev desert, just 20 miles from Gaza. Code-named ‘Site 512,’ the longstanding U.S. base is a radar facility that monitors the skies for missile attacks on Israel.
Elsewhere:
School teachers in the Australian state of Victoria have been warned against taking part in pro-Palestinian advocacy. Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll said teachers would be contributing to division if they participated in advocacy at schools in Melbourne, such as by wearing a pro-Palestinian badge or inviting Palestinian activists to speak to students. Mr Carroll said, “This action is inflammatory, it’s divisive and only sows more seeds of disharmony in our community.” (05:10 GMT)
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