US Congress just approved billions more in military aid to Israel, as Gazans die – Day 200

contact@ifamericansknew.org April 24, 2024administrative detention, beit lahiya, campus protest, freedom flotilla, google, mass graves, military aid to israel, rafah invasion, West Bank

He said on X the Israeli army “will use extreme force against terrorist infrastructure and subversive elements in the region”, telling residents to “evacuate the area immediately and head towards known shelters in blocks number 1770, 1766”.

Israel denies burying Gazans in mass graves

Reuters reports: The Israeli military said claims by Palestinian authorities that the Israeli miilitary had buried bodies were “baseless and unfounded”. It said forces searching for Israeli hostages had examined bodies previously buried by Palestinians near Nasser hospital and had returned the bodies to where they were buried after they were examined.

“The examination was conducted in a careful manner and exclusively in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages. The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased,” it said in a statement.

“Some of them had their hands tied, which of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations,” a UN spokesperson said.

Mass graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis (photo)

West Bank: Israeli Soldiers Kill A Young Woman Near Hebron

IMEMC reports: On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers fatally shot a young Palestinian woman on the bypass road #60, north of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.

Media sources said the soldiers fired several live rounds from point-blank range at the woman and left her bleeding on the ground until she succumbed to her wounds.

The slain young woman has been identified as Maymouna Abdul-Hamid Harahsha, 20, from Hebron.

An eyewitness said, “I was in a car across the street when I saw the soldiers pointing their guns at her. She didn’t move at all, remained standing still, yet they shot and killed her.”

The Israeli army claimed the young woman “carried a knife,” and “intended to stab the soldiers.”

UNRWA update: West Bank

Between 15 and 21 April there were more than 195 Israeli military operations reported across the West Bank, with at least 21 Palestinians killed during this period. Of these fatalities, two were children.

A large-scale Israeli military operation commenced on 18 April in Nur Shams Camp in the northern West Bank, lasting approximately 50 hours and concluding on 20 April with significant casualties and massive damage sustained, including to UNRWA facilities. At least 14 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli military deployed anti-tank missiles and armored bulldozers, with Palestinian armed groups detonating improvised explosive devices. Widespread damage to private property as well as camp infrastructure was reported, with water, electricity and internet both cut.

Settler violence continued across the West Bank, with violent confrontations also reported in Burka, in the central West Bank, where six Palestinians were injured by settlers and Israeli military on 21 April.

Google fires more workers who protested its deal with Israel

ABC News reports: Google fired at least 20 more workers in the aftermath of protests over technology the company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, bringing the total number of terminated staff to more than 50, a group representing the workers said.

It’s the latest sign of internal turmoil at the tech giant centered on “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to provide the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.

Workers held sit-in protests last week at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California. The company responded by calling the police, who made arrests.

The group organizing the protests, No Tech For Apartheid, said the company fired 30 workers last week.

Then, on Tuesday night, Google fired “over 20” more staffers, “including non-participating bystanders during last week’s protests,” said Jane Chung, a spokeswoman for No Tech For Apartheid, without providing a more specific number.

“Google’s aims are clear: the corporation is attempting to quash dissent, silence its workers, and reassert its power over them,” Chung said in a press release. “In its attempts to do so, Google has decided to unceremoniously, and without due process, upend the livelihoods of over 50 of its own workers.”

FOLLOW THE FREEDOM FLOTILLA

NOTE: We will bring regular updates about the 2024 Freedom Flotilla until it arrives in Gaza.

NOTE: Read about the individuals who launched the flotilla movement over 16 years ago here.

Campus protest update

A coalition of University of Michigan students in Ann Arbor have camped out to pressure the university to divest its endowment from companies that support Israel or could profit from the ongoing war on Gaza. (photo)

(Read more about the “stabbing in the eye” incident here.)

MEMORABLE QUOTE

State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel: We’ve seen those reports [about 300 Palestinians found in mass graves], and we are asking the Government of Israel for more details and more information.
QUESTION: And do you believe that the Government of Israel is a credible source in enlightening you in that regards?
MR PATEL: We do. We do. We do.

NOTE: Israel has not proven itself trustworthy. Among Israel’s lies arenumerous atrocity stories about the October 7th attack that have since been proven untrue (more examples here). In addition, anumber of the Israeli soldiers and civilianskilled on October 7 were shown to have beenkilled by Israeli fire – a fact that is absent from the official Israeli narrative. The Israeli military has also disseminated false storiesabout civilians captured. Previously, Israel has been caught in many lies – for example,this and this and *this***.

MORE NEWS

Mondoweiss: The student protests for Palestine are awe-inspiring. But we must not get distracted from Gaza.

The New Arab: Did Israel use Iran’s attack to secure a US green light for Rafah invasion?

IMEMC News Reports

Translation: The occupation bombed a residential building in Beit Lahiya in the north.

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – APRIL 23:

Palestinian death toll from October 7 – April 23: at least 35,145* (34,648 in Gaza* (at least 14,560 children, 9,582 women), and at least 497 in the West Bank (117 children). This does not include an estimated 7,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 42,510 Palestinian deaths.

At least 42 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 14 from West Bank)

At least 31 Palestinian children and several adults have died due to malnutrition**

About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced.

About 1.1 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are facing Catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – April 23: at least 81,664 (including at least 77,229 in Gaza and 5,000 in the West Bank).

It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – April 23: ~1,407 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 259 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza;, 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured.

Times of Israel reports: The IDF also listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

*Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.

**Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

For more news, go here and here. Broadcast news from the region is here.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

Thursday, 25 April 2024