New worries as polio virus detected in Gaza sewage – Day 285

contact@ifamericansknew.org July 19, 2024American Federation of Teachers, Amnesty International, democratic platform, gaza pier, healthcare in gaza, houthis, humanitarian aid, icc arrest warrant, itamar ben gvir, microsoft, mike johnson, Netanyahu, netanyahu speech, oxfam report, palestinian statehood, polio virus, republican national convention, torture

The polio virus has been detected in Gaza's sewage, which flows through areas with displaced persons and residential zones due to infrastructure destruction, and “represents a new health crisis.” (photo)

Polio risk added to long list of crises in Gaza; Amnesty speaks out on Israeli torture, Oxfam speaks out on Israeli water weaponization; LA may hire ex-IDF soldiers to patrol streets; 1,000+ attacks on Palestinian healthcare; Ben Gvir’s provocative prayer visit to Al Aqsa; Netanyahu nixes children’s hospital for Gaza kids; ICC arrest warrants expected soon; Republican and Democratic parties scramble to ingratiate with Israel; much more.

By IAK staff, from reports.

New health crisis unfolds in Gaza as poliovirus found in sewage

Andalou Agency reports: A new health crisis unfolded in the bombarded Gaza Strip with the detection of poliovirus in sewage, the Gaza Health Ministry revealed on Thursday.

A ministry statement noted that “tests on sewage samples, conducted in coordination with UNICEF, confirmed the presence of the poliovirus.”

The statement added that the presence of the virus in sewage, which flows through areas with displaced persons and residential zones due to infrastructure destruction, “represents a new health crisis.”

The situation is exacerbated by severe overcrowding, scarce and contaminated water supplies, accumulated garbage, and the Israeli blockade on hygiene supplies.

The ministry warned that the detection of the virus in sewage puts thousands of residents at risk of contracting polio.

UNICEF and other organizations have been warning for months of the possibility of an outbreak if they weren’t able to get on top of vaccination programs and decontamination efforts in Gaza. But that has been impossible due to Israel’s ongoing war and the limits imposed by the Israeli military on the entry to Gaza of hygiene kits, vaccines and other essential medicines.

Amnesty Int’l calls on Israel to end mass incommunicado detention and torture of Palestinians from Gaza

From Amnesty’s website: Israeli authorities must end their indefinite incommunicado detention of Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip, without charge or trial under the Unlawful Combatants law, in flagrant violation of international law, said Amnesty International.

The organization documented the cases of 27 Palestinian former detainees, including five women, 21 men and a 14-year-old boy, who were detained for periods of up to four and a half months without access to their lawyers or any contact with their families, in connection with this law. All those interviewed by Amnesty International said that during their incommunicado detention, which in some cases amounted to enforced disappearance, Israeli military, intelligence and police forces subjected them to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The Unlawful Combatants Law grants the Israeli military sweeping powers to detain anyone from Gaza that they suspect of engagement in hostilities against Israel or posing a threat to state security for indefinitely renewable periods without having to produce evidence to substantiate the claims.

“While international humanitarian law allows for the detention of individuals on imperative security grounds in situations of occupation, there must be safeguards to prevent indefinite or arbitrary detention and torture and other ill-treatment. This law blatantly fails to provide these safeguards. It enables rampant torture and, in some circumstances, institutionalizes enforced disappearance,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

“Our documentation illustrates how the Israeli authorities are using the Unlawful Combatants Law to arbitrarily round up Palestinian civilians from Gaza and toss them into a virtual black hole for prolonged periods without producing any evidence that they pose a security threat and without minimum due process. Israeli authorities must immediately repeal this law and release those arbitrarily detained under it.”

(Read the full statement here.)

Oxfam report: Water War Crimes: How Israel has weaponized water in its military campaign in Gaza

Oxfam’s new 66-page report, released Wednesday, documents how since October, Israel has systematically reduced the water available in Gaza by 94%, with just 4.74 liters per resident obtainable each day—less than a third of the recommended minimum amount in emergencies.

An average of five of Gaza’s water and sanitation sites have been taken out of service every three days, Oxfam found, reducing water production from sources in the Gaza Strip by 84% by late May.

Gaza City, the enclave’s most populous city before it was largely destroyed by the bombardment, has lost 88% of its water wells.

With Israel blocking fuel deliveries as well as food, medical, and other necessary aid, 100% of the city’s water desalination plants have been put out of service, making it impossible to treat seawater and brackish water to make it safe to drink.

Seventy percent of sewage pumps and 100% of wastewater treatment plants have also been destroyed throughout the enclave.

(Read the full report here, or a summary here.)

West Bank – Israeli military drops threatening leaflets over Jenin camp

The Israeli military has reportedly dropped leaflets in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, threatening to kill wanted young men if they do not surrender themselves.

The leaflets, dropped via reconnaissance aircraft, were dropped near a mosque on Mahyoub Street in the camp.

The Jenin area has long been a center of Palestinian resistance to Israel’s occupation in the West Bank and has witnessed some of the most intense fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups since October 7.

L.A. city council considers funding former IDF soldiers to patrol its streets

The Intercept reports: The Los Angeles City Council is considering whether to give public funds to private, armed security patrols to protect its religious communities, following a protest against the marketing of West Bank settlement properties at an LA synagogue last month that turned violent.

Anti-war group CodePink, which organizes pro-Palestine protests, said of the event, “The protest was solely focused on the illegal sale of Palestinian land. We respect religious practices and make sure our actions are directed toward real estate activities, not against worshippers,” No religious services were scheduled at the time of the real estate event.

Pro-Israel counter protesters were also present at the same time, and reportedly used violence and racial slurs.

Codepink claimed that Los Angeles police employed a double standard against the pro-Palestine protestors.

In the immediate wake of the incident, city council members introduced a motion to give $1 million to several Jewish security organizations that would expand their work around Jewish schools, religious institutions, and neighborhoods – in spite of the fact that the protest was not against Jews.

Magen Am, a nonprofit that runs armed patrol services and firearm training programs for the Jewish community, was named as the recipient of $350,000 in the motion. The group is largely made up of former Israeli soldiers, along with U.S. military veterans, according to the group’s website and social media posts.

The majority of the former Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the group are “lone soldiers,” according to several reports, the term for individuals with no direct ties to the state of Israel who immigrate there to serve in the nation’s military.

The city council has since introduced a new motion, which would give $2 million to various faith groups that want to hire additional security and does not mention Magen Am or any recipients by name. But LA activists are still concerned that city funds will go to an armed group with hard-line political stances.

“The fact that Magen Am was even named in that original motion as a recipient of money, that exposes the intention,” said Miguel Camnitzer, an activist with Jewish Voice for Peace. The group is alarmed that city leaders are choosing to fund individuals who served a military that commits ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.

“It’s the same military that’s enacting this genocide, and we’re going to have them patrolling our streets with guns seems wild to me,” Camnitzer said. The group also notes that the new motion does not include any provisions for keeping the recipients of city money accountable to the public interest. “We’re talking about essentially a private militia that can use force and detain people, and has no accountability.”

(Read the full article here.)

Over 1,000 attacks on healthcare in Occupied Palestinian Territory since October

ReliefWeb reports: The World Health Organization (WHO) has registered more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since the October 7 terror attacks in Israel sparked the on-going war in Gaza, the agency’s top official in the region said on Wednesday.

In a press briefing, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza, told journalists there are currently no functional hospitals in the enclave’s southernmost city of Rafah, following Israel’s recent offensive there.

The availability of hospital beds has drastically declined, dropping from 3,500 before the conflict erupted, to just 1,400 today, he added.

He said 600 of those 1,400 are being provided by field hospitals “so currently from the Ministry of Health and NGO fixed hospitals, there’s only 800 hospital beds in service from the 3,500, plus 600 field hospital beds, for a population of 2.2 million people”.

The WHO official also highlighted the urgency of allowing critically ill patients to leave Gaza, stating that around 10,000 patients still require urgent evacuation, half of whom are suffering from severe trauma – including spinal injuries and amputations.

Palestinians start to fix and restore the Shifa Hospital after being heavily damaged by Israeli attacks and demolished some parts to prepare it to service again in Gaza City, Gaza on June 05, 2024 (photo)

Israeli legislature votes overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood, days before PM’s US trip

Times of Israel reports: The Knesset late Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The initiative was passed just days before Netanyahu’s visit to the US to address a joint session of Congress and meet with President Joe Biden at the White House. The move was likely to further irk Democrats uncomfortable with embracing an Israeli government that increasingly rejects a two-state solution.

The resolution — passed 68-9 — altogether rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.

“The Knesset of Israel firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel will pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region,” the resolution stated.

NOTE: The reality is the opposite of what the resolution states: rather than a Palestinian state being created in the “heart of the land of Israel,” the state of Israel was created in the heart of historic Palestine.

Al-Aqsa Mosque stormed by far-right Israeli minister for fifth time

Middle East Monitor reports: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister stormed into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem yesterday, accompanied by a group of Israeli soldiers. Palestinian worshippers were barred from entering the site while Itamar Ben-Gvir was there.

“I came here, to the most important place of the State of Israel [sic] and to the people of Israel, to pray for the return of the abductees to their home,” said right-ring extremist Ben-Gvir, “but without an illegitimate deal and surrender.” This was a reference to any ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which he opposes.

The incident on Wednesday marked the fifth time that Ben-Gvir has raided the mosque by force since becoming an Israeli minister in December 2022. The leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party is well-known for encouraging Israeli settlers to storm Al-Aqsa.

Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third-holiest site in the world for Islam and Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, and there are plans to knock down the mosque and other Islamic buildings across the Noble Sanctuary, including the iconic Dome of the Rock Mosque, and build a temple in their place.

Israeli government shelves plans to block terror convicts from running for Knesset: Report

Middle East Eye reports: The Israeli government has shelved plans to pass legislation that would prevent terror convicts from running for the Knesset over concerns that it would impact far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reports.

in 2008, Ben Gvir was convicted by the Jerusalem District Court of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organisation.

Kan says that Likud MK Nissim Vaturi proposed the legislation on Sunday, which aims at preventing anyone who has ever been involved in terrorist activity from running from a Knesset seat, regardless of the severity of the crime.

Netanyahu vetoes Gallant’s planned field hospital for Gaza kids

The Times of Israel reports: A public fight broke out between Yoav Gallant and Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday over the medical treatment of Gaza children.

Gallant announced on Wednesday that a field hospital for children would be established by the IDF in Israel, near the Gaza border, due to the extended closure of Gaza’s Rafah Crossing into Egypt, which Gazans had previously used in order to travel overseas for medical treatment.

But Gallant’s announcement was apparently not coordinated with the prime minister. Netanyahu’s office reportedly informed Gallant that he would not approve the establishment of the field hospital “and for this reason it will not be established.”

ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Netanyahu, Gallant ‘within two weeks’

The New Arab reports: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant within the next two weeks, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

A report by Israel’s Channel 14 cited unnamed Israeli officials who said they believed that it was “highly probable” that the arrest warrants would be issued in that time frame.

This comes weeks after Netanyahu said in June that he expected the warrants to be issued before his address to the US Congress on 24 July, according to Ynet.

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan applied for warrants against the two Israeli leaders on 20 May for the war crimes of using starvation as a weapon of war and wilful killing, among other charges.

Ukraine makes humanitarian flour shipment to Palestinians

The New Arab reports: Ukraine said Thursday that it had sent flour to the Palestinian territories as part of an initiative to ship free agricultural supplies to poor countries and regions.

“Palestine received 1,000 tons of wheat flour,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry posted on X.

“The shipment is the first of three deliveries intended for Palestine… It will support over 101,000 Palestinian families for a month,” it said.

Kyiv launched the “Grain for Ukraine” initiative in a bid to ensure Russia’s invasion did not threaten its position as one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters.

Ukraine did not say whether the flour was intended for Gaza, which is facing a humanitarian crisis and steep drops in the amount of aid that has reached the coastal strip during the war between Israel and Hamas.

Kyiv was a major grain exporter to the Palestinians before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

US declares ‘mission complete’ for Gaza Aid Pier after delivering one day’s worth of food

The Cradle reports: The Pentagon announced on 17 July that the floating pier built off the coast of Gaza would be dismantled for good, declaring its “mission complete” two months after it started operations.

“Our assessment is that the temporary pier has achieved its intended effect to surge a very high volume of aid into Gaza and ensure that aid reaches the civilians in Gaza in a quick manner,” Cooper said, adding that nearly 20 million pounds of aid entered Gaza via the pier – the equivalent of about 600 truckloads.

For months, the UN and other human rights organizations have established that a minimum of 500 to 600 truckloads of aid need to enter Gaza daily to alleviate critical famine conditions. A large part of the aid that reached Gaza via the pier rotted under the sun for weeks after the US and Israel used the alleged humanitarian corridor to launch a bloody rescue operation in Nuseirat camp that killed nearly 300 Palestinians.

Cooper also announced that efforts to deliver aid to Gaza by sea would shift to the Israeli port of Ashdod. He added that, after US troops failed to re-attach the pier last week for a final time, about five million pounds of aid stranded in Cyprus and at sea will be heading to Ashdod.

“Having now delivered the largest volume of humanitarian assistance ever into the Middle East, we’re now mission complete and transitioning to a new phase,” Cooper claimed. “In the coming weeks, we expect that millions of pounds of aid will enter into Gaza via this new pathway.”

US elections 2024: Democratic Party platform backs Biden’s approach to Gaza, Middle East policy

Middle East Eye reports: There will be very little change to President Joe Biden’s widely unpopular approach to Israel’s war on Gaza if he is reelected, a leaked draft of the Democratic Party’s platform for 2024 has revealed, indicating the party’s refusal to envisage any new headway in ending a war that has killed close to 40,000 Palestinians in 10 months.

The 80-page platform, released by Politico and which will be endorsed next month during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, includes a two-page section on the Middle East, in which it categorically condemns the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that took place on 7 October and reiterates that “the United States wants to see Hamas defeated”.

The platform lists examples of Biden’s unwavering support for Israel’s war on Gaza, including the sending of arms shipments and providing a diplomatic shield for Israel at the United Nations during votes for a ceasefire and regarding concerns about human rights violations.

(Read the full article here.)

Speaker Mike Johnson Threatens to Arrest Lawmakers Who Disrupt Netanyahu’s Congress speech

Ha’aretz reports: At the Republican Jewish Coalition’s “Salute to Pro-Israel Elected Officials” on the sidelines of the GOP convention, the only thing more palpable than leading officials’ support for Israel is their resentment toward Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

The event, attended by hundreds and including addresses from among the most senior Republican officials in America, was the convention’s clearest and firmest argumentfrom the GOP that it is “the only-pro Israel party” amid the Democratic Party’s leftward shift amid the Gaza war. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The Democratic Party is also pro-Israel – see above article – but has made a few concessions to its constituents during the current war.]

“We have been demonstrating that over and over and over,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said, noting the Republican efforts to attack the Biden administration over the delay of a shipment of 2,000 pound heavy-payload weapons. [Read about the effects of heavy bombs here.]

“This is a moment for moral clarity and it’s unconscionable to us that the president and some leaders in Congress are unable to say what is good and what is evil,” he continued, addressing the pro-Palestinian protest movement on college campuses. [Read the truth about campus protests here.]

He additionally forecasted future legislative action aimed at college endowments and protesters in America on student visas.

Johnson further attacked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for delaying the invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.

“The only reason this got done is because I went to the press corps,” he said, vowing that Capitol Police will arrest anyone who tries to disrupt Netanyahu’s speech.

Former President Donald Trump spoke during the Republican National Convention saying: “We want our hostages back,” adding: “They better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price.”

Trump commented in his speech on Israel’s Iron Dome system, highlighting its part in intercepting a drone and missile attack from Iran in April.

NOTE: Many conservative analysts disagree with this Israel-first position:

US teachers’ union pushes for Israel divestment

Members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of the largest US unions, have put forth a resolution to divest from Israel bonds.

“The AFT holds only one bond of a foreign government, … a country internationally accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,” they wrote in a statement.

The AFT’s Israel bond, “which helps fund Israel’s scholasticide and genocide, and pays for Israel’s longstanding occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the apartheid regime against Palestinians everywhere”, is valued at $150,000.

Groups Condemn Microsoft’s Unjust Blocking of Palestinian Skype and Email Accounts

Al Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization, reports: The Palestinian Digital Rights Coalition and other groups released a statement Thursday condemning discriminatory actions by Microsoft against Palestinian users:

The Palestinian Digital Rights Coalition and undersigned allies strongly condemn Microsoft’s recent treatment of Palestinian customers. The company’s recent actions of blocking Palestinian users’ email and Skype accounts, an unjust disruption that has severe consequences on their daily lives during a time of war, is not only an affront to basic human decency but also a violation of their fundamental rights.

Access to technology and communication is crucial, especially in conflict zones where information and connectivity can mean the difference between life and death. Furthermore, Microsoft accounts provide access to communication platforms, bank accounts, and job opportunities.

By blocking its services, Microsoft is effectively cutting Palestinians off from social, professional, and financial opportunities during a time of immense suffering and devastation. Microsoft’s decision to restrict its services to Palestinians at such a critical juncture is deeply troubling and cannot be justified.

(Read the full statement here.)

Houthis suggest Gaza aid deal with Israel for decrease in attacks on shipping

Al Jazeera reports: A senior Houthi official in Yemen says if Israel allows desperately needed humanitarian aid into northern Gaza, the militia will cease some attacks on ships that visit the Umm al-Rashrash port, known in Israel as Eilat.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said on X: “We say to the enemy if you allow the entry of aid into the north of Gaza, as much as you allow the Yemeni Mujahideen army will allow the delivery of similar quantities to the occupied port. The ball is in your court.”

Al-Houthi suggested Egyptian and Qatari mediators could work out such a deal with Israel in consultation with Palestinian armed groups.

The Houthis have for months targeted Israel-linked cargo vessels with missile and drone strikes in support of Palestinians, promising to continue the attacks until Israel ends it war on Gaza.

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Counterpunch: Israel Seeks to Redraw the Laws of War

Al Jazeera: Israel keeps bombing Gaza schools. Why do people still shelter there?

Al Jazeera: ‘Reprehensible’: UN slams Israeli spokesman’s comments on UNRWA chief

Mondoweiss: Here’s how a collective of tech professionals shut down the Israeli army’s extortion website — twice

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 18:

Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 18: at least 39,424* (38,848 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,034 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.]

This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 576 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths.

Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.

Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank).
At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**.
About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced.
2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 18: at least 94,879 (including at least 89,459 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children).

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

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 18: ~1,481 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 326 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured.

Times of Israel reports: The IDF 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.

† For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

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

Friday, 19 July 2024