‘Slow-motion trainwreck’ in Gaza as Netanyahu lectures America – Day 291
Now we also face the threat of polio, putting countless lives at risk to this crippling disease: Mercy Corps; HRW: Israeli forces publish degrading pictures of Palestinian prisoners; Netanyahu’s speech was full of lies, smears, claims of fighting America’s battles; police use excessive force against protesters; distressing news from the West Bank; calls to remove Israel from Olympics, as Israel’s Olympics flagbearer signed bombs for Gaza; debunked “Hamas” threat video; more.
By IAK staff, from reports.
Latest from Gaza
‘Slow-motion trainwreck’ in Gaza as Netanyahu addresses US Congress: Mercy Corps
Al Jazeera reports: While the media focus on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, the humanitarian situation in Gaza “is in a nosedive”, the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps has warned.
“No humanitarian goods are crossing into Gaza via Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] because the unloading zone has been full for weeks. High insecurity, lawlessness, and bombardments in areas under Israeli military operation make collection and distribution impossible,” Vice President of Global Policy and Advocacy Kate Phillips-Barrasso said in a statement.
“We have been warning for months about a looming famine and secondary diseases taking hold, and now we face the threat of a polio outbreak, with the virus detected in sewage samples, putting countless lives at risk to this crippling disease. While Netanyahu speaks to Congress, the slow-motion trainwreck in Gaza continues.”
Crisis in Khan Younis
More than 400,000 Palestinians have been told to leave eastern Khan Younis and they are heading towards a designated “humanitarian” area of al-Mawasi and the central areas of the Gaza Strip. But these areas have also been witnessing more attacks within the past 24 hours. In particular, the Bureij refugee camp where there is a very notable Israeli military incursion in the eastern areas.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric commented: “OCHA has expressed our concern about the short interval between the dropping of the leaflets telling people to leave and the escalation of military operations, which posed significant risks to those fleeing. That delay was about an hour. Many have been observed on the move without any belongings.”
Some key statistics from the past 24 hours in Khan Younis, according to the Gaza Government Media Office:
- About 129 people have been killed.
- At least 24 children are among the dead, according to Save the Children.
- 416 have been injured, more than 100 of whom have not yet reached hospitals.
- 44 people are missing.
- 237 houses and residential buildings have been bombed.
“The [Israeli] army targets everything that moves on Salah al-Din Street in Khan Younis,” the office said in a statement, adding that the army is obstructing efforts to rescue wounded people who have appealed for help.
For three days now, there are areas where the paramedics have been unable to reach in Khan Younis. That’s why we are expecting the death toll and number of injuries to increase.
Local sources tell Al Jazeera that four Palestinians were in a car belonging to the Khan Younis electric company when Israeli forces targeted it. Several other people were injured in this attack.
Exclusive video obtained by Al Jazeera shows the scene minutes after the bombing, as people rushed to recover the bodies of those killed and aid those injured, which include children.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has been calling for blood donations but it’s saying most volunteers who came aren’t eligible because they’re malnourished. People are trying but unfortunately they’re not in good enough shape to help other Palestinians.
Al Jazeera Arabic reports that Israeli soldiers have been blowing up residential buildings east of war-torn Khan Younis amid Israeli tank fire
Israeli forces open fire towards humanitarian aid truck in Khan Younis
Israeli occupation forces Wednesday opened fire at a humanitarian aid truck in Khan Younis, wounding its driver.
Local sources reported that occupation military tanks and vehicles opened heavy gunfire towards an aid truck near al-Salam Hospital while it was on its way to transport food baskets for the Central World Kitchen Foundation.
Israeli forces publishing degrading pictures of detained Palestinians, says HRW
Human Rights Watch has accused Israeli forces of publishing degrading photographs and videos of detained Palestinians, including children, in acts that amount to war crimes.
In many cases, detainees were stripped of their clothing, sometimes fully, then photographed or filmed, with the images published by Israeli soldiers, media outlets or activists, the group said.
Forced nudity followed by capturing and sharing sexualised images on social media is a form of sexual violence and also a war crime, it said.
“Israeli authorities have for months turned a blind eye as members of their military published dehumanizing fully or seminude images and videos of Palestinians in their custody,” said Balkees Jarrah, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
“Senior officials and military commanders can be held criminally responsible for ordering these crimes, or for failing to prevent or punish them, including at the International Criminal Court.”
Take-aways from Netanyahu’s speech
Netanyahu insulted and smeared the pro-Palestine protest movement. Congress clapped.
The Intercept reports: As thousands of protesters gathered outside the Capitol, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress — and spent a significant portion of his hourlong speech attacking the U.S. pro-Palestinian protest movement with insults and misinformation.
The prime minister went after campus protesters, drawing a false equivalence between students calling on their schools to divest from Israel and antisemitic attacks.
He went on to insult protesters’ geographical and historical knowledge of the region, in reference to the protest slogan “From the river to the sea,” and belittled the slogan “Gays for Gaza,” saying it was the same as “Chickens for KFC.”
More broadly, Netanyahu claimed that movements for Palestine liberation were choosing “to stand with evil … to stand with Hamas.”
The prime minister also claimed that the pro-Palestinian movement is funded by the Iranian government, labeling protesters “Iran’s useful idiots,” without offering any evidence to substantiate his claim.
To Palestine solidarity advocates demanding a ceasefire and an end to Israel’s war, Netanyahu’s attacks spoke to the power of their movement.
The speech was an “attempt to delegitimize a social movement that has a lot of power, that has a lot of clarity,” said Benjamin Kersten, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, who participated in the rally outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, as well as the sit-in a day earlier in the Capitol rotunda.
“It is also a distraction from what should be in focus, which is that over 39,000 people, over 14,000 children, have been killed by the Israeli government and military, making great use of United States’ weapons and funding.”
Netanyahu lectures Americans, makes case for ‘total victory’
Responsible Statecraft reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent a major portion of his hour-long speech to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday lecturing the American people about how they should think and react to Israel’s war on Gaza.
“When we fight Hezbollah, we’re fighting Iran,” he continued. “When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America. And one more thing, when Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we’re not only protecting ourselves, We’re protecting you.”
THE GUARDIAN ADDS: Netanyahu brushed aside humanitarian concerns for the civilian population of Gaza, denying that Israel was blocking shipments of food aid to Palestinians and issuing an appeal for the US to fast-track military aid to Israel: “Give us the tools and we’ll get the job done faster.”
He thanked Biden for his “heartfelt support for Israel”, while also praising Donald Trump for his “leadership” during his first term.’
RECOMMENDED READING: Citizen’s arrest: Thousands of US protesters demand Israel’s Netanyahu be locked up
Protests outside Capitol
Police deploy toxic spray at anti-Netanyahu march in Washington
The New Arab reports: A march to demonstrate against the state speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint session of US Congress in Washington, DC on Wednesday started out peacefully, but was quickly dispersed when police used toxic spray against multiple protesters.
After several speeches by organizers, the march towards the US Capitol began on a hot and humid day. A diverse array of people and religious groups held signs showing their support for Palestinians. Off to the side of the march, volunteers distributed water bottles.
Within minutes of the march getting under way, multiple demonstrators had collapsed by the side of the road, unable to get up. As the march continued, more people collapsed. Volunteers were quick to render first aid.
The collapse of dozens of protesters, many of whom had fallen in the middle of the street, quickly broke the momentum of the march, as people tried to help those in need by holding their heads up, dousing them with water and rinsing their eyes with eyedrops and water.
It quickly became apparent that demonstrators had come into contact with toxic chemicals. As people lay on the ground, many of them were coughing and had a bright red flush across the skin of their arms, legs and faces.
During the march the Capitol Police issued a tweet saying they had used spray on protesters because they had become violent. There were no reports of violence, though some demonstrators acknowledged they had come close to the police barricades.
West Bank news
Israeli troops use Palestinian man as human shield in West Bank raid (again)
NOTE: A previous incident like this in June drew widespread global condemnation.
RECOMMENDED READING: Israel confirms more cases of army using Palestinians as human shields in West Bank
In weekly West Bank report, OCHA highlights ongoing settler attacks, home demolitions
OCHA reports:
- Between 7 October 2023 and 22 July 2024, OCHA recorded 1,143 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, of which 108 resulted in casualties, 916 resulted in damage to Palestinian property, and 119 resulted in both casualties and property damage.
- Between 16 and 22 July, the Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 48 Palestinian-owned structures due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain. These include 45 structures in Area C and three in East Jerusalem. As a result, 57 Palestinians, including 29 children, were displaced and about 180 people were otherwise affected, including 88 children.
- Between 7 October 2023 and 22 July 2024, Israeli authorities demolished, sealed, confiscated or forced the demolition of 1,247 Palestinian structures across the West Bank, of which 39 per cent (481 structures) were inhabited homes. As a result, 2,836 people, including 1,245 children, were displaced.
More West Bank headlines:
Palestinian youth shot dead by Israeli forces near Jerusalem
Palestinian customs officer shot dead by Israeli forces near Tubas
Palestinian in Tulkarm dies of wounds sustained from Israeli gunfire
UN Special Rapporteur: Israeli occupation authorities continue to target human rights defenders in West Bank
Israel seizes archeological land to build military site: Report
Olympics news
Paris protesters call for Israel’s Olympic expulsion
Al Jazeera reports: France will deploy hundreds of police officers to secure Israel’s opening Olympic football match against Mali in an initial security test before the Games’ opening ceremony.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 1,000 security personnel will be deployed.
The Palestinian Olympic Committee this week called for Israel to be excluded from the Games in an open letter to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. The letter accused Israel of breaching the traditional Olympic truce with its ongoing war on Gaza.
Far-left French lawmakers have urged protests against Israel’s participation in the Games. At a small rally in Paris late on Tuesday, pro-Palestinian protesters chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”
“Israel should be expelled because it is systematically violating rights and international laws,” demonstrator Elena Guerra said.
‘Genocide Games’ – Israel’s Flagbearer for Paris Olympics ‘Signed Bombs for Gaza’
Olympic policy: ban gov’ts engaging in apartheid, discrimination
Football fans open Palestinian flag to protest Israel at Paris 2024 Olympics
Andalou Agency reports: Football fans unfurled Palestinian flags to protest Israel during a match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday.
Israel drew with Mali 1-1 in an Olympic football match at Paris’ Parc des Princes Stadium as many fans in the stands protested Israel waving Palestinian flags.
Before the kick-off, some sections of the crowd at the stadium booed the Israeli national anthem.
The match was held without major security incidents.
Video of ‘Palestinian fighter’ threatening Paris Olympics debunked
Middle East Eye reports: Wearing a keffiyeh around his face, and a Palestine flag hoodie, a man in a recent viral video proclaimed in Arabic that “rivers of blood” would flow through the streets of Paris during the upcoming Olympics.
Social media users were quick to attribute the video to Hamas – an accusation the group denied.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said on Tuesday that the clip was fabricated as part of “Zionist propaganda” and incitement against Palestinian resistance.
Analysts and commentators have pointed to several factors casting doubt on Hamas being responsible for the footage.
One analyst said that Hamas sees itself only as a Palestinian resistance army, whose fight is on its own soil.
“Clearly the framing is an attempt to equate Hamas with IS, who have a very different political outlook,” Marc Owen Jones, an expert on disinformation and the Middle East, told MEE.
The Arabic spoken in the viral clip has also been scrutinised. It appears to be far from what we would expect to hear from Hamas fighters based in Gaza.
Chief among the offending phrases is the use of “Allaha akbar” instead of “Allahu akbar” – an error an Arab adherent of the Muslim faith would be highly unlikely to make.
One Palestinian social media user noticed at least nine other linguistic transgressions, including a failure to roll the letter “r”.
“We have no idea who did this,” said the analyst. “But it wasn’t made by a Palestinian. It’s unlikely to be Hamas-affiliated or even Palestine-affiliated.”
MORE NEWS:
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 24:
Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 24: at least 39,764* (39,175 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 589 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 24: at least 95,823 (including at least 90,403 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how man Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.]
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 24: ~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.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org
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