Israel tries to block at least 3 investigations by UN bodies, holds polio vaccine workers at gunpoint – Day 338
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
UN says Israel held polio vaccine workers at gunpoint, bulldozed vehicles
Al Jazeera reports:
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says it is not clear if a polio vaccine campaign will go ahead in northern Gaza Tuesday after Israeli forces detained and threatened UN staff on their way to begin the rollout.
“The convoy was stopped at gun point just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff,” Lazzarini said in a post on X, adding that “heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armored vehicles”.
Palestinian and international staff traveling with the convoy were detained for more than eight hours but have now been released and are safely back at the UN base, he added.
The Israeli army said earlier it was detaining a UN convoy to question “Palestinian suspects” and claimed the convoy was not transporting polio vaccines.
“Fire Away”: Florida State Rep. Randy Fine Celebrates Israel Killing an American Citizen
Information Liberation reports:
Jewish Florida State Rep Randy Fine (R) reacted to news that Israel killed an American peace activist in the occupied West Bank by celebrating and encouraging the Jewish state to “fire away” and kill even more.
On Friday, Israel killed Aysenur Eygi, 26, “with a bullet to the head” while she was taking part in a protest against Jewish settlement expansion (which ostensibly aligns with official US government policy opposing such settlements).
A Jewish witness from the Israeli paper Ha’aretz said she did not pose any threat whatsoever when she was shot.
Rep. Fine cheered her murder, writing Friday evening on X: “Throw rocks, get shot. One less #MuslimTerror ist. #FireAway.”
NOTE: Israel has illegally built around 280 settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are home to more than 700,000 illegal settlers. Israeli settlements and settlers on Palestinian land are a violation of international law, and considered by many Palestinians to be the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement.
Some settler groups, moreover, have a historyof violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces.
In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
US expects Israel to ‘transparently’ share findings on Turkish-American activist’s killing
Andalou Agency reports:
The US on Monday urged Israel to conduct a “swift, thorough, and transparent investigation” into the killing of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank and called on Israel to make their findings public.
State Department Deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters the death of the American citizen was “heartbreaking,” “troubling,” and “tragic,” but refrained from condemning Israel, stating that what transpired in the West Bank is “still being determined and adjudicated.”
“Our understanding is that our partners in Israel are looking into the circumstances of what happened, and we expect them to make their findings public, and whatever those findings are, (we) expect them to be thorough and transparent.”
“We’re going to let that process play out,” he added.
When asked if he had any doubts that it was an Israeli bullet that killed Eygi, Patel told reporters, “I’m not going to get ahead of the process here.”
Patel also refused to publicly condemn the killing, telling Arikat that the “death of any American citizen is heartbreaking.”
NOTE: Israel’s self-investigations consistently whitewash its crimes and fail to appropriately punish the perpetrators. Israeli sources, including the government itself, have a long track record of lying (for example,this and this and this.)
Israel and US Already Know Who Assassinated Aysengur Eygi
Col. (Ret.) Ann Wright reports:
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was working to “gather the facts” about U.S. citizen Aysenur Eygi’s killing by Israel military forces.
Blinken doesn’t need time to “gather the facts.”
The facts are already known to the Israeli military, the U.S. military, and the U.S. government.
They know exactly who assassinated International Solidarity Movement (ISM) member and U.S. citizen Aysenur Eygi on September 6, 2024.
They know which unit was in Beita village for the peaceful prayer demonstration against the illegal Israeli settlement of Evyatar. They know the names of the snipers who fired the shots.
They also know the names of the Israeli soldiers who killed the 17 Palestinians who have been assassinated in Beita since 2020.
The Israeli military has the records of what unit was assigned to Beita every day that a Palestinian was murdered.
They have the names of every person in the unit and they know which persons fired tear gas and which persons fired live ammunition.
After each time live ammunition was fired they interviewed everyone who fired ammunition.
Additionally, and not surprisingly, the soldier who saw his bullet knock someone down would take credit for it each time.
So the Israeli military knows perfectly well who killed Aysenur and they also know who killed the 17 Palestinians who have been murdered by Israeli military in Beita since 2020…
(Read the full article here.)
Israel is blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza more than ever: UN Human Rights office
OCHA reports:
Humanitarian access remains severely hindered, as the denial of missions by the Israeli authorities within Gaza almost doubled in August, compared with July (105 vs. 53).
Other factors affecting access include ongoing hostilities, a lack of internal security (including looting) and attacks on aid convoys, the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXOs), the destruction of key connecting roads, and conditions at Israeli checkpoints.
In southern Gaza, despite an overall increase in planned humanitarian movements submitted for the Israeli authorities to facilitate, from 543 in July to 603 in August, the number of facilitated missions in southern Gaza dropped by 28 per cent, from 250 in July to 179 in August.
In northern Gaza, the number of facilitated aid missions increased by 10 per cent, from 67 to 74. However, the number of missions denied access rose by 140 per cent, from 30 to 72.
These trends have severely disrupted the delivery of life-saving assistance, including water, sanitation, and hygiene services, health care, and fuel urgently needed for the operation of critical health facilities.
NOTE: As many as 1,400 aid trucks are reportedly waiting and spoiling at the southern border of Gaza, where Israel has made it extremely difficult to pass, employingcomplicated and arbitrary procedures.
Israel has on multiple occasions fired at individuals waiting for food aid (once killing over 100 at one time), at least once allegedly sending fake text messages to Gazans, telling them to assemble for a delivery and then shooting at them when they did; Israel has also attacked food aid convoys and those who accompanied them several times.
Additionally, Israeli citizens have blocked a border crossing for weeks with no meaningful attempt by Israel to reopen it; they have also attacked trucks they believed were heading to Gaza, destroying their contents and in some cases starting them on fire.
In mid-March, Israel promised to “flood” Gaza with aid, but has failed to do so.
The US has for months expressed its desire to see appropriate amounts of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza on one hand, whileundermining Gaza’s largest aid organization on the other.
Israel wants Americans to threaten South Africa: drop Int’l Court of Justice genocide case, or else
Barak Ravid reports for Axios:
Israel is lobbying members of Congress to press South Africa to drop its legal proceedings in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the war in Gaza, according to an Israeli foreign ministry cable obtained by Axios.
South Africa has until Oct. 28 to give the top UN court its arguments for continuing the case against Israel over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention during the war in Gaza.
Israeli officials say they want members of Congress to make clear to South Africa that there will be consequences for continuing to pursue the case.
Israel hopes the new coalition government in South Africa will take a different approach to Israel and the war in Gaza, the officials said.
South Africa in late December filed a case at the ICJ accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. It alleged Israel’s actions “are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part” of the Palestinian population in Gaza. Israel has rejected the accusations.
Since then, the court held several hearings and issued provisional orders, most recently in May when it called on Israel to stop its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
[NOTE: The “provisional orders” issued by the ICJ – the world’s highest court – are more serious than this brief mention suggests. South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled by an overwhelming majority, that there was a “plausible” case for genocide. Numerous experts and humanrights organizations have joined in declaringIsrael’s actions against Gaza (and the West Bank) to be genocide, while the US government is nearly alone in denying it.
American mainstream media have tried tohide the facts from readers.]
Israeli officials said the Israeli foreign ministry started a diplomatic campaign in recent weeks to press South Africa not to push forward with the case at the ICJ. The U.S. Congress is a main tool in the effort.
On Monday, the Israeli foreign ministry sent a classified cable to the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC and to all Israeli consulates in the U.S., asking them to work with “lawmakers on the federal and state level, with governors and Jewish organizations” to drop the ICJ case, and that South Africa’s failure to do so “will come with a heavy price.”
Israeli diplomats were instructed to ask members of Congress to issue public statements condemning South Africa’s actions against Israel and threaten that it could lead to suspending U.S. trade relations with South Africa.
NOTE: At no point, apparently, does the cable suggest denying that Israel is committing genocide.
RECOMMENDED READING: Synopsis of ICJ’s decision on Israeli genocide, reactions, and take-aways
Israel to Palestinian Authority: stop pushing for Israel to comply with Int’l Court of Justice occupation ruling, or else
The Cradle reports:
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has threatened to “break and dissolve” the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it moves forward with non-violent diplomatic measures at the UN to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine, the Times of Israel reported on 9 September.
Katz made the threat after the PA submitted a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly demanding that Israel be forced to implement the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
The General Assembly will vote next week on the draft resolution, which calls for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories within six months, dismantling the illegal Jewish settlements, and facilitating the return of Palestinians to their land.
The foreign minister instructed Israeli diplomats, including Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, to emphasize to US, European, and UN officials that if the Palestinian proposal passes, Israel will impose “severe sanctions” against the PA, cease all cooperation with it, and bring about its “dissolution.”
In contrast, Israeli intelligence and security officials have often warned against the collapse of the PA, which they view as helpful in controlling the Palestinian population on Israel’s behalf and preventing resistance to occupation.
In July, the ICJ ruled that Israel’s policy of settlement in the West Bank violated international law and that Israel had effectively annexed large parts of the West Bank. Israel officially annexed East Jerusalem in the 1980s, in violation of international law.
UN accuses Israeli officials of interference in probe of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees
Andalou Agency reports:
UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten on Monday expressed concern over attempts by Israeli political actors to interfere with investigations into reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.
“I am particularly concerned about recent attempts by some Israeli political actors, to interfere with ongoing justice processes and/ or to justify the use of these methods.
“Sexual violence and sexualized torture in detention settings must never be normalized,” Patten said in a statement following increasing reports of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.
She warned that “impunity emboldens perpetrators, silences victims, and undermines prospects for peace,” and urged for accountability and justice for the crimes.
Citing UN’s recently published report, Patten said: “Sexual violence and sexualized torture in any form and in any context, and particularly in detention settings, is unacceptable.”
“Such abhorrent acts not only constitute a grave violation of human rights and human dignity but they also undermine efforts towards peace and stability in the region,” she added.
Emphasizing the need for immediate support for victims, including medical and psychological care, the UN official expressed concern about the low number of probes compared to the volume of complaints received.
RECOMMENDED READING: Here’s what Pramila Patten’s UN report on Oct 7 sexual violence actually said
Israeli army mistakenly killed 3 hostages in December, covered it up: Media
Andalou Agency reports:
The Israeli army mistakenly killed three captives, including two soldiers, during a raid on Gaza in December and concealed it from the public, local media reported Monday.
Israel’s Channel 12 said the three Israeli captives — Nik Beizer, Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano — were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a senior military leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in northern Gaza.
According to the channel, the Israeli army did not know there were Israeli captives present along with the Hamas leader but has known the details of their deaths since February but chose not to publicize them.
In mid-December, the army now said it retrieved the bodies of three Israelis from a tunnel who were captured alive by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.
Commenting on the report, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the army is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three Israelis and will present the results to their families.
Opinion: Netanyahu Is Keeping a Hostage Deal as a ‘Priceless Gift’ for Trump’s Return
Ha’aretz reports:
“Full gas in neutral” is an apt Israeli idiom for the efforts of U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration to draw up a hostage release and cease-fire agreement for Gaza, which would also lead to a cease-fire in the north, calm the West Bank and improve the regional and global atmosphere.
Benjamin Netanyahu has other plans. CIA Director William Burns said Saturday he believes that reaching a deal is “ultimately a question of political will.” Political will is the last thing the prime minister is demonstrating.
Many analysts and insiders see a connection between the longed-for deal and former President Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House.
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote last week that he “would not be surprised if [Netanyahu] actually escalates in Gaza between now and Election Day,” November 5, “because, I believe, he wants Trump to win and he wants to be able to tell Trump that he helped him win.” Trump’s victory is Netanyahu’s victory; people will do anything to help a friend.
Netanyahu doesn’t play in the local arena alone; after all, he is destined for greatness, to take part in shaping the new world order. And he, unlike others, has something that can be invested toward the victory of the dark machine led by an insane, unbridled personality.
He has a treasure in his pocket: 101 hostages who are languishing in the hell of Gaza. Instead of securing their release before the U.S. election, which could increase Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning, Netanyahu is keeping this priceless gift for his ally. An alliance of the dark forces. Dark forces of the world, unite!
“Only” two months remain before the election, and what’s two months of suffering and mortal danger; for that matter, what are 101 hostages in the face of the sacred mission of changing the world order? After all, gains are bought with blood, sweat and tears – not of the leaders, of course, but of the people.
Israeli rabbi defends soldier accused of raping Palestinian prisoner
The New Arab reports:
An Israeli rabbi was filmed blessing a soldier accused of raping Palestinian prisoners from Gaza and defending his actions.
Rabbi Meir Mazuz, who is known to be close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told the soldier he would be found “completely innocent.”
“What did you do? Beat the enemy? So what?” the rabbi is seen telling the soldier, who wore a black mask and did not show his face.
“Be a brave soldier and do not fear the goyim [non-Jews]. The Torah says: ‘You shall not fear them.’ Don’t be afraid of the United Nations,” the rabbi continues.
West Bank: Israel to seize 18 dunums (4.5 acres) of Palestinian land
WAFA reports:
The Israeli occupation authorities notified on Monday of their intentions to seize land from the villages of Asira al-Qibliya, Burin and Madama, south of Nablus.
Head of Madama village council, Abdullah Ziada, said Israeli forces delivered a notice for the appropriation of around 18 dunums of land belonging to Palestinians in the villages of Asira al-Qibliya, Burin and Madama, under the pretext of using them for military purposes.
Ziada added that the lands threatened with seizure are located close to the illegal Israeli colony of Yitzhar.
In July, Israeli authorities green-lighted the largest West Bank land seizure in more than three decades.
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says that this is by far the peak year for Israeli land seizures in the occupied West Bank.
Update: Freedom Flotilla Initiates Protest to Free Its Ship “Conscience”
At 6:30pm on September 4, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and its local allies initiated the “Freedom Watch” action to free our boats from Haydarpaşa port in Istanbul so that we can sail to bring desperately needed humanitarian aid and break the genocidal siege on Gaza.
Millions of people with a conscience have protested in the streets to stand against this genocide and make the world aware of the brutality of the occupying state. But what have the authorities, who have the power to stop this genocide, done in response to humanity’s outcry?
While the many condemnations, suspension of relations with Israel, and restrictions on trade with the occupying power are all significant steps, they have not yet ended the genocide.
Although the Conscience ship, which is ready to set sail from Türkiye and stop at European ports to carry out awareness-raising actions, has completed all the necessary procedures to set sail, the Turkish Ministry of Transport is not granting permission for it to leave the port, without providing any explanation as to why this exit permit has not been granted.
We understand that there are certain political reasons and concerns behind the withholding of this required document.
The people of Palestine are waiting for us. The people of Palestine are waiting for the peoples of the world, their last hope, to take action against the ruthless genocide being inflicted upon them. Now is time for people of conscience to take action.
We invite all people of conscience to the Freedom Watch action we have started in front of the Haydarpaşa Port in Istanbul, where the Conscience ship, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has been chained.
Our protests will continue until the Conscience sets sail.
(Read more about the Freedom Flotilla Coalition here.)
MORE NEWS:
IMEMC Daily Reports.
The Cradle: Israeli strikes leave dozens of casualties in western Syria
Common Dreams: Forging Peace in Gaza Would Also Help Harris Defeat Trump
The New Arab: Ghassan Abu Sittah’s targeting is a reminder of both the racist & revolutionary potential of medicine
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 9:
Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – September 9, 2024: at least 41,712* (41,020 in Gaza* – 11,308 women (30%), 16,715 children as of September 5. [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 692 in the West Bank (~148 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 49,032 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 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 23 from West Bank).
- At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition (at least 37 of them children)**.
- About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced.
- Almost 500,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
Palestinian injuries from October 7 – September 9: at least 100,625 (including at least 94,925 in Gaza and 5,700 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, 2023 – September 9, 2024: ~1,452 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 288*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 25 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.
NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis 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.
***Approximately ten of the deaths listed above were Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah in fighting at the Israel-Lebanon border. The figure does not include the reportedly 53 Israeli soldiers – nearly 16% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents.
† 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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- I’m a pediatrician. The scars I saw on Gaza’s children will take generations to heal.
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- Searching for Gaza’s missing children
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