Sunday, 20 July 2025

 

3-month supply of food lies just out of reach of the starving – War on Gaza Day 652

contact@ifamericansknew.org July 20, 2025 ceasefire in gazafreedom flotillahandalamike huckabee

3-month supply of food lies just out of reach of the starving – War on Gaza Day 652

As children's bodies waste away, UNRWA has enough food for the entire population of Gaza for over three months stockpiled in warehouses–including this one in Al Arish, Egypt–awaiting entry. (social media)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

Israeli forces killed between 116 and 136 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including at least 38 aid seekers.

Three Palestinian children died of malnutrition Saturday, one a 35-day-old infant.

For detail on Israeli attacks in Gaza on Saturday, go here.


GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:

(To understand what’s going on right now between Gaza and Israel, go here. For a bit more critical background, skim thisthis, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.)

UNRWA HAS PLENTY OF FOOD, NO ACCESS: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Saturday called for the immediate lifting of restrictions preventing life-saving aid from reaching Gaza, because “UNRWA has enough food for the entire population of Gaza for over three months stockpiled in warehouses.” One of the warehouses, in al Arish, Egypt, is just 28 miles away. Despite having both supplies and logistical systems in place, the agency said access remains blocked.

ISRAEL ARRESTS FISHERMEN SEEKING FOOD: Israeli naval forces detained five Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza City on Saturday evening while they were trying to catch food to survive. The fishermen had reportedly gone to sea in search of daily sustenance, with food supplies nearly nonexistent in the markets, according to a representative of the Fishermen’s Syndicate in Gaza. However, Israeli gunboats pursued and arrested the fishermen, and took them to an unknown location, he added.


GAZA CEASEFIRE NEWS:

(To get an idea about past ceasefires between Gaza and Israel and how they ended, check out this and this.)

FOR THE FIRST TIME, ISRAEL OPEN TO “ENDING THE WAR”: A political official involved in the negotiations for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages told Haaretz on Saturday that Israel, for the first time, is including the possibility of ending the war in Gaza in its talks with Hamas. “This negotiation is different than the ones that brought about the previous deals,” he admitted. “While the previous deals dealt with the release of the hostages and the release of murderers, this deal touches on the issue of ending the war. Therefore, everything is interconnected. This is a very complex deal,” he said.

Injured Palestinians, including children are brought to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital for medical treatment aftermath of Israeli attack on Gaza City, Gaza on July 16, 2025.Injured Palestinians, including children are brought to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital for medical treatment aftermath of Israeli attack on Gaza City, Gaza on July 16, 2025. (Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency)


WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM, AND ISRAEL NEWS AND HEADLINES:

(For background on the West Bank, read this and thisFor information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.) 

TOP PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI POLITICIAN ATTACKED IN PUBLIC: Far-right Israelis reportedly assaulted Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh on Saturday, as Israeli police officers stood by. Odeh, who heads a leftist alliance in the Knesset, was on his way to speak at a rally against the war on Gaza when a group of far-right Israelis surrounded his car, smashed the windows, and cursed and spat on him. The attack came just days after a failed Knesset vote to expel Odeh from parliament over a social media post supporting a prisoner exchange with the Palestinian group Hamas.

Mike Huckabee urges accountability for church attack in occupied West Bank

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday visited the Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank and urged accountability for July attack on an ancient church by Israeli settlers.

Mike HuckabeeMike Huckabee (screengrab)

Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and staunch advocate for Israel, said his trip to Taybeh aimed to “express solidarity with the people who just want to live their lives in peace, to be able to go to their own land, to be able to go to their place of worship”.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mosque, a church, a synagogue,” he told journalists, “It’s unacceptable to commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship. We will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh or anywhere be found, be prosecuted, not just reprimanded,” he said.

“People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs not just to other people, but that which belongs to God.”

Since October 2023, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 957 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while at least 36 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.

In a sign of rare public pressure against Israel by the Trump administration, Huckabee also on Tuesday demanded an investigation and consequences after Israeli settlers beat to death a Palestinian-American in the West Bank.

Under protection of Israeli army, settlersstorm Old City in Hebron

Israeli Military, Colonizers Assaults, Intensify In West Bank

Relentless Israeli Aggression Continues To Devastate Tulkarem


Flotilla ship Handala to leave for Gaza Sunday

Another ship hoping to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza will depart for the Palestinian enclave on Sunday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition activist group has confirmed.

The vessel, which the coalition said had been undergoing “final technical preparations”, will leave from Gallipoli, Italy.

“This mission is for the children of Gaza,” the coalition said in a statement.

“Until everyday people of conscience challenge Israel’s impunity, their brutal violence will only grow.”

Track the journey of the Handala flotilla here.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship "Handala"Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship “Handala” (Freedom Flotilla)


SYRIA NEWS AND HEADLINES:


OTHER NEWS AND HEADLINES:

Iran ‘in no rush’ for new nuclear talks with US

A large crowd gathers during food distribution by a charity organization, as many Palestinians struggle to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, on July 16, 2025.A large crowd gathers during food distribution by a charity organization, as many Palestinians struggle to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, on July 16, 2025. (Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini / Anadolu Images)


STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JULY 19, 2025:

  • At least 59,781 Palestinians killed, 150,210 injured – including:

  • at least 59,911 killed in Gaza (~17,000 children) 

  • at least 1,016 killed in the West Bank (~203 children)

  • at least 140,980 injured in Gaza

  • at least 9,230 injured in the West Bank

According to Palestinian authorities, during the ceasefire Jan. 19 – March 18 2025, Israeli attacks killed at least 170 Gazans, and Israel committed at least 962 ceasefire violations.

Since the Israeli army resumed its assaults on Gaza on March 18, it has killed at least 8,066 people. 45 Israeli soldiers (most recent July 9) have been killed during the same time period.

At least 922 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid parcels from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which started operating on May 26, 2025.

Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 14,000 more are still buried under rubble.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – July 19, 2025: ~1,627 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 449 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel. (72 soldiers have reportedly died due to “operational incidents.”)

By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 226 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 186 and 293 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).

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

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

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Saturday, 19 July 2025

 

Urgent Appeal for Action Regarding Israeli Regime’s Unlawful Military Aggression Against Iran

Kevin Barrett, Senior EditorJuly 4, 2025

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To:
His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Her Excellency Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

Subject: Urgent Appeal for Action Regarding Israeli Regime’s Unlawful Military Aggression Against Iran

Your Excellencies,

The undersigned submits this formal protest regarding the Israeli regime’s sustained unlawful aggressions against Iran since 13 June 2025, constituting severe breaches of international law under the UN Charter. These systematic attacks endanger regional stability, civilian lives, ecological integrity, and global cultural heritage, escalating beyond mere geopolitical conflict into an international existential threat. The deliberate targeting of civilians, residential areas, and sovereign institutions undermines the international legal order, risking irreversible catastrophe. The situation demands urgent intervention before diplomatic and mitigative capacities are exhausted. It is earnestly urged that this appeal be regarded not as a matter of routine procedure, but as a solemn and final urgent call to action—one that necessitates the immediate and coordinated mobilisation of all juridical, diplomatic, and institutional capacities, in order to prevent the onset of an irreversible systemic disintegration of international institutional legitimacy and credibility.
Verified data confirm a systematic and deliberate aggression targeting Iran’s civilian population and critical infrastructure. This is not incidental warfare, but a calculated strategy designed to dismantle the functional pillars of civilian life—most gravely in the domains of healthcare, education, scientific advancement, energy, and cultural preservation.

To date, the Israeli regime’s aggressions across Iran have killed over 415 people and injured around 1,550, with civilians accounting for 90% of the casualties. The majority of the dead are women and children, and the attacks have also intentionally targeted prominent scientists and senior military officials. Strikes on residential zones, hospitals, research centres, and religious sites illustrate a pattern of indiscriminate violence carried out in the absence of legitimate military imperative.

As of the moment of this appeal, the Israeli regime’s forces have carried out 125 strikes across residential areas, civilian, governmental, scientific, industrial, and military sectors. The wide geographic scope and repeated attacks indicate a coordinated escalation that constitutes a grave violation of the principles of “distinction” and “proportionality” under international humanitarian law.

Material losses are extensive as well. Immediate physical damage is estimated at $3.2–4.9 billion, with long-term economic losses surpassing $10 billion due to infrastructure collapse and oil revenue decline. The destruction of key installations—including airports, water treatment facilities, refineries, and nuclear sites—has paralysed essential services and public life.

The Israeli regime’s sustained pattern of aggression observed constitutes a series of grave breaches—not only of the Charter of the United Nations but also of international humanitarian law, the laws of armed conflict, and universally recognised human rights norms. These actions have constituted a serious violation of the principle of national sovereignty and have had catastrophic consequences for civilian life, infrastructure, and international stability.

▪ Under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, such use of force is prohibited unless authorised by the Security Council or justified under Article 51 as self-defence. The acts of the Israeli regime meet the criteria of aggression as defined in UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1975), and are further criminalised under the Rome Statute and the 2010 Convention on the Crime of Aggression.

▪ Strikes have consistently breached International Humanitarian Law (IHL), especially the principle of distinction codified in Article 48 of Additional Protocol I (1977) and Customary IHL Rule 1. Attacks on civilian homes, hospitals, schools, and cultural sites violate Articles 51(2) and 52(2) of the Protocol, as well as Rule 14, which prohibits excessive incidental harm. Evidence suggests repeated breaches of Rule 103, prohibiting collective punishment.

▪ The principle of proportionality under Article 51(5)(b) of Additional Protocol I has also been violated. Strikes on critical infrastructure such as water systems and power grids have produced humanitarian crises disproportionate to any military gain. This has led to blackouts, water shortages, and serious medical system disruption, exceeding acceptable collateral damage under IHL.

▪ Attacks on nuclear and scientific facilities threaten global security and contravene the IAEA Safeguards Agreements under the NPT, as well as IAEA General Conference Resolutions GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533. Such actions violate Article 1 of the 1994 Convention on Nuclear Safety and parallel earlier condemned attacks, notably UN Security Council Resolution 487 (1981) regarding Iraq’s Osirak reactor.

▪ Targeted assassinations of scientists and officials constitute extrajudicial killings, violating Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and qualifying as war crimes under the Rome Statute, particularly where due process is absent.

▪ Strikes on sites containing dangerous forces—such as nuclear reactors and chemical facilities—violate Article 56 of Additional Protocol I and Customary IHL Rule 42, which mandate precautions to prevent widespread civilian harm and environmental disaster.

▪ The destruction of universities, cultural heritage, and research institutions breaches Article 15(1)(b) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), directly undermining national development and global cultural and scientific heritage.

In view of the grave and escalating violations set out above, and in accordance with the legal and moral responsibilities vested in the bodies under your jurisdiction, we urge the immediate implementation of the following measures to uphold international law and avert irreversible harm to global order and the international society:
1. a formal and unequivocal condemnation of the Israeli regime’s strikes is required, recognising them as breaches of international law, including but not limited to international humanitarian law, human rights norms, and nuclear safety law, and as an affront to the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran and international peace and security.

2. we call for the urgent convening of an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council and/or General Assembly, under the Uniting for Peace framework, to address the legal and geopolitical consequences of the Israeli regime’s actions.

3. an impartial international fact-finding mission should be established under UN auspices, with input from relevant Special Rapporteurs, to investigate the legality and humanitarian impact of the strikes.

4. the aggressions must be referred to the International Criminal Court for preliminary examination under Articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute.

5. a binding resolution must be adopted demanding cessation of hostilities, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition.

6. UNESCO must dispatch experts to assess damage to educational, scientific, and cultural institutions.

7. international safeguards must be issued to protect nuclear facilities from military attack.
This is not a national crisis, nor a regional matter but a grave assault on the legal and moral order underpinning our universal, shared foundations of international and civilisational law. Silence and inaction now ushers in an irreversible deterioration of the international order, endangering peace, knowledge, and the survival of humanity itself — a reality that has united the noble people of Iran in steadfast support for their nation and in profound moral revulsion toward the Zionist regime.
Now is the moment to contain it—decisively, lawfully, and without delay.
We urge Your Excellencies to act.

Respectfully submitted,
21 June 2025

Professor Saied Reza Ameli (IRAN)
Head of the UNESCO Chair on Cyberspace and Culture: Dual-spacisation of the World (UCCC)
(UNESCO No. 2015IR1107), Dean of Faculty of Studies – University of Tehran

Signatories:

1. Pr. Seyed Mohammad Marandi (IRAN)
Professor at the University of Tehran

2. Massoud Shadjareh (IRAN)
Chair of Islamic Human Rights Commission-London, consultative status at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

3. Scott Ritter (USA)
former UN Special Commission weapons inspector

4. Pr. Norman Finkelstein (USA)
Political Scientist and son of Holocaust-survivor parents

5. Pr. Richard Falk (USA)
Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and former UN Special Rapporteur

6. Pr. Jan Kavan (Czech)
President of the UN General Assembly 2002-2003, former Minister of Foreign Affairs

7. Pr. Yanis Varoufakis (Greece)
Former Minister of Finance, economist and professor at the University of London, the University of Sydny and the University of Athens

8. Denis Halliday (Ireland)
Former UNSG deputy and ex-UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq

9. Alberto Bradanini (Italy)
Former director of UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and UN Research Institute on Crime and Drugs, former ambassador in Tehran and Beijing, president of the Centre for Contemporary China Studies in Italy

10. Hans-Christof Graf von Sponeck (Germany)
Former UN Assistant Secretary-General and ex-UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq

11. Cindy Sheehan (USA)
“Peace Mom”, Antiwar Activist and author, 2012 vice-presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party

12. Raimondo Caria (Italy)
Retired general of the Italian Army

13. Dr. Ajamu Baraka (USA)
2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President, Director of Black Alliance for Peace

14. Aiman Athirah Sabu (Malaysia)
Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, Former deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, former Member of Parliament

15. Alain Corvez (France)
Former advisor to the General Commanding the UN Force in South Lebanon

16. Ralph Bosshard (Switzerland)
Former Military Advisor to the Secretary General of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

17. Mick Wallace (Ireland)
former Member of the European Parliament, Politician
18. Clare Daly (Ireland)
former Member of the European Parliament, Politician

19. Tommy Sheridan (Scotland)
former Member of the Scottish Parliament, Politician

20. Pr. Jean Bricmont (Belgian)
Theoretical Physicist and Philosopher of Science, Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain

21. Dr. Michael Springmann (USA)
former Diplomat, Attorney and Counselor at Law

22. David Barsamian (USA)
founder and Director of Alternative Radio (heard on 250 radio stations worldwide), Writer

23. Art Olivier (USA)
2002 Libertarian Party nominee for Vice President, former Mayor of Bellflower, California, Libertarian Candidate for California Governor in 2006

24. Pino Cabras (Italy)
former vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Parliament

25. Dr. Santiago Zabala (Spain)
Philosopher and ICREA Research Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University

26. Pr. Michel Chossudovsky (Canada)
Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Ottawa, Director of Centre for Research on Globalization

27. Pr. Farid Esack (South Africa)
Appointed by Nelson Mandela as gender-equality commissioner Head of the Department of Religion Studies at the University of Johannesburg and former professor at Harvard University

28. Pr. Hamid Algar (USA)
Professor Emeritus of Economics at of Persian studies at the University of California, Berkeley

29. Imam Suhaib Webb (USA)
Former imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Former Resident Scholar of the Islamic Center of New York University

30. Iurie Roșca (Moldavia)
Former Deputy Prime Minister and former deputy of parliament for almost 2 decades

31. Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin (Malaysia)
Former Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government

32. Sara Flounders (USA)
Co-director of the International Action Center and Secretariat Member of the Workers World Party

33. Sheikh Ahmad Awang (Malaysia)
Chairman of the Alliance of World Mosque in Defence of Al Aqsa, former President of the Malaysian Ulama Association

34. David Swanson (USA)
Executive Director of World Beyond War, Antiwar activist
35. MP Suhaizan Kayat (Malaysia)
Member of Parliament who represents the National Trust Party, former Political Secretary to the Ministers of Domestic Trade and Living Costs

36. Pr. Mazin B. Qumsiyeh (Palestine)
Director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University

37. MP Mohd Sany Hamzan (Malaysia)
Member of Parliament, member of National Trust Party

38. Pr. Ramón Grosfoguel (Puerto Rico)
Sociologist and Professor Emeritus at the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley

39. Dr. Zareena A. Grewal (USA)
Historical Anthropologist and Professor of American studies, religious studies, and ethnicity, race, and migration at Yale University, documentary filmmaker

40. MP Mohd Sany Hamzan (Malaysia)
Member of Parliament, member of National Trust Party

41. MP Aminolhuda Hassan (Malaysia)
Member of Parliament

42. Pr. Abbas Edalat (UK-IRAN)
Professor of computer science and mathematics at Imperial College London and founder of Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) and the Science and Arts

43. MP Ahmad Tarmizi bin Sulaiman (Malaysia)
Member of Parliament, former Deputy President of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation

44. Dr. Alice Rothchild (USA)
former professor at Harvard Medical School, author, and filmmaker

45. MP Azli Yusof (Malaysia)
Member of Parliament who represents the National Trust Party

46. Pr. Jodi Dean (USA)
Political Theorist and professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, former Erasmus Professor of the Humanities in the Faculty of Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam

47. Sen. Mohd Hatta Ramli (Malaysia)
Senator, physician and former Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development

48. Pr. Haim Bresheeth (UK)
Former Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the University of East London, Campaign Against Misrepresentation in Public Affairs, Information and the News

49. Sen. Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Malaysia)
Senator, former Minister in charge of Religious Affairs Foundation (SAF)

50. Pr. James H. Fetzer (USA)
McKnight Professor Emeritus of the philosophy of science at the University of Minnesota Duluth
51. Abdul Ghani Samsudin (Malaysia)
Chairman Secretariate for the Ulama Assembly of Asia

52. Miko Peled (USA)
Antiwar Activist and Author

53. Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz (Malaysia)
President of the Ulama Association of Malaysia, former Director-General of the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia

54. Dr. Revd. Stephen Sizer (UK)
former Vicar of Christ Church of Virginia Water in Surrey and director of the Peacemaker Trust

55. Pr. William O. Beeman (USA)
Professor Emeritus at the Department of Anthropology, the University of Minnesota

56. Lauren Booth (UK)
Author, Journalist and Antiwar Activist

57. Pr. Kevin B. MacDonald (USA)
Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Psychology at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)

58. Pr. Lawrence Davidson (USA)
Professor Emeritus of Middle East History at West Chester University

59. Pr. Augusto Sinagra (Italy)
Professor Emeritus of European Law at Sapienza University of Rome

60. Pr. Claudio Mutti (Italy)
Former Professor at the University of Bologna, Director of “Eurasia, Rivista di Studi Geopolitici”

61. Pr. Claudio Moffa (Italy)
Former Professor of History of International Relations at the University of Teramo

62. Pr. Angelo d’Orsi (Italy)
Historian of Philosophy and Professor of History of political doctrines at the University of Turin

63. Pr. David Miller (UK)
Sociologist and former professor at the University of Strathclyde, the University of Bath and the University of Bristol

64. Pr. Jacek Bartyzel (Poland)
Professor of Political Philosophy and Political Theory at Nicolaus Copernicus University

65. Ali Hassan (UK)
CEO of Muslim Public Affairs Committee in the UK

66. Dr. Laurie King (USA)
Professor at Department of anthropology, Georgetown University

67. Pr. Maria Poumier (France)
Former Professor at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), Professor at University of Havana

68. Pr. Denis Rancourt (Canada)
former professor at the University of Ottawa, Co-Director of CORRELATION Research in Public Interest
69. Pr. Rodney Shakespeare (UK)
Economist and Visiting professor at Trisakti University

70. Pr. Bruno Drweski (France)
Professor at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Université Paris-Cité)

71. Pr. Pamela S. Murray (USA)
Historian and Professor Emerita at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

72. Dr. E. Michael Jones (USA)
former Professor at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, founder of Culture Wars Magazine

73. Sandew Hira (Netherlands)
Founder of Decolonial International Network known for his decolonial theory, Director of International Institute for Scientific Research

74. Dr. Denijal Jegić (Lebanon)
Professor of communication in the Department of Communication at Lebanese American University

75. Dr. Konrad Rekas (Poland – Scotland)
Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University

76. Dr. Ladislav Zemanek (Czech)
Historian and Research Fellow at the China-CEE Institute, former Politician

77. Dr. Marta Araújo (Portugal)
Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra

78. Daniel Estulin (Lithuania)
Writer and thinker whose main interest is the Bilderberg Group

79. Robert Fantina (Canada)
Board Member of Canadian Voices for Palestinian Rights

80. Alison Weir (USA)
Investigative journalist, Founder and executive director of If Americans Knew and president of the Council for the National Interest

81. David Rovics (USA)
Singer and Songwriter, Antiwar Musician

82. Jennifer Loewenstein (USA)
Antiwar Activist and Journalist, author at The Journal of Palestine Studies and CounterPunch

83. Pepe Escobar (Brazil)
Geopolitical Analyst and Journalist

84. William Rodriguez (USA)
Antiwar Activist

85. Rabbi Ahron Cohen (UK)
Spokesperson of the worldwide religious group Neturei Karta

86. John Minto (Scotland)
Co-Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

87. Dr. Yvonne Ridley (UK)
Journalist and Author, Antiwar Activist

88. Dr. Valérie Bugault (France)
Geopolitical Analyst and Journalist

89. Pr. Ahmed Bensaada (Canada)
Academician, author and Winner of Canada’s Primer Minister prize for High Education

90. Dr. Christian Bouchet (France)
former Politician and Antiwar Activist, PhD anthropology

91. Jean Michel Vernochet (France)
Former Journalist of Le Figaro Magazine, Writer

92. Dr. Kevin J. Barrett (USA)
Arabist-Islamologist Scholar, former Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

93. Dr. Revd. Andrew Ashdown (UK)
30 years of Interreligious Initiatives and Dialogues in Africa, Middle East and the UK

94. Youssef Hindi (France)
Writer, Historian of religions and Geopolitologist

95. Rabbi Dovid Feldman (USA)
Member of the worldwide religious group Neturei Karta

96. Sander Hicks (USA)
Guitarist and Publisher, Antiwar Activist

97. Peter Koenig (Switzerland)
Economist and Geopolitical Analyst with more than 30 years of experience in the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the Swiss Development Cooperation

98. Imam Muhammad al-Asi (USA)
Former Imam of the Islamic Center in Washington, Research Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought

99. Father Dave Smith (Australia)
Social Educator, Antiwar Activist

100. Jürgen Cain Külbel (Germany)
Investigative Journalist and Author

101. Greta Berlin (USA)
Co-founder of the Free Gaza movement

102. Eric Walberg (Canada)
Geopolitical Expert and Author

103. Merlin Miller (USA)
2012 Presidential Candidate and Independent Film Director

104. Howard Druan (USA)
Member of Green Party, Retired Member of the State Bar of Arizona

105. Adrián Salbuchi (Argentine)
Political Analyst, Writer

106. Dragana Trifković (Serbia)
Director General of the Center for Geostrategic Studies in Belgrade

107. Hafsa Kara-Mustapha (UK)
Journalist and Author, Expert of North Africa and UK relationship

108. Pr. Paulina Aroch Fugellie (Mexico)
Professor at the Department of Humanities, Metropolitan Autonomous University

109. Dr. Lorenzo Maria Pacini (Italy)
Head of the Department of Geopolitics at UniDolomiti of Belluno and professor at Libera Università

110. Nina Luxenberg (USA)
Politician and Member of the Green Party

111. Lucien Cerise (France)
Author of Governing by Chaos, Antiwar activist

112. Pr. Andrea Meza Torres (Mexico)
Professor at the Department of Anthropology, Metropolitan Autonomous University

113. Dr. Abdullah Sudin Ab Rahman (Malaysia)
President of HALUAN (humanitarian relief, education, and community development), former Chief Executive Officer at Darulnaim College of Technology for 12 years

114. Leslie Varenne (France)
Journalist and founder of the Institute for Monitoring and Study of International Relations (Iveris)

115. Dr. Daniele Trabucco (Italy)
Tenured Professor of Constitutional Law at San Domenico University Institute of Rome

116. Dr. Leonid Savin (Russia)
Geopolitical analyst, Chief editor of Geopolitika.ru (from 2008), founder and chief editor of Journal of Eurasian Affairs

117. Pr. Jeff Cohen (USA)
Retired professor at Ithaca College and Cofounder of RootsAction Education Fund

118. Caleb Maupin (USA)
Founder of Center for Political Innovation, Journalist

119. Zaher Birawi (UK-Palestine)
Chair of the Palestine Forum of Britain, Journalist

120. Muhammad Rabbani (UK)
Managing Director CAGE International, Cage Advocacy Group for Empowerment

121. Margherita Furlan (Italy)
Journalist and director of Casa Del Sole TV

122. Thami Khalid (Belguim)
Co-director of Justice San Frontieres

123. Jacob Cohen (France)
Academic, Novelist and Antiwar Activist

124. Richard Ray (USA)
Editor and Antiwar Activist

125. Ernest H. Wittenbreder Jr. (USA)
President of Power Electronics Innovations Laboratory

126. Mary Gleysteen (USA)
Member of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

127. Dr. Shahridan Faiez (Malaysia)
Director of Think City

128. Balkhisa Bashir (UK)
Co-founder and director of Barwaqa Relief Organisation

129. Dr. Michael Spath (USA)
Founder of Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

130. Gordon Duff (USA)
Vietnam War Veteran and Antiwar Activist

131. Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid (Malaysia)
President of Malaysia Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations

132. Ahmad Fahmi Shamsuddin (Malaysia)
President of the Muslim Youth Movement

133. Glen Milner (USA)
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

134. Wording Saidi (Belgium)
Co-spokesperson of Bruxelles Pantheres

135. Mouhad Reghif (Belgium)
Co-spokesperson of Bruxelles Pantheres

Kevin Barrett, Senior Editor

Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Ph.D. Arabist-Islamologist is one of America’s best-known critics of the War on Terror.

He is the host of TRUTH JIHAD RADIO; a hard-driving weekly radio show funded by listener subscriptions at Substack and the weekly news roundup FALSE FLAG WEEKLY NEWS (FFWN).

He also has appeared many times on Fox, CNN, PBS, and other broadcast outlets, and has inspired feature stories and op-eds in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and other leading publications.

Dr. Barrett has taught at colleges and universities in San Francisco, Paris, and Wisconsin; where he ran for Congress in 2008. He currently works as a nonprofit organizer, author, and talk radio host.

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VT Condemns the ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS by USA/Israel

$280+ BILLION US TAXPAYER DOLLARS INVESTED since 1948 in US/Israeli Ethnic Cleansing and Occupation Operation
150B direct "aid" and $ 130B in "Offense" contracts
Source: Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. and US Department of State.



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Signs of famine, impending wave of organ failure deaths – War on Gaza Day 651

contact@ifamericansknew.org July 19, 2025 ceasefire gazachildhood malnutritionfamineisraeli spiesstarvation in gazawest bank death

A large crowd gathers during food distribution by a charity organization, as many Palestinians struggle to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, on July 16, 2025. (Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini / Anadolu Images)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

Israeli forces killed at least 41 Palestinians in Gaza on Friday, including at least 10 aid seekers.

A one-year-old girl in Deir al Balah died of malnutrition on Friday.

One Israeli attack hit tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi “safe” zone in southern Gaza, igniting a major fire and killing at least five people, including infants.

In the West Bank, a 13-year-old boy was also shot and killed by Israeli forces.

For detail on Israeli attacks in Gaza on Friday, go here.

A view of Al-Shati refugee camp in the shadow of war in Gaza City, Gaza on June 19, 2025.A view of Al-Shati refugee camp in the shadow of war in Gaza City, Gaza on June 19, 2025. (Mahmoud İssa – Anadolu Agency)


GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:

(To understand what’s going on right now between Gaza and Israel, go here. For a bit more critical background, skim thisthis, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.)

Gaza Medical Officials Warn of Imminent Wave of Deaths as Signs of Famine Rise

Medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Friday a surge in signs of famine, describing it as an “epidemic.”

Hundreds of people are reportedly suffering from exhaustion, severe malnutrition and memory loss, all of which are symptoms of prolonged starvation. The worsening of these symptoms in recent days is believed to be due to the intense heat.

At Al-Shifa Hospital, officials said on Friday that “hundreds of patients are arriving with severe hunger symptoms, including children and infants in critical condition.”

Dr. Suhaib Al-Hams, director of the field hospital in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, warned of an impending “wave of deaths” due to organ failure among displaced individuals. “The cases reaching us are of people who collapsed in the streets from lack of nutrition. All of them need food even before medicine,” he said.

According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, approximately 17,000 children in the Strip are suffering from severe malnutrition.

The death toll from starvation has risen to 620, including at least 69 children. The ministry also reported the death of an 18-month-old toddler on Friday in Deir al-Balah, the direct result of malnutrition.

A large crowd gathers during food distribution by a charity organization, as many Palestinians struggle to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, on July 16, 2025.A large crowd gathers during food distribution by a charity organization, as many Palestinians struggle to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, on July 16, 2025. (Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini / Anadolu Images)

Israel has destroyed 88% of the area of Gaza

Israel has destroyed more than 88% of the Gaza Strip’s total area and displaced 2 million Palestinians since launching its genocidal war on Oct. 7, 2023, according to a statistical report released Friday by the Government Media Office in Gaza.

The report, marking the 650th day of the war, estimates that Israel has dropped 125,000 tons of explosives on Gaza and caused more than $62 billion in losses.

The brutal war has also resulted in “the forced evacuation of 2 million civilians” and the occupation of 77% of the enclave’s 360-square-kilometer (139-square-mile) territory.

A general of heavily damaged buildings and a large number of makeshift tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, Gaza, on July 9, 2025.A general of heavily damaged buildings and a large number of makeshift tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, Gaza, on July 9, 2025. (Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini – Anadolu Agency)

DRONE MISSILES PACKED WITH NAILS:Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hani Mahmoud reports from Gaza that on Friday some injured Palestinians, including children, showed wounds compatible with drone attacks. “Drone missiles are packed with nails, metals and shrapnel that explodes at high speed, causing internal bleeding,” Mahmoud said. “These attacks are on the rise and target people in large crowds, in markets or while queueing for water.” CAIR Executive DirectorNihad Awad said in a statement that the use of such weapons is “not only morally indefensible, but it is also a clear violation of international humanitarian law.”

PEOPLE REDUCED TO EATING SPOILED, EXPIRED FOOD: Dr Ahmed Alfarra, director of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, says the hunger crisis in the enclave is the worst he’s seen since Israel’s bombardment began nearly two years ago. Alfarra said Palestinian families have come to the hospital suffering from serious health problems, including facial paralysis and respiratory failure, linked to consuming spoiled food. Many are afraid to go to the food distribution sites.

A malnourished Palestinian child is examined at Al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip last month.A malnourished Palestinian child is examined at Al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip last month. (Credit: EYAD BABA)


GAZA CEASEFIRE NEWS:

(To get an idea about past ceasefires between Gaza and Israel and how they ended, check out this and this.)

Hamas says Israel rejected ceasefire deal releasing all captives in Gaza

The spokesperson of the military wing of Hamas has said Israel rejected a ceasefire agreement that would release all captives held in Gaza, and pledged that the group is prepared for a lengthy war if there is no deal.

Abu Obeida, the longtime spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, said in a video on Friday that the group had in recent months offered a “comprehensive deal” that would release all captives at once – but it was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right ministers.

“It has become clear to us that the government of the criminal Netanyahu has no real interest in the captives because they are soldiers,” he said, adding that Hamas favours a deal that guarantees an end to the war, a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and entry of humanitarian aid for besieged Palestinians.

If Israel withdraws from this round of indirect talks held in Qatar, Abu Obeida said, then Hamas does not guarantee a return to any partial deals, including a 60-day deal currently under discussion that would see 10 captives released(continue reading here).

BEN GVIR CALLS FOR END TO CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called on PM Netanyahu to “come to his senses” and abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas. Addressing Netanyahu in a statement on Friday, Ben-Gvir said it is not too late to “stop the negotiations with the terrorists*…Give the necessary instructions to achieve the goals of the war: complete occupation, voluntary migration, and [Israeli] settlement [of Gaza],” he said.

NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for groups – like Hamas – that resist occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance.

A woman and a child run for cover as a bomb falls from the sky during an Israeli airstrike targeting Abu Hilo School, run by UNRWA, in the Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza on July 17, 2025.A woman and a child run for cover as a bomb falls from the sky during an Israeli airstrike targeting Abu Hilo School, run by UNRWA, in the Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza on July 17, 2025. (Moiz Salhi – Anadolu Agency)


WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM, AND ISRAEL NEWS AND HEADLINES:

(For background on the West Bank, read this and thisFor information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.) 

ISRAELI FORCES KILL 14-YEAR-OLD PALESTINIAN BOY: On Friday, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian child, Amro Ali Khaled Kabaha, 14, in Ya’bad town, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. They prevented Palestinian medics from reaching him to provide urgently needed medical attention. The soldiers also assaulted the child’s father while he was trying to reach his son. Medics eventually reached the child and rushed him to a hospital in Jenin, where he was officially pronounced dead. The IDF claimed that 14-year-old Kabah was a “terrorist who threw an explosive device at the soldiers.”

NETANYAHU TELLS POPE HE REGRETS “ACCIDENTAL” KILLING OF 3 CHRISTIANS: In a phone call to Pope Leo XIV, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s regret “for the tragic incident in which stray ammunition accidentally” struck the Holy Family Church in Gaza. Three people were killed and 10 were wounded in the attack. The Israeli Foreign Ministry declared that Israel does not target places of worship.

NOTE: The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza stated in February 2025 that 1,109 out of 1,244 mosques had been destroyed, with 834 completely reduced to rubble and 275 damaged beyond use.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Faced with a choice between saving his own skin and the lives of others, Netanyahu always chooses himself

Israeli settlers steal and kill 117 sheep in Jordan Valley

Undercover Israeli Soldiers Shoot, Abduct A Palestinian in Nablus

Friday: Israeli Violations Escalate Across the West Bank

Israeli tanks and soldiers move through a muddy street during a raid at Jenin Refugee Camp in Jenin, West Bank, on February 24, 2025Israeli tanks and soldiers move through a muddy street during a raid at Jenin Refugee Camp in Jenin, West Bank, on February 24, 2025 (Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency)


SYRIA NEWS AND HEADLINES:

ISRAEL, SYRIA REPORTEDLY REACH CEASEFIRE: US envoy Tom Barrack says on X that Israel’s Netanyahu and Syria’s al-Sharra have agreed to a ceasefire proposal with the support of the US. A similar announcement was made two days ago, but fighting resumed in southern Syria’s Suwada between Druze and Bedouin factions, as well as Israeli attacks on Syria.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Why Did Israel Attack Syria? What Comes Next?

FACTBOX – Who are the Druze and why are they central to Israel’s attacks on Syria?


OTHER NEWS AND HEADLINES:

SENATOR SLAMS ISRAEL’S REQUEST FOR US ASSISTANCE IN ETHNIC CLEANSING:US Sen. Chris Van Hollen slammed Israel on Friday for reportedly seeking American assistance with resettlement deals to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip. “A truly outrageous and sickening request from the Netanyahu government,” Van Hollen wrote on X. The director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency visited Washington, DC this week, reportedly to seek US help in convincing countries to take hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza – in particular, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Libya.

CONGRESSWOMAN CALLS FOR HALF A BILLION CUT IN MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL: Marjorie Taylor Greene said Friday, “My amendment would strike $500 million in funding for nuclear-armed Israel’s missile defense system, and it’s important to emphasize it that way. Israel is a nuclear-armed nation, which is very capable of defending themselves, and they have been proving that so as we’ve watched on the world stage,” she said.

POPE LEO UNDER FIRE FOR NOT NAMING ISRAEL AS ATTACKER: Following Israel’s attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church, Pope Leo expressed sorrow and called for peace, but stopped short of naming Israel as the attacker, prompting disappointment from Palestinian Christians and observers around the world. His  statementincluded the words: “I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in #Gaza.”

Israel bombed Holy Family Catholic Church, the only catholic church in Gaza, killing at least 3.Israel bombed Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, killing at least 3. (screenshot)

Rotten Apple: Dozens of Former Israeli Spies Hired by Silicon Valley Giant

Apple has made headlines in recent weeks for touting its commitment to privacy and human rights, rolling out tools to limit surveillance and spyware. But behind the corporate messaging lies a much darker reality.

The company has quietly brought in dozens of veterans from Unit 8200, Israel’s shadowy military intelligence unit known for blackmail, mass surveillance, and targeted killings.

Many of these hires took place as Israel escalated its war on Gaza, and as CEO Tim Cook publicly expressed support for Israel while disciplining employees for pro-Palestinian expressions. Apple’s deepening ties to Israel’s most controversial intelligence raise uncomfortable questions, not only about the company’s political loyalties, but also about how it handles vast troves of personal user data.

A MintPress News investigation has identified dozens of Unit 8200 operatives now working at Apple. The company’s hiring spree coincides with growing scrutiny of its ties to the Israeli government, including its policy of matching employee donations to groups such as Friends of the IDF and the Jewish National Fund, both of which play a role in the displacement of the Palestinian people. The intense pro-Israel bias at the corporation has led many former and current employees to speak out (continue reading here).

RELATED: Google Helped Israel Spread War Propaganda to 45 Million Europeans

Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper reports: “Almost every Silicon Valley company, whether large or small, has Israelis among its employees.” The number may be as high as 200,000. “It’s easy for Israelis,” says Shahar. “We feel like we have moved to another city, not to another country. Everyone here speaks Hebrew. My son is in the third grade and is in a class of 20 kids, half of them are Israeli.” (PHOTO:Ha'aretz)

RECOMMENDED READING:


STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JULY 18, 2025:

  • At least 59,781 Palestinians killed, 149,715 injured – including:

  • at least 58,765 killed in Gaza (~17,000 children) 

  • at least 1,016 killed in the West Bank (~203 children)

  • at least 140,485 injured in Gaza

  • at least 9,230 injured in the West Bank

According to Palestinian authorities, during the ceasefire Jan. 19 – March 18 2025, Israeli attacks killed at least 170 Gazans, and Israel committed at least 962 ceasefire violations.

Since the Israeli army resumed its assaults on Gaza on March 18, it has killed at least 7,938 people. 45 Israeli soldiers (most recent July 9) have been killed during the same time period.

At least 891 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid parcels from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which started operating on May 26, 2025.

Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 14,000 more are still buried under rubble.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – July 18, 2025: ~1,627 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 449 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel. (72 soldiers have reportedly died due to “operational incidents.”)

By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 226 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 186 and 293 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).

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

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

  3-month supply of food lies just out of reach of the starving – War on Gaza Day 652 contact@ifamericansknew.org  July 20, 2025  ceasefire ...