Dozens of Israeli airstrikes killed only women and children â war on Gaza Day 553
A spokesperson for the Gaza City municipality says Israelâs continued disruption of the Mekorot pipeline is exacerbating the Stripâs water crisis.
The military halted the flow of water from Israeli company Mekorot to the Gaza Strip in early April, cutting off 70 percent of the Palestinian enclaveâs water supply.
The spokesperson said Israeli forces are denying access to repair crews seeking to fix damaged water infrastructure, and that repairs could be made, bringing desperately needed water to parts of the city, in only 24 hours.
Rabbis are taking control of the Israeli army instead of generals
Amid a rising wave of religious influence in Israeli political and party circles â driven by the ruling right-wing coalition âJewish Torah-based organizations have become the largest source of donations to Israeli soldiers on military bases. These donations primarily consist of religious texts, including the Torah and the Talmud, highlighting the growing strength of the religious current.
This trend confirms that the distribution of religious books to soldiers is far from a marginal practice, despite ongoing accusations that the army is pressuring its soldiers into religious observance and prioritising religious values over the civic principles traditionally shared among Jews.
Simultaneously, the Israeli army is witnessing a growing phenomenon: a notable number of senior officers in its General Staff are wearing the kippah, the traditional knitted religious skullcap. Statistics show that nearly 40 per cent of senior military leaders now wear it, pointing to the expanding influence of religious individuals within the military leadership.
This not only reflects their growing sway over military decision-making in Israel but also raises concerns about its implications for increased military aggression against Palestinians and Arabs.
The names assigned by Israel to its aggressions on Gaza starkly reflect this growing religiosity in the military (continue reading here).
Israel army dismisses senior commanders, hundreds of reservists calling for end of Gaza war
Israeli army Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, yesterday approved the dismissal of senior commanders and approximately 1,000 reserve soldiers for calling for an end to the war on Gaza.
Earlier this week, hundreds of Israeli Air Force (IAF) soldiers signed a letter slamming the military offensive in Gaza, saying it âserves mainly political and personal interests, not security interests,â while calling for the return of captives and adding that this can only be achieved through a ceasefire and not by military means.
Azmir said the fact the soldiers signed the letter is a serious matter, claiming that they cannot sign such petitions and then return to service.
Defense Minister Israel Katz âstronglyâ criticized the letter as an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the war.
Israeli press review: trouble in paradise
HI-TECH BRAIN DRAIN: Around 8,300 high-tech professionals left Israel between the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023 and July 2024, Ynet news website reported.
The data revealed an average of monthly emigration of 826 high-tech workers during this period, compared to 571 workers between January 2023 and September 2023.
Despite comprising less than eight percent of the workforce, high-tech professionals contributed 35 percent of income tax revenue in 2021, according to Israelâs Ministry of Finance.
The political climate has played a key role in the growing unrest among tech professionals. âIn a country where there will be no freedom, there will be no high-tech,â read a post shared on a high-tech protest group.
In addition, in 2024 alone, 1,700 millionaires left Israel, according to another report published on Ynet.
It was recently reported that since the beginning of the war, more than 80,000 Israelis have emigrated, 40 percent of them young adults between aged 20 to 40.
POVERTY: According to a report in Maariv newspaper, organizations that distribute food have noted a significant increase in the number of people applying for assistance.
According to a report by Latet, a non-governmental organization fighting poverty, more than 2.7 million people in Israel are living in poverty as of 2024, amounting to nearly 30 percent of the population.
UNDER-REGULATED GUNS: More than 320,000 citizens currently hold a license to carry a private firearm, compared to about 170,000 before the war that began in October 2023. This number does not include the tens of thousands of security guards who carry weapons as part of their duties.
Haaretz also reports a rise in the use of private weapons for criminal purposes, citing the lack of oversight in the distribution of firearms.
* Israeli Press Review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.
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