Analyses Archives - Page 8 of 20

Demolishing Gaza

CrossFireArabia
October 10, 2024

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has released a comprehensive report marking one year since Israel launched its genocidal campaign against civilians in the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023. During this period, Israel has committed grave war crimes, with the explicit complicity of the international community.

De-Gaza

Titled De-Gaza: A Year of Israel’s Genocide and the Collapse of World Order, the report details the most prominent crimes committed over the past 12 months, thoroughly documented by Euro-Med field teams. It traces the clear elements of genocide perpetrated by the Israeli army, explores the legal frameworks defining the crime of genocide, and scrutinises both the context and ongoing circumstances. The report also addresses the international judiciary’s response, and, significantly, the global community’s complicit role in allowing the genocide to continue.

The report sheds light on the appalling conditions and systematic atrocities Israel has inflicted upon the occupied Palestinian territory, with a particular focus on the Gaza Strip. These long-standing crimes include the illegal blockade, the deliberate isolation of Gaza from the rest of the Palestinian territory and the world, the systematic deprivation of basic human rights to the Strip’s residents, and the deliberate destruction of essential services.

Israeli army genocide

Since the start of the genocide in Gaza, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army, including around 42,000 recorded by the Gaza Ministry of Health, the majority being women and children. In addition, approximately 100,000 have been injured, with thousands of bodies still lying under the rubble and in the streets, unreachable by rescue and medical teams.

An estimated 10 per cent of Gaza’s population has been killed, injured, reported missing, or detained as a result of Israeli military assaults. Of the 50,292 Palestinians killed—including those still buried under the debris—33 per cent were children, and 21 per cent were women. Thousands more have been forcibly detained, with 3,600 still languishing in various Israeli prisons and detention centres.

Around 3,500 families have suffered multiple losses since October 2023. Of these, 365 families have lost more than ten members, while over 2,750 families have lost at least three.

The report details the systematic acts of genocide committed in Gaza, such as the targeted killing of civilians in homes, shelters, displacement camps, and humanitarian-declared zones. Civilians were also killed by military vehicles and tanks, in field executions, through drone strikes, in crowded markets, and even while waiting for aid at relief trucks.

Ugly tactics

The report notes the Israeli military’s starvation tactics, the deliberate killing of prisoners and detainees, and the assassination of humanitarian workers, qualified professionals, and Palestinian elites.

The Israeli army employs explicit methods designed to inflict severe physical and psychological trauma on the population. These include launching thousands of systematic military assaults on civilians, dramatically increasing deaths among people of reproductive age, separating families, targeting the healthcare system, and imposing brutal living conditions marked by starvation and malnutrition.

The obstruction of humanitarian aid further exacerbates these atrocities, creating life-threatening situations for thousands.

The root cause of this persecution—the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967—has created conditions for the ongoing genocide, as confirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024, on the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Both the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are internationally recognised as Palestinian territories that were occupied in 1967.

Up until 2005, the Israeli occupation army maintained internal and external control over Gaza by stationing military forces within and outside the Strip, establishing settlements on its land, a situation still seen in the West Bank today.

In 2005, Israel declared a unilateral “disengagement,” evacuating its settlers from Gaza and withdrawing its military forces. However, despite this declaration, Israel continued to exercise control over Gaza, maintaining real authority over critical aspects of governance. The ICJ upheld this position in a recent advisory opinion, reflecting the near-universal international consensus on Israel’s continued occupation.

Even after its military withdrawal, Israel retained control over the essential governing elements of Gaza, including its population registry, borders (land, sea, and air), and the regulation of movement for both people and goods. Israel also continued to collect taxes on imports and exports and maintained control over the buffer zone.

Brutal

Following the 7 October 2023 attack, Israel declared a state of war, with its President, Prime Minister, and other political and military leaders at the forefront. The declared aim was to eliminate Hamas, secure the release of hostages, and restore security. Thus began Operation Iron Swords, a brutal military offensive that intensified the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.

Euro-Med Monitor concluded with a set of recommendations after a year of genocide in Gaza, emphasising that all states, both individually and collectively, are still obligated to work towards stopping the ongoing genocide by all available means. Preventing and punishing this crime is an international legal obligation incumbent upon all states without exception, and it is an obligation of absolute authority towards all.

Euro-Med Monitor calls for the imposition of a total arms embargo on Israel, the termination of all licences and agreements related to arms imports and exports (including dual-use materials and technology that could be used against Palestinians), and an end to all military and intelligence cooperation.

In addition to imposing travel restrictions and freezing Israeli government assets, Euro-Med Monitor calls for political and economic sanctions on Israel and its accomplice states. These measures are intended to pressure the responsible parties into upholding international law, ensuring non-recurrence of crimes against Palestinians, and compensating the victims of these atrocities.

The organisation further calls for the halting all forms of support to Israel in connection with its genocide and other crimes against Palestinians. This includes withholding investments, cancelling or suspending political, diplomatic, economic, commercial, and academic ties, and curtailing support from the media, legal, and other sectors that might contribute to the continuation of these crimes.

Key measures include ensuring the Israeli occupation army’s full withdrawal from Gaza, dismantling all military installations, barricades, and checkpoints, ending the imposed military and geographical divisions, restoring the Strip’s geographical unity, and guaranteeing the safe and swift return of forcibly displaced individuals to their homes. Furthermore, the recommendations call for the protection of freedom of movement, travel, and access for all citizens of Gaza.

EuroMed Human Rights Monitor

Analyses

Israel Attacks North Gaza Aimed at Force Displacement

CrossFireArabia
October 9, 2024

An unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is imminent as the Israeli occupation tightens its siege on the Jabalia camp and Beit Lahia project in the northern Gaza Strip for the fourth consecutive day. Israel is accelerating the pace of its genocide against the Palestinians there by carrying out mass and planned killings, as well as widespread forced displacements. The international community, led by the United Nations, must act swiftly and decisively to save 10s of thousands of residents who are being subjected to one of the most violent campaigns of genocide the Strip has ever witnessed.

Israeli occupation forces have intensified their siege of the Jabalia camp and the surrounding neighborhoods, including Tal al-Zaatar, al-Sikka, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia. The Israeli forces have also taken up positions in the western region of the Gaza Strip, advancing as far as the Jaffa Cemetery and the Tawam Junction.

Israeli army committed massacres in North Gaza province: Palestinian Civil Defense
Humanitarian conditions in province deteriorate under siege#News #DailyNews #LiveNews #WorldNews #World pic.twitter.com/84Qpwxwbrl
— Breaking News (@FastNews77) October 9, 2024

With airstrikes, fire belts, and artillery shelling—including bombing homes over the heads of their occupants—the Israeli occupation forces have been occupying large portions of northern Gaza since Saturday evening, 5 October. Dozens of people have been killed and injured as a result of this ongoing invasion.

Initial reports confirmed that five citizens—including a woman, a man, and his son—were executed by the occupation forces for trying to escape the Jabalia camp while waving white flags.

In an extremely dangerous development, Israeli army forces ordered the complete evacuation of Kamal Adwan Hospital, located in the Beit Lahia project, north of Gaza. Kamal Adwan Hospital’s director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, reported that he received a call from the occupation forces telling him that if he did not get the patients and medical staff out of the hospital within a day, they would be put in danger.

Along with two other hospitals in northern Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia, Kamal Adwan Hospital is partially operational after being raided and destroyed in the Israeli military’s first invasion of northern Gaza last December, during which the hospital’s medical staff, patients, and displaced persons were severely mistreated by the occupation forces. Kamal Adwan Hospital is currently being besieged by Israeli quadcopter aircraft for the second day in a row, with smoke bombs being detonated at its gate and dozens of raids on nearby buildings.

The sole road that ambulances used to move dozens of seriously injured patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital to the Baptist Hospital has been cut off, following an Israeli bombing of a building in the vicinity. This was followed by the occupation forces’ tightening of the siege on the hospital, and the blocking of ambulances and any other methods of victim transport.

Earlier today, the occupation forces arrested a paramedic who was transporting patients from the Kamal Awdan Hospital to the Baptist Hospital, despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities.

The Euro-Med Monitor field team received testimonies from citizens, who were able to reach Gaza City, about witnessing dead bodies lying in the streets. The citizens also stated that they saw victims trapped beneath the debris of bombed-out houses, and that ambulance and civil defense crews were unable to reach the area as at least 20 houses were targeted by Israeli forces in a four-day period.

Thousands of people trapped in the Jabalia and Beit Lahia camps are suffering from a near-total shortage of food supplies, which were already scarce due to Israel’s closure of the border crossings. The limited amount of goods and other aid that had previously been allowed to enter the area was blocked by Israel for more than a week prior to the new invasion.

Numerous families remain stuck in their homes, enduring harsh living conditions under the intensified and brutal Israeli bombing. Citizens are not even able to leave their homes in order to obtain water, and municipal crews and local committees are unable to assist them. As a result, thousands of residents face the threat of starvation, dehydration, or death, knowing full well that they are all victims of the catastrophic effects of malnutrition brought on by Israel’s year-long starvation policy.

The Israeli army is systematically working to empty northern Gaza of its residents and force them to move to the south, recently issuing several evacuation orders and dropping leaflets demanding their evacuation.

It is clear that the Israeli army’s latest operation has no military objective or necessity; rather, it is intended to finish the destructive operations that, during three prior incursions, have affected over 85% of the buildings in northern Gaza. Additionally, it is intended to target civilians and force them to flee the area, converting it into a full military zone.

Salah al-Din Road is now blocked from the Civil Administration side by an Israeli military checkpoint, and anyone attempting to use it to leave the camp is being searched. This afternoon, a paramedic was arrested despite prior coordination with the Red Cross, which belies Israel’s claims about the existence of “safe routes” for displaced people heading south.

The forcible deportation of a population is defined as a crime against humanity under the statute of the International Criminal Court, and the United Nations and the international community must intervene immediately to save 10s of thousands of Palestinian residents in northern Gaza who face ethnic cleansing by Israel. Furthermore, the UN and international community have a legal and moral obligation to put an end to the horrific crime of genocide being committed by the Israeli occupation for the second year in a row now.

EuroMed Human Rights Monitor

Analyses

Abu Obeida Outlines a New ‘Attrition Phase’ of Resistance

CrossFireArabia
October 7, 2024

Retired military Maj-Gen Fayez al-Duwairi said Abu Obeida’s speech, Hamas Qassam Brigades spokesman – heralds a new phase of resistance against the Israeli occupation.

Abu Obeida gave a speech on the occasion of the first anniversary of Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa and coincided with the military operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance factions against the Israeli occupation forces in the so-called Gaza envelope.

Duwairi explained that as stressed in Abu Obeida’s speech this coming phase of the battle is the stage of attrition, which means the resistance still has the ability to continue to confront the Israeli occupation army in the next phase.

Duwairi explained Abu Obeida’s announcement about the continuing attrition operations shows the Palestinian resistance is benefiting from its redeployment in the main axis of Rafah, Netzarim, buffer zones and in the incursion operations in areas such as Jabalia.

“We are facing a new phase of military operations that will pose a major challenge to the Israeli occupation in the long term,” he added.

Al-Duwairi addressed the issue of external support for Israel, stressing on the relationship between the occupation and some Western countries, led by the USA, plays a decisive role in the continuation of Israel’s s aggression on the Strip.

Al-Duwairi pointed out that Abu Obeida’s speech included clear criticism of Arab countries, accusing them of abandoning the Palestinian people, and sent a support message to the resistance in the West Bank, praising the efforts of the fighters there and calling for an escalation of operations against the occupation.

Regarding the file of Israeli prisoners held by the resistance, Al-Duwairi indicated Abu Obeida’s speech reveals the possibility of this file entering a “dark tunnel”, which further complicates the situation and makes the fate of the prisoners unknown.

Al-Duwairi believes that the next stage will witness an escalation in military and attritional operations against the occupation, in light of the field changes and internal and external pressures facing the Israeli entity.

This is Abu Obeida’s 28th speech since the Al-Aqsa flood, and comes three months after his last speech on 7 July.

Today, Monday, marks the first anniversary of the start of Israel’s war on Gaza which resulted in more than 139,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and elderly people.

Despite the passage of one year since the start of the war, Israel has failed to achieve any of its declared goals, especially recovering prisoners from the Strip and eliminating the capabilities of Hamas and the rest of the resistance factions as stated in Al Jazeera.

Analyses

Is an Israel-Iran War Coming?

Dr Khairi Janbek
October 7, 2024

By Dr Khairi Janbek

In the late 1990s, the grandiose talk of a new order for the Middle East emerged which turned out to be nothing more than a euphemism for Disney Land Arab countries, poverty and conflict-stricken regional reality, with a mixture bordering on more than buffer zones.

Now we have a less ambitious notion and that is a new balance of power in the Middle East, another euphemism for Israel calling the shots and all its neighbors being called on to abide.

But how does this new notion translate in practical terms? Well basically, to all concerned and less concerned waking up every morning asking the question: Will Israel strike Iran or will it not?

Of course, this is a horrific question if indeed Israel does hit Iran as it carries with it many important existential perils for the whole region and beyond.

One believes whatever is on Benjamin Netanyahu’s mind to achieve advantageous results must be carried out before the date of the US elections this November because no matter what he has been told by the US prospective candidates, at the end of the day, a sitting president doesn’t act like a president-elect.

Now what would a direct confrontation and open warfare between Israel and Iran entail? Well primarily, direct confrontation takes precedence over war by proxies, which means Israel will have to go directly into destroying the military capabilities of Iran in a hugely destructive war.

Israel: “We have postponed our retaliation against Iran.”

Reason: Uncertainty about the consequences of the attack.

Hmmm… Perhaps Iran did succeed in conducting nuclear weapons test? 🤔

Great power game on the global chessboard! pic.twitter.com/UXx7oEikfO
— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) October 7, 2024

This would ultimately open the possibilities for its own destruction which means dragging the US and western powers into the conflict, no matter how reluctantly they maybe to defend it, and/or basically go into a slippery-slope open warfare reaching Syria and Iraq and Iran and whatever is on its plate regarding Gaza and Lebanon.

The current wisdom dictates a large scale war does not seem to be likely on the agenda, but that does not exclude a cycle of tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran. Clearly Israel knows that for the economy of the west which is seriously preoccupied with prices and inflation, to target the Iranian oil facilities is a red line.

Moreover, to target the Iranian nuclear facilities would open the door for Tehran to retaliate against the Israeli nuclear facilities which will have dire consequences for the whole region and the world.

Therefore, if Israel is seriously thinking of dealing a blow to Iran, it will either resort to targeting personalities from the hierarchy of the country, and/or will be a just a face saving act with superfluous consequences.

Dr Khairi Janbek is a Jordanian writer based in Paris and the above opinion is that of the author and doesn’t reflect crossfirearabia.com.

Analyses

What is The ‘Generals’ Plan’ For North Gaza?

CrossFireArabia
October 6, 2024

Two military experts said the military operation launched by the Israeli occupation army in the northern Gaza Strip is different from previous onslaughts and is aimed at implementing the so-called “Generals’ Plan” that has been adopted at the political level in Israel.

Military expert Maj-Gen Fayez Al-Duwairi, explained that the latest military operation is different from previous invasions, which were within a time frame that sought to gather information about fighters and leaders of the political and military resistance and searching for tunnels and detained prisoners.

Israel's 'Generals’ Plan' isn't about defense—it's about wiping out Palestinian resistance and stealing more land.#LebanonUnderAttack #Israel #Nasrallah #Lebanon #Hezbollah #Garime #GranhermanoCHV #BBNaija #BB26 pic.twitter.com/vsDmwBr9UB
— Afzal Naqui (@AfzalNaqui) October 6, 2024

He explained the new military operation is related to the “Generals’ Plan” that aims to gain absolute control over the northern Gaza Strip and empty it of its population up to the Netzarim axis, where the numbers range between 350,000 and 700,000.

He added the operation also comes within the framework of what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke regarding his aim to redraw the Middle East and with the ongoing Israeli reports about re-establishing settlements in the northern Gaza Strip.

Late last month, Israeli Army Radio reported that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant approved a study of possible operations in Gaza based on the “Generals’ Plan,” which calls for blockading the northern Gaza Strip, halting humanitarian aid and evacuating its residents.

CNN quoted a former Israeli military official as saying the plan aims to turn the northern Gaza Strip into a closed military zone, besiege Hamas fighters and “force them to surrender or starve.”

Al-Duwairi said that implementing the “Generals’ Plan” requires military action on the ground to evacuate civilians who are concentrated in the Jabalia, Shujaiya, Zeitoun, and Sheikh Radwan neighborhoods according to Al Jazeera.