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Amnesty: Israel is Starving Gaza Deliberately

CrossFireArabia
August 18, 2025

Amnesty International on Monday said that Israel is carrying out a “deliberate campaign of starvation” in Gaza after it published new testimonies of starved civilians.

“Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life,” Amnesty International said in a statement as it published chilling new testimonies of starved displaced civilians.

It noted that the ongoing hunger and disease in Gaza is not an “unfortunate byproduct” of Israel’s military operations but rather an “intended outcome of plans and policies” that Israel has designed and implemented according to Anadolu.

“As Israeli authorities threaten to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, the testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

Pointing to the “catastrophic” consequences of Israel’s blockade and genocide for civilians, she noted that its impacts “cannot be undone” by increasing the number of aid trucks or “restoring performative, ineffective and dangerous airdrops of aid.”

“Palestinian children are being left to waste away, forcing families into an impossible choice: helplessly hearing the cries of their emaciated children pleading for food, or risking death or injury in a desperate search for aid,” Guevara-Rosas added, underlining that Israel’s deliberate and systematic campaign of starvation continues to inflict “unbearable suffering” on an entire population.

She stressed that most families in Gaza are “beyond breaking point,” warning that an “already catastrophic situation” could descend into even “deeper horror” if Israel proceeds with its plan of a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City.

“The world cannot continue to pat Israel on the shoulder for trickling in aid and viewing these cosmetic measures as a sufficient response to its calculated destruction of the life of Palestinians in Gaza,” Guevara-Rosas further said.

She also urged the international community to uphold their moral and legal obligations to bring an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide.

“States must urgently suspend all arms transfers, adopt targeted sanctions and terminate any engagement with Israeli entities when this contributes to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” Guevara-Rosas added.

Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

News

Gaza City: At What Cost Occupation?

CrossFireArabia
August 18, 2025

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir officially approved a plan on Sunday to occupy Gaza City, local media reported.

Defense Minister Israel Katz is scheduled to formally approve the plan next Tuesday, according to Israel’s official broadcaster, Kan.

The Security and Political Cabinet will meet later this week to approve the plan, Kan said, adding that Nitzan Alon, the army’s official in charge of prisoners and hostages, took part in the discussions that led to the decision.

The plan includes a broad forced evacuation of Palestinians over at least two weeks, beginning with a military operation followed by a gradual entry into the city. Israeli authorities will present the evacuation plan to US officials at their request.

Channel 12 reported that the plan will be ratified by the government before the end of the week.

On Aug. 8, the Israeli Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to gradually occupy the Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City.

As part of the plan, on Aug. 11, Israeli forces launched a major attack on the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, including house demolitions using explosive-laden robots, artillery strikes, random gunfire, and forced displacement, witnesses told Anadolu.

Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

News

Israel Has ‘No Idea of What to Do in Gaza’

CrossFireArabia
August 17, 2025

Israel’s military said Saturday it is preparing to forcibly move Palestinians from Gaza City to the southern part of the enclave, as part of its broader plan to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, a move that has drawn widespread international criticism.

Army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed in a statement that starting Sunday, the army would resume allowing the entry of tents and shelter equipment for Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war.

He alleged the supplies would be brought in “under the supervision of the United Nations and international relief agencies” through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza after “thorough inspections.” Neither the UN nor aid groups have issued immediate comment.

The announcement came a day after Israeli media, including public broadcaster KAN, reported that the army was preparing to accelerate its offensive aimed at capturing Gaza City. Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth said army forces received orders to get ready for a full-scale ground incursion, though not before September.

“The Israeli claims about providing civilians with tents are nothing but a blatant attempt to whitewash the crime of mass forced displacement it has been committing since the start of the genocide in Gaza,” Ismail Thawbteh, director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, told Anadolu.

He warned that the area the Israeli army intends to designate for these tents to house the displaced civilians could become “a new blood trap,” similar to what happened in al-Mawasi area west of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where more than 1.5 million people were herded in recent months.

“The forced displacement of civilians under occupation constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

Thawbteh said the planned transfer of civilians is part of a “systematic policy to empty Gaza of its residents and replace the right of voluntary and safe return with an imposed reality of tents and isolated areas.”

On Wednesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved what he called the “central idea” of Israel’s reoccupation plan, including an assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, where the army’s 99th Division has already been deployed.

Last week, Israel’s Security Cabinet endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully reoccupy Gaza, triggering international outrage and domestic protests that warned it amounted to a “death sentence” for Israeli captives held in the enclave.

The plan envisions starting with the takeover of Gaza City by displacing nearly 1 million residents to the south, surrounding the city, and then carrying out raids into its neighborhoods. A second phase would involve retaking refugee camps in central Gaza, much of which has already been reduced to rubble.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing 61,900 Palestinians.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

News

Journalist Body Found After 44 Days Under Rubble

CrossFireArabia
August 17, 2025

The bodies of journalist Marwa Musallam and her brothers were recovered from under the rubble of their home after 44 days.

Gaza civil defense teams managed to recover three bodies after their house was bombed in Al Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City 44 days ago.

The intensity of the Israeli strikes and bombing meant the defense teams were not able to recover the bodies tell recently.

It is estimated that over 10,000 bodies lie under the rubble in different areas of Gaza because of the Israeli war on enclave that started soon after 7 October, 2023.

News

US Police Arrest Israeli Official in Underage Sex Scandal

CrossFireArabia
August 17, 2025

Las Vegas police, working with the FBI, Homeland Security, and Nevada’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, announced the arrest of eight men on Wednesday. One of them was Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, 38, a top Israeli cyberwarfare official.

Alexandrovich works directly under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He serves as Acting Head of Data & AI at Israel’s National Cyber Directorate. His job safeguards Israel’s critical infrastructure, including power grids, airports, and sensitive intelligence networks.

According to Las Vegas authorities, Alexandrovich and others were charged with luring a child with a computer for a sexual act. In Nevada, this felony carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Alexandrovich is the founder of Israel’s multi-million-dollar “Cyber Dome” initiative. The program uses AI to detect, neutralize, and repel cyber threats before they reach critical systems. He has deep access to Israel’s cyber secrets and classified partnerships with foreign powers.

His position makes him one of Israel’s most powerful cyber officials. Experts say any ally, including the United States, would normally monitor such a figure closely. He was in Las Vegas for a professional conference, not as a registered diplomat. He has no diplomatic immunity. Yet U.S. authorities allowed him to board a plane and return to Israel within days, without trial, bail conditions, or public explanation

Israeli outlet Ynet reported only that Alexandrovich was “briefly detained for questioning… before his release and return to Israel.” The report did not mention the felony charges or the multi-agency child predator sting led by US authorities according to the Quds News Network.