Gaza Before The Israeli Genocide

CROSSFIREARABIA – According to many pictures and images Gaza was a wonderful place prior to 7 October 2023. The above picture of Al Rasheed Street, the one we used to hear about endlessly on Al Jazeera. It doesn’t exist any more – all destroyed due to Israeli bombs and malice.

Despite the Israeli-imposed siege on the enclave since 2007, the Strip was a plush territory with modern institutions, schools, universities, hospitals and a developing economy despite the squeeze. There was a sense of sustenance, cordiality, community and camaraderie among its people but no more.

It had an urban culture with buildings, towers, villas, house and yes, shanty refugee camps occupied by a population of 2.2 million that lived in the 364 square-kilometer strip but no more. For the lives of the people had been turned upside down.

The familiar face of Gaza disappeared quickly, all gone since 7 October when the Israeli army began its mass destruction and slaughter. Towns, cities and villages were razed to the ground whilst turning its people en masse into displaced persons running from one place to another to seek safe shelter.

But in Gaza there is no safe place, the Israeli military is making sure of that. Their bombs and weapons of mass destruction have made sure that men, women, children, old and young keep moving to where, nobody knows.

Israel has dropped 82,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip according to the Government Media Office in Gaza City. This figure was for early August, 2024 and its is likely to be much higher now. The amount of wreckage and debris is colossal. The UN Environment Program has stated amounts to 40 million tons of rubble (figures for July) and it would take 15 years to clear.

One blogger points out the Israeli military – army, air force and navy because Gazans are being bombarded from all directions – has dropped 36 kilograms of explosives for every man, woman, and child in Gaza.  

This is a giant number that can’t be fathomed by the human mind.

The image (as provided by the UN Satellite Center, 6 July) shows that each red dot points to a bombed place in Gaza with the blogger adding this is what genocide looks like.

The huge explosives were dropped by Israeli warplanes, tanks and from the sea since the Jewish state started its war on the enclave after 7 October, 2023.

Israel’s war on Gaza is being facilitated by US support which has provided Tel Aviv with much of the weapons and mass bombs – some of these MK84 and weigh 2000 pounds per piece, other bombs weigh 1000 pounds and others still 500 pounds – for willful destruction of a thriving Palestinian society.

The Israeli Defense Ministry stated last August that the United States has provided Israel 50,000 tons of military equipment and hardware since it launched its onslaught on the Gaza Strip after 7th October, 2023. This enormous tonnage was delivered to Israel through 500 mega transport planes and 107 ships delivering hardware through sea.

Israel has destroyed 430,000 houses, 821 mosques, 3 churches, 206 historical sites, 25,000 kilometers of sewage networks and 700 water wells so far and the carnage continues.

Israel has killed more than 41,000 civilians and over 95,000 in Gaza, yet its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war must go on, while the Joe Biden administration take a backseat and continue to supply the weapons.

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Top Israeli Military Chief Quits His Job Over 7 October

Israeli chief of staff Herzi Halevi made a dramatic announcement in the Israeli media he would resign in the coming December.

This piece of news is currently trending on the social with many speculating over the reasons for his acquittal amidst a war on Gaza that continues full blast ahead.  

His resignation, along with a string of others is being made for the failure to stop the 7 October attacks, 2023 in which Hamas fighters invaded Israeli territory took back to Gaza 250 hostages in never-before events in which up to 1200 Israelis were killed.

Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster said Halevi decided to step down at the end of this year, pending the conclusion of investigations into the Israeli military’s failure to respond effectively to the Hamas attacks according to Anadolu.

Halevi disclosed his plan to step down during a conversation with his associates, indicating that he believes the end of the year is an appropriate time to announce his resignation, reports continued.

By late December, Tel Aviv is expected to complete its investigations into the army’s failure to thwart Hamas’s attack on 7 October, the Turkish news agency stated.

Halevi’s expected resignation comes after chief of the Israeli army’s intelligence Unit 8200 Brigadier General Yossi Sariel quit his post over the failure to prevent the 7 October events, according to Israeli media.

He is one of seven top army officials who resigned after criticism from different sections of the political and military establishments for failing to protect Israelis and stop the Hamas incursion.

In the last three months, the Israeli army’s Gaza Division commander, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, head of the Shin Bet security agency’s Southern District, and an intelligence officer in the Gaza division have all resigned because of pressure.

On 3 September Tamir Yadai, the chief of the Israeli army’s ground forces, resigned for “personal reasons” after three years in his post.

Major General Aharon Haliva, head of the Israeli army’s Military Intelligence Directorate, resigned on 22 April for failing to predict the Hamas attacks into the Israeli territories that sorround Gaza.

And before that Brigadier General Amit Saar, head of the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Research Division, resigned in the first week of February 2024 “due to personal reasons, unrelated to the unit’s failure to sound the alarm about the 7 October attack, but over illness,” according to Israeli media reports.

More than 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,100 injured, since Israel started its military offensive on Gaza after 7 October.

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UN Experts Condemn Attacks on Palestinian Journalists

UN experts* condemned incidents of violence, harassment, intimidation and obstruction of journalists in the occupied West Bank, which have recently escalated under Israel’s sudden military offensive launched on 27 August.

“We strongly denounce the attacks and harassment of journalists in the illegally occupied West Bank, which are nothing but crude attempts by the Israeli army to block independent reporting on potential war crimes,” the experts said.

There have been at least three incidents in September, in Jenin and Tulkarm, where Israeli security forces fired live ammunition at journalists or their vehicles, while they were reporting on military operations and civilian casualties. At least four journalists were injured as a result, even though several of them wore clearly marked press jackets.

Since 27 August, journalists, including a team from Al Jazeera, have been impeded from doing their work and forced to leave under threat from the Israeli military. In one case, the military searched their personal phones and forced them to delete material. At least one journalist has been arbitrarily arrested and interrogated, while numerous others reported being chased by bulldozers operated by Israeli security forces.

“It is deeply disturbing to see Israeli soldiers in the West Bank replicating the same disdain for the safety of journalists as in Gaza in blatant violation of international law. Foreign media continue to be denied access to Gaza and now their safety in the West Bank is also being seriously threatened, gravely hindering their journalistic work,” the experts said.

Since October 2023, at least 29 journalists have been detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, and three by the Palestinian Authority. Several of them continue to be under administrative detention. Cases of journalists, including women journalists, subjected to ill-treatment while in Israeli detention, including sexual and gender-based violence, have been well documented.

“Detention of journalists, along with reports of torture and ill-treatment and violation of due process in the context of an occupation that the International Court of Justice just declared unlawful, raise serious concerns regarding the punitive nature of such deprivation of liberty, and the right of journalists to tell the world about the assault on the Palestinian people’s self-determination, continued dispossession, forced displacement and oppression,” the experts said.

They were concerned that not a single case of a journalist killed, injured or harassed in the occupied Palestinian Territory has ever been transparently investigated or the suspected perpetrators brought to justice by Israeli authorities. Even the emblematic killing of Shireen Abu Akhleh in 2022 remains unresolved despite clear evidence of Israeli forces’ culpability.

“As long as Israel remains an occupying power, it is obliged to respect the work of journalists and media workers in the occupied Palestinian Territory, and to ensure their safety, in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law,” the experts said.

As recalled by the International Court of Justice, Israel’s excessive use of force against Palestinians contributes to the illegal nature of its occupation and is inconsistent with its obligations under the Hague Regulations, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are encouraged to consider the widespread and systematic attack on journalists and media workers as part of their ongoing investigations,” the experts said.

“The genocide in Gaza has overshadowed the distress of journalists in the West Bank, but this recent escalation makes it imperative that the international community pay more heed to what is happening in the West Bank and strongly denounce Israel’s actions.”

The experts are in contact with the Government of Israel on this issue.

*The experts: Irene KhanSpecial Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Francesca AlbaneseSpecial Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

Reliefweb

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UN Official Likens Destruction of Gaza to a ‘Horror Film’

Between 17,000 and 18,000 children in Gaza are currently orphaned and without protection said UN Humanitarian Coordinator Muhannad Hadi in a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in Brussels, Thursday.  

Hadi highlighted the dire conditions faced by these children, noting that many are forced to gather firewood instead of attending school or playing due to a lack of electricity and cooking gas. 

He described the sight of children selling worthless items, such as broken door handles or cups, on the streets as a stark indication of the extreme poverty in Gaza. The shortage of cash has further exacerbated the economic and humanitarian crisis according to Wafa, the Palestinian news agency.

During his visit to Gaza in August, Hadi likened the extensive destruction he witnessed to a “horror film,” emphasizing that basic necessities like clean water, coffee, and breakfast have become distant dreams after 11 months of war. 

Hadi also discussed the significant challenges faced by humanitarian workers in delivering aid, citing issues with visas, border crossings, and other obstacles. 

He noted the grave risks they encounter, including incidents of gunfire targeting UN and humanitarian vehicles. For instance, a World Food Programme vehicle was hit by 10 bullets in August.

Hadi reported that 214 staff members from UNRWA and seven from the Global Central Kitchen have lost their lives in the course of their work during the ongoing Israeli aggression. 

He warned that the crisis in Gaza and the West Bank has far-reaching implications for the entire region.

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Ruined Lives: 22,500 Injured in Gaza Permanent

At least one quarter or 22 500 of those injured in Gaza by 23 July are estimated to have life-changing injuries that require rehabilitation services now and for years to come, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis of the types of injuries resulting from the ongoing conflict in Gaza: Estimating Trauma Rehabilitation Needs in Gaza using Injury Data from Emergency Medical Teams.

The analysis found that severe limb injuries, estimated to be between 13 455 to 17 550, are the main driver of the need for rehabilitation. Many of those injured have more than one injury. According to the report, between 3105 and 4050 limb amputations have also occurred. Large surges in spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and major burn injuries all contribute to the overall number of life-changing injuries, which includes many thousands of women and children.

“The huge surge in rehabilitation needs occurs in parallel with the ongoing decimation of the health system,” said Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. “Patients can’t get the care they need. Acute rehabilitation services are severely disrupted and specialized care for complex injuries is not available, placing patients’ lives at risk. Immediate and long-term support is urgently needed to address the enormous rehabilitation needs.”

Currently, only 17 of 36 hospitals remain partially functional in Gaza, while primary health care and community-level services are frequently suspended or rendered inaccessible due to insecurity, attacks, and repeated evacuation orders. Gaza’s only limb reconstruction and rehabilitation center, located in Nasser Medical Complex and supported by WHO, became non-functional in December 2023 due to lack of supplies and specialized health workers being forced to leave in search of safety, and was later left damaged following a raid in February 2024. Tragically, much of the rehabilitation workforce in Gaza is now displaced. Reports indicate 39 physiotherapists have been killed as of 10 May. In-patient rehabilitation and prosthetic services are no longer available and the number of people with injuries requiring assistive products far exceeds the equipment available within Gaza. Partners report that stocks of essential assistive products such as wheelchairs and crutches have run out and it is difficult to replenish supplies due to the restricted flow of aid into Gaza.

The analysis focuses solely on new injuries sustained since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023. However, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza were already living with pre-existing chronic conditions and impairments before this, putting them at significant risk due to the lack of appropriate services.

The estimates in the analysis will be used by WHO and partners to plan for a surge in rehabilitation-related services and contribute to long-term health planning and policymaking.

Amidst the ongoing hostilities, it is critical to ensure access to all essential health services, including rehabilitation to prevent illness and death. WHO reiterates its call for a ceasefire, which is critical for rebuilding the health system to cope with escalating needs.

Reliefweb

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