Gantz: Netanyahu, Cabinet Unfit For Office

Former War Cabinet member Benny Gantz, Tuesday, lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu and his extreme rightwing Cabinet. He said both, the prime minister and his ministers ,are unfit to perform their duties amidst the ongoing war in Gaza.

He was talking about the recent spat between Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to local radio FM103 as reported in Anadolu.

Gantz, head of the opposition National Unity party, said their differences over the conduct of the war in which Netanyahu continues to speak about “total victory” over Hamas in Gaza do not serve either of the extreme politicians from the Likud Party.

But it is clear Gantz is on the side of Gallant who represents the army’s view which at best wants a political solution to the war. Gantz says the Netanyahu government is not qualified or able to achieve its declared goals of “absolute victory” against the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian resistance movement, nor is it able to secure the release of the 115-or Israeli captives held in different parts of Gaza.

For Gantz, the release of those in captivity are a top priority and wants the Israeli government to reach a deal to secure their freedom but many in Israel, including their relatives, feel Netanyahu is not interested in securing a political deal and continues to brush off any mediation efforts.

Animosity

On Monday, Netanyahu and Gallant traded words about the conduct of the war in Gaza Strip. Gallant accused the Prime Minister of obstructing a prisoner swap deal with the Palestinian group. This is while Netanyahu lashed out at the Defense Minister, accusing of following an anti-Israel stance.

Last week, Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediators called on Israel and Hamas to finalize the details of a cease-fire where the hostages can go back to their homes and the guns and missiles can stop.

While Israel said it will send a delegation to the talks, Hamas demanded the mediators present a plan to implement the ceasefire proposal supported by US President Joe Biden that it had agreed to on 2 July.

But indirect talks mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt continue to be intractable after 10 months of bloody mayhem. Netanyahu continues to talk about a partial ceasefire where he would secure the release of the hostages and offer no commitment to ending the war, something which Hamas rejects. The group wants the about 1.5 million displaced refugees to return back to their homes including to north Gaza while Netanyahu says this is not possible.

The Israeli onslaught on the Strip has since 7 October 2023 killed roughly 39,900 people while the Gaza Media Office states the number of deaths have already topped the 40,000-mark. These are mostly women and children with the injured standing at over 92,000 people.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine reports the Turkish news agency.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

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Israel: Making Gaza Uninhabitable

After more than 300 days of war, over 15,000 children have been reported killed. Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Ground incursions and heavy fighting persist with 86% of Gaza’s areas under forced evacuation.

The humanitarian “safe zone” is under repeated attacks and evacuations, severely limiting humanitarian operations and forcing food distribution points and kitchens to close and evacuate.

Almost 40,000 Palestinians have been reported killed, up to 70% being women and children, and over 91,000 have been reported injured. Additionally, it is estimated that more than 10,000 people are missing under the rubble. Over 6% of the entire population of the Strip has been either killed, injured or is missing.

The indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, schools, UN and INGO facilities, and residential buildings have caused massive destruction. More than 60% of residential buildings and 80% of commercial facilities have been damaged or destroyed, including 57% of cropland, limiting the functionality of the food system.

This is while 88% of all schools sustained damages and 650,000 students are impeded to attend classes.

Out of 36 hospitals, only 16 are partially functioning, of which 11 are partially accessible due to insecurity or physical barriers, such as damage to entrances and surrounding roads. Very heavy restrictions on humanitarian access, lack of adequate medical care and prevention measures have entailed the spread of diseases, including Hepatitis A, especially among children in overcrowded shelters.

Polio has been detected in water in some areas of Gaza, which raises fears of an outbreak.

Humanitarian Access

Israel allowed less than 1,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza in July, compared to the pre-war average of 500 truckloads per day, including fuel. This situation exacerbates the breakdown of law and order, which continues to pose challenges for aid delivery in Gaza. Rafah crossing remains closed by the Israeli forces.

West Bank

Security in the West Bank is sharply deteriorating, with hundreds of Palestinian deaths, thousands of arrests, and severe mobility restrictions impacting daily life. Since 7 October, at least 605 fatalities were registered among Palestinians, including 144 children.

Nearly 3,600 Palestinians, including over 1,600 children, have been displaced, due to settler violence and intimidation, home demolitions, and destruction of residences during militarized law enforcement operations.

Reliefweb

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Boy Clings to Shoes of His Dad Killed by Israeli Bombs

A heart-wrenching scene from a funeral in Gaza shows a Palestinian child clinging to his father’s shoe. His father was killed by the ongoing Israeli bombardment of civilian areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli genocide on Gaza continues after 10 months with the number of martyrs topping the 39,000-mark and those injured standing at over 91,000.

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Yedioth Ahronoth: 10,000 Soldiers Killed, Injured, Conscripts Angry

At least 10,000 Israeli soldiers have either been killed and/or injured the Yedioth Ahronoth pointed out Sunday.

The figure is trending on the social media with many news websites quoting the number stating that the total deaths and injured took an upward swing since 7 October, 2023 when Israel waged a war on Gaza.

The Israeli daily newspaper said some 1,000 soldiers are transferred every month to the Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation department due to injuries sustained in the Gaza war as reported by Anadolu.

“The army is suffering from a shortage of at least 10,000 soldiers killed or wounded during the long months of fighting in the Gaza Strip,” the daily said.

 The newspaper explained that the Israeli Knesset began its summer vacation without legislating a law to extend compulsory military service, leaving Israeli soldiers who have been fighting in Gaza for 10 months in a state of shock and confusion.

Yedioth Ahronoth stated that this has caused “significant frustration among regular soldiers” who “are increasingly angry, especially those due for discharge next month after nearly 10 months of continuous combat.”

The daily quoted the father of a Nahal Brigade fighter in Rafah, Gaza Strip, saying: “Never before in Israeli history have soldiers fought in enemy territory under such harsh conditions for 10 months straight. Our children are deeply committed but feel ashamed to report the situation.”

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India Must Stop Supplying Weapons to Israel

A group of eminent citizens in India has written a letter to the country’s defense minister, calling on him to halt the license process that enables exporters to send arms and ammunition to Israel.

“India should immediately suspend its collaboration in the delivery of military material to Israel. Further, India must immediately make every effort to ensure that weapons already delivered to Israel are not used to contribute to acts of genocide or violations of international humanitarian law,” said the letter to Rajnath Singh according to Anadolu.

The group included former Supreme Court and high court judges, economists, activists and authors including Booker prize-winning author Arundhati Roy.

“You are therefore requested to review and cancel/suspend all existing licenses for the supply of military arms and munitions by Indian companies to Israel,” the letter said.

The group, who addressed the media in the capital, New Delhi, also demanded that details of export licenses, including the countries to which exports are being made, continue to be in the public domain.

“The details used to be available on a website, but they have been removed,” said renowned lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

The group said in the letter that at least three companies in India dealing with the manufacture and export of arms and munitions have been granted licenses for the export of arms and military equipment to Israel, even during the ongoing war in Gaza and even after rulings of the International Court of Justice.

“India is bound by various international laws and treaties that obligate India not to supply military weapons to States guilty of war crimes, as any export could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” it said.

Roy emphasized demanding the halt of arms supplies to Israel.

Economist Jean Dreze read out a statement by the Right to Food Campaign, an informal network of organizations and individuals.

It said the group is “appalled by the merciless use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza by the Israeli government.”

On Wednesday, left-wing parties in a statement also demanded India to “cancel all export licenses and permissions to various Indian companies for the supply of military arms and ammunition to Israel.”

While the government has not issued any statements regarding arms supplies to Israel, the Al Jazeera Media Group in an investigation claimed that New Delhi was supplying weapons to the country.

In June, former Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said that India might be supplying weapons to Israel as a “sign of gratitude for Israeli assistance” during the Kargil war of 1999 between India and Pakistan.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 39,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6 according to the Turkish news agency.

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