Palestinians fight for their lives and their stolen lands

[Anthea]

Dozens martyred amid Israeli attacks
on Gaza, including aid seekers

Israel continues its deadly assaults on Gaza, killing aid seekers, women, and displaced civilians amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and ongoing siege

At dawn, at least 12 Palestinians were martyred while waiting for humanitarian aid at the Netzarim axis, as Israeli forces opened fire and shelled multiple locations across the Gaza Strip. Among the victims were three women, highlighting the persistent targeting of civilians during aid distributions.

In al-Zawaida, central Gaza, a Palestinian man, his wife, and their three children were martyred following an Israeli airstrike that destroyed their home. The attack is part of a broader campaign by Israel that continues to strike residential areas across the besieged territory.

Also, three Palestinians were martyred and others wounded when an Israeli drone dropped an explosive on tents sheltering displaced persons near the industrial junction north of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. In a separate attack northwest of the city, two women were killed when Israeli forces shelled a tent housing displaced Palestinians.

The attacks are part of what human rights groups describe as the systematic and ongoing massacre in the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to target civilians, including displaced families and aid seekers, in direct violation of international humanitarian law.

The comprehensive siege on Gaza has further intensified the humanitarian crisis. With limited access to food, medicine, and clean water, fatalities from hunger and malnutrition are rising daily. Entire communities are being left to suffer under a deliberate policy of starvation and displacement.

Dozens of Palestinians killed in Gaza as IOF resume onslaught

As the brutal Israeli onslaught continues with no restraint, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported at dawn Saturday that 71 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli fire, including 38 aid seekers.

In central Gaza, one person was martyred and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a home in the Yarmouk area of the al-Daraj neighborhood. Additionally, two martyrs, killed while waiting for aid at a distribution site in the Netzarim corridor, were brought to al-Shifa Hospital.

Another martyr's body was recovered from under the rubble of a destroyed home in the al-Atatra area, west of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

In this context, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that 1,373 Palestinians have been martyred while waiting for aid in Gaza since late May, noting that 859 of them were killed in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, and 514 along food convoy routes.

On Friday alone, 11 more Palestinians were killed, including two near a GHF distribution point, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency. The killings follow a well-documented pattern of Israeli soldiers firing on civilians congregating around GHF trucks and aid convoys.

Only 73 aid trucks entered Gaza on Friday

In a report released by the Gaza Government Media Office on Saturday, it was stated that only 73 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip, most of which were looted due to the security chaos systematically and deliberately engineered by the Israeli occupation as part of its so-called policy of "engineering chaos and starvation."

The statement reads, "We stress that the actual daily needs of the Gaza Strip require no less than 600 trucks of aid and fuel to meet the minimum standards for health, service, and food sectors, especially amid the complete collapse of infrastructure caused by the ongoing genocide."

Additionally, the statement expresses strong condemnation against the "continued crime of starvation, the closure of crossings, and the prevention of humanitarian aid from entering. We hold the Israeli occupation and the state complicit in this genocide fully responsible for the worsening humanitarian catastrophe. We call for the immediate opening of all crossings and the urgent entry of adequate food supplies and infant formula."

Also on Friday, the Gaza Tribal Gathering confirmed that the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip "has not benefited any of the residents" and has been "stolen by the enemy."

In a press conference, tribal representatives rejected on Friday any cooperation with Israeli-US aid distribution centers, stating, “They provide us with aid soaked in blood, and we refuse to deal with them.”

The tribes appealed to the international community and the US envoy to witness firsthand the tragic conditions in Gaza. “Nearly 90 Palestinians are martyred every day. Will this satisfy the free world?” the gathering asked.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... luding-aid

[Anthea]

From the air, Gaza resembles
ruins of an ancient civilization

Gaza has become one of the most heavily bombed regions on earth, with over 60,000 martyred and countless more buried under rubble

In a rare opportunity, The Guardian joined a Jordanian military airdrop mission over Gaza, offering a distant but harrowing glimpse of a land devastated by nearly two years of Israeli bombardment.

From the air, Gaza resembles an apocalyptic ruin, neighbourhoods flattened, roads leading nowhere, and cities reduced to dust and debris. Once vibrant and bustling, Gaza is now a skeletal landscape, not lost to time or nature, but deliberately razed by war.

The flight coincided with "Israel's" decision to resume humanitarian airdrops amid mounting global pressure over severe food and medicine shortages.

Airdrops far from enough

While the Jordanian military dropped three tonnes of aid during the flight, officials admitted the scale is far from enough. Airdrops have delivered only a fraction of what could be brought in by truck and have even resulted in accidental deaths.

Even before the latest escalation, Gaza residents had endured chronic food shortages, compounded by "Israel’s" severe limitations on aid deliveries. Now, with infrastructure decimated and access to food nearly impossible, desperation is universal.

As the aircraft passed over key sites, Nuseirat, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah, each location carried stories of profound loss: children killed in airstrikes, medics buried in mass graves, hospitals under siege, and civilians trying to survive amid crumbling infrastructure.

One poignant moment came as the plane flew over northern Gaza, where a Guardian reporter on the ground, Malak A Tantesh, continued her work despite being displaced, hungry, and cut off from the outside world.

Rafah now lies in ruins, its devastation deepened since May, when the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation assumed control of food distribution. In the chaos that ensued, hundreds were killed in desperate attempts to secure aid.

Just a few kilometres east, among crater-scarred hills, sits the site of a deadly Israeli strike on March 23, where a convoy of Palestinian emergency vehicles was hit, killing 15 medics and rescue workers who were later laid to rest in a mass grave.

Gaza has become one of the most heavily bombed regions on earth, The Guardian revealed, with over 60,000 martyred and countless more buried under rubble.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ent-civili

[Anthea]

Only 8.6% of Gaza’s
cropland is still accessible

Ongoing Israeli aggression and deteriorating security conditions have made the safe delivery of humanitarian aid nearly impossible

Israel’s air and ground assault has decimated nearly all of Gaza’s food production, leaving the population almost entirely dependent on international aid, according to a new report.

The study, released by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and its satellite analysis center, reveals that only 8.6% of Gaza’s cropland remains accessible, just 1.5% of which is both reachable and undamaged, after months of Israeli evacuation orders and military operations.

Ongoing Israeli aggression and deteriorating security conditions have made the safe delivery of humanitarian aid nearly impossible. While "Israel" has recently taken steps to increase aid entry, humanitarian groups say that these measures fall far short of what’s needed.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported back in May that just 5% of agricultural land is left usable, compounding the risk of starvation in the ravaged Palestinian enclave.

In a rare opportunity, The Guardian joined a Jordanian military airdrop mission over Gaza, offering a distant but harrowing glimpse of a land devastated by nearly two years of Israeli bombardment.

From the air, Gaza resembles an apocalyptic ruin, neighbourhoods flattened, roads leading nowhere, and cities reduced to dust and debris. Once vibrant and bustling, Gaza is now a skeletal landscape, not lost to time or nature, but deliberately razed by war.

Even before the latest escalation, Gaza residents had endured chronic food shortages, compounded by "Israel’s" severe limitations on aid deliveries. Now, with infrastructure decimated and access to food nearly impossible, desperation is universal.

Gaza has become one of the most heavily bombed regions on earth, The Guardian revealed, with over 60,000 martyred and countless more buried under rubble

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ssible--un

[Anthea]

Israel intends to take control of all of Gaza

Mass protests have erupted across Israel as the country’s security cabinet was meeting to decide on a full reoccupation of Gaza, a move that would mark a major escalation of the war

Despite international pressure, opposition from the Israeli military and domestic fears the operation will endanger hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for a complete takeover of the besieged enclave nearly two years into the war.

In an interview with Fox News shortly before the security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel plans to take military control of all of Gaza.

“We intend to,” Netanyahu said. He claimed Israel is aiming to “remove Hamas” in Gaza, before handing the territory to “civilian governance that is not Hamas, and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel.”

The prime minister’s comments drew a strong response from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. “What Netanyahu is offering is more war, more dead hostages, more ‘now cleared for publication’ notices, and tens of billions of taxpayer shekels poured into the delusions of (Itamar) Ben Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich,” Lapid said, referring to Israel’s far-right ministers, who have repeatedly pushed for maximalist goals in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Families of some of the 50 hostages who are still in Gaza organized several protests on Thursday, pleading with the government to drop the plan.

Demonstrators sit on a road while wearing chains during a protest outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem on August 7.

“Escalating the fighting is a death sentence and immediate disappearance for our loved ones - look us in the eyes when you choose to sacrifice them. This is the time, put a comprehensive deal on the table that will bring them all back together - all 50 hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a press release.”

The phased plan under consideration would require up to five months, during which approximately a million Palestinians in Gaza City and other areas would once again be forced into evacuation areas in southern Gaza, according to an Israeli official with knowledge of the proposal. The military would establish compounds to house the massive influx of displaced Palestinians.

As part of the plan, Israel and the US would increase the number of aid distribution sites operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) from the current four up to 16 sites, the official said.

Netanyahu has not yet presented a detailed plan on how Gaza should be governed in the future. But speaking to Fox on Thursday, he gave a hint, saying: “We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life – that’s not possible with Hamas.”

The operation, which is intended to increase pressure on Hamas and free the remaining Israeli captives, could be paused if the militant group returns to negotiations, the official noted.

The last round of talks, which began with marked optimism, collapsed two weeks ago after the US and Israel pulled their delegations from Qatar, with US envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of negotiating “in bad faith.” Hamas said it is ready to return to the negotiating table, but only once enough humanitarian aid enters Gaza.

Hamas said Thursday that Netanyahu’s statement ahead of the security cabinet meeting was “a blatant reversal of the negotiation process.”

“Netanyahu’s plans to expand aggression confirm beyond a doubt that he seeks to rid himself of his captives and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests and his extremist ideological agendas,” the group said in a statement.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said it was “pretty much up to Israel” whether to occupy all of Gaza, effectively giving Netanyahu the green light to proceed however he wants.

The Israeli military says it already controls some 75% of Gaza following 22 months of war, which has left much of the territory in ruins and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The expanded operation would see Israel encircle and potentially enter the few remaining areas in Gaza that are outside its direct control in an effort to destroy Hamas. Such a scenario would leave Israel legally responsible for the welfare of Palestinians in Gaza, which is facing a starvation crisis.

But the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned in a meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday evening that a full takeover of Gaza would trap the military within the enclave and put the remaining hostages at risk, sources told CNN Wednesday.

In a rare public acknowledgement of the disagreements between Israel’s military and its political leadership, Zamir said on Thursday, “The culture of debate is an inseparable part of the history of the Jewish people. We will continue to express our position without fear – in a professional, independent, and substantive manner.”
A view from the air as Jordanian air force personnel perform an air drop of aid and humanitarian supplies in Gaza on Wednesday.

On Thursday, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich celebrated Israel’s military operations in Gaza as a means to building Jewish settlements in the territory once again. Visiting the re-established settlement of Sa-Nur in the occupied West Bank, Smotrich said Israel “would one day return to every place we were expelled from.” Using the biblical term for the northern West Bank, Smotrich said, “That applies to Gaza, and certainly to Samaria.”

Protests ahead of the vote

Polls have repeatedly shown that the majority of Israelis favor an end to the war in exchange for the release of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza.

Families of the hostages remaining in Gaza blasted the government’s plan to expand the war.

“Netanyahu is working against the hostages,” said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is still held captive in Gaza. “Netanyahu is working for murdering the hostages by going and continuing maneuvering in Gaza, especially in areas where hostages are.”

Cohen and other family members of the hostages sailed towards Gaza’s maritime border on Thursday, calling for the war to end.

As the flotilla set off from the port of Ashkelon in southern Israel, Lior Horev from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum told CNN the sailing was “an SOS call.”

“The decision of the cabinet to prolong the war will be a death sentence to those alive and will make it impossible to return those who have been murdered by Hamas and still are held in Gaza,” Horev said.

A large group of protesters gathered in front of the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, where the cabinet meeting was taking place.

Family members of some of the hostages wore chunky chains around their ankles and wrists during a protest in Jerusalem.

“When the plans to escalate fighting were revealed, I wrote, I called, I begged, and I came here to say - we’re here, let us in and look us in the eyes and tell us what you’re going to do? Once again they refused to respond,” Lishay Miran-Lavi said at the protest, according to the forum. Miran-Lavi’s husband Omri Miran has been held hostage in Gaza for 22 months.

Another large protest was happening in Tel Aviv as the government was voting on the plan, while smaller gatherings took place across number of Israeli towns and cities.

Meanwhile in Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community in southern Israel that was overrun by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023, a rebuilding ceremony was paused in protest at Netanyahu’s plan.

“The Cabinet is now meeting to discuss a future that will be eternally condemned. It’s time to say — enough!,” representatives of the kibbutz said in a statement.

Nir Oz was one of the communities hardest hit by the terror attacks, with one in four of its members either killed or kidnapped. Nine are still being held hostage in Gaza.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/07/midd ... rsday-intl

[Anthea]

Israeli attacks on Gaza schools
amount to war crimes: HRW

Human Rights Watch says Israeli attacks on Gaza schools sheltering displaced civilians are unlawful and amount to war crimes, urging an arms embargo

Israeli forces have carried out repeated and deadly strikes on schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report on Thursday. The group accused Israel of unlawfully targeting civilians using US-supplied munitions and called for an international arms embargo.

Since October 2023, Israeli airstrikes have hit hundreds of schools-turned-shelters, killing hundreds and causing near-total destruction of Gaza’s education infrastructure. The report highlights the absence of safe spaces for Gaza’s displaced, with nearly one million Palestinians having sought refuge in schools during the ongoing war.

"Israeli strikes on schools sheltering displaced families provide a window into the widespread carnage that Israeli forces have carried out in Gaza," said Gerry Simpson, associate crisis, conflict, and arms director at Human Rights Watch.

HRW investigated multiple school strikes, including the July 27, 2024, attack on Khadija Girls’ School in Deir al-Balah and the September 21, 2024, strike on al-Zaytoun C School in Gaza City. The organization found no evidence of military presence at either location and concluded that both attacks were unlawfully indiscriminate under international humanitarian law.

Despite requests for clarification by HRW, Israeli authorities have not provided evidence of military targets at these schools or details of precautionary measures taken to avoid civilian harm. The presence of displaced civilians does not alter the protected status of schools under the laws of war.

Systematic targeting, use of US munitions highlighted

According to the report, 97% of Gaza’s school buildings have sustained damage, with 76% directly hit. HRW also documented the use of US-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs in the attacks, raising serious concerns about US complicity in potential war crimes.

Independent reports from +972 Magazine and Local Call revealed that the Israeli military had established a "strike cell" to systematically identify and target schools under the claim that Resistance fighters were operating from them. The use of "double tap" strikes, hitting the same location multiple times to target first responders and survivors, was also reported.

According to the HRW report, the UN and humanitarian organizations have reported that repeated school strikes have displaced thousands of families and worsened the already catastrophic situation. UNRWA confirmed that at least 836 people sheltering in schools had been killed by mid-July 2025.

A recent assessment by the Education Cluster in the occupied Palestinian Territory found that 92% of schools require full reconstruction or major repairs, impacting generations of children and educators. Human Rights Watch emphasized that even if Palestinian fighters were present near some schools, the use of force must still comply with international law. Attacks that cause disproportionate civilian harm relative to anticipated military advantage constitute war crimes.

The group reiterated its call for governments, particularly the United States, to suspend arms transfers to "Israel" due to the clear risk of these weapons being used in serious violations of international law. "Governments should suspend all arms transfers to Israel and take other actions to prevent further mass atrocities," Simpson said.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded in June that Israeli attacks on educational, religious, and cultural sites amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination.
Detailed case: Khadija girls’ School, Deir al-Balah

On July 27, 2024, Israeli forces carried out three airstrikes on Khadija Girls’ School in Deir al-Balah, killing at least 15 people, including women and children. The HRW mentions that the school, which had been sheltering around 4,000 displaced people, was also operating a field hospital linked to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

HRW found no signs of any military activity at or near the school. The strikes, some using US-made GBU-39 bombs, destroyed parts of the campus. Social media videos analyzed by HRW show scenes of destruction, injured civilians, and munition remnants.

Despite claims by the Israeli military that the site was being used as a Hamas command center, no evidence has been presented. Witnesses said there was no warning before the initial strike, in which most of the casualties occurred.

On September 21, 2024, an airstrike hit al-Zaytoun C School in Gaza City, killing at least 34 people, mostly women and children. The report details that the school was part of a larger compound sheltering thousands of displaced people, including widows and orphans.

HRW and Airwars found no indication of combatant presence at the site. Videos and witness accounts describe multiple munitions falling without warning. At least one US-made GBU-39 bomb was confirmed to have been used in the strike.

Survivors described horrific scenes: "Suddenly missiles started raining down on us, there was no warning," said one woman. "What have we done as children? We wake up and go to sleep terrified," said a young girl interviewed by the BBC.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... rimes--hrw

[Anthea]

Gaza Occupation Plan Unfolds

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday vowed to eradicate Hamas and secure Israeli communities, declaring that the militant group “must not exist in Gaza” following a cabinet decision to press ahead with intensive operations in the territory

In a statement posted on X, Katz said Hamas poses “a danger to Israel’s security” and, beyond the “horrific massacre” it carried out, remains part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement and continues to seek Israel’s destruction.

“Such a terrorist organization must not exist in Gaza,” Katz stressed. He said Thursday’s security cabinet decision to intensify operations sends a “clear message”—that Israel is determined to achieve the war’s objectives: the complete defeat of Hamas, the creation of conditions for the return of all hostages, and the establishment of a strong and comprehensive security perimeter in Gaza.

Katz noted that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been authorized to approve the IDF’s plans to implement the cabinet’s decisions and that the army is already preparing for their full execution. “Our enemies will find us as one strong and united fist that will strike them with great force,” he said, adding that international condemnation and sanctions threats “will not weaken our resolve.”

“The days when Jews did not defend themselves are gone,” he continued. “We must be worthy of our heroic soldiers… the hostages’ families awaiting their loved ones, the families of the fallen… and all the wounded who fought like lions to defend the homeland. Together we will act and prevail.”

IDF Chief: Gaza Plan Will Be Executed “In the Best Way”

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Friday that the army would execute the Gaza occupation plan “in the best way,” despite reports he had warned of its implications, particularly for hostages held by Hamas.

According to a military statement, Zamir told commanders: “We are dealing with the new plan, we will deepen its planning, and we will prepare at the highest level as we have done every time in the past.” He pledged to maintain readiness for both the state’s security and the safe return of hostages, alongside the goal of eliminating Hamas. “As the battle develops, the army will work to preserve the lives of the hostages,” he said.

The Gaza occupation plan, approved by Israel’s security cabinet, has drawn strong criticism. Palestinian leadership labeled it a “new crime,” the United Kingdom called it “wrong,” and Germany suspended arms exports for use in Gaza. In Israel, hostage families warned the move would endanger the lives of their relatives.

According to the Times of Israel, the plan—focused initially on Gaza City—was approved overnight Thursday to Friday despite IDF warnings about risks to the 20 hostages believed to be alive. Residents have been given until Oct. 7, 2025, to evacuate, with the possibility of the IDF moving into other areas later

Rift Between Netanyahu and IDF Chief

Before the cabinet meeting, Zamir reportedly opposed the full occupation of Gaza. The session followed the collapse of ceasefire and hostage negotiations with Hamas, with Zamir expected to present Netanyahu with multiple military options.

Netanyahu has informed ministers of his intent to seek full cabinet approval for occupying the Gaza Strip, a move Zamir is said to oppose. This disagreement has sparked fierce backlash from Netanyahu’s allies, with some urging Zamir to resign if he refuses to follow orders.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/85 ... an-unfolds

[Anthea]

'A death sentence for us all':
Gazans' fears over takeover plan

Residents of Gaza City have told the BBC they are living in fear after the Israeli government announced plans to takeover the territory's largest city

"We are peaceful civilians. We have nothing to do with what is happening. Netanyahu knows that," said resident Abu Mohammad.

"All this pressure is on us, not on Hamas. The movement's leaders and their families are abroad. They're not here among us."

Under the plans announced last night - and agreed by Israel's security cabinet - the Israeli military would take control of Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of people, with a view, it says, to disarming Hamas, freeing the hostages, and establishing security control over the Strip.

The plan has been met with heavy condemnation by much of the international community, with United Nations (UN) human rights chief Volker Türk saying it would "result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes".

Israeli air strikes continued in Gaza City on Friday

"And it's going to be a death sentence to every Palestinian, I think the whole population in Gaza will be killed, either by bombardment or by hunger."

Local resident Dr Hatem Qanoua said: "We're collapsing across every aspect of life: food, education, healthcare. Even if the war ends, we'll suffer for years."

He added: "I'm very afraid for my children and all the innocent people who may die. I'm over fifty, if I die, it doesn't matter. But what about the children? They've never lived a normal life. They've only known death, destruction, and deprivation."

More than 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military began its operation, in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since the start of 2025, at least 99 people, including 29 children under the age of five, have died of malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization - which says its figures are likely underestimates.

UN agencies warned of severe food shortages

Many residents told the BBC they were fearful of being displaced from their homes - or the temporary shelters they are staying in - if the plan goes ahead.

Sabrine Mahmoud said: "I will not leave my house. We will not live through displacement again. We left Gaza City for a whole year and endured the harshest humiliation in al-Mawasi. We will not repeat the mistake. Let them destroy the house over our heads – we will not leave."

Abu Mustafa said Israel has "turned evacuation into a game: 'Leave here, now go there.'"

Another resident, Um Ahmad Shalah, said: "We won't evacuate, because when we did, we saw torture.

"We want the Arab countries, Trump, and all other nations to have mercy on us and stand with us, and feel for us. We cannot provide a kilo of flour for our children. We cannot afford to buy it."

But some Palestinians also directed anger at Hamas, for what they said was a failure to negotiate an end to the war.

Ehab al-Helou, Gaza City resident and social media influencer, wrote online: "I swear to God, Hamas leaders are living in a science fiction world. Have mercy on the people. Who are you to decide to sacrifice us?"

Activist and resident Khalil Abu Shammala accused the group of "choosing suicide" and taking Gaza's population with it, saying Hamas was "clinging to power over our dead bodies".

Other residents said they were indifferent to the new plan, saying the Israeli military already had control over their lives.

"What are they threatening? Gaza is occupied. We are in a cage, they are surrounding the cage, and we are inside it," said one man.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy534012y3o

[Anthea]

I will live here, and I will die here

Palestinians defiant as Israel plans to seize control of Gaza City

Displaced repeatedly. Forced to live in tent camps or amid the ruins of their homes. Stricken by hunger and deprived of medical supplies.

Now, 22 months into the war, around 1 million Palestinians are bracing for another catastrophe after the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to take control of Gaza City. Such an offensive would force them toward the south of the territory, and an uncertain future.

“Since this morning, after hearing the news of evacuation of Gaza City, I have been feeling anxious and afraid,” said Umm Ibrahim Banat, a 55-year-old mother originally from northern Gaza, who has already been displaced four times. “Where will we go with the children and the elderly? I swear we are exhausted from displacement, starvation, and being driven from one place to another.”

“Now,” she said, “We are the walking dead.”

After a 10-hour overnight meeting, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday that his security cabinet had approved a plan to take over Gaza City, marking another escalation of Israel’s offensive that has killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 the plan, which would mean sending ground troops into the territory, could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the territory and force approximately 1 million Palestinians in Gaza City and other areas into evacuation areas in the southern part of the strip.

“Gaza has been completely destroyed – what more can they do?”, said Banat, whose daughter Maryam was killed with her husband and children. “We have lost the best of our youth; our territory is a huge prison besieged by land, sea and air; the destruction has become unbearable; diseases are spreading, tents stretch as far as the eye can see, water is contaminated, prices are insane, hospitals are in ruins, our lives are utterly tragic! What more do they want?”

The timing of another Israeli major ground operation is unclear since it is likely to require mobilising thousands of troops. However, according to sources familiar with the details of the meeting, the evacuation of Gaza City is scheduled to be completed by 7 October.

It is unclear how many people still reside in the city, which was Gaza’s largest centre of population before the war. In the opening weeks of the conflict in 2023, hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the conflict, but many returned during a ceasefire at the start of this year.

Although residents of Gaza City say they have not yet received an evacuation order, many are already preparing to leave once again, hoping to find a safe place to live in the south.

“If we are ordered to evacuate, I will leave everything and go, fearing for my family and children,” says Abu Nasser Mushtaha, 35, a father of four and a resident of Gaza’s Rimal neighbourhood. “The cost of staying would be too high. I have already lost enough; my mother was killed at the beginning of the war when the Israeli occupation bombed a neighbouring house.”

“I have already started making a financial plan to reduce expenses and planning to move only the essential items, said Mushtaha, before concluding: “This will, without a doubt, be the end of Gaza’s people.”

'Nothing left to occupy'

Palestinians, at least 90% of whom have already been displaced at least once by the war and of whom nearly one in 10 have been injured in Israeli attacks, are braced for further misery. There is little remaining of the healthcare system, and aid agencies such as the UN have been largely shut out by Israel.

The war has already forced thousands to find refuge in cities such as Khan Younis and Rafah. Now, with both reduced to little more than rubble, it is unclear where civilians escaping the new offensive can hope to live. For this reason, while thousands are already planning yet another flight, just as many are determined to remain in Gaza City – even if it means risking their lives.

“How can all these people be emptied into the south, which is already overcrowded?” asked Hossam al-Saqa, 46, a father of two from Gaza City. “We are staying in our homes and on our land, holding on to them. I will not leave, even if all the weapons are pointed at my head.”

“I see Netanyahu’s and Israel’s propaganda as nothing more than media fireworks meant to intimidate and spread fear among the people,” he said. “This will not scare us, for God is with us, and He is stronger than everyone.”

Al-Saqa, like others in Gaza City, said he saw the occupation plan as an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting surrender after talks mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar appeared to have broken down last month.

“This is our land where we grew up since childhood, and we will not give it up easily,” said Ibrahim Abu al-Husni, 47, who lost his eldest son, who was 23, during the war. “I will not leave this city.”

“I will live here,” he said, And I will die here.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

Anas al-Sharif, journalists
targeted killed by Israeli strike

Israeli occupation forces killed Anas al-Sharif and three other Palestinian journalists in Gaza City, following an incitement campaign

Palestinian journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammad Qraiqea, and photojournalists Mohammad Nawfal and Ibrahim Daher were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a tent used by the journalists in the northern Gaza Strip.

The martyred journalist, al-Sharif, had been subject to an Israeli incitement campaign accusing him of being a member of Hamas' armed wing and carrying out rocket launching operations.

However, al-Sharif and Al Jazeera Network, whom he reported for in northern Gaza, denied such claims as completely false.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement on July 24, 2025, saying that al-Sharif was a target of an Israeli military smear campaign.

"The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely worried about the safety of Al Jazeera Arabic’s Gaza correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, who is being targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign, which he believes is a precursor to his assassination," CPJ underlined.

"The IDF have made unsubstantiated claims that many of the journalists they deliberately killed in Gaza were terrorists, including four Al Jazeera staff — Hamza Al Dahdouh, Ismail Al Ghoul, Rami Al Refee, and Hossam Shabat. CPJ classifies such cases as murder," the American non-profit explained.

237 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel

The strike on the tent housing the journalists, near al-Shifa Hospital, also injured journalist Mohammad Soboh, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported.

Israel’s relentless campaign to silence coverage of its atrocities in Gaza has claimed the lives of 237 journalists.

Determined to suppress the truth about the genocide being waged against Palestinians, the occupation systematically targets those striving to document its war crimes.

While Palestinian reporters risk — and often lose — their lives to bring the reality of Gaza to the world, Israel has further tightened its media blackout by banning foreign journalists from entering the Strip, except under tightly controlled, propagandistic tours escorted by its occupation forces.

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[Anthea]

Gaza mourns as Israelis massacre
dozens in relentless assaults

Israel continues its deadly assaults on Gaza, killing aid seekers, journalists, and displaced civilians amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and ongoing siege

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Monday that hospitals have received the bodies of 69 martyrs, including one retrieved from under the rubble, and 362 injuries over 24 hours. Many victims remain trapped beneath debris and along roads, unreachable due to continued bombardment.

Death toll 61,499 Palestinians, in addition 153,575 injured

Since March 18, 2025, the toll has risen to 9,989 Palestinians killed and 41,534 wounded.

Moreover, as the Israeli-made famine looms over Gaza, 29 starved Palestinians were killed since early morning, and over 127 were injured while trying to receive aid at designated "aid distribution sites" and were later transported to hospitals, as per the Ministry's report.

The death toll among Palestinians killed while seeking food aid in designated distribution zones has now climbed to 1,807, with more than 13,021 others wounded, according to the report

The report added that the death toll from starvation and malnutrition in the besieged Strip, with the death of five Palestinians, including one child, has risen to at least 222, among them 101 children.

New Israeli massacre in Khan Younis, al-Zaytoun

The Gaza Strip has witnessed a new wave of massacres, with dozens martyred and many more wounded in a series of Israeli strikes targeting homes, schools, aid points, and journalists, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza.

From dawn until morning, the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, came under heavy bombardment. Nine Palestinians, including six children, were martyred in an Israeli strike on the area.

Israeli aircraft also targeted Al-Falah School in al-Zaytoun, wounding several people. Civil Defense teams confirmed that three injured people were transported from inside the school following the attack. Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, an Israeli drone strike targeted a residential home in Khan Younis, killing seven people.

The Israeli occupation also launched artillery shelling and helicopter gunfire east of al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, and artillery bombardments on al-Zaytoun and al-Shuja’iyya neighborhoods east of Gaza City.

Additionally, Al-Awda Hospital in al-Nuseirat reported receiving five martyrs in the past 24 hours, including a child, along with 26 injured. These casualties resulted from strikes on gatherings at an aid distribution point south of Wadi Gaza and bombardments on areas in central Gaza. Seven of the wounded were transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital for further treatment.

At dawn, an Israeli drone targeted the journalists’ tent in front of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, killing journalists Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqea, and Mohammad al-Khalidi, photographers Ibrahim Zahir and Mohammed Noufal, and injuring journalist Mohammed Subh.

This latest attack raises the number of journalists martyred by the occupation during the ongoing genocide to 238, per Gaza's Government Media Office.

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[Anthea]

In a poignant final message, slain Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif left a powerful testament to his life's work and the ongoing struggle in Gaza

Al-Sharif, who grew up in the Jabalia refugee camp, dedicated his career to giving voice to the Palestinian people

His heartfelt words, released posthumously, paint a vivid picture of the human cost of Israel’s war on Gaza, urging the world not to forget Gaza and its suffering inhabitants.

His message also serves as a deeply personal farewell to his family, including his young children and wife, whom he entrusts to the care of those who hear his words.

Al-Sharif's final statement stands as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by journalists in conflict zones and the enduring impact of their work.

His plea for continued support for Palestine and its people resonates as a call to action for those committed to peace and justice in the region

https://youtu.be/ZnZG-PA2VlI?feature=shared

[Anthea]

Netanyahu’s plan for a full Gaza takeover

Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu has spared no effort to advance a “full takeover” of Gaza, affirming his criminal Zionist setup’s support for a deeply entrenched occupation. For all the talk about reaching a ceasefire, the understanding – reportedly communicated in a high-level meeting with Israeli officials – scores home the view that Netanyahu, a principal obstacle to enduring peace, needs to be met with firm consequences

Palestinian lives and liberties are not to be taken for granted, and a resistance born out of defying the criminal colonial rule has substantial incentive to push back against this blatant takeover plot. "You [Netanyahu] are going to create a trap in Gaza," remarked Israeli Occupation Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir recently, while conveying that Netanyahu risks significantly endangering the lives of the hostages and can cause the army to weaken its ranks.

Thus, as cracks between Netanyahu and the Israeli armed forces widen, and genocidal intent becomes more evident, there is significant incentive for international outcry to tighten the screws on the Zionist regime. The same regime that favors a near-permanent, violent occupation.

First, there is evidence to suggest that the takeover plan is Netanyahu’s bid to court the favor of Israeli far-right extremists. Members within his own ranks have for months called for an escalation of a brutal genocide that has raised substantial alarm, from the United Nations to on-ground journalists. Both of whom have witnessed Israel’s deliberate starvation, attack tactics, and mass Palestinian casualties.

By using an entrenched occupation as the regime’s own prerogative, even "Israel’s" staunchest supporters, such as France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, need to be met with strong pressure from human rights groups, grass-roots advocates, and defiant pro-Palestinian voices. The same assets that have helped shape public opinion against genocide sponsorship.

Netanyahu, who has a history of trying to step up tensions within his coalition and with the occupation military, appears to be using the occupation plot as a political maneuver to save domestic face. It shows in his reckless decision to fire Gali Baharav-Miara, the attorney general tasked with prosecution in the current corruption case.

Add to it the growing unease in Washington over the current state of the war, and it is understandable that Netanyahu is using Gaza as a deflection tactic to score points at home and prevent central criticism of his leadership, including on the conduct of the genocide, from taking center stage.

So far, international outcry has focused on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza without imposing significant repercussions on the occupation itself. Look to US-backed plans to undercut UN aid distribution operations in Gaza: despite some reservations, the Zionist regime did push forward with its brutal operations, and provided an inlet for its aggressive forces to shoot and attack under the garb of assistance distribution. This is important because the claim made by Netanyahu isn’t just rhetoric at play: it demonstrates a conscious intent to encroach upon the liberties of a population that has been a target of unspeakable atrocities, war crimes and genocidal conduct, but for decades.

For these reasons, power circles focused on "Israel" and the war need to open up their wings. France’s stated recognition of Palestine should be backed by near to no concessions for the Zionist regime, regardless of these being seen as some strange “compromises” to promote movement towards Palestinian autonomy.

Penalties, including formal castigation of Israeli war criminals and the occupation leadership privy to the takeover plans, need to be imposed with the consent of rights watchdogs. This includes members of the UN who uncovered these notorious anti-Palestinian designs months ago. Movement towards targeted sanctions already became evident back in May, with scores of lawyers calling for sanctions on "Israel" over Gaza.

International outcry is also critical to prevent further disruption in credible, effective relief operations by entities on ground. Look to the catastrophic damage imposed by the "Israel"-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: it was a step towards circumventing the operations of the United Nations, an entity with widespread international consensus to help ameliorate the suffering of over 2 million Gazans. Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition could easily read the occupation push as an attempt to entrench Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, and thereby, seek to secure full immunity for the unspeakable suffering and future injustices.

“All States must act decisively to prevent Israel’s destruction of the conditions of life in Gaza and stop its endless war on humanity,” said UN experts recently. “States must do everything in their power to restore the UN humanitarian system in Gaza.”

The momentum so far has been disappointing. Despite talks of airdrops and intermittent funding for UN operations, it is clear that "Israel" has enough space to circumvent international scrutiny to continue its present status quo of brutal genocidal atrocities in Gaza.

For these reasons, countries witness to Netanyahu’s blatant Gaza takeover pledge need to put their commitments into action. If a status quo of bloodshed and unmitigated Israeli aggression is certainly a concern, little should keep these states, chiefly Western sponsors of the genocide, from imposing consequences on a coalition that prides itself on future annihilation.

https://english.almayadeen.net/articles ... l-pushback

[Anthea]

Israeli settler violence in escalates

Settlers, backed by Israeli forces, rampage through the West Bank, torching property, assaulting civilians, and pushing illegal expansionist efforts

Israeli settlers launched a violent wave of attacks across the West Bank overnight, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, burning Palestinian property, shooting live rounds that left several wounded, and brutally assaulting civilians.

Israeli occupation forces carried out mass arrests

In the town of Atara, northwest of Ramallah, settlers set fire to four vehicles and hurled Molotov cocktails at a house in the eastern part of the town, causing property damage, while also scrawling racist graffiti on walls, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Firefighting crews worked to extinguish the flames, and Israeli occupation forces moved in to secure the area and protect the settlers.

The attack comes after Israeli settlers once again set up colonial outpost tents on the slopes of Khirbet Tarafin Mountain near the entrance to the town of Atara, in an attempt to seize roughly 2,000 dunams of land, an area recognized as an archaeological site, even though the occupation forces have demolished these structures four times before.

Three Palestinians were wounded by live fire in al-Mazra'a al-Sharqiya, east of Ramallah, during a settler assault on the al-Burj area, amid weeks of intensified attacks linked to efforts to expand illegal settlement outposts onto Palestinian land.

IOF launch wide-scale raids

Israeli occupation forces also raided the village of al-Asakira east of Beit Lahm, storming the home of Fadi Mahmoud al-Asakira and ransacking its contents without making arrests, while simultaneously invading the Askar refugee camp east of Nablus.

The IOF also stormed Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin while simultaneously surrounding a nearby building, subsequently arresting two young men, Mousa Turkman and Abdullah Sawafta, from inside the besieged structure adjacent to the medical facility.

This escalation comes as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that "the West Bank is part of Israel by divine promise," while expressing confidence that "a historic announcement regarding sovereignty over the territory" is imminent

The far-right extremist minister recently approved the advancement of the E1 settlement plan, yet another occupation project that would effectively sever the occupied east al-Quds from the rest of the occupied West Bank.

Smotrich declared that the plan would effectively eliminate any prospect of a Palestinian state, calling it the "final nail in the coffin" for Palestinian sovereignty, while confirming that the proposals had been developed in full coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and what he referred to as "our allies in the United States."

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[Anthea]

UN urges Israel to stop repeated
targeting of Gaza aid security team

The UN urged Israel to halt repeated attacks on Palestinians guarding aid convoys in Gaza, warning such strikes worsen famine and violate international law

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine on Friday urged the Israeli military to immediately halt attacks on Palestinians providing security for humanitarian and other supply convoys in Gaza, warning that such strikes are obstructing aid delivery and worsening starvation among civilians.

In a statement, the office reported 11 incidents since the beginning of August in which Palestinians guarding convoys in North and Middle Gaza were targeted, killing at least 46 people, mostly security personnel and some aid seekers, and injuring many more.

The most recent strikes occurred on 13 August in the As Safwani and Al Karameh areas of North Gaza, reportedly killing at least 12 people and injuring 18 others, followed hours later by another attack in the At Twam area that killed six more.

The UN body said these attacks appear to be part of a recurring pattern of deliberate targeting of civilians involved in safeguarding essential supplies, echoing previous strikes on civilian law enforcement since 7 October 2023.

It noted that dozens of such incidents have been recorded, undermining law enforcement, creating chaos around aid convoys, and deepening the humanitarian crisis.

Citing international law, the office stressed that civilian police officers and security personnel are protected from attack unless directly participating in hostilities, which does not include guarding humanitarian food convoys.

As the occupying power, "Israel" is obliged to ensure the safety of the population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, it said, adding that attacks on civilian security personnel violate this obligation.

Engineered Starvation

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said earlier on Friday that the number of "breadwinner martyrs" killed while trying to secure aid has now reached 1,898, with 14,113 others injured as a result of the occupation targeting those waiting for assistance.

The Government Media Office in Gaza added that more than 780 members of aid security teams have been killed to prevent relief from reaching designated warehouses, facilitating the theft of supplies.

It has repeatedly stated that the small amount of aid allowed in, already far below the minimum needs, is often looted amid security chaos deliberately manufactured by the occupation as part of a policy of engineering hunger and disorder.

The UN rights office also revealed that between 27 May and 13 August, at least 1,760 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid, 994 near GHF sites and 766 along supply convoy routes, with most of the killings attributed to Israeli forces.

While acknowledging the presence of other armed elements in some areas, it said it had no evidence linking them to these killings, and called for urgent, independent investigations and accountability for those responsible.

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[Anthea]

Dozens martyred, hundreds wounded

Israel kills 26 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza while the Israeli-manufactured famine claims 11 more lives as blockade and attacks deepen the humanitarian crisis

The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip announced today that 70 martyrs, including eight whose bodies were recovered, and 385 injured have been admitted to hospitals in the enclave over the past 24 hours due to the Israeli aggression.

The ministry noted that a number of victims remain trapped under rubble and on the roads, as ambulance and civil defense crews have been unable to reach them so far

According to official statistics, the death toll from the Israeli war has risen to 61,897 killed and 155,660 injured since October 7, 2023, while the number of fatalities and injuries since March 18, 2025, up to today has reached 10,362 dead and 43,619 wounded.

The Health Ministry provided updated casualty figures from Israeli attacks on Palestinians gathering for humanitarian aid, known locally as the "flour massacre" incidents.

In the past 24 hours, 26 people were killed and 175 were wounded while attempting to access food supplies, bringing the total to 1,924 deaths and more than 14,288 injuries since the attacks on humanitarian queues began.

Gaza hospitals recorded 11 starvation-related deaths, including one child, in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of famine victims to 251, among them 108 children.

Starvation, aid massacres continue unabated

This comes as Israel relentlessly continues its war on Gaza and has been accompanied by a complete blockade of the territory that includes restrictions on fuel, medical supplies, and food deliveries, severely worsening humanitarian conditions and hampering rescue and relief efforts.

Two Palestinian siblings, 16-year-old Mahmoud Suhail al-Dabba and his 25-year-old sister Hanan, died Friday after weeks of malnutrition and deteriorating health under Gaza's blockade, medical sources confirmed on Saturday.

Additionally, six Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike while awaiting humanitarian aid in Gaza's Zikim area were brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, medical sources reported.

An Israeli shelling attack struck Palestinians gathered at a food distribution point south of Wadi Gaza, killing nine people, including a woman and six children, and wounding 14 others, according to medical officials at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat who received the casualties.

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