Palestinians fight for their lives and their stolen lands

[Anthea]

Fresh Attacks on Houthi

The Unites States Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that the US and the UK have carried out a new round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen as the Iran-aligned armed group continues to target commercial shipping in the Red Sea

"As part of ongoing international efforts to respond to increased Houthi destabilizing and illegal activities in the region, on Jan. 22 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa / Yemen time), U.S. Central Command forces alongside UK Armed Forces, and with the support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted strikes on 8 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen," wrote CENTCOM on X on Monday

Since November, the Houthis have launched attacks on numerous ships on the Red Sea waterway, causing disruptions to global maritime trade and prompting concerns about the potential impact on the world economy.

CENTCOM stated that these strikes aim to diminish the Houthi capability to persist in their reckless and unlawful assaults on US and UK vessels, along with international commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier today, media sources reported that several senior Houthi commanders have been killed in this heavy US air strike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Since October 17th, there has been a discernible surge in assaults on US interests and Coalition bases in the Middle East, spurred by the renewed conflict between Israel and Palestine.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/837314

As far as I have been able to ascertain, the ships targeted by are those carrying supplies to Israel or those who are supporting such trade

I firmly believe the only way to stop the slaughter of Palestinians is to prevent ships taking supplies to Israel

So far NOBODY else has done anything to prevent supplies reaching the murderous Israelis and the GENOCIDE is continuing

[Anthea]

War with Hezbollah would skyrocket food prices

An Israeli food company says that consequences on the Israeli society would be severe if the north witnesses a military escalation

Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the occupation entity suffered a rise in food prices this year due to increased shipping costs, attributed to the growing Yemeni operations, concerns over maritime routes in the Red Sea, and Hezbollah's operations on the northern occupied Palestinian border.

However, these prices would soar even higher in the case that a war with Hezbollah would start, the outlet said.

Hezbollah has launched operations in support of Gaza since October 8, which saw hundreds of strikes against Israeli military bases and sites. This has prompted almost a quarter-million Israelis to evacuate northern settlements, which primarily serve as the entity's main poultry and agricultural production regions.

Nir Goldstein, the General Manager of the GFI Israel, a research institute dealing with alternative protein and food security, stated in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom that the Israeli production capacity has been significantly affected because "agriculture and poultry farming are concentrated at the northern borders."

He added that "importers are hesitant to raise prices now for fear of criticism during wartime."

"If things escalate into a war with Hezbollah, there will be a shortage of eggs and poultry, and prices will skyrocket," Goldstein warned.

The institute's director also noted that "Israel" has three ports through which 98% of its food is imported.

Haifa port is currently facing threats from the north and serves as the main gateway for essential food imports, with 70% of goods passing through it. "Therefore, the consequences will be severe if the battle with Hezbollah intensifies."

A report prepared by Israeli company Shaldor and published by GFI in December 2023 revealed that 84% of animal-based food supplies in "Israel" are at significant risk, not only due to imports but also because 26% of food items are exposed to very high risks, such as beef and fish, "in the scenario of a severe war, in the event of a front opening against Hezbollah."

Goldstein also points to the possibility of disruptions in maritime routes, especially those coming from the east. For example, 85% of cattle reach "Israel" by ships through the ports of "Eilat, Ashdod, and Haifa, and all these ports are threatened by enemies."

Hezbollah's impact goes beyond rocket range

A report by NPR last week detailed that the Israeli economy is enduring more difficulties now that tensions have worsened along the Lebanese border.

The NPR reports that, for instance, The Golan Heights Winery owners said that not only tourism and visitors have dwindled since the outbreak of the war, but daily operations have been disrupted as well.

Although Hezbollah rockets haven't reached the winery location yet, the economic toll is evident. CEO Assaf Ben Dov notes that the winery's production schedule has fallen behind due to staff shortages caused by reservists being called up for active duty.

Even more severely affected is the Galil Mountain Winery, situated in the settlement of "Kibbutz Yir'On", just a few hundred yards from the Lebanon border.

The winery has been shut down since October, with daily access requiring military permission. The vineyards, vital for wine production, are currently inaccessible, raising concerns about the impact on the upcoming season.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... israeli-re

[Anthea]

Ruling on ICJ emergency measures

News24 a South African news website reported today that South Africa expects the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule this Friday on whether it will grant emergency measures to stop the war in Gaza

When asked about the matter, a spokesperson for South Africa's justice ministry told Reuters "No communique yet" while a spokesperson for "Israel's" foreign ministry said he "was not aware and was looking into it."

South Africa asked the ICJ earlier this month in its lawsuit against "Israel" to order an emergency suspension of "Israel's" devastating war in Gaza, stating that it is committing genocide.

"Israel" miserably tried to dismiss the genocide claim and labeled it as "grossly distorted" using the right of self-defense and Hamas as an excuse.

In the initial ruling, the ICJ will not rule on whether "Israel" is committing genocide. Instead, it will rule on the possibility of applying emergency measures, meant as a kind of "restraining order" while the court studies and investigates the full case, which usually takes years.

Related News: Zakharova slams Germany for support for 'Israel' in ICJ genocide case

Indonesia v Israel'

Indonesia has taken legal action against "Israel", filing a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the Israeli entity's violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.

According to reports from the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Jakarta submitted the case to the ICJ in The Hague amid the ongoing brutal bombardment of the besieged enclave by the Israeli entity.

Earlier reports indicated that Indonesia had sought the assistance of a team of experts to draft a case at the ICJ, aiming to hold "Israel" accountable for its "policies and practices" in the occupied Palestinian territories. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized the need for expert advice to present a detailed legal opinion showcasing Israeli violations of international law.

Last week, Indonesia and Slovenia declared their intention to actively engage in the request for an advisory opinion regarding the Israeli genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.

This is happening as the ICJ is set to hold public hearings on February 19, during which Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and other involved parties will present their viewpoints on the legal repercussions of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

"Indonesia supports the efforts of the UN General Assembly to obtain an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice,” Marsudi said.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ng-on-frid

Exactly HOW are the ICJ going to stop the war?

So far the only people who are taking affirmative action, are the Houthi rebels who are trying to enforce a blockade on goods reaching the Israelis

For some unknown reason the US and UK are attacking Yemen and seem intent on allowing support for Israel to continue

[Anthea]

Yemen protecting international law

Yemen is receiving many condemnations for its actions in the Red Sea aimed at putting an end to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, while those upholding the genocide in blatant violation of international law are applauded

The United States has grown to be greatly abhorred, and while there are a plethora of reasons to hate such a state, the hatred it has thus far garnered goes in part back to its self-interested military interventionism that dates as far back as the 19th century and protracts until this very day. Moreover, this could also go back to its sham of championing international law and the need to respect it all the while neglecting its stipulations to a T.

Looking back at US history, its path to the top as an empire is paved with the dead bodies of many foreigners whose governments dared move against Washington's interests, many of whom were killed through military interventionism, with many others killed by their sanctions and embargoes, among other means of starvation and oppression.

It is rather easy to see how waging wars and starving people thousands of miles away can make an enemy out of the United States, but this narrative is nothing new; the US has long been painted as a criminal for its abominable actions. However, when looking at the casus belli of the wars it has waged, it is more abominable and condemnable than ever before.

Although the United States likes to portray itself as this ideal nation protector of human rights that would not even go as far as tossing a stone at someone if unprovoked or in defense of their favorite select minorities or whatnot, granted this provocation can be completely manufactured by the White House, the reality is often disappointing, and its reasons to go to war have never not been self-interested.

Now, one cannot simply argue that a nation should abandon all reason, disregard its interests, pack its bags, and go to war for the benefit of another people or state, but at least if the US is going to pretend that it cares about human rights, let at the very least one intervention be humanitarian issues-driven and with actual, non-manufactured consent from the peoples of the country or region set to be invaded.

Violating international law for own interests

The intentions of the United States when it comes to foreign interventionism can be traced back to the 1800s Monroe doctrine that aimed to ban any European colonialist intervention in North and Latin America. Washington claimed that its actions were to protect itself and other regional states from the hegemons. But in reality, the entire document was just a bid for it to conceal its expansionist imperialistic ambitions in Latin America, with Cuba and Mexico being key states it sought to utilize as vassals.

One of the clearest manifestations of Washington's self-interest is how it dodged or struck down the invocation of the Monroe Doctrine several times by the countries of the region whose governments felt there was a threat to their independence and territorial integrity and sought help from what they thought was their ally, which later on confirmed that the Doctrine had been created solely to serve the United States and its interests.

This went on to become even clearer when US President Theodore Roosevelt made the Roosevelt Corollary, which permitted his country to intervene in the affairs of other nations if they violated the guidelines set by the United States. Although at the time this allowed for intervention solely in the Americas, Washington made sure later on to allow itself to act in clear violation of the sovereignty of independent nations worldwide.

This could be traced to any conflict the United States entered or aggression it initiated, from the First and Second World Wars to the invasion of Libya, involvement in Syria, etc., and even today when it came to its aggression on Yemen earlier in January.

In WW1, even though states close to the United States were being battered, the United States only entered the conflict when its own merchant and passenger ships were attacked by the Germans, not to mention when it realized that if the Allies were to lose the war, they would likely be unable to get the loans they had given them prior.

When it came to WW2, despite the reports about the horrors being committed by the Axis Powers, most notably the several genocides being perpetrated by the Nazis, the US remained indifferent — perhaps because it was praying for the collapse of Europe so that it could reign as an uncontested hegemon — until the Japanese attacked US soil.

In every subsequent invasion, military intervention, and even serious diplomatic efforts in the wake of WW2, the United States had but itself in mind when it came to every single decision it made, in utter disregard of the stipulations of international documents and conventions.

Let's talk Yemen

When it came to Yemen, its leadership and Armed Forces were and are acting not in their own interest, but that of the people of Gaza, entry of aid to which is either prohibited or extremely limited depending on the Israeli regime's mood; the stipulations of Sanaa were incredibly clear and could not be misunderstood even if one were to try: allow the entry of aid to Palestine or no supplies will reach the Israeli occupation through the Red Sea.

The United States and the United Kingdom, alongside several countries that seemingly care for a steady stream of military supplies to the Israelis but not the Palestinians, took it upon themselves to defend the international trade route by bombing Yemen, code for defending the Israeli occupation, and as they sought to support their ally, so did Yemen as it concerned itself with the ongoing aggression on Gaza, going out of its way to do what the US and co have been describing as "piracy", "terrorism", and "holding international trade hostage". This is notably bold from a country known for imposing blockades on anyone it opposes, which could arguably be called a disruption of international trade.

Away from international law, the United States and Britain here are aiming to continue supplying a party committing genocide with foodstuff and other goods while punishing a party standing with the victims of genocide, and in the process, they doomed themselves. Their own actions of bombing a foreign country had consequences and they used that cause and effect to further criminalize Yemen.

The consequence in action? Upon being bombed, Sanaa declared that no US- or UK-flagged ships were allowed to cross through the Red Sea after the ban was in effect only on Israeli-flagged, operated, and bound ships; the US simply turned itself once again into an enemy of the Yemeni people, and the latter would not let that fly - or sail in this case.

This led to various attacks on US cargo ships and joint Western strikes on Yemen in "retaliation" in a bid to "debilitate" its Armed Forces and make it more difficult for them to attack any US interests or those of its staunchest ally.

No need for Congress

When it comes to humanitarian issues, such as calling on the Israeli occupation to commit to a ceasefire or allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip, the Biden administration cannot bypass Congress and must adhere to procedure. However, suddenly, when the President wanted to bomb Yemen, he brazenly and completely bypassed Congress to attack a sovereign, independent nation in complete violation of international law.

The UN clearly defines it as illegal for a UN member state to "threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state," which Joe Biden acted undeniably against - again, this points to his and many other administrations' complicity in undermining and breaking international law to benefit itself. While many other states may commit acts that are considered to be a violation of international law, no one does it quite like the US in the sense that it wants to police the international arena about abiding by international law while itself violates it whenever it gets the chance to.

This also highlights that the President can bypass Congress whenever needed, a clear indication that Biden is not calling for a ceasefire in Gaza just because he does not want to, putting it up to a lengthy bureaucratic process that could take years before it results in any action, making him complicit in the ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation.

Who really is safeguarding international law?

Article I of the 1948 Paris Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime Convention, more commonly known as the Genocide Convention, clearly states that the contracting parties, among whom is Yemen, are obligated to undertake to prevent or punish the act of genocide whether it is committing in time of peace or war, which is exactly what Yemen is doing at a time when both the Israeli occupation and the United States are violating international law through committing genocide and the use of violence against a sovereign state, respectively.

But is what the Israeli occupation committing truly an act of genocide? That can be decided by simply reading the stipulations of Article II of the Genocide Convention, to which the Israeli occupation is a signatory, which clearly lays out what classifies an act of aggression as genocide. But let's go through them just in case.

- Killing members of the [targeted] group: check. The Israeli occupation has thus far killed more than 25,000 people in Gaza.

- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group: check. More than 63,000 people have thus far been wounded in the ongoing aggression, with thousands of children suffering from severe trauma as they can be seen shaking and experiencing panic attacks among other clear signs of trauma.

- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part: check. There has been a stifling blockade in place on Gaza since 2007, with the Israeli occupation even putting limits on the amounts of food and other dietary substances that can enter Gaza. Human Rights Watch even published an extensive report on the Israeli occupation's usage of starvation as a weapon of war.

- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group: check. While the Israeli occupation is killing a mother in Gaza every two hours and 29% of those killed in Gaza are women, that was not enough, for when it invaded the al-Shifa Hospital following its ground invasion of Gaza, numerous reports and images showed babies dying outside of their incubators after the occupation imposed a blackout that deprived them of what was literally keeping them alive.

- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group: check. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has reported that the Israeli military has kidnapped Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip. According to the report, Israeli officer Harel Itach, a Givati Brigade commander, kidnapped a Palestinian infant from her family home in Gaza following the killing of her family members. The specific date of the incident was not disclosed, but the organization underscored the significance of taking this information seriously.

With that, it can be concluded that what is being committed is genocide; one does not need the International Court of Justice to point out the obvious as the ruling on the Israeli occupation's crimes is pending, as it probably will be for years.

Moreover, going through the aforementioned, it is clear that the Israeli occupation is not only violating the Genocide Convention; but also international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and that is just on the issue of not allowing the entry of aid and foodstuffs to Gaza as people starve and resort to eating grass and animal feed.

Taking all of that into account - the fact that "Israel" is truly committing genocide

Yemen has been clear in its approach to the aggression, stating that it is acting solely with the intent to stop the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, which is unequivocally valid under the first article of the Genocide Convention and is actually an obligation under international law. We don't really see the Soviets condemned for liberating concentration camps upon entering Germany, now. Do we?

Today, in this Western-imposed atmosphere of unilateralism and censuring of any attempt to subvert any act of violence perpetrated by a Western-backed party, Yemen proves to be an exemplary icon of Resistance with its unwavering support for Palestine and upholding of international law at a time when those who proclaim to be its chaperones are breaking it just so that their Amazon packages are not delayed as they turn a blind eye to the blatant crime being carried out by one of their closest allies that they will seemingly keep defending to the grave.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... israel--vi

[Anthea]

Red Cross Warned Total Medical Collapse

On Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that the Gaza Strip is at risk of total medical collapse due to the Israeli aggression, which caused more than 25,000 deaths and 62,000 wounded

Only two hospitals currently provide advanced emergency medical and surgical services to the more than two million inhabitants in Gaza, the ICRC stressed in a statement.

The Nasser Medical Complex and the Gaza European Hospital, both located in the south of the enclave, are the only referral centers providing such services there, which is insufficient for the high number of wounded.

It stressed that the territory's hospitals are overcrowded with wounded, sick and refugees, while lacking medical supplies, fuel, food and water.

Concrete action must be taken to preserve access to life-saving and emergency medical care in the Gaza Strip, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

The international relief agency stressed that two more facilities are at risk of being lost due to the fighting, including Al-Amal Hospital, located in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

International humanitarian law states that all parties to the conflict must fully respect and protect medical infrastructure, recalled William Schomburg, head of the ICRC's Gaza office.

Schomburh noted that "the cumulative impact on the health system is devastating," and called for urgent action.

If the few facilities currently open cease to function, the world will witness thousands of avoidable deaths given the size of the population, the current extreme living conditions, the collapse of the health system and the intensity of the fighting, the ICRC said.

The Committee urged the parties to the conflict to "ensure the safety of hospitals and the people in them, including health workers, the wounded and sick."

It also called for the timely resupply of items necessary for the operation of these facilities such as medicines, fuel, food and water.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Gaz ... -0013.html

[Anthea]

Call on states to stop arming Israel

Several humanitarian organizations come together to condemn the continued supply of arms to Israel despite the ongoing genocide

At least 16 renowned international humanitarian groups have launched a unified request on all UN member states to ban arms exports to "Israel" as the Israeli occupation continues its homicidal onslaught in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Oxfam, Save the Children, Amnesty International, and the American Friends Service Committee issued the request in a joint statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the organizations "demand an immediate ceasefire and call on all states to halt the transfer of weapons that can be used to commit violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."

The statement detailed that it is the obligation of all nations to "prevent atrocity crimes and promote adherence to norms that protect civilians," calling their commitment to do so "long overdue".

The US and Europe have armed "Israel" with billions of dollars in military aid, making them accomplices in the slaughter of the Palestinian people and directly responsible

Writing for Le Monde Diplomatique on Monday, Gilbert Achkar argued that the US, particularly under the Biden administration, has significantly shifted its historical approach of trying to present itself as an impartial arbiter in the Israeli aggression on the Arab region.

Achkar contends that the US bears direct responsibility for the Gaza massacre by supplying Israel with substantial weaponry, noting that by late November, the US had delivered 57,000 artillery shells and 15,000 bombs, including powerful BLU-117s and BLU-109 ('bunker buster') bombs, some weighing almost a ton each.

The US had provided 244 arms deliveries by cargo plane and 20 shipments by boat to Israel by December 25.

Achkar contends that President Biden bears direct responsibility for the Gaza massacre, noting that his disagreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on post-war plans does not absolve them of joint responsibility for the war itself.

Scholz considering arming Israel even further

Der Spiegel reported earlier this month that the German government was contemplating an Israeli request for about 10,000 precision-guided 120mm tank ammunition. All of the agencies concerned have approved the request.

In November last year, a source in the German government told Reuters that "approvals for arms exports to Israel in 2023 have increased about 10 times compared to 2022," indicating Berlin's prioritization of arms exports to "Israel" since the onset of the aggression against Gaza.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that more armament deliveries are potentially conceivable.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry Wednesday accused Benjamin Netanyahu of ignoring the UN and international calls for a ceasefire.

The Ministry responded to Netanyahu's comments about continuing the war for another 6 months as "the genocide and forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip" continue.

The statement further added that Netanyahu is enabled by the "failure of the international institutions to bear their legal and moral responsibilities to end the occupation."

The Gaza director of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said earlier on Wednesday that two tank shells had hit a building sheltering 800 people in the city of Khan Younis, with reports that nine people had been martyred and 75 more were injured.

On Tuesday, the Israeli occupation military said it had "encircled" Khan Younis, Gaza's main southern city, which has become the epicenter of recent battles with the Palestinian Resistance.

The attack on the shelter in southern Gaza's biggest city sparked international condemnation, while the United Nations slammed a "blatant disregard" for the rules of war.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... rming--isr

[Anthea]

ICJ fails to order ceasefire

In the UN's top court hearing, the World Court stated that it would not dismiss the case despite the Israeli request, calling on the occupation to halt all military action that aligns with genocide

The United Nations' highest court asserted its jurisdiction to act on the emergency measures sought by South Africa in its lawsuit against "Israel's" actions in the Gaza war.

Despite the Israeli request for dismissal, the World Court stated that it would not dismiss the case.

On Friday, the UN's top court ordered that some rights presented by South Africa in its genocide case against the Israeli war on Gaza are plausible.

As the reading proceeded, the court recognized the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide, adding that the Palestinians are a protected group under the genocide convention. However, the ruling does not deal with the core accusation of the case - whether genocide occurred - but focuses on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa.

Among the measures South Africa requested was an immediate halt to the Israeli military operation, which has laid waste to much of the enclave and killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel is expected to take measures against genocide acts

The Court ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide acts in Gaza, ensure its forces do not commit genocide, and take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

Israel is required to submit a report to the court within a month, detailing its actions to comply with the order. Furthermore, it must implement measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in the context of its war on Gaza.

The state of Israel shall.... take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention.

In a comprehensive decision, 15 of the 17-judge panel of the ICJ voted in favor of urgent measures, addressing most of South Africa's requests, though notably excluding an order for "Israel" to cease military actions in Gaza.

Last year, South Africa submitted a motion to the International Court of Justice on December 29, 2023, accusing Israeli forces of violating the UN's Genocide Convention. South Africa's submission to the Hague-based court reads that the Israeli occupation forces [IOF] operations "are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial, and ethnical group."

The International Court of Justice has the authority to issue "provisional measures," emergency orders aimed at safeguarding Palestinians in Gaza from potential breaches of the convention. These orders are legally binding and cannot be appealed, though enforcing them poses a challenge.

On December 29, "Israel" rejected South Africa's launch of a genocide case against it at the ICJ. Despite the sea of war crime evidence, the occupation labeled the case as groundless blood libel lacking legal merit and asserted that its army was adhering to international humanitarian law.

On that note, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that his government might not adhere to any ICJ order, stating, "No one will stop us – not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil, and no one else," in reference to the Axis of Resistance.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -crimes-in

Will this stop the genocide NO

[Anthea]

US still sees Gaza genocide charges unfounded

According to a US State Department spokesperson, the Israeli occupation had the right to take measures under international law to prevent October 7 from repeating

The United States stated on Friday that the International Court of Justice's verdict on Gaza was consistent with Washington's assessment that Israel had the right to take measures under international law to prevent October 7 from repeating itself, Reuters reported.

A State Department spokesperson reiterated that the US still believes the genocide claims brought against "Israel" are "unfounded."

"We continue to believe that allegations of genocide are unfounded," the spokesperson said.

Earlier, the United Nations' highest court asserted its jurisdiction to act on the emergency measures sought by South Africa in its lawsuit against Israel's actions in the Gaza war.

As the reading proceeded, the court recognized the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide, adding that the Palestinians are a protected group under the Genocide Convention.

The Court ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide acts in Gaza, ensure its forces do not commit genocide, and take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

Israel is required to submit a report to the court within a month, detailing its actions to comply with the order. Furthermore, it must implement measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in the context of its war on Gaza.

Naturally, top leaders in the Israeli occupation expressed on Friday outrage following the ruling, with Benjamin Netanyahu calling the claim not only "false" but also "outrageous, and the willingness of the court to deliberate it at all is a mark of disgrace that will not be erased for generations."

On his part, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, who called civilians in Gaza "human animals" at the beginning of the war, described South Africa's genocide case against "Israel" as "antisemitic", saying that the entity “does not need to be lectured on morality” in its war on Gaza and will continue its aggression on the Strip to "dismantle" the Palestinian Resistance Hamas.

US to supply F-35, F-15 jets to Israel as aggression on Gaza continues

According to reports by Israeli Channel 12 on Thursday, the US and Israel signed an immense weapons agreement that involves the sale of F-35 and F-15 fighter planes to the occupation.

According to sources from the Israeli Security Ministry who were involved in the negotiations, the deal would mean the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) would be provided with drones and thousands of rounds of ammunition over the next several days, in addition to a substantial number of F-35 and F15 fighter planes, as well as Apache helicopters

The Israeli sources expressed that the sale, which was pressed upon by Israeli officials, is of unprecedented proportions given the ongoing battle in Gaza and fighting in the north with the Lebanese Resistance Hezbollah.

The Israeli occupation is considering launching an attack on Lebanon in the following two weeks in case a political agreement is not reached regarding Hezbollah's presence near the Lebanon-Palestine border, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing sources.

Since the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon launched its operations last October in support of Gaza after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, almost a quarter-million Israeli settlers evacuated northern occupied Palestine fearing Hezbollah's attacks, in a repeat of a scenario similar to that in the Gaza Envelope in October 7.

Citing Western and Lebanese officials, the newspaper reported that Israelis informed Washington last December that it would have "no other option" but to carry out a military aggression against Lebanon if a diplomatic agreement is not reached that would allow the entity's settlers to return to the North.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and Army Chief Herzi Halevi had all similar announcements in the past month.

US complicit in destruction in Gaza

On Wednesday, at least 16 renowned international humanitarian groups launched a unified request on all UN member states to ban arms exports to "Israel" as the Israeli occupation continues its homicidal onslaught in the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to the statement, the organizations "demand an immediate ceasefire and call on all states to halt the transfer of weapons that can be used to commit violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."

Writing for Le Monde Diplomatique on Monday, Gilbert Achkar argued that the US, particularly under the Biden administration, has significantly shifted its historical approach of trying to present itself as an impartial arbiter in the Israeli aggression on the Arab region.

Achkar contends that the US bears direct responsibility for the Gaza massacre by supplying "Israel" with substantial weaponry, noting that by late November, the US had delivered 57,000 artillery shells and 15,000 bombs, including powerful BLU-117s and BLU-109 ('bunker buster') bombs, some weighing almost a ton each.

The US had provided 244 arms deliveries by cargo plane and 20 shipments by boat to Israel by December 25.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... 6-083-mart

[Anthea]

There was no choice but October 7

The Hamas Palestinian Resistance movement explains the reasons behind Operation al-Aqsa Flood from a historical, political, and humanitarian perspective as it seeks to debunk Israeli lies about the operation

Operation al-Aqsa Flood was a necessary step and a normal response to confront all Israeli conspiracies against the Palestinian people and their cause; a defensive act within the framework of ridding Palestine of the Israeli occupation, reclaiming Palestinian rights, and on the path to liberation and independence like all people around the world, the Palestinian Hamas Resistance movement said.

Hamas published Sunday a memorandum entitled: "Our Narrative... Operation al-Aqsa Flood," in which the Resistance movement explained the reasons behind the October 7 operation and the motives behind it, as well as its general context concerning the Palestinian cause and a debunking of the Israeli narrative and the accusations raised against the Palestinian Resistance.

The Resistance movement explained that there were a plethora of reasons that pushed it to carry out the operation, including:

- The Israeli Juadization plans for the al-Aqsa Mosque and attempts to divide it.

- The actions of the extremist and right-wing Israeli government, which is taking practical steps toward usurping the entirety of the West Bank and occupied al-Quds amid plans to expel Palestinians from their homes.

- The thousands of Palestinians unjustly detained by the Israeli occupation and deprived of their most basic rights amid paramount assaults and humiliation.

- The unjust air, sea, and land blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for the past 17 years.

- The expansion of Israeli settlements across the West Bank in an unprecedented manner.

- The daily escalations and violence perpetrated by settlers against Palestinians.

- The seven million displaced Palestinians living in horrific conditions in refugee camps and wish to return to their lands.

- The international community's failure to establish and the complicity of major powers in preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Hamas argued that the Palestinian people could not be expected to keep waiting and counting on the United Nations, which it described as "helpless," saying their only option was to "take the initiative in defending the Palestinian people, lands, rights, and sanctities." Hamas underlined that its actions fall into self-defense, which is a right enshrined in international laws and conventions.

It did not start on Oct. 7

As is being echoed by the supporters of the Palestinian Resistance and cause alike, Hamas underlined that the plight of liberation did not start on October 7; "but started 105 years ago, including 30 years of British colonialism and 75 years of Zionist occupation."

The memorandum clarified that the Palestinian people in 1918 owned 98.5% of Palestinian land while representing 98% of the population before the Zionists that were brought in coordination between the British colonial authorities and the Zionist movement managed to take control of no more than 6% of Palestinian land when they made up 31% of the population prior to 1948, i.e., before the declared creation of an "Israel".

"At that time, the Palestinian people were denied the right to self-determination and the Zionist gangs engaged in an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Palestinian people aimed at expelling them from their lands and areas," the lengthy text added.

The Zionist gangs displaced 57% of the people of Palestine and destroyed over 500 Palestinian villages and towns while committing dozens of massacres against the Palestinian people leading up to the establishment of "Israel" in 1948. "In continuation of the aggression, the Israeli forces in 1967 occupied the rest of Palestine including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem in addition to Arab territories around Palestine."

Throughout the long history of the occupation of Palestine, the Palestinian people suffered all forms of oppression, injustice, and expropriation of their fundamental rights, Hamas underlined, giving Gaza as an example when in 2007 it came under a suffocating blockade still in place to this very day, turning it into the world's largest open-air prison.

The Resistance movement also reminded that: "The Palestinian people in Gaza also suffered from five destructive wars/aggressions all of which 'Israel' was the offending party."

The Israeli occupation over decades, in the period between January 2000 and September 2023, killed 11,299 Palestinians and injured 156,768 others, the overwhelming majority of them being civilians, Hamas added. Meanwhile, the "US administration and its allies did not pay attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people over the past years but provided cover to the Israeli aggression."

"The US administration provided financial and military support to the Israeli occupation massacres against the Palestinian civilians and the brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip, and still, the US officials continue to ignore what the Israeli occupation forces commit in Gaza of mass killing," the memo said.

Even commenting on the 1993 Oslo Accords signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Israeli occupation under the auspices of the US, Hamas underlined that the accords stipulated the establishment of a Palestinian independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the efforts for which were "systemically destroyed" by "Israel" through "a wide campaign of settlement construction and Judaization of the Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem."

In response to all the injustice, Hamas asked: "What was expected from the Palestinian people after all of that?"
October 7 aimed at Israeli military

The Resistance movement went on to explain that its October 7 operation aimed to target Israeli military sites and pressure Israeli authorities for a prisoner exchange deal to release Palestinians from Israeli jails. The focus was on destroying the Israeli occupation forces Gaza Division and military sites near settlements around Gaza.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, emphasized their commitment to avoiding harm to civilians, especially children, women, and the elderly. They stated that any accidental targeting of civilians occurred during confrontations with the Israeli forces.

Hamas, since its establishment in 1987, undertook a commitment to avoiding harm to civilians. They mentioned initiatives to spare civilians from fighting, but these were allegedly ignored by the Israeli occupation.

The statement acknowledged potential faults during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security system. The Hamas Movement underlined that it treated positive treatment of civilians in Gaza, seeking their release during a humanitarian truce in exchange for Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian Resistance backed up its efforts to only target the military apparatus with numerous pieces of evidence, highlighting that "Video clips taken on that day – Oct. 7 – along with the testimonies by Israelis themselves that were released later showed that the Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters didn’t target civilians, and many Israelis were killed by the Israeli army and police due to their confusion."

The claim of "40 beheaded babies" by Palestinian fighters has been firmly debunked, with even Israeli sources rejecting it. Unfortunately, many Western media outlets have adopted and promoted this false allegation, the memo read.

The allegation that Palestinian fighters committed rape against Israeli women, including the Hamas Movement, has been fully denied. A December 1, 2023, report by Mondoweiss highlighted the lack of evidence for the alleged "mass rape" on October 7, suggesting that "Israel" used this claim to escalate the situation in Gaza.

According to reports from Israeli newspapers Yedioth Ahronoth on October 10 and Haaretz on November 18, an Israeli military helicopter killed numerous Israeli settlers, including those at the Nova music festival near Gaza where 364 settlers died. Hamas fighters, unaware of the festival, were targeted by the helicopter. To prevent further infiltrations from Gaza, the Israeli occupation forces struck over 300 targets in surrounding areas.

Israeli testimonies confirmed that army raids and operations killed both Israeli captives and their captors. The IOF's Hannibal Directive emphasizes preferring a dead captive or soldier over being taken alive to avoid prisoner swaps with the Palestinian resistance.

Occupation authorities revised the number of their killed soldiers and civilians from 1,400 to 1,200 after discovering that 200 burnt corpses belonging to Palestinian fighters were mixed with Israeli corpses. The Israeli army, possessing military planes, was responsible for the destruction on October 7.

The Israeli occupation's heavy aerial raids in Gaza resulted in the death of nearly 60 Israeli captives, indicating a disregard for their lives, Hamas stressed.

It also added that the death toll of "civilians" was exaggerated by the fact that many of the Israeli settlers killed during the operation were armed and fighting alongside the Israeli occupation forces, yet they were registered as "civilians" upon being killed in action.

"Those who defend the Israeli aggression do not look at the events in an objective manner but rather go to justify the Israeli mass killing of Palestinians by saying there would be casualties among civilians when attacking the Hamas fighters," the memorandum read.
Call for justice

Hamas, casting doubts about the commitment of certain countries, namely the US, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, to justice, the movement urged the ICC Prosecutor and team to visit occupied Palestine promptly to examine crimes and violations firsthand, rather than relying on remote observations or succumbing to Israeli restrictions.

In December 2022, the UN General Assembly sought the International Court of Justice's opinion on the legal consequences of "Israel's" illegal occupation, supported by nearly 100 countries, the resistance movement highlighted. Countries backing the occupation rejected this move, hindering efforts to prosecute Israeli war criminals through universal jurisdiction in European courts.

The events of October 7 should be understood in the broader context of struggles against colonialism and occupation, it added. Similar struggles demonstrate that oppression by occupiers elicits corresponding responses from those under occupation.

People worldwide recognize the lies perpetuated by governments supporting the Israeli narrative, aiming to justify biased stances and conceal Israeli crimes. These nations overlook the root causes of the conflict—occupation and the denial of Palestinians' right to live in dignity on their lands. They also show indifference to the unjust blockade on millions in Gaza and the plight of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, where basic rights are denied.

Hamas, at the conclusion of the memorandum, called for an immediate halt to Israeli aggression in Gaza, accountability for human suffering caused by the Israeli occupation, support for Palestinian resistance, and solidarity from nations worldwide against double standards.

The Resistance continued by demanding an end to major powers providing cover for "Israel", rejecting any decisions made by foreign powers regarding Gaza's future, and opposing Israeli attempts at expulsion. Hamas urged continued global pressure to end the occupation, resistance to normalization with the Israeli regime, and a comprehensive boycott of the occupation and its supporters.

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[Anthea]

US, UK ships legitimate targets

A member of the Ansar Allah movement’s political bureau, Mohammad al-Bukhaiti, confirmed through Al Mayadeen that the presence of US and UK forces on Yemeni soil will unify the people against the aggression coalition

Mohammad al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Ansar Allah movement’s political bureau, affirmed to Al Mayadeen that the presence of American and British forces on Yemeni soil "will provoke the entire Yemeni population," adding that it will unify the people against the aggression.

He reiterated that military operations against the Israeli occupation “will continue until the aggression against the Gaza Strip stops,” stressing that the United States of America, Britain, and Israel must stop the aggression for the Yemenis to stop targeting their ships

Al-Bukhaiti emphasized that American and British warships, along with commercial ships, are now considered "legitimate targets for Yemen" following the aggression against the country. He expressed the hope for a direct confrontation between Yemen and the Americans.

In the same context, Member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said that the US must bring the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip to an end and lift the blockade if it wishes to maintain its maritime reputation and standing.

Before that, Hussein al-Ezzi, Yemen's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that the Yemeni Armed Forces possess the ability to, from any launch point on the Yemeni coast, sink enemy ships and warships at any location stretching from the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Mediterranean.

Al-Ezzi stressed Sanaa's dedication to peace with limited escalation and advocated for essential adjustments in the US approach towards Yemen and occupied Palestine.

Earlier on Friday, the Yemeni Armed Forces' (YAF) Navy struck a British oil tanker, MARLIN LUANDA, in the Gulf of Aden, setting it ablaze, the spokesperson for the YAF, Brigadier General Yahya Saraee, said in a televised announcement.

For its part, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out a strike on Yemen early this morning on an "anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch."

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[Anthea]

Most of you will by now have heard how Israel shot at a small group of Palestinians holding a white flag and all holding their hands in the air:

ITV News has released a "shocking video" showing a group of unarmed men in Gaza, with their hands in the air waving a white flag and attempting to rescue their family after being forced to evacuate their homes.

The British broadcaster interviewed the group of 5 members On Tuesday and after completing the interview as the men walked off, the Israeli army opened fire on them.

Within seconds, the man who was being interviewed was fatally hit. The shooting caused panic amongst the group, however placing the white flag on the dead man's chest they lifted him and carried him some distance away which they believed was safe.

At this point the wife of the man who had been shot arrived on the scene wailing. Panicked children could be seen as ITV continued filming when the Israeli army opened fire again on the scene. Children could be seen traumatized as they looked for somewhere to run to protect themselves.

However there was nowhere.

The footage, filmed by Mohammed Abu Safia, a cameraman for ITV News, captured the moment Ramzi Abu Sahloul was fatally shot in the chest.

Before being killed Sahloul said his family had fled Gaza City when the Israeli army ordered an evacuation of the north. They arrived in Khan Younis only to be attacked again. They were planning to head to Rafah.

[Anthea]

Israel kills 121 journalist

An Israeli strike kills Palestinian journalist Issam al-Lulu, along with his wife and two sons

The IOF murdered earlier today another Palestinian journalist via an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 7 to 121, Palestinian media reported.

Issam al-Lulu was targeted by Israeli warplanes in his home in al-Zawayda, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, adding that the attack also killed al-Lulu's wife and his two sons.

The onslaught of relentless air and ground attacks launched by the IOF since October 7 has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, displaced 85% of Gaza's population, and caused severe starvation.

The International Court of Justice, in its interim ruling in the genocide case filed by South Africa, ordered "Israel" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and allow access to needed basic services and humanitarian aid in Gaza as the occupation has been deliberately preventing aid entrance into the sieged Gaza.

The occupation also has to submit a report to the ICJ on all measures taken to give effect to this order within one month.

IOF: bloodiest hands in history

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported on the morning of January 26, on the 112th day of the Israeli aggression, that 11 Palestinians were martyred as a result of the occupation raids that targeted a house in al-Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Journalist Iyad Ahmed al-Rawag, a reporter and presenter on Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, died alongside members of his family after his house was targeted in al-Hasayna area in al-Nuseirat camp.

As for Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, the occupation forces targeted the Nasser Medical Complex, and Quadcopter aircraft fired in its vicinity. On that note, our correspondent confirmed that the occupation forces destroyed a new residential neighborhood in the area, adding that 70 martyrs then had arrived at hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip.

Concerning the humanitarian and health crisis in Gaza, particularly in camps and displacement centers, the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority has reported that 66% of the population in the Gaza Strip is grappling with water-borne diseases.

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[Anthea]

26,637 killed, 65,387 injured

Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, confirmed that the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza rose to 26,637, in addition to 65,387 injuries, thousands missing,noting that the occupation committed 14 massacres in 24 hours only, killing 215 and injuring 300

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) stated that the surgery department at Al-Amal Hospital has become non-functional due to the depletion of oxygen supplies.

In addition, the Gaza Municipality warned that the Sheikh Radwan artificial lake reservoir might flood today, thus posing the risk of drowning the houses of hundreds of Palestinians due to the continued rainfall and the lack of fuel. The Municipality also reported that the destruction of most vehicles, coupled with the lack of fuel, has rendered it incapable of providing basic services to citizens.

It added that Gaza City is suffering from a health and environmental catastrophe due to water scarcity, waste accumulation, and sewage leakage.

This is in parallel with the intense Israeli artillery shelling of the Juhr al-Dik area, south of Gaza and al-Maghazi camp, central Gaza, in addition to an Israeli raid on al-Bureij camp.

OCHA: aid increasingly denied by IOF in Gaza

This situation is further exacerbated by deliveries to northern and central Gaza being deliberately and increasingly denied by the Israeli occupation in the second half of January as a result of excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at Israeli checkpoints, in addition to the heightened aggression in central Gaza, OCHA revealed in its latest update.

The organization declared that 51 aid delivery missions were planned between 1 and 25 January, but only eight were allowed and 29 were denied, while others were only “partially facilitated” or postponed, adding that most of the approved missions were related to the delivery of food aid, while those that carry the much-needed support for hospitals was “largely denied”.

In an “emerging pattern", another eight planned missions were initially approved but then “impeded” as routes designated by the IOF "turned out to be impassable" or the missions had excessive delays applied to them before departure or at checkpoints.

OCHA also stated that humanitarian deliveries to central Gaza had increasingly been postponed since mid-January due to increased IOF activity in which none of 22 requests by the UN to the IOF urging for opening checkpoints near north of Wadi Gaza were approved.

The organization emphasized that access to these checkpoints holds major value as the UN warehouses are heavily congested and "early movement is essential for security, programmatic and protection reasons."

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[Anthea]

Israeli aggression on south Damascus

Iranian Tasnim agency specifies that the Israeli airstrike targeted an Iranian advisory center in the vicinity of the Sayyeda Zeinab area

Israeli occupation fighter jets launched airstrikes against the Syrian capital of Damascus from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, military sources revealed.

The source stated that the Israeli aggression targeted several points south of Damascus, at around 1:00 pm, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of a number of individuals and injuries to civilians, in addition to material losses.

The Iranian Tasnim agency pointed out that the Israeli aggression in the area of Sayyeda Zainab in Damascus "targeted an Iranian advisory center," adding that "several were reportedly martyred and injured."

IRGC Deputy-Chief: 'Israel' on downhill track, US fearful - Exclusive

Earlier today, the Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in Iran, Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, said the Israeli occupation is set on a downhill track toward its demise after it expanded the war to include multiple fronts across the region.

On the sidelines of the Martyrs' Forum, Brigadier General Fadavi told Al Mayadeen that "the Americans and Israelis are fearful, and they have become certain that Israel will not [last] to see its eightieth year."

Fadavi explained that Israel has been hellbent on committing crimes for [b]75 years, but today the Israelis are anxious, furious, and flailing to save face; "uttering nonsense"[/b]Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said "Israel's" ongoing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, violations of Lebanon and Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and open support for organized terrorism pose an "immediate danger to regional and global peace and security.

Kanaani called "Israel's" terror operations "desperate" and explained that they expose the regime's clear weakness and the tremendous blow it has received on the battlefield, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

He added that evil acts would not make up for the occupation's defeat and its three months of "warmongering against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."

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[Anthea]

Israel wholly destroyed 3 Gazan quarters

An investigation by The Guardian reveals the magnitude of Israeli destruction in Beit Hanoun, al-Zahra, and Khan Yunis

General findings found that in the three focal neighborhoods of the investigation, at least 250 residential buildings, 17 schools and universities, and 16 mosques were leveled to the ground. The numbers prompted experts to label the genocide as a domicide as it not only forces Palestinians out of their homes or shelters but also makes it impossible for them to return to them.

"Israel" defends its unrestrained attacks on Gaza by blaming the whole situation on Hamas. It claims that Hamas infiltrates civilian areas, domestic homes, and complexes, something that has been repeatedly refuted, which "authorizes" the bombing of the entirety of the Strip.

On January 17, another study of satellite images obtained by Corey Scher of the City University of New York and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University showed that 50 to 62 percent of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed.

The Guardian's investigation focuses on three Gazan towns: Beit Hanoun, al-Zahra, and Khan Yunis.

Beit Hanoun

Beit Hanoun is a town to the northeast of Gaza and was home to 50,000 Palestinians before Israel demolished it.

Beit Hanoun was also surrounded by agricultural land used for produce, but satellite images showed that those have been obliterated as well, making them a significant part of the 39% of agricultural lands in north Gaza that Israel destroyed.

An entire neighborhood, consisting of 150 residential buildings has been pulverized. This includes the Balsam Hospital and local schools, including a United Nations one, while the main hospital, Beit Hanoun Hospital, was severely damaged.

Moreover, the local cemetery was razed by bulldozers, and one of the oldest mosques, Umm al-Nasr, dating back to 1239, was also damaged.

Al-Zahra

Al-Zahra was home to 5,000 Palestinians before the genocide and was regarded as one of Gaza's wealthiest neighborhoods.

Within its northern infrastructure were universities, tower blocks, and a large wastewater treatment plant. Israel destroyed everything and forged new bulldozed roads over the ravaged ones for the transportation of IOF soldiers.

In its east is al-Mughraqa neighborhood, which has seen relentless Israeli bombardment that left nothing but a visible crater where a building once stood.

The Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital stood in al-Zahra as well, but several of its departments had been bombed, and the roads leading to it are riddled with large holes where Israeli bombs exploded.

Al-Zahra's three universities were also targeted by Israel. Al-Israa University was detonated by Israel in documented deliberation.

Over 3,000 Palestinian civilians resided in the tower blocks of al-Zahra, all of which were decimated to the ground.

Khan Younis

Khan Yunis is Gaza's main city and was sold as a "safe zone" by the IOF, who encouraged Palestinian civilians to evacuate there for safety but ambushed and bombed them and the town.

Among the destroyed infrastructure were residential buildings, schools, sports compounds, mosques, pharmacies, kindergartens, agricultural fields, and greenhouses. To be specific, over 100 greenhouses were bombed, leaving only large craters behind.

Khan Yunis also had a refugee camp that sheltered at least 41,000 people back in 2017 after they were forcibly expelled from their homes. The camp was also targeted by the IOF, resulting in damage to UN shelters and schools, as well as its hospital.

What is domicide?

By definition, domicide is “the planned, deliberate destruction of someone's home, causing suffering to the dweller."

Scholars have opted to use this word when describing the Israeli conduct in Gaza, saying the forced displacement of Palestinians and the bombing of different infrastructure, which renders most neighborhoods and towns uninhabitable, not just buildings and homes, is a direct consequence of the practice of "domicide".

What "Israel" has been doing is a full-blown attack on Gaza to rid it of its rightful residents, either by killing them or by forcing them to evacuate to nearby countries, such as Egypt.

The scale of destruction adds to the fact. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, said, "Gaza’s destruction is far worse in terms of the scale, ferocity and impact when compared to Ukraine, Syria or other conflicts."

Ammar Azzouz, a research fellow at the University of Oxford and author of a book on domicide, also said, “Domicide’s impact unfolds with time. Its pain spreads not only across those who lost their homes in Gaza but also for those whose homes remain intact as their wider infrastructure has been targeted.”

He also pointed out how The Guardian's investigation and the footage obtained show the weaponization of Gaza's architecture and infrastructure by Israel to create unsuitable and uninhabitable spaces, as well as its heritage sites to erase its identity.

Other scholars mentioned how the destruction of these towns and cities kills any sense of life, which might push people away.

Marin Coward, professor of international politics at Queen Mary University of London, said, "If you can’t shop or learn, you can’t form a sense of belonging or call a place home."

He then added, “The destruction of homes plays a key role in both the displacement – communities cannot return if they have no home to return to – and the destruction of communities, as homes are destroyed and families displaced so all the things that make a community cohesive are destroyed and they are scattered to many different places.”

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