LUISTER NAAR DE JOODSE STEMMEN OVER

DE ISRAELISCHE MEGA-MISDRIJVEN TEGEN

HET INTERNATIONAAL HUMANITAIR RECHT

JEGENS DE PALESTIJNEN !

THE JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE - JVP

  LEES "THE WIRE" !

BERICHTEN NA 29-02-2024 STAAN HIER

31 maart 2024

Today's headlines

‘No, dear. I will never leave Gaza.’

I tried to convince my parents to leave Gaza, but my father’s resolute refusal caught me off guard. “No, dear. I will never leave Gaza,” he stated firmly. The weight of our conversation lingered long after we said our goodbyes.

54.

30 maart 2024

Today's headlines

How Netanyahu will use the U.N. ceasefire resolution to prolong Gaza’s genocide

Benjamin Netanyahu may have been angry the U.S. refused to veto the ceasefire resolution in the U.N. Security Council this week, but he will still use it to prolong the Gaza genocide.

Rutgers profits from Boeing airstrikes launched on Gaza. Vote ‘Yes’ to divest!

Endowment Justice Collective

Rutgers profits off of Palestinian suffering by investing $100 million in Boeing, the company that manufactured the munitions that leveled Gaza. Vote “Yes” to divest from the genocide.

53.

29 maart 2024

#Vote‍Uninstructed: Let President Biden know that Wisconsin stands against genocide

Just 20,000 votes, a number smaller than the Muslim American community in Wisconsin, is needed to send this message. The demands are simple: a permanent ceasefire now, full entry of humanitarian aid and restoring aid to UNRWA, an end to military aid to Israel, and an end to the siege on Palestinians in Gaza.

Take action to help turn out “uninstructed” votes in the vital swing state of Wisconsin!

 

    In solidarity,

    Americans for Justice in Palestine Action

    52.

    29 maart 2024

    Tomorrow is Land Day, during which we commemorate the Palestinian people’s relentless resistance to the theft of our native land.

    This year, it comes as the Israeli government commits extreme colonial violence, stealing 2,000 acres of Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley, killing tens of thousands of Palestinian people, and driving out 2 million Palestinians from their homes in Gaza. This is undeniably a genocide.

    All native peoples have the right to live on, cultivate, and defend the ancestral lands we are rooted in. May we all resist dispossession and protect life and land, just as our ancestors have.

    Find a protest near you, and read the latest updates below. 

    Your Activist Scoop

    OUR GOVERNMENT'S GUILT

    • After abstaining from the UN Security Council vote on a ceasefire resolution this week, the U.S. government once again attempted to shield Israel from accountability by claiming the resolution is “non-binding.” This is a lie, as UNSC resolutions are binding under international law. The U.S. deliberately gave Israel cover to commit more massacres, while sending Israel more bombs and warplanes.
    • UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese released the “Anatomy of a Genocide” report this week, in which she found reasonable grounds that Israel is committing genocide. In response, the U.S. government again engaged in genocide denial, with State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller smearing Albanese in an attempt to discredit her findings.
    • Congress sent $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military funding and weapons to Israel this week, while banning humanitarian funding to UNRWA for a year. 

     

    YOUR IMPACT

    • Keep up the pressure on the U.S. war criminals facilitating genocide. 
    • We have driven a public opinion shift: 55% of Americans, including 75% of Democrats, disapprove of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, according to this latest Gallup poll.

    READ THE LATEST POLLING

    Thank you for taking action with us.


    Onward to liberation,

    52.

    29 maart 2024

    The last 48 hours have been a rollercoaster ride.

    For several weeks, we have been scheming to disrupt President Biden’s appearance at Radio City Music Hall that took place last night.

    But beginning on Wednesday evening, our disruptors started receiving emails from the Biden team stating that their tickets would not be honored and they would not be allowed to attend the star-studded event.

    Over 40 people were blocked from attending.


    But 15 of our people did make it inside. Biden faced a continuous stream of disruptions that brought attention to the genocide in Gaza.

    Our protest forced event attendees including President Obama, President Clinton, Stephen Colbert, Queen Latifah, and Lizzo, to confront U.S. complicity in Israeli genocide.

    Our message was clear: we called on President Biden to halt the arming of Israel and to demand a ceasefire to end the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. 
    There can be no business as usual for President Biden while our families and friends face genocide made possible by U.S. weapons.

    Politico reported about our protest saying, “The frequent protests — including shouts of “blood on your hands” — drew flashes of frustration from the former presidents on stage.

    Outside the event, attendees were met with mass disruption as thousands poured into the streets, creating gridlock around Radio City Music Hall. Inside, our actions disrupted the day's program, highlighting the people's total rejection of the genocide and those who profit from it.

    Despite efforts by Biden staffers to keep protesters away, including refusing entry to multiple rabbis, Palestinian youth, descendants of Holocaust survivors, former Democratic staffers, and climate activists, our opposition to Israel’s genocide was loud and powerful.

    The contrast between the garish hob-nobbing in New York to the reports of suffering pouring out of Gaza is shameful. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel with U.S. weapons. Famine is setting in for 2.3  million Palestinians across Gaza.

    We will not be silenced. Keep disrupting business as usual until Palestinians are free.


    In solidarity,

     

    Adalah Justice Project

    51.

    29 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    ICJ orders Israel to stop famine in Gaza as Israel continues to raid hospitals

    Qassam Muaddi

    The International Court of Justice imposed new provisional measures in South Africa’s case against Israel for its genocide in Gaza, ordering Israel to ensure the entry of food and other supplies in order to stop the spreading famine.

    Security Council ceasefire resolution brings ‘little hope’ to Gaza as Israeli genocide rages on

    The Security Council's ceasefire resolution has offered “little hope” in Gaza as Israel’s genocidal attack continues to rage. “We believe the reality around us, not the Security Council,” Huda Amer, a Palestinian journalist in Gaza, tells Mondoweiss.

    The Israel lobby is fractured, and so at last is the Jewish community

    The Palestinian genocide is providing a moment of reckoning for the Jewish community.

    50.

    29 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #148

    Children at a school used as a shelter for internally displaced persons in Rafah city. Photo by UNICEF/El Baba

    Key Highlights

     

    • Access impediments have severely compromised the ability of humanitarian actors to reach people in need across the Gaza Strip.
    • Since 1 March, 30 per cent of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza and 10 per cent of missions to southern Gaza were denied access by the Israeli authorities.
    • Nearly 40 per cent of school buildings in Gaza have been directly hit, according to an updated assessment of satellite imagery by the Education Cluster.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoon of 27 March and 11:30 on 29 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 133 Palestinians were killed, and 203 Palestinians were injured, including 71 killed and 112 injured in the past 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 11:30 on 29 March 2024, at least 32,623 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 75,092 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • Incidents resulting in the killing of journalists and media workers in Gaza continue to be reported. On 26 March, at about 22:30, a Palestinian journalist was reportedly killed along with her husband and children when a house in Rafah was hit. On 28 March, at about 4:55, a Palestinian journalist was allegedly shot and killed in Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city.
    • The following are among other deadly incidents reported between 26 and 28 March:
      • On 26 March, at about 10:30, 30 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building near Al Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 26 March, at about 11:30, 12 Palestinians, including four children and four women, were reportedly killed and others injured when tents for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Al Mawasi area, in western Khan Younis, were hit.
      • On 26 March, at about 20:00, at least 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed or buried under the rubble when a residential building near Al Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 27 March, at about 3:15, nine Palestinians, including three children and three women, were reportedly killed when a house in Khirbet Al Adass area in northern Rafah was hit.
      • On 27 March, at about 17:50, four Palestinians, including two girls and one woman, were reportedly killed, and over 10 others injured, when an agricultural greenhouse in northern Rafah was hit.
      • On 27 March, the bodies of 15 Palestinians including six children were reportedly recovered from various areas in Rafah. The circumstances and exact locations of their killing were not reported.
      • On 27 March, at about 21:15, four Palestinians, who are reportedly members of the popular committee tasked with securing the delivery of humanitarian aid, were reportedly hit and killed on Salah Ad Deen Street in Az Zaytoun area, in Gaza city.
      • Between 27 and 28 March, at least 15 Palestinians were reportedly killed, including women and children, and others injured, when residential buildings near Al Shifa Hospital were hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 27 and 29 March, one Israeli soldier was reported killed in Gaza. As of 29 March, 252 soldiers have been killed and 1,523 soldiers have been injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 29 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • The health system in Gaza is barely surviving, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with only 10 out of 36 hospitals currently functional, albeit partially. Partially functional hospitals provide limited services, are overwhelmed with patients, and face critical shortages of fuel, medicines, medical supplies, and health personnel. More than 400 health attacks in the Gaza Strip have been documented by WHO as of 12 March, affecting some 100 ambulances and nearly 100 health facilities. On 28 March, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the whereabouts of eight PRCS team members remain unknown and seven were released by the Israeli authorities 47 days after they were detained from Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis. WHO demanded “an immediate end to attacks on hospitals in Gaza” and called for the “protection of health staff, patients and civilians.”
    • The siege imposed on Gaza, including closed crossings, no water and no electricity have been key ingredients for the major humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, according to OCHA. Combined with intensive Israeli ground and air operations, this has severely compromised the ability of humanitarian actors to ensure there is a reliable and predictable supply chain and safe humanitarian access to reach people in need, leaving the humanitarian operation “on its knees.” In lieu of faster access from Ashdod port in Israel through Erez crossing to reach northern Gaza (see OCHA map), where famine is projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024 and 70 per cent of the population is projected to face catastrophic hunger between March and July 2024, the delivery of aid offloaded in Port Said, Egypt, to Gaza is lengthy and riddled with obstacles. It involves offloading, reloading, storage, and screening of aid supplies at multiple locations in Egypt and at Israeli crossing points leading to Gaza, resulting in significant delays and inefficiencies. “Once inside Gaza, aid convoys have to travel on crowded, impassable roads, at risk of unexploded ordnance, often close to fighting and amid desperate hungry crowds. IDF soldiers too often delay or deny convoys from crossing checkpoints, with rejected requests for safe passage, searches, detentions and sometimes violence against aid convoys and awaiting crowds,” OCHA added. On 22 March, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for a ceasefire and called on Israel to lift all impediments to aid.
    • Between 23 and 29 March, 42 per cent (8 out of 19) of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 42 per cent (8) were denied, and 16 per cent (3) were postponed or withdrawn. During the same period, 93 per cent (38 out of 41) of aid missions to areas south of Wadi Gaza that require coordination were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, and 7 per cent (3) were withdrawn. In total, since 1 March, 48 per cent (29 out of 60) of aid missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, including one that was initially facilitated but later impeded, 30 per cent (18) were denied, and 22 per cent (13) were postponed or withdrawn. Moreover, out of 187 aid mission requests for areas south of Wadi Gaza that require coordination, 80 per cent (150) were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 10 per cent (19) were denied, and 10 per cent (18) were postponed or withdrawn. Facilitated missions involved: food distributions; movement of emergency medical teams; fuel, nutrition and health assessments; delivery of supplies to hospitals; and support for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities.
    • A new assessment by the Education Cluster of school damages in the Gaza Strip concludes that at least 67 per cent of schools in Gaza will either need full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again. The assessment is based on an analysis of satellite imagery due to access limitations, especially in northern Gaza, intensive Israeli bombardment and recurrent telecommunications shutdowns. The analysis also provides evidence that complements reports, photos, and videos previously received by the Cluster “showing that schools are being used for military operations by Israeli Security Forces (ISF) including use as detention, interrogation centers, and military bases.” In total, according to the assessment, about 38 per cent of school buildings (212) have been “Directly Hit” since 7 October, 30 per cent “Damaged,” 18 per cent “Likely or Possibly Damaged,” and 12 per cent with no reported damage. Directly hit schools exclude 35 incidents where school playgrounds but not structures were hit, which are classified under the “damaged” category. Some 84 per cent (94 out of 212) of directly hit schools are in Gaza governorate, followed by Khan Younis, North Gaza and Deir al Balah. Moreover, among the 122 directly hit schools, 58 per cent (112) are public schools, 29 per cent (62) are UNRWA schools, and 13 per cent (28) are private schools. The assessment additionally finds that 59 per cent of school buildings that have been used as IDP shelters have been either directly hit or damaged, 53 schools are now classified as totally destroyed, and 38 schools have lost at least half of their structures.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$ 1.23 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 29 March, member states disbursed nearly $1.054 billion for the updated Flash Appeal (86 per cent); this includes about $617 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $438 million out of $600 million (73 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) has mobilized a total of US$ 88 million since 7 October from Member States and private donors, designated for programs throughout Gaza, with allocations of 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. However, it has experienced a delay in finalizing its First Reserve Allocation of $3.5 million for 2024 due to restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on importing trucks intended to enhance aid transport capacity and enable humanitarian partners to scale up the delivery of essential aid and services across the Gaza Strip. A significant cost extension allocation of $20 million is being prepared for key projects in Gaza to address the most urgent needs, marking the second phase of December allocation responses adapted to the changing operating environment. The HF is also developing an upcoming reserve allocation to bolster the capacity of national NGOs in the central areas of the Gaza Strip and Khan Younis, taking into account anticipated complexities in aid delivery to ensure a more robust and effective humanitarian response. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

    49.

    29 maart 2024

    Campagne | Vakbonden, spreek je uit!

    Steeds meer werknemers in Nederland willen actie voeren omdat onze regering medeplichtig is aan de genocide in Gaza. Zoals bijvoorbeeld de walk-outs bij Booking.com en de wekelijkse sit-in bij de ambtenaren van het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken.

    Maar omdat vakbonden zoals de FNV en CNV weigeren zich uit te spreken, kunnen werknemers die actie willen voeren, niet worden beschermd. Zelfs niet als ze lid zijn.

    Daarom roepen leden van deze vakbonden in een nieuwe campagne hun besturen op om zich uit te spreken over de genocide in Gaza. Zodat de leden die actie willen voeren, beschermd kunnen worden. Vooral nu de Palestijnse vakbonden opnieuw oproepen tot solidariteit, ditmaal in het kader van Land Day (30 maart), een belangrijke dag voor Palestijnen.

    Israël executeert Palestijnse burgers met behulp van drone

    Afgelopen week verschenen gruwelijke beelden die de kille executie van vier ongewapende Palestijnen in Gaza vanuit de lucht tonen. De door Al-Jazeera gepubliceerde beelden zijn begin februari door een Israëlische drone gemaakt in Khan Yunis in Gaza.

    De drone volgt de mannen, en ergens in Israël besluit een commandant blijkbaar dat zij moeten worden gedood. Een eerste salvo doodt twee van de mannen. De andere twee proberen wankelend en vallend te ontkomen, ieder in een andere richting, maar een tweede en derde salvo kosten ook hen het leven. Het is moord in koelen bloede.

    Doofpot
    Het Israëlische leger heeft aangekondigd een onderzoek naar het voorval in te stellen, en dat betekent vermoedelijk dat de zaak zoals gewoonlijk in de doofpot verdwijnt, schrijft de Israëlische journalist Gideon Levy in de krant Haaretz.

    Schending vonnis
    De dood van het viertal dateert van na het tussenvonnis van het Internationaal Gerechtshof in de door Zuid-Afrika tegen Israël aangespannen genocidezaak. In dat vonnis werd Israël in het kader van artikel 2 van het Genocideverdrag opgedragen het doden van Palestijnen te staken. De moord op de mannen is een duidelijke schending van dat vonnis.

    Het Internationaal Gerechtshof heeft overigens op 28 maart een geüpdatete versie van het tussenvonnis gepubliceerd. Daarin herhaalt het de provisionele maatregelen van het eerste vonnis en wijst het op de sterk verslechterde humanitaire situatie. Ook roept het Gerechtshof Israël opnieuw op om ervoor te zorgen dat meer hulp Gaza kan bereiken en dat het alles eraan moet doen om te voorkomen dat het Israëlische leger zich schuldig maakt aan genocide.

    48.

    28 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israel announces it has killed 200 Palestinians in its siege of al-Shifa Hospital

    The Israeli army announced it has killed 200 Palestinians in al-Shifa Hospital and its vicinity since its second raid on the hospital started 11 days ago. Meanwhile, Israeli media says the military is preparing for the invasion of Rafah.

    We study America’s biggest public health crisis. This is why we speak out against the Gaza genocide.

    By almost every measure, Gaza represents one of the greatest man-made public health catastrophes of our age. As public health professionals, it is our duty to speak out about the genocide in Gaza. Our public health colleagues should do the same.

    47.

    27 maart 2024

    Two days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution for an immediate pause leading to a lasting ceasefire, Israel has predictably doubled down on its horrific attacks: heavily bombing Rafah, turning hospitals into extermination camps, and forcibly starving Gaza.

    All with zero consequences for taking precious Palestinian lives.

    The fact is: As long as the U.S. keeps cutting the checks for genocide and supplying the bombs and bullets, Israel will keep massacring Palestinian families.

    Every person and every local community in the country needs to rise up now to say: Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime

    In the toolbox, you’ll find key resources you can use to organize in your local community in Driebergen, including:

    • Satirical Tax Day “coupons” you can distribute to show the very real resources our communities could have if our government stopped arming Israel.
    • City Council Organizing Toolkit to advocate for a permanent ceasefire resolution and divestment on the local level
    • The Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit with creative strategies you can use to stop arming Israel
    • Protest signs and flyers you can print out.

    Over the weekend, Congress passed the annual $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding and weapons to Israel, while also extending the ban on critically needed UNRWA humanitarian funding for an entire year. Next, the House of Representatives is considering sending another $14 BILLION in deadly weapons to Israel.

    New Gallup polling shows a sea change in opposition to Israel: 55% of Amer
     

    46.

    27 maart 2024

    In a step in the right direction, the United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. While not sufficient, it is notable that the United States abstained from the vote, marking a significant shift in its blank-check policy with Israel. This resolution comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches catastrophic levels, with widespread starvation and acute malnutrition affecting a significant portion of the population, particularly children. 

    The resolution's passage underscores the growing international consensus that unconditional military support to Israel fuels atrocities and undermines peace efforts. It is now more crucial than ever for the United States to align its policies with international law and human rights by suspending all military aid and weapons transfers to Israel. 

    Unfortunately, although the United States abstained from vetoing the Security Council resolution, it is sending signals that it does not intend to allow it to be implemented, in an attempt to appease Israel. "Our vote does not − and I repeat that, does not − represent a shift in our policy," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters shortly after the vote. “Israel is still a close ally and a friend .. (and) it seems like the prime minister's office is choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don't need to do that.” He added, “It’s a non-binding resolution, so there’s no impact at all on Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas.” 

    In fact, there must be “daylight” between the U.S. and Israel. The Biden administration's funding and political support for the genocidal war Israel is waging in the Gaza Strip makes the United States an accomplice in the crime of genocide. Therefore, it’s not enough to caution that “Israel would become such a pariah in the world and even in the United States,” under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nor is it enough to warn that Israel could face “consequences” if it launches a ground assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Israel does not take these warnings seriously, and it does not hesitate to challenge Biden, who still enables it to commit horrific crimes in the Gaza Strip with impunity.

    This requires us to maximize our efforts and increase our pressure on the Biden administration to adhere to international law and American laws. Suspending U.S. military assistance to Israel is not only a moral imperative but also a legal obligation under existing U.S. law. Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act requires the President to withhold aid from any country that obstructs U.S. humanitarian assistance.

    AJP Action sent this memo to the White House and Congress today. As you can see, the memo contains compelling evidence that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, particularly to force Palestinians to abandon northern Gaza, in clear violation of this law.

     

    The United States must no longer turn a blind eye to Israel's egregious human rights violations and its obstruction of humanitarian aid. By suspending military assistance, the U.S. can demonstrate its commitment to upholding international law, protecting human rights, and fostering a just and lasting peace for all. 

    45.

    27 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #147

    Kamal Adwan Hospital is the only hospital in northern Gaza providing treatment for malnourished children and one of four that remain partially functional in the area, March 2024. Photo by UNICEF

    Key Highlights

     

    • Famine is ever closer to becoming a reality in northern Gaza, the World Health Organization reports.
    • Health services in northern Gaza have been largely destroyed and the healthcare system in southern Gaza is on the brink of collapse, warns the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
    • According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, 12 Palestinians drowned while trying to reach airdropped aid that fell in the sea on 25 March.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in and around Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city and in central Khan Younis. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoons of 25 March and 27 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 157 Palestinians were killed, and 195 Palestinians were injured, including 76 killed and 102 injured in the past 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and afternoon of 27 March 2024, at least 32,490 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 74,889 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 24 and 25 March: 
      • On 24 March, at about 21:10, 22 Palestinians, including at least six children and eight women, were reportedly killed when a house in Deir al Balah was hit.
      • On 24 March, at about 18:40, seven Palestinians, including four women and a boy, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house in Al Junainah neighbourhood, in eastern Rafah, was hit.
      • On 25 March, at about 20:25, five Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building behind Al Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 25 March, at about 21:20, two Palestinians were reportedly killed when a group of people waiting for humanitarian aid near Al Kuwaiti Roundabout in Gaza city was hit.
      • On 25 March, at about 12:25, an unconfirmed number of casualties was reported when Palestinians gathered to collect airdropped humanitarian aid were hit near Karni Crossing area, in eastern Ash Shuja’iyah in Gaza city.
      • On 25 March, according to the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza, 12 Palestinians drowned while trying to reach airdropped aid that fell into the sea off the shore of Beit Lahiya on 25 March.
      • On 26 March, at about 0:40, 18 Palestinians, including at least nine children and five women, were reportedly killed and tens of others were injured when a house sheltering IDPs in Musabeh area, in northern Rafah, was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 25 and 27 March, there were no Israeli soldiers reported killed in Gaza. As of 27 March, 251 soldiers have been killed and 1,520 soldiers have been injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 27 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • Famine is ever closer to becoming a reality in northern Gaza, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A mother of six children explained to WHO that mainly expensive wild plants are available on the market, with “no vegetables, no fruits, no juice…no lentils, no rice, no potatoes or eggplants, nothing,” and they are mainly forced to eat common mallow.  On his visit to Rafah crossing on 23 March, the UN Secretary General described seeing long lines of blocked relief trucks, emphasizing that “it’s time to truly flood Gaza with life-saving aid.”
    • OCHA oPt Gaza Sub-office Head noted that during high-risk aid missions, aid workers frequently find near Israeli military checkpoints, which separate northern and southern Gaza, injured or elderly persons or people with crutches whom they try to help, or human remains and dead bodies that they try to recover while children as young as three years old are walking by.
    • The health system in Gaza is collapsing due to ongoing hostilities and access constraints, resulting in a growing number of hospitals that have been rendered out of service. As of 27 March, according to WHO, 24 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are non-functional, two are minimally functional in northern Gaza, and 10 are partially functional including four in northern Gaza and six in southern Gaza. According to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the “health services in northern Gaza have been largely destroyed, and the southern Gaza Strip’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse.”
      • In northern Gaza, OCHA oPt Head of Office, Andrea De Deminico, noted that Kamal Adwan Hospital is receiving about 15 malnourished children a day and is struggling to maintain services, with a heavily damaged generator and amid a lack of water, food and sanitation. To save children, he called for the need to allow humanitarian assistance to flow without any impediment.
      • In Gaza city, Al Shifa Hospital remains besieged for the 10th day, amid intensive exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and armed Palestinians. According to the MoH in Gaza, besieged doctors and patients at the hospital have repeatedly appealed to the international community to urgently intervene, noting that the Israeli army has confined medical staff, ill and wounded persons to the human resources building, which is not set up for health care provision, and has prevented them from leaving. The Israeli military had said that it has established a dedicated treatment area for patients at Al Shifa Hospital and supplied them with medical equipment, food and water.
      • In Khan Younis, amid intensive military operations, the Israeli military has forced hospital staff and wounded patients to evacuate Al Amal Hospital and closed the entrances with dirt barriers, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). On 25 March, PRCS, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and OCHA evacuated six patients and a companion, 27 staff, and retrieved the bodies of two people who were killed inside the hospital, including a PRCS volunteer who was a member of the Emergency Operations Room. As of 26 March, both the hospital and the nearby PRCS headquarters have ceased functioning. On the same day, IFRC issued a statement, emphasizing that sustained hostilities in and around Al Amal Hospital for over 40 days have placed PRCS teams and patients in grave danger, and that the  “forced closure of Al Amal Hospital, one of the few remaining medical facilities in the south [and the second PRCS hospital to shut down], has profound implications, leaving countless lives at risk.”
      • At the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) in Khan Younis, an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) described the situation at the hospital, where they have been treating patients for two weeks, as “unimaginable” and “beyond comprehension.” Witnessing horrifying scenes of patients dying from infections, they emphasize the extent to which the hospital is overwhelmed with patients; designed with a capacity of only 200 beds, the EGH has expanded to 1,000 beds, but the increased capacity remains insufficient to meet needs due to critical shortages of basic medical supplies, infrastructural damage, and constraints on aid access. Around 22,000 internally displaced people have also sought refuge and safety at the hospital, “sheltering in the corridors and in tents inside the hospital.”

    West Bank Updates

     

    • In the early morning hours of 27 March, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians and injured five others during an eight-hour military raid in Jenin city and its adjacent refugee camp. Fatalities include one Palestinian killed by live ammunition during armed clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians who also threw pipe bombs and stones at the forces, and two killed when struck by an Israeli drone.
    • On 23 March, an Israeli soldier died of wounds sustained during an exchange of fire with a Palestinian man on 22 March near Dolev settlement in Ramallah governorate.
    • On 22 March, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained on 21 August 2023 during an Israeli military raid in Beita village in Nablus governorate.
    • Since 7 October, 438 Palestinians have been killed, including 426 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and three by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 129 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024, the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,700 Palestinians have been injured, including 725 children, since 7 October in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
    • Since 7 October, 16 Israelis, including five members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 109 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • Since 7 October, over 1,600 Palestinians have been displaced due to home demolitions, more than half of whom were displaced in operations carried out by Israeli forces, 38 per cent by the demolition of homes that lacked Israeli-issued building permits, and 8 per cent due to demolitions on punitive grounds. In addition, since 7 October 2023, over 1,240 Palestinians, including about 600 children, from at least 20 herding communities have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions.
    • On 20 March, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured a Palestinian farmer and set his vehicle on fire while he was working on his land near the Israeli settlement of Homesh in Nablus governorate. Also on 20 March, an Israeli settler physically assaulted a Palestinian bus driver, injuring him in the head, in Neve Yaakov settlement in East Jerusalem. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 March 2024, OCHA has recorded 683 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (64 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (541 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (78 incidents).

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.23 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 27 March, member states disbursed nearly $1.052 billion for the updated Flash Appeal (86 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $436 million out of $600 million (73 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently supporting 122 projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Despite logistical hurdles, safety and security concerns, and fuel scarcity that hinder the procurement and transport of supplies, implementation is led by 77 international NGOs, 20 national NGOs, and 16 UN agencies. Of the projects implemented by international NGOs or UN agencies, 56 per cent are in partnership with national NGOs. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link.
    • The oPt HF has recently finalized its First Reserve Allocation of US$ 3.5 million for 2024, which aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to a total of $88 million received by the Fund since 7 October from Member States and private donors and allocated for programming across Gaza, including 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has recently allocated US$ 700,000 to a project led by UN Women that aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive accountability to affected people, bringing to $18.7 million the total CERF allocation to oPt since 7 October.

    44.

    27 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    A volunteer doctor in Gaza faces her patients’ traumas along with her own

    I am in my final year in medical school and have seen hundreds of critical cases as a volunteer doctor during Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. The traumas I have seen in my patients are no different from those I have experienced myself.

    Another Israeli soldier admits to implementing the ‘Hannibal Directive’ on October 7

    Captain Bar Zonshein recounts firing tank shells on vehicles carrying Israeli civilians on October 7. "I decide that this is the right decision, that it's better to stop the abduction and that they not be taken," he told Israeli media outlets.

    43.

    27 maart 2024

    Finally, the U.N. passes a ceasefire resolution.

    On Monday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it.

     

    Security Council resolutions are legally binding, despite what the Biden administration would have us believe. But it’s up to the Palestine solidarity movement to ensure the U.S. government enforces it…

    Read more 

    Tell Congress: Stop funding the Israeli military.

    With every passing day, the U.S.-Israel alliance comes closer to cracking under the weight of the pressure of our movements. Now is the moment to demand a full end to U.S. complicity in Israel's genocide.

     

    Use this tool from our sibling organization, JVP Action, to call your members of Congress and demand an end to the flow of U.S. military funding and weapons to Israel.

    42.

    27 maart 2024

    Netanyahu heeft eerst 1,4 miljoen Palestijnen ingesloten in Rafah en heeft nu plannen goedgekeurd om de stad binnen te vallen. Deze invasie zou weleens de ergste actie kunnen zijn die Israël uitvoert sinds het begin van hun wrede aanval op de Gazastrook in oktober. Dit kunnen we niet laten gebeuren. Het Israëlische leger is volledig afhankelijk van steun van de VS. Biden kan deze invasie tegenhouden door de wapentransfers aan Israël te stoppen. Eis dat hij nu in actie komt, voor het te laat is: 
     
    SLUIT JE AAN
     
    Beste vrienden,
    De wereld houdt de adem in nu Israël zich voorbereidt op een enorme grondinvasie in Rafah, het laatste toevluchtsoord in de Gazastrook waar miljoenen mensen zich verzameld hebben. Er zouden nog duizenden onschuldige kinderen kunnen sterven omdat ze geen uitweg meer hebben. De Israëlische minister van Defensie is nu in Washington DC om meer wapens te vragen voor de aanval op Rafah. Teken deze urgente vredesoproep aan president Biden en vraag hem de wapentransfers aan Israël te stoppen voor het te laat is.
     
    SLUIT JE AAN

     

    President Biden,

    U kunt de invasie van Israël in Rafah tegenhouden 
    en voorkomen dat meer dan een miljoen burgers de hongerdood sterven.

    De VS is de grootste wapenleverancier van Israël. U geeft Amerikaanse wapens aan een overheid die levensreddende hulp blokkeert en het internationaal recht schendt. Dit zal pas stoppen wanneer u dat eist.

    Wij roepen u op om de dodelijke aanvallen en het leed in de Gazastrook te stoppen.

    Stop de wapentransfers naar Israël!

    De VN-Veiligheidsraad heeft zojuist ingestemd met een resolutie die oproept tot een onmiddellijk staakt-het-vuren in Gaza tijdens de ramadan. De afgelopen vijf maanden heeft de VS steeds weer zijn veto gebruikt tegen deze oproepen, maar nu brokkelt Bidens verzet langzaam af dankzij de publieke druk in de VS en de rest van de wereld. Maar Israël is niet van plan om een staakt-het-vuren in te voeren tenzij de VS hen daartoe verplicht. Dit is een cruciaal moment om de druk op de Biden-administratie nog verder op te voeren.

    Terwijl je dit leest, zijn de belangrijkste defensie-ambtenaren van Israël in Washington DC om de VS te vragen meer munitie en wapens te sturen. De afgelopen zes maanden heeft president Biden honderd van die transfers goedgekeurd. De Amerikaanse overheid zou geen wapens mogen sturen naar overheden die het internationaal recht schenden -- zoals Israël, dat voeding en humanitaire hulp blokkeert en de resolutie over een staakt-het-vuren niet respecteert.

    Sluit je aan bij deze oorverdovende oproep voor vrede en tegen de Amerikaanse wapenleveringen aan Israël -- Avaaz zal ervoor zorgen dat onze boodschap rechtstreeks bij de Biden-administratie terechtkomt.

    41.

    26 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    U.N. Security Council passes ceasefire resolution, U.S. abstains

    Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned delegation to Washington following a U.S. abstention at the U.N. Security Council, saying the Gaza ceasefire resolution which passed marked a "retreat" that "gives Hamas hope."

    The story of Yazan Kafarneh, the boy who starved to death in Gaza

    9-year-old Yazan Kafarneh died of a congenital illness turned deadly by severe malnutrition under Israel’s genocidal siege. “He didn’t need a miracle to save him," cries his mother. "All he needed was the food we’ve always been able to provide him.”

    ‘Horrific’ eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Israel’s siege on Gaza’s hospitals

    Eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Gaza’s hospitals, including rape, torture, mass executions, and soldiers crushing Palestinian bodies with tanks. Hamas says Israel's systematic attack on hospitals is central to its "war of extermination."

    40.

    26 maart 2024

    After several vetoes over the last 6 months, the U.S. abstained from a UN Security Council Resolution demanding a ceasefire

    This morning, the UN Security Council passed resolution 2728 requiring an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the month of Ramadan, the release of all Israeli hostages, and the expansion of the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. This resolution marks the first successful attempt at achieving a ceasefire at the Security Council after three previous U.S. vetoes of resolutions calling for a ceasefire.

    While this is a step in the right direction, a U.S. abstention does not show the moral leadership that is gravely overdue to permanently end the ongoing genocide. It’s also critical to note that the United States watered down the resolution by demanding the removal of the phrase “permanent ceasefire,” and conditioned the ceasefire and entry of humanitarian aid–required already by international law–on release of Israeli hostages. Effectively, the U.S. pardoned the forced famine of a million Palestinians and shielded Israel from accountability for attacking and obstructing aid shipments and kidnapping thousands of Palestinians with no charge. Over 32,000 lives have been taken by the ongoing genocide and the Administration continues to fund, arm, and enable Israel’s massacre. A sane world cannot demand a temporary pause to a genocide, instead; Israel must permanently end the killing of Palestinians and the U.S. must impose a lasting ceasefire.

    Following the UN Security Council resolution the United States Congress and President Biden must rescind their decision to defund UNRWA and resume funding to the vital UN agency that has remained one of Gaza’s last remaining lifelines with the infrastructure to effectively deliver aid.

    Finally, following the UN Security Council’s vote, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X that his country would not abide by the resolution. Therefore, we call on President Biden to enforce international law and impose consequences on Israel for its defiance of the UN Security Council. Accountability is essential to ensure compliance with international law and to prevent further disregard for human rights and humanitarian principles, Israel must abide by the UN Security Council’s resolution or face consequences.

     

    In solidarity,

    American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

    39.

    25 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #146

    A joint WHO, OCHA, UNRWA and UNDSS mission to Al Amal PRCS hospital in Khan Younis in February 2024. Photo by WHO/Christopher Black

    Key Highlights

     

    • The UN Human Rights Office expresses alarm at the series of reported attacks on aid warehouses and police officers in Gaza.
    • Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for an immediate end to the siege around Al Shifa Hospital and safe access to patients.
    • UNRWA calls for lifting restrictions on access to northern Gaza, after the Israeli authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza.
    • Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) staff and wounded patients arrive in Rafah after being trapped inside ambulances outside Al Amal Hospital for 20 hours.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Al Rimal area near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, central Khan Younis, and the vicinity of Al Amal and Nasser hospitals. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between 10:30 on 21 March and 25 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 345 Palestinians were killed, and 506 Palestinians were injured, including 107 killed and 176 injured in the past 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 25 March 2024, at least 32,333 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 74,694 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported between 22 and 24 March:
      • On 22 March, at about 11:20, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in An Nasser neighbourhood, in northeastern Rafah, was hit.
      • On 23 March, at about 2:30, five Palestinians, including four children and a woman, were reportedly killed when a house in Mirage area, in northern Rafah, was hit.
      • On 23 March, at about 6:30, several Palestinian casualties were reported when IDPs tents in Al Beraka area in Deir al Balah were hit.
      • On 23 March, at about 12:00, at least 19 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a group of people waiting for humanitarian aid were shot at in the vicinity of Al Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza city.
      • On 23 March, at about 22:00, eight Palestinians, most of them children, were reportedly killed, and others injured when a house sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs) was hit in Deir al Balah.
      • On 24 March, at about 2:00, eight Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house on Al Fallouja Street in Al Junainah neighbourhood, in eastern Rafah, was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 22 and 25 March, one Israeli soldier was reported killed in Gaza. As of 25 March, 251 soldiers have been killed and 1,509 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 25 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • On 22 March, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) expressed alarm at the series of attacks since early February on aid warehouses as well as police officers and other actors reportedly involved in securing the delivery of aid supplies. OHCHR called on Israel to “ensure [the] entry of humanitarian aid and all other goods necessary for the survival of the civilian population at the required scale, facilitate the rebuilding of civilian infrastructure and ensure the safety of convoys, routes, warehouses, distribution sites, aid seekers and those securing and delivering aid.” Reported attacks have not only contributed to a breakdown in civil order, according to OHCHR, but they have also culminated in a situation whereby young men have often monopolized access to scarce assistance. Members of the civilian police who do not directly participate in hostilities are civilians and “cannot be targeted on the basis of their status” under international humanitarian law, OHCHR emphasized.
    • On 22 March, the Gaza Coastal Municipalities Water Utility condemned the destruction of its headquarters in Al Zahra area in southwestern Gaza city and its main warehouse. Located in Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, the warehouse contained most of the equipment and spare parts needed for the operation and maintenance of stations for water desalination plants, water pumping and sewage treatment. According to WHO, limited access to proper water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities continues to contribute to the outbreak of infectious diseases, including diarrhoea and hepatitis A. On 22 March, Project Hope reported a rise in cases of hepatitis A at three of their clinics in the Gaza Strip, including one in Jaafar At Tayyar displacement site that provides shelter for over 100,000 people in Rafah. Moreover, among 125 children under the age of two screened at this site between 17 February and 16 March, 30 (nearly 25 per cent) showed signs of malnutrition. Project Hope warned that a ground offensive in Rafah “would be a death warrant for over a million people,” as health, nutrition, and sanitation conditions are already rapidly deteriorating.
    • Ongoing hostilities continue to severely disrupt the delivery of vital health services and endanger the lives of patients, medical staff, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltering at besieged hospitals. In Gaza city, the Israeli military operation inside and around Al-Shifa Hospital has continued for the eighth consecutive day, with reports from the Israeli military that 170 armed Palestinians have so far been killed and some 500 suspects have been detained. The MoH in Gaza said that besieged doctors and patients have appealed to international organizations to urgently intervene and save their lives, reporting that five wounded patients have died at the hospital due to the lack of water, food and medical services as of 24 March. Describing conditions at Al Shifa Hospital as “utterly inhumane,” the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated on 23 March that reports from inside the hospital indicate that two patients on life support have died due to the lack of electricity and some 50 health workers and 143 patients have been kept in one building “with extremely limited food, water and only one nonfunctional toilet.” The WHO Director-General called “for an immediate end to the siege” and appealed for “safe access to ensure patients get the care they need.” According to the Health Cluster, a proposed WHO medical evacuation mission to Al Shifa Hospital, where about 103 patients urgently need medicines and supplies, was not facilitated by the Israeli authorities on 20 March.
    • On 24 March, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, called for lifting the restrictions on access to northern Gaza, after the Israeli authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza. Underscoring that UNRWA is largest aid organization in the Gaza Strip, the Commissioner-General described the situation as “outrageous,” as it “makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine.” Between 16 and 22 March, nine out of 17 humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, five were denied, and three were postponed or withdrawn. During the same period, 33 out of 42 humanitarian aid missions to areas south of Wadi Gaza that require coordination were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, four were denied, and five were postponed or withdrawn.
    • On the afternoon of 25 March, PRCS staff and wounded patients have reportedly arrived in Rafah, after being trapped in ambulances outside Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis for about 20 hours, according to PRCS. PRCS added that the Israeli military had forced them to evacuate the hospital on 24 March, and when two people exited the ambulances to clear the rubble on the road to the military checkpoint, they were fired on by the Israeli army. Upon returning to Al Amal hospital, they found the door closed and were trapped inside the ambulances. The Israeli military said it has killed 20 armed Palestinians in or around Al Amal hospital.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.23 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 24 March, member states disbursed nearly $1.051 billion for the updated Flash Appeal (85 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $435 million out of $600 million (72 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently supporting 122 projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Despite logistical hurdles, safety and security concerns, and fuel scarcity that hinder the procurement and transport of supplies, implementation is led by 77 international NGOs, 20 national NGOs, and 16 UN agencies. Of the projects implemented by international NGOs or UN agencies, 56 per cent are in partnership with national NGOs. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link.
    • The oPt HF has recently finalized its First Reserve Allocation of US$ 3.5 million for 2024, which aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to a total of $88 million received by the Fund since 7 October from Member States and private donors and allocated for programming across Gaza, including 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has recently allocated US$ 700,000 to a project led by UN Women that aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive accountability to affected people, bringing to $18.7 million the total CERF allocation to oPt since 7 October.

    38.

    25 maart 2024

    THIS WEDNESDAY

    Live from Lyd: Virtual Delegation

     Join Eyewitness Palestine on Wednesday, March 27th at 12PM ET for our Live from Lyd webinar, featuring a special virtual delegation led by Tamer Nafar (see interview below with EP staff member Moureen), who will take us around Lyd on a custom tour of the city. Lyd, like many Palestinian cities, is an ancient city that's been home to multiple civilizations over its 5,000-year history. It was the site of one of the most grueling massacres of the Nakba and remains haunted by the injustices brought on to it. Today, the community of Lyd--one of the few cities with an integrated Palestinian and Israeli Jewish population--is marred by addiction and gun violence. We'll hear from Lyd residents about the resilience and struggles they face in the community.

    A CONVERSATION WITH TAMER NAFAR OF HIP-HOP GROUP DAM FROM LYD, PALESTINE

    By Moureen Kaki

    Tamer Nafar wears many creative hats—he’s a hip-hop artist, a screenwriter, and actor. Nafar is probably most well known as a member and founder of the first and still-leading Palestinian rap band, DAM. Readers should know that the Son of Palestinian Hip-Hop doesn't give very many interviews. He says what he needs to say through his arts: "I chose hip-hop because it gives me a verse of 64 lines," he says. Nafar and the band have released well over 100 songs through single-releases and three albums. They primarily rap in Arabic but will often integrate English and Hebrew. They’re not just known for their music, though, but the resistance-nature of their work. DAM’s music is riddled with themes of Palestinian identity, resistance, and culture. According to Nafar, the band’s founder, the music itself is less a form of resistance and more “resistance-adjacent.”

     

    "Well, nowadays when you have more than 30,000 people killed and art is not stopping it, I'd say that art's role is documenting. I don't think it rescues lives, but I think it's documenting--it's the soundtrack of a revolution. I try to document my life and the lives of Palestinians like me. When you say 'Palestine,' people think of Gaza or the West Bank, but not a lot of people understand what life is like for Palestinians who have an Israeli ID, so I took the initiative to document us. Art is a medicine, but like Advil. It's a certain kind of medicine. It can help but it cannot cure. But to create real change is an economic thing, a power thing, it's a militant thing and lobbying this. This is where change happens. If revolution were a movie, I think art would be mentioned in the credits, not as the main force of change."

     

    If Nafar is right and the arts are indeed more of a method of documentation than resistance, then it might be fair to call Nafar a sort-of experiential historian, too. Beyond the work of DAM, his solo work and film experience tell the many stories of Palestinians in Lyd and beyond. Nafar stars in Junction 48for which he also did the screenwriting. Junction 48 tells the story of Palestinian rapper from Lyd who’s trying to “make it” in the industry, crossed with the unique struggle of being treated like an outsider in your own homeland, as all Palestinians are treated in Lyd by the Israeli majority. It incorporates challenges that are unique to Lyd: identity crisis and confusion, gun violence, and drug trade and addiction. Those familiar with Nafar personally would be forgiven for thinking the story was loosely based on his own life as a Lyd-based Palestinian rapper. But the film captures a narrative much bigger than any one person. It tells Lyd's unique story of the generational consequences of Zionism in Palestine.

     

    In a different world, one in which Palestine was never colonized, Nafar would have likely never been a Lyd resident. His father's family fled there in 1948 when they were exiled from Yaffa by Zionist militias. They were supposed to leave for Jordan but found what they thought would be temporary refuge in Lyd. The family stayed and eventually, Nafar was born into the Lyd scene. Nafar succinctly and concisely defined Lyd and its possibilities: "[Lyd] would have been the best, most beautiful salad in the world if the chef weren't racist." The effects of that kind of systemic racism are apparent in Lyd's massive drug market and related gun violence. Its history and socio-economic problems often compared with the systemic destruction of Black American communities throughout the United States. Nafar, like many others, has lost community members, including his cousin, to gun violence.

     

    On top of the gang-related violence in Lyd, Palestinians are doubly threatened by armed settlers and the state. Because of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, tensions are particularly high in the mixed Palestinian-Jewish city. Nafar says that the current situation reminds him of 2021, when Occupation Forces attacked Gaza during the Great Return March. But coupled with the increased rise of the extreme Israeli right-wing and power of settlers this time, he says, feels slightly different, "you feel it with the silence. Something that is not tangible. We're not used to the silence." While the situation remains grim, Nafar says that there's only one way for him to find solace.

     

    "With what is happening now in Gaza and the way they managed to silence the Palestinians in Israel, and with the rise of the extreme [Israeli] right-wing, and me losing my cousin, I'm too emotional right now to give you a thoughtful message for good or bad. I know that people want a happy, optimistic view, but our comfort now is just acknowledging the darkness. All of our comfort now is just finding people to sit with us in the darkness. This is my aim now, just finding people in the darkness to share that moment with. I personally don't want to feel good. My people are dying. Why the f**k should I feel good?"

     

    Nafar's blunt honesty goes further. When asked about the future of Lyd his response is succinct: "khara," the Arabic word for sh*t. Sure, it might be pessimistic, but to Nafar's point, many Palestinians, the rapper included, are exhausted by a life dictated by Zionism. It feels unreasonable to expect a rosy, hopeful outlook on the future when so much of Palestinian life is rife with injustice. Nafar lost his cousin to gun violence in Lyd. His family lost his ancestral home. Even the landscape of his life is riddled with these reminders. When shooting a music video for his song, the Son of LydIsraeli police stopped him and the video crew six different times while they were trying to record all because they were using a Palestinian flag as a video prop. Nafar explained that he had to go out of his way to cut scenes in the video to ensure that the police did not make too much of the final cut because he wants viewers to know that there is more to Lyd than the drug market and violence.

     

    "There were two videos released [for the Son of Lyd song]. In the 'Making of the Son of Lyd' video, what we did is we attached a Palestinian flag to a motorcycle and I got stopped six times by the cops. You can see it. It's all documented. And the funniest part is that while the cops were busy pulling me over, there were drug deals happening around us and they didn't give a f**k. They were so obsessed with the flag. The second time we were stopped and [the police were] issuing me a ticket and had the police car with the lights flashing. So, I used the moment to record for the video and that ended up being the main part of the video--the part with me rapping to the police car with lights in the background and we set a release date and I loved that video. But I had that weird feeling that I wasn't happy about it and I didn't know why. A day or two before the release, I canceled the release. I realized that the police took over my video and that's what bothered me. So now in Lyd, the city I wanted to show--my city that I wanted to represent, it's all about police and crime and this is not what I wanted. Yes, the police are part of my city, but there's a huge identity that I wanted to show that was missing, so I reduced the police presence in the video and replaced it with a way to show my love for the city. I don't want to romanticize my city, and say there's a 'beautiful struggle' here, but it is a unique place with a unique struggle."

    37.

    25 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    ‘Horrific’ eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Israel’s siege on Gaza’s hospitals

    Leila Warah

    Eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Gaza’s hospitals, including rape, torture, mass executions, and soldiers crushing Palestinian bodies with tanks. Hamas says Israel's systematic attack on hospitals is central to its "war of extermination."

    ‘Not in my Name’: how a new generation is divesting from Israeli apartheid

    “Not in our name” has long been a rallying cry for Jews who protest Israel, but it is now being adopted by a new group as well – those with wealth who are joining the movement to boycott and divest from Israeli apartheid.

    GoFundMe’s Palestine double standard makes it complicit in Gaza genocide

    By delaying the release of funds from "genocide escape" campaigns for Palestinians in Gaza due to "safeguarding" measures, GoFundMe is imperiling the lives of Gazans for whom every second can mean life or death.

    36.

    24 maart 2024

    Protestactie: DeBalie, stop whitewashing genocide!

    Doe mee met het protest voor de Balie! Op woensdag 27 maart om 18.00 uur en/of zaterdag 30 maart om 19.30 uur

    De Balie moet niet meewerken aan de Israëlische propaganda-oorlog en geen podium bieden aan een festival dat gefinancierd wordt om oorlogsmisdaden te verbloemen en Israel af te spiegelen als een progressief en democratisch land. Dat is artwashing van genocide. Lees hier verder

    Deze protesten worden georganiseerd door Erev Rav, Internationale Socialisten en BDS Nederland.

    Werknemers Booking.com sluiten aan bij protest tegen bedrijfsbeleid tav Israëls illegale nederzettingen

    Donderdag 14 maart bezocht een groep activisten van XR Justice Now, BDS NL & Workers for Palestine het hoofdkantoor van Booking.com voor een demonstratie. Het is de eerste van meerdere demonstraties in het kader van BDS NL’s B.Honest campagne om te zorgen dat Booking.com stopt met adverteren voor illegale nederzettingen op de bezette West Bank, zonder dat legitieme Palestijnse bedrijven worden geraakt.

    Een twintigtal Booking.com werknemers kwam naar buiten en nam deel aan de demonstratie buiten het gebouw. Het is een duidelijk teken van de groeiende ontevredenheid van Booking.com medewerkers over de doorgaande medeplichtigheid van hun bedrijf aan Israëlische Apartheid.

    BDS NL hield een toespraak die direct gericht was tot de medewerkers waarin men uitlegde dat de medeplichtigheid van Booking.com ook hen medeplichtig maakt.

    Doneren

    Sluit je ook aan bij de acties tegen bloeddadels van Albert Heijn!

    Voor de tweede week hebben demonstraties plaatsgevonden bij Albert Heijn en andere supermarkten tegen bloeddadels. Andermaal met succes: dit keer heeft Albert Heijn in de Kinkerstraat de dadels uit de schappen gehaald! Laten we doorgaan met acties tot er geen enkele bloeddadel meer te vinden is!

    Afgelopen zaterdag werd actie gevoerd bij Albert Heijn en andere winkels in Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Eindhoven, Diemen, Utrecht, Leiden, Bergen op Zoom en Wageningen!

    Boycot is resistance! Free Palestine!

    Boycot Eurovisie 2024 vanwege de deelname van genocidaal Israël

    De Palestijnse Campagne voor de Academische en Culturele Boycot van Israël (PACBI), een van de oprichters van de BDS-beweging, roept op tot boycot van Eurovisie 2024.

    Wij dringen er bij alle deelnemende omroepen, nationale deelnemers, finalisten, productieploegen en kijkers op aan om de wedstrijd te boycotten na de weigering van de organisatoren, de European Broadcasting Union (EBU), om het genocidale Israël uit te sluiten.

     

    Artiesten, kunstenaars, musici, schrijvers, dichters, acteurs: sluit aan bij de oproep tot boycot van Eurovisie 2024

    Teken hier de open brief aan jullie collega, onze nationale kandidaat, Joost Klein, met het dringende verzoek om af te zien van deelname:

     

    Terwijl de voorbereidingen van het Eurovisiefestival in volle gang zijn, voert één van de deelnemende landen, Israël, een genocide uit op 2,3 miljoen Palestijnen, al 16 jaar opgesloten in Gaza, hongert hen moedwillig uit en houdt alle grenzen voor hen gesloten.

    Eurovisiesongfestival geeft Israël toch het podium. Onder de slogan “United by music” biedt het Israël een dekmantel voor genocide en de kans zich voor te doen als een land dat streeft naar de eenheid, inclusiviteit en gelijkheid, waar het Eurovisiesongfestival voor zegt te staan.

    De Palestijnse Campagne voor de Academische en Culturele Boycot van Israel (PACBI) en het Palestijnse Journalisten Syndicaat hadden de organisatoren van het Eurovisiesongfestival, de EBU, opgeroepen om Israël uit te sluiten – net zoals Rusland werd verbannen vanwege zijn illegale invasie van Oekraïne. De EBU heeft in plaats daarvan haar beschamende, hypocriete medeplichtigheid aan de genocide van Israël verdubbeld.

    Palestijnen dringen er daarom bij alle deelnemende omroepen, nationale deelnemers, finalisten, productieploegen en kijkers op aan om het festival te boycotten.

    35.

    24 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israel assaults al-Shifa, Nasser, and al-Amal hospitals in one day

    Israeli forces ordered Palestinians inside al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis to leave “naked," while survivors of the al-Shifa Hospital raid witnessed numerous atrocities committed by the Israeli army. In Jerusalem, Israeli settlers stormed al-Aqsa.

    Chuck Schumer’s speech widens rifts over Israel in Congress

    Democrats are fracturing over support for Israel, because their constituents don’t support it. The long-term result might be the end of the bipartisan consensus on Israel.

    Malcolm X’s final written words were about Zionism. Here is what he said.

    For Malcolm X, Zionism was inextricably linked to wider European colonialism. In a little known passage written just before his assassination, he made it clear he saw Zionism as not just a threat to Palestine, but to the entire Third World.

    Mainstream media finally reports on Gaza famine but won’t admit Israel is deliberately responsible

    James North

    Palestinians in Gaza are starving, but the mainstream media won’t tell you the simple truth that Israel is intentionally causing the famine.

    34.

    24 maart 2024

    Atalya here. I am a refuser myself, and the social media coordinator for Refuser Solidarity Network, and would like to share with you how your support is helping Israeli activists resist the war on the ground. You can follow the actions we support here or by sharing this email to help amplify the voices of war resisters.

     

    At the beginning of the month, four friends and I organized an action against the war on Gaza. We wanted to bring the reality of the Genocide in Gaza directly to the doorstep of those responsible, Israeli pilots. We brought activists against the destruction of Gaza to one of the biggest air-force bases in Israel, where the planes are stored and the pilots who bomb Gaza operate and reside. With our hands painted in red, we stood outside the base and held pictures of the faces of Palestinian children, women and men, murdered in Gaza. We wanted the pilots to see the people whose lives they are responsible for destroying. During the action we held a sign that said “The blood is on your hands,” and another sign in Hebrew that pleaded they stop the bombing of Gaza.

    During the action, Sahar Vardi, a conscientious objector, and war-resister said: “To the pilots hiding behind the fences. We are here to remind you of the faces, the people, the children, the women, the grandmothers, the grandfathers, that are on the other end of the bombs that you are dropping from the air. We are here to remind you that they are human beings, to show you their faces and remind you of your responsibility for the results of your actions. Responsibility to the killing of more than 30,000 people in five months. But also for the people that are starving, for the houses destroyed, for the hospital, for the schools, for any possibility of life in gaza. That is on your hands!” Being alongside fellow refusers is very valuable for me. Knowing that there are Israelis who oppose this Genocide and are willing to speak out, even in the face of arrest, accusations of betrayal and social isolation, is reassuring. More so, in such a hostile environment, the support of the international community feels priceless. Your steadfast solidarity serves as a powerful reminder that we are not alone in our struggle, that voices of Israeli war refusers resonate far beyond the boundaries of our immediate communities. This type of solidarity and resistance gives me hope that we can create a different reality here. Please share this email and this video with your friends, family and on your social media platforms so we can reach more people. Our collective power comes from our communities.

    In solidarity,

     

    Atalya Ben-Abba
    Social Media Coordinator
    Refuser Solidarity Network

     

    33.

    23 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    In northern Gaza Israel turned back food aid for the
    second time in a week.

     

    U.S. cuts UNRWA funding as famine looms for Gaza

    Congress passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill that will continue a ban on funding UNRWA until at least 2025. President Biden has said he will sign the bill immediately.

    Israel’s plans to replace its Palestinian labor force could spell disaster for the Palestinian economy

    Since October 7, Israeli politicians and far-right leaders have pressed for Israel to replace Palestinian laborers with foreign workers. Such a move would devastate the Palestinian economy and could bring the Palestinian Authority down with it.

    Ceasefire resolutions are building organizing power throughout the U.S.

    Michael Arria

    More than 100 ceasefire resolutions have passed throughout the United States. They might seem merely symbolic, but activists say they will have a lasting impact.

    32.

    22 maart 2024

    For five days in a row, the Israeli military has been invading Al-Shifa Hospital, murdering 160 Palestinian people, kidnapping 600, and bombing multiple buildings in the complex—all part of its daily genocidal attacks.

    Our Palestinian people should not have to endure these ongoing horrors. The genocide must end NOW.

    Today, the House of Representatives just passed a spending package, which includes $3.3 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel, $500 million in weapons to Israel, and banning all direct UNRWA humanitarian funding for a year, with 23 Democrats opposing. Now the package is on the Senate floor for debate. Instead of stopping the killing, our government is fueling the flames.

    Next keep an eye on the UN Security Council tomorrow, where France is putting forward a ceasefire resolution after the weak and non-binding U.S.-led resolution for a temporary pause failed. Keep fighting for a permanent ceasefire and an end to arming Israel. Read the latest updates below.

    • As Secretary of State Blinken visits apartheid Israel today, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is doubling down on plans for a full-scale genocidal invasion of Rafah, and Israel just announced that it’s stealing 2,000 acres of land in the Jordan Valley. The Israeli state is storming ahead with full impunity, believing no one will hold it accountable.

           . The Biden administration is planning to build its port in Gaza with the rubble from destroyed Palestinian homes, including the remains of our martyrs. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has proposed using that port to forcibly ship out Palestinian people.

    • While Israel attempts to assure the Biden administration that it’s using U.S. weapons without violating international law, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam have called out this obvious lie. The two organizations urge the U.S. to stop all weapons transfers to Israel.

    READ THE REPORT FROM HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH & OXFAM 

    YOUR IMPACT

     

    USCPR Action's Not My Tax Dollars ad near the White House

       â€Š

    WHAT TO DO NEXT

    • The House just voted to send more U.S. weapons to Israel and ban all direct U.S. humanitarian funding to the UNRWA aid agency until 2025.

    31.

    22 maart 2024

    EU-buitenlandchef Josep Borrell sprak zich woensdag 13 maart tegenover de VN-Veiligheidsraad in harde bewoordingen uit over de humanitaire catastrofe die Israël in de Gazastrook over de Palestijnse burgerbevolking heeft uitgestort: 'Uithongering wordt ingezet als oorlogswapen. Als we dat in Oekraïne veroordelen, moeten we dezelfde taal gebruiken voor wat er in Gaza gebeurt.'

    Geen natuurramp
    Borrell benadrukte dat de crisis in Gaza geen gevolg is van een natuurramp, maar bewust door mensen is gecreëerd.

     

    En ook bewust in stand wordt gehouden. Israël wordt weliswaar door de EU en Nederland zo langzamerhand voorzichtig bekritiseerd, maar wordt in de praktijk geen strobreed in de weg gelegd. Sterker nog, als het aan onze regering ligt blijven we gewoon de onderdelen leveren voor de F-35 vliegtuigen die in Gaza worden ingezet.

    Door Europese landen en de VS wordt nu gewerkt aan een maritieme corridor om vanaf Cyprus voedsel en hulpgoederen aan te voeren. Daarvoor moet in Gaza eerst een aanlegplaats worden gebouwd, die naar verluidt pas in mei klaar is. Dit terwijl aan de Egyptische grens met Gaza vele honderden trucks met hulp door Israël worden tegengehouden. Verstrekken van hulp vanuit de lucht of via zee kan hooguit aanvullend zijn op het verstrekken van hulp over land, maar kan deze niet vervangen.
    Palestijnen geen Oekraïners
    De hele wereld is het eens dat de uithongering van de Palestijnen in Gaza onmiddellijk moet stoppen. Maar die stopt niet. Israël wordt opzichtig afgeschermd door de VS, het VK en de EU, met Nederland in de voorste gelederen.

    Hoewel het Westen, waaronder Nederland, een arsenaal aan effectieve sancties ter beschikking staat, worden die niet ingezet. Palestijnen zijn nu eenmaal geen Oekraïners, zoals Borrell opmerkte.

    Wij strijden tegen oorlogsmisdaden, annexatie, bezetting en onderdrukking.

    Liegende politici, dát is pas een smet op de herinnering aan de Holocaust

    Op dinsdag 12 maart werd in de Tweede Kamer stilgestaan bij de opening van het Nationaal Holocaustmuseum in Amsterdam, twee dagen eerder.

    'Antisemitische bagger'
    Een flink aantal Kamerleden was ‘woedend’ en ‘schaamde zich kapot’ vanwege de protesten die hoorbaar waren op het moment dat de genodigden per auto aankwamen bij het museum en bij de ingang een korte plechtigheid plaatsvond.

    Menig Kamerlid had ‘antisemitische slogans’ en scheldwoorden als ‘kankerjoden’ gehoord. Staatssecretaris Eric van der Burg van Justitie en Veiligheid (VVD), namens het kabinet aanwezig in de Kamer, deelde in de woede over de ‘bagger’ en de ‘doelbewust antisemitische uitlatingen’. Hij had op de televisie demonstranten ‘Juden raus’ en ‘kankerjood’ horen roepen.

    Burgemeester Halsema: geen ongeregeldheden
    Volgens de Amsterdamse burgemeester Femke Halsema was er van dergelijke uitingen echter geen sprake. Dat blijkt uit de brief over het verloop van de demonstraties die zij diezelfde dinsdag naar de gemeenteraad stuurde. Ook volgens de Amsterdamse politie was de demonstratie ‘over het algemeen goed en rustig verlopen’.

    Demonstrant op het Waterlooplein in Amsterdam tijdens de door Erev Rav georganiseerde betoging tegen de komst van de Israëlische president Yitzhak Herzog naar de opening van het Nationaal Holocaustmuseum, 10 maart 2024. © Charles M. Vella / SOPA Images/Sipa USADe demonstratie van de Joodse organisatie Erev Rav op het Waterlooplein, waarbij ook andere Joodse organisaties, alsmede Palestijnen acte de présence gaven, trok meer dan 1.500 betogers en was volgens de organisatoren en aanwezigen – waaronder een vertegenwoordiging van The Rights Forum – geslaagd én vreedzaam.  ‘Het was gewoon ontroerend’, zei initiatiefnemer Yuval Gal van Erev Rav achteraf.

    Fundamentele vragen
    De verschillende lezingen van de demonstraties roepen fundamentele vragen op. Waarom weersprak Van der Burg, die tijdens het Vragenuur nota bene opmerkte met Halsema over het verloop van de dag te hebben gesproken, wat de Amsterdamse burgemeester had verklaard? En hebben de Kamerleden werkelijk antisemitisch gescheld gehoord, of ging hun fantasie met ze op de loop?

    Heel opvallend is dat tijdens het Vragenuur amper aandacht was voor de aanleiding voor de demonstraties: de uitnodiging aan de Israëlische president Herzog om de opening van het museum bij te wonen. Zijn komst betekende een klap in het gezicht van zowel Joden als Palestijnen, in feite van alle Nederlanders die de les van de Holocaust serieus nemen: Nooit meer! Over ‘een smet op de opening van het museum’ gesproken.

    Bekijk | Herdenkingsbijeenkomst Dries van Agt

    Op 5 maart organiseerde The Rights Forum een bijeenkomst ter nagedachtenis van Dries van Agt. Tijdens dit informele samenzijn stonden we stil bij de markante persoon Van Agt, zijn politiek-maatschappelijke betekenis, en met name zijn niet-aflatende inzet voor het Palestijnse volk.

    De gehele bijeenkomst is nu op Youtube terug te zien. In de beschrijving van de video ziet u welke sprekers het woord hebben gedaan, en kunt u gemakkelijk specifieke toespraken terugvinden. 

    Agenda | Gaza Staakt-het-Vuren Pelgrimage, van Amsterdam-Holendrecht naar Utrecht

    Op zondag 24 maart organiseert Christelijk Collectief een 'pelgrimage' in solidariteit met Palestijnen in Gaza. De tocht loopt van Amsterdam Holendrecht naar het centrum van Utrecht. Deze pelgrimstocht is onderdeel van een internationale beweging in reactie op een oproep tot solidariteit van Palestijnse christelijke organisaties. Iedereen is welkom om mee te doen; of je nu religieus bent of niet. Het is een tocht van 'contemplatie, berouw en geweldloze solidariteit'.

    De organisatie benadrukt dat de tocht een pelgrimage is, geen protestmars. Het is een moment voor rouw en bezinning. Vlaggen en leuzen staan daarom niet centraal. De route is ongeveer even lang als de Gazaanse kust; ongeveer 36 kilometer. Het is ook mogelijk om een deel van de pelgrimage mee te lopen. De aanvang is om 08.00 uur vanaf Station Holendrecht.

    Bezoek de pagina van de pelgrimage voor meer informatie.

    Tent of Nations | Ontmoeting familie Nassar

    Tent of Nations is een educatieve boerderij en het vredesproject van de Palestijns-christelijke familie Nassar in Bethlehem op de bezette Westelijke Jordaanoever. Ondanks de moeilijke omstandigheden zet de familie Nassar zich op een geweldloze en creatieve manier in onder het motto “Wij weigeren vijanden te zijn”.

    Binnenkort komt Daoud Nassar met zijn vrouw Jihan en zijn oudste dochter Shadin naar Nederland. Vrienden Tent of Nations Nederland nodigt hen op 6 april uit in Utrecht, waar Daoud en Shadin zullen vertellen over de huidige situatie in Palestina en de impact hiervan op hun boerderij en project.
    ​
    Lees hier meer informatie over het programma en meld je uiterlijk dinsdag 2 april aan via tentofnationsnl@gmail.com.

    30.

    22 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    U.S. advances UN Security Council ceasefire resolution as al-Shifa Hospital siege enters fifth day

    Anna Lekas Miller

    The siege of al-Shifa Hospital enters its fifth day as the Israeli army threatens to blow up the hospital, while the U.S.'s proposed UNSC resolution uses nebulous language that does not call for an "immediate" ceasefire.

    When children are present in a genocide

    When children are present in a time of genocide, they will always be the most vulnerable, the most affected, and the most in need of our protection. They will need pediatricians, such as myself, to act en masse and say unequivocally: ceasefire now.

    29.

    22 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #145

    Offloading aid in Jabalya, northern Gaza. Photo by UNRWA/Mohammed Hinnawi, 19 March 2024

    Key Highlights

     

    • As the military operation in Al Shifa Hospital continues, the World Health Organization expresses concern about the impact on the facility’s ability to function and save lives.
    • On World Water Day, UN Women highlights the impact severe water shortages in Gaza have had on women.
    • Some 13 per cent of displaced women in Rafah lack civil documentation for both them and their family members, hindering their access to aid and essential services, according to a recent UN rapid assessment.

    Gaza Strip Updates

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Al Rimal area near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 21 March 2024, at least 31,988 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 74,188 Palestinians have been injured, according to MoH in Gaza. As of the time of writing, there were no updated casualty figures covering the period until the afternoon of 22 March available from the MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 20 and 21 March:
      • On 20 March, at about 13:20, one Palestinian police officer was reportedly killed, and at least three others were injured, when a Palestinian police checkpoint near As Sekka area in Jabalya Refugee Camp was hit.
      • On 20 March, at about 13:35, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 10 others were injured, when a group of people at Hamouda junction in eastern Jabalya Refugee Camp were hit. Unconfirmed reports indicate that this group comprised police officers involved in securing the delivery of aid.
      • On 20 March, at about 19:40, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed, all said to be women and children, when a house opposite Al Madin police station, in central Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 20 March, at about 19:40, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed, including three women, and others were injured, when a house in western An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 20 March, at about 20:40, one Palestinian man succumbed to wounds sustained when the yard of the UNRWA Rafah East Distribution Centre was hit on 13 March, bringing to seven the total number of reported fatalities in this incident.
      • On 21 March, at about 5:00, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Al Isra area, in northern An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 21 March, at about 10:00, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a vehicle was hit in Bani Suheila area, in eastern Khan Younis.
    • Between the afternoons of 21 and 22 March, no Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 22 March, 250 soldiers have been killed and 1,489 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 22 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • The Israeli military operation inside and around Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city has continued for the fifth consecutive day amid intensive exchanges of fire with Palestinian armed groups. According to WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, access to the hospital is now impossible and a WHO mission on 21 March had to be cancelled due to insecurity. WHO and partners have also lost contact with health personnel at Al Shifa Hospital, where health workers have been among those reported arrested and detained. Calling for the protection of hospitals in line with international humanitarian law, the WHO Director-General stated: “The ongoing situation could impact the hospital’s ability to function, even minimally, and deprive people of critical, lifesaving care.” Since the first Israeli military raid into Al Shifa Hospital in November 2023, the hospital has been operating either partially or minimally, with the most recent delivery of essential supplies facilitated by WHO on 11 March. The Gaza Government Media Office has stated that at least three patients have died at Al Shifa Hospital due to a shortage of critical medications and limited power supply. Since the start of the military operation in the area of Al Shifa Hospital, the Israeli military stated that it has killed about 150 armed Palestinians and detained hundreds of suspects.
    • Hospitals and health centres that remain functional in the Gaza Strip continue to suffer severe shortages of fuel, medical equipment and medications. During a visit to Kamal Adwan Hospital on 21 March, jointly with WHO, UNICEF and OCHA, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Jamie McGoldrick, described how overwhelmed the hospital currently is with trauma patients from incidents of food distributions and patients who were able to leave Al Shifa Hospital where there is an ongoing military operation. Kamal Adwan is the only paediatrics hospital in northern Gaza. It is also struggling to provide a wide range of medical services in the areas of neurology, urology, ophthalmology, and haemodialysis, receiving about 1,000 patients per day. As malnutrition levels among children in northern Gaza have doubled in February compared with January, WHO has established a nutrition stabilization centre at the hospital; this centre is now a lifeline for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications. Moreover, on 19 March, OCHA, UNRWA and WHO carried out a joint mission to deliver fuel and medical supplies to UNRWA’s health centre in Jabalya and Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. During the mission, the team also assessed critical medical needs at the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medical point in Jabalya, the only one run by PRCS in northern Gaza and one of eight PRCS medical points in the Gaza Strip. On the visit to Kamal Adwan Hospital, the Humanitarian Coordinator emphasized the need to provide more support, supplies and fuel “to make sure the hospital keeps running.”
    • On World Water Day, 22 March, UN Women highlighted the impact severe water shortages in Gaza have had on women who are struggling to survive “with no food, no water, [and] no tents.” According to the Water, Hygiene, and Sanitation (WASH) Cluster, water production from all the water sources in Gaza has dropped to only 5.7 per cent of pre-October production levels as of February 2024, with very limited supplies available for drinking and domestic use, including for personal hygiene. In a joint press release on 22 March, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Palestinian Water Authority reported that the average per capita water consumption in the Gaza Strip has dropped from 84.6 litres per day prior to 7 October to 3-15 litres per day. In December 2023, UNICEF had warned that children in southern Gaza were accessing only 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day, well below the recommended requirements for survival. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 litres, which includes water for drinking, washing, and cooking. For survival alone, the estimated minimum is three litres per day.
    • A recent rapid assessment carried out by the Women’s Affairs Center, UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP), and UN Women between the end of December 2023 and the end of January 2024, sheds light on the immediate impact of hostilities on women. According to the assessment findings, the vast majority (91 per cent) of displaced women surveyed in Rafah reported that their homes had been damaged or destroyed and over half had lost at least one family member since 7 October. In addition, the assessment finds that some 94 per cent of women feel unsafe and lack privacy and a similar percentage have been struggling to afford necessities such as food, water and hygiene supplies. To cope, women have resorted to extreme measures such as fasting and selling part of the aid they receive to purchase needed clothing and hygiene supplies. The assessment also finds that overcrowding at displacement sites raises concerns about gender-related protection risks, especially gender-based violence (GBV). Moreover, nearly half of surveyed women reported lacking civil documentation for them and/or their family members, including 13 per cent who lack civil documentation for both them and their family members, hindering their access to aid and essential services. According to the Protection Cluster, an estimated 30 to 40 per cent of people in Gaza have lost their identification documents during displacement. Although in-kind assistance does not require people to produce identification, the lack of such documents presents a significant obstacle to obtaining Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA).

    West Bank Updates

     

    • On 21 March 2024, a 24-year-old Palestinian man died of critical wounds sustained by an Israeli drone strike on a Palestinian vehicle in Jenin Refugee Camp the day before, bringing to four the death toll of that incident.
    • On 21 March, Israeli forces, including an undercover unit, shot and killed a 29-year-old Palestinian man in Aqbat Jaber Refugee Camp during a raid that involved an exchange of fire with Palestinians. Israeli forces also searched houses in the camp and injured three Palestinians, including a five-year-old girl who sustained injuries from shrapnel and two men who were injured with live ammunition and arrested.
    • On 22 March, a Palestinian man opened fire at an Israeli bus near Dolev Israeli settlement, in Ramallah governorate, causing damage to the bus, the Israeli military reported. Israeli forces then reportedly initiated a search operation lasting for about three hours, during which eight members of Israeli forces were injured in an exchange of fire with the man, according to Israeli media sources. An Israeli drone and helicopter were deployed and struck the Palestinian man with two missiles, killing him. During the incident, Israeli forces raided the nearby villages of Deir Ibzi and Kafr Ni'ma, closed the road gate at the only entrance to Ras Karkar village (with an estimated population of 2,200), and broke into the house of the killed Palestinian man, arresting his brother alongside two other Palestinians.
    • Since 7 October, 434 Palestinians have been killed, including 421 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and three by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 126 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024, the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 5,000 Palestinians have been injured, including 725 children, since 7 October in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 109 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • According to the Islamic Waqf, some 120,000 worshippers performed Friday prayers in Al Aqsa Mosque on the second Friday of the month of Ramadan (22 March). Measures announced by the Israeli authorities last week limited the access of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs to Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem to children under 10 years of age, women over 50, and men over 55, with a valid one-day permit and magnetic card. Eligible persons can cross the checkpoints starting at 4:00 and return before 17:00. In 2023, men over 55, women of all ages and children under 12 were allowed entry without a permit on Fridays during Ramadan.
    • On 20 March, a Palestinian man was displaced after he was forced to demolish his residence due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permit in Al ‘Isawiya in East Jerusalem. Since 7 October, over 1,600 Palestinians have been displaced due to home demolitions, more than half of whom were displaced in operations carried out by Israeli forces, 38 per cent by the demolition of homes that lacked Israeli-issued building permits, and 8 per cent due to demolitions on punitive grounds. Also since 7 October 2023, over 1,240 Palestinians, including about 600 children, from at least 20 herding communities have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.23 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 21 March, member states disbursed nearly $1.05 billion for the updated Flash Appeal (85 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $434million out of $600 million (72 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently supporting 122 projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Despite logistical hurdles, safety and security concerns, and fuel scarcity that hinder the procurement and transport of supplies, implementation is led by 77 international NGOs, 20 national NGOs, and 16 UN agencies. Of the projects implemented by international NGOs or UN agencies, 56 per cent are in partnership with national NGOs. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link.
    • The oPt HF has recently finalized its First Reserve Allocation of US$ 3.5 million for 2024, which aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to a total of $88 million received by the Fund since 7 October from Member States and private donors and allocated for programming across Gaza, including 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has recently allocated US$ 700,000 to a project led by UN Women that aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive accountability to affected people, bringing to $18.7 million the total CERF allocation to oPt since 7 October.

    28.

    22 maart 2024

    I’m sure you’ve seen the devastating reports coming out of Gaza.

    One million Palestinians in Gaza are facing imminent famine. The images of babies, children, people of all ages starving to death are burned into my brain.

    And yet what are the politicians in Washington doing? They are voting to *ban* funding to the primary U.N. agency responsible for providing food in Gaza.

    It’s mind boggling.

    Later today, Congress is expected to vote on a spending bill that would ban funding to UNRWA - the largest provider of life-saving assistance to Palestinians in Gaza - through March 2025.

    The U.S. has been the largest donor to UNRWA, typically providing between $300-400 million annually. If passed, this ban would create a shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars - at the time when the aid is needed most.

    In a cynical move, the ban on UNRWA funding has been wedged into a massive spending bill that lawmakers must pass in order to avoid a government shutdown.

    The New York Times is reporting that this bill is expected to “easily pass Congress” by the weekend.

    We can’t let them get away with this. We can’t let them cut off aid during a genocide.

    This immoral bill not only cuts off a key lifeline for Palestinian refugees, but it also allocates hundreds of millions of dollars to further militarize our southern border and detain, deport, and separate families.


    Take action now.


    Adalah Justice Project

    27.

    21 maart 2024

    CARE

    21 maart 2024

    De crisis in Gaza is een crisis die we nog nooit eerder hebben gezien. Na ruim vijf maanden van geweld lijden de mensen in Gaza onder ziekte, honger en duisternis.

     

    Er is vrijwel geen nachtelijk licht en gezondheidszorg in Gaza. Vrouwen bevallen in het donker en op straat.

     

    CARE probeert met medische teams hulp te verlenen ondanks alle uitdagingen.

    26.

    21 maart 2024

    21 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #144

    Humanitarian workers preparing hot Ramadan Iftar meals for displaced families in southern Gaza. Implemented by ANERA and World Central Kitchen, this is one of 122 relief projects currently supported by the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund. Photo by ANERA

    Key Highlights

     

    • The Israeli military operation inside and around Al Shifa Hospital is ongoing for the fourth consecutive day.
    • According to Oxfam, the Israeli authorities have been arbitrarily rejecting the entry into Gaza of civilian goods that have a potential military use. 
    • The Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction against the return of some 25 patients from East Jerusalem and Israel  to Gaza. 
    • The Israeli army killed nine Palestinians across the West Bank since the afternoon of 20 March, including five by airstrikes.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Al Rimal area in the vicinity of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. 
    • Between the afternoon of 20 March and 10:30 on 21 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 65 Palestinians were killed, and 92 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 21 March 2024, at least 31,988 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 74,188 Palestinians have been injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 19 and 20 March:  
      • On 19 March, at about 21:00, at least 27 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a three-floor building housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) on Al Ishreen street in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 19 March, at about 17:30, at least four Palestinians, including the head police of An Nuseirat, and two young girls, were reportedly killed and others injured when a car in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 19 March, at about 20:45, near Al Kuwaiti roundabout at the southeastern entrance to Gaza city, at least 30 Palestinians, were shot at and killed. Among the victims was the Director of the Emergency Committee in western Gaza city. The group reportedly comprised Palestinians who were part of a committee tasked with overseeing the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid.
      • On 20 March, at about 4:00, 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a residential building in Ard Ash Shanti area, in northwestern Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 20 March, at 5:25, at least seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Al Bureij Refugee Camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 20 March, at about 11:00, four Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were reportedly killed when a house near Hamdan Hall in eastern Rafah was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 20 and 21 March, no Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 21 March, 250 soldiers have been killed and 1,489 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 21 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld. 
    • The Israeli military operation inside and around Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city has continued for the fourth consecutive day. According to the Israeli military,  it has killed over 50 armed Palestinians in the past 24 hours, bringing to 140 the number of Palestinians the Israeli army said they have killed since the start of this military operation. According to the spokesperson of the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza, the Israeli army reportedly refused to allow civil defense crews to reach and rescue hundreds of injured people who had issued calls for help in the vicinity of Al Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military also reported that about 3,700 people passed through a checkpoint it established near Al Shifa hospital and moved southwards, over 300 of whom have been detained.
    • In a recent report, Oxfam International outlines seven key humanitarian access constraints that impede aid delivery into and across Gaza. Among other constraints, the report draws attention to the denial of entry of civilian goods into Gaza by the Israeli authorities, on the grounds that they could potentially be used for military purposes.  It highlights that the range of prohibited items goes beyond international best practice for regulating trade in dual-use items established by the Wassenaar Arrangement. The report adds: “Israel is arbitrarily rejecting aid items as ‘dual-use’; civilian goods with a potential military use. Such items, including flashlights, batteries, water pipes, fittings and medical supplies, are often necessary for people’s survival and for meeting other basic needs,” with the same item sometimes being rejected or allowed to pass on different days. According to the report, the prohibition on the entry of back-up generators has severely impacted the functionality of Gaza’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health sectors, and Oxfam has been unable to bring in a shipment of vital water quality testing equipment since December 2023. Action Aid had also reported that oxygen cylinders and anaesthetics for hospitals were among the items not permitted to enter Gaza during inspections. Other items that​​​​​​​ humanitarian partners are currently identifying as difficult to bring into Gaza include psycho-social support kits, mine-action supplies for Explosive Ordnance contamination assessments, and telecommunications equipment.   
    • On 20 March, following a petition filed by Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI), the Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction against the return to Gaza of some 25 patients, along with their companions, who have been at hospitals in East Jerusalem and Israel since before 7 October. The patients were scheduled to be bused back to Gaza by the Israeli authorities, reportedly because they no longer require in-patient medical treatment, and include cancer patients and five newborn babies and their mothers. According to PHRI’s spokesperson, as cited in the media: “Returning residents to Gaza during a military conflict and a humanitarian crisis is against international law and poses a deliberate risk to innocent lives.” In late October 2023, WHO estimated that at least 400 patients from Gaza had been stranded in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, after the movement between Gaza and the West Bank came to a halt. Separately, on 18 March, PHRI and five other human rights organizations petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to “compel Israel to allow the entry of all humanitarian aid and assistance shipments into Gaza and ensure the civilian population receives everything it needs to survive the war – in accordance with Israel’s obligations as an occupying power.”  

    West Bank Updates

     

    • Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians across the West Bank on 20 and 21 March:

    • Minutes before the start of Ramadan Iftar on 20 March, Israeli forces targeted with a "Sky Quad Drone" a Palestinian vehicle driving in Jenin Refugee Camp, killing its three passengers and seriously injuring the fourth. According to reports from PRCS, two bodies were severely charred, while the third was dismembered. Palestinians later demonstrated in front of the Palestinian Presidential Compound, refusing to bury the three killed Palestinians before the release of political prisoners from a Palestinian Authority prison. Subsequent clashes and an exchange of fire erupted between Palestinian security forces and Palestinians in the camp, resulting in the injury of six Palestinians, one of whom sustained a critical head injury. 
    • On 20 March, Israeli forces carried out a 10-hour military operation in Nur Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarm city, during which the forces killed four Palestinians, two by Israeli airstrikes and two by shooting. Israeli forces also bulldozed road infrastructure and caused damage to residential houses and other properties. Israeli media outlets, citing the Israeli army, said that Israeli forces have caried out 45 air strikes across the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza.
    • On 21 March, Israeli forces shot with live ammunition and killed an 18-year-old Palestinian male during an Israeli search-and-arrest operation in Al Bireh city, in Ramallah governorate, which involved clashes between Palestinians throwing stones and Israeli forces. During the operation, Israeli forces searched several houses in Al Bireh and Ramallah cities. 
    • On the morning of 21 March, Israeli forces shot and killed an elderly Palestinian man from Hebron city at a bus station near the settlement of Elazar in Gush Etzion in Bethlehem. The circumstances of the incident remain unclear. 
    • Since 7 October, 431 Palestinians have been killed, including 419 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and three by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 123 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024, the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,690 Palestinians have been injured, including 725 children, since 7 October in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.  
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 101 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • On 20 March, Israeli settlers believed to be from settlement outposts near Rimonim settlement, in the Ramallah governorate, have occupied and placed their sheep in an unknown number of empty Palestinian structures in the Bedouin community of Al Mu'arrajat Center. Since 12 October, Palestinian families from this community have been forcibly displaced amid heightened Israeli settler violence in the area. Also on 20 March, following reported attacks by settlers believed to be from a settlement outpost established near Ma’ale Efrayim settlement on 11 March, five Palestinian households comprising 21 people, including eight children, were forced to dismantle their homes and other structures near Fasayil village in Jericho. The families rely on herding as a main source of income and reported that Israeli settlers have been limiting their access to grazing lands and have cut pipes that supply them with water. 
    • Since 7 October 2023, over 1,240 Palestinians, including around 600 children, from at least 20 herding communities have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. In addition, since 7 October, over 1,600 Palestinians have been displaced due to home demolitions, more than half of whom were displaced in operations carried out by Israeli forces, 38 per cent by the demolition of homes that lacked Israeli-issued building permits, and 8 per cent due to demolitions on punitive grounds. 

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 21 March, member states disbursed nearly $991 million for the updated Flash Appeal (81 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $375 million out of $600 million (63 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently supporting 122 projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Despite logistical hurdles, safety and security concerns, and fuel scarcity that hinder the procurement and transport of supplies, implementation is led by 77 international NGOs, 20 national NGOs, and 16 UN agencies. Of the projects implemented by international NGOs or UN agencies, 56 per cent are in partnership with national NGOs. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link.
    • The oPt HF has recently finalized its First Reserve Allocation of US$ 3.5 million for 2024, which aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to a total of $88 million received by the Fund since 7 October from member states and private donors and allocated for programming across Gaza, including 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has recently allocated US$ 700,000 to a project led by UN Women that aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive accountability to affected people, bringing to $18.7 million the total CERF allocation to oPt since 7 October.
    • For the Humanitarian Needs and Cluster Response Update for the period between 12 and 18 March, please visit: Humanitarian needs and response update | 12-18 March 2024. The update for a given week is initially published on Mondays and is updated throughout the week to reflect new content.

    25.

    21 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israel has killed over 100 aid workers in Gaza in the last week

    Leila Warah

    Israel has killed over 100 aid workers in Gaza over the past week as its military siege of al-Shifa Hospital continues. Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government continues planning for an invasion of Rafah.

    Canadian foreign minister says country will stop arms sales to Israel

    Canada's parliament voted to stop future arms sales to Israel. "This appears too good to be true," CJPME Vice President told Mondoweiss. "We need to make sure that Canada stops the transfer of all military exports, period, without any loopholes."

    There is nothing we can do about Israel other than everything

    The war on Gaza is being used to advance fascism and white supremacy in the U.S. It is also opening people's eyes to global systems that require genocide to continue. To stand with Palestine is to transform those systems and build a different world.

    24.

    21 maart 2024

    21 maart 2024

    It’s Our Job to Stop Arming Israel: The U.S. must follow Canada’s moral example

    Canada has announced a complete suspension of all new arms export permits to Israel, effective immediately. This long overdue freeze will remain in place indefinitely until the Canadian government can ensure that any military exports are used in full compliance with Canada's strict export laws, which prohibit weapons transfers that could abet civilian harm or violate international humanitarian law. 

    Canada's decision reflects growing international outrage over Israel's bloody genocide in Gaza and the consensus military aid to Israel fuels atrocities and undermines peace. This bold move by Canada marks a pivotal moment for the international community to reevaluate their complicity in perpetuating injustice through unconditional military support to Israel. As more and more voices worldwide demand accountability and an end to impunity, the United States must also urgently reexamine its practices of providing billions in weapons to Israel with no strings attached.

    For too long, the U.S. has been arming Israel to the teeth and shielding it from any consequences at the UN. Weak attempts by the Biden administration to entice or persuade the extremist Netanyahu government to change its behavior have utterly failed. Stern statements from top U.S. officials like Secretary Blinken and Senator Schumer have fallen on deaf ears among Israeli leadership.

    It is clear that the decades-long U.S. policy of appeasing Israel as it tramples on Palestinian rights has only emboldened Israeli impunity and made a just, lasting peace more remote than ever. To truly promote human rights, international law, and equality for Palestinians, the U.S. must stop trying in vain to change Israel's behavior and instead cut the pipeline of unconditional military aid to Israel.

     

    Only by ending U.S. complicity and impunity can we begin to forge a path of justice, equality, and dignity for all. Join us in urging President Biden to stop arming apartheid and finally align U.S. policy with human rights, international law, and Palestinian self-determination.

     

    In solidarity,
    Americans for Justice in Palestine Action

    23.

    20 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israel kills Gaza officials handling food delivery to the north; Canada votes to halt arms sales to Israel

    Hamas slams Israel for "spreading chaos" after an Israeli airstrike killed two local police officers in charge of securing and delivering food to north Gaza.

    ‘All of them are gone except me’

    My friend Reem Hamadaqa barely survived an attack on her home in Khan Younis that killed her parents and most of her family. What do you tell a friend who has lost nearly everything?

    Doctors justify genocide in a prestigious journal

    The Journal of the American Medical Association published four letters rife with racist anti-Palestinian tropes. The prestigious platform created the appearance of intellectualism and expertise, but it’s all just racism with a ribbon on it.

     

    Read more about this anti-Palestine racism by the

    American Medical Association !!

    22.

    20 maart 2024

    20 maart 2024

    In Gaza’s north, a full-blown famine is imminent.

    North Gaza is rapidly sliding into a state of full-blown famine.

     

    According to a U.N.-backed report released on Monday, famine will hit Gaza’s northern governorates between now and May.


    Today, one-third of children under the age of two in Gaza’s north are suffering from acute malnutrition, more than double the number from a month ago.

    *Are* there red lines for Biden?

    Biden publicly called an invasion of Rafah a “red line.” But with no consequences attached, it’s unclear if this was more serious than the President “thinking out loud.”

     

    Further, the administration is undermining this shift in rhetoric by continuing to arm Israel’s genocidal military. Over the last months, the Biden administration has shipped weapons to Israel, on average, every 36 hours...

     

    Reinstate UNRWA funding now.

    Over a million Palestinians face starvation in Gaza. Yet Democrats and Republicans alike want to continue banning U.S. funding for UNRWA, the U.N. agency that serves Palestinians refugees.

     

    Join our sibling organization JVP Action in telling Congress: Reinstate life-saving funding for UNRWA now.

     

    Event: Gaza's Health Crisis.

    Join the Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council this Sunday, March 24 at 1pm ET/10 am PT for a discussion of the catastrophic health crisis in Gaza, featuring Dr. Thaer Ahmad and Dr. John Kahler, who both recently returned from Gaza.

    21.

    20 maart 2024

    20 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #143

    Fuel delivery to power lifesaving operations at Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only paediatrics hospital in the north of Gaza. Photo by OCHA, 19 March 2024

    Key Highlights

     

    • Patients and medical doctors lack food and water as hospitals across Gaza struggle to maintain operations and save lives, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns.
    • The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for unfettered humanitarian and commercial access into and across Gaza to prevent famine.
    • Some 25 patients are scheduled to be returned to Gaza from East Jerusalem on 21 March.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in southeastern Gaza city and areas surrounding Al Shifa Hospital. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoon of 19 March and noon on 20 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 104 Palestinians were killed and 162 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and noon on 20 March 2024, at least 31,923 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 74,096 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 18 and 19 March:
      • On 18 March, at about 19:10, at least eight Palestinians were reportedly killed when a group of people in Beit Hanun, in North Gaza, was hit.
      • On 18 March, at about 19:05, eight Palestinians, including a Palestinian Lieutenant Colonel responsible for securing the entry of aid trucks to northern Gaza, his wife and children, were reportedly killed when a residential building in Jabalya city, in North Gaza, was hit.
      • On 18 March, at about 19:20, one Palestinian was reportedly killed, and at least six others were injured, when the building of Al Bureij Municipality, in Deir al Balah, was hit and reportedly destroyed.
      • On 18 March, at about 21:30, six Palestinians including a woman and a young girl, were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in western An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 18 March, at about 23:50, five Palestinians including three children and a woman were reportedly killed when an apartment in Az Zohour neighbourhood, in Rafah, was hit.
      • On 18 March, at about 22:00, six Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house belonging to a Palestinian journalist in Al Amin area of Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, in Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 19 March, in the morning, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house on Al Jalaa Street, in Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 19 March, at about 11:50, 15 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house in central Gaza city was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 19 and 20 March, one Israeli soldier was reported killed in Gaza. As of 20 March, 250 soldiers have been killed and 1,496 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • The Israeli military operation inside and around Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city continued for the third successive day, with reports of heavy exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups. According to the Israeli military, some 90 armed Palestinians were killed and 300 suspects were detained including 160 who were transferred to Israel for further questioning. The Gaza Government Media Office reported that civilians, including children, were among the fatalities. The MoH in Gaza called on international organizations to help protect the wounded and sick patients and medical staff at Al Shifa Hospital, also noting that they have been unable to break their fast due to the lack of water and food as Israeli forces continue to besiege the hospital. Expressing concern about the sporadic and slow access to hospitals, WHO stated on 18 March that they and their partners “have been carrying out high-risk missions to deliver medicines, fuel and food for health workers and their patients, but … requests to deliver supplies are often blocked or refused. Damaged roads and continuous fighting, including in and close to hospitals, mean deliveries are few and slow.” WHO further highlighted that when teams do reach hospitals, they “meet exhausted and hungry health workers who ask us for food and water. We see patients trying to recover from life-saving surgeries and losses of limbs, or sick with cancer or diabetes, mothers who have just given birth, or newborn babies, all suffering from hunger and the diseases that stalk it.” In a briefing on 18 March, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Jamie McGoldrick, described “the industrial scale destruction” he had recently witnessed on his way to visit Al Shifa hospital, where there was very limited fuel for generators to run hospital equipment, doctors were struggling to address the needs of injured and ill patients, and many displaced people were seeking shelter.
    • Sounding the alarm about the projected imminent risk of famine in Gaza, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated on 19 March, that this human-made catastrophe “can and must be prevented,” calling on Israel, as the occupying power, “to facilitate the unimpeded entry and distribution of needed humanitarian assistance and commercial goods.” The High Commissioner particularly highlighted the impact starvation has on children, who have been reportedly sent unaccompanied from northern to southern Gaza to desperately search for food. On 18 March, WHO also emphasized the immediate and long-term health impacts of malnutrition and disease on children: “Malnutrition makes people more vulnerable to getting severely ill, experiencing slow recovery, or dying when they are infected with a disease. The long-term effects of malnutrition, low consumption of nutrient-rich foods, repeated infections, and lack of hygiene and sanitation services slow children’s overall growth. This compromises the health and well-being of an entire future generation.”
    • Some 25 patients from Gaza, along with their companions , are scheduled to be returned to Gaza from hospitals in East Jerusalem on 21 March, as ordered by the Israeli authorities, reportedly because they no longer require in-patient medical treatment. In late October 2023, WHO estimated that at least 400 patients from Gaza had been stranded in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, after the movement between Gaza and the West Bank came to a halt. Until 7 October, patients and their companions were among the few categories of people from the Gaza Strip eligible to apply for Israeli-issued permits to exist Gaza, with the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza largely banned from exiting via Israel, including for passage to the West Bank. Between January and August 2023, according to the Palestinian General Authority of Civil Affairs , there were at least 1,700 monthly exits of patients from Gaza to the West Bank via Beit Hanoun/Erez crossing. During the same period, about 80 per cent of the 1,645 Gaza patient applications submitted to the Israeli authorities on average every month were approved for exiting Gaza, of which nearly half were for gaining access to health care facilities in East Jerusalem. Cancer patients comprised the largest category of those seeking referral to hospitals outside Gaza, constituting about 36 per cent of applicants. According to the MoH in Gaza, there are currently some 9,000 cancer patients who are at risk of death. The only hospital specialized in treating cancer patients in Gaza was the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which became non-operational in November 2023 after its fuel supply was depleted and it sustained heavy damage.

    West Bank Updates

     

    • Just before sunset on 19 March, a 43-year-old Palestinian herder, a father of four, was shot and killed in Khirbet Tell al Khashaba herding community near Aqraba village in Nablus. According to community sources and eyewitnesses, the Palestinian man was grazing his livestock when three Israeli settlers from a nearby settlement outpost wearing army uniforms approached him and forcefully pushed him to the ground. Community sources added that as he attempted to defend himself and pushed one of the attackers back, he was fatally shot in the chest by another settler. According to an Israeli army source, cited by a media outlet, the Palestinian man was shot by an Israeli soldier.
    • On 19 March, a Palestinian man opened fire at and injured two Israeli security officers in a natural reserve near Gush Etzion settlement junction next to the entrance to Beit Fajjar village in Bethlehem. The man was subsequently shot and killed by Israeli forces.
    • Since 7 October, 422 Palestinians have been killed, including 410 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and three by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 114 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared with 85 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,690 Palestinians have been injured, including 724 children, since 7 October in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 101 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • Since the beginning of 2024, displacement due to home demolitions during operations carried out by Israeli forces accounts for 55 per cent of displacement in the West Bank, followed by displacement by demolitions due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits (38 per cent) and displacement due to demolitions on punitive grounds (7 per cent).
    • Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 March 2024, OCHA has recorded 660 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (59 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (526 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (75 incidents). Almost two-thirds of these incidents took place between October and December 2023.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 15 March, member states disbursed nearly $974 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $358 million out of $600 million (60 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently supporting 122 projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Despite logistical hurdles, safety and security concerns, and fuel scarcity that hinder the procurement and transport of supplies, implementation is led by 77 international NGOs, 20 national NGOs, and 16 UN agencies. Of the projects implemented by international NGOs or UN agencies, 56 per cent are in partnership with national NGOs. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link.
    • The oPt HF has recently finalized its First Reserve Allocation of US$ 3.5 million for 2024, which aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to a total of $88 million received by the Fund since 7 October from member states and private donors and allocated for programming across Gaza, including 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has recently allocated US$ 700,000 to a project led by UN Women that aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive accountability to affected people, bringing to $18.7 million the total CERF allocation to oPt since 7 October.

    20.

    20 maart 2024

    President Biden must reinstate funding to UNRWA and force the protection of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza

    The past six months have seen over 31,000 Palestinians killed in Israel's relentless war on Gaza, enabled by unconditional U.S. military aid. This genocide has resulted in the displacement of 85% of Palestinians in Gaza, with 93% facing acute hunger and widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure.Palestinians in Gaza are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, and famine is imminent.

    This dire situation demands swift and decisive action to save lives. Here's how you can make a difference:

    Contact your Members of Congress (both senators and representatives) and urge Members of Congress to pressure the Biden Administration to:

    1. Reinstate full funding to UNRWA to ensure essential services reach Palestinians in Gaza and defend the critical work of humanitarian aid workers.
    2. Prioritize and demand the opening of all borders for aid delivery to Gaza and other affected areas to ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance.
    3. Initiate an immediate halt to all U.S. weapons transfers to Israel until compliance with international humanitarian law is ensured.
    4. Demand and facilitate a complete, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire  

    19.

    20 maart 2024

    Israel/US: Human Rights Watch and Oxfam are calling on the Biden administration to follow US law and immediately suspend arms transfers to Israel. Yesterday, the two organizations submitted a joint memorandum to the US government regarding Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law including with US weapons and the blocking of US-funded humanitarian assistance.

    18.

    19 maart 2024

    19 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #142

    Muhammad (11) carrying a bowl of beans for his family who stay in a tent in Rafah. “Every day, I walk two kilometres and spend over five hours to provide one meal a day for my family,” he says. Photo by UNICEF/Zagout

    Key Highlights

     

    • The Famine Review Committee and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator emphasize that famine in Gaza can be averted, provided urgent measures are put in place, including the restoration of unfettered humanitarian access.
    • Significant obstacles currently hinder the sustained scale-up of aid into and across Gaza, according to the World Food Programme and the Humanitarian Coordinator.
    • During the first two weeks of March, one in five humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza were denied access by the Israeli authorities.
    • Some 900 Palestinians have been displaced due to the destruction of their homes during search-and-arrest and other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Deir al Balah and areas surrounding Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoon of 18 March and noon on 19 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 93 Palestinians were killed and 142 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and noon on 19 March 2024, at least 31,819 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 73,934 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 17 and 18 March in Deir al Balah:
      • On 17 March, at about 15:00, two Palestinians, a man and a young girl, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp.
      • On 18 March, at about 00:40, nine Palestinians, including a 3-year-old boy, were reportedly killed and at least six others injured when a house was hit in western An Nuseirat Refugee Camp.
    • Between the afternoons of 18 and 19 March, one Israeli soldier was reported killed in Gaza. As of 19 March, 249 soldiers have been killed and 1,482 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 19 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • The Israeli military operation inside and around Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city continued for the second consecutive day. According to the Israeli military, some 50 armed Palestinians were reportedly killed during the operation, including the Head of the Internal Security Operations Directorate, and 180 were otherwise detained. There were also reports indicating that Israeli forces took control of several buildings within and around the hospital compound, besieged two schools where hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reside, and detained journalists. The full extent and impact of the military operation remains unknown. The hospital and its surroundings reportedly witnessed intense exchanges of heavy gunfire, heightening concerns for the safety of patients, medical personnel and thousands of IDPs in the hospital and the surrounding area. Since the first Israeli military raid in mid-November 2023, Al Shifa Hospital has struggled to maintain services and is one of six hospitals in northern Gaza that remain only partially functional, facing critical shortages of electricity, medications, medical equipment, food, and personnel.
    • The hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip is rapidly deteriorating, particularly in northern Gaza, because “people have been cut off from life-saving aid, markets have collapsed, and fields have been destroyed,” stated Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Martin Griffiths. According to the latest findings of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership, 1.1 million people are projected to face catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC Phase 5) and be at risk of famine in Gaza, the highest number of people ever recorded in this category by the IPC system. This includes more than 200,000 people in Gaza and North Gaza governorates who are imminently at risk of famine anytime between mid-March and May 2024 because they will have completely exhausted their food supplies and coping capacities. The IPC global Famine Review Committee (FRC) has emphasized that famine in Gaza can be halted provided there are urgent and proactive measures undertaken by parties to the conflict and the international community. In addition to specific programmatic recommendations, the FRC recommends: the restoration of humanitarian access as well as health, nutrition, and WASH services; the protection of civilians; the provision of safe, nutritious, and sufficient food to all populations in need; the sustained supply and movement of sufficient aid commodities ranging from food to medicines, specialist nutrition products, and fuel throughout the Gaza Strip; and the full resumption of the flow of commercial goods. Before famine is declared when it would be way too late, ERC Griffiths similarly emphasized the urgency of averting famine: “We must flood Gaza with food and other life-saving aid. There is no time to lose. I renew my call to the Israeli authorities to allow complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods.”
    • On 17 March, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered 18 trucks carrying 274 metric tons of wheat flour, food parcels and ready-to-eat rations to Gaza city, the ninth convoy WFP managed to take to northern Gaza since the beginning of 2024. WFP estimates that at least 300 daily food trucks need to enter and be distributed across Gaza, particularly in the north. However, there are obstacles hindering the sustained scale-up of the food supply chain, such as limited entry points, complicated border controls, difficult road conditions, and high tensions and desperation, according to WFP. The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Jamie McGoldrick, underscored in a briefing on 18 March that “nothing moves aid faster and in greater volumes to populations in need than a fleet of heavy trucks and use of all roads that are available.” He highlighted the need for: consistently reaching northern Gaza via multiple routes; scanning goods at Ashdod port and Allenby Bridge to bring larger amounts of aid directly into northern Gaza as Kerem Shalom crossing only has the capacity to scan 250-300 trucks per day; and being able to bring in critical commodities including medical equipment, spare parts for water and sanitation systems, generators, solar panels, and chemicals to treat water, among others. According to McGoldrick, the lack of these critical items is one of the key drivers of the malnutrition crisis.
    • Humanitarian access constraints continue to severely affect the timely delivery of life-saving assistance, particularly to hundreds of thousands of people in northern Gaza. During the first two weeks of March, 46 per cent of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza (11 out of 24) were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 21 percent were denied (5), and 33 percent (8) were postponed including one due to access impediments. During the same period, 76 per cent of aid missions to areas south of Wadi Gaza that require coordination (78 out of 103) were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 15 were denied (14 percent), and ten were postponed or withdrawn (10 percent). Facilitated missions primarily involved food distributions, nutrition and health assessments, and the delivery of supplies to hospitals.

    West Bank Updates

     

    • On 15 March, a 26-year-old Palestinian man died of wounds sustained on 17 July 2023 during an Israeli raid in Al Fawwar Refugee Camp in Hebron.
    • Since 7 October, 420 Palestinians have been killed, including 409 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 112 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared to 85 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,690 Palestinians have been injured, including 724 children, since 7 October in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 99 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • Between 7 October 2023 and 18 March 2024, OCHA has recorded a monthly average of 670 search-and-arrest and other operations by Israeli forces across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This is almost double the monthly average for the first nine months of 2023 (some 340 operations). A total of 304 Palestinians have been killed, including 72 children, and 2,657 others were injured, within this context by Israeli forces, representing about 73 per cent of Palestinian fatalities during this period. Some of the operations involved fire exchanges between Palestinians and Israeli forces, airstrikes, and use of under-cover Israeli military units. As a result, over 5,700 Palestinians have been detained, and some 900 Palestinians, including 370 children, have been displaced due to the destruction of their homes by Israeli forces during these operations. The vast majority (94 per cent) of displaced people were in the refugee camps of Nur Shams, Tulkarm and Jenin, where Israeli forces also regularly bulldozed roads and caused extensive damage to electricity, water and sewage infrastructure.
    • Since the beginning of 2024, 580 Palestinians, including 220 children have been displaced, compared with some 400 in the same period last year. The majority of those displaced were in operations carried by Israeli forces (318), especially in the refugee camps in Tulkarm and Jenin. Over 200 Palestinians were displaced as are result of demolition of houses due to the lack of Israeli-issued permits, most of them were in East Jerusalem, and around 40 were displaced due to the demolition of their homes on punitive grounds.
    • On 17 March, according to local community sources, armed Israeli settlers physically assaulted two Palestinian shepherds while they were grazing their sheep near Ariel settlement in Salfit governorate and stole forty sheep. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 March 2024, OCHA has recorded 658 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (59 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (524 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (75 incidents). Almost two-thirds of these incidents took place between October and December 2023.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 19 March, member states disbursed nearly $974 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $358 million out of $600 million (60 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently supporting 122 projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Despite logistical hurdles, safety and security concerns, and fuel scarcity that hinder the procurement and transport of supplies, implementation is led by 77 international NGOs, 20 national NGOs, and 16 UN agencies. Of the projects implemented by international NGOs or UN agencies, 56 per cent are in partnership with national NGOs. For a summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in February 2024, please follow this link.
    • The oPt HF has recently finalized its First Reserve Allocation of US$ 3.5 million for 2024, which aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to a total of $88 million received by the Fund since 7 October from member states and private donors and allocated for programming across Gaza, including 43 per cent in Rafah, 21 per cent in Deir al Balah, 20 per cent in Khan Younis, and 16 per cent in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has recently allocated US$ 700,000 to a project led by UN Women that aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive accountability to affected people, bringing to $18.7 million the total CERF allocation to oPt since 7 October.

    17.

    19 maart 2024

    19 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israeli attacks escalate on Rafah, al-Shifa Hospital invasion enters second day

    After a night of heavy bombardment the PA warns Israel's Rafah offensive has begun. Meanwhile, the invasion of al-Shifa hospital continues; all communication with medical staff trapped inside the hospital has been silent since Monday evening.

    The real reason Israel stormed al-Shifa Hospital yet again

    Israel's latest attack on al-Shifa Hospital and the successful delivery of food aid to northern Gaza are connected. Here's how.

    Opposition to Palestinian rights shaped U.S. anti-terror laws

    A new report shows how opposition to Palestinian rights helped shape anti-terror laws in the United States.

    16.

    19 maart 2024

    19 maart 2024

    19 maart 2024

    18 maart 2024

    Here’s the latest...

    On March 16, 2003, the IDF killed American activist Rachel Corrie as she defended homes in Rafah from destruction. As Israel threatens to invade the city, a volunteer who stood alongside Rachel writes on her legacy — a call for steadfast solidarity with Gazans.

    15.

    18 maart 2024

    Take a Principled Stance for Palestine Now!

    During the month of Ramadan, many mosques and organizations engage in various activities, including outreach programs, iftars, and interfaith events. While sharing our faith is encouraged, it is imperative for mosques to refrain from inviting nor accepting invitations from elected officials or leaders who have staunchly supported the genocide against the Palestinians.

    Our mosques need to take a crucial step in delivering a loud and clear message to elected officials and leaders that the North American Muslim community is urging a call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. With a staggering toll of over 31,000 Palestinians martyred and more than 72,000 injured, and these numbers continuing to rise, it is an affront to our values to invite pro-genocide elected officials and leaders into our community spaces.

    We are at a pivotal moment that demands moral clarity and steadfast principles. We urge elected officials and leaders to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. The ongoing genocide in Gaza must come to an end, allowing for humanitarian aid to reach those in need, and the process of rebuilding Gaza can commence without delay.

    The American Muslim Task Force for Palestine recommends and calls upon all the mosques and Muslim organizations of North America to take the following pledge: 

    “We, as the Board of Trustees and the Administrators of our Mosque / Islamic Center/Organization commit to not accept invitations nor invite elected officials and leaders who have staunchly supported Israel’s genocide against Palestinians and are against the call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza to our mosques or any of our community programs.”

    In solidarity,

    The American Muslim Task Force for Palestine

    14.

    18 maart 2024

    Instead of holding them accountable, Biden has continued to arm Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza

    The catastrophic situation in Gaza continues to worsen by the day, with over 31,000 Palestinians killed in the past five months of Israel's relentless genocide. Enabled by unconditional U.S. military aid, Israel's assault has displaced 85% of Palestinians in Gaza, left 93% facing acute hunger, and destroyed homes and infrastructure on a massive scale. The UN has warned that Gaza is on the brink of complete collapse and total famine.

    The Biden administration's response to this unfolding humanitarian disaster has been to continue arming Israel to the tune of billions of dollars while paying lip service to Palestinian suffering. Recently, President Biden announced sanctions on a few extremist settlers and began dropping meager amounts of humanitarian aid—measures that will do nothing to alleviate Gaza's misery as long as U.S. bombs keep raining down.

    Enough is enough. The Biden administration has a moral and legal obligation to cut off ALL U.S. weapons transfers to Israel immediately. By any reasonable standard, Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Palestinians in Gaza are obvious war crimes and crimes against humanity. Continued U.S. military assistance makes our country complicit in these atrocities under laws like the Foreign Assistance Act.

    Pressure is mounting on the administration to take real action. On March 11, eight prominent senators, led by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, sent a letter urging Biden to enforce the Foreign Assistance Act. This law prohibits U.S. aid to any country that restricts the delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance. The senators note that according to the administration's statements, the Israeli government is blatantly violating this law with its ongoing obstruction of aid to Gaza.

    The letter demands that Biden issue an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: lift all restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza or face an immediate cutoff of U.S. military aid as required by law. This would be a major step, as Israel currently receives over $3.8 billion annually in U.S. military financing.

    The senators' letter highlights just how dire the situation in Gaza has become, citing reports of "families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration."

     

    True accountability, let alone justice, for Palestinians is impossible as long as U.S. weapons continue enabling Israel's genocide in Gaza. We have to maintain our pressure.

     

    In solidarity,
    Americans for Justice in Palestine Action

    13.

    18 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israeli army storms al-Shifa again, aid reaches Jabalia for first time in months

    Leila Warah

    Over a million people in Gaza face "imminent" famine as UNRWA aid trucks arrive in northern Gaza for the first time in months. Meanwhile, the Israeli army's Chief of Staff says "a long way to go" until Israel's military objectives are achieved.

    Weekly Briefing: Now everyone hates Israel

    The unbelievable onslaught on a captive people in Gaza has at last cracked the conscience of the American Jewish community and sent American Zionists into complete crisis.

    Not in Our Name CUNY demands that Hunter administration apologize for antisemitism smear

    Not In Our Name CUNY

    We understand that speaking out in the face of settler colonial genocide is, in the words of Hunter's campus motto, an important act of "care of the future."

    12.

    18 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #141

    “People in Gaza are starving to death right now,” warns the World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain, as every second person is expected to experience catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Photo by UNICEF/El Baba

    Key Highlights

     

    • 1.1 million people in Gaza are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity between March and July 2024, up from 378,000 in December 2023, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis released on 18 March.
    • Nutrition screenings conducted in February show acute malnutrition rates among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled since January.
    • On 18 March, the Israeli military launched an operation in the area Al Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, and reportedly distributed leaflets instructing internally displaced persons to immediately evacuate to Al Mawasi area in southern Gaza.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly near Al Shifa hospital in Al Rimal area of Gaza city and in Deir al Balah. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. On 16 March, the Israeli army reportedly withdrew from Hamad area of Khan Younis.
    • Between the afternoon of 15 March and 10:30 on 18 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 236 Palestinians were killed and 358 Palestinians were injured, including 81 killed and 116 injured in the past 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 18 March 2024, at least 31,726 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 73,792 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported between 14 and 17 March: 
      • On 14 March, at about 16:10, four Palestinians including a child were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a civilian car in Ash Sheikh Radwan area in Gaza city was hit.
      • On 14 March, at about 12:30, at least five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house on Salah Ad Deen Road in Al Bureij refugee camp was hit.
      • On 14 March, the bodies of 24 Palestinians were reportedly recovered from different areas in Khan Younis, including 17 from Hamad area.
      • On 15 March, at about 10:50, the bodies of eight Palestinians were reportedly recovered from central Khan Younis city and Hamad area in northwestern Khan Younis.
      • On 15 March, at about the time when people break their daily Ramadan fast, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 22 others were injured, when a house sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs) in At Touffah area, north of Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 15 March, at about 20:00, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house in northern An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 15 March, at about 23:50, at least 36 Palestinians were reportedly killed, most of them said to be children and women, including pregnant women, and others injured when a residential building in Abu Ghula area in western An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 16 March, at about 14:00, one Palestinian woman was reportedly killed, and others injured, when IDP tents in Al Mawasi area, in Rafah, were hit.
      • On 16 March, at about 10:00, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 10 others injured, when a house in An Nuseirat Camp, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 17 March, at about 1:25, at least 11 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Bishara neighbourhood, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 15 and 18 March, one Israeli soldier was reported killed in Gaza. As of 18 March, 248 soldiers have been killed and 1,482 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 18 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • On 15 March, UNICEF reported a staggering and rapid rise in malnutrition levels among children, warning that there is a high risk that malnutrition rates will “continue to increase across the Gaza Strip, costing more lives, in the absence of more humanitarian assistance and the restoration of essential services.” Nutrition screenings conducted in February show a near doubling of acute malnutrition among children compared with January: from 16 to 31 per cent among children under the age of two in northern Gaza; from 13 to 25 per cent among children under the age of five in northern Gaza; and from 5 to 10 per cent among children under the age of two in Rafah. The rate of severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition that necessitates therapeutic feeding and treatment unavailable in Gaza, has also increased:  from almost 3 per cent to 4.5 per cent of children in shelters and health centres in northern Gaza, and fourfold in Rafah from 1 to 4 per cent. In Khan Younis, where nutrition screenings were conducted for the first time by UNICEF and its partners, 28 per cent of children under the age of two were found to be acutely malnourished, including 10 per cent who suffer from severe wasting. In reaction to these devastating findings, UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russel, stated: “We have repeatedly attempted to deliver additional aid and we have repeatedly called for the access challenges we have faced for months to be addressed. Instead, the situation for children is getting worse by each passing day. Our efforts in providing life-saving aid are being hampered by unnecessary restrictions, and those are costing children their lives.”
    • According to the latest findings of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released on 18 March, nearly the entire population of Gaza is currently facing crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse levels of food insecurity, including 876,000 facing emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity and 677,000 facing catastrophic (IPC Phase 5) levels of food insecurity. The fast-deteriorating food security conditions, including a nearly 80 per cent increase in the number of people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity (677,000 vs. 378,000) have been triggered by the intensity of hostilities, extremely limited humanitarian access, and severe limitations on the supply of goods and basic services, according to the report. During the period of March through July 2024, under the assumption that a ground offensive in Rafah takes place, the analysis finds that half the population of Gaza (1.1 million people) is projected to face catastrophic levels of insecurity; these would include 70 per cent of the population of Gaza and North Gaza governorates, 50 per cent of Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates, and 45 per cent of Rafah governorate.
    • On 16 and 17 March, at least 27 truckloads carrying food supplies successfully reached northern Gaza, including  15 that reportedly reached Jabalya for the first time in four months. The arrival of supplies occurred without any reported incident.
    • In the early morning hours of 18 March, the Israeli military announced the initiation of an operation in the area Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, citing intelligence information suggesting the military use of the hospital by Palestinian armed groups. The Israeli army also reportedly distributed leaflets instructing IDPs at and near the facility, as well as the residents of Al Rimal neighbourhood, to immediately evacuate to Al Mawasi area in southern Gaza. According to MoH in Gaza, a fire erupted at the entrance to the surgeries department building, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries. Expressing concern about the safety of health workers, patients and civilians, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated: “Hospitals should never be battlegrounds…The hospital has only recently restored minimal health services. Any hostilities or militarization of the facility jeopardize health services, access for ambulances, and delivery of life-saving supplies. Hospitals must be protected. Ceasefire!”

    West Bank Updates

     

    • On 16 March, in H2 area of Hebron city, Israeli forces shot, killed and subsequently withheld the body of an armed Palestinian who had reportedly opened fire at a military post.
    • Since 7 October, 419 Palestinians have been killed, including 408 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 110 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared with 85 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,690 Palestinians have been injured, including 724 children, since 7 October in the West Bank. 
    • According to the Islamic Waqf, approximately 80,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan (15 March). Access for Palestinian holders of West Bank IDs into East Jerusalem was limited to children under 10 years of age, women over 50, and men over 55, with valid permits and magnetic cards, through three designated checkpoints along the Barrier (Qalandiya, Gilo 300, Az Zaytoun).
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 99 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • Between 7 October 2023 and 18 March 2024, approximately 300 houses were demolished and 1,640 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, of whom 57 per cent were displaced since 1 January. The majority of those displaced (903) were during operations carried out by Israeli forces, especially in refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm, followed by displacement due to the lack of Israeli-issued permits (640), and displacement due to the demolition of homes on punitive grounds (138).
    • Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 March 2024, OCHA has recorded 650 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (59 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (518 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (73 incidents). Almost two-thirds of these incidents took place between October and December 2023.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 18 March, member states disbursed nearly $974 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $358 million out of $600 million (60 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • During February 2024, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) had a total of 122 ongoing projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Projects focused on the areas of Education, Food Security, Health, Protection, Emergency Shelter and non-food items, water, sanitation and hygiene, coordination and support services, multi-purpose cash assistance and nutrition. Of these, 77 projects were being implemented by international NGOs, 29 projects by national NGOs, and 16 projects by UN agencies. Of the 93 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN, 52 were being implemented in partnership with NNGOs. The oPt HF has also recently finalized its critical and time sensitive First Reserve Allocation of 2024, titled "Emergency Fleet Augmentation for Enhanced Gaza Aid Delivery", amounting to US$3.5 million. The allocation aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. For a summary of the oPt HF activities in February 2024, please follow this link. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

    11.

    17 maart 2024

    Sluit je aan bij de acties tegen bloeddadels van Albert Heijn!

    Terwijl er meer dan 30.000 mensen in Gaza zijn vermoord, verkoopt Albert Heijn Israëlische dadels. Hiermee steunt Albert Heijn de Israëlische oorlogskas en de de genocide tegen Palestijnen.

    Sitin4Palestine NL en BDS NL roepen daarom op: Demonstreer bij Albert Heijn winkels in het hele land. Albert Heijn, stop de verkoop van bloeddadels!

    Sitin4Palestine NL is een groep activisten door het hele land die de afgelopen maanden sit-ins organiseerden op treinstations.

    Op zaterdag 16 maart startte de campagne met acties bij Albert Heijn winkels in Amsterdam, Eindhoven en Alkmaar. De demonstranten riepen Albert Heijn op om te stoppen met de verkoop van bloeddadels, en riepen het winkelend publiek op: boycot bloeddadels!

    Bij Albert Heijn in de Javastraat in Amsterdam werden Israëlische dadels en avocado' s nog tijdens de actie uit de schappen gehaald!

    Albert Heijn verkoopt al heel lang producten uit de apartheidsstaat, vooral groente en fruit. Terwijl toegang tot water voor veel Palestijnen in historisch Palestina bewust door Israël wordt afgeknepen, heeft de Israëlische agri-industrie vrij toegang. De export van Israëlische dadels is hiervan een belangrijk - en symbolisch - voorbeeld. Voor de kolonisatie werden dadels door Palestijnen verbouwd.

    Albert Heijn verkoopt veel dadels van het merk King Solomon, maar ook veel van de medjoul dadels van het huismerk komen uit Israël. King Solomon wordt geexporteerd door Hadiklaim, een bedrijf dat op de zwarte VN lijst staat van bedrijven die bijdragen aan het in stand houden van de bezetting.

    Boycot is resistance! Free Palestine!

    Great work everyone at the boycott bloeddadels actions at Alkmaar, Eindhoven and Amsterdam East and West yesterday!! We handed over our letters to the supermarket management and distributed more than 1.500 flyers to shoppers.

    We also received lots of positive feedback from people and AH workers and in Amsterdam East (Javastraat) multiple Israeli products (dates, avocado’s) were removed from the shelves by the AH itself, within half an hour after starting our action! We will remain vigilant if they don’t come back. 

    It was also great to connect with each other, building networks of like-minded people in our neighborhoods, so we can act together to support the people in Palestine. 

    In the coming days we will announce the locations for Saturday the 23rd of March. If you want to contribute, or if you have friends and family that might want to, please invite them as soon as possible to fill in the signup form (link in bio) to (co)organise an action next Saturday!

    10.

    17 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Top EU official says Israel failed to prove its accusations against UNRWA

    Mustafa Abu Sneineh

    Netanyahu has vowed to invade Rafah despite the international red line. Meanwhile, the U.S. has sanctioned two illegal settler outposts in the West Bank for the first time.

    Palestine: Unity of land, people and struggle

    Today, Gaza is on the frontlines, but she is not alone. We call on all Palestinians everywhere to unite in action. Our liberation can only be achieved through a unity of struggle, built upon a unity of people and a unity of land.

    Refaat Alareer lives

    I have finally realized that the lessons Dr. Refaat taught me and the power of his words keep him alive. As long as I breathe, I will tell his stories and the endless stories of my occupied and silenced city.

    9.

    17 maart 2024

    I am excited to introduce you to an initiative that is not just close to my heart, but one that Refuser Solidarity Network is supporting as it resonates deeply with the experiences of many of us in the organization, as people who refused their military service. AniSiravti, “I refused” in Hebrew, is a resistance initiative, a community, and a collection of testimonies from Israeli men and women who choose to refuse their mandatory reserve duty, as a political and public act of resistance to the occupation and the war on Gaza.

    You can sign up to create a monthly donation to support the Refuser Solidarity Network and our work with new initiatives like AniSiravti here. Monthly donations give us the stability we need to plan our work: ampflying and supporting activists in Israel.

    Tom Mehager, the founder of the project, an activist, a partner, and a father, was sentenced to four weeks in military prison in 2003, due to his refusal to serve as a reserve soldier. Like most Israelis and Palestinians in the land, he woke up with his partner and daughter in Tel Aviv to a number of sirens. Just a few hours later he was watching the horrific massacre in the south and already posting on Facebook about his predictions and fears of another severe military operation, that was yet to come, in Gaza. He writes: 

    I began to question the morality and logic of the occupation after I served my full military service. During my mandatory reserve duty, I served as the commander of an artillery unit at a roadblock in the West Bank. Once I understood the main purpose of my work there was to harass and humiliate Palestinians passing through, I decide I did not want to be a part of this inhumane military system and refused to continue to serve.

    Israel is instilling a military dictatorship on the Palestinian people, committing human rights violations, collective punishment, and a siege on Gaza. At the onset of the war a few refusers and I thought about creating a platform for refusers to collectively declare their decision to refuse. Although we have been dismissed from reserve duty, we are using this platform to take  a moral stance. To proclaim - we refused in the past and would refuse again today, even after the seventh.

    People need to hear our voices and know that we believe there must be red lines in Israeli society. What is happening today in Gaza is horrifying and we don’t believe this level of killing and hunger will bring anyone safety, or the hostages back.

    Donate to support Gaza War refusersI would like to share with you Yonatan Shapira’s testimony, a fellow refuser from the project:

    “We conducted targeted and intentional killings and murders of civilians. At first I tried to explain it to myself in different ways…I didn't have direct contact with the acts of killing, I was a search and rescue pilot. But at some point I was able to understand that it doesn't matter much whether I am doing the “clean job” or the less terrible one and a pilot in another squadron shoots in the middle of the night and slaughters an entire family. These things horrified me and quite a few other pilots in the air force at that time.. a letter was organized later known as the pilot’s letters… We declared that we refuse to continue to be a part of the oppression and occupation and the murder of innocent people.

    This was 21 years ago and we were talking about isolated incidents here and there, one, two, ten, fifteen, twenty people, some children here, some children there. Today when Israel carries out a genocide in Gaza on full scale, with around thirty thousand murdered, over ten thousand children, who knows how many thousands lying under the ruble, some dead, some slowly dying from hunger and injuries, it’s clear that I would also refuse today.”  

    In solidarity,


    Maya Eshel
    International Solidarity Coordinator
    Refuser Solidarity Network

    8.

    16 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    It isn’t Netanyahu who is acting against the will of his people, it’s Biden

    Mitchell Plitnick

    Democrats are criticizing the Israeli government for not reflecting the desires of Israelis in its war on Gaza. Netanyahu may be hated, but it’s clear he's not acting against the will of his people. That description is far more fitting for Joe Biden.

    7.

    15 maart 2024

    Effectively Out-Organizing The Zionist Lobby

    Last month, the Minneapolis City Council officially passed a ceasefire resolution, marking Minneapolis as the first city in the U.S. to call for an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. This groundbreaking resolution was brought to life through the collaborative efforts of the AMP Minnesota team, along partners at the Minnesota-based Free Palestine Coalition. Originally adopted on January 25th, it faced a veto from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey less than a week later. However, thanks to the tireless mobilization of AMP and partner organizations, the city council overturned the mayor's veto on a 9-3 vote, marking one of the only times a veto has been overridden in the current Mayor’s history. 

    The resolution is monumental for three key reasons. Firstly, by establishing a nationwide precedent, Minneapolis has become the first major city in the country to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel shattering the boundary of what is considered acceptable criticism of Israel.  Secondly, the resolution contextualizes the current crisis with 75 years of displacement and occupation, rather than erroneously starting the timeline on October 7th. Lastly, it acknowledges the truth by referring to Israel's siege as genocide and collective punishment, incorporating findings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) investigation.

     

    AMP chapters around the country have worked on city council resolutions, passing them in major cities across the country.

    Sana Wazwaz

    AMP Minnesota

    6.

    15 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Hamas proposes new prisoner exchange deal, Netanyahu’s office calls it ‘unrealistic’

    Thousands of Palestinian worshippers have been denied access to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for Ramadan's first Friday prayers, while Israeli forces have committed another massacre against Palestinian aid-seekers in Gaza City.

    5.

    15 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #140

    Warning of imminent famine, the World Food Programme delivered this week 88 metric tons of food parcels and wheat flour for 25,000 people in northern Gaza. Photo by UNRWA

    Key Highlights

     

    • The World Health Organization and partners delivered medical supplies sufficient for 80,000 patients to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah on 13 March.
    • The hunger crisis in Gaza is deepening, rendering almost the entire population reliant on food aid that remains insufficient to address soaring needs.
    • During the first two weeks of March, 12 humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, six were denied, and six were postponed.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the Hamad area of Khan Younis, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoon of 14 March and 10:30 on 15 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 149 Palestinians were killed and 300 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 15 March 2024, at least 31,490 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 73,439 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • Between the afternoons of 14 and 15 March, according to the Israeli military, there were no Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza. As of 15 March, 247 soldiers have been killed and 1,476 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 15 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 13 and 14 March:
      • On 13 March, at about 20:00, six Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed and others injured while they were waiting for aid supplies at Al Kuwaiti roundabout, at the entrance to Gaza city.
      • On 14 March, at about 7:00, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house in Al Bureij Refugee Camp, Deir al Balah, was hit.
      • On 14 March, 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and more than 155 others were injured, while waiting for humanitarian aid at Al Kuwaiti roundabout, at the entrance to Gaza city.
    • On 14 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported that WHO and partners had delivered medical supplies sufficient for 80,000 patients to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah the previous day. Some 140 health workers, 70 per cent of them volunteers, are serving 650 hospitalized patients, in addition to about 250 patients treated in the emergency room daily. In addition to health service needs, the hospital is struggling with water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management, with some 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltering in two of the hospital’s warehouses. Al Aqsa is one of only 12 out of 36 hospitals across Gaza that remain partially functional. Of these, only two are providing maternity services, although it is estimated that some 180 women are giving birth every day in Gaza, and that 21,000 have delivered since the current conflict began. UNFPA has provided basic supplies to a doctor who has set up operations in a tent in a site established for 40,000 IDPs in Rafah. Dr. Mohamed Ragab, used to work as a gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, before damage to the hospital rendered it non-functional, following an Israeli military operation in February. Now treating up to 70 women every day, he stated that his operation “might be the only place in the displacement camps where we can provide antenatal and pregnancy care.” The WHO Director-General concluded that “the conditions in which people in Gaza are receiving health care are inhumane. We reiterate in the strongest terms our appeal: to protect health and civilian infrastructure; to allow us and partners safe and sustained humanitarian access; [and] for a ceasefire.”
    • The hunger crisis in Gaza is deepening, rendering almost the entire population reliant on food aid that remains insufficient to address soaring needs. The Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, has emphasized that road transport is the only solution for scaling up the flow of aid. This week, WFP delivered 88 metric tons of food parcels and wheat flour for 25,000 people in northern Gaza, while warning that “famine is imminent” if the amount of aid to the area is not “exponentially” increased. During the first two weeks of March, 12 humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, six were denied, and six were postponed.

    West Bank Updates

     

    • Since 7 October, 418 Palestinians have been killed, including 407 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 109 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared with 80 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,690 Palestinians have been injured, including 724 children, since 7 October in the West Bank.
    • The Israeli authorities have announced measures on the entry of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs, with valid permits and magnetic cards, to Al Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan (15 March), limiting entry to children under 10 years of age, women over 50, and men over 55. In 2023, men over 55, women of all ages and children under 12 were allowed entry without a permit on Fridays during Ramadan.
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 99 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • Between 7 October 2023 and 15 March 2024, over 300 Palestinian houses have been demolished in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the displacement of about 1,680 people, the majority (903) during operations carried out by Israeli forces especially in refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm. In addition, 640 people were displaced due to the demolition of their homes for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, compared to 705 displaced in the first nine months of 2023. Nearly 140 people were also displaced due to the demolition of their homes on punitive grounds since 7 October, compared to 78 during the first nine months of 2023.
    • On 14 March, armed Israeli settlers from the "Sde Efraim" settlement outpost raided the nearby village of Kafr Ni'ma in Ramallah and attacked Palestinians and their property, injuring one Palestinian, vandalizing and setting fire to vehicles and agricultural structures, and killing two sheep. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 15 March 2024, OCHA has recorded 646 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (59 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (513 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (74 incidents).

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 15 March, member states disbursed nearly $974 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $358 million out of $600 million (60 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • During February 2024, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) had a total of 122 ongoing projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Projects focused on the areas of Education, Food Security, Health, Protection, Emergency Shelter & NFI, WASH, Coordination and Support Services, Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and Nutrition. Of these, 77 projects were being implemented by international NGOs (INGOs), 29 projects by national NGOs (NNGOs), and 16 projects by UN agencies. Of the 93 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN, 52 were being implemented in partnership with NNGOs. The oPt HF has also recently finalized its critical and time sensitive First Reserve Allocation of 2024, titled "Emergency Fleet Augmentation for Enhanced Gaza Aid Delivery", amounting to US$3.5 million. The allocation aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. For a summary of the oPt HF activities in February 2024, please follow this link. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

    4.

    15 maart 2024

    Say NO to additional U.S. military funding for Israel.

    Millions of people across the country are demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and calling for an end to Israel's brutal occupation — and members of Congress need to know we are all paying attention at this very moment.

    With more than 39,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October — two-thirds of whom are women and children — we have to stop the U.S. from sending more arms to Israel.

    Tell Congress Now: No more funds for genocide.

     

    In solidarity,

    Yasmine, Linda, Ishraq, and the team at MPower Action

    3.

    15 maart 2024

    AIPAC is your problem too. This conservative, anti-Palestinian lobby group bolsters bigoted candidates and drives billions in deadly weapons to Israel. That means putting dangerous politicians in power, funding an active genocide, and taking critically needed resources away from our own communities.

    You and I have seen the consequences over and over. Politicians, fearing AIPAC’s influence, will refuse to call for a permanent ceasefire, to stop arming Israel, or to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its war crimes in any way. Sometimes they’ll call for even more massive violence, as AIPAC-funded House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said this week that the genocide must continue.

    Stand up and fight back! USCPR Action is teaming up with a broad coalition of progressive organizations to urgently resist, including Justice Democrats, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, MPower Action Fund, and more.

    Protesters rallied outside the AIPAC building in DC this week.


    In 2024, AIPAC is trying to tighten its grip on Congress. But our movement is coming together to stop them.

    Now is the time to Reject AIPAC once and for all.

    Onward to liberation,

     

    2.

    15 maart 2024

    De NOS bericht vandaag dat het kabinet zoekt naar alternatieve manieren om toch onderdelen voor het F-35-gevechtsvliegtuig te leveren aan Israël.

    Daarmee gaat het in tegen de uitspraak die het gerechtshof in Den Haag vorige maand deed in het hoger

    beroep van de zaak die Oxfam Novib, PAX en The Rights Forum aanspanden tegen de staat. Het oordeel van het hof luidde dat Nederland moet stoppen met alle uitvoer van deze onderdelen naar Israël.

    Sluiproute
    ‘Het is onbestaanbaar dat het kabinet op deze manier omgaat met de uitspraak van het hof,’ zegt Michiel Servaes, directeur van Oxfam Novib, namens de drie organisaties. ‘Gezien de humanitaire catastrofe die zich voltrekt in Gaza is het uitermate kwalijk dat de Nederlandse staat bezig is om een sluiproute te verzinnen om alsnog onderdelen voor het F-35-gevechtsvliegtuig te leveren aan Israël. Dat gaat lijnrecht in tegen de uitspraak van de rechter dat Nederland moet voorkomen betrokken te raken bij ernstige schendingen van het humanitair oorlogsrecht in Gaza.’

    Regering om opheldering gevraagd
    Met het door de NOS bekendgemaakte nieuws over het regeringsbeleid is een nieuw dieptepunt bereikt wat betreft de ondermijning van de nationale en internationale rechtsorde ten behoeve van Israëlische oorlogsmisdaden.

    ‘We zullen ons verdiepen in deze nieuwe informatie van de NOS [...] en de regering om spoedige opheldering vragen. En als nodig zullen wij er niet voor terugschrikken om opnieuw naar de rechter te stappen,’ zo stelt Servaes.

    Het kabinet ontkent te hebben gezocht naar alternatieve routes om alsnog F-35-onderdelen te kunnen leveren aan Israël, rapporteert NRC.

    Uiteraard houden wij u de komende tijd op de hoogte van de ontwikkelingen.Steun onze rechtszaak!
    De fundraiser voor de rechtszaak loopt nog altijd. De staat heeft namelijk aangegeven in cassatie te gaan. Dit betekent dat een Hoge Raad zich zal buigen over de uitspraak van het Gerechtshof. Een cassatieproces is een tijdrovend en kostbaar proces, we kunnen daarom jullie steun nog steeds goed gebruiken!

    Fel protest tegen sponsoring door Booking.com van Pride Amsterdam

    ‘Pride, breek met Booking!’ Onder die noemer wordt actie gevoerd tegen de sponsoring van Pride Amsterdam door Booking.com.

    Het platform biedt namelijk accommodaties aan van Israëlische kolonisten in bezet Palestijns gebied aan internationale toeristen. 

    De nederzettingen waarin de accommodaties zich bevinden zijn illegaal en maken inbreuk op de rechten van de lokale Palestijnse bevolking. Tegen deze praktijk wordt al jaren geprotesteerd, maar tot een beleidswijziging van Booking.com heeft dat tot dusver niet geleid.

    Pride Amsterdam
    Binnen die context wordt nu het bestuur van Pride Amsterdam 2024 aangesproken op de sponsoring van het evenement door Booking. Een collectief van tot dusver vijftig organisaties, waaronder The Rights Forum, en 750 individuele ondertekenaars roept het bestuur per brief op de samenwerking met Booking te heroverwegen totdat het bedrijf zijn activiteiten in de illegale nederzettingen staakt.

    De actie heeft veel aandacht gekregen op Instagram, met prominente aanjagers als Tofik Dibi, Maurits de Bruijn en (oud-)Pride-ambassadeurs als Jason Bhugwandass en Haroon Ali. Ook het COC ondersteunt de actie inmiddels. Het Amsterdamse AT5 meldt dat het bestuur van Pride Amsterdam de brief zeer serieus neemt, en met een reactie zal komen.

    Lees hier het hele artikel over Booking.com en de sponsoring van Pride Amsterdam.

    Commentaar | De ontvangst van Herzog moet gevolgen krijgen

    De aanwezigheid van de Israëlische president Herzog op 10 maart in Amsterdam heeft geleid tot verbijstering en bittere controverse. Joodse organisaties riepen het Internationaal Strafhof op tot zijn arrestatie, veel Nederlanders deden aangifte bij het OM, en rond de opening van het museum vonden demonstraties plaats.

    Lessen van de Holocaust
    Die controverse had voorkomen kunnen en moeten worden. Het feit dat Herzogs komst bij velen als een mokerslag zou aankomen was voorspelbaar, maar werd door de museumdirectie genegeerd. Dat ‘Nooit meer’ voor veel Nederlanders, onder wie logischerwijs veel Joden, ook écht ‘Nooit meer’ betekent, was voor de directie een verrassing, of is als collateral damage beschouwd.

    Joodse Nederlanders demonstreren tegen de aanwezigheid van de Israëlische president Yitzhak Herzog bij de opening van het Nationaal Holocaustmuseum in Amsterdam op 10 maart 2024. © Charles M. Vella / SOPA Images/Sipa USADat laatste geldt ook voor de vele Palestijnen in Nederland. Het feit dat Herzog hier met alle egards is ontvangen, is onverteerbaar. Die impact, gevoeld in termen van uitsluiting en onveiligheid, is door de directie niet onderkend of domweg genegeerd.
     
    Opheldering nodig
    Die minachting voor grote groepen Nederlanders en hun gevoelens verdient opheldering. Dit temeer daar die getuigt van een fundamenteel verschil van inzicht over de lessen van de Holocaust. Met het oprekken van ‘Nooit meer’ tot ‘Nooit meer, tenzij’ stelt het museum die ter discussie, en daarmee zijn eigen missie.

    'Als de ene genocide wordt herdacht en de andere gesteund, is het tijd voor verzet'

    Michiel Bot, Universitair Hoofddocent Law and Humanities aan Tilburg University, schreef naar aanleiding van het bezoek van de tot genocide oproepende president Herzog een opiniestuk. Daarin betoogt hij dat het noodzakelijk is om de traditie van herdenken terug te winnen.

    Lees verder >

    Wij strijden tegen oorlogsmisdaden, annexatie, bezetting en onderdrukking. Helpt u mee?

    Agenda Protesten in Amsterdam en Utrecht

    Op zaterdag 16 maart om 14.00 uur vindt op initiatief van SOS Peace een vredesmanifestatie plaats op de Dam in Amsterdam. De organisatoren roepen op tot een permanent staakt-het-vuren, humanitaire hulp aan Gaza, de vrijlating van gijzelaars en een duurzame vrede. Deelnemers wordt gevraagd symbolen van vrede mee te nemen. Klik hier voor meer informatie.

    Op zondag 17 maart organiseert Stichting Plant een Olijfboom van 11.00 tot 17.00 uur op het Vredenburgplein in Utrecht een herdenkingsprotest voor gedode kinderen in Gaza. De stichting verzamelt tevens kinderschoenen voor de protesten en om die later te verkopen ten behoeve van het Palestina Fonds voor Gaza. Bezoek de website van Plant een Olijfboom voor meer informatie over de actie. 

    Opinie Lasteraars waren bij Dries van Agt aan het verkeerde adres

    Martijn de Rooi, redacteur van The Rights Forum, schreef een opiniestuk naar aanleiding van de absurde en onzindelijke beschuldigingen van antisemitisme die Dries van Agt zelfs na zijn dood nog ten deel vielen. 'Dries liet zich niet intimideren door zulke laster, die louter bedoeld was om zijn Israël-kritische opvattingen verdacht te maken', schrijft De Rooi op LinkedIn.

    Ook De Rooi werd na de dood van Dries weer op allerlei rotzooi getrakteerd: 'Ik werk immers voor de door hem opgerichte stichting The Rights Forum. Dan is fanmail uit pro-Israël-hoek, gecomponeerd rond de steekwoorden antisemiet, terrorist, nazi en kapo, nooit ver weg. Ook al ben je, zoals ik, een zoon van Holocaustoverlevenden en van Joodse afkomst.'

    Lees hier het artikel van Martijn de Rooi.

    Agenda Movies That Matter

    Als onderdeel van het Movies That Matter filmfestival in Den Haag wordt in de laatste week van maart de documentaire I Shall Not Hate vertoond. De film vertelt het verhaal van de voor een Nobelprijs genomineerde dokter Izzeldin Abuelaish uit Gaza, die zijn drie dochters verloor toen een Israëlische tank zijn huis bombardeerde. Tegen alle verwachtingen in weet Izzeldin Abuelaish zijn tragedie om te zetten in een wereldwijde campagne om haat uit te roeien.

    De documentaire wordt drie keer vertoond, op 26, 29 en 30 maart. Op de twee laatste data is dokter Abuelaish ook zelf aanwezig voor een nagesprek.

    Bezoek de website van Movies That Matter voor meer informatie over de vertoningen en nagesprekken en om kaartjes te kopen. 

    1.

    14 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #139

    Photo by UNICEF/Zagout

    Key Highlights

     

    • One of the few remaining UNRWA distribution centres in Gaza was hit by an Israeli strike on 13 March.
    • Catastrophic healthcare conditions are impeding the disease management of thousands of chronically ill patients in Gaza, according to a new report.
    • Mine Action response in Gaza is hindered by the need for authorization to deploy specialized personnel, restrictions on the import of humanitarian mine action supplies, and unreliable communications systems.
    • The UN Human Rights Office has called on the Israeli authorities to immediately halt any imminent home demolitions and the forcible displacement of some 1,550 Palestinians in Al Bustan area of Silwan in East Jerusalem.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the Hamad area of Khan Younis, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoon of 13 March and 10:30 on 14 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 69 Palestinians were killed and 110 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 14 March 2024, at least 31,341 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 73,134 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 12 and 13 March:
      • On 12 March, at about 20:00, 11 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Al Mahatta area in Deir al Balah governorate was hit.
      • On 12 March, four Palestinian bodies were recovered from multiple locations in An Nuseirat and Al Mughraqa areas in Deir al Balah governorate.
      • On 12 March, around noon, two Palestinian fishers were reportedly shot and killed while fishing off the coast of An Nuseirat in Deir al Balah governorate.
      • On 13 March, at about 3:00, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Az Zaitoun neighbourhood, in southeastern Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 13 March, at about 8:30, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Al Bureij, in Deir al Balah governorate, was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 13 and 14 March, the Israeli military reported no Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza. As of 14 March, 247 soldiers have been killed and 1,475 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 14 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • On 13 March, up to six people, including an UNRWA staff member, were reported killed and 22 others injured by an Israeli strike on an UNRWA facility in Rafah, which serves as both a warehouse and a distribution centre. One of the fatalities is believed to be a Hamas commander, who the Israeli military says was “precisely targeted”’ in a strike in Rafah on 13 March. According to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the strike affected “one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centres in the Gaza Strip … as food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and, in some areas, turning into famine.” The Commissioner-General said that UNRWA shares the coordinates of all its facilities in Gaza with the parties to the conflict on a daily basis and that the Israeli authorities had received the coordinates of the Rafah facility the day before it was struck. Since the beginning of the current round of hostilities, UNRWA has recorded an “unprecedented number of violations against its staff and facilities that surpass any other conflict around the world,” with at least 165 UNRWA team members killed, more than 150 UNRWA facilities struck, and over 400 internally displaced persons (IDPs) killed while seeking shelter in UNRWA facilities. “The United Nations, its personnel, premises and assets must be protected at all times,” the Commissioner-General added.
    • A new report by Juzoor for Health and Society Development highlights the challenges facing the healthcare system in Gaza, which was already struggling due to recurrent hostilities and the blockade, and is now at “a breaking point,” with emergency response activities at a minimum. The system’s ability to detect disease outbreaks, respond to mass casualty incidents, and record health outcomes has been disrupted, necessitating urgent efforts to stabilize the healthcare system and restore its functionality. The report focuses on the catastrophic conditions impeding the disease management of thousands of chronic patients in Gaza, including at least 10,000 Palestinians with cancer, and the lack of data on the number of people dying because they cannot access health care for their chronic conditions. “The inability to continue renal dialysis, the lack of insulin, and other life-saving cardiac medications, fuel shortages, scarcity of clean water, and lack of electricity means thousands of people with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), asthma, kidney disease, or diabetes are unable to treat or control their conditions, which will result in the rapid increase in deaths,” according to the report. In addition, the report notes that there are currently some 2,000 cancer patients who require treatment abroad, a two-fold increase compared to cancer cases scheduled for referral prior to 7 October.
    • Humanitarian partners warn that it will take years to clear nearly 23 million metric tons of debris generated by the destruction of residential units and other properties across the Gaza Strip as well as to clear up unexploded ordnance contamination. Calling for immediate action to enable large-scale assessments of explosive ordnance contamination, the Protection Cluster reports that Mine Action partners are carrying out explosive threat assessments for prioritized humanitarian sectors, delivering explosive ordnance risk education, and conducting digital, radio and SMS campaigns tailored to different groups including persons with disability. Challenges hindering Mine Action response include the need for authorization to deploy specialized personnel, restrictions on the import of humanitarian mine action supplies, and unreliable communication systems. Humanity and Inclusion is also warning of the lasting impact of long-term pollution on people in Gaza: “Given Gaza’s urban environment – where buildings have collapsed, are in ruins or damaged – explosive remnants are not only a permanent danger, but will also have a long-term impact on Gazans’ daily lives and their territory’s socio-economic development.”

    West Bank Updates

     

    • Since 7 October, 418 Palestinians have been killed, including 407 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include 109 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared with 80 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority by Israeli forces. Some 4,690 Palestinians have been injured, including 724 children, since 7 October in the West Bank.
    • The Israeli authorities have announced measures on the entry of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs, with valid permits and magnetic cards, to Al Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan (15 March), limiting entry to children under 10 years of age, women over 50, and men over 55. In 2023, men over 55, women of all ages and children under 12 were allowed entry without a permit on Fridays during Ramadan.
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 99 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • Between 7 October 2023 and 14 March 2024, an estimated 1,680 Palestinians have been displaced due to home demolitions carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, nearly triple the number of people displaced by home demolitions during the corresponding period last year. These include some 900 people displaced as a result of the destruction of 138 houses during operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank, the vast majority in the refugee camps of Tulkarm and Jenin. In addition, 25 houses have been demolished on punitive grounds, resulting in the displacement of some 140 people. Over 600 people have also been displaced by the demolition of their homes due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, more than half of whom were in East Jerusalem. On 11 March, the UN Human Rights Office called on the Israeli authorities to immediately halt any imminent home demolitions and the forcible displacement of some 1,550 Palestinians in Al Bustan area of Silwan in East Jerusalem to create a park next to an Israeli settlement in the heart of the city.
    • Since 7 October 2023 and as of 14 March 2024, OCHA has recorded 645 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (59 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (513 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (73 incidents). These incidents have resulted in damage to an estimated 9,850 trees and saplings, 80 per cent of which were vandalized by Israeli settlers between October and December 2023. In comparison, between 7 October 2022 and 14 March 2023, Israeli settlers vandalized more than 8,300 trees and saplings across the West Bank.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 13 March, member states disbursed nearly $974 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $358 million out of $600 million (60 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • During February 2024, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) had a total of 122 ongoing projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Projects focused on the areas of Education, Food Security, Health, Protection, Emergency Shelter & NFI, WASH, Coordination and Support Services, Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and Nutrition. Of these, 77 projects were being implemented by international NGOs (INGOs), 29 projects by national NGOs (NNGOs), and 16 projects by UN agencies. Of the 93 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN, 52 were being implemented in partnership with NNGOs. The oPt HF has also recently finalized its critical and time sensitive First Reserve Allocation of 2024, titled "Emergency Fleet Augmentation for Enhanced Gaza Aid Delivery", amounting to US$3.5 million. The allocation aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. For a summary of the oPt HF activities in February 2024, please follow this link. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

    14 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Israel kills 7 Palestinians waiting for aid, attacks UN distribution center

    Israel’s Knesset approved a $19.4 billion budget increase to fund the ongoing Israeli genocide, while the Biden administration has indicated that it will greenlight the targeting of "high-value Hamas targets in and underneath Rafah."

    Call to Action: Support academic freedom for Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian

    Palestine-Global Mental Health Network

    Hebrew University's suspension of Palestinian professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian sends a chilling message to scholars worldwide. Silencing her undermines academic freedom and the broader struggle for human rights and dignity in Palestine and beyond.

    Are we indeed all Palestinians?

    Mohammed El-Kurd

    Are we indeed ‘all Palestinians’ as we chant on the streets of New York and London? If so, this rallying cry must abandon metaphor and manifest materially in resistance and refusal. Because Gaza cannot stand alone in sacrifice.

    Palestinians in Gaza face famine during Ramadan

    Ramadan has arrived, and northern Gaza has been overtaken by famine. “People fast without the promise of breaking it, and the world watches on without doing anything,” Ghazi Oweis, a refugee from northern Gaza, tells Mondoweiss.

    14 maart 2024

     

    In January, the World Court decided that Israel is plausibly committing genocide against the 2.3 million Palestinians in occupied Gaza. Here’s some of what Israel is doing to Palestinian athletes and sports facilities in Gaza as part of its genocide.

     

    Among the more than 31,000 Palestinians in Gaza killed by Israel are an Olympic football coach, a FIFA referee, dozens of players, athletes, and technical staff. Israel has destroyed the Palestinian Olympic Committee offices, turned sports facilities into shameful mass detention and torture centers, and bombed most major stadiums across Gaza.

     

    Yet, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is still planning to allow genocidal Israel to participate in the Olympic Games this summer in Paris.

    As the IOC prepares to meet next week, take action now to say there is no place for genocide and sporticide in the Olympics!

    ­More than 186,000 people have signed petitions calling for genocidal Israel to be banned from international sports, including the Olympics.
     

    Twenty-six French MPs have called on the IOC to sanction genocidal Israel.

    From March 15-17, groups around the world are organizing protests at their national Olympic committees calling on them to support the call from more than 300 Palestinian teams to #BanIsrael from the Olympics.
     

    Join them by taking action online today. Sign the petitions below calling for #BanIsrael from international sports.

    We can’t sit back as the IOC allows Israel to use the Olympics to sportswash its genocide in Gaza and its underlying, decades-old apartheid regime against Palestinians everywhere.

     

    Stay tuned to join more actions as we pledge No Olympics As Usual and organize to peacefully disrupt the road to the Paris 2024 games.

    In solidarity,
     
    The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

    13 maart 2024

    Read and share the full Wire on our website.

    Red lines and red carpets.

    As Ramadan begins, pressure on the Biden administration to end its support for the Gaza genocide is mounting.

    Biden has warned that an invasion of Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering, would be a “red line” without a plan to evacuate civilians — but Netanyahu is moving forward with plans to invade anyway.

    Our mandate, as Jews committed to Palestinian liberation, is to continue the struggle against our government’s complicity — and to continue forcing the conversation about why the U.S. is backing a genocide into the mainstream. And, by taking action during some of the most televised days of the year, that's exactly what we’ve done in the last week… 

    What we're reading.

    AIPAC has long sought to shut down any politician critical of the Israeli government's apartheid regime.

    In the Intercept, Akela Lacy reports on a new coalition, including our sibling organization JVP Action, that's taking on AIPAC directly from the left.

    13 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #138

    About 5,000 people with disabilities acquired from injuries sustained in hostilities in Gaza suffer from a lack of accessible shelters, potential exploitation, insufficient medical services, and neglect of their needs. Photo by WHO

    Key Highlights

     

    • For the first time in three weeks, the World Food Programme (WFP) was able to deliver food for 24,000 people in Gaza city.
    • There has been a dramatic deterioration in the mental health of children in Gaza, according to Save the Children.
    • According to a new assessment, 5,000 persons with disabilities acquired from injuries sustained in hostilities in Gaza suffer from a lack of accessible shelters, potential exploitation, insufficient medical services, and neglect of their needs.
    • Six Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between the afternoons of 12 and 13 March, bringing to 107 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2024.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoons of 12 and 13 March, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 88 Palestinians were killed and 135 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 13 March 2024, at least 31,272 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 73,024 Palestinians were injured, of whom 72 per cent are women and children, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported on 12 March:
      • On 12 March, at about 11:50, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and six others injured, when a house in Az Zaytoun neighborhood, in Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 12 March, at about 3:00, 11 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when three houses in Al Jaafarawi area, in southeastern Deir al Balah, were hit.
      • On 12 March, at about 9:30, 11 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house in Al Qarara Town, in northeastern Khan Younis, was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 12 and 13 March, according to the Israeli military, there were no Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza. As of 13 March, 247 soldiers have been killed and 1,475 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 13 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
    • Children in Gaza are among those worst affected by hostilities, hunger, displacement, disease, as well as the lack of basic services and vital aid. They make up roughly half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people, the vast majority of whom are internally displaced and at least 625,000 no longer have access to educational facilities. In a new report, Save the Children finds that “violence, displacement, starvation and disease on top of nearly 17 years of a blockade have caused relentless mental harm to children,” that is much worse than previous escalations in hostilities and has eroded children’s capacity to cope and recover. This is manifested by “fear, anxiety, disordered eating, bedwetting, hyper-vigilance and sleep problems as well as behavioural changes such as an alternation in attachment style with parents, regression and aggression.” Children as young as 12 have also been among those arbitrarily detained, according to the report, causing additional emotional distress, a compromised sense of safety, and a deterioration in children’s physical health. Since 7 October, Protection Cluster partners have provided child protection services, including mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS), to more than 260,000 children and 27,000 caregivers across the Gaza Strip, but report facing difficulty in bringing psychological support kits into Gaza to support the implementation of activities.
    • On 12 March, WFP delivered food for 25,000 people in Gaza city, marking the first successful convoy to reach northern Gaza since 20 February, when it announced a pause in deliveries to the north due to unsafe access and distribution conditions. The movement of aid trucks from southern Gaza to the north has been severely constrained, with only 25 per cent of aid missions planned in February (6 out of 24) facilitated by the Israeli authorities. In December 2023, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projected that the entire population of Gaza would face acute levels of food insecurity by February 2024, including more than half a million projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity. A new IPC analysis is due to be released in mid-March. As of 12 March, MoH in Gaza reported that 27 people, including 23 children, have died of malnutrition and dehydration at hospitals in northern Gaza.
    • Some 5,000 people in Gaza who have acquired disabilities from injury over the past five months are among the vulnerable groups worst affected by hostilities, according to a new assessment by Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, which identified the most urgent community needs of persons with disabilities (PwDs) and their families. The assessment finds that PwDs in Gaza, particularly women and children, suffer from a lack of accessibility in non-inclusive shelters, potential exploitation, insufficient medical services, and neglect of their needs. This is leading to social isolation and a deterioration in their mental health such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The report provides recommendations to address the needs of PwDs, including the provision of assistive devices, psychosocial interventions, and improving accessibility measures in displacement shelters, among others.

    West Bank Updates

     

    • Between the afternoons of 12 and 13 March, six Palestinians were killed in the West Bank:
      • On 12 March, Israeli forces fatally shot a 13-year-old Palestinian boy in the chest with live ammunition while reportedly holding a lit firework and playing with other boys in Shu’fat refugee camp (Jerusalem). Israeli forces have withheld the boy’s body and raided his house in the camp. A general strike was announced in the camp following the killing.
      • On 12 March, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians who were allegedly attempting to throw Molotov cocktails at a military observation tower in Al Jib village (Jerusalem). Two Palestinians, aged 16 and 23 years, were killed and three others were injured. Israeli forces detained the injured Palestinians for approximately 30 minutes before handing them over to Palestinian medical teams.
      • In the early hours of 13 March, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men, and injured four others, during a raid in Jenin city and nearby refugee camps.
      • On 13 March, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy from Al Khader village (Bethlehem) reportedly carried out a stabbing attack at the Tunnels checkpoint that controls access from the southern parts of the West Bank into East Jerusalem, injuring two members of Israeli forces. The boy was subsequently shot and killed by Israeli forces.
    • Since 7 October, 418 Palestinians have been killed, including 407 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include a total of 109 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared with 80 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority by Israeli forces. Over 4,680 Palestinians have been injured, including 722 children, since 7 October in the West Bank.
    • The Israeli authorities have announced measures on the entry of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs, with valid permits and magnetic cards, to Al Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan (15 March), limiting entry to children under 10 years of age, women over 50, and men over 55. In 2023, men over 55, women of all ages and children under 12 were allowed entry without a permit on Fridays during Ramadan. The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said in a statement on 12 March: “I take note of the guarantee by the Israeli authorities to allow the Muslim population of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, access to the Holy Sites. I call upon all sides to refrain from provocations and demonstrate maximum restraint.”
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 99 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • On 11 March, two households comprising seven people, including three children, were displaced after their house was demolished by the Israeli authorities in Um at Tiran community in Hebron governorate, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. Since the beginning of 2024, 69 houses have been demolished in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, due to the lack of building permits that are almost impossible to obtain, resulting in the displacement of 219 people of whom over 60 per cent were in East Jerusalem.
    • A house in Nur Shams Refugee Camp was rendered uninhabitable during a military operation on 11 March, displacing a family of two people. Since 7 October 2023, some 868 Palestinians, including 358 children, have been displaced because of the destruction of their houses during operations carried by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the vast majority (93 per cent) in the refugee camps of Nur Shams, Tulkarm and Jenin.
    • In the evening hours of 12 March, Israeli settlers raided Burin village in Nablus and set fire to a Palestinian car and damaged four others. Israeli forces subsequently entered the village and physically assaulted a driver in a car who was with his four-month-old infant. Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 639 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (59 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (508 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (72 incidents). Most of these incidents (over 400) took place between October and December 2023.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 13 March, member states disbursed nearly $974 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and about $358 million out of $600 million (60 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • During February 2024, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) had a total of 122 ongoing projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Projects focused on the areas of Education, Food Security, Health, Protection, Emergency Shelter & NFI, WASH, Coordination and Support Services, Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and Nutrition. Of these, 77 projects were being implemented by international NGOs (INGOs), 29 projects by national NGOs (NNGOs), and 16 projects by UN agencies. Of the 93 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN, 52 were being implemented in partnership with NNGOs. The oPt HF has also recently finalized its critical and time sensitive First Reserve Allocation of 2024, titled "Emergency Fleet Augmentation for Enhanced Gaza Aid Delivery", amounting to US$3.5 million. The allocation aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. For a summary of the oPt HF activities in February 2024, please follow this link. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

    13 maart 2024

    Israel lobby urges US to justify war with ‘Hamas

    Leaked Israel lobby presentation urges US officials to justify war on Gaza with ‘Hamas rape’ claims

    The Grayzone has obtained slides from a confidential Israel lobby presentation. They contain talking points for politicians and public figures seeking to justify Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.

    Western media concocts ‘evidence’ UN report on Oct 7 sex crimes failed to deliver

    Western media promoted a UN report as proof Hamas sexually assaulted Israelis. Yet the report’s authors admitted they couldn’t locate a single victim, suggested Israeli officials staged a rape scene, and denounced “inaccurate forensic interpretations.

    13 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah

    Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "will finish the job in Rafah" despite growing international concern over an invasion, including from the U.S.

    Human rights groups sue Denmark for weapons export to Israel

    Three Danish organizations along with the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq have together filed a lawsuit against Denmark for its export of weapons to Israel.

    New Jersey protesters target event pitching West Bank real estate deals

    Hundreds demonstrated against an real estate event in Teaneck, NJ promoting properties in Israel and the illegally-occupied West Bank.

    12 maart 2024

    12 maart 2024

    Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
    Flash Update #137

    Psychosocial support teams help displaced families in Gaza through specialized activities. Photo by UNRWA

    Key Highlights

     

    • On 11 March, a team of the World Health Organization and its partners delivered 24,050 litres of fuel, food, and medical supplies for 42,000 patients at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza.
    • On 11 March, about 75 orphans and other vulnerable children were evacuated by SOS Children’s Villages from Rafah to an orphanage in the West Bank.
    • As of 12 March, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza reported that 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration at hospitals in northern Gaza.

    Gaza Strip Updates

     

    • Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
    • Between the afternoons of 11 March and 12 March, according to the MoH in Gaza, 72 Palestinians were killed and 129 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12 March 2024, at least 31,184 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 72,889 Palestinians were injured, of whom 72 per cent are women and children, according to MoH in Gaza.
    • The following are among the deadly incidents reported between 10 and 11 March:
      • On 10 March, at about 14:00, at least 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house in Tal Al Hawa, west of Gaza city, was hit.
      • On 11 March, at about 1:00, three female Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Khirbet Al Ades area, in northeastern Rafah, was hit.
      • On 11 March, during the morning, 16 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in the Az Zaytoun neighbourhood, in Gaza city, was hit.
    • Between the afternoons of 11 and 12 March, according to the Israeli military, there were no Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza. As of 12 March, 247 soldiers have been killed and 1,475 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 12 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld. On 12 March, the Israeli authorities reportedly announced the killing of a soldier thought to be held captive in Gaza, indicating that his body is still being withheld.
    • At the request of the Government of Germany, on 11 March, about 75 orphans and other vulnerable children between three and 15 years of age were evacuated by staff from the SOS Children’s Villages from Rafah to an orphanage in Bethlehem, in the West Bank. The group received approval from the Israeli authorities to enter Egypt through the Rafah Crossing, and then Israel via the Taba crossing with Egypt. Israeli forces reportedly accompanied the convoy from the Taba border crossing to Bethlehem. Children in Gaza are among the worst affected by the conflict, with the Government Media Office in Gaza reporting that some 13,000 children have been killed since the start of the war. In a statement issued on 18 January, SOS Children’s Villages reported that extended families who had taken in children orphaned in airstrikes were struggling to provide for them and were requesting that the organization take them in. According to UNICEF, 17,000 children in Gaza are currently unaccompanied or separated, constituting one per cent of the total displaced population of 1.7 million people. On 9 March, UNICEF warned: "There are 600,000 children in Rafah, terrified of what’s next. From displacement and the threat of bombings to starvation and disease, so many are suffering the unimaginable, and now they are trapped in an overcrowded space with death getting closer.”: "There are 600,000 children in Rafah, terrified of what’s next. From displacement and the threat of bombings to starvation and disease, so many are suffering the unimaginable, and now they are trapped in an overcrowded space with death getting closer.”
    • Hospitals across Gaza continue to face critical shortages of fuel, surgical equipment, anaesthetic drugs and other medications, food and health personnel, particularly in northern Gaza where only six hospitals are partially functional. According to MoH in Gaza, some 2,000 medical staff in northern Gaza need ready-made meals during Ramadan. On 11 March, a team of WHO staff and partners delivered 24,050 litres of fuel, food, and medical supplies for 42,000 patients at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza; supplies included anaesthetic drugs, surgical materials and medicines. The team also carried out an assessment mission at Al Helou Hospital, also in Gaza city, to determine urgent needs. Highlighting the challenges facing medical staff in Gaza, on 7 March the President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Dr. Christos Christou, stated: “When I visited some of our staff in Palestine a few months ago, they were already mentally and physically exhausted. Now, I fear they are at breaking point.”
    • Acute malnourishment is disproportionately affecting children, particularly in northern Gaza, with devastating impacts in both the immediate and long terms, according to World Vision. As of 12 March, MoH reported that 27 people, including 23 children, have died of malnutrition and dehydration at hospitals in northern Gaza. Warning that the number of deaths from starvation, “is likely to be much higher,” World Vision underlined that “the immediate delivery of food and other lifesaving humanitarian aid is now a question of life or death for the children who have been caught up in this crisis.” On the night of 11 March, media outlets reported that a shooting incident at the Kuwait roundabout southeast of Gaza city resulted in at least nine fatalities and numerous injuries. The attack targeted individuals congregated to collect vital aid. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) had documented 14 such incidents at two entrances of Gaza city between mid-January and the end of February, and at least 11 additional incidents were reported between 1 and 8 March, during which at least 28 Palestinians have been reportedly killed.

    West Bank Updates

     

    • In the evening hours of 11 March, an undercover Israeli forces unit raided Attil village in Tulkarm governorate, shot and killed one Palestinian inside a supermarket, and seriously injured another who later died at a hospital. According to the Israeli military, its forces killed an armed Palestinian on his way to carry out an attack. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Israeli forces delayed ambulance access to evacuate the casualties for about half an hour. The body of one Palestinian fatality is still being withheld by Israeli forces.
    • Since 7 October, 412 Palestinians have been killed, including 311 by Israeli forces, nine by settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These include a total of 102 Palestinians killed since the start of 2024 (compared with 80 during the same period in 2023), the vast majority killed by Israeli forces. Over 4,660 Palestinians have been injured, including 718 children, since 7 October in the West Bank.
    • A Palestinian man was physically assaulted and injured by Israeli settlers near Homesh settlement in Nablus, while he was reportedly picking wild thyme on 9 March. So far since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 629 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (57 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (501 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (71 incidents). Most of these incidents (over 400) took place between October and December 2023.
    • Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 97 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
    • On 10 March, the Israeli authorities demolished four houses, including two under construction, in Area C of the West Bank, due to the lack of Israeli-issues building permits; these include a house in Furush Beit Dajan and three other houses in Al Jiftlik al Musaffah, both in the Jordan Valley area. As a result, two households comprising 11 people, including six children, were displaced.
    • Since the beginning of 2024, there has been a decline in the number of people displaced as a result of lack-of-permit demolitions in the West Bank compared with the same period in 2023 (212 vs. 329); however, house demolitions and resultant displacement in East Jerusalem has slightly increased, with 34 houses demolished and 133 people displaced between 1 January and 12 March in 2024 compared with 31 houses demolished and 115 people displaced during the same period last year.
    • On 11 March, an exchange of fire took place between Israeli forces and Palestinians, who threw pipe bombs during a raid by Israeli forces in Nur Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarm city. Israeli forces bulldozed roads inside the camp, the main entrance of the camp and the main road that links the camp with Tulkarm and Nablus, causing damage to water, electricity, sewage and internet infrastructure. As a result, it is estimated that over 84,600 people in Nur Shams refugee camp and Tulkarm city were affected. Three houses and at least one livelihood structure were also destroyed. Since 7 October 2023, some 866 Palestinians, including 358 children, have been displaced because of the destruction of their houses during operations carried by Israeli forces in the West Bak, the vast majority (93 per cent) in the refugee camps of Nur Shams, Tulkarm and Jenin.

    Funding

     

    • The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 12 March, member states disbursed nearly $973 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and $357 million out of $600 million (59 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
    • During February 2024, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) had a total of 122 ongoing projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Projects focus on the areas of Education, Food Security, Health, Protection, Emergency Shelter & NFI, WASH, Coordination and Support Services, Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and Nutrition. Of these, 77 projects are being implemented by international NGOs (INGOs), 29 projects by national NGOs (NNGOs), and 16 projects by UN agencies. Of the 93 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN, 52 are being implemented in partnership with NNGOs. The oPt HF has also recently finalized its critical and time sensitive First Reserve Allocation of 2024, titled "Emergency Fleet Augmentation for Enhanced Gaza Aid Delivery", amounting to US$3.5 million. The allocation aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. For a summary of the oPt HF activities in February 2024, please follow this link. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

    12 maart 2024

    Today's headlines

    ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 158: Israeli airstrikes continue to pummel Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan

    Israeli forces bombed Gaza on the first day of Ramadan, killing two fishermen. Israel’s fortified highway has reached the Mediterranean coast, effectively splitting Gaza in two. Meanwhile, hundreds of settlers stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

    Read more

    Here’s what Pramila Patten’s UN report on Oct 7 sexual violence actually said

    The UN report on sexual violence on October 7 has found no evidence of systematic rape by Hamas or any other Palestinian group, despite widespread media reporting to the contrary. But there are deeper problems with the report’s credibility.

    Progressive orgs form ‘Reject AIPAC’ coalition ahead of 2024 election

    A group of progressive organizations has formed a coalition to fight back against AIPAC in the 2024 election.

    UN expert: Israel is engineering famine in Gaza

    UN Special Rapporteur Michael Fakhri says Israel's intentional starvation of Gaza is unprecedented. “We've never seen a civilian population made to go hungry so completely and so quickly," he tells Mondoweiss. "Never in modern history.”

    12 maart 2024

    12 maart 2024

    12 maart 2024

    Israel's genocide in Gaza, built on decades of apartheid and settler-colonialism, has killed over 30,000 Palestinians.
     

    Palestinians have been killed while escaping shelling, taking refuge in hospitals and schools, or waiting for aid. UN experts are now calling for an arms embargo on Israel while it is on trial at the International Court of Justice for plausible genocide.
     

    Far from paying heed to the ICJ ruling, tech corporations like Google and Amazon are enabling Israel’s AI powered, live streamed genocide by providing the cloud platform for Israeli occupation forces under Project Nimbus.­

     

    This March, we are marching for Palestine. As part of Israeli Apartheid Week 2024, organizations and people of conscience around the world are building grassroots power and amplifying BDS campaigns.

     

    On March 14th, join us in putting the spotlight on Google and Amazon by highlighting their complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and calling for pressure on them. 

    11 maart 2024

    A Special Message from Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid

    Israel's ongoing brutal genocide for more than 5 months now against more than 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip should be a wake-up call for us as American Muslims. This heinous crime would not be possible without the White House’s backing. Since October 7, 2023, the Biden administration has provided Israel with weapons and ammunition worth billions of dollars, causing over 100,000 Palestinian deaths, injuries, and disappearances according to the UN. Most of the dead are women and children, and nearly 90% of the remaining population are displaced amid the decimation across the Gaza Strip. But the Biden administration did not stop there: it defended Israel’s crimes and provided diplomatic immunity to Israel at the United Nations, despite wide condemnation of Israel’s exterminationist war by most countries and international institutions.

    The above places a great responsibility on our shoulders as American citizens. The atrocities taking place in the Gaza Strip are being done in our name and with our tax dollars. This cannot continue, and we cannot allow it to happen again. The continuous Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and against Al-Aqsa Mosque, require continuous work for Palestinian rights in the US. This is why at American Muslims for Palestine, we have made working for Palestine a daily mission for the past 18 years. We understand the US is uniquely capable of restraining Israel and making a change in Palestine – and that we must advocate continuously, not seasonally, for Palestinian rights. Today, this responsibility is more urgent than ever, and we want to shoulder its weight with you.