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 30-09-2024 STAAN HIER

9 oktober 2024

 

In today's Daily Brief:

• Videos: Israel-Palestine

9 oktober 2024

Today's headlines

The beginning of the end of Israel

Craig Mokhiber

One year later the flames of genocide still burn, but after decades of persecution and bloodshed we may well be seeing the beginning of the end of the settler-colonial project in Palestine.

Read more

The true lesson of October 7 is that Israel cannot be reformed

Ghada Karmi

The year since October 7 has shown us that Israel can neither be accommodated nor reformed. It must be dismantled, and Zionism must be brought to an end. Only this will finally alleviate the Palestinians' terrible ordeal over the past 76 years.

Read more

‘I can’t feel anything anymore’: women in a West Bank refugee camp reflect on a year of Israeli military raids on their homes

Qassam Muaddi

After a year of near-constant Israeli military raids on their homes and private spaces, women are some of the most affected among the Palestinian residents of Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem.

Read more

Gaza remains our compass

Jehad Abusalim

Gaza has become a battlefield in the war over the fate and collective dignity of the people of the region, including beyond Palestine. But amid all this, Gaza remains the compass.

Read more

Five things we’ve learned since October 7

Noura Erakat

Noura Erakat shares five lessons the Israeli genocide in Gaza has taught us.

Read more

9 oktober 2024

It has been one year since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, claiming it was retaliating for a Hamas-led attack on Israel.

 

The bombing campaign and land invasion Israel began have continued the devastation of an enclave it had under siege since 2007.

OSPACA NIEUWSDIENST 3.

7 oktober 2024.

Ook in Turkije werd vandaag, op 7 oktober 2024, op talloze plaatsten gedemonstreerd tegen de genocide van de Amerikaans-Israëlische terroristen op de Palestijnen. En nu dus ook tegen de aangrenzende volkerenmoord op de Libanese burgers – zonder onderscheid van burgers, vrouwen en kinderen. Inmiddels zijn, bij dit alles in luttele dagen tijds, meer dan 2000 Libanezen door deze bendes Amerikaans-Israëlische oorlogscriminelen vermoord. En is hun behuizingen en verder alles wat nodig is, om te leven en te overleven, totaal vernietigd. Op X kwam in dit verband de president van Turkije met de volgende verklaring:

 

“WAT ER IN GAZA; PALESTINA STERFT, EN NU OOK IN LIBANON, ZIJN NIET ALLEEN VROUWEN KINDEREN, BABY´S, ONSCHULDIGE BURGERS , HET IS MENSELIJKHEID EN HET INTERNATIONALE SYSTEEM DAT WORDT GEACHT DE MENSHEID TE DIENEN.“   

7 oktober 2024

Humanitarian Situation Update #227
Gaza Strip

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza. Photo by UNRWA

Key Highlights

 

• Hundreds of thousands of people and dozens of humanitarian facilities have been affected by four new evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military; at least 70,000 people have been displaced and there are growing risks that humanitarian access will be further constrained, particularly between southern and northern Gaza.
• The Israeli military launches a military operation in northern Gaza and the area is becoming increasingly cut off.
• September saw the lowest volume of commercial and humanitarian supplies entering Gaza since at least March 2024, with a drop in dietary diversity of children aged 6-23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women across Gaza, reports UNICEF.
• Nearly 68 per cent of Gaza’s cropland has been damaged, increasing the imminent risk of famine and jeopardizing current and future potential food production, warns FAO.

 

Humanitarian Developments

 

• Israeli bombardment from the air, land and sea continues to be reported across the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Between 5 and 7 October, Israeli forces issued several evacuation orders for areas in northern Deir al Balah, North Gaza and Gaza governorates, reminding residents that these areas are still considered active combat zones, as well as areas in Khan Younis (additional information available below). On 6 October, the Israeli military announced that a military operation commenced the night before in Jabalya, with heavy fighting in the area reported. Rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups toward Israel was also reported. On 7 October, the UN Human Rights Office stated that the “attacks in northern Gaza, combined with mass evacuation orders, which are inconsistent with international humanitarian law, raise serious concerns about the forced displacement and forced transfer of Palestinian residents of Gaza.”

 

• In a statement marking one year since the 7 October attack in Israel and the escalation of hostilities in Gaza, Ms. Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said that no “statistics or words can fully convey the extent of the physical, mental and societal devastation that has taken place," stressing that “we know what must happen: Civilians must be protected and their essential needs met. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be released. Humanitarian workers must be safeguarded and their work facilitated. Perpetrators must be held accountable for any serious violations of international humanitarian law. And the assault on Gaza must stop.”
• Between the afternoons of 4 and 7 October, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 163 Palestinians were killed and 737 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 8 October 2024, at least 41,965 Palestinians were killed and 97,590 were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
• The following are some of the deadly incidents reported between 4 and 6 October:
  • On 4 October, at about 14:10, five female Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Al Bureij refugee camp, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 4 October, at about 16:00, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit, in Ash Shati’ (Beach) camp, in Gaza city.
  • On 4 October, at about 23:30, six Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit northeast of An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 5 October, at about 8:30, six Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a group of people was hit in east Beit Hanoun, in North Gaza.
  • On 5 October, at about 20:00, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit, in Jabaliya town, in North Gaza.
  • On 5 October, at about 22:00, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit west of Jabalya refugee camp, in North Gaza.
  • On 5 October, at about 22:00, five Palestinians, including two children and two women, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza.
  • On 6 October, at about 2:10, 21 Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when Al Aqsa Martyrs Mosque in front of Al Aqsa Hospital was hit in Deir al Balah.
  • On 6 October, at about 14:10, five Palestinians, including one girl, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Ash Shati' refugee camp west of Gaza city. The Palestinian Civil Defense reported that others remained under rubble.
• Between the afternoons of 4 and 8 October, one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza and one soldier died of wounds sustained in Gaza in June 2024, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 8 October 2024, according to the Israeli military and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,548 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. The figure includes 348 soldiers killed in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation. In addition, 2,299 Israeli soldiers were reported injured since the beginning of the ground operation.
• Between 5 and 7 October, the Israeli military issued four new evacuation orders for: 11 blocks in Al Bureij and An Nuseirat refugee camps in northern Deir Al Balah; Gaza and North Gaza governorates; 31 neighbourhoods in North Gaza including Beit Hanoun, Jabalya and Beit Lahiya; and eight neighbourhoods in Khan Younis. Residents were ordered to relocate immediately to Al Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. According to the same announcements by the Israeli military, the area designated for civilians to stay (Al Mawasi) initially expanded by 10.71 square kilometres and was subsequently reduced by 1.4 square kilometres. As of 7 October, the Israeli-designated area for civilians to relocate is estimated to span 57 square kilometres or some 15 per cent of the Gaza Strip. At present, the total area covered by evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip, excluding those that have been revoked, constitutes about 84 per cent of the Gaza Strip.

• These orders affect hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in northern Gaza where more than 400,000 people are under pressure to move southward to Al Mawasi, which is already overcrowded and lacks basic services. Humanitarian access also risks becoming further constrained, particularly between southern and northern Gaza, and so are the accessibility and functionality of key humanitarian facilities within areas slated for evacuation. Initial estimates from the Site Management Working Group (SMWG) indicate that about 50,000 people have already moved from North Gaza toward Gaza city and more than 20,000 have moved from An Nuseirat and Al Bureij refugee camps toward southern Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. The SMWG additionally reports that 12 sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) are in areas newly affected by these orders in northern Deir al Balah, and so are more than 300 patients in the Indonesian, Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals in North Gaza according to the Health Cluster, and dozens of facilities that offer critical health, water, hygiene, sanitation, and education services.
• Overall, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 10 hospitals with a cumulative capacity of 730 beds, 19 primary health-care centres and 32 medical points in the North Gaza and Gaza governorates risk being affected by the unfolding situation. Should WHO and its partners be unable to maintain these facilities fuelled, critical health services in Intensive Care Units, operation theatres, maternity wards, haemodialysis units and emergency departments might have to be abruptly stopped. Additionally, essential health supplies and medications must be immediately delivered to these facilities, including trauma disposables and medications for patients with non-communicable diseases. In light of the dire shortage of blood units, on 7 October, the Ministry of Health appealed to people in northern Gaza to urgently donate blood, either at the Emergency Department of Al Shifa Hospital or at As Sahaba Medical Complex.
• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that, in September, the volume of supplies entering Gaza – both commercial and humanitarian – has been the lowest since at least March 2024, noting that the situation is expected to further deteriorate. A survey conducted by UNICEF in mid-September of over 2,500 recipients of humanitarian cash assistance shows that both the availability of goods and the dietary diversity of children aged 6-23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women decreased across all areas of Gaza compared with July. According to survey responses, over 35 per cent of children and 40 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women had only eaten one food type the day prior to the survey and 30 per cent in both groups had only consumed two food types. Moreover, only five per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women had consumed dairy products, and six per cent of children had eaten some meat, with these percentages plummeting to one and three per cent in northern Gaza, respectively. Moreover, the survey, complemented by in-person visits to markets, showed further price increases of basic food items in northern Gaza. For example, rice and vegetable oil in northern Gaza now cost more than US$5 per kilogramme (kg) or litre (l), while remaining more affordable in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis (below $2/kg and 2.5/l, respectively).
• According to the World Food Programme (WFP), in the northern governorates, wheat flour and canned food are the only food items readily available on the market. Dairy products are unavailable, while vegetables, fruits, eggs, and vegetable oil are in severe shortage and priced very high. Other food items, such as pulses and rice, are moderately available. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, wheat flour, canned food, rice, pulses, and vegetable oil remain available. However, there is a moderate shortage of vegetables and eggs, while dairy products are in severe shortage. Media reports suggest that the spike in the price of market commodities is partly due to extremely high increases in costs of bringing in commercial supplies, including hefty import permits, transportation costs, and fees paid to private security companies to secure the trucks due to looting driven by the breakdown of law and order. These costs are then passed on to consumers. An analysis conducted by Chistian Aid in late August in northern Gaza shows that, while the price of some staples like bread and flour has decreased since March, others have continued to soar, with onions for instance costing 700 per cent more compared to five months prior, and some products such as chicken, dates or bottled water being unavailable, forcing people to buy drinking water from mobile tanks.
• No cooking gas has entered northern Gaza for twelve consecutive months, according to the Food Security Sector (FSS), while the price of firewood on the market is making it inaccessible to most households. Firewood found in markets is sourced from the remains of demolished homes, furniture and electricity poles, WFP reports, and its relatively high prices, combined with severe gas shortages “is pushing more people into energy poverty.” This continues to force displaced families, who are among the most vulnerable people, to cook by burning wood and plastic from waste, which hinders proper food preparation, exacerbates health risks and causes environmental hazards, including the risk of fires in severely overcrowded tent sites.
• The latest satellite-based agricultural damage assessment conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNOSAT shows that 67.6 per cent of Gaza’s cropland had been damaged, as of 1 September, up from 57.3 per cent in May and 42.6 per cent in February 2024, with North Gaza currently having the highest proportion of damage among all governorates (78.2 per cent). Additionally, over 71 per cent of orchards and other trees, 67 per cent of field crops, and 58.5 per cent of vegetables have been damaged. Heavy vehicle tracks, razing, shelling, and other conflict-related pressures have also significantly damaged Gaza’s agricultural infrastructure, with a total of 1,188 out of 2,261 agricultural wells (52.5 per cent) and over 44 per cent of greenhouses damaged. Furthermore, most of the Gaza city port infrastructure and vessels were destroyed in October 2023 and remain non-functional, with severe repercussions on trade and livelihoods.

• The extremely limited entry of fertilizers and other livestock and crop production inputs into the Strip continues to be a key obstacle hampering the restoration of local food production in Gaza, with agricultural activities – including small-scale gardening that is critical to enhance dietary diversity – remaining largely suspended, highlights FSS. Coupled with the “unprecedented levels” of agricultural damage in Gaza, FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol, stressed that this “raises serious concerns about the potential for food production now and in the future” and “compounds the imminent risk of famine in the whole Gaza Strip.”
• The Gaza Strip has faced a year of humanitarian crisis, with frontline civil defense, health, and aid workers enduring immense challenges. Over 300 aid workers have lost their lives in Gaza, the majority being UNRWA staff, making Gaza the most dangerous place for aid workers globally. The situation is equally dire for health workers; MoH reported that a total of 986 health workers have been killed, including some who are counted as aid workers. Furthermore, the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD), which is currently operating at 20 per cent of its capacity, reported that 85 of its staff have been killed, and another 292 injured, with 14 instances of staff being hit while on duty. Additionally, 52 PCD vehicles have been destroyed or damaged, and a lack of fuel and spare parts, alongside access constraints, have resulted in over 15,600 unaddressed appeals for assistance, PCD reported.

619.

7 oktober 2024

Today marks one year since Israel began its current ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, unleashing the most horrific forms of violence to eliminate Palestinian life. And it marks one year of worldwide resistance to stop the genocide.

At least tens of thousands—and more likely according to latest estimates, hundreds of thousands—of Palestinian people have been killed by Israel, whether through direct massacres or through deliberate genocidal conditions such as starvation and healthcare destruction. Israel has completely wiped out over 900 Palestinian bloodlines, murdering every last family member.

Our martyrs are not numbers. Every Palestinian life is precious.

We grieve each person stolen from us, ripped away from their loved ones by Israel’s genocidal violence.

Six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli soldiers while trapped in a car with her murdered family, and the paramedics who went to rescue her, Yousef Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun. Palestinian professor, journalist, and poet Refaat Alareer, who Israel assassinated along with his brother, sister, and sister’s children.

And thousands upon thousands more whose stories we do not know due to Israel’s communications blackout and total destruction.

Today we mourn and we resist in solidarity with the steadfast Palestinian people, who refuse to submit or die quietly.

Take action now, newly updated with the latest action steps and resources on our USCPR website.

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7 oktober 2024

"If you could send a message to anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you say?"  Mohamad Qassas in Gaza asked the children.

 

“If I could send a message to anyone in the world, it would be to my mother. I miss you and I wish I could see you one more time."  Malik Yasser  

 

This tragedy did not begin on October 7. Today marks one year since the start of the genocide in Gaza. Today, we mark one year since the profound impact of this genocide that has affected countless lives. Families have been torn apart, infrastructure diminished, and communities devastated. 902 Palestinian families have been erased from the civil registry in Gaza. 

 

Over the past year, Gazans have endured unimaginable hardships. Access to essential resources—food, clean water, and medical care—has been critically compromised. The psychological toll on the population, especially children, has been devastating, many grappling with trauma and loss.

 

Live on camera, we have witnessed horrific war crimes unfold through the eyes of journalists like Bissan Odeh, Motaz Azaiza, Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, Saleh Al Jafarawi, and as young as Lama Jamous (just 9 years old). The world has seen the atrocities committed by Israel; yet, these acts have gone all un-condemned.

 

Israel has bombed schools where civilians sought shelter, targeted people simply trying to obtain food from UN trucks, and inflicted unimaginable suffering. Hind Rajab, a name that will forever be etched in history, was tragically shot 355 times by an IDF tank while hiding inside a car next to her murdered family members.

 

As we reflect on this painful tragedy in Palestine, we must not remain silent. It is crucial that we amplify the voices of those affected and advocate for justice. We call on the international community to hold those responsible accountable and to support humanitarian efforts that provide aid to those affected on the ground. Together, let us work towards a future where justice and dignity prevail for all oppressed peoples.

 

THE GREAT MARCH OF RETURN

 

In 2018, 234 Palestinians in Gaza, including 46 children, were killed, and over 33,000 were injured by Israeli snipers and military whilst taking part in a peaceful protest entitled the "Great March of Return".  It symbolized a collective expression of the longing for freedom and the right to return to ancestral homes. Two-thirds of Gaza’s population are refugees as a result of the 1948 Nakba, along with their descendants, many of whom come from villages and towns surrounding Gaza. For decades, the Palestinians have used nonviolent means to draw attention to their plight. However, the Israeli military has consistently used violence to shut down any means Palestinians have employed to shed light on their suffering. 

 

The Israeli military has perpetrated horrific acts against the Palestinian population in Gaza that constitutes genocide. Reports indicate the use of illegal weapons like white phosphorus which burns flesh to the bone and long-term effects from the slightest exposure causing cancer. Civilians have faced unimaginable horrors, including the kidnapping and beating of individuals, burning families alive, bulldozing over bodies to the point that human flesh was mixed in asphalt, and the gang raping of Palestinian men.  

 

This systematic violence not only inflicts physical pain but also aims to obliterate the very essence of the Gaza strip, raising an urgent question: Israel has evaporated bodies, decapitated babies, burnt Palestinians beyond recognition, while Israeli soldiers document and happily post their war crimes on social media, as the world sits idly by- what more do we honestly need to witness that will be enough for the international community to call for an end the genocide? 

76 Years and a Genocide later Webinar

MORE ABOUT GAZA

 If you want to learn more about Gaza, check out the following resources and individuals recommended by Eyewitness Palestine staff.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GAZA

617.

7 oktober 2024

7 oktober is vandaag precies een jaar geleden. Een jaar van ongekend geweld en immens lijden. En er is geen zicht op verbetering, integendeel. Israel, gesteund door het koloniale Westen, lijkt uit te zijn op een regionale oorlog. Nederland speelt in het geheel een problematische rol en doet dat in feite al sinds de oprichting van de staat Israel. En dat is nauw verbonden met ons koloniale verleden. Het is hoog tijd om die rol eens goed onder de loep te nemen en er lessen uit te trekken.

Wij moeten opstaan voor de bevrijding van Palestina en wij moeten al onze overheden, instituties en bedrijven bevrijden van medeplichtigheid. Wij moeten meer BDS-en dan ooit!

Met strijdbare groet!

Het BDS-team

Tijd voor zelfreflectie: onze toxische relatie met Israel

Er is een jaar verstreken sinds 7 oktober. Een jaar van ongekend geweld en immens lijden. Het gaat onverminderd door en breidt alleen maar uit. Tegelijkertijd wordt de positie van Nederland steeds meer een minderheidspositie, zelfs binnen Europa. Het aantal landen dat nog steeds de woorden genocide en oorlogsmisdaden, of zelfs disproportioneel geweld niet in de mond durft te nemen, is nog maar op een paar handen te tellen. Het is hoog tijd voor zelfreflectie. Hoe zit het nu werkelijk met onze relatie met Israël? En in wiens belang is dat?

616.

7 oktober 2024

On November 2, 2023, a group of twenty Palestinian children stood in front of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to hold a press conference to demand the world intervene to secure a ceasefire. A young boy, perhaps twelve years old, read in English from a handwritten yellow paper, his voice full of defiance. "We want to live, we want peace, we want to judge the killers of children. We want medicine, food, and education. We want to live as the other children live."

It’s one year into this genocide.

What happened to these children?

Were they killed in the massacre Israel unleashed on the hospital in March?

Did their families move their tired and injured souls out of North Gaza to Rafah or Deir al-Balah? Did they survive Israel’s massacres there?

Are they still hungry and thirsty?

Will they ever forgive us? These questions haunt us.

We write this on a day too many will commemorate while we wrestle with our broken hearts and our endless thoughts. How do we honor the dead while the killing continues?

We have no good answers. We are in the midst of a tragedy that has changed us at an anatomical level. It’s impossible to believe that just a year ago, we were campaigning to push the world to end Israel's apartheid and occupation. Now, we are battling against another depth of evil: stopping the U.S. government from funding Israel's full-blown genocide against our people.

Today, the world feels impossible to comprehend. What is our purpose when we can’t even protect the children?

We lean now on our partners in struggle who have survived for decades and, in some instances, centuries under the ravages of colonialism and violence. They promise us that our freedom day will come.

We believe in a world where Palestinians are embraced as fully human, not as merely victims or perpetrators. We believe in a world where children do not have to plead to live in safety. We believe in a world where no one has to petition for enough water, food, and shelter. We believe in a world where the taxes we pay to our government aren't used to fund the killing of families at home and abroad.

Now more than ever, we must lean on each other. Our Palestinian values teach us that we prioritize the most vulnerable among us. Our Palestinian values teach us that our dreams of return, justice, and dignity are a moral compass.

You have a role to play. We all do. We must recommit ourselves to doing everything within our power to save the lives of the children who have survived 365 days of genocide. We must continue to stand up and act not only for the sake of our people in Palestine, but for the sake of our shared humanity.

We remain hopeful despite the world’s attempts to crush our minds, bodies, and spirits. We remain undefeated and ready to rise up for Palestine. 
 

With heavy hearts and unwavering hope,

The Adalah Justice Project team

Adalah Justice Project is a Palestinian-led advocacy organization based in the U.S.

 

Our mailing address is:
Adalah Justice Project

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7 oktober 2024

 

In today's Daily Brief:

• Responding to Horrors with Horrors in Israel-Palestine

614.

6 oktober 2024

West Bank
Violence, destruction and displacement

*Disclaimer:

• This report reflects information available as of the time of publication. The most updated data and more breakdowns are available at ochaopt.org/data.
• In Israel, 13 Israelis were killed by Palestinians from the West Bank in attacks that also resulted in the killing of 11 Palestinians between January 2023 and September 2024. These are counted separately, as this report covers incidents that took place in the West Bank.
• Palestinians or Israelis whose immediate cause of death or the perpetrator’s identity remain disputed, unclear, or unknown, are counted separately, so are casualties as a result of friendly fire and Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank who have died in Israeli custody. Figures also do not include UXOs, mishandling of weapons, hit-and-run incidents, and incidents where the perpetrator's nationality is disputed.

613.

5 oktober 2024

AJP Action Commemorates Palestinian’s Will To Live, Despite One Year of Genocide and Hell

[WASHINGTON D.C., October 5, 2024] – As the bloodshed in Gaza continues, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) solemnly takes this moment to commemorate the lives lost in what is now being recognized as one of the gravest humanitarian disasters of the 21st century. Over the past year, Israeli forces have executed a campaign of devastation, with estimates from The Lancet placing the death toll of Palestinians at approximately 186,000. In just the last few days, medical professionals on the ground in Gaza reported more than 118,000 Palestinians killed since October 7th, 2023—an unimaginable 5.6% of Gaza's pre-war population. Among the most heart-wrenching figures is the death of 16,500 children—a staggering loss that far exceeds the toll inflicted on children by any conflict in modern history, including 30x the children killed in the Russia-Ukraine war. We take this moment to remember them.

But more than those killed by Israel, those who remain alive struggle every day to survive. According to estimates, 1.9 million Palestinians out of a population of 2.3 million, are displaced in Gaza, forced to migrate to a sand-ghetto in the south of the Strip or risk execution by airstrike. And even for those lucky to be alive, the IPC estimates that 96% of Gazans face high levels of acute food insecurity, of those, over 495,000 people (22% of the population) are  facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, experiencing an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities. To add further injury, 86% of Palestinians in Gaza remain under Israeli-issued evacuation orders being forced to travel kilometers, mostly on foot, while facing famine. Simply put, while Israel has killed tens, if not hundreds of thousands, it continues to make the lives of those who survive hell on earth.

While we commemorate the last year of genocide in Gaza, we do not forget that Israel’s decades-long settler-colonial project—built on the denial of Palestinian existence and a foundation of ethnic cleansing—continues with impunity. These atrocities are not isolated but are part of a broader historical pattern of displacement and massacre, rooted in the very creation of the Israeli state in 1948. Palestinians have faced systematic dehumanization, denied their right to return to their ancestral homes, and have been subjected to continuous military occupation, apartheid policies, and unrelenting violence ever since.

The deliberate targeting of civilians is a flagrant violation of international law. The destruction of hospitals, schools, and homes constitutes war crimes under the Geneva Conventions. Yet, Israel acts without fear of accountability, emboldened by unconditional U.S. military support and diplomatic cover. The Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel, including the continuous flow of billions in military aid, directly implicates the United States in this genocide.

We cannot let these atrocities continue. We reiterate our demand for Congress and the President to halt military aid to Israel and impose sanctions until Israel complies with international human rights standards and ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

AJP Action remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for the people of Palestine in the halls of Congress and in communities across the United States. We stand in solidarity with all those affected by Israel’s genocidal assault and reaffirm our dedication to fighting for justice, dignity, and freedom for the Palestinian people.

 

In solidarity,Americans for Justice in Palestine Action

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4 oktober 2024

Your Activist Scoop

• Last week, the Biden-Harris administration signed off on sending another $8.7 BILLION in weapons to Israel, which Israel plans to use to mass murder Palestinian and Lebanese families and escalate regional war.
• Israel has killed over 2,000 people in Lebanon right now!

KEEP PUSHING TO STOP ARMING ISRAEL 

Find an action near you.

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1.5 Million Eyes on Our Message

4 oktober 2024

This weekend marks one year since the U.S.-funded Israeli genocide in Gaza began — a year of unimaginable loss, with over 186,000 people killed, most of them women and children, and the destruction of more than 66% of Gaza's infrastructure. For too long, the Palestinian narrative has been overshadowed by biased media coverage and political silence. This week, AMP is bringing the truth directly to the streets of Washington, D.C., with a powerful mobile billboard campaign highlighting the genocide in Gaza and American complicity.

In front of the Capitol Building, Washington, DC

Our Mobile Billboards campaign will amplify the Palestinian story where it matters most: in the heart of U.S. political power. For decades, U.S. taxpayer dollars have funded the Israeli occupation, silencing the voices of those suffering under apartheid. This year alone, billions of our tax dollars have been used to support and expand this genocide in the region. This campaign is an opportunity to challenge this narrative and ensure that the call for Palestinian freedom is heard by policymakers and the public alike.

In front of the Israeli Embassy, Washington, DC

We understand that shifting the narrative is crucial to changing U.S. policy. That's why this campaign is so essential. It aims to highlight the extreme human and material cost of Israeli military actions in Gaza, emphasizing the role of U.S. funding in enabling these actions. This campaign calls for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and remind lawmakers that they cannot continue to ignore the plight of the Palestinian people.

Multiple locations in Washington, DC

Over 1.5 million people are in D.C. this weekend and will witness this campaign firsthand. Together, we can ensure our voices are heard where it matters most.

 

In solidarity,

Mohamad Habehh

Development Director

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4 oktober 2024

Humanitarian Situation Update #226
Gaza Strip

Destruction in northern Gaza. Photo by OHCHR/Olga Cherevko.

Key Highlights

 

• At least six schools and one orphanage serving as shelters for internally displaced persons were hit in the last four days, the UN Human Rights Office reports, calling on the Israeli military to immediately end the pattern of strikes in Gaza on buildings serving as shelters for displaced people.
• At least 87 per cent of schools in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged since October 2023, including one-third of UNRWA schools, a new assessment by the Education Cluster finds.
• Only 229 critical patients, along with 316 companions, have been exceptionally medically evacuated from Gaza since the closure of the Rafah Crossing in early May. This includes eight patients, including seven children, evacuated to Romania on 30 September.

 

Humanitarian Developments

 

• Israeli bombardment from the air, land and sea continues to be reported across the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Ground operations, particularly in Beit Hanoun and west of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, south of Gaza city, east of Al Bureij and Al Maghazi refugee camps in Deir al Balah, southeast Khan Younis and east and south Rafah also continue to be reported.
• Between the afternoons of 30 September and 4 October, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 187 Palestinians were killed and 485 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 4 October 2024, at least 41,802 Palestinians were killed and 96,844 were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
• On 3 October, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) called on “the Israeli military to immediately end the pattern of strikes in Gaza on buildings” serving as shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to OHCHR, in the early hours of 2 October, at least six Palestinians were killed when the Israeli military reportedly hit Al Amal Institute for Orphans that was also serving as an IDP shelter. Furthermore, in the preceding 72 hours, at least six schools serving as IDP shelters had been hit, resulting in tens of fatalities, including children and women. In September, OHCHR documented at least 14 strikes on schools and at least one strike on schools every other day in August, noting that these “attacks have become an almost daily event.” OHCHR emphasized: “Irrespective of whether Palestinian armed groups were present in these facilities, the resulting high rate of civilian casualties makes it difficult to conceive that such strikes are proportionate according to the principles of international humanitarian law. These attacks have long-term impacts on the civilian population, destroying the only viable shelters remaining for the more than one million Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced into an unsafe, unilaterally declared ‘humanitarian zone’ where there is little or no access to life-saving essential humanitarian assistance.” In its statement, OHCHR also reminded Palestinian armed groups that “using the presence of civilians to shield themselves from attack constitutes a violation of IHL”, calling on them to “cease and refrain from any such use.”
• The following are other deadly incidents reported between 30 September and 3 October:
  • On 30 September, at about 23:10, 11 Palestinians, including three children and four women, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in southwestern An Nuseirat refugee camp in northern Deir al Balah.
  • On 1 October, at about 22:30, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Ash Shuja’iyeh neighbourhood, east of Gaza city.
  • On 1 October, at about 21:25, at least 10 Palestinians, including a woman and a toddler, were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Maan area east of Khan Younis city. Nine additional family members reportedly remained under rubble. Ambulances were unable to reach the area and evacuate the injured for several hours due to the ongoing incursion and shelling.
  • On 1 October, at about 13:10, 12 Palestinians, including at least a woman and a girl, were reportedly killed and at least 26 others were injured when two IDP tents were hit in Mawasi area west of Khan Younis.
  • On 2 October, at about 00:30, 12 Palestinians, including four females, were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Al Manarah neighbourhood southeast of Khan Younis. Bodies stuck under rubble were only recovered hours later due to intensified shelling and shooting.
  • On 3 October, at about 1:30, five Palestinians, including two children, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Ash Shati’ (Beach) refugee camp, west Gaza city.

• Between the afternoons of 30 September and 4 October, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 4 October 2024, according to the Israeli military and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,546 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October and its immediate aftermath. The figure includes 346 soldiers killed in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation. In addition, 2,297 Israeli soldiers were reported injured since the beginning of the ground operation.
• According to a new assessment by the Education Cluster, which relies on satellite imagery collected on 6 September, at least 87 per cent of school buildings in the Gaza Strip (493 out of 564) have been directly hit or damaged and are currently estimated to require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again, up from 84.6 per cent in July 2024. Fifty-five per cent of these schools (273) are government schools, a third (161) are UNRWA schools, and 12 per cent (59) are private schools. Since the last damage analysis on 6 July, 35 additional school buildings have been classified as directly hit, 11 of them in the Rafah governorate and another 11 in Gaza governorate. Additionally, the analysis finds that at least 71 schools were totally destroyed, up from 65 schools as of 6 July, and 48 additional schools lost at least half of their structures. Prior to the escalation, “directly hit” or “damaged” schools served about 541,227 students and had more than 20,222 teachers, who represent, respectively, about 86 and 87 per cent of the total student population and teaching staff in Gaza. The number of buildings requiring full reconstruction or rehabilitation highlights the severe impact of ongoing hostilities on school facilities. The situation jeopardizes the possibility of using the schools again for educational purposes, ultimately threatening children’s right to learn.
• Preparations are underway for the second round of the polio vaccination campaign, which is scheduled to take place in mid-October and will also include the distribution of Vitamin A supplements, reports WHO. This new vaccination drive will integrate lessons learnt from the first round and findings from the post-campaign assessments conducted in September. Concurrently, the Health Cluster is tackling several other health-related priorities. On 30 September, 3,000 blood units collected through a blood donation campaign in the West Bank were delivered to health facilities across Gaza to mitigate the shortage of blood units. On 19 and 23 September, WHO conducted two missions to the Kerem Shalom Crossing to facilitate the entry of eight trucks carrying urgently needed medications and supplies. Earlier on 20 September, WHO collected eight pallets donated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Field Hospital from the field hospital in Rafah for distribution to other Emergency Medical Teams in northern and southern Gaza. Moreover, as part of efforts to enhance Infection Prevention and Control, the Trauma Working Group is also standardizing wound management protocols to enhance the quality of wound care and reduce the rate of infections at both primary healthcare centers and hospitals.
• A dedicated working group under the Health Cluster is currently mapping all Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) service providers across the Strip to ensure a coordinated response to the vast scale of mental health needs and trauma. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that young patients from Gaza receiving treatment at the MSF Reconstructive Surgery Hospital in Amman, Jordan, are experiencing a combination of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress syndrome, and will require psychotherapy for years to learn how to live with the traumatic events they experienced. Meanwhile, in Gaza, attacks impacting healthcare have continued, with 516 such attacks recorded by WHO as of 25 September. WHO informs that on 21 September, an MoH warehouse in northern Rafah was hit, resulting in the reported killing of four MoH employees and the injury of six others MoH also confirmed the death of three healthcare workers who were reportedly detained by Israeli army while on duty between December 2023 and March 2024; in total five health workers have died in detention since 7 October.
• In a positive development, on 30 September, eight patients, including seven children, were evacuated from Gaza to receive specialized medical treatment in Romania. Four patients have cancer, two have blood diseases, one requires a kidney transplant, and one has a severe injury; they travelled to Bucharest accompanied by 24 family members. The operation was coordinated by the EU directly from Gaza under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and was undertaken jointly with Romania, WHO and the Israeli authorities. Since the closure of Rafah Crossing in early May, 229 patients, along with 316 companions, have been exceptionally evacuated outside Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, while an estimated 12,000 patients in need of urgent treatment remain inside the Strip. WHO continues to reiterate its appeal for the urgent establishment of evacuation corridors and “for all possible routes to be used for safe and timely passage of all patients who need specialised care.”

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4 oktober 2024

Israel is waging war on the entire region.

Israel is waging a campaign of terror and destruction that has brought the entire region ever closer to a state of all-out war.

 

A year of impunity for Israel's genocide of Palestinians has landed us here...

Stop arming Israel.

Take action 

What we're reading.

 Read more 

JVP is hiring.

See all JVP openings 

608.

4 oktober 2024

De Tweede Kamer heeft deze week een motie aangenomen waarin wordt opgeroepen te onderzoeken of de Europese regels voor wapenexport omzeild kunnen worden. Zo zouden onderdelen voor F-35 gevechtsvliegtuigen tóch naar Israël gestuurd kunnen worden, ondanks de oorlogsmisdaden die hiermee door Israël worden gepleegd.

Nationaal Gaza-protest op 29 september 2024 op de Dam in Amsterdam. © Hanneke Vollbehr @ohbeautifulworld

Rechtszaak
De motie werd ingediend door Don Ceder (ChristenUnie) en Roelien Kamminga (VVD), tijdens een debat over de rechterlijke uitspraak dat Nederland de export van F-35-onderdelen naar Israël moet stoppen. Die uitspraak was het resultaat van een door Oxfam Novib, Pax en The Rights Forum aangespannen rechtszaak.

Momenteel buigt de Hoge Raad zich over de kwestie, nadat de Staat in beroep ging tegen de uitspraak - een beslissing wordt op zijn vroegst aan het einde van het jaar verwacht. Als die luidt dat Nederland inderdaad geen F-35-onderdelen meer aan Israël mag leveren, hopen de indieners van de motie die uitspraak op deze manier te omzeilen.

Politieke overwegingen
Ceder voerde aan dat er in geval van ‘geopolitieke ontwikkelingen’ ruimte moet zijn voor het kabinet om een ‘eigen afweging’ te maken. De rechter zou dan slechts een ‘marginale toetsing’ kunnen doen, dus alleen mogen kijken of de juiste procedure is gevolgd. Daarmee zou de rechter in feite buitenspel gezet worden. En daarmee ook het internationaal recht waaraan Nederland zich te houden heeft.

Met andere woorden: politieke overwegingen boven mensenrechten.

Gaza Manifestatie: Stop het Geweld!

Op zondag 13 oktober tussen 14:00 – 15:00 organiseren PAX, Amnesty, The Rights Forum, Save the Children, Terres des Hommes, Oxfam Novib, SOMO en Stichting Kifaia een manifestatie op de Dam in Amsterdam. De manifestatie staat in het teken van een jaar nietsontziend geweld in Gaza.

De aanval van Hamas op 7 oktober is inmiddels een jaar geleden. Ondertussen blijft Israëls nietsontziende geweld in Gaza doorgaan. Het afgelopen jaar zijn meer dan 40.000 Palestijnen gedood, onder wie ruim 15.000 kinderen. Er zijn tal van oorlogsmisdaden en mensenrechtenschendingen gepleegd. Zelfs de hoogste rechter van de wereld, het Internationaal Gerechtshof, geeft aan dat het plausibel is dat er sprake is van genocide. Dit moet nu afgelopen zijn.

Steun jij onze oproep ook? Kom dan op 13 oktober naar de Dam in Amsterdam. Hoe meer mensen, hoe harder onze boodschap zal klinken:

 #StophetGeweld!

Onderzoek | Hoe Amerikaanse wapens dankzij een gefabriceerd rapport naar Israël blijven stromen

Dat onthult ProPublica in een nieuw rapport. Deze Amerikaanse onderzoeksorganisatie voor de publieke zaak legde de hand op onder meer e-mailverkeer van de overheid. Daaruit blijkt hoe de regering-Biden de levering van wapens aan Israël ten koste van alles doorzet. De publicatie van ProPublica voegt nieuwe informatie toe aan een explosieve kwestie, die ook in Nederland buitengewoon relevant is.

Herdenkingsprotest van rijksambtenaren

Op 10 oktober organiseren de rijksambtenaren die al een jaar elke week tegen het Nederlandse Gaza-beleid protesteren een bijzonder herdenkingsprotest. De hele dag zullen zij stilstaan bij het afgelopen jaar: een jaar lang grootschalige nietsontziende aanvallen op burgers, een humanitaire crisis, het negeren van het internationaal recht en het consistent uitblijven van de veroordeling hiervan door onze huidige en voorgaande regering. Ook staan ze stil bij een jaar lang (ambtelijke) tegenspraak en protest.

De ambtenaren roepen iedereen op om zich aan te sluiten bij hun sit-in protest om stil te staan bij de verwoestende aanvallen op burgers - voor mens en recht - en om solidariteit te tonen met de getroffen slachtoffers, gegijzelden, nabestaanden, ontheemden en wezen.

 Datum: 10 oktober 2024
 Tijd: gehele dag (exacte tijden volgen)
 Locatie: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken

Klik hier voor meer informatie.

Escalatie op escalatie: Israël valt Libanon binnen

Intussen voert Israël al twee weken zware bombardementen uit op andere delen van Libanon, met name de buitenwijken rondom Beirut. Het Israëlische leger heeft gister inwoners van zuidelijke buitenwijken van de Libanese hoofdstad opgeroepen het gebied te verlaten. Gisteravond meldden Libanese media al Israëlische aanvallen op de Libanese hoofdstad, rapporteert de NOS. De aanvallen zouden hebben plaatsgevonden vlak bij het vliegveld van Beiroet.

Lees hier het artikel dat we direct na aanvang van de inval van Israëlische grondtroepen publiceerden. Daarin zijn ook de achtergrond en reacties van derde landen opgenomen, al is sommige informatie alweer achterhaald.

Een nieuwe documentaire van Al Jazeera’s onderzoeksjournalistieke team legt Israëlische oorlogsmisdaden in de Gazastrook bloot via foto’s en video’s die online zijn geplaatst door Israëlische soldaten zelf.

Het team bouwde het afgelopen jaar een database op met duizenden video’s, foto’s en berichten op sociale media. Het materiaal onthult een breed scala aan illegale activiteiten, van willekeurige vernieling en plundering tot de sloop van hele wijken en moord.

De film vertelt ook het verhaal van de oorlog door de ogen van Palestijnse journalisten, mensenrechtenactivisten en de inwoners van de Gazastrook, en legt de medeplichtigheid van westerse regeringen bloot.

Uit onze agenda

zaterdag 5 oktober t/m zaterdag 12 oktober

Kom naar de nationale demonstratie - one year of genocide

• Zaterdag 05.10 op De Dam in Amsterdam (14.00 uur)

Neem deel aan wakes
• Zaterdag 05.10 in Maastricht, Markt (16.00)
• Zondag 06.10 in Haarlem, Grote Markt (14.00 uur)
• Zondag 06.10 in Amsterdam, Dominicuskerk (14.30 uur)
• Zaterdag 12.10 in Groningen, Waagplein (13.00 uur)

607.

3 oktober 2024

Vandaag een speciale nieuwsbrief om jullie op de hoogte te stellen van een geslaagde actie in het kader van de AH Apartheidvrij campagne. Afgelopen zaterdag is in Amsterdam, Utrecht, en elders een actie gehouden om AH personeel en klanten bewust te maken van het feit dat er besmette producten te koop zijn in die winkel.

In deze tijden van ongekende militaire agressie van Israel is het noodzakelijk nog meer druk op de ketel te zetten. Meld je daarom aan voor deelneming in de aktie!

Een strijdbare groet van het docP team; blijf BDS-en!

AH Apartheidvrij van start!

Afgelopen zaterdag betraden BDS activisten de Albert Heijn bij de Dam in Amsterdam en andere filialen in Nederland om de  medeplichtigheid van Ahold aan genocide bloot te leggen.

 We roepen de grootste supermarkt van Nederland op om te stoppen met het  inkopen van producten uit Israël, een land dat genocide pleegt en Palestina illegaal bezet.

 We roepen ook consumenten op om te stoppen met  het kopen van Israëlische producten zoals Garden Gourmet, Sodastream en groenten en fruit die de illegale Israëlische bezetting van het Palestijns grondgebied ondersteunen.

 We herhalen de drie punten in de oproep tot BDS van Palestijnse maatschappelijke organisaties van 9 juli 2005:

1. Eindig de bezetting (en het koloniseren) van Arabisch grondgebied dat in juni 1967 bezet werd (VN Resolutie 242) en breek de apartheid-muur af;
2. Erken de fundamentele rechten en de volledige gelijkheid van de Arabisch-Palestijnse burgers van Israël (VN Verdrag tegen Apartheid);
3. Respecteer, bescherm en bevorder de rechten van Palestijnse vluchtelingen om terug te keren naar hun huizen en bezittingen (VN Resolutie 194).

 Wil je meedoen? Meld je aan voor toekomstige acties, of ga naar onze linktree voor hulpmiddelen om je eigen acties te organiseren.

 Free Palestine

Meld je aan voor onze campagne

Meld je aan voor onze campagne tegen de medeplichtigheid van Albert Heijn aan genocide.

606.

3 oktober 2024

Readers’ Recommendations

  Videos: Middle East

605.

2 oktober 2024

Plant one olive tree!

Plant five olive trees!

Give another amount!

 

604.

2 oktober 2024

Humanitarian Situation Update #225
West Bank

A two-storey home demolished by the Israeli authorities in Tura ash Sharqiya (Jenin) on 24 September, displacing a girl and her parents. Photo by OCHA

Key Highlights

 

• Israeli forces killed five Palestinians across the West Bank between 24 September and 1 October. In Israel, six Israelis and one foreign national were killed by two Palestinians from the West Bank, one of whom was also killed.
• Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 32 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank in the last week of September.
• Humanitarian actors are set to support Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season through protective presence, documentation and advocacy, amid Israeli-imposed access restrictions and widespread settler violence.

 

Latest Developments (after 30 September)

 

• On 1 October, six Israelis and one foreign national, including a 17-year-old girl and two women, were killed, and 16 others injured, in Jaffa city in central Israel by two Palestinian men, one of whom was also killed. Israeli forces subsequently carried out operations in Hebron city, where the perpetrators came from, closing the city's entry and exit points. On the same day, in Jericho, a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip was killed by missile shrapnel that hit him directly during Iran’s missile attack on Israel. Also on 1 October, two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli forces in Nablus; one was killed during an eight-hour operation in Balata refugee camp and the other was killed while exchanging fire with Israeli forces in the Old City of Nablus.

Humanitarian Developments(24–30 September)

 

• During the reporting period, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and 109 Palestinians, including 58 children, were injured by Israeli forces and settlers. The majority of those injured (104) sustained wounds during operations by Israeli forces, including search-and-arrest operations, across the West Bank. Incidents resulting in fatalities were as follows:
  • On 24 September, Israeli forces shot and killed a 28-year-old Palestinian man during a search-and-arrest operation in Al Fawwar refugee camp (Hebron).
  • On 25 September, Israeli forces, including undercover forces, surrounded a house in Anza (Jenin), where they exchanged fire with Palestinians, while allowing women and children to evacuate. During the operation, the forces shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian woman while she was nearby, in the yard of her house.
  • On 26 September, Israeli authorities notified the Palestinian District Coordination Office in Nablus about the passing of a Palestinian man in their custody. The man succumbed to injuries sustained earlier on the same day when he was shot by Israeli forces during an undercover arrest operation in Ein Beit al Mai refugee camp (Nablus).
• Between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, 695 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in addition to two who died of wounds sustained prior to 7 October. These include 678 killed by Israeli forces, 12 by Israeli settlers, and seven where it remains unknown whether the perpetrators were Israeli forces or settlers. During the same period, 23 Israelis, including 16 members of Israeli forces and six settlers, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In Israel, attacks by Palestinians from the West Bank resulted in the killing of ten Israelis and seven Palestinian perpetrators.
• During the reporting period, Israeli settlers perpetrated 15 attacks against Palestinians, resulting in the injury of 16 Palestinians, five of them children, and damage to property. Moreover, according to Israeli media sources, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli-plated vehicles on two occasions in Ramallah governorate, resulting in some damage but no reported injuries. Between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, OCHA documented about 1,423 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, of which 140 led to Palestinian casualties, 1,135 led to damage to Palestinian property, and 148 led to both casualties and property damage. Since 7 October 2023, 277 Palestinians households comprising 1,628 people, including 794 children, have been displaced in Bedouin and herding communities across the West Bank, primarily citing attacks by Israeli settlers and impeded access to grazing lands by settlers. The following are key incidents documented during the reporting period:
  • On 24 September, Israeli settlers believed to be from Yitzhar settlement raided the village of Madama in Nablus and stoned Palestinian houses. Palestinian residents threw stones at the settlers who attacked their houses. Israeli forces intervened and shot tear gas canisters, resulting in ten people, including five children, requiring medical treatment for tear gas inhalation.
  • On 26 September, Israeli settlers physically assaulted two Palestinian men and pepper-sprayed two women, in Isteih community (Jericho); all four were injured. Also in Jericho, Israeli settlers from a newly established outpost, attacked Palestinians with sticks, near Al ‘Auja town, and damaged their vehicle.
  • On 24 September, in two incidents, people believed to be settlers vandalized dozens of fig, grape, olive and almond trees in Al Lubban ash Sharqiya and Khirbet Sarra villages (Nablus).

 

Demolitions and Displacement

 

• On 30 September, Israeli forces began levelling works for construction of a fence on privately-owned Palestinian land, located along Road 60 in the Area C part of Sinjil village (Ramallah). According to initial reports, tens of trees were uprooted, retaining walls of agricultural land were demolished, and around five dunums of land cultivated with vegetables were bulldozed.
• Overall, during the reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 32 Palestinian-owned structures. Three of them were demolished in East Jerusalem and 24 others in Area C, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain; and five were demolished within the context of operations in Area A and B. As a result, ten people, including two children, were displaced. Key incidents include:
  • On 25 September, Israeli forces demolished seven agricultural structures and bulldozed 190 trees, water tanks, metal fences, and irrigation pipelines in Beit Ula (Hebron), in an area designated as part of the Israeli-declared “Firing Zone 935.” Five households comprising 32 people including 17 children were affected.
  • On 26 September, Israeli authorities demolished four donor-funded structures, including a residence, an external kitchen, a mobile latrine and a solar panel system, in Hammamat al Maleh - Al Burj herding community (Tubas) for lacking Israeli-issued building permits in Area C. Two people were displaced, including a child.
  • On 30 September, Israeli authorities demolished two livelihood structures in Shu’fat, in East Jerusalem, for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, depriving nine households, comprising 41 people, of their main source of income.
• Between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, Israeli authorities demolished, destroyed, confiscated, or forced the demolition of 1,768 Palestinian structures across the West Bank, displacing more than 4,555 Palestinians, including about 1,910 children.

 

2024 Olive Harvest Season

 

• The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture announced that 10 October marks the official start of this year’s olive harvest season. However, the Israeli authorities have set dates for olive harvest access between 23 and 28 October for different governorates. Initial reports suggest that, unlike 2023, Israeli authorities intend to allow farmers to gain access to their lands behind the Barrier, while access to lands near Israeli settlements remains uncertain.
• The annual olive harvest season is a key economic, social and cultural event for Palestinians. Last year's harvest was particularly challenging due to significant movement restrictions and violence by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers that followed the 7 October attack on Israel. More than 96,000 dunums of olive-cultivated lands across the West Bank remained unharvested due to Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access. Consequently, according to the Food Security Sector, Palestinian farmers suffered an estimated total loss of more than 1,200 metric tons of olive oil in the 2023 season, resulting in a direct financial setback of US$10 million. The impact was particularly harsh in the northern governorates of Tulkarm, Qalqiliya and Nablus.
• Access restrictions and widespread settler violence pose high risks and challenges for farmers during the olive harvest season, potentially undermining their livelihoods. The Protection Cluster, led by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), in coordination with OCHA, the Food Security Sector and humanitarian partners are preparing to support Palestinian farmers by providing coordinated protective presence in identified hotspots, documenting incidents of violence, and advocating for people’s rights during the season. Moreover, as part of its emergency response mechanism and 48-hour rapid response, the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) has allocated US$750,000 to support two local partners in preparation for the upcoming olive harvest season. These partners are implementing projects aimed at strengthening the resilience of farmers in rural communities. The specific objectives of these projects include the provision of essential tools and equipment, cleaning olive groves to reduce fire risks and prevent losses and improving olive oil storage facilities to ensure higher food quality.
• On 25 September, OHCHR called on Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of Palestinian farmers and access to their lands, emphasizing the need to prevent a recurrence of last year’s restrictions and violence that devastated livelihoods. Failure to do so risks further economic devastation and potential displacement, OHCHR emphasized.

603.

2 oktober 2024

Israel is waging war on the entire region.

Read more 

Stop arming Israel.

What we're reading.

Read more 

JVP is hiring.

See all JVP openings 

602.

2 oktober 2024

Tonight at sundown, we'll welcome the Jewish New Year, 5785.

 

As we grapple with the devastation of the last year — one of unspeakable loss and grief — we recommit ourselves to fighting with everything we have to end the genocide.

 

During these Days of Awe, we reflect on the horrors being carried out in our name, and we return to our spiritual and political calling to dismantle Zionism and build something life-sustaining and beautiful in its place.

Every life is precious.

A year of unspeakable loss

Impunity brought us here.

Take action: Stop the bombs

601.

2 oktober 2024

Gaza Humanitarian Response Update

Children benefitting from informal learning activities in a school-turned-shelter in Al Maghazi refugee camp, in Deir al Balah. Teaching is focused on essential literacy and numeracy skills. Photo by OCHA

Health

 

Response

 

• During the reporting period, 56 Health Cluster partners were active in Gaza, with 48 operating health service points, reaching about 300,000 people per week.
• As of 29 September, there were 15 emergency medical teams (EMTs) supporting the local health-care workforce, including three in northern Gaza.  
• As part of a new national EMT project launched by WHO in northern Gaza, 240 national EMT doctors have been deployed to the Emergency Department of the Al-Shifa Hospital to provide both trauma and non-trauma related health services.
• Preparations are underway for the second round of the polio vaccination campaign, which is scheduled to take place in mid-October and will include the distribution of Vitamin A supplements.
• In the northern governorates, health partners have distributed 2,700 postpartum kits (PPK) to health facilities and shared guidance outlining distribution criteria and use modalities with relevant health workers.
• A blood donation campaign was conducted in the West Bank during the last week of September to collect blood units for patients in Gaza, including those suffering from Thalassemia. A total of 3,000 blood units were collected and were delivered to health facilities in both northern and southern Gaza on 30 September.
• On 29 September, eight patients, including seven children, were evacuated from Gaza for specialized medical care in Romania. They traveled along with 24 companions. Half of the patients have cancer, two have blood disease, one needs a kidney transplant, and one has a severe injury. On six occasions, 229 patients along with 316 companions have been exceptionally evacuated since the closure of Rafah Crossing on 7 May.

 

Challenges

 

• Health facilities continue to face severe supply shortages due to obstacles hindering the entry of humanitarian aid and a growing backlog of health supplies and equipment awaiting entry into Gaza. In particular, partners continue to face major security and access constraints in reaching medical facilities in northern Gaza, which is also impeding fuel deliveries and forcing all healthcare facilities in the north to ration fuel supplies and interrupt some services.
• The lack of a systematic mechanism for the medical evacuation of critically ill and injured patients out of Gaza results in an ever-growing waiting list. As of 30 September, it is estimated that 12,000 patients need medical evacuation, as the clinical conditions of many deteriorate.  
• Overcrowding in displacement sites, poor water, hygiene and sanitation conditions, and the lack of essential items are contributing to growing reproductive health risks and increasing vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV) and exploitation.
• There are growing public health concerns for the anticipated deterioration of living conditions during the winter season in displacement sites, particularly in flood-prone areas. In a joint assessment published on 25 September, the Health and WASH Clusters warned that many IDP sites are assessed to be located in or near flooding hotspots and additional locations are vulnerable to flooding at present.

---

Nutrition

 

Response

 

• The Cluster has trained 17 analysts for the upcoming Integrated Phase Classification for acute malnutrition (IPC-AMN) exercise, with the support of the IPC Global Support Unit. The Cluster has also benefited from the support of the SMART Initiative to analyze more than 40,000 Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) screening data collected by Nutrition Cluster partners between mid-August and mid-September, to better understand the malnutrition situation in each governorate.
• In September, 24,281 children were screened for malnutrition. Since mid-January, a total of 318,603 children aged 6-59 months have been screened for malnutrition, including 70,329 in the northern governorates. Of all screened children, 21,638 have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition, including 16,872 with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 4,766 with severe acute malnutrition (SAM); of those with SAM, 145 had medical complications. Treatment is provided at four stabilization centres and 102 outpatient programme sites across the Strip. 
• In September, 49,647 children under the age of five and 18,339 pregnant or breastfeeding women (PBW) received supplementary feeding, either through lipid-based nutrient supplements (LBNS) or high energy biscuits (HEB). Nutrition partners also provided 35,366 caregivers with counselling for breastfeeding and for adapted complementary feeding of children aged six months and older.

 

Challenges

 

• Transport and adequate storage of nutrition supplies is challenging because of the limited entry of humanitarian supplies, limited ability to store products that require refrigeration such as ready-to-use infant formula, and the loss of access to some warehouses due to ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders, access, and logistical constraints.
• Continuous displacement is disrupting distribution, service delivery, and case monitoring, especially among children, and access to nutrition sites. Coordinating nutrition support for newly displaced people arriving at shelters is increasingly complex.

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Food Security

 

Response

 

• As. of the third week of September, about 600,000 cooked meals prepared in more than 150 kitchens were provided daily to families across the Strip. However, this level of meal production is expected to decrease in October due to dwindling supplies. Overall, in September, due to continuous food supply shortages, more than 1.4 million people did not receive their monthly food rations across Gaza and in the central and southern governorates partners are providing only one food parcel per family per month, compared with two parcels per family in the north.
• As of 29 September, 14 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners were operational in the Gaza Strip – one in Khan Younis, seven in Deir al Balah, four in Gaza city and two in Jabalya. Partners are endeavoring to urgently provide more fuel to these facilities. Five bakeries in Rafah remain closed due to ongoing hostilities and access constraints. Critically, the continued functionality of the six bakeries in northern Gaza is contingent on securing yeast or shifting to the production of yeast-free bread.
• Following recent inter-cluster rapid assessments, partners are now mobilizing to reach communities in areas such as eastern Khan Younis that were previously inaccessible by humanitarian actors, to provide food parcels and cooked meals, particularly to the most vulnerable groups.

 

Challenges

 

• Humanitarian food supplies are incredibly limited across the Strip. In southern and central Gaza, FSS partners lack sufficient food stocks to meet requirements and have scaled down distribution significantly for the third consecutive month since July, with food supply shortages expected to continue in October. In northern Gaza, cargo movement was temporarily suspended via the Jordan corridor following a security incident at Allenby Bridge on 8 September, affecting partners’ supply flows. As of 29 September, at least 100,000 metric tons of food commodities, equivalent to two months of food rations for the whole population, await entry outside the Strip and must be urgently brought in to ensure continuous food distribution. There are also great concerns for the increasing risk of spoilage and infestation of stranded food supplies.
• The entry of commercial cargo continues to be limited. The Cluster continues to advocate for the delivery of commercial goods at scale across the Strip to complement humanitarian efforts, increase dietary diversity and stimulate the local economy by increasing the affordability and availability of products, as well as improving cash liquidity.
• Recent military operations in Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, have led to the additional destruction of more than 50 dunums (five hectares) of agriculture land and agriculture assets, including fields planted with eggplants, oranges, peppers and other vegetables owned by at least ten farmers. The latest satellite imagery collected by UNOSAT in September 2024 shows that approximately 68 per cent (102 square kilometres) of permanent crop fields in Gaza exhibit a significant decline in health and density, compared with the average of the previous seven years.
• While the olive harvest season in Gaza has started, there is sharp decrease in olive production due to mass destruction of olive orchards, with more than one million olive trees uprooted since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023. Only four out of 37 olive presses remain functional throughout the Strip, but challenging access to fuel represents a key obstacle hampering the use of even this remaining equipment.
• The significant increase in firewood prices continues to push an increasing number of people into energy poverty, exacerbated by the limited availability of gas and the ongoing electricity cuts. It is anticipated that the energy crisis will further worsen as the rainy winter season approaches. In the north, the lack of entry of cooking gas has entered its 12th consecutive month. Protracted shortages of energy sources for cooking continue to force displaced families to cook by burning wood from waste, which hinders proper food preparation and nutrition intake, exacerbates health and protection risks, and causes environmental hazards.
• The extremely limited entry of fertilizers and other livestock and crop production inputs is a key obstacle hampering the restoration of local food production in Gaza. A dual-track approach is required to food assistance and emergency livelihood interventions. Agricultural activities, including small-scale gardening that is critical to enhance dietary diversity, remain largely suspended.
• If physical road access, health-care provision, as well as energy, water, sanitation, hygiene, and shelter conditions are further compromised, there is a high risk that the food insecurity and malnutrition situation will worsen beyond the already alarming rates observed.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

 

Response

• Between 21 to 27 September, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) reported that the average water supply for safe drinking and domestic purposes was about 116,000 cubic metres per day across the Gaza Strip, or just over a quarter of water supply provided prior to October 2023. This includes 78,600 cubic metres of water produced by municipal and UNRWA water wells. 
• Between 21 and 27 September, WASH Cluster partners received a total of 123,164 litres of fuel, or an average of 17,500 litres per day, which represents only 25 per cent of the minimum daily requirement of 70,000 litres to meet critical WASH and public health needs. This delivery marks a four per cent reduction compared to the quantity received between 14 and 21 September.
• The WASH Cluster completed a Rapid Joint WASH Assessment across the Gaza Strip, to assess the severity of WASH needs and the most critical service gaps for displaced people, and to inform response planning.

 

Challenges

 

• There is an urgent need for generators, submersible pumps and other critical supplies for water wells and pumping stations as they remain largely unavailable on the local market.
• The lack of access to soap and other basic hygiene items is severely hindering families’ ability to protect themselves from communicable diseases, especially in overcrowded shelters, disproportionately affecting children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Key products like shampoo, detergent, and dishwashing liquid are no longer available, making it impossible for households to maintain cleanliness, prepare food safely, or wash clothes. Health-care facilities are also struggling to maintain proper sanitation, increasing the risk of infections for patients and staff. 
• The flow of water from the main transmission line running from Israel remains at only 80 per cent of capacity, with several critical water facilities damaged and rendered inaccessible in recent weeks. Water supply through the middle and southern connection points must be urgently increased to full capacity.

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Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

 

Response

 

• The Shelter Cluster continues to track the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) whose shelters have been damaged by hostilities or flooded. Recently, two Cluster partners assessed a displacement site west of Al-Rasheed Street, on the Costal Road, to identify households most vulnerable to tidal impacts during the winter season and assess necessary shelter assistance.
• Despite supply shortages, and where possible, the Cluster provides shelter support, including tents, sealing-off kits and non-food items. Between 16 and 29 September, Cluster partners distributed 620 family tents and 3,300 pieces of tarpaulin to households in need in southern Gaza. Tents and a limited quantity of sealing-off kits were also provided to households in northern Gaza.

 

Challenges

 

• Shelter Cluster partners continue to face challenges in importing shelter materials, which is deeply concerning as the winter season approaches. The Cluster has been forced to prioritise the bare minimum of shelter items, which would not constitute dignified shelter. This means that, even if these minimum supplies are brought in, affected households will not be adequately protected in the winter.
• A shortage of shelter items could lead to increased health risks, potential fatalities, and even protests. In September, cluster partners received only nine trucks of shelter items via the Fence Road, which is currently the main route for these supplies. Overall, 0.9 million people across Gaza require winterization support.
• Inclement weather will also exacerbate the risk of collapse for damaged buildings in which many families are sheltering. Without access to undertake assessments, capacity to conduct repairs, or anywhere else for families to go, the cluster is not able to practically support those in damaged buildings other than alerting them of the risks through awareness-raising messages.

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Site Management Working Group (SMWG)

 

Response

 

• During the reporting period, SMWG partners monitored 38 sites hosting approximately 170,875 people in the Khan Younis, Deir al Balah, Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Identified needs and response gaps were shared with partners to guide response efforts.
• SMWG partners have begun rapid assessments of coastal sites considered highly vulnerable to the rising tide, to inform response planning.
• A draft analysis of empty land plots was conducted in Deir al Balah to support local authorities in identifying areas for the potential relocation of people affected by tidal rise and/or flooding, which should only be considered as a last resort. Before any preparatory work commences, the sites need to be cleared from potential unexploded ordnance by UNMAS.

 

Challenges

 

• SMWG partners lack sufficient human resources to carry out needed assessments at IDP sites.
• Constant population movements caused by evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military and rapid changes in developments on the ground due to hostilities are hindering the implementation of an effective site management response.

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Protection

 

Response

 

• While 12 GBV partners were able to distribute 1,900 dignity kits in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, this is far below the scale of needs, with over 800,000 dignity kits estimated to be required at present. The dramatic spike in prices and the irregular availability of hygiene supplies on the market leave many women and girls with no means to cope with this gap, with dire shortages of blankets, shoes, warm clothes and other winter items expected to soon exacerbate their suffering. The GBV sub-cluster is assessing the potential for cash assistance to address the urgent needs of women and girls, but the unavailability of cash in Gaza continues to be hinder support.
• Jointly with the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Technical Working Group, there are ongoing efforts to strengthen MHPSS services for women and girls at risk of GBV, including those with disabilities, and increase the capacity of GBV frontline workers to provide support and align their service provision with GBV Minimum Standards. Partners are also working with the Shelter Cluster to develop a referral protocol to mitigate the risk of exploitation of vulnerable cases.
• The Child Protection Case Management Working Group, in cooperation with Save the Children, began conducting surveys and key informant interviews with case managers to assess needs and address gaps in the current management of child protection cases. Moreover, jointly with UNRWA, Child Protection partners began data collection to plan for winterization activities; this includes procuring psychosocial support kits and winter clothes through the private sector.
• Mine Action partners continue to use SMS, radio, and social media to disseminate messages on explosive ordnance risk education and conflict preparedness and protection (EORE-CPP). Between 14 and 27 September, partners completed 13 explosive hazard assessments (EHAs) and took part in five inter agency missions.
• UNRWA’s protection teams continue to identify and respond to protection risks and the needs of displaced people in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, including Al Mawasi. They are visiting shelters and IDP sites, providing awareness sessions on EORE, GBV and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), undertaking focus group discussions and key informant interviews with IDPs, monitoring aid distribution, and following up on previously identified vulnerable cases. With the Education Cluster, Protection Monitors also continue to closely monitor learning activities in shelters to ensure that the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of children are prioritised, and any protection issue or concern is timely addressed. 

 

Challenges

 

• Insecurity, the disruption of aid flows, the breakdown of law and order, and the denial or restriction on entry of critical items by the Israeli authorities continue to hinder the Protection response. These items include sanitary pads, dignity, and menstrual hygiene management kits (MHM) for women and girls, recreational materials for children and assistive devices for persons with disabilities. Minimum standard explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) equipment and EORE materials are also prevented entry by Israeli authorities into Gaza, thereby limiting the capacity of the Mine Action response.  
• IDP sites are in dire condition, amid the continued spread of skin diseases and an acute lack of medications. For example, sites visited by UNRWA protection monitors in Al Mawasi are characterized by worn out tents and tarpaulins, lack of mattresses, key NFIs, and insufficient food, water and sanitation. The approaching adverse weather conditions represent a key concern. IDPs are deeply distressed about the lack of assistance and are demanding support.
• The shortage of tents affects the ability to expand group-based psycho-social support and provide safe spaces or temporary accommodation for unaccompanied children. The limited availability of supplies on the local market, including MHM and dignity kits, has disproportionately affected women and girls, who are at risk of GBV, and increased their vulnerability to disease. The PSS needs remain vast, and it is critical that more kits be approved for entry into the Strip.   
• While the Child Protection sub-cluster and UNICEF are endeavoring to reunify unaccompanied and separated children with their parent(s) and families, barriers include frequent denial of missions. Currently, at least 60 children have been identified by UNICEF and UNRWA who require reunification with their families.
• Lack of funding and impeded access by Israeli authorities for specialized personnel and equipment for the clearance and disposal of deep-buried bombs (DBB) hamper people’s protection from explosive remnants of war (ERW) and the safe and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid. Mine Action stresses the need to obtain meaningful data from the Israeli authorities regarding the geographical location of ERW and hazardous areas. 
• The ongoing power cuts and limited access to communications services, coupled with fuel shortages and damage to key infrastructure, continue to curtail mobility. Insecurity, bombardments and ensuing displacement continue to constrain community outreach and protection activities, including proper case management for GBV and child protection.  
• Cash shortages continue to hinder the use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) by some recipients, negatively affecting living conditions, increasing the risk of exposure to violence or exploitation for women and girls, and undermining the ability of partners to pay local service providers and staff salaries. Meanwhile, the price of most basic commodities available in local markets has more than quadrupled.

Challenges

 

• The entry of education supplies continues to be restricted, with the latest denial of shipments of prefabricated structures essential for creating temporary learning spaces. As winter approaches, these supplies are crucial for enhancing these spaces; without them, access to education during peak winter will be nearly impossible.
• According to geospatial analysis by the Education Cluster, eight TLSs serving 887 students are directly located within flood-prone areas, another 24 TLSs benefiting nearly 5,800 students are less than 100 metres away from such areas, and an additional 14 TLSs serving almost 3,000 students are within 100 metres from the coastline. These spaces are expected to face flooding and become inaccessible during the rainy season, with restrictions on the entry of winterproof tents hampering the implementation of crucial mitigation measures.
• The continued targeting of schools is further destroying educational infrastructure and instilling fear in parents and children, hindering participation in temporary learning activities. In September alone, 17 instances of airstrikes by the Israeli military on schools were reported, including 10 incidents in the Gaza and North Gaza governorates. These include at least 14 schools that were hosting IDPs, of which seven are operated by UNRWA.
• As of 1 October, according to the Ministry of Education, 10,449 students and 419 educational staff have been killed in Gaza, while over 16,250 students and 2,463 teachers have been injured since the escalation of hostilities on 7 October. The Education Cluster urgently calls for adherence to International Humanitarian Law, which protects schools during conflicts. Ongoing violations threaten emergency education efforts aimed at addressing children's trauma and providing essential learning in the absence of formal education.

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Challenges

 

• Due to increased restrictions on the movement of commodities, damaged infrastructure and lack of fuel and spare parts, local Mobile Network Operators and Internet Service Providers in the Gaza Strip continue to experience network outages and are unable to conduct the necessary repairs. Current conditions render it difficult to maintain the functionality of the remaining network and have resulted in the loss of connectivity in Rafah. 
• The availability of telecommunications equipment is severely limited, hampering the delivery of ETC services. A significant amount of equipment has been damaged or destroyed, and the import of new equipment is lengthy and challenging. Only 20 satellite phones, 25 Track24 devices, 20 Garmin inReach Messenger devices, 30 VHF digital radios, four VHR repeaters and four solar power solutions have been coordinated for importation into Gaza with Israeli authorities since 7 October 2023. 
• Increasing insecurity, displacement, and relocation of staff from Rafah to Deir al Balah have rendered it difficult to deploy shared ETC communications services or provide face-to-face technical support for humanitarian responders. 
• The lack of funding has limited the ETC Cluster’s capacity to address immediate communications needs for humanitarian responders in Gaza. Thus far, only 45.8 per cent of funding requested by the Cluster (US$1.8 million) under the updated OPT Flash Appeal has been received.

   

  Challenges

• Access restrictions to northern Gaza have caused delays in providing essential services to the most vulnerable individuals, as well as in conducting awareness-raising sessions on PSEA.

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2 oktober 2024

The FIFA Council is set to vote on October 3 on whether genocidal apartheid Israel should be banned from world football.
 

Banning Israel from FIFA should be a no brainer.

Israel is escalating its year-long Gaza genocide killing at least 41,000 Palestinians, waging all out violence across the occupied Palestinian West Bank, and conducting an unprecedented aggression on Lebanon, killing at least 1,873 and displacing 1 million people in just a few days, amidst threats of a ground offensive.
 

Israel has all but wiped out Palestinian sporting infrastructure in Gaza and destroyed stadiums in the occupied West Bank.

The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) was forced to indefinitely postpone all football matches due to Israel’s massacres in Lebanon.
 

Not to mention the fact that the Israel Football Association includes and advocates to maintain illegal settlement teams in its official leagues in violation of international law and FIFA statutes.
 

FIFA has already scheduled and then postponed the vote to ban Israel, not once but twice. Both times it aimed to shield Israel from accountability and to allow it to participate in important sporting events, such as the Olympics and Nations League matches.
 

FIFA thinks it can tire us out of calling to Ban Israel. Let’s show them that nothing could be farther from the truth.

­

Tell FIFA, banning genocidal apartheid Israel is legally and morally a no brainer!

 In solidarity,
 
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

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In today's Daily Brief:

• Video: Middle East

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This week, we focus on Iran’s unprecedented missile barrage at Israel, which it said was in retaliation for deadly attacks on Gaza and Lebanon and the killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

 

Israel, with the backing of its ally, the US, has vowed to respond but Iran warned that any such move would trigger even "tougher” consequences.

 

Meanwhile, just days before Israel’s war on Gaza hits the one-year mark, Israeli forces have begun ground attacks in Lebanon further stoking fears of an all-out regional conflict.

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We, together with 20 Israeli human rights and civil society organizations, published the report State of the Occupation – Year 57, which reviews the main trends that characterized the past year, a particularly harsh and brutal one.
 

Annexation

The Israeli government is changing the nature of Israeli control in the West Bank and annexing it to Israel. The Israeli government is systematically implementing its political vision of full Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

 

Settler Violence

The 37th Israeli government is leading a clear policy of backing and supporting violence perpetrated by Israeli citizens against Palestinians. Since the government's inauguration, there has been a significant increase in the severity of the violence and damage caused as a result of it, and the number of people involved. Support for settler violence is manifested, among other things, in the physical protection provided to attackers by the military and in financial and material support for illegal agricultural farms and outposts, many of which serve as hubs for violence against Palestinians.

The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, who is responsible for the police and the Judea and Samaria District Police is shaping a policy of denying the existence of settler violence while providing near impunity to the perpetrators. The violence of individuals and state practices and policies work in tandem toward the same goal: pushing Palestinians out of the area, expanding Israeli-controlled territory in the occupied West Bank, and annexing it to Israel.

The rise in settler violence and the lack of significant enforcement actions have led to a wave of sanctions imposed by various countries on violent settlers, outposts, and organizations. However, instead of addressing the root of the violence and enforcing the law, members of Knesset who support the settlement enterprise deny the phenomenon. For example, in an August meeting of the Knesset Constitution Committee, committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman claimed that "violent settlers are a modern-day blood libel." However, the settlers themselves prove MK Rothman wrong daily. In just the past few months, dozens of incidents have been documented, including stone-throwing, burning cars, homes, fields, and orchards, physical assaults, and even shooting Palestinians, almost always in the presence of soldiers and sometimes with their participation. On August 15, settlers attacked the village of Jit. Dozens of masked assailants threw Molotov cocktails, setting cars and homes on fire, and one Palestinian was shot and killed.

 

In early August 2024, we submitted a petition to the HCJ in response to one of the clearest cases of law enforcement failure and the disregard for Palestinian lives: the decision by the prosecution not to file an indictment and to close the investigation into the stabbing death of Ali Harb. The incident took place in June 2022 when a group of settlers arrived for a preliminary tour of an olive grove on the lands of the village of Iskaka, intending to select a location for establishing a new outpost. A confrontation ensued between the settlers and Palestinians who sought to expel the intruders without violence. During the confrontation, one of the settlers fatally stabbed Ali Harb, a young man with no criminal record and a promising future ahead of him. Despite testimonies and evidence that strengthened the suspicion of premeditated murder or other wrongful killing, which contradicted the settler's claim of self-defense, the prosecution announced the closure of the case in September 2022. An appeal filed by Yesh Din to the prosecution on behalf of the Harb family in March 2023 against the decision not to file an indictment was rejected in October of the same year.

The handling of the investigation into the murder of Ali Harb is a manifestation of the devaluation of human life and raises suspicions of a cover-up. The decision to submit the petition is part of our fight, alongside the Harb family, against efforts to bury the case and leave the victims without justice.

Read the petition (Hebrew)

In August, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Levi Yitzhak Filant, the Civilian Security Coordinator of the Yitzhar settlement. For years, Yesh Din has documented the violence perpetrated by Filant against Palestinians, including daily harassment and threats. Not only have Israeli authorities failed to prevent these illegal actions, but they have also equipped the security coordinator with weapons, uniforms, and a rapid response team that acts like an armed militia. Additionally, the Security Coordinator's salary, which funds his criminal activities, is paid from public funds. Since the beginning of the war, Filant and his armed rapid response team, sometimes dressed in military uniforms, have operated outside the area legally designated for them, abusing their authority. The sanctions imposed are the result of prolonged inaction by Israeli law enforcement authorities in addressing the many violent incidents against Palestinians in which he has been involved. Yesh Din sent a letter to the Chief of Staff, the Military Commander of the West Bank, and the Military Advocate General of the West Bank, demanding Filant’s removal from his position.

Click here to read the letter in English

Access to Lands

There were several positive developments in legal HCJ petitions we submitted over the past year.

• In cooperation with Israeli activists in the Jordan Valley, Yesh Din filed a petition concerning the confiscation of Palestinian livestock by the Jordan Valley Regional Council. The HCJ issued an interim injunction prohibiting the regional council from confiscating herds until a ruling on the petition is given, and a conditional order requiring the army to explain why it is not acting to prevent the council's confiscations.
• In the petition to annul the new jurisdiction established for the purpose of building Homesh and to allocate public lands for the benefit of the village of Burqa rather than a new settlement, a conditional order was issued. In the previous petition we submitted regarding Homesh in 2019, the state decided to change Homesh's jurisdiction so that the public lands in the area would be reassigned to the Samaria Regional Council. In the current petition, filed in August 2023, we demanded the cancellation of the jurisdiction and the allocation of public lands to the regional council. The state claimed that no actual reassignment of jurisdiction took place, but rather a return to the previous situation, along with various geographical clarifications, and therefore there was no right for a hearing or argument for the objectors. However, not only did the state claim the opposite in the previous petition, but legally, its claims hold no merit. A hearing on the petition took place in February, and in June, the HCJ issued an order nisi instructing the state to explain why a hearing or right to argue should not be granted to the petitioners against the order. The court’s order may make it more difficult for the state to legalize the Homesh outpost. We will continue to update on developments.
• In the petition demanding the removal of illegal construction on private land near the town of Kfar Malik, the army announced its intention to evacuate the invaders. The background to the petition is the establishment of illegal outposts that restricted a Palestinian landowner's access to his land near the outposts and led to violent attacks against him and his family by settlers. Subsequently, the landowner discovered that settlers had also seized his plot of land. Despite appeals to the CA, which issued an eviction order for the invaders, no action was taken against them, and the petition was filed in September 2023. Even after the petition was submitted, the CA delayed and did not act to evacuate the invasion. However, after persistent and determined legal work by our legal team, in May, the CA and the army announced their intention to evacuate the invaders within 21 days. Additionally, the court ordered the army and the CA to cover the petitioners' legal expenses.
• A new petition we submitted in May demands the removal of a barrier restricting the freedom of movement of a family on the outskirts of the village of Turmusaya. In October 2023, the Israeli army set up an improvised dirt barrier that blocked the only access road from the family’s residential compound to Turmusaya, severely limiting the family’s freedom of movement, allowing only pedestrian access. Moreover, the army also established a lookout post just meters from the family’s residence, which is used, among other things, to monitor and restrict the family’s movements. Soldiers stationed there impose a curfew on the compound, forbidding family members from leaving after sunset and preventing them from accessing their agricultural lands. Food supplies are limited because the family has to carry them by hand from Turmusaya, and water delivery is also affected since the truck delivering water to the compound cannot reach it. The family must find difficult alternative routes to work and school, and those needing medical care cannot access it. While the family is prevented from harvesting their olive trees, they have witnessed Israelis entering their agricultural lands and stealing the crops under army protection.

On January 15, 2024, about 30 Israelis from nearby settlements attacked the compound at night. They threw stones at homes, broke solar panels, water tanks, and windows, and vandalized property by spraying hateful slogans. Soldiers allowed the attackers to enter the compound after imposing a closure on it and did nothing to prevent the assault. The family has been unable to repair the solar panels due to the blockade preventing access to the compound, leaving them with limited electricity, relying on a generator that provides only a few hours of power each day.

On February 25, 2024, Yesh Din, on behalf of the family, appealed to the Legal Advisor to the West Bank and the Military Commander of the West Bank, demanding the removal of the barrier, an end to the closure, and assurance that the family can access their lands and work them safely. After receiving no response, on May 22, 2024, the family, through Yesh Din, filed a petition with the HCJ against the military commander. The petition requests that the court order the army to lift the various movement restrictions imposed on the family and explains the difficulties they face and how their human rights have been violated. The petition is still pending.

A dirt barrier on the outskirts of the village of Turmusaya.

Who Will Investigate Israel’s Actions in Gaza?

In recent months, serious allegations have accumulated against Israel for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. How does Israel intend to investigate such suspicions? To answer this question, we examined the results of the military law enforcement system's work regarding 3 military operations in the Gaza Strip over the past decade (“Operation Protective Edge” in 2014, the operation to repress the Great March of Return protests in 2018-19, and “Operation Guardian of the Walls” in 2021) The data presented Yesh Din’s report published, raise heavy suspicions that the military law enforcement mechanism’s main role is to maintain the appearance of a functional mechanism to shield Israel from external criticism while evading credibly investigating suspected war crimes. Yesh Din's analysis found that most of the complaints raising suspicions of legal violations, which were brought to the military’s attention, have been referred to the Fact-Finding Assessment (FFA) Mechanism. This mechanism is supposed to conduct a swift preliminary assessment before deciding whether to open a criminal investigation. Out of 573 cases examined by the mechanism in the last decade, only one case (0.17%) led to prosecution. Although Israel prides itself on its law enforcement system and presents it as a robust system functioning, there is considerable doubt whether the system has the ability or willingness to conduct thorough and effective investigations regarding serious suspicions of violations of the laws of war during the war in Gaza.

Read the full report

Read an op-ed by Dan Owen, author of the report and Yesh Din researcher

In July, we were pleasantly surprised to see that John Oliver extensively covered what's happening in the West Bank & addressed this difficult topic in his usual thorough yet humorous manner. Oliver cited Yesh Din's data published in the New York Times about the lack of law enforcement on settler violence: only 3% of cases end in conviction.

Watch the full episode here (from 12:00)

The ongoing war, the nationalist public atmosphere in Israel, and shifts in the global political arena are making the fight to defend the human rights of Palestinians even more challenging. This budgetary instability comes at a time of increased pressure on Yesh Din, which is facing new and complex challenges posed in the wake of October 7, while these same forces that are deepening the moves towards annexation also work to silence civil society. We are facing the most challenging period we have ever known, where defending the human rights of Palestinians is harder than ever. Despite all of this, at Yesh Din, we continue with determination in our struggle for human rights, believing that there is no other way to live here in peace and security. We would appreciate any donation, no matter how small, from those who read these lines and see themselves as part of the circle supporting this struggle.Support Yesh din with a donation

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Yesh Din is required by law to make the following statement:

Yesh Din is mostly funded by foreign governmental entities - through grants devoted to the provision of humanitarian assistance and the promotion of human rights. A list of our donors is available on the Israeli Associations Register's website and on Yesh Din's website.

Yesh Din is proud to be funded by States that are committed to the rule of law, that believe the occupation is not an internal Israeli matter, and that support the defense of international humanitarian law and human rights.

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Biden’s Policy of Appeasement Fuels Growing Potential for a Regional War in the Middle East

[WASHINGTON D.C., October 1, 2024] – Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) strongly condemns President Biden’s policy of appeasement toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a strategy that has emboldened Israeli aggression and further destabilized the Middle East. Today’s launch of more than 300 ballistic missiles by Iran into Israel underscores the perilous consequences of the administration’s failure to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and unchecked military actions.

The missile strike, one of the largest escalations in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, came as a consequence of Israeli provocations in Iran last July and currently in Lebanon. While most of the missiles were intercepted by the United State’s and Israel’s defense system, the attack highlights a dangerous and rapidly deteriorating situation that risks pulling the United States into a regional war at a time when millions of Americans are recovering from Category 4 hurricane Helene, a hurricane that killed 138 Americans.

For the past year, President Biden has provided unwavering military and diplomatic support to Netanyahu’s regime, including the continuous flow of U.S. military aid, which only exacerbates Israel's genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. This policy has emboldened Israel to expand illegal settlements, intensify its apartheid system, deepen its brutal occupation of Palestinian territories, and now, wage its illegal war on Lebanon. Instead of using American leverage to encourage a peaceful resolution, Biden’s administration has shielded Israel from accountability, leading to more bloodshed and instability in the region.

In the face of repeated international condemnations of Israel’s policies, Biden has chosen to prioritize strategic military partnerships over human rights, effectively allowing Netanyahu to act with impunity. The ongoing occupation, forced displacement, and systemic violence against Palestinians are violations of international law, including the Apartheid Convention and the Rome Statute. These policies have also alienated the United States from its allies in the region and contributed to the rise of anti-American sentiment, especially among populations affected by Israeli aggression.

Today’s missile attacks reflect the deepening hostility in the region, where U.S. diplomacy is increasingly seen as complicit in perpetuating violence. The Biden administration’s unwillingness to hold Israel accountable risks dragging the United States into a broader conflict with catastrophic consequences.

AJP Action calls on the Biden Administration to:

1. Cease military aid to Israel until it complies with international human rights and U.S. laws.
2. Leverage diplomatic pressure on Israel to halt its illegal settlement expansions and apartheid policies.
3. Impose an immediate end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the West Bank, and its war on Lebanon, prioritizing regional stability.

The United States must stand for justice and human rights, not contribute to violence and Israel’s continued violations of international law. A true peace can only be achieved when all parties are held accountable for their actions, and the United States has a moral responsibility to lead that effort.

 

In solidarity,

Americans for Justice in Palestine Action

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the recent demolition of the Church of Nations in Bethlehem by Israeli forces, and its implications for the local community and beyond.

In recent weeks, you may have seen videos circulating of the family of Alice Kisiya, who were forcibly removed from their home in Bethlehem, resulting in Alice's subsequent arrest. This week, during our Spanish program webinar titled "Christian Voices Against Genocide," Alice joined us to share her experiences and gave us a tour of the Church of Nations that she, along with Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the area, built to resist the threats to their land.

ISRAELI FORCES DEMOLISH CHURCH OF NATIONS IN BETHLEHEM

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