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 vanaf 17 oktober 2023 staan hier 

30 november 2023

Over the last few weeks, users on Instagram have reported numerous instances of the platform hiding comments containing the Palestinian flag emoji . One of the hidden comments consisted of three flag emojis () and nothing else. A little investigation revealed that Instagram was labeling the symbol as “potentially offensive” content.

This is just one recent example of a pattern of bias and discrimination against Palestinian users and Palestinian content on social media.

Palestinians in Gaza are living through one of the most brutal military assaults in recent human history. In moments like this, social media platforms can play critical roles in creating a record of the unfolding violence. Instead, Palestinians are being subjected to automated dehumanization, shadowbanning, unjust content removal, and outright account suspensions when they try to share their stories. Tell Meta: Stop censoring Palestinians.

The frequent Israeli-imposed Internet blackouts in Gaza have created endless hours––even days––of isolation and terror, in which people can’t contact their loved ones or share real-time documentation of the horrors around them. It’s beyond shameful that on top of everything else, Palestinians are facing discrimination and erasure from the very platforms they rely on as lifelines of connection.

Workers at Meta and other tech companies are currently mobilizing against some of these harmful company policies and practices, which makes our grassroots pressure all the more critical and impactful at this moment. Our movements have been successful at pushing Meta to take steps to address its content moderation bias in the past, and we know we can bring about bigger and bolder reforms during this period if enough of us mobilize.

Take a moment to sign the petition and tell Meta to #LetPalestineSpeak.

Sincerely,
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Sign Our Petition

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging & educating Americans on Palestinian rights and the Israeli occupation. AMP is a premier national organization in the Palestine solidarity movement.

Make a contribution here 

American Muslims for Palestine
6404 Seven Corners Place Ste N | Falls Church, Virginia 22044
703.534.3032 | info@ampalestine.org

30 november 2023

Sign Our Petition & Tell META to #LetPalestineSpeak

30 november 2023

Palestinians in Gaza are living through one of the most brutal military assaults in recent human history. In moments like this, social media platforms can play critical roles in creating a record of the unfolding violence. Instead, Palestinians are being subjected to automated dehumanization, shadowbanning, unjust content removal, and outright account suspensions when they try to share their stories. Tell Meta: Stop censoring Palestinians.

The frequent Israeli-imposed Internet blackouts in Gaza have created endless hours––even days––of isolation and terror, in which people can’t contact their loved ones or share real-time documentation of the horrors around them. It’s beyond shameful that on top of everything else, Palestinians are facing discrimination and erasure from the very platforms they rely on as lifelines of connection.

Workers at Meta and other tech companies are currently mobilizing against some of these harmful company policies and practices, which makes our grassroots pressure all the more critical and impactful at this moment. Our movements have been successful at pushing Meta to take steps to address its content moderation bias in the past, and we know we can bring about bigger and bolder reforms during this period if enough of us mobilize.

Take a moment to sign the petition and tell Meta to #LetPalestineSpeak.

Sincerely,
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Join us in front of the Israeli Embassy

30 november 2023

Join us on Friday, December 1st at 12 PM EST to stand up for Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire!

• What: Washington, D.C. Emergency Protest and Jumaa Prayer for Gaza
• When: Friday 12/1/2023 at 12 PM EST
• Where: Israeli Embassy, 3514 International Dr. NW, Washington, DC 20008

For 56 straight days now, we have witnessed some of the most devastating events and crimes in decades unfolding against the people of Gaza. Even though there is a pause this week, the Israelis have made it clear that they are not going to stop. With over 15,000 innocent lives taken, 70% being women and children, this only means more death and destruction for people who have been under siege for 16 years.

Israel cannot be allowed to continuously destroy Palestinian lives without any semblance of accountability. That's why we ask you to join us tomorrow to make it clear that the American people demand a ceasefire and an end to the siege. We must take a stand for Gaza. Let's make our voices heard: Not in our names!

See you tomorrow.

Sincerely,
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

30 november 2023

As I sit here writing this, I’m watching my coworkers on a hunger strike in front of the White House, calling on President Biden to demand a *lasting* ceasefire.

But our government is not the only American institution funding the current Israeli genocide of Gaza.

War and apartheid are expensive endeavors. International banks financially power the infrastructure that keeps apartheid running.

Citibank is the largest foreign bank in Israel, and has actively facilitated billions in Israeli military weapon funding.

Citibank is also active in The Netherlands!

If 10,000 people tweet @Citi on X/twitter, Citibank will not be able to ignore us. It will be a PR nightmare.

So far, over 3,000 people have already tweeted.

Can you use this tool to tweet @Citi now and help us get to 10,000 tweets?

TWEET NOW

Citibank and other international banks are an important pillar upholding the massive power imbalance between the Israeli state and the Palestinian people.

At this moment, as Israel “pauses” but does not cease its genocidal assault on Gaza, the Citibank website notes that they “[boast] the largest presence of any foreign financial institution in Israel.”

Let’s remind them that propping up apartheid and genocide is nothing to boast about.

Demand Citibank use their considerable investments in Israel to call for a permanent #Ceasefire in Gaza.

30 november 2023

Join Queer Cinema for Palestine for No Pride in Genocide (Dec 2 – 10), a global program of film screenings and panel discussions online and across nine cities around the world.

No Pride in Genocide stands in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and across all of historic Palestine, denouncing Israel’s genocidal attacks and ethnic cleansing against millions of Palestinians.
 

As Israel escalates its indiscriminate bombing campaign and use of “starvation as a weapon of war” killing more than 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza, No Pride in Genocide will be a loud voice in the growing global consensus calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s 75 year regime of settler colonialism and apartheid.

­

Join us in saying: No Pride in Genocide!­­ 

­­ 

No Pride in Genocide is a call for queer and trans communities to take effective action in solidarity with Indigenous Palestinians in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality and to refuse apartheid Israel’s pinkwashing agenda.

As hundreds of thousands around the world rise up and take direct action to stop Israel’s war machine, No Pride In Genocide is part of the decolonial movement for justice for all and the long history of queer, First Nation, and Palestinian solidarity.

Join us for events!

­

Amsterdam · Beirut · Berlin · London Ontario · London UK · Montreal · Seoul · Toronto · Vancouver

Organized by more than 40 partner groups around the world and streamed on the Toronto Queer Film Festival website, No Pride in Genocide film programs and Palestinian and allied speakers will echo the call from Palestinians to refuse complicity with Israel’s apartheid regime.

Over the past five years, nearly 60 filmmakers have pulled their films from the Israeli government-sponsored TLVFest LGBTQ+ film festival and 250 filmmakers, film artists and scholars have signed the Queer Cinema for Palestine pledge.

NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE.

None of us are free, until all of us are free.

In solidarity,

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)

My name is Serena. I’m an MPower Change member and I believe that we can do more to pressure corporations, specifically banks, to stop being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

That’s why I am writing you today to ask for your help to reach Citibank with an urgent call:

Demand Citibank use their considerable investments in Israel to call for a permanent #Ceasefire in Gaza.

CITIBANK IS ALSO ESTABLISHED IN THE  NETHERLANDS! 

Today, we are witnessing an active genocide in Gaza; it is a crisis of horrific magnitude, with over 15,000 killed in retaliatory assaults by Israel.

At this moment, as Israel “pauses” but does not cease its genocidal assault on Gaza, the Citibank website notes that they “[boast] the largest presence of any foreign financial institution in Israel.”¹ 

Let’s remind them that propping up apartheid and genocide is nothing to boast about.

Millions of people across the country are demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling for freedom in Palestine.

We are gaining traction in Congress with Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush’s leadership, and we are on the streets every day, and in the halls of Congress nearly every day.

It’s time to pressure the financial institutions that are silent partners in Israel’s horrific violence against Palestinians.

Thank you for all you do.

In solidarity,

the team at MPower Change

P.S. Want to support our work towards justice for all people, sign up for a recurring MPower Change gift now.

Source:

1. "Israel," Citigroup.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #54

UN agencies deliver fuel to hospitals in northern Gaza. Since the humanitarian pause began, the number of operational hospitals in the north has risen from one to five, although they are only able to provide very limited services. Photo by WHO, 29 November 2023

30 november 2023

Key points

• On 29 November, the humanitarian pause entered its sixth consecutive day. It has enabled a major increase in the delivery of basic supplies into and across Gaza, primarily by the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and UN agencies. However, as the UN Secretary-General stressed in a briefing to the Security Council, the level of aid “remains completely inadequate to meet the huge needs of more than two million people.”
• Aid convoys to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north), which prior to the pause had been almost completely absent, continued on 29 November. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and UNRWA delivered food and non-food items, medical supplies, and fuel to shelters hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as to warehouses and hospitals. The latter included two hospitals in Gaza city, Al Ahli and As Sahaba, which received a total 10,500 litres of fuel, enough to operate generators for about seven days.
• Despite the pause, there has been almost no improvement in the access of residents in the north to water, as most of the main water production facilities remain shut down, due to the lack of fuel and some also due to damages. Concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources persist.
• Enhanced aid distribution, including fuel to hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and IDP shelters, also continued in areas south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), where the vast majority of IDPs are staying. Cooking gas, which has been entering daily from Egypt since the start of the pause, has been available in the market at one distribution centre in Khan Younis, albeit in quantities well below the demand.
• One of the partially operational hospitals in the north, Kamal Adwan in Jabalia, urgently requires supplies and medical staff in the fields of obstetrics, paediatrics, neonatology, surgery, and orthopaedics. Eighty of its patients require immediate transfer to a better-equipped facility in the south for their survival. On 28 and 29 November, no evacuations of patients and wounded people from hospitals in the north to those in the south took place.
• The UN Secretary-General reiterated his call for “the opening of additional crossings and streamlined inspection mechanisms to facilitate the delivery of life-saving aid.”
• On 29 November, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated his concern about the high risk of infectious diseases in IDP shelters, attributing this to severe overcrowding and the disruption of health, water, and sanitation systems. He noted that more than 111,000 cases of acute respiratory infection, 36,000 cases of diarrhoea in children below five, and 24,000 cases of skin rash had been recorded since the start of the crisis.
• On 29 November, twelve Israelis and four foreign nationals, held as hostages in Gaza, and 30 Palestinian detainees, held in Israeli prisons, were released. The freed hostages included seven women and five children. Among the Palestinian detainees were 15 women and 15 children. Since the start of the pause, 210 Palestinians, 68 Israelis, and 20 foreign nationals have reportedly been release

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Since the humanitarian pause entered into force at 7:00 on 24 November, airstrikes, shelling, and ground clashes have largely ceased. However, in the early morning of 29 November, shelling by the Israeli navy towards the Gaza shore in the south was reported, resulting in no casualties.
• On 27 and 28 November, 160 bodies were recovered from the rubble, according to the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza. The office also stated that, since the start of hostilities, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,150 children and 4,000 women. The GMO, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
• The fatality toll since 7 October includes at least 198 Palestinian medics, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health; 112 UN staff; 70 journalists and media workers, according to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate; and at least 15 Civil Defense staff, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
• Overall, 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• Some IDPs in the south have been trying to go back to their homes in the north, despite the Israeli forces’ announcement that such movement is forbidden. On 24, 25 and 26 November, there were reports of shooting by Israeli forces towards IDPs attempting to move north, resulting in several casualties.
• In recent weeks, the Israeli military has been calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, every day between 9:00 and 16:00. No available estimate for the number of people who managed to cross on 29 November.
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families continues to be observed in the "corridor" in recent days. Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases. However, urgent measures are required to augment the presence of child protection teams in shelters; enhancing registration efficiency and addressing the specific needs of these children.
• Up to 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. However, obtaining an accurate count is challenging; including because of difficulties in tracking IDPs staying with host families and accounting for those who returned to their homes during the pause but remain registered in UNRWA and other shelters.
• Nearly 1.1 million IDPs are registered in 156 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, of whom about 86 per cent (946,000) are registered in 99 UNRWA shelters in the south. Another 191,000 IDPs are estimated to be staying in 124 public schools and hospitals, as well as in other venues such as wedding halls, offices, and community centres. The rest are hosted by families.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. There are also initial reports of disease outbreaks, including hepatitis.
• Concerns have been raised about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions. This includes people with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.
• Across the Gaza Strip, more than 46,000 homes have been destroyed and over 234,000 housing units have been otherwise damaged. These constitute over 60 per cent of the housing stock, as reported by the Shelter Cluster on 24 November.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 29 November, as in previous days, significantly larger convoys than prior to the pause, carrying a variety of humanitarian supplies, fuel and cooking gas entered Gaza from Egypt.
• On 29 November, the Rafah Egyptian border opened in both directions for the evacuation of ten wounded and sick people and nine of the people who were accompanying them, alongside the entry of 74 Gaza residents who had been stranded outside.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• The health system across the Gaza Strip continues to be overstretched amid severe shortage of medical supplies.
• On 29 November, UN agencies delivered to two hospitals in Gaza city, Al Ahli and Al Sahaba, lifesaving medicines and surgical supplies (in addition to fuel) estimated to be sufficient to meet the urgent health needs of 100 patients at each facility. Along with another three hospitals, these are the only five hospitals in the north (out of 24 prior to the hostilities), which are now functional, albeit partially, and admit some patients.
• In addition, on 29 November, the MoH in Gaza announced that the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, also in the north, will reactivate parts of its dialysis department. Over the weeks prior to the pause, the hospital sustained extensive damage during bombardments and Israeli operations inside the compound. This follows a similar announcement regarding the dialysis department of Shifa hospital in Gaza city on 27 November.

• On 28 November, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivered medical supplies, including, medication, pain relief and blood bags to the European Gaza hospital in Rafah, in the south.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• The Gaza Municipality has reportedly warned about the potential flooding of large areas in the Sheikh Radwan quarter due to the overflow of a wastewater and rainwater lagoon in the city, following the accumulation of rain in recent days. Pumping from the lagoon has stopped for several weeks due to lack of fuel needed to operate the pumps, as well as damage to several conveyor lines.
• On 28 November, UNRWA and UNICEF continued delivering fuel to Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distributed it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the south, UNRWA continues to operate eight water wells that provide potable and domestic water to IDP shelters, alongside water trucking operations. Solid waste collection from the camps, and emergency shelters and transfer to landfills also continues in the south.

Food security

• On 28 November, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) stated that Gaza suffers a US$1.6 million daily loss in farm production. The institution assesses the losses are likely higher considering the destruction of farm equipment and farmland, and damage caused to thousands of trees, especially olive trees. The economic impact is also significant, considering that 55 per cent of Gaza’s agricultural products used to be sold outside the coastal enclave, PCBS stated.
• The amount of cooking gas that has reportedly entered Gaza from Egypt since the start of the pause (about 85 tons per day) is a third of the equivalent daily average that entered between January and August 2023. Queues at a filling station in Khan Younis have reportedly extended for about 2 kilometres, with people waiting at them overnight. Meanwhile, reports indicate that people are burning doors and window frames to cook.
• Since 25 November, one WFP bakery has resumed operations on an ad-hoc basis, allowing the provision of bread to about 90,000 people in UN shelters in the south. Other bakeries are operating intermittently.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• On 28 November, for the sixth consecutive day, no rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel was reported. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• Following the release of 88 hostages since 24 November, and 159 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to Israeli sources. Furthermore, on 28 November, one Israeli civilian and three soldiers, initially missing, were declared killed. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Between 19:00 on 28 November 18:00 on 29 November, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including two children, in an operation in Jenin Refugee Camp, which involved armed clashes with Palestinians, and airstrikes, resulting in extensive infrastructure and residential damage. During the withdrawal of Israeli forces, an eight-year-old and a 15-year-old child were shot and killed by Israeli forces. According to medical sources, during the operation, Israeli forces impeded the work of paramedics, denied access to a hospital, and arrested an injured person while paramedics were transferring him into a hospital. Since 7 October, 51 Palestinians were killed in Jenin Refugee Camp, representing 22 per cent of the overall fatalities reported.
• Between 7 October and 29 November, 238 Palestinians, including 63 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those, 229 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and one either by forces or settlers. The seven-week toll represents more than half of all Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year. Already, 2023 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.
• Two-thirds of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during search-and-arrest and other operations carried out by Israeli forces, including some – mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates – involving exchange of fire with Palestinians. More than half of the fatalities were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 3,128 Palestinians, including at least 508 children; 45 per cent of them in the context of demonstrations and 46 per cent in the context of search and arrest and other operations. An additional 78 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with nine per cent in the first nine months of 2023.
• OCHA has verified four settler attacks that took place on 27 and 29 November and resulted in damage to Palestinian-owned property. According to Palestinian eyewitnesses, a group of Israeli settlers vandalized 135 olive trees, stole olive produce, agricultural equipment, solar panels, and construction equipment, and set fire to three tents in the outskirts of Yanun (Nablus), Deir Istiya (Salfit), Al Janiya (Ramallah) and Ein al Hilwa (Tubas).
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 295 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (223 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (39 incidents). This reflects a daily average of five incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. One-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• On 27 and 28 November, the Israeli authorities demolished, or forced people to demolish eight structures, including six homes, in East Jerusalem (three structures) and Area C (five structures) citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain. As a result, 35 people, including 21 children, were displaced.
• On 28 November, in Deir Ammar Refugee Camp (Ramallah), Israeli forces demolished on punitive grounds the home of a family whose member was accused of killing an Israeli in August 2023. As a result, nine people, including six children, were displaced. Punitive demolitions are a form of collective punishment and are prohibited under international law.
• Additionally, 181 Palestinians, including 93 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 54 Palestinians, including 25 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

• As of 29 November, Member States have disbursed USD$262.8 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 21 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged by 23 November.

Permanent ceasefire now. A pause is not enough.

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Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #53

Volunteers providing psycho-social support to children in southern Gaza through recreational activities in a school being used as a shelter for displaced people. Photo by the Palestine Red Crescent Society

29 november 2023

Key points

• On 28 November, for the fifth consequent day, the humanitarian pause enabled humanitarian actors, primarily the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and UN agencies, to enhance the delivery of assistance into and across Gazai. As reportedly agreed upon by Israel and Hamas, the initial four-day pause has been extended for an additional 48 hours starting on 28 November.
• On 28 November, a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) aid convoy carrying food, medical supplies, water, and non-food items reached areas to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north). However, the bulk of aid distribution during the day took place in areas south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), where the vast majority of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are staying. UNRWA continued distributing wheat flour to IDPs in and outside shelters. Key service providers, including hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and IDP shelters, have been able to operate during the pause with daily fuel provision.
• Despite an increase in supplies entering Gaza since the pause began, the volume of incoming commodities is insufficient to meet the extensive needs. Aid groups have called for the immediate re-opening of more crossing points, including for the entry of commercial goods.
• On 28 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned about the high risk of infectious disease in IDP shelters, attributing this to severe overcrowding and the disruption of health, water, and sanitation systems. This concern is underscored by recent reports of Hepatitis cases at shelters in the south.
• On 28 November, ten Israelis and two foreign nationals, held as hostages in Gaza, and 30 Palestinian detainees, held in Israeli prisons, were released. The freed hostages included nine women and one girl. Among the Palestinian detainees were 15 women and 15 boys. Since the start of the pause, 180 Palestinians, 61 Israelis, and 20 foreign nationals have been released.
• On 27 November, the UN Secretary-General called for “a full humanitarian ceasefire, for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and the wider region,” alongside the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages. He also commended the Governments of Qatar, Egypt and the United States for facilitating the current pause, recognizing the critical role of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Since the humanitarian pause entered into force at 7:00 on 24 November, airstrikes, shelling, and ground clashes have largely ceased. However, on 28 November, exchange of fire reportedly took place between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Beit Hanoun area, in the north, and Israeli forces reportedly used tank fire at open areas in the south.
• On 27 and 28 November, 160 bodies were recovered from the rubble, according to the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza. The office also stated that, since the start of hostilities, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,150 children and 4,000 women. The GMO, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
• Overall, 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• Some IDPs in the south have been trying to go back to their homes in the north, despite the Israeli forces’ announcement that such movement is forbidden. On 24, 25 and 26 November, there were reports of shooting by Israeli forces towards IDPs attempting to move north, resulting in several casualties. 
• In recent weeks, the Israeli military has been calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, every day between 9:00 and 16:00. On 28 November, OCHA’s monitoring estimated that less than 400 people crossed south. 
• IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that the main reason they were moving southwards was the severe scarcity of food and water in the north. Furthermore, some indicated that the prices of food items available in the market had doubled, making them unaffordable.
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has also been observed in the “corridor.” Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases. However, urgent measures are required to augment the presence of child protection teams in shelters; enhancing registration efficiency and addressing the specific needs of these children.
• Up to 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. However, obtaining an accurate count is challenging; including because of difficulties in tracking IDPs staying with host families and accounting for those who returned to their homes during the pause but remain registered in UNRWA and other shelters.   
• Nearly 1.1 million IDPs are registered in 156 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, of whom about 86 per cent (946,000) are registered in 99 UNRWA shelters in the south. Another 191,000 IDPs are estimated to be staying in 124 public schools and hospitals, as well as in other venues such as wedding halls, offices, and community centres. The rest are hosted by families.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. There are also initial reports of disease outbreaks, including Hepatitis. 
• Concerns have been raised about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions. This includes people with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.
• Across the Gaza Strip, more than 46,000 homes have been destroyed and over 234,000 housing units have been otherwise damaged. These constitute over 60 per cent of the housing stock, as reported by the Shelter Cluster on 24 November.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 28 November, as in previous days, convoys carrying humanitarian supplies, fuel and cooking gas could only enter Gaza from Egypt. Beyond aid convoys, the Rafah crossing with Egypt also opened on 28 November for the exit of wounded and sick people and foreign nationals, as well as for the entry of Gaza residents who had been stranded outside. 
• On 28 November, about 300 Palestinian workers from Gaza, who had been stranded in Israel and the West Bank since 7 October, were transferred by the Israeli authorities to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to Israeli media reports. Beyond that, this crossing, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, has remained closed.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. 

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 27 November, the MoH in Gaza announced that the Shifa Hospital in Gaza city has been able to reactivate its dialysis department, opening its doors to people in the north in need of such treatment. Over the weeks prior to the pause, the hospital sustained extensive damage during bombardments and Israeli operations inside the compound.
• On 26 November, a UN convoy collected 7,600 doses of vaccines for various diseases from the Ministry of Health warehouse in Gaza city and transported them to southern Gaza, where they can be refrigerated. The need for this transfer arose due to the lack of refrigeration capacity in the north. After thorough inspections to ensure their validity, the vaccines will be utilized to enhance routine immunization, which has been hampered by a shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities.
• Kamal Adwan hospital in Jabalia, one of the five hospitals partially operational in the north, urgently requires supplies and medical staff in the fields of obstetrics, paediatrics, neonatology, surgery, and orthopaedics. Eighty of its patients require immediate transfer to a better-equipped facility in the south for their survival. Evacuations from this and other hospitals are planned for the coming days, provided that the pause is extended.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 28 November, the Gaza city municipality warned of the health and environmental ramifications of the accumulation of more than 35 tons of solid waste in the city. The solid waste cannot be transferred to the main landfill located in the vicinity of Gaza’s perimeter fence, due to prohibition by the Israeli military, the municipality stated.  
• On 28 November, UNRWA continued delivering fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distributed it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• Addressing people’s water needs in the north requires the reactivation of the water desalination plant and the water wells, which in turn depends on the conduct of repairs and the availability of fuel. Concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases persist due to water consumption from unsafe sources.
• In the south, UNRWA continues to operate eight water wells that provide potable and domestic water to IDP shelters, alongside water trucking operations. Solid waste collection from the camps, and emergency shelters and transfer to landfills also continues in the south. 

Food security

• On 28 November, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) stated that Gaza suffers a US$1.6 million daily loss in farm production. The institution assesses the losses are likely higher considering the destruction of farm equipment and farmland, and damage caused to thousands of trees, especially olive trees. The economic impact is also significant, considering that 55 per cent of the Gaza’s agricultural products are exported, PCBS stated.
• The amount of cooking gas that has reportedly entered Gaza from Egypt since the start of the pause (about 85 tons per day) is a third of the equivalent daily average that entered between January and August 2023. Queues at a filling station in Khan Younis have reportedly extended for about 2 kilometres, with people waiting at them overnight. Meanwhile, reports indicate that people are burning doors and window frames to cook.
• Since 25 November, one WFP bakery resumed operations on an ad-hoc basis allowing the provision of bread to about 90,000 people in UN shelters in the south. Other bakeries are operating intermittently.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• On 28 November, for the fifth consecutive day, no rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel was reported. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. 
• Following the release of 60 hostages since 24 November, 153-166 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to different Israeli sources. Furthermore, on 28 November, one Israeli civilian and three soldiers, initially missing, were declared killed. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. 

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Between 18:00 on 27 November 18:00 on 18 November, three fatalities were reported in the West Bank, including two children. In one of these incidents, a 14-year-old Palestinian child was shot with live ammunition and later succumbed to wounds sustained in the chest during an Israeli military operation in Tubas city. Three other Palestinians were injured during the operation. The incident took place after Israeli forces raided the city, surrounded a house, and demanded a Palestinian to turn himself in. An exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinians ensued while the forces were retreating from Tubas, during which the child was injured, and later pronounced dead at the hospital.
• Between 7 October and 28 November, 232 Palestinians, including 61 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those killed, 225 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and one either by forces or settlers. The seven-week toll represents more than half of all Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year. So far, 2023 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.
• More than 67 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during search-and-arrest operations and other operations carried out by Israeli forces, including some – mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates – involving exchange of fire with Palestinians. More than half of the fatalities were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 3,101 Palestinians, including at least 500 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 73 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with nine per cent in the first nine months of 2023.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 287 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (215 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (39 incidents). This reflects a daily average of over five incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. One-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• Additionally, 181 Palestinians, including 93 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 54 Palestinians, including 25 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions. 

Help AMP reach our #GivingTuesday goal!

28 november 2023

#GivingTuesday 2023 is here and it couldn’t have come at a more crucial moment. The past 53 days have been some of the most devastating and destructive events in Palestine since 1967. But in these past 7 weeks, we’ve seen the movement for Palestine achieve things that could have never been imagined before. Millions of people across the globe have joined our movement, making clear to governments, international institutions, and the media that silence is no longer an option and justice for Palestine is inevitable, it’s just a matter of time.

For years, AMP has worked to advance the movement for justice in Palestine here in America. That’s why when this crisis began, we already knew where to start.

Our dedicated team has been proactive, organizing massive demonstrations across the country, leading initiatives to bring voices to Capitol Hill, sending tens of thousands of emails, and making tens of thousands of phone calls to elected officials demanding a ceasefire. We've taken to the airwaves on national and international media outlets, dispelling misinformation and presenting the truth to the American people. And we just wrapped up our 16th Annual Palestine convention, where thousands of supporters came out to learn and join our movement regardless of the attempts to cancel us.

Despite the ongoing genocide, the people of Gaza remain resilient. And just as they stand strong, we need to as well. The US is the most important arena after occupied Palestine to defend Palestinian rights and bring about positive change.

Sincerely,
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #52

A logistics team from the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in Al Arish airport, Egypt, organizing and preparing humanitarian aid for transport into Gaza. Photo by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society

28 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• The humanitarian pause, agreed upon by Israel and Hamas, was largely maintained on 27 November for the fourth consecutive day. It has enabled humanitarian actors, primarily the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and UN agencies, to enhance the delivery of assistance into and across Gaza. To enable addressing the immense scope of needs, aid groups have called for the immediate re-opening of more crossing points, including for the entry of commercial goods.
• On 27 November, dozens of UNRWA and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) aid trucks reached areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north). The assistance included medical supplies, ready-to-eat food, wheat flour, bottled water, tents and blankets, which were delivered to four UNRWA shelters and three main warehouses for subsequent distribution. The aid also included small amounts of fuel delivered to water production facilities, towards their reactivation following the completion of repairs. Prior to the pause, the north had been largely inaccessible, and residents remaining there have faced a dire humanitarian situation.
• Aid distribution in areas south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), where the bulk of an estimated 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently staying, also continued. UNRWA has continued distributing wheat flour to IDPs in and outside shelters. Key service providers, including hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and IDP shelters, have continued receiving fuel on a daily basis enabling their operation.
• On 27 November, 11 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and 33 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons were released. The freed hostages included two women and nine children. Among the Palestinian detainees were 30 boys and three women. Since the start of the pause, 150 Palestinians, 51 Israelis, and 18 foreign nationals have been released.
• Humanitarian partners have increased efforts to educate people about the dangers of unexploded ordnance. This includes training of trainers, holding in-person information sessions for IDPs in shelters, sharing posters and sending text messages. These actions have become more urgent with the ongoing pause, because more people are now moving through areas that might be contaminated.
• On 27 November, the UN Secretary-General called for “a full humanitarian ceasefire, for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and the wider region,” alongside the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages. He also commended the Governments of Qatar, Egypt and the United States for facilitating the current pause, recognizing the critical role of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Since the humanitarian pause entered into force at 7:00 on 24 November, airstrikes, shelling, and ground clashes have reportedly ceased.

• According to the Government Media Office, as of 18:00 on 23 November, more than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women. This office, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.

• As of 18:00 on 25 November, 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• Some IDPs in the south have been trying to go back to their homes in the north, despite the Israeli forces’ announcement that such movement is forbidden. On 24, 25 and 26 November, there were reports of shooting by Israeli forces towards such IDPs, resulting in several casualties.
• In recent weeks, the Israeli military have been calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, every day between 9:00 and 16:00. No monitoring of such movements could be conducted on 27 November, due to security restrictions imposed by the Israeli military.
• In previous days, Israeli forces had been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo into a facial recognition scan.
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has also been observed in the “corridor”. Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases. However, urgent measures are required to augment the presence of child protection teams in shelters; enhancing registration efficiency and addressing the specific needs of these children.
• Over 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. Of them, nearly 1.1 million IDPs are sheltering in 156 UNRWA facilities across Gaza. On 26 November, at least 13,000 additional IDPs sought refuge in UNRWA shelters in the south, presumably seeking food and services.
• About 191,000 IDPs are estimated to be in 124 public schools and hospitals, as well as in other venues such as wedding halls, offices, and community centres. The rest are sheltered by host families.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice.
• Concerns have been raised about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions. This includes people with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.
• Across the Gaza Strip, more than 46,000 homes have been destroyed and over 234,000 housing units have been otherwise damaged. These constitute over 60 per cent of the housing stock, as reported by the Shelter Cluster on 24 November.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• The total number of trucks that entered Gaza on 27 November is unclear at the time of writing as many continued to be processed during the evening hours.
• Beyond aid convoys, the Rafah crossing with Egypt also opened on 27 November for the exit of 34 wounded and sick people and 18 foreign nationals, as well as for the entry of about 300 Gaza residents who had been stranded in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, has remained closed. On 24 November, the Protection and Shelter Clusters have called for the immediate re-opening of additional crossings, including for the entry of commercial goods.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 27 November, the MoH in Gaza announced that the Shifa Hospital in Gaza city has been able to reactivate its dialysis department, opening its doors to people in the north in need of such treatment. Over the weeks prior to the pause, the hospital sustained extensive damage during bombardments and Israeli operations inside the compound.
• On 26 November, a UN convoy collected 7,600 doses of vaccines for various diseases from the Ministry of Health warehouse in Gaza city and transported them to southern Gaza, where they can be refrigerated. The need for this transfer arose due to the lack of refrigeration capacity in the north. After thorough inspections to ensure their validity, the vaccines will be utilized to enhance routine immunization, which has been hampered by a shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities.
• Kamal Adwan hospital in Jabalia, one of the five hospitals partially operational in the north, urgently requires supplies and medical staff in the fields of obstetrics, paediatrics, neonatology, surgery, and orthopaedics. Eighty of its patients require immediate transfer to a better-equipped facility in the south for their survival. Evacuations from this and other hospitals are planned for the coming days, provided that the pause is extended.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 26 November, technicians visited water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in the north, carrying out an initial assessment of the damage sustained, and the repairs needed to reactivate them.
• On 27 November, UNRWA continued delivering fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distributed it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• Delivery of bottled water reached IDP shelters in the north on 26 and 27 November. However, addressing people’s water needs sustainably requires the reactivation of the water desalination plant and the water wells, which in turn depends on the conduct of repairs and the availability of fuel. Concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases persist due to water consumption from unsafe sources.
• In the south, UNRWA continues to operate eight water wells that provide potable and domestic water to IDP shelters, alongside water trucking operations.
• Solid waste collection from the camps, and emergency shelters and transfer to landfills continues in the south. About 50 truckloads were transferred to temporary dumping sites on 26 November.

Food security

• UNRWA distribution of flour outside of shelters continued on 26 and 27 November in the south, alongside small deliveries of flour to shelters in Jabalia, in the north. The latter were carried out as part of authorized convoys during the ongoing humanitarian pause.
• Cooking gas continued entering Gaza for the fourth consecutive day, at a pace of about 85 tons per day, well below people’s needs. Queues at a filling station in Khan Younis have reportedly extended for about 2 kilometres, with people waiting at them overnight. Meanwhile, reports indicate that people are burning doors and window frames to cook.
• Since 25 November, one WFP bakery has resumed operations on an ad-hoc basis allowing the provision of bread to about 90,000 people in UN shelters in the south.
• In the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged due to lack of fuel required to pump irrigation water. Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder to keep them alive. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• On 27 November, for the fourth consecutive day, no rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel was reported. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most of these fatalities have been released, including 859 civilians. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• Following the release of 50 hostages since 24 November, 167 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to the Israeli authorities. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• No new fatalities were reported in the West Bank since 26 November afternoon.
• Between 7 October and 27 November, 231 Palestinians, including 59 children were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those killed, 222 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and one either by forces or settlers. The seven-week toll represents more than half of all Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year. So far, 2023 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.
• More than 67 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during search-and-arrest operations and other operations carried out by Israeli forces, including some – mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates – involving exchange of fire with Palestinians. More than half of the fatalities were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes.
• Between 24 and 26 November, Israeli forces injured 158 Palestinians, including 124 children, during confrontations near the Israeli prison of Ofer, in anticipation of the release of Palestinian detainees as part of the humanitarian pause agreement. Family members of the detainees to be released were reportedly pressured by the Israeli authorities to sign a commitment with several restrictions regarding celebrations, gathering and, in some cases, their homes were searched.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 3,093 Palestinians, including at least 496 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 73 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared to a monthly average of nine per cent of live ammunition injuries in the West Bank in the first nine months of 2023.
• OCHA verified two settler attacks that took place on 25 and 26 November and resulted in damage to Palestinian owned property. According to Palestinian eyewitnesses, a group of Israeli settlers vandalized 300 olive trees and stole agricultural equipment on the outskirt of Al Khadr (Bethlehem) and Bani Naim (Hebron) villages.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 287 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (215 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (39 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. One-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 181 Palestinians, including 93 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 54 Palestinians, including 25 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

 Tomorrow, November 29th, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the #BDS movement is calling for an all day social media storm. Our physical and digital actions can be used together to strengthen our demands:

AMP Condemns Media Complicity in Dehumanization and Misinformation Leading to Multiple Violent Attacks on Palestinian Americans

28 november 2023

On Sunday, November 26, 2023, three Palestinian students of U.S. universities were shot and severely injured in what appears to be a hate crime in Burlington, Vermont. The three were on a walk after a birthday party, wearing Palestinian kuffiyehs and speaking Arabic. Amid blatantly dehumanizing language against Palestinians in the media and the malicious defamation of Palestinian student activists, we call on local police, universities, elected officials, and media to state clearly that this is an anti-Palestinian hate crime and to stop dehumanizing Palestinians both overseas and here in the United States.

Former classmates of the Quaker Friends School in Ramallah, the three students Kinnan Abdelhamid, Hisham Awartani, and Tahseen Ahmad are being treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center. One of them was shot in the neck and is in critical condition with likely spinal injuries and all three are reportedly in severe pain from multiple gunshot wounds.

Since the start of the bombardment of Gaza by Israel, officials and media have syndicated dehumanizing and sometimes false narratives surrounding the October 7th attacks. Likewise, the conflation of Palestine solidarity activism with anti-semitism, the vilification of pro-ceasefire protestors, and general ambivalence surrounding anti-Palestinian racism can be linked directly to attacks like this one. Violent attacks on Palestinians such as the murder of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume in Illinois, attacks on AJP Action staff, and others seen as Palestinian and Muslim are growing nationwide. Meanwhile, coverage of the war suggests that the death of over 6,000 Palestinian children—among close to 15,000 civilians killed in Gaza—are excusable casualties of the US-backed aerial attacks by the Israeli military.

Those who have cast doubt on the necessity of a ceasefire can only do so while dismissing the deaths of Palestinian civilians, leaning on brutalistic depictions of Palestinian armed factions and unverified or false accounts from October 7th, alongside sanitized depictions of Israel’s assault on Gaza. To date, in addition to the over 14,800-person death toll on Israel’s hands; over 50% of homes in Gaza have been completely leveled, tens of thousands have been injured; over 2,000 civilians are estimated stuck under rubble; close to 800,000 people are internally displaced; and food, energy and hospital infrastructure has been destroyed amid a near total blockade of humanitarian aid for over a month. In this vein, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’s refusal to call for a ceasefire alongside his progressive colleagues (HR 786) makes him complicit in Palestinian dehumanization.

A man named Jason Eaton, 48, has been arrested by Burlington Police for the attempted murder of the three Palestinian-American students. He has pleaded “not guilty,” but reports also say he came out of his house with palms up as Burlington police arrived saying, “I have been waiting for you.” He was in possession of a .380 pistol which he reportedly purchased recently. Eaton’s mother said that he was in good health on Thanksgiving, and was a religious Christian. We do not yet know if he ascribes to Christian Zionism, a right-wing ideology that supports the state of Israel on the basis of Armageddonist biblical prophecy for the end of times. Genocidal rhetoric from such groups is common, as is association with white supremacy.

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) condemns institutional complicity with rising anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim racism and Islamophobia. Influential Zionists, anti-Palestinian organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the American-Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC), Christians United for Israel (CUFI) continue to disseminate misinformation and hateful rhetoric surrounding Palestinians and pro-peace solidarity activists who are critical of Israel’s violent assault on Gaza. University officials have repeatedly conflated the critique of Israel with anti-semitism, thereby harming free speech on campus and fueling anti-Palestinian hate and attacks on Palestine solidarity activists like these students. Meanwhile, officials have skirted around clear condemnations of anti-Palestinian racism and refused to protect Palestinian student activists from hateful smear campaigns, sometimes bolstered by faculty and staff.

Members of Congress and other elected officials are also complicit in attacks on students like this, introducing McCarthyist legislation, censuring Congress’s only Palestinian, and claiming there are “no innocent Palestinians.” AMP calls on officials to condemn hate crimes on the basis of Palestinian ancestry—not erasing the specific vulnerability of Palestinian students and Palestinian Christians by naming only “Arab” ancestry or Muslim background. We also call on officials to equally condemn the deaths or abuse of Palestinian children and other civilians, as they have done for Israeli women and children. Legislation like HR 3103 “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families” and HR 786 calling for a ceasefire should be universally uncontroversial amid violence that many experts call a genocide. More Palestinian children have died in the past 51 days than the annual sum of child deaths across all global conflict zones in the past three years. Anything short of condemnation fuels hate towards Palestinians and those in solidarity.

We affirm the rights of all Palestinians and Muslim Americans despite overwhelmingly dehumanizing rhetoric. We call on pro-peace solidarity activists to share our outcry against all hate crimes and to use their voices to speak out against campaigns to erase Palestinian humanity.

Signed,
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Demand President Biden and Members of Congress Call for A Permanent Ceasefire and Stand Against Hate Crimes

27 november 2023

You are likely aware of the recent humanitarian pause in Gaza over the Thanksgiving holiday that has provided a momentary respite for the 2.3 million Palestinians suffering Israel’s attempted genocide. We must continue to advocate for a permanent ceasefire to put an end to the ongoing genocide. 

TAKE ACTION: URGE YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT BIDEN TO CALL FOR AND FACILITATE AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE

[If your member of Congress has called for a ceasefire, please reaffirm their efforts and urge them to continue down that path. You can track ceasefire calls here.]

Palestinians remain on the edge and are now less than 72 hours (after a two-day extension) away from the pause ending and Israel resuming its ongoing onslaught against them. Over the weekend, while Americans enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinners with their family and friends and their Black Friday shopping deals, the death toll reached a new high in Gaza, surpassing 18,000 Palestinians killed. 

Closer to home, the recent shooting of three Palestinian students in Burlington, Vermont, is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Palestinians and those of Palestinian descent continue here in the United States. This tragic hate crime underscores how the genocide of Palestinians is amplifying anti-Palestinian hate here. The young men whom a 48-year-old white man attacked told family members they were speaking a hybrid of English and Arabic before the man shot at them four times without saying anything before the attack, according to a family spokeswoman.

Sincerely,

Ayah Ziyadeh

Advocacy Director, AJP Action

27 november 2023

The four-day pause in violence in Gaza is about to end. We desperately need a permanent and lasting ceasefire to save lives – and today, at 12 pm outside of the White House, a group of national leaders are beginning a hunger strike to make this demand clear.
 

President Biden has continued to provide both the military and political cover for the over 14,850 Gazans killed by Israel, and for the siege conditions leading to starvation and a lack of food, water, and fuel in Gaza.  I am joining a number of national leaders who are hunger striking starting today to illustrate the impact of Biden's policies on Palestinian lives and our country’s complicity in this devastation.

Adalah Justice Project is working with the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace, Dream Defenders, Democratic Socialists of America, elected officials, activists and more to plan daily programming all this week (Monday-Friday), including a nightly vigil to commemorate the thousands of lives lost. Join me this week at the White House, Lafayette Square side - 1567 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

President Biden is starving Gaza. We demand a permanent ceasefire and an end of military funding to Israel now!


In solidarity,
Sumaya Awad

Adalah Justice Project is a Palestinian-led advocacy organization based in the U.S. that builds cross-movement coalitions to achieve collective liberation. Our work is rooted in the conviction that drawing the linkages between US policy abroad and repressive state practices at home is crucial to shifting the balance of power.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #51

UN staff collect and transport vaccines from Gaza city to southern Gaza, where they can be refrigerated, 26 November 2023. Photo by WHO

27 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• The humanitarian pause, agreed upon by Israel and Hamas, which took effect on 24 November, has been largely maintained for the third consecutive day. This pause has enabled the UN to enhance the delivery of assistance into and across Gaza. 
• On 26 November, aid convoys reached areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north). UN agencies and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) distributed 1,062 metric tonnes (MT) of ready-to-eat food to four UNRWA shelters in Jabalia camp; 185 MT of tents and blankets and 890 MT of bottled water to various sites; as well as 164 MT of medical supplies to Al Ahli hospital in Gaza city. The convoys were carefully inspected by Israeli forces deployed at a checkpoint near Wadi Gaza before proceeding northwards. 
• The mission that reached Al Ahli Baptist Hospital evacuated at least 17 patients and wounded people, along with 11 of their companions, to the European Hospital in Khan Younis (in the south). Despite enormous shortages and constraints, Al Ahli remains operational and admitting patients.
• Aid distribution in areas south of Wadi Gaza, where the bulk of an estimated 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently staying, has been accelerated over the past three days. Key service providers, including hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and IDP shelters, have continued receiving fuel on a daily basis to operate generators.   
• Over the past three days, cooking gas has entered Gaza, contrary to the time before the pause. However, the amounts fall well below the needs. Queues at a filling station in Khan Younis have reportedly extended for about 2 kilometres, with people waiting at them overnight. Meanwhile, reports indicate that people are burning doors and window frames to cook.
• On 26 November, 17 hostages held in Gaza and 39 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons were released. The released hostages included 13 Israelis – four women and nine children – and four foreign nationals. Among the Palestinian detainees were 39 boys. Since the start of the pause, 39 Israelis, 117 Palestinians and 19 foreign nationals have been released.
• Between 25 and 26 November, Israeli forces in the West Bank killed seven Palestinians, including four children, bringing to 230 the Palestinian death toll since 7 October; 222 by Israeli forces and eight by settlers.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Since the humanitarian pause entered into force at 7:00 on 24 November, airstrikes, shelling, and ground clashes have reportedly ceased. 
• In one incident involving Israeli tank fire east of the Al -Maghazi refugee camp, in the Middle Area, one Palestinian man was reportedly killed and another injured; the circumstances remain unclear.
• According to the Government Media Office, as of 18:00 on 23 November, more than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women. This office, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
• As of 18:00 on 25 November, 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• Upon the entry into force of the pause, Israeli forces announced that the movement of people from the south to the north is forbidden. 
• On 26 November, the Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring during the day estimated that less than 400 people crossed south. 
• The OCHA monitoring team observed many people with injuries crossing through the “corridor” on 26 November. A man interviewed by OCHA at the crossing point revealed that they had to leave Kamal Odwan hospital, in the north, after it was hit the night prior to the pause. 
• Israeli forces had been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo into a facial recognition scan. 
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has also been observed in the “corridor”. Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases. However, urgent measures are required to augment the presence of child protection teams in shelters; enhancing registration efficiency and addressing the specific needs of these children.
• The number of displaced people continues to increase. Over 1.7 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. Of them, nearly 927,000 IDPs are sheltering in 99 facilities in the south.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. 

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• The total number of trucks that entered Gaza on 26 November is unclear at the time of writing as many continued to be processed during the evening hours. On 25 November, 200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana.
• The Rafah crossing with Egypt has been also open on 26 November for the exit of wounded and sick people and dual and foreign nationals, as well as for the entry of Gaza residents who had been stranded in Egypt. 
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, has remained closed.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. 

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 26 November, a joint UN convoy collected 7,600 doses of vaccines for various diseases from the Ministry of Health warehouse in Gaza city and transported them to southern Gaza. The need for this transfer arose due to the lack of refrigeration capacity in the north. After thorough inspections to ensure their validity, the vaccines will be utilized to enhance routine immunization, which has been hampered by a shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities. As of 25 November, 1,205 children were vaccinated at seven health centres according to the national vaccination programme, bringing the total number to 11,622 since 4 November.
• Kamal Odwan hospital in Jabalia, one of the four small hospitals still operational in the north, is facing immense pressure. Supplies and medical staff are particularly urgent in the fields of obstetrics, paediatrics, neonatology, surgery, and orthopaedics. Eighty patients require immediate transfer to a better equipped facility in the south for their survival. On 22 November, the vicinity of the hospital was heavily bombarded, reportedly resulting in dozens of fatalities and injuries; many of the latter are still waiting to receive treatment. 
• Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, eight are currently functional. The bed capacity across Gaza has declined from 3,500 prior to the war to 1,400 as of 20 November, amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals in the south has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• As of 25 November, nine (out of 22) UNRWA health centres were still operational in the south, recording 10,802 patient visits.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Since the start of the humanitarian pause, UNRWA has collected and disposed hundreds of tons of solid waste that had been accumulating inside and outside its shelters in the south, benefiting about 1 million people.
• On 26 November, technicians visited water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in the north, carrying out an initial assessment of the damage sustained, and the repairs needed to reactivate them. 
• UNRWA continued delivering fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distributed it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• On 26 November, the first delivery of bottled water reached IDP shelters in the north since the Israeli ground operation began. Partners were previously unable to reach the northern areas due to intense ground operations and lack of fuel for track distribution. However, concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases persist due to water consumption from unsafe sources, as the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline supplying water to the north are not functioning.

Food security

• The ready-to-eat food distributed at UNRWA shelters in Jabalia, in the north, on 26 November, included about 7.6 metric tons of high-energy biscuits provided by the World Food Programme (WFP). This covers the minimal daily food intake for 23,616 people for one day.
• Since 24 November, WFP has provided essential food assistance to 110,000 people in UNRWA shelters and host communities through the distribution of bread, food parcels, and electronic vouchers. Since 25 November, one WFP bakery has resumed operations on an ad-hoc basis allowing the provision of bread to about 90,000 people in UN shelters in the south.
• Food prices in the market have experienced an unprecedented surge. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, during October, food and beverages prices increased by 10 per cent; with vegetables increasing by 32 per cent, wheat flour by 65 per cent, and mineral water by 100 per cent.
• Despite the increase in food aid through Rafah, many people still lack food and fuel to cook. No additional bakeries are operational, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children. This is heightened in the north, which is more difficult to reach. 
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged due to lack of fuel required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder to keep them alive. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• On 25 November, no rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel was reported. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most of these fatalities have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• Following the release of 17 hostages on 26 November, 178 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to the Israeli authorities. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 25 November, the UN reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 25 and 26 November, Israeli forces shot and killed seven Palestinians, including four children during Israeli forces operations. The deadliest incident, which lasted for ten hours, took place in Jenin Refugee Camp, and resulted in five Palestinians killed. The operation involved armed clashes with Palestinians, and airstrikes, resulting in extensive infrastructure and residential damage. According to medical sources, during the operation, Israeli forces impeded the work of paramedics, denied access to two hospitals, and arrested two people injured in one of the hospitals. Another Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli forces in Al Bireh (Ramallah) during stone throwing confrontations. Another Palestinian man was killed while inside his vehicle during an operation carried out by undercover Israeli forces in Yatma (Nablus). No Israeli casualties were reported.
• Since 7 October, 222 Palestinians, including 58 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations concerning  Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,904 Palestinians, including at least 369 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 73 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• On 25 November, three settler attacks resulted in damage to property and injuries. In one incident, a group of settlers accompanied by Israeli forces broke into Burqa village (Nablus), which was followed by confrontations with Palestinians; Israeli forces opened live fire, injuring one Palestinian. In another two incidents, according to Palestinian eyewitnesses, a group of Israeli settlers vandalized 155 olive trees in the outskirt of Immatin (Qalqiliya) and Qaryut (Nablus).
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 284 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (34 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (212 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (38 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• Additionally, 181 Palestinians, including 93 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 52 Palestinians, including 25 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

26 november 2023

26 november 2023

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Linda Sarsour <info@mpowerchange.org>
Date: November 24, 2023

We are doing everything we can to achieve a complete, permanent ceasefire, and we will not stop until that happens.

I am so proud of us.

Proud of the millions of Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab youth, and the allies, all showing up loud and persistently on our phones, computers, and in the streets for Gaza.

Together, MPower Change supporters have made more than half a million calls and emails to Congress demanding a #CeasefireNOW.

And you and I both know we need to do more. Help us do more.

We are all we got. We take risks even though those risks, especially on Palestine, can come with consequences, I know all about that.

As long as I draw breath and can speak up, I will speak up for freedom for my people.

I know that even if a ceasefire is achieved, Palestine will still not be free. There will be people and organizations that move on to other things, but MPower is in for the long haul.

Thank you.
In solidarity,

Linda, and the MPower Change team

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #50

Displaced children in an UNRWA camp in southern Gaza. Photo by WHO, 14 November 2023

26 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• The humanitarian pause agreed by Israel and Hamas, which entered into force on 24 November, has largely held for the second day in a row. The pause has allowed the UN to scale up the delivery of assistance into and across Gaza.
• On 25 November, 200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana and, of them, 187 entered Gaza by 19:00 local time. Additionally, 129,000 litres of fuel crossed into Gaza, as well as four cooking gas tanks. As of yet, the Israeli authorities have not allowed fuel to reach the areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north).
• The bulk of the aid that entered has been distributed in areas south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south). It has included 500 metric tonnes of wheat flour and 155,000 cans of ready-to-eat food provided to shelters hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as fuel distributed to hospitals, clinics, water wells, desalination plants and wastewater treatment facilities. UNRWA and humanitarian partners have been also able to collect some 400 tonnes of solid waste in and around shelters, and to conduct 30,000 primary health-care consultations, and provide psychosocial support to IDPs.
• The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) delivered 61 trucks containing food, non-food items, water, primary health-care medicines and emergency medical supplies to four distribution centres in the north. This is the largest delivery of assistance to the north since the Israeli ground operation began.
• On 25 November, 17 hostages held in Gaza and 39 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons were released. The hostages released included 13 Israelis – five women and eight children – and four foreign nationals. Among the Palestinian detainees, six were women and 33 boys.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Since the humanitarian pause entered into force at 7:00 on 24 November, airstrikes, shelling, and ground clashes have reportedly ceased.
• No new fatality figures have been issued in the past 48 hours. According to the Government Media Office (GMO), as of 18:00 on 23 November, more than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women. This office, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
• As of 18:00 on 25 November, the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of ground operations has remained 75, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 25 November, the Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. Furthermore, they declared that the movement of people from the south to the north was forbidden. OCHA’s monitoring during the day estimated that less than 400 people .
• Israeli forces had been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
• In recent days, the movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has been observed in the “corridor.” Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases. However, urgent measures are required to augment the presence of child protection teams in shelters; enhancing registration efficiency and addressing the specific needs of these children.
• According to the UN monitoring team, one such case was documented over the past week, and it included a child who had to cross through the checkpoint on his own following his father’s arrest at the checkpoint. The team registered his details, and another family took him to a shelter where administration works to protect these children, in anticipation of their reunification with their families.
• Over 1.7 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. Of them, nearly 896,000 IDPs are sheltering in 99 facilities in the south.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice.
• A humanitarian partner has carried out interventions with vulnerable IDPs and has assisted about 4,000 people with disability and injured people, including children with assistive devices, eyeglasses, hygiene kits, and more.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 25 November, 129,000 litres of fuel and, for the second consecutive day, four trucks of cooking gas, entered Gaza from Egypt. Fuel is being distributed by UNRWA in the south to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
• A total of 200 trucks of goods were dispatched from Nitzana on 25 November. Of them, 187 entered Gaza as of 19:00.
• On 25 November, 15 wounded and sick people, along with 2 companions and medical staff, left Gaza via the Rafah crossings. 25 dual and foreign nationals exited Gaza to Egypt. These figures exclude released hostages.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, has remained closed.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 25 November, the PRCS delivered eleven ambulances, three coaches and a flatbed to Shifa hospital, in Gaza city, to assist with the evacuation of injured people who still remain in there.
• Out of 24 hospitals operating in the north prior to the war, only four small ones are estimated to be operational and admitting new patients. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, eight are currently functional. The bed capacity across Gaza has declined from 3,500 prior to the war to 1,400 presently, amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals in the south has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the WHO.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Since the start of the humanitarian pause, UNRWA has collected and disposed 400 tons of solid waste that had been accumulating inside and outside its shelters in the south, benefiting about 1 million people.
• On 25 November, technicians visited water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the north, carrying out an initial assessment of the damage sustained, and the repairs needed to reactivate them.
• Sewage flowing in the streets has been reported in several areas across Rafah, over the past few days. This is attributed to a combination of the limited operation of only one wastewater treatment plant due to fuel shortage and damage sustained by the sewage infrastructure.
• UNRWA continued delivering fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distributed it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the north, grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources continue. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline supplying water to the north are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for about two weeks due to partners’ inability to access the north.

Food security

• On 25 November, about 500 metric tons of wheat flour were distributed to 54,000 people in the south, alongside 155,000 cans of ready-to-eat food.
• Food prices in the market have experienced an unprecedented surge. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, during October, food and beverages prices increased by 10 per cent; with vegetables increasing by 32 per cent, wheat flour by 65 per cent, and mineral water by 100 per cent.
• Despite the increase in food aid through Rafah, many people still lack food and fuel to cook. No bakeries are operational, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children. This is heightened in the north, which is more difficult to reach.
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged due to lack of fuel required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder to keep them alive. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• On 25 November, no rockets were reportedly fired towards Israel. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• Following the release of 17 hostages on 25 November, 195 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to the Israeli authorities. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 25 November, the UN reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 25 November, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a search-and-arrest operation in Qabatiya (Jenin). Another Palestinian man died of wounds sustained after being shot by Israeli forces during a search-and-arrest operation in Tulkarm Refugee Camp on 13 November, bringing the death toll during that operation to eight. No Israeli casualties were reported.
• Since 7 October, 215 Palestinians, including 55 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 48 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (456). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations concerning Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,877 Palestinians, including at least 364 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 78 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• No new settler attacks were reported in the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 281 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (210 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (38 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• On 22 November, Israeli forces demolished eight structures in Mantiqat Shi'b al Butum (Hebron), due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. As a result, 19 people, including 11 children, were displaced.
• Additionally, 162 Palestinians, including 82 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 52 Palestinians, including 25 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Record-breaking attendance shows up for Gaza!

25 november 2023

The 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the US: Gaza's Resilience, The Ongoing Nakba, began with record first-day attendance numbers. Despite the attempts to silence us, leading to the cancellation of our initial venue, our convention has grown to over 3,500 attendees on the first day. Supporters of the Palestinian cause have resoundingly proven that they will remain steadfast and will not hesitate to join with one another to learn, to grieve, and to grow.

Speakers such as Nihad Awad and Dr. Osama Abuirshaid emphasized the centrality of political advocacy for Palestine in America, highlighting the groundbreaking work of AMP in this area. Palestinian American from Gaza, Huda Shubair, joined our inauguration, sharing her harrowing story of loss, as she mourns the murder of her parents, and numerous other family members, by Israeli occupation forces. Her strength in narrating a crushing personal story motivated attendees to turn their sorrow into action.

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, Nov 25th, for another day full of learning, sharing, and coping as a community tomorrow. We value your attendance during such a difficult time and are honored to provide an engaging platform for our supporters.

Sincerely,

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #49

In the first day of the humanitarian pause, the UN scaled up the delivery of humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza. Hundreds of thousands were assisted with food, water, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items. Photo by WFP

25 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• A humanitarian pause agreed by Israel and Hamas entered into force on 24 November at 7:00, with no major incident recorded as of 22:00. Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has expressed hope that “this first day of the humanitarian pause is followed by many others and that it leads to a longer-term humanitarian ceasefire – for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and beyond.”
• The 24 hours prior to the pause witnessed an intensification of Israeli strikes from air, land and sea in multiple areas throughout Gaza, alongside ground battles with Palestinian armed groups to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) and in the Middle Area. In one of the deadliest incidents, at about 20:00 on 23 November, a school in Jabalia was hit in an airstrike, reportedly killing 27 people and injuring another 93.
• The pause has allowed the UN to scale up the delivery of assistance into and across Gaza. On 24 November, 200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana to the Rafah crossing, and 137 trucks of goods were offloaded by the UNRWA reception point in Gaza, making it the largest volume of aid since the resumption of humanitarian deliveries on 21 October. Additionally, 129,000 litres of fuel and, for the first time since 7 October, four trucks carrying cooking gas, crossed into Gaza. 
• The agreement reportedly  involves the gradual release of hostages and detainees. On 24 November, 24 hostages held in Gaza and 39 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons were released. The hostages released included 13 Israelis – nine women and four children – and 11 foreign nationals. Among the Palestinians detainees were 24 women and 15 boys. 
• It is estimated that several thousands of Palestinians attempted to move from the area south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south) to the north on 24 November, despite an Israeli military warning that returning to the north is prohibited. In several reported incidents in the morning and the afternoon, Israeli forces opened fire and threw teargas canisters at people heading northwards; at least one person was reportedly killed, and dozens injured. 
• On 24 November, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and a UN team evacuated at least 21 patients and wounded people, and 19 of their companions, from Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza city (in the north), to a hospital in Khan Younis (in the south). Despite the lack of electricity, supplies and food, Al Ahli resumed admitting patients and providing limited medical services, after being inaccessible for several days.
• Also on 24 November, an UN convoy was able to reach two UNRWA facilities sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the north, where it delivered flour and conducted an initial assessment. This is the first aid delivery to a shelter in the north in over one month.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Airstrikes, shelling and ground clashes intensified overnight and until the humanitarian pause entered into force at 7:00 on 24 November. The Jabaliya refugee camp, in the north, reportedly came under one of the heaviest artillery bombardments so far. Intense tank fire and ground operations by Israeli forces, as well as clashes with armed groups, were reported in areas to the east of A Bureij, Deir Al Balah, Al Mughraqa, An Nuseirat camp and Al Maghazi camp. Tank shelling was also reported east of Rafah and Khan Yunis. 
• Several of the Israeli airstrikes carried out on 23 November resulted in many casualties. In addition to the incident in the Jabalia school (see above), the following incidents have been reported: Shortly after midday, two residential buildings in different parts of Rafah city were hit, reportedly killing a total of 14 people, including six children; at 13:00, a house in central Khan Yunis was hit, reportedly killing five people, including a pregnant woman; at about 15:00, a house in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza city was hit, reportedly killing ten people; at about 20:40, two cars in An Nuseirat camp were hit, reportedly resulting in 11 fatalities, most of them children. 
• No new fatality figures have been issued in the past 24 hours. According to the Government Media Office (GMO), as of 18:00 on 23 November, more than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women. This office, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
• As of 18:00 on 24 November, the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of ground operations has remained 75, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 24 November, the Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring estimated that less than 400 people moved south. 
• A man interviewed by OCHA at the crossing point indicated that the main reason forcing him and his family to leave the north was hunger. He further said that his family had received no food assistance for weeks and forcing them to break into groceries to find food to survive.
• In previous days, Israeli forces had been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan. 
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has also been observed in recent days. Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases. 
• Over 1.7 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. Of them, nearly 896,000 IDPs are sheltering in 99 facilities in the south.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. 
• Due to the lack of space in shelters in the south, most displaced men and older boys are sleeping in the open, in school yards or in the streets, next to the external walls of the shelters. At least in one UNRWA shelter in Khan Younis, a few hundred of IDP families have been accommodated in tents outside the shelter premises.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 24 November, 129,000 litres of fuel and, for the first time since 7 October, four trucks of cooking gas, entered Gaza from Egypt. Fuel is being distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
• A total of 137 trucks of goods were offloaded on 24 November, as of 18:00, by the UNRWA reception point in Gaza. Overall, between 21 October and 23 November at 18:00, at least 1,860 truckloads of humanitarian supplies (excluding fuel) have entered Gaza through the Egyptian border, compared with a monthly average of nearly 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities (excluding fuel) entering Gaza before 7 October.
• On 24 November, an unconfirmed number of Palestinians stranded in Egypt, were allowed to return to Gaza, for first time since the outset of hostilities. 
• The same day, 23 wounded and sick people, along with 21 companions, left Gaza via the Rafah crossings. No dual and foreign nationals exited Gaza to Egypt on 24 November. These figures exclude released hostages.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, has remained closed.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. 

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 23 November, at about 22:00, an Israeli airstrike reportedly hit the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia (North Gaza) destroying its generator. Subsequently, Israeli troops raided the hospital. At least one woman was reportedly killed and three patients were detained. The troops left the facilities at dawn. The hospital is not operational. 
• On 24 November, Israeli forces also withdrew from the Shifa hospital compound in Gaza city, where they had been carrying out operations for nine days. Before leaving, the Israeli forces reportedly destroyed tunnel they had found underneath the compound; oxygen pipes and generators were also reportedly destroyed. Some 250 patients and staff members are estimated to remain at Shifa, which is currently non-operational. 
• Out of 24 hospitals operating in the north prior to the war, only four small ones are estimated to be operational and admitting new patients. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, eight are currently functional. The bed capacity across Gaza has declined from 3,500 prior to the war to 1,400 presently, amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals in the south has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the WHO.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely. 

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Sewage flowing in the streets has been reported in several areas across Rafah, over the past few days. This is attributed to a combination of the limited operation of only one wastewater treatment plant due to fuel shortage and damage sustained by the sewage infrastructure.
• UNRWA continues delivering fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distributed it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the north, grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources continue. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline supplying water to the north are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for about two weeks due to partners’ inability to access the north.

Food security

• On 24 November, UNRWA managed to distribute flour to two IDP shelters in the north. Other than that, no food distribution has been carried out in the north for several weeks. Due to the lack of cooking facilities and fuel, people have been resorting to consuming the few raw vegetables or unripe fruits that remain available to them. No bakeries are operational, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children.
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged due to lack of fuel required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder to keep them alive. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.
• Food prices in the market have experienced an unprecedented surge. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, during October, food and beverages prices increased by 10 per cent; with vegetables increasing by 32 per cent, wheat flour by 65 per cent, and mineral water by 100 per cent. 

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres continued prior to the entry into force of the pause on 24 November, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities , the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• Following the release of hostages on 24 November, 211 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to the Israeli authorities. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 22 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a 14-yearold child, during two search-and-arrest operations in Aqbat Jaber Refugee Camp (Jericho) and in Beita village (Nablus). No Israeli casualties were reported.
• Since 7 October, 213 Palestinians, including 55 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 48 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (454). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations concerning  Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,877 Palestinians, including at least 364 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 78 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• No new settler attacks were reported in the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 281 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (210 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (38 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• On 24 November, in Rummana village (Jenin), Israeli forces demolished on punitive grounds the home of a family whose member was accused of killing an Israeli in August 2023. As a result, six people, including one child, were displaced. Punitive demolitions are a form of collective punishment and are prohibited under international law.   
• Additionally, 162 Palestinians, including 82 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Countdown to genocide: the year before October 7

Countdown to genocide: the year before October 7 

Can the ceasefire hold?
A special JVP Power Hour

24 november 2023

Vanmorgen om 06.00 uur Nederlandse tijd is in de Gazastrook een vierdaags bestand ingegaan in de strijd tussen Israël en Hamas. Onderdeel van het bestand is de vrijlating van vijftig van de 240 door Hamas ontvoerde Israëli’s. Israël laat op zijn beurt 150 van de zevenduizend Palestijnse politieke gevangenen vrij. In beide gevallen gaat het om vrouwen en kinderen. Het bestand wordt ook benut om de eerste humanitaire hulp en brandstof de landstrook binnen te brengen.  Zoeken onder het puin
De 46 dagen durende Israëlische aanvallen hebben tot dusver geleid tot tenminste 14.854 Palestijnse doden, onder wie 6.150 kinderen en vierduizend vrouwen, en tenminste 36 duizend gewonden. De hoop is dat de komende vier dagen de ruimte bieden om de puinhopen te doorzoeken. Zevenduizend burgers worden vermist, onder wie ruim 4.700 kinderen en vrouwen.

Meer dood en destructie
Israël is van plan de oorlog dinsdagochtend te hervatten. Gisteravond kondigde Israëls minister van Defensie Yoav Gallant nog tenminste twee maanden van intense gevechten aan. Legerwoordvoerder Daniel Hagari noemde de controle over Noord-Gaza slechts de eerste stap in een ‘lange oorlog’. De Palestijnen wacht nog veel meer dood en destructie.

Dat vooruitzicht is onacceptabel. De internationale gemeenschap heeft de plicht om verder geweld te voorkomen. Van Nederland mag hierin een leidende rol worden verwacht, bij voorkeur samen met gelijkgestemde Europese landen.

‘Stop de oorlog in Gaza NU’
Vanuit de samenleving zal een harde schreeuw moeten uitgaan naar politiek Den Haag om een nog grotere ramp te voorkomen. Het ‘Stop de oorlog in Gaza NU’ moet komende dagen zo oorverdovend klinken dat de regering wel in actie moet komen. We roepen organisaties en burgers op daaraan bij te dragen, en om zich aan te sluiten bij geplande protesten en wakes, waaronder de landelijke demonstratie van zondag 26 november in Amsterdam.

Tweede Kamer debatteert over Gaza

Op 23 november, de de eerste dag na het verkiezingsreces, debatteerde de Tweede Kamer over de rampzalige situatie in de Palestijnse Gazastrook. Het debat werd gevoerd door de Kamerleden die deel uitmaken van de vaste commissies voor Buitenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamen­werking en Defensie met de respectievelijke demissionair bewinds­lieden Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA), Liesje Schreinemacher (VVD) en Kajsa Ollongren (D66).

Het debat is in zijn geheel terug te kijken op debatgemist.nl.

Schriftelijke vragen
Gezien de (inter)nationale maatschappelijke turbulentie over het buitenproportionele Israëlische geweld, en een serie schokkende onthullingen door NRC, werd besloten tot een voorafgaande schriftelijke vragenronde. In totaal werden door twaalf fracties 161 vragen ingediend waarop de antwoorden van minister Bruins Slot op 18 november aan de Kamer zijn gestuurd (113 pagina’s, onderaan deze pagina te downloaden). Zij vormden de basis voor het debat.

Opmerkelijk is dat de minister desalniettemin weigerde te erkennen dat er sprake is van schendingen van het internationaal recht. Kamerleden Van Dijk (SP), Sjoerdsma (D66) en Van Baarle (DENK) wezen er dan ook terecht op dat het niet moeilijk is om vast te stellen dat Israël de blokkade van Gaza in stand houdt en bij de oorlog met Hamas gebruik maakt van verhongering als tactiek.

Sjoerdsma vatte de kabinetspositie goed samen: 'Ik ben getergd door de opstelling van het kabinet wat betreft het niet willen vaststellen van schendingen, zeker als het over de blokkade gaat. Dat kost mensenlevens. Het gaat ook ten koste van Israëlische veiligheid. Het voedt haat en regionale instabiliteit en het gaat ten koste van onze eigen reputatie. Het gaat ook ten koste van de wereldwijde strijd tegen landen als Rusland en China.'

Nederzettingen
Tijdens het debat kwamen ook de illegale Israëlische nederzettingen op de bezette Westelijke Jordaanoever aan bod. Sjoerdsma, Van Dijk, Van Baarle en Boswijk (CDA) vroegen minister Bruins Slot om concrete maatregelen tegen kolonisten. Zij ging daarin mee en zegde toe met gelijkgezinde Europese landen te kijken naar gerichte maatregelen zoals inreisverboden tegen individuen die bij kolonistengeweld betrokken zijn.

Dat is dan wel een besluit dat, gezien de terroristische activiteiten van groepen kolonisten, minstens al veel eerder genomen had dienen te worden genomen. Naast andere, veel verder reikende strafmaatregelen jegens Israël zelf.  Over Nederlandse betrokkenheid bij handel met nederzettingen merkte minister Bruins Slot op dat Nederland geen diensten aan Nederlandse bedrijven verleent die activiteiten ontplooien ten behoeve van Israëlische nederzettingen. Wij zullen in de komende weken de Nederlandse medeplichtigheid bij handel met de illegale nederzettingen uitvoerig beschrijven.

Kort geding
Ook het Kort Geding dat The Rights Forum samen met andere organisaties tegen de Nederlandse staat aanspande wegens de export van onderdelen van gevechtsvliegtuigen naar Israël werd tijdens het debat besproken. Minister Schreinemacher gaf daarbij aan dat de zitting op 4 december zal plaatsvinden.

Kamerleden Teunissen (PvdD) en Piri (PvdA) leken ons standpunt met betrekking tot de levering militaire vliegtuigonderdelen aan Israël in ieder geval te steunen, omdat het risico bestaat dat die onderdelen worden gebruikt bij schendingen van het internationaal recht en Nederland daar niet actief aan mag bijdragen. 

Opinie 'Palestijnse Nederlanders maken regering harde verwijten'

Nederland heeft Israël onvoorwaardelijke steun gegeven voor het wekenlange geweld tegen de Palestijnen in Gaza en nagelaten aan te dringen op een staakt-het-vuren. In een brief roepen Palestijnen in Nederland de regering op tot rechtvaardigheid en effectieve actie.

Lees hier de hele brief >

Opinie 'Onmacht, woede en frustratie'

Max Wieselmann was 18 jaar actief voor de organisatie Een Ander Joods Geluid. Afgelopen week publiceerden wij de tekst die hij op 7 november uitsprak tijdens een solidariteitsbijeenkomst voor Gaza, georganiseerd door de stichting Groningen-Jabalya. Hij vraagt zich af: 'Wat hebben wij in hemelsnaam geleerd van de Holocaust?’

Lees verder >

24 november 2023

We are in a time of genocide.

I will not back down from doing everything I can to stop it.

And neither should you.

We are doing everything we can to achieve a complete, permanent ceasefire, and we will not stop until that happens.

I am so proud of us.

Proud of the millions of Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab youth, and the allies, all showing up loud and persistently on our phones, computers, and in the streets for Gaza.

Together, MPower Change supporters have made more than half a million calls and emails to Congress demanding a #CeasefireNOW.

And you and I both know we need to do more. Help us do more.

We are all we got. We take risks even though those risks, especially on Palestine, can come with consequences, I know all about that.

As long as I draw breath and can speak up, I will speak up for freedom for my people.

I know that even if a ceasefire is achieved, Palestine will still not be free. There will be people and organizations that move on to other things, but MPower is in for the long haul.

I honor each one of you for speaking up and showing up at this time.

Thank you.
In solidarity,

Linda, and the MPower Change team

24 november 2023

Every minute the genocide goes on, we must pull out all the stops to disrupt business as usual.

A four-day break in Israel’s brutal bombings is NOT a ceasefire. Palestinians are dying, and Israel already delayed the pause one day to carpet bomb Gaza, including a UN school.

Israel fully intends on bombing Gaza all over again. We can’t let that happen.

Millions of people have been protesting for Palestine, pressuring Congress and disrupting the Macy’s Parade in multiple places yesterday. Now we must all rise up together.

Today, you can boycott Black Friday and shut down business as usual at every corner. Next week, you can show up on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Join the How to Take Action on Palestine Solidarity Day webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 1 PM ET, along with Mohammed El-Kurd, Macklemore, Aja Monet, Krystal Two Bulls, and Noura Erakat. USCPR is hosting the webinar with thanks for Palestinian Feminist Collective and Dream Defenders for cosponsoring.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #48

Displaced people seeking refuge in southern Gaza. With shelters being overcrowded, most displaced men and older boys are sleeping in the open, in school yards or in the streets, often next to the external walls of the shelters. Photo by WHO, 15 November 2023

24 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• A humanitarian pause to start on 24 November has been agreed between Israel and Hamas. The agreement will reportedly involve the release of some of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and some Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
• Israeli strikes from air, land and sea reportedly intensified over the past 24 hours (as of 23 November afternoon) across most of Gaza, alongside ground battles with Palestinian armed groups in the north, Jabalia in particular. Many casualties have been reported.
• As of 23 November, about 200 patients and medical staff remain at the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahiya (North Gaza) and are awaiting evacuation. The hospital continues to be surrounded by Israeli tanks. At about 22:00 on 24 November, the hospital was hit again and sustained damage, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
• Three children, including an infant in an incubator died in Kamal Odwan Hospital in Jabalia (North Gaza), on 22 November, reportedly due to the lack of electricity. The vicinity of the hospital was heavily bombarded that day, reportedly resulting in dozens of fatalities. This is one of the two hospitals north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) that are still operational and admitting patients, albeit with limited services.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely.
• On 22 November, Israeli forces reportedly dropped leaflets in villages east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza (Al Qarara, Khuza’a, Bani Suheila, and Abasan), ordering residents to evacuate immediately westwards to “known shelters.” So far, there is no evidence of significant numbers of residents fleeing. Similar orders had been issues in this area in previous days.
• On 21 November, 111 Palestinian bodies, including children and women, were buried in a mass grave in Khan Younis. The bodies seem unidentified.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Bombardment and ground clashes have intensified over the past 24 hours. Israeli troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south along Wadi Gaza, except for the “corridor” to the south.
• On 23 November, at about 2:50, a residential building was struck in eastern Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, reportedly killing at least 14 people and injuring 13 others. On 22 November, at about 23:30, a residential building in Al Junainah area in Rafah, southern Gaza, was also hit, reportedly killing 14 people.
• According to the Government Media Office (GMO), as of 18:00 on 23 November, more than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women. This office, which is under the local authorities in Gaza, has assumed MoH’s role following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
• As of 18:00 on 23 November, the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of ground operations has remained 75, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 23 November, the Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring estimated that less than 500 people had moved south, the second-lowest volume of movement observed since the “corridor” was opened. The low volume is largely attributed to the expectations generated by the humanitarian pause to be implemented from 24 November.
• Israeli forces have been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
• The OCHA monitoring team noted more people, including women, being detained while crossing on November 23 through the 'corridor' compared with previous days. The monitoring team has documented family accounts indicating that women had been detained for several hours and others for days before being released.
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has also been observed in recent days. Humanitarian actors are assisting these children, including through registration of cases.
• Over 1.7 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced. Of them, about 1 million are staying in at least 156 UNRWA shelters across the Gaza Strip. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity and despite being unable to accommodate new arrivals, people continue to arrive.
• Due to the lack of space in shelters in the south, most displaced men and older boys are sleeping in the open, in school yards or in the streets, next to the external walls of the shelters. At least in one UNRWA shelter in Khan Younis, a few hundred of IDP families have been accommodated in tents outside the shelter premises.
• In recent days, UNRWA, in cooperation with the ‘Humanity and Inclusion’ NGO, has provided 3,830 persons with disabilities, injured people, children and the elderly with hygiene kits, assistive devices, eyeglasses, first aid kits and baby kits.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 23 November, 75,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt, following an Israeli decision from 18 November to allow the daily entry of small amounts of fuel for essential humanitarian operations. Fuel is being distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
• A total of 80 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered from Egypt on 23 November as of 18:00. Overall, between 21 October and 23 November at 18:00, at least 1,723 truckloads of humanitarian supplies (excluding fuel) have entered Gaza through the Egyptian border, compared with a monthly average of nearly 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities (excluding fuel) entering Gaza before 7 October.
• On 23 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 433 dual and foreign nationals and 17 wounded and sick people. Between 2 and 20 November, 9,576 dual and foreign nationals and 425 wounded and sick, and their medical accompaniers exited Gaza to Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, has remained closed.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Israeli forces continue their operation in and around Shifa Hospital for the eighth consecutive day. Some 250 patients and staff members are estimated to remain at Shifa, currently non-operational due to critical shortages of power, water, and medical supplies.
• On 22 November, three paramedics with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and one companion of an injured person were arrested by Israeli forces while being transferred in the convoy that evacuated people from Shifa Hospital. The incident occurred when the convoy reached a checkpoint dividing north and south Gaza. On 23 November, Israeli forces arrested the General Director of Shifa, along with other members of his medical crew, at the same checkpoint.
• Out of 24 hospitals operating in the north prior to the war, 22 are either out of service or unable to admit new patients. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, eight are currently functional. The bed capacity across Gaza has declined from 3,500 prior to the war to 1,400 presently, amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the WHO.
• For additional information on hospitals see the Key Points section above.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Sewage flowing in the streets has been reported in several areas across Rafah, over the past three days. This is attributed to a combination of the limited operation of only one wastewater treatment plant due to fuel shortage and damage sustained by the sewage infrastructure.
• On 21 November, UNRWA delivered 19,500 litres of fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility. The following day, fuel was distributed to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the north, grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources continue. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline supplying water to the north are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for about two weeks due to partners’ inability to access the north.

Food security

• Since 7 November, and as of the time of writing, members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. Due to the lack of cooking facilities and fuel, people have been resorting to consuming the few raw vegetables or unripe fruits that remain available to them. No bakeries are operational, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children.
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged due to lack of fuel required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.
• Food prices in the market have experienced an unprecedented surge. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, during October, food and beverages prices increased by 10 per cent; with vegetables increasing by 32 per cent, wheat flour by 65 per cent, and mineral water by 100 per cent.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 235 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. About 40 of them are reportedly children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 22 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the West Bank. On 22 November, a 14-year-old child was shot and killed by Israeli forces during a search-and-arrest operation in Burin (Nablus). Another Palestinian man was killed while travelling in his vehicle on a road east of Ramallah; the circumstances remain unclear. No Israeli casualties were reported in any of these incidents.
• Since 7 October, 211 Palestinians, including 54 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 48 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (452). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations concerning Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,866 Palestinians, including at least 364 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 78 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• On 21 and 22 November, OCHA recorded four settler attacks resulting in damage and injuries across the West Bank. In one incident, settlers physically assaulted an elderly Palestinian man in Yatta (Hebron) while he was working on his land. In three incidents, Israeli settlers broke into the Palestinian community of Al Mu’arrajat East (Ramallah), toured between the tents harassing and intimidating residents, and threw stones at a vehicle, causing damage. In Khirbet Zanuta and Susiya (both in Hebron), settlers vandalized 70 trees, damaged water pipelines, and set fire to a basic school, causing damage to two classrooms and the school’s kitchen.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 281 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (210 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (38 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 162 Palestinians, including 82 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

• As of 23 November, Member States have disbursed US$218.2 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 18 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

More aid delivered into Gaza on first day of humanitarian pause

24 November 2023

During the humanitarian pause that has been in place since this morning, the UN was able to scale up the delivery of humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza.

200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana to the Rafah crossing.

137 trucks of goods were offloaded by the UNRWA reception point in Gaza making it the biggest humanitarian convoy received since October 7.

129,000 litres of fuel and four trucks of gas also crossed into Gaza.

21 critical patients were evacuated in a large-scale medical operation from the north of Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of people were assisted with food, water, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items.

The UN welcomes the release of 24 hostages held in Gaza since October 7 and renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Humanitarian teams from the UN and partners will continue to ramp up humanitarian operations to meet the needs of people throughout Gaza in the coming days.

23 november 2023

Boycott PUMA

PUMA is deeply complicit in Israel’s military occupation. As Israel continues its incessant carpet bombing of Palestinians in Gaza, Israeli soldiers and armed settlers are attacking and killing Palestinians and ethnically cleansing Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank. PUMA sponsors the Israel Football Association, which governs and advocates for maintaining teams in illegal Israel settlements.

Let PUMA know you won’t buy into genocide!

Genocide is the gravest crime under international law. Companies enabling it must pay a price until they end complicity in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. Take action now against these companies and others profiting from genocide.

In solidarity,

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #47

On 22 November, 190 wounded and sick people, their companions, and medical teams from Shifa Hospital were evacuated to southern Gaza. The convoy was subjected to hours-long inspection process on the way, jeopardizing the health of the patients. Photo: A previous medical evacuation convoy on 19 November. Photo by WHO

23 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• On 22 November, 190 wounded and sick people, their companions, and a number of medical teams from Shifa hospital, in Gaza city, were evacuated in an ambulance convoy to the south, in coordination with UN and humanitarian agencies. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that, the evacuation lasted for almost 20 hours as the convoy was obstructed and subjected to inspection while passing through the checkpoint that separates northern and southern Gaza, “hence putting the lives of the wounded and sick people in danger.” Some 250 patients and staff members are estimated to remain at Shifa, which is no longer operational. 
• On 21 November, at about 23:00, heavy strikes were reported on and around the Indonesian Hospital, Beit Lahiya (North Gaza), hitting the surgery department. According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, there are about 60 corpses lying near the hospital. Earlier in the day, some 500 patients and staff were evacuated from the hospital to a hospital in Khan Younis (in the south), in coordination with humanitarian agencies.
• On 22 November, the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia was heavily bombarded, resulting in dozens killed, according to media reports. This is one of the two hospitals north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) that are still operational and admitting patients. Since last night, it has admitted more than 60 dead and some 1,000 wounded people. 
• The remaining 22 hospitals in the north are out of service. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, seven are currently functional. The bed capacity across Gaza has declined from 3,500 prior to the war to 1,400 presently, amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the WHO.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely. 
• UNRWA confirmed that 15 IDPs were killed in the 21 November incident, where a school in Al Bureij Camp serving as a shelter was directly hit (reported in Flash Update #46). Of them, nine were children and four were women; and another 20 people were injured. The school was hosting about 1,000 IDPs who were subsequently evacuated. Since 7 October, at least 191 people sheltering in UNRWA schools have been killed and 798 reported injured.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Intense ground clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued in and around Gaza city, as well as in several other areas in the north, Jabalia in particular. Airstrikes and shelling by Israeli forces also continued in multiple areas across Gaza. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south along Wadi Gaza, except for the “corridor” to the south. 
• On 22 November, at about 9:30, ten buildings in Ash Shuja’iyeh area of Gaza city were struck, reportedly killing 30 people. On 21 November, at about 20:50, residential buildings were struck in the Abu Shamas area, in Deir Al Balah (Middle Gaza), reportedly killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 20.
• According to the Gaza Media Office, as of 14:00 on 22 November, more than 14,500 people have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 children and 4,000 women. This office, which is under the local authorities in Gaza, has assumed MoH’s role after the latter stopped updating fatality tolls.
• In the 24 hours preceding 18:00 on 22 November, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 75, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 22 November, the Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring estimated that 250 people had moved south, the lowest volume of people documented since the “corridor” was opened. The decline is largely attributed to the expectations generated by the humanitarian pause to be implemented from 23 November. 
• Israeli forces have been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan. 
• One man interviewed by OCHA reported that his wife had been detained and forced to hand over their baby to him. The monitoring team has documented a few similar cases over the past few weeks, including instances where a mother was ordered to leave her baby with strangers.
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has also been increasingly observed. An interagency plan is being developed to respond to this situation, including the registration of cases. 
• Over 1.7 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including almost 945,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 156 UNRWA shelters across the strip. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity and are unable to accommodate new arrivals. 
• In recent days, UNRWA, in cooperation with the ‘Humanity and Inclusion’ NGO, has provided 3,830 persons with disabilities, injured people, children and the elderly with hygiene kits, assistive devices, eyeglasses, first aid kits and baby kits. 

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 22 November, 75,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt, following an Israeli decision from 18 November to allow the daily entry of small amounts of fuel for essential humanitarian operations. Fuel is being distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
• A total of 80 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered from Egypt on 22 November as of 20:00. Overall, between 21 October and 22 November at 18:00, at least 1,479 truckloads of humanitarian supplies (excluding fuel) have entered Gaza through the Egyptian border, compared with a monthly average of nearly 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities (excluding fuel) entering Gaza before 7 October.
• On 22 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 433 dual and foreign nationals and 17 wounded and sick people. Between 2 and 20 November, 9,576 dual and foreign nationals and 425 wounded and medical accompaniers exited Gaza to Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• ince 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. 

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Dialysis patients who were evacuated on 22 November from Shifa hospital were transferred to Abu Youssef An Najjar Hospital in Rafah, while other patients were evacuated to the European hospital in Khan Younis.
• In the coming days, UN and health partners are planning to conduct an assessment at Al Ahali Hospital, in Gaza city, which reportedly hosts hundreds of trauma patients with little to no medical support. During the visit, basic supplies and self-help medical items will be provided. The hospital is no longer admitting new patients and is not considered functional but is still in need of assistance.
• According to UNRWA, midwives are providing care for post-natal and high-risk pregnant women at the nine operational health centres. There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with more than 180 giving birth every day. A total of 231 post-natal and high-risk pregnancy cases were attended to at the health centres on 20 November.
• For additional information on hospitals see the Key Points section above.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 21 November, UNRWA delivered 19,500 litres of fuel to the Gaza’s main water utility. The following day, these were distributed to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 waterwells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the north, grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources continue. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline supplying water to the north are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for about two weeks due to partners’ inability to access north.

Food security

• Since 7 November, members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. Due to the lack of cooking facilities and fuel, people are resorting to consuming the few raw vegetables or unripe fruits that remain available to them. No bakeries are active due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children.
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to the shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged due to the lack of fuel required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.
• Food prices in the market have experienced an unprecedented surge. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, during October, food and beverages prices increased by 10 per cent; with vegetables increasing by 32 per cent, wheat flour by 65 per cent, and mineral water by 100 per cent. 

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 235 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, of whom 40 are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 22 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces killed eight Palestinian men in three separate operations across the West Bank. Six fatalities occurred in the Tulkarm Refugee Camp, in an operation that involved armed clashes with Palestinians and Israeli airstrikes, resulting in extensive infrastructure and residential damage. Another Palestinian was killed in Azzun (Qalqiliya), when Israeli forces raided the area and opened fire at a vehicle he was traveling in, also injuring and arresting the other person in the vehicle. The other fatality was recorded during a search-and-arrest operation in Balata Refugee Camp (Nablus). No Israeli casualties were reported in any of these incidents.
• Since 7 October, 209 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 47 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (450). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations concerning  Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,831 Palestinians, including at least 364 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 75 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• In the past 24 hours, two settler attacks resulted in damage and injuries. In one incident, a group of settlers accompanied by Israeli forces broke into a cemetery in Al Fundaqumiya village (Jenin), which was followed by confrontations with Palestinians; Israeli forces opened live fire, injuring two Palestinians. In another incident, armed assailants known by Palestinian residents to be settlers, yet wearing Israeli military uniforms, opened fire and physically assaulted a group of Palestinians harvesting their olives in Yanun village (Nablus), injuring one man, and smashing 12 bags of produce. 
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 277 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (32 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (207 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (3 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• Additionally, 162 Palestinians, including 82 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

• As of 22 November, Member States have disbursed US$190.4 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 15.5 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged, which if materialized, would bring the Flash Appeal funding level to 32 per cent. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

While a pause is a positive step forward, an immediate and permanent ceasefire is necessary

22 november 2023

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/22/23) Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) welcomes the newly announced deal in Gaza, which includes a four-day truce between Israel and Palestinians. We recognize this as a positive development as a step towards de-escalation in the war on Gaza, which has led to immense suffering and loss for millions of Palestinians.

While we welcome any measures that diminish violence and save lives, this significant truce is not enough. We remain concerned that Israel is refusing to allow Palestinians from northern Gaza to return to their homes and continue to advocate for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. The situation in Gaza remains critical, with extensive loss of life and widespread devastation of communities. Israel's assault on Gaza has created unparalleled human suffering, with Israel’s actions being described as “genocide” by many in the international community.

While the prisoner exchange is a critical aspect of de-escalation, we firmly believe that going forward, Israel has a moral responsibility to unilaterally release the thousands of Palestinians it has taken as civilian captives. Doing so is vital to ensuring genuine progress in addressing the fundamental causes of this situation, namely Israel’s occupation and apartheid of Palestinians in their indigenous lands.

We must also emphasize the importance of holding Israel accountable should it violate the terms of this truce. Just a few hours ago, Israel renewed its calls for Palestinians to leave their homes in northern Gaza, further pushing its ethnic cleansing plan even during the truce. The international community, including the United States, must be prepared to take decisive action to ensure compliance with this pause and address any possible breaches. Failure to do so not only undermines the current efforts towards peace but also sets a dangerous precedent for future negotiations.

We stand in solidarity with all Palestinians who have been affected by this genocidal assault and remain dedicated to amplifying the voices that call for an end to violence and a future marked by dignity, justice, and equality for all.

Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action)

BREAKING: JVP welcomes reports of a temporary cessation in violence.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #46

Aid distribution in the Gaza Strip. Screenshot from a video by PRCS

22 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• On 21 November, Al Awda Hospital in North Gaza, came under attack which killed four doctors and injured many patients. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which operates in the hospital, called for the urgent and safe evacuation of more than 200 patients to a functioning medical facility. Since the start of the war, the World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 178 health attacks in Gaza Strip that resulted in 22 fatalities and 48 injuries among health care workers on duty.
• Some 500 patients and staff were evacuated on 21 November from the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya (North Gaza) to a hospital in Khan Younis (in the south), in coordination with humanitarian agencies. This follows an attack the previous day that directly hit the hospital and killed at least 12 people, according to the WHO. The hospital remains surrounded by Israeli troops and tanks, and fighting with armed groups has been reported in its vicinities, with additional patients and thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) trapped in the facility and awaiting evacuation.
• Only two small hospitals to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north), one in Gaza city and another in Beit Lahiya, are estimated to be partially operational and admit patients, with the remaining 22 being out of service. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, seven are currently functional. The bed capacity across Gaza has declined from 3,500 prior to the war to 1,400 presently, amid a surge in those seeking treatment. one of the currently functional hospitals has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the WHO.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely.
• On 20 November, at about midday, an UNRWA school in Al Bureij camp (Middle Area), sheltering IDPs, was reportedly hit by artillery fire, killing at least 12 people and injuring 35 others. As of 19 November, at least 176 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA premises had been killed and 778 injured.
• On 21 November, a WHO staff was killed alongside her 6-month-old baby, her husband and two brothers. As of 19 November, 108 UNRWA staff have been killed in Gaza since 7 October.
• Nearly 770,000 IDPs, out of 1.7 million, are sheltering in 99 UNRWA facilities south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), in extremely overcrowded conditions. In the past two weeks, the agency has recorded a 35 per cent increase in skin diseases and a 40 per cent increase in cases of diarrhea. The poor sanitary conditions, combined with cold rain recently, has exacerbated the risk of epidemics and may lead to a spike in child pneumonia, according to the WHO.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Intense ground clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued in and around Gaza city, as well as in several other areas in the north, Jabalia in particular. Airstrikes and shelling by Israeli forces also continued in multiple areas across Gaza. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south along Wadi Gaza, except for the “corridor” to the south.
• Two airstrikes, one on 20 November, at around about 23:00, and one on 21 November, close to 6:00 a.m., hit residential buildings in the An Nuseirat Camp (Middle Area), reportedly killing 17 people in the former and 20 in the latter; dozens have been injured.
• Since 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, MoH in Gaza has not updated cumulative casualty figures. Their reported fatality toll as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery, per the latest available figures from MoH Gaza.
• Two journalists were reportedly killed on 20 November in Gaza city and in North Gaza. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 53 journalists have been killed since the hostilities began on 7 October.
• In the 24 hours preceding 18:00 on 21 November, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 73, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 21 November, the Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring observed a significant decline in the volume of people moving during the day, however, no estimate could be produced. Most people arrived at Wadi Gaza by donkey carts or buses, and some on foot.
• Israeli forces have been arresting some people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
• The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families, to leave their childrenhas been increasingly observed. An interagency plan is being developed to respond to this situation including the registration of cases.
• Over 1.7 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including almost 930,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters across the strip. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity and are unable to accommodate new arrivals.
• Overcrowding is contributing to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, prompting environmental and health concerns. On average, 160 people sheltering in UNRWA schools share a single toilet. In the Rafah Logistics base where more than 8,000 people have sought shelter, 400 people are sharing one toilet. Due to the poor sanitary conditions, since 7 November there has been a 35 per cent increase in skin diseases and a 40 per cent increase in cases of diarrhea.
• Over 15 per cent of the IDPs are estimated to have disabilities as of 1 November, yet most shelters are not adequately equipped for their needs. Shelters lack the required medical mattresses and beds, causing ulcers for people unable to move and other medical issues that cannot be treated in unsterilized conditions.
• In recent days, UNRWA, in cooperation with the ‘Humanity and Inclusion’ NGO, has provided 3,830 persons with disabilities, injured people, children and the elderly with hygiene kits, assistive devices, eyeglasses, first aid kits and baby kits.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 21 November, 63,800 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt, following an Israeli decision from 18 November to allow the daily entry of small amounts of fuel for essential humanitarian operations. Fuel is being distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
• A total of 79 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered from Egypt on 21 November as of 20:00. Overall, between 21 October and 21 November at 18:00, at least 1,399 truckloads of humanitarian supplies (excluding fuel) have entered Gaza through the Egyptian border, compared to a monthly average of nearly 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities (excluding fuel) entering Gaza before 7 October.
• On 20 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 571 dual and foreign nationals and 67 wounded and sick people. Between 2 and 20 November, nearly 8,448 dual and foreign nationals and 392 wounded and sick people exited Gaza to Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Israeli operations at Shifa Hospital continued on 21 November. Nineteen health workers and 259 patients remain in Shifa, according to MoH in Gaza, facing critical shortages of power, water, and medical supplies. This includes two people in intensive care, 22 dialysis patients, 32 stretcher patients, and 27 patients with spinal injuries, all of whom will be prioritized for an upcoming evacuation. The hospital is no longer operational and is not admitting new patients.
• For additional information on hospitals see Key Points section above.
• On 18 and 19 November, nine out of 22 UNRWA health centres were still operational in the Middle Area and the south, recording 19,162 patient visits.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 19 November, UNRWA and UNICEF distributed 19,500 litres of fuel two seawater desalination plants, 79 waterwells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. This has enabled them to operate generators and resume operations, more than a week after they had been forced to shut down. An additional fuel distribution was expected on 21 November. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the north, grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources continue. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline supplying water to the north are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week.

Food security

• Since 7 November, members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. Due to the lack of cooking facilities and fuel, people are resorting to consuming the few raw vegetables or unripe fruits that remain available to them. No bakeries are active due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children.
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to the shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged because of the lack of fuel which is required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have been slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 20 November, the names of most fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 236 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. The Israeli military spokesperson said on 20 November that 40 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 17 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• No Palestinian fatalities have been reported in the West Bank in the past 24 hours.
• Since 7 October, 201 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 47 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (442). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations concerning Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,814 Palestinians, including at least 355 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• In the past 24 hours, in three separate incidents, armed assailants known by Palestinian residents to be settlers, yet wearing Israeli military uniforms, raided Palestinian communities. In Kisan (Bethlehem), they broke into a home and physically assaulted a woman and a man and threatened to kill them if they do not leave the area. In the community of Tuba (southern Hebron), in an area declared by the Israeli authorities as “Firing Zone 918,” an animal shelter and fodder sacs were vandalized. In Mantiqat Shi'b al Butum (Hebron), water tanks and a solar panel system serving the community school were vandalized, along with a residential structure, and 20 trees were uprooted.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 271 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (202 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements due to settler-related violence have been recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• On 21 November, Israeli forces demolished two structures in two separate locations in East Jerusalem, Al Isawiya and Silwan, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. As a result, six people, including four children, were displaced. Additionally, 143 Palestinians, including 72 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitition.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
occupied Palestinian territory

Landelijke demonstratie zondag 26 november: Staakt-het-vuren nu - Stop de blokkade - Palestina vrij!

21 november 2023

Op 26 November roepen wij een landelijke demonstratie op in Amsterdam, in solidariteit met het Palestijns volk, voor een staakt-het-vuren in Gaza, en een einde aan de Genocide die Israël daar pleegt.

Het is al bijna anderhalve maand sinds het begin van de brute Israelische aanval op Gaza. Ondertussen heeft Israël meer dan 12.000 Palestijnen gedood. Onder hen meer dan 5.000 kinderen en talloze zorgwerkers, journalisten en humanitaire werkers. De blokkade van Gaza is bijna absoluut: water en elektriciteit worden door de bezetter afgesloten en de humanitaire hulp die door wordt gelaten, is alleen symbolisch.

Israël volgt hierbij de Dahiya doctrine die stelt dat elke vorm van verzet met een maximum aan vernietiging wordt geconfronteerd. De aanval op Gaza draait daarmee om het collectief straffen van de Palestijnen voor de aanval van Hamas. Delen van de Israelische heersende klasse winden ook geen doekjes om hun genocidale intenties. Zo zijn de Palestijnen ‘menselijke dieren’ volgens minister van ‘Defensie’ Gallant en stelde IDF-woordvoerder Hagara dat ‘de nadruk ligt op schade, niet op accuraatheid’.

Met de gedwongen evacuatie van Noord-Gaza lijkt Israël uit te zijn op nog verdere uitbreiding van haar grondgebied. De Palestijnse vluchtelingen van 1948 worden zo andermaal verdreven. Tegelijkertijd krijgen ook kolonisten op de Westelijke Jordaanoever vrij spel in hun geweld tegen de Palestijnen. De extreemrechtse minister van ‘veiligheid’ Ben Gvir deelt gratis wapens uit aan kolonisten. Op deze manier grijpt Israël de aanval van Hamas aan voor verdere etnische zuivering.

Het Westen geeft Israel een carte blanche in haar genocide op de Palestijnen. Nederland weigert op te roepen voor een wapenstilstand, het absolute minimum. Ook exporteert Nederland nog steeds wapens aan Israel. Zo werden zelfs na het begin van de aanval op Gaza nog onderdelen voor F35-gevechtsvliegtuigen naar Israel verscheept. Dit terwijl het duidelijk is dat hiermee oorlogsmisdaden worden gefaciliteerd. Op tal van vlakken werken Nederlandse instituten zoals universiteiten en ministeries nog samen met de Apartheidsstaat.

Door geen arrestatiebevelen uit te vaardigen tegen Israëlische oorlogsmisdadigers wegens genocide en hen zelfs niet af te schrikken met waarschuwingen, is ook hoofdaanklager van het internationaal gerechtshof in Den Haag Karim Khan KC, medeplichtig aan het mogelijk maken van Israëls genocide tegen 2,3 miljoen Palestijnen in de Gazastrook.

Vanuit de Nederlandse bevolking is er beduidend minder steun voor Israël. De afgelopen weken gingen tienduizenden mensen de straat op om te protesteren tegen de genocide en sloten honderden mensen zich aan bij de sit-ins op stations. Het is belangrijk dat we de politieke druk op de Nederlandse regering verder opvoeren: in de publieke ruimte, in de politiek en op onze werkplekken.

—

Deze oproeptekst fungeert als basis voor de landelijke demonstratie op 26 november in Amsterdam. De actie is een initiatief van BDS Nederland, de Palestijnse Gemeenschap & de Internationale Socialisten.

Voor organisaties: onderteken hier de oproep

Wij roepen organisaties op de tekst te ondertekenen en hun achterban op te roepen aan te sluiten bij de demonstratie. Wij moedigen organisaties ook aan om tijdens de actie zichtbaar aanwezig te zijn. Op die manier willen we de brede maatschappelijke steun voor de Palestijnen zichtbaar maken op straat.

Shut Elbit Down! Stop the Israeli warmachine!

Nederland levert F-35 reserveonderdelen aan Israël ondanks waarschuwingen voor mogelijke schendingen van het humanitaire oorlogsrecht.

Deze onderdelen worden gebruikt bij verwoestende bombardementen op scholen, ziekenhuizen, kerken en moskeeën in Gaza, met meer dan 10.000 burgerslachtoffers, waarvan bijna de helft onschuldige kinderen.

Dit is genocide, een gruwel die wij Nederlanders niet kunnen en willen ondersteunen. De prangende vraag dringt zich op: is vriendjespolitiek belangrijker dan mensenlevens? Een ethische afweging die ons collectieve geweten oproept.

Wij vragen de Nederlandse overheid dringend om te stoppen met de levering van reserveonderdelen voor gevechtsvliegtuigen, die betrokken zijn bij het veroorzaken van duizenden burgerslachtoffers.

Ons volk verzet zich tegen genocide, en we verwachten dat
de overheid deze praktijken eveneens afkeurt.

Zaterdag 25 november om 14.00 uur, Kooiweg 40, Hoogerheide (Vliegbasis Woensdrecht)

Let op: Vanaf 1300 uur rijden auto's van station Bergen op Zoom naar de vliegbasis en weer terug!

Voor meer demonstraties en andere acties, volg FreePalestineNL en MIGREAT op Instagram of de website van Plant een olijfboom 

8 ways to have hard conversations about ceasefire this Thanksgiving.

Tell Biden: Peace means ending Israeli apartheid.

21 november 2023

Millions of people across the country are demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling for freedom in Palestine.

MPower Change has facilitated over 500,000 calls and emails to Congress for #CeasefireNow — because we know the Israeli government’s genocidal attacks on Gaza are enabled by U.S. government funding.

But other U.S. partnerships prop up Israel’s genocide and apartheid, and the one with Citibank is huge.

“Citibank boasts the largest presence of any foreign financial institution in Israel.”¹

Tell Citibank in The Netherlands to stop investing in apartheid and genocide. I

When Israel’s new Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, called for a Palestinian village to be “wiped out” earlier this year, entities like the International Monetary Fund and U.S. Chamber of Commerce refused to meet with him.²

But not Citibank. Instead, they held cordial meetings with Smotrich, helping “calm the markets,”³ effectively whitewashing Smotrich’s pro-genocide comments mere weeks after people had begun transferring billions of dollars from Israel.⁴

Citibank’s functional support for Israeli apartheid is not new or just PR — they’ve been actively invested in it.

Citibank has:

• Facilitated billions in Israeli military arms funding.⁵
• Bragged about helping multi-national corporations “set up shop” in Israel.⁶
• Made huge investments in Israel’s tech sector, itself deeply associated with decades of apartheid.⁷

Citibank is the largest U.S. bank operating in Israel — but it’s more than that.

Let’s be clear about this: Citibank is a core partner to Israel, at a time when even Israeli investment experts say they “see too many…similarities between South Africa during apartheid and present-day Israel.”⁸

And just as Citibank was forced to stop doing business with South Africa, we can do the same with Israel and Citibank.⁹

Take a moment NOW: Tell Citibank to stop funding apartheid and genocide.

Citibank has a history of profiting off occupation and misery. That’s why we launched BankingOnSolidarity.com in partnership with the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Undocublack, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, and others.

Today, we are witnessing an active genocide in Gaza. It is a crisis of horrific magnitude, with over 13,000 women, men, children, and babies killed by Israel in retaliatory assaults. The U.S. government stands in support of Israel’s genocide and so does the largest U.S. bank operating in Israel: Citibank.

Citibank’s silence makes them a partner in genocide.

Let’s not stay quiet about it.

Thank you for all you do.

In solidarity,

Granate, Linda, Ishraq, and the MPower Change team

Sources:

1. "Israel,” Citgroup.
2. “Smotrich says his call to 'wipe out' Huwara was an 'emotional slip of the tongue',” The Times of Israel, March 14, 2023.
3. “Israel FinMin says immediate liquidity risk averted after SVB collapse,” Reuters, March 14, 2023.
4. “Report: Bank officials believe $4 billion moved out of Israel in recent weeks,” The Times of Israel,” Feb. 15, 2023.
5.”'’Okay, but Never Again': How Israel Air Force Sealed $9 Billion U.S. Arms Deal,” Haaretz, Feb. 9, 2021.
6. “Doing business in Israel | Global Trade Review,” Global Trade Review, July 13, 2022.
7. “Israel’s “Reasonable” Opposition Has a Hollow Idea of Democracy,” Jacobin, Aug. 12, 2023.
8. “'I see too many social similarities between South Africa during apartheid and present',” CTECH, Aug. 17, 2023.
9. “CITIBANK IS LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA; FOES OF APARTHEID SEE MAJOR GAIN,” New York Times, June 17, 1987

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #44

The eviction of premature babies at risk from Shifa hospital to the southern Gaza Strip. Photo by UNICEF/El Baba, 19 November 2023

20 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• On 19 November, 31 out of the 36 premature babies, along with 16 staff and family members, were evacuated from Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, to the neonatal intensive care unit of a maternity hospital, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. The remaining five babies had died in previous days due to the cut off of electricity and fuel. Another 259 patients who were unable to evacuate remain in Shifa, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
• Over the past 24 hours, at least six Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to media reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has preliminarily documented the death of 48 journalists since 7 October, including 43 Palestinian, 4 Israelis and 1 Lebanese, making it the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
• The number of fatalities in the attack that directly hit Al Fakhouri school in Jabalia on 18 November is at least 24 people, as reported by UNRWA; others were injured. At the time of the incident, the facility was sheltering about 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). A previous attack hitting this school, on 4 November, killed at least 12 people and injured 54. Since the start of hostilities, at least 176 IDPs have been killed in UNRWA premises and 778 have been injured, according to the agency.
• On 19 November, the UN Secretary-General expressed his shock about the attacks hitting UNRWA schools and reaffirmed that UN premises are inviolable. He reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and stated that “this war is having a staggering and unacceptable number of civilian casualties, including women and children, every day. This must stop.”
• In the West Bank, on 19 November, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man with a disability during an operation that involved armed clashes in Jenin Refugee Camp. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October to 200, including 52 children. Of these fatalities, 70 were recorded in refugee camps, the majority during operations carried out by Israeli forces, most of which involved armed clashes with Palestinians.
• On 19 November, 69,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt. The Israeli authorities have confirmed that they would start allowing the entry of a daily amount of approximately 70,000 litres of fuel from Egypt, which is well below the minimum requirements for essential humanitarian operations. Fuel is set to be distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
• On 19 November, UNRWA and UNICEF distributed 19,500 litres of fuel to water and sanitation facilities south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), enabling them to operate generators and resume their operation. This fuel is expected to last for about 24 hours. To the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north), all water and sanitation facilities are presumed to be shut down, and no distribution of bottled water has been taking place since the start of the Israeli ground operations on 28 October, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Intense ground clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued in and around Gaza city, as well as in several areas in the North Gaza governorate, as well as in Khan Younis and east of Rafah (in the south). Airstrikes and shelling by Israeli forces also continued in multiple areas across Gaza. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south along Wadi Gaza, except for the “corridor” to the south.
• In two separate attacks reported on the afternoon of 18 November in Jabalia camp, two residential buildings were hit, reportedly killing 50 and 32 people, respectively.
• Since 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza has not updated cumulative casualty figures. Their reported fatality toll as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• In the 24 hours preceding 18:00 on 19 November, seven Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 69, according to official Israeli sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 19 November, the Israeli military continued calling on residents in the north to evacuate and move south through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 7:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 20,000 people moved during the day, most of whom arrived at Wadi Gaza by donkey carts or buses, and some on foot.
• Israeli forces have been arresting some of the people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are ordered to show their IDs and undergo a facial recognition scan. The movement of unaccompanied children and separated families has been increasingly observed.
• Over 1.7 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including almost 900,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity and are unable to accommodate new arrivals. According to preliminary reports, thousands of IDPs are seeking security and safety by sleeping against the walls of shelters in the south, out in the open.
• Overcrowding is contributing to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, prompting environmental and health concerns. On average, there is one shower unit for every 700 people and a single toilet for every 150 people. The congestion is affecting UNRWA's ability to provide effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• Apart from fuel trucks, 30 humanitarian truckloads entered Gaza through Egypt on 18 November (all of them after 18:00), and another 69 trucks on 19 November (all before 18:00). Overall, between 21 October and 19 November at 18:00, 1,268 trucks of humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza via Egypt (excluding fuel).
• On 17 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 689 dual and foreign nationals and 41 wounded people. Between 2 and 17 November, nearly 6,500 dual and foreign nationals exited Gaza to Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Thirty-one out of the 36 premature newborns in Shifa hospital were evacuated in temperature-controlled incubators to the Al Helal Al Emarati Hospital in Rafah, where their condition is now being stabilized and they are being cared for in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The newborns’ condition was rapidly deteriorating in their previous location, where the remaining five babies had died following the collapse of medical services. UNICEF and partners are supporting the identification and registration of the babies to help trace and reunify them with their parents and family members where possible. OCHA coordinated access to the hospital and back to ensure the safety of the medical evacuation operation.
• On 19 November, Israeli raids reportedly continued in Shifa hospital, with at least one patient being arrested during searching and interrogation by Israeli forces.
• As of 17 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) documented more than 44,000 cases of diarrhea and 70,000 acute respiratory infections in Gaza shelters, but actual numbers may be significantly higher. Furthermore, they stated that rains and floods during the approaching winter season are likely to make an already dire situation even worse.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 19 November, UNRWA and UNICEF distributed 19,500 litres of fuel to water and sanitation facilities across the south, enabling them to operate generators and resume operations, more than a week after they had been forced to shut down. The fuel supplied during the day is expected to last for about 24 hours. The facilities supplied include one seawater desalination plant in Khan Younis, currently producing 2,500 cubic metres of potable water per day, 50 municipal wells, producing non-potable water for domestic uses, and 17 sewage pumping stations. The latter are critical in mitigating the risk of flooding. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
• In the north, grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources continue. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources.

Food security

• Since 7 November, members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. Due to the lack of cooking facilities and fuel, people are resorting to consuming the few raw vegetables or unripe fruits that remain. No bakeries are active due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food Security Cluster members have raised serious concerns about the nutritional status of people, especially lactating women, and children.
• Also in the north, livestock is facing starvation and the risk of death due to the shortage of fodder and water. Crops are being increasingly abandoned and damaged because of the lack of fuel which is required to pump irrigation water.
• Across Gaza, farmers have begun slaughtering their animals due to the immediate need for food and the lack of fodder. This practice poses an additional threat to food security as it leads to the depletion of productive assets.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 15 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 237 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports have indicated that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 17 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 19 November, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in confrontations that occurred during search-and-arrest operations in two refugee camps, Jenin and Ad Duhaisha (Bethlehem). The Jenin operation lasted for nearly 12 hours and involved armed clashes with Palestinians and Israeli airstrikes, which also resulted in extensive residential and infrastructure damage.
• Since 7 October, 200 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 47 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (441). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,803 Palestinians, including at least 355 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• In the past 24 hours, armed assailants who, while known by Palestinian residents to be settlers, were wearing Israeli military uniforms, used a private vehicle to invade Palestinian lands on the southeast outskirts of Burin village (Nablus). They attacked a Palestinians who were harvesting, vandalizing agricultural equipment, and stealing one bag of olive produce.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 254 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (31 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (187 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of almost six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements have been recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 143 Palestinians, including 72 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

• As of 17 November, Member States have disbursed US$146.6 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 12 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged, which if materialized, would bring the Flash Appeal funding level to 32 per cent. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

Full Flash UpdateInfographic

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
occupied Palestinian territory

20 november 2023

Hebron families are under attack! Today on World Children's Day, we ask that you help us protect a family in Hebron! Help us reach our goal before next week's Giving Tuesday!

Protect a family now!

Families are living under a terrible curfew, trapped in their homes while extremist Israeli settlers and soldiers terrorize the area. They need our help! We're fundraising to equip vulnerable families with security systems. Help us reach our goal to protect 25 families on Giving Tuesday!

1) Spread the word in your community, among friends and colleagues, and recruit others to donate or fundraise.

2) Sign up to volunteer as a fundraiser and help us reach our goal

Some good news:

In our last email, we called on you to help get Issa Amro back to his home, after he was tortured and evicted. Your efforts worked and Issa was allowed back to his house! Now, we need your help to lift the terrible curfew in the neighborhood.

With peace,

Friends of Hebron

Working for Peace and Justice

https://www.friendsofhebron.com/

20 november 2023

It has been 44 days since Israel initiated its genocidal attack on the Palestinians of Gaza.

Over the past six weeks, Adalah Justice Project has taken various actions with your support to demand a ceasefire. We have occupied Congressional offices on Capitol Hill, confronted Senators to increase pressure, organized protests at Congressional district offices, mobilized a mass rally in DC, participated in popular education programs, contributed to direct actions in DC and New York, and engaged influencers to use their platforms to advocate for a ceasefire.

You can find a rundown of all these actions on our Instagram.

We appreciate your solidarity in calling for an end to Israeli violence in Gaza. Through our action tool, you have collectively sent over 418,000 letters to Congress urging an immediate ceasefire. As a result, the number of Congressional members calling for a ceasefire has increased to 42, up from 18 members three weeks ago.

However, we cannot afford to ease our efforts as Israel continues to make clear its intension to continue this genocide, with full support from the White House. 

War Profiteers on Campus: How to Research Corporate Backers of War and Militarism at Your College

Shut Down It Down for Palestine! Black Friday

SHUT IT DOWN FOR PALESTINE ON NOVEMBER 24: This Black Friday, the global call to shut it down continues! Find toolkits and ideas for actions and mobilizations at shutitdown4palestine.org/toolkits

With love and solidarity,
Sandra Tamari

P.S. We are consistently enhancing the content on gazaispalestine.com to consolidate action tools, protests, and resources in one central location. We encourage you to utilize the information available on the website.

Adalah Justice Project is a Palestinian-led advocacy organization based in the U.S. that builds cross-movement coalitions to achieve collective liberation. Our work is rooted in the conviction that drawing the linkages between US policy abroad and repressive state practices at home is crucial to shifting the balance of power.

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up here to get updates from AJP.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #43

A joint UN humanitarian assessment team visits Shifa Hospital in Gaza city on 18 November 2023. The team comprised public health experts, logistics officers, and security staff from OCHA, UNDSS, UNMAS/UNOPS, UNRWA and the World Health Organization, which led the team. Photo by WHO

19 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• On 18 November, some 2,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs), along with a number of mobile patients and hospital staff vacated Shifa hospital in Gaza city. This followed orders issued by the Israeli military, which continued its operations within the compound for the fourth consecutive day. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by the afternoon hours, 25 health workers and 291 patients remained at the hospital. The latter includes 32 babies in critical condition, two people in intensive care without ventilation, and 22 dialysis patients. The hospital is no longer operational or admitting new patients. 
• A joint UN humanitarian assessment team led by WHO visited Shifa on 18 November to assess the situation on the ground and conduct a rapid situational analysis, assess medical priorities, and establish logistics options for further missions. The team was requested to evacuate health workers and patients to other facilities. WHO and partners are urgently developing plans for the immediate evacuation of the remaining patients, staff and their families.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely. 
• In the past 24 hours, three schools serving as IDP shelters to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) have been reportedly hit, resulting in many fatalities. In the Tal Az Za’atar school, in Beit Lahia, more than 50 people were killed on 18 November, according to media reports. The same day, scores, including children, were killed in UNRWA’s Al Fakhouri school in Jabalia, which shelters over 4,000 IDPs. On 17 November, another UNRWA school in Az Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza city was also hit. Between 7 October and 16 November, at least 71 IDPs were killed and 573 injured, while sheltering in UNRWA facilities across the Gaza Strip. 
• On 18 November, Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, deplored the news on children, women and men killed while sheltering at Al Fakhouri school, reminding that, “Shelters are a place of safety. Schools are a place for learning,” and adding that “Civilians cannot and should not have to bear this any longer.”
• On 18 November, 123,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt. The Israeli authorities confirmed that they would start allowing the entry of a daily amount of nearly 70,000 litres of fuel from Egypt, which is well below the minimum requirements for essential humanitarian operations. Fuel is set to be distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution, and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters and other critical services. 
• Overnight (17-18 November), telecommunications services within Gaza were gradually restored after providers received a limited amount of fuel. The shutdown of services lasted for some 30 hours and brought the already challenging delivery of humanitarian assistance to nearly a halt, including life-saving assistance to people injured or trapped under the rubble as a result of airstrikes and clashes.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Intense ground clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued in and around Gaza city, as well as in several areas in the North Gaza governorate, as well as in Khan Younis and east of Rafah (in the south). Airstrikes and shelling by Israeli forces also continued in multiple areas across Gaza. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south along Wadi Gaza, except for the “corridor” to the south. 
• The following are among the deadliest attacks reported in the past 24 hours, apart from those concerning the three schools mentioned above: on 18 November, at about 1:15  an apartment in Hamad town, Khan Yunis, was hit, reportedly killing 28 people and injuring 23 others; the same day, at about midday, at least ten people were reportedly killed when a building in the An Nuseirat Camp was hit; on 17 November, at about 06:00 a building in the Al Qarara area, northeastern Khan Yunis, was hit, reportedly killing 14 and injuring 20 others; the same day, at about 8:00, a building in eastern Rafah was hit, reportedly killing nine and injuring 10 others.
• Since 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza has not updated cumulative casualty figures. Their reported fatality toll as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• According to the Palestine Journalists Syndicate in Gaza, 45 Palestinian journalists have been killed since 7 October. According to MoH, more than 198 Palestinian medical staff have been killed. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, at least 12 of its members have been killed. And according to UNRWA, 103 of their staff have been killed since 7 October.
• In the past 24 hours, as of 18:00 today, six Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 62, according to official Israeli sources.
• On 18 November, the Israeli military announced a “tactical halt in military activities” for humanitarian purposes in the Ash Shabura area of Rafah.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 18 November, the Israeli military continued calling on residents in the north to evacuate and move south through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 7:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 10,000 people moved during the day, most of whom arrived at Wadi Gaza by donkey carts and buses, and some on foot. 
• Israeli forces have reportedly been arresting some of the people moving through the “corridor.” IDPs interviewed by OCHA reported that Israeli forces had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan. The movement of unaccompanied children, as well as separated families, has been increasingly observed. 
• Over 1.6 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 830,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity and are unable to accommodate new arrivals. According to preliminary reports, thousands of IDPs are seeking security and safety by sleeping against the walls of shelters in the south, out in the open. 
• Overcrowding is contributing to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, prompting environmental and health concerns. On average, there is one shower unit for every 700 people and a single toilet for every 150 people. The congestion is affecting UNRWA's ability to provide effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• Apart from the three fuel trucks, no humanitarian supplies entered Gaza through Egypt on 18 November, as of 18:00. Backlogs and congestions have been created over the past days, with the depletion of fuel to operate forklifts and trucks in the receiving end, alongside logistical and safety challenges associated with the shutdown of telecommunications, and other factors. Since 21 October, 1,139 trucks of humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza via Egypt (excluding fuel).
• On 17 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 689 dual and foreign nationals and 41 wounded people. Between 2 and 17 November, nearly 6,500 dual and foreign nationals have exited Gaza to Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. 

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 17 November, at about 21:15, Wafa Geriatric Hospital in  An Nuseirat, Middle Area (south of Wadi Gaza), was reportedly hit by an airstrike killing two people, including the director, and injuring 15 others.
• On 18 November, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PCRS) stated that its emergency medical teams remain trapped at Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza city for the third consecutive day, amid heavy bombardment and gunfire. The teams have been unable to move outside and reach those who are injured safely.According to WHO, as of 17 November, 25 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza were non-functional due to lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity. The other 11 hospitals were only partially operational and admitting patients with extremely limited services.
• For information about Shifa hospital see Key Points above.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• In the past few days, with no fuel, operations have halted in public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, a desalination plant in the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant. The seawater desalination plant in Khan Younis is operating at 5 per cent of its capacity (some 300 cubic metres per day). Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.
• The main source of potable water in the south is two pipelines coming from Israel that supply together about 1,100 cubic metres per hour. 
• In the north, the situation is even grimmer with grave concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources. 

Food security

• The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported an increase in cases of dehydration and malnutrition and warned about the threat of starvation due to the collapsed food supply chain and insufficient aid delivery. Only 10 per cent of necessary food supplies have entered Gaza since the beginning of the hostilities.
• In the north, since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, as well as structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 15 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 237 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports have indicated that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. On 17 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 18 November, Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in two separate incidents, while an additional Palestinian died of wounds sustained on 9 November. Five of these fatalities, including one child, were recorded in the Balata Refugee Camp (Nablus), during a military operation that involved armed clashes with Palestinians and Israeli airstrikes, which also resulted in extensive residential and infrastructure damage. Another fatality was recorded during confrontations while search-and-arrest operations were underway in Tubas city.
• Since 7 October, 198 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. 
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 43 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (439). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,778 Palestinians, including at least 347 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 253 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (31 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (186 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements have been recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.  
• Additionally, 143 Palestinians, including 72 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

• As of 17 November, Member States have disbursed US$146.6 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 12 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged, which if materialized, would bring the Flash Appeal funding level to 32 per cent. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

This project is based on the belief that in such difficult times, where hopelessness and isolation prevail, it is important to strengthen our network of anti-war solidarity activists and share with the world that there are Israelis who are acting against the war. In times when resistance to the war is often conflated with antisemitism - a dangerous view that supports the silencing of anti-war voices, as being done also by the Israeli government – the voices of Israeli anti-war solidarity activists are important more than ever.

As part of this project, we have created videos, showing anti-war activists who talk about their beliefs and demand a ceasefire. We share with the world the voices of Israelis who have been affected by the war and call for its end, while strongly opposing those who demand revenge. We uplift the voices of those who declare clearly that only peace will bring security and publish these videos and testimonies on our social media pages under the name "Voices Against War".

One such videos is a video of Maoz Inon, who lost both his parents at the October 7th attack. Maoz calls for ending the war in Gaza. Even after his personal loss he still believes in peace and humanity as a way of living, and calls others to join him in opposing the Israeli government. [link to his video]. With the help of many comrades, we have been able to reach a wide audience with such messages. To further spread the fact that the war in Gaza is not in the interest of all Israeli people, on November 15th we released a new video showing the long-running policy of strengthening Hamas over truly protecting Israel’s citizens. We need your help with sharing and circulating this video, so the world could learn about the true policy of Israel's government.

The video reveals and highlights Netanyahu’s involvement and interests in strengthening Hamas and preventing a Palestinian state. Netanyahu is the biggest obstacle to an end to the fighting in Gaza and to the release of the hostages. Our goal is to show that the support of a terror organization is part of the right-wing’s agenda, which was based on a direct target of weakening the Palestinian authority and thus preventing the possibility of a united Palestinian state. The right-wing never wanted to negotiate for peace, all they wished for was to continue the Israeli occupation and oppression of Palestinians.

We implore you to watch the video, in which we bring to the streets of DC the true intentions of Netanyahu, who publicly acted to bolster Hamas and weaken the Palestinian Authorities. Please, help us show Netanyahu's true face, by sharing the video and by following our pages:
 

Twitter: https://x.com/againstwarvoice/status/1724789381989319163?s=20 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Czqy8-cN-sk/

Facebook: https://fb.watch/okxfBnZg_W/

 

With your help, we can reach more people and expose the right-wing agenda that led us to this horrible war.

In solidarity

Atalya
Refuser Solidarity Network

Here’s the latest...

The Israeli Communist Party, one of the oldest left-wing parties in Israel, is calling for an immediate cease-fire in the country’s war on Gaza. We spoke with a party leader about the war, the domestic political situation in Israel, and what comes next.

The Israeli Communist Party, one of the oldest left-wing parties in Israel, is calling for an immediate cease-fire in the country’s war on Gaza. We spoke with a party leader about the war, the domestic political situation in Israel, and what comes next.

Karim Khan QC maakt genocide mogelijk. Hij moet ontslagen worden.

18 november 2023

Na het jarenlang falen van het Internationaal Strafhof (ICC) om Israëlische oorlogsmisdadigers te vervolgen en het recente opiniestuk van aanklager Karim Khan QC , waarin hij zijn totale hypocrisie ten gunste van de apartheid Israël en zijn westerse beschermheren verder blootlegt, roepen wij de staten die partij zijn bij het ICC op om erop aan te dringen hem te ontslaan

Door geen arrestatiebevelen uit te vaardigen voor Israëlische oorlogsmisdadigers voor #GazaGenocide en hen zelfs niet af te schrikken met waarschuwingen, is @KarimKhanQC medeplichtig aan het mogelijk maken van Israël's zich ontvouwende genocide tegen 2,3 miljoen Palestijnen in de bezette en belegerde Gazastrook.  Lees verder

They Have Names, They Had Dreams

Het begon met een berichtje: ‘kunnen we geen waardige uitvaart maken voor de slachtoffers in Gaza.’ Hierop startte een klein groepje met het uitwerken van dit idee tot het concept van de ‘Mobile Funeral’ met de titel They Have Names, They Had Dreams. Doelstelling werd een eerbetoon dat makkelijk verplaatsbaar is en door iedereen te gebruiken.

Kennen wij hun namen?

Verschillende mensen hebben op hetzelfde moment hetzelfde idee. Ramsey Nasser verwoorde het in zijn speech die inmiddels de wereld over gaat als volgt: kennen wij de namen van alle slachtoffers in Gaza? Binnen het project gingen wij op zoek naar zoveel mogelijk namen. Ons werk werd ‘onderbroken’ toen wij de lijst met bijna 7000 namen van het Ministery of Health uit Gaza ontvingen. Een nieuw proces volgde: het vertalen van alle namen met respect voor de slachtoffers en nabestaanden. De meeste vertalingen zijn gedaan door Palestijnen in de diaspora en de West-Bank.

Ze hadden dromen

Namen zijn nog steeds abstract. Daarom kozen wij voor een combinatie van namen met foto’s en verhalen. Het is belangrijk om mensen niet als nummers te zien maar als personen, die geliefd zijn of waren. Wij gebruikten foto’s en verhalen op de banners maar nog meer zijn er te zien op de website.

Voor iedereen

De Mobile Funeral bestaat uit zowel banners (14 banners met in totaal bijna 7000 namen en tientallen foto’s en verhalen) als uit een website en een Instagram account. Iedereen mag de banners gebruiken. Op de website zijn ze te downloaden en er staan instructies voor het printen. Ook kunnen ze van elkaar geleend worden. Voor gebruik van de complete set kan contact opgenomen worden. Het is mooi om te zien dat de banners binnen korte tijd al zoveel in gebruik zijn, zowel in Nederland als binnen Europa.

Meer informatie: www.theyhavenames.net

Instagram: theyhavenamesnetherlands

Samenwerking van Europese universiteiten met Israël in EU-veiligheidsonderzoeksprogramma's

De Europese Unie heeft verschillende financieringsprogramma's voor onderzoekssamenwerking, die openstaan ​​voor een aantal niet-EU-landen, waaronder Israël.

Stop Wapenhandel maakte een overzicht van alle samenwerking onder FP7, Horizon 2020 en Horizon Europa met de drie grote Israëlische wapenbedrijven ( Elbit , IAI en Rafael ) en met het Israëlische Ministerie van Defensie en het Ministerie van Openbare Veiligheid (inclusief niet-veiligheidsgerelateerde projecten ) voor Europese instellingen voor hoger onderwijs (met uitzondering van militaire, politie- en veiligheidsacademies) en alle veiligheidsgerelateerde onderzoeksprojecten onder dezelfde drie programma's met betrokkenheid van Israëlische entiteiten en Europese instellingen voor hoger onderwijs (met uitzondering van militaire, politie- en veiligheidsacademies).

Stop Wapenhandel is een onafhankelijke vredesgroep die zich met onderzoek en actie inzet tegen wapens, wapenproductie en wapenexport.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #42

Majed (9), in a tent camp in Khan Younis following his displacement from Beit Hanoun. His home is said to have been destroyed after the family left. “I wish all of this was over. We’re tired of wars. What we need now is water and food. The amounts we get aren’t enough. We eat only once a day.” Photo by UNICEF/El Baba, 15 November 2023

18 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• Since 16 November at about 16:00 and as of 22:00 on 17 November, contact with the Gaza Strip has been largely cut off, following the shutdown of landlines, cellular, and internet services due to the depletion of fuel used to run generators by telecommunications providers. This is the fourth communications blackout since 7 October, and the first caused by lack of fuel. As a result, this Flash Update contains minimal updated information about the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the past 24 hours.
• The telecommunications shutdown has brought the already challenging delivery of humanitarian assistance to an almost complete halt, including life-saving assistance to people injured or trapped under the rubble as a result of airstrikes and clashes.
• On 17 November, the Israeli authorities informed UNRWA that as of 18 November they would allow the entry into Gaza of a daily amount of 60,000 litres of fuel from Egypt. This is about 37 per cent of the fuel needed by the agency to support humanitarian operations, including food distribution, and operation of generators at hospitals and water and sanitation facilities.
• No humanitarian supplies were confirmed to have entered Gaza on 17 November, as of 18:00, for the third consecutive day. This is due to UNRWA’s inability to receive and distribute additional loads, because of its lack of fuel, compounded by the shutdown of telecommunications. However, one truck carrying a small amount of fuel is said to have gone in, pending confirmation.
• The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported an increase in cases of dehydration and malnutrition and warned about the threat of starvation due to the collapsed food supply chain and insufficient aid delivery. Only 10 per cent of necessary food supplies have entered Gaza since the beginning of the hostilities.
• On 17 November, for the third consecutive day, Israeli troops, accompanied by tanks, operated within the Shifa hospital compound in Gaza city. According to hospital administrators , since 11 November, 40 patients, including four premature babies, have died in the hospital due to the lack of electricity.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely.
• In a briefing to the UN General Assembly informal plenary meeting on Gaza delivered today, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire and stressed the need to operate at least one additional crossing for the entry of humanitarian and commercial goods. He reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken from Israel and held in Gaza.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• In the past 24 hours, there have reportedly been intense ground clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in and around Gaza city as well as in several areas in the North Gaza governorate, in Khan Younis and east of Rafah (in the south). Intense strikes by Israeli forces also continued in the south. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south along Wadi Gaza, except for the “corridor” to the south. The Israeli military also announced a “tactical halt in military activities,” in the western Rafah and Tel As Sultan in the south, between 10:00 and 14:00.
• Two separate airstrikes in An Nuseirat, in the Middle Area, on 16 November, shortly before midnight, and on 17 November at about 11:00 a.m., hit residential buildings and resulted in a total of at least 20 fatalities and 140 people trapped under the rubble. Residents were reportedly trying to rescue those trapped with their hands and primitive tools, as Civil Defense operations had been largely halted due to the lack of fuel and the communication blackout.
• Since 11 November, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza has not updated casualty figures. Their reported fatality toll as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• Since 7 October, at least 71 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been killed, and 573 injured, while sheltering in UNRWA facilities that were hit across the Gaza Strip.
• According to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate in Gaza, 45 Palestinian journalists have been killed since 7 October. According to MoH, more than 198 Palestinian medics have been killed. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, at least 12 of its members have been killed. And according to UNRWA, 103 of their staff have been killed since 7 October.
• In the past 24 hours, no Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza, the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations is 56, according to official Israeli sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 17 November, the Israeli military continued calling on residents in the north to evacuate to the south through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 7:00 and 16:00. However, due to the telecommunication blackout, OCHA was unable to monitor the movement of people and estimate their number.
• As of 11 November, there were about 807,000 Palestinians living in the north, constituting about two-thirds of the pre-war population, according to an estimate by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Reports by humanitarian partners suggest that a large percentage of those remaining in the north, possibly the majority, have been displaced. Many of them have lost their homes and are moving within the area, seeking food, water, accommodation and relative safety.
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 830,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity and are unable to accommodate new arrivals. According to preliminary reports, thousands of IDPs are seeking security and safety by sleeping against the walls of shelters in the south, out in the open.
• Overcrowding is contributing to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, prompting environmental and health concerns. On average, there is one shower unit for every 700 people and a single toilet for every 150 people. The congestion is affecting UNRWA's ability to provide effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 17 November, as of 18:00, and for the third consecutive day, no aid trucks were confirmed to have entered via the Rafah Crossing. This is due to the communication shutdown and the lack of fuel. Since 21 October, 1,139 trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies have entered Gaza from Egypt. However, one truck carrying about 10,000 litres of fuel reportedly went in on 17 November, pending further confirmation.
• On 16 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 262 Egyptian nationals and nine wounded people. Three UN staff were also allowed into Gaza, to support the humanitarian operations. Between 2 and 15 November, 138 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 17 November, for the second consecutive day, Israeli forces, including tanks, have continued to surround Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, in Gaza city. Medical teams are unable to move outside and reach those who are injured safely.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 17 November, almost 75 per cent of the hospitals in Gaza (25 out of 36) were non-functional due to lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity. Eleven hospitals across the Strip, are currently partially operational and admitting patients with extremely limited services.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 16 November, UNRWA stated that 70 per cent of the people in the south have no access to clean water due to the absence of fuel needed for desalination and other water services. Furthermore, raw sewage started flowing in the streets in some areas.
• With no fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, a desalination plant in the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant, have all ceased operations in the past few days. The seawater desalination plant in Khan Younis is operating at 5 per cent of its capacity (some 300 cubic meters per day). Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.
• The main source of potable water in the south is two pipelines coming from Israel that supply together about 1,100 cubic metres per hour. A number of still-operational private wells and desalination facilities are expected to shut down by 18 November due to the lack of fuel.
• In the north, the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources.

Food security

• The north is facing a critical shortage of food. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centers has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 15 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, on 17 November, Israeli forces found near Shifa Hospital and took back to Israel the body of an Israeli female soldier who had been taken hostage on 7 October. According to the Israeli authorities, 237 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. According to some media reports, about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of captives have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces: an Israeli soldier, an Israeli civilian and a foreign national.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians in two separate incidents. Three were killed during an Israeli operation in Jenin Refugee Camp, which lasted for more than 11 hours, involving armed clashes with Palestinians, and Israeli airstrikes, and resulting in extensive infrastructure and residential damage. Another two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces after they reportedly opened fire at soldiers positioned at a checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron city. No Israeli casualties were reported.
• Since 7 October, 191 Palestinians, including 51 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 43 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (432). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October have occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent have been in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent have been killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent have been killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,684 Palestinians, including at least 287 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 251 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (30 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (185 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements have been recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 143 Palestinians, including 72 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

• As of 17 November, Member States have disbursed US$146.6 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 12 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged, which if materialized, would bring the Flash Appeal funding level to 32 per cent. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

De VN heeft herhaaldelijk aangegeven dat geen enkel gebied in Gaza als veilig kan worden beschouwd, waardoor dergelijke evacuatiebevelen illegaal zijn volgens het internationaal humanitair recht. In de afgelopen weken werden volgens het Israëlische leger als 'veilig' gemarkeerde gebieden alsnog gebombardeerd.

Naas het grondoffensief gaan ook de Israëlische bombardementen onverminderd door. In de afgelopen 24 uur vielen tientallen Palestijnse doden als gevolg van Israëlische bommen in Khan Younis (zuid-Gaza), het vluchtelingenkamp Nuseirat (centraal-Gaza) en het vluchteligenkamp Jabalia ten noorden van Gazastad.

Zelfs op de Westelijke Jordaanoever zet het Israëlische leger inmiddels luchtaanvallen in tegen de Palestijnse bevolking. Voor 7 oktober was dat uiterst ongebruikelijk, maar sindsdien worden er ook in de bezette gebieden met drones raketten afgevuurd. Bij een grootschalige aanval op het vluchtelingenkamp bij de stad Jenin vielen op die manier vannacht tenminste drie doden. Tientallen andere Palestijnen werden gearresteerd, en er werd grote schade aangericht aan het vluchtelingenkamp. 

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

Eerder sprak premier Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) zich al uit tegen het disproportionele Israëlische geweld. Op 13 oktober benadrukte hij dat Israël zich dient te houden aan het internationaal oorlogsrecht: ‘Zelfs in een oorlog zijn er regels. Collectief de ganse bevolking van Gaza treffen kan niet, Gaza volledig afsluiten van water en energie is niet aanvaardbaar.’ België zal niet zomaar wegkijken als Israël oorlogsmisdaden begaat, waarschuwde hij.

Schril contrast met Nederland
De pleidooien van beide Belgische politici staan in schril contrast met de pro-Israëlische standpunten van de Nederlandse regering. Premier Mark Rutte (VVD) en ministers Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD) en Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA) boden Israël juist alle ruimte voor zijn disproportionele geweld in Gaza. De Tweede Kamer sloot zich daar op schokkende wijze bij aan. Vorige week bleek dat Nederland Israël zelfs onderdelen levert voor F-35-gevechtsvliegtuigen die in Gaza worden ingezet tegen de Palestijnse burgerbevolking.

En dat terwijl uit een memo van de Nederlandse Defensieattaché in Tel Aviv blijkt dat Israël onevenredig geweld gebruikt. Ook zou Israël het doel hebben om zoveel mogelijk infrastructuur en burgerlijke doelen te vernietigen.

Bekijk hier het hele artikel over de oproep van vicepremier De Sutter en de Israëlkritiek van premier De Croo.

The Rights Forum klaagt Nederlandse staat aan

Daarmee maakt Nederland zich medeverantwoordelijk voor schendingen van het oorlogsrecht en de collectieve bestraffing van de burgerbevolking in Gaza.

Begin volgende week zal duidelijk worden wanneer het kort geding zal plaatsvinden. Wij eisen dat de regering zal handelen in lijn met de eigen beleidskaders, (grond)wettelijke verplichtingen en relevante internationale afspraken zoals het EU Gemeenschappelijk Standpunt en het Wapenhandelsverdrag (ATT).

Opinie Oproep aan de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland: kom in actie voor de Palestijnen

Die concrete acties moeten beginnen 'met het persoonlijk spijt betuigen aan Palestijnse christenen voor het wegkijken door de PKN. Daarnaast met een dringende oproep van de PKN aan de Nederlandse overheid om een staakt-het-vuren te ondersteunen. En tenslotte met het actief ondersteunen van initiatieven [...] om tot een duurzame oplossing en vrede te komen op basis van gelijkwaardigheid van Joden en Palestijnen in Israël en Palestina.'

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #41

Jamal inspects his home in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, after it was heavily damaged in hostilities. By 6 November, over 40,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip had been destroyed, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Photo by ©UNICEF/Zaqout, 16 November 2023

17 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• On 16 November, for the second consecutive day, Israeli troops, accompanied by tanks, raided Shifa hospital compound in Gaza city, and reportedly took control of several sections. According to the hospital’s director, the southern section of the compound was damaged, including the radiology department, and the forces took several corpses from within the hospital. The impact of the military operation remains unclear. 
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely.  
• On 16 November, at about 16:00, Gaza’s telecommunications services shut down after the providing companies announced that fuel used to run generators had been depleted. Also, several communication infrastructures south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south) were hit and damaged on 14 November. Humanitarian agencies and first responders have warned that blackouts jeopardize the safety of civilians and the provision of life-saving assistance. 
• Heavy airstrikes, shelling and fighting have continued over the past 24 hours. In one of the deadliest attacks on 15 November, at about 18:00, during the evening prayer time, the vicinity of the Ihya’ As Sunna Mosque in As Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza city was hit by an airstrike, reportedly killing 50 people and injuring others.
• On 16 November, for the second consecutive day, no trucks entered Gaza from Egypt. This is due to UNRWA’s inability to receive and distribute additional loads, because of its lack of fuel. The agency’s limited operational capacity was allocated to supplies received in previous days. UNRWA also announced that, due to the communication shutdown, it will be unable to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys starting 17 November. 
• The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) estimates that, as of 11 November, there were about 807,000 Palestinians living in areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north), constituting about two-thirds of the pre-war population there. The other third of the population, about 400,000 according to PCBS’s estimates, were presumably displaced to the south.
• The heads of the main UN and NGO humanitarian agencies stated on 16 November that they “will not participate in the establishment of any ‘safe zone’ in Gaza that is set up without the agreement of all the parties,” while stressing the parties’ obligation “to take constant care to spare civilians – wherever they are – and meet their essential needs.”

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Overnight (15-16 November), clashes continued between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in and around Gaza city as well as in several areas in the North Gaza governorate and in Khan Younis (in the south). Intense strikes by Israeli forces also continued in the south. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor” to the south. 
• Deadly attacks over the past 24 hours included the following: on 16 November in the early hours of the morning, Israeli forces’ shelling reportedly struck the Central Petroleum Station at the northern entrance of Al Maghazi camp where displaced people were reportedly taking shelter, killing nine Palestinians and injuring dozens.
• On 15 November, for the fifth consecutive day, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza did not update casualty figures. The reported fatality toll of Palestinians in Gaza as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• Active ground operations in the heart of Gaza city have continued to disrupt the movement of rescue teams and ambulances and people to obtain their essential needs, particularly food and water. Households in the western neighbourhoods of Gaza city appealed for help after their remaining food and drinking water had been depleted. Reportedly, they were unable to leave their homes because of the presence of Israeli ground troops and fighting. Multiple appeals by stranded households and family members underneath struck buildings and homes went unanswered; the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has been unable to respond to hundreds of calls to assist and evacuate. 
• Since 7 October, at least 71 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed, and 571 injured, while sheltering in UNRWA facilities that were hit across the Gaza Strip. 
• Reportedly, as of the 13 November, humanitarian partners working in education have documented the deaths of 3,117 students and 183 teachers since the start of the hostilities. Additionally, 4,613 students and 403 teachers were injured.
• In the past 24 hours, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 56, according to official Israeli sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• PCBS estimates that, as of 11 November, there were about 807,000 Palestinians in the north, constituting about two-thirds of the pre-war population there. The other third of the population, about 400,000, were presumably displaced to the south, based on PCBS’s estimates. Hundreds of thousands of those staying in the north are also displaced in public facilities, including schools and hospitals, and with host families.
• On 16 November, the Israeli military – which has called residents in the north to evacuate to the south – continued opening a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. The Israeli military also announced a “tactical halt in military activities,” in Ash Shujai’yeh and the Turkmen neighbourhoods, between 10:00 and 14:00, to enable the departure of people southward. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 10,000 people moved during the day.
• Israeli forces have reportedly been arresting some IDPs fleeing through the “corridor.” There are anecdotal and eyewitness reports of some IDPs being beaten and stripped of their clothing. On 14 November, IDPs reported that the Israeli army had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 813,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity. Overcrowding is leading to the spread of disease, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, raising environmental and health concerns. The overcrowding is affecting the Agency’s ability to deliver effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• UNRWA announced on 16 November that, due to the communication shutdown and lack of fuel, there will not be a cross-border aid operation at the Rafah Crossing on 17 November, as it will be impossible to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys.
• On 16 November, no aid trucks entered via the Rafah Crossing. This is due to the backlog of aid from previous days that has not been transported without fuel. UNRWA used the fuel provided on 15 November to operate trucks and forklifts to clear the backlogs, but fuel has run out again.
• On 15 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of 607 foreign nationals and dual citizens, and ten injured people. Between 2 and 15 November, 129 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators that run life-saving equipment, is banned.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Prior to the Israeli military raid into Shifa hospital compound, according to the MoH in Gaza, bombardments hit and damaged parts of it, including the specialized surgeries department, the coronary care division, and a warehouse. After the troops entered, patients, staff and IDPs were reportedly relocated within the compound. 
• The MoH in Gaza stated that, between 11 November and 16 November, 40 patients, including 3 premature babies, have died in Shifa Hospital due to lack of electricity. On 16 November, a patient who suffered from kidney failure died because dialysis machines at Shifa had stopped working.
• On 16 November, PRCS stated that Israeli forces, including tanks, had initiated a siege on the only operational hospital in northern Gaza, the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, in Gaza City. Medical teams are unable to move outside and reach those who are injured safely.
• On 15 November, at about 20:30, a shell fired by Israeli forces hit the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza city, injuring seven of the medical team, who were members of the Jordanian Royal Medical Services.
• On 16 November, UNRWA reported that infectious diseases in shelters over the past two weeks have increased. It estimated that skin diseases have increased by 35 per cent and cases of diarrhea have increased by about 40 per cent.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, as of 16 November, nine out of the 35 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning, as the rest have shut down their formal medical services.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Due to the absence of fuel, on 16 November, UNRWA stated that 70 per cent of the people in the south have no access to clean water. Furthermore, raw sewage started flowing in the streets in some areas.
• With no fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, a desalination plant in the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant, have all ceased operations in the past few days. The seawater desalination plant in Khan Younis is operating at 5 per cent of its capacity (some 300 cubic metres per day). Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.
• The main source of potable water in the south is two pipelines coming from Israel that supply together about 1,100 cubic metres per hour. A number of still operational private wells and desalination facilities are expected to shut down by 18 November due to the lack of fuel. 
• In the north, the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources.

Food security

• The north is facing a critical shortage of food. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 15 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, on 16 November, Israeli forces found near Shifa Hospital and took back to Israel the body of an Israeli woman who had been taken hostage on 7 October. According to the Israeli authorities, 237 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. According to some media reports, about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. On 15 November, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, renewed his call to release the hostages immediately and unconditionally.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 16 November, three Palestinians carried out a shooting attack at the Tunnels checkpoint (Bethlehem), killing one Israeli soldier and injuring another three, and were subsequently shot and killed by Israeli forces. 
• Since 7 October, 186 Palestinians, including 51 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. 
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 43 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (430). About 66 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 24 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers; two per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians; and one per cent during punitive demolitions.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,661 Palestinians, including at least 282 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• On 15 November, Israeli settlers reportedly from Peduel vandalized two agricultural structures, a latrine, water tanks after they broke into the western outskirt of Kafr ad Dik (Salfit).
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 248 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (30 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (182 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• On 15 November, in East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished on punitive grounds the family home of a Palestinian who killed seven Israelis in an attack in January 2023, and was subsequently killed by Israeli forces. This house was sealed immediately after the attack and the family was displaced at that time. A total of 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced since 7 October following punitive demolitions. 
• On 15 November, one household, comprising eight people, including five children displaced after Israeli forces demolished their home in Area C of Shuqba village (Ramallah), due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. Since 7 October, another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, have been following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits. 
• Additionally, since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. These numbers were updated on 16 November following the receipt of new information.

Funding

• As of 15 November, Member States have disbursed US$142.3 million against the updated Flash Appealaunched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 12 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million has been pledged, which if materialized, would bring the Flash Appeal funding level to 32 per cent. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

At least 5,000 Palestinian Children have been murdered by Israel; join us in DC this Saturday for a children’s march

16 november 2023

Since October 7th, at least 5,000 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza. 1,755 children have been reported missing and are presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Join AMP this Sunday, November 19th, at 11 am to recognize the children's lives that have been taken in Gaza over the last six weeks and continue our demand for a ceasefire and end to Israel’s war crimes. This march will be family-friendly; parents are encouraged to bring their children.

Ceasefire Now: Children’s March
Sunday, November 19th at 11 am
Where: Meet at Franklin Park, 1332 I St NW, Washington, DC 20005
(we will be marching to the White House) 

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #40

A tent camp where displaced Palestinian families take refuge in southern Gaza. On 15 November, the Israeli authorities extended their evacuation calls, thus far limited to the northern Gaza Strip, to parts of the south. Photo by WHO, 15 November 2023

16 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• On 15 November, Israeli troops, including tanks, entered Shifa hospital compound in Gaza city and reportedly took control of several sections, searched them and interrogated people. Due to the disruption of communications in the area, the impact of the military operation remains unclear.
• Out of 24 hospitals with in-patient capacity in the north, only one, Al Ahli in Gaza city, is presently operational and admitting patients. Eighteen hospitals have shut down and evacuated since the start of hostilities, including three – An Nasr, Ar Rantisi and Al Quds – over the past three days.
• Another five hospitals, including Shifa, are providing extremely limited services to patients who have already been admitted.These hospitals are not accessible, do not have electricity and supplies and are not admitting new patients.
• The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that it has been unable to respond to hundreds of calls to assist and evacuate people wounded or trapped under the rubble. IDPs fleeing from the north are reporting the presence of dead bodies in the streets. As of 10 November, about 2,700 people, including some 1,500 children, remain missing and presumed to be trapped or dead under the rubble, according to the MoH in Gaza.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff and other civilians to evacuate safely.
• On 15 November, some 23,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt, the first such delivery since 7 October. The Israeli authorities have restricted the use of this fuel only to use for UNRWA trucks distributing aid. The entry of fuel for all other purposes remains banned including for hospital generators and water and sanitation facilities. Given UNRWA requires about 160,000 litres of fuel per day to runbasic humanitarian operations. It has had to halt key services.
• On 15 November, around midday, the As Salam Mill in Deir Al Balah was reportedly hit and destroyed. This was the last functioning mill in Gaza, and its destruction means that locally produced flour will not be available in Gaza in the foreseeable future.
• Also on 15 November, Gaza’s telecom companies announced the gradual cessation of all communication and internet services in the Strip, following the exhaustion of fuel reserves to operate generators. Humanitarian agencies and first responders have warned that blackouts jeopardize the provision of life-saving assistance.
• Also on 15 November, the Israeli military reportedly dropped leaflets in areas east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, ordering the residents of Al Qarara, Khuza’a, Bani Suheila and Abasan towns, to evacuate immediately to “known shelters.”
• In the north, hundreds of thousands of people who are unwilling or unable to move to the south remain amid intense hostilities. They are struggling to secure the minimum amount eof water and food for survival. The consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases. The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed concern about malnutrition and starvation.
• The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stated today that “the carnage in Gaza cannot be allowed to continue,” presenting a ten-step plan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis, including agreeing on a humanitarian ceasefire, respecting international humanitarian law, and allowing the entry of fuel.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Overnight (14-15 November), clashes continued between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in and around Gaza city as well as in several areas in the North Gaza governorate and in Khan Younis (in the south). Intense strikes by Israeli forces also continue in the south. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor” to the south.
• Deadly attacks over the past 24 hours included the following: on 14 November, in the afternoon, airstrikes reportedly hit Al Mohophin School, in Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, Gaza city, killing 17 people; the same day, at about 20:30, airstrikes reportedly hit a residential building in As Saftawi area, north of Gaza city, killing 13 people, including six women; on midday 14 November, airstrikes reportedly hit a building in Al Qarara, east of Khan Yunis, killing nine people; on 15 November, at around midday, airstrikes reportedly hit As Salhi Towers area, in Nuseirat, killing 14 people.
• On 15 November, for the fifth consecutive day, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the MoH in Gaza did not update casualty figures. The reported fatality toll of Palestinians in Gaza as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• In the past 24 hours, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 53, according to official Israeli sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 15 November, the Israeli military – which has called on residents in the north to evacuate to the south – continued opening a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. The Israeli military also announced a “tactical halt in military activities,” in As Salam and An Nour neighbourhoods of Jabaliya between 10:00 and 14:00, to enable the departure of people southward. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 8,000 people moved during the day.
• Israeli forces have reportedly been arresting some IDPs fleeing through the “corridor.” There are anecdotal and eyewitness reports of some IDPs being beaten and stripped of their clothing. On 14 November, internally displaced persons (IDPs) reported that the Israeli army had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through go through two checkpoints, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
• Over the past 48 hours, IDPs staying outside the overcrowded shelters in the south have been affected by intermittent rainfall and flooding, which have damaged or destroyed tents and makeshift areas where they are seeking shelter. These conditions are subjecting these IDPs to an increasing risk of illness and waterborne disease
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 813,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity. Overcrowding is leading to the spread of disease, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, raising environmental and health concerns. The overcrowding is impacting the Agency’s ability to deliver effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On the afternoon of 15 November, one truck of fuel entered Gaza, leaving an insufficient amount of time to refuel the trucks needed to distribute the humanitarian aid that had been delivered to warehouses in Rafah on 14 November. Given the warehouses were at capacity, the Agency was not able to receive additional humanitarian shipments.
• Dozens of trucks waiting on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing are expected to enter on 16 November. Since 21 October, 1,139 trucks carrying mainly medicines, food and water have entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, representing a fraction of the needs.
• On 14 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of about 600 foreign nationals and dual citizens, and four injured people. Between 2 and 13 November, some 135 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to increase the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators that run life-saving equipment.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Prior to the Israeli military raid into the Shifa hospital compound, according to the MoH in Gaza, bombardments hit and damaged parts of it, including the specialized surgeries department, the coronary care division, and a warehouse. After the troops entered, patients, staff and IDPs were reporteldy relocated within the compound.
• On 14 November, some 200 people, including medical staff and 25 patients were evacuated by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) from Al Quds hospital in Gaza city, to a hospital in Khan Younis, in the south. The trip, which reportedly lasted seven hours, was partially done on foot amid rain and muddy streets. The vicinities of the hospitals had been bombarded over the past week and, since 11 November, the hospital has been under an electricity blackout.
• For the third consecutive day, the main generator at Al Amal hospital in Khan Younis shut down due to lack of fuel. The hospital has been running one small generator which is supplying electricity to the labour room and the lights in the reception area. Over 8,000 IDPs are sheltering in this highly overcroweded facility.
• The MoH in Gaza stated that, on 15 November, 179 bodies held at Shifa, which could not be evacuated or properly maintained, were buried in a mass grave inside the compound.
• The Israeli military has repeatedly alleged that Palestinian armed groups operate a military compound within and underneath the Shifa hospital. The hospital’s management and the Palestinian MoH have strongly denied these allegations and have called for an independent investigation.
• UNRWA has continued to provide health care to IDPs at shelters through 124 medical teams deployed to the shelters. However, the fuel reserves of the health centres may have been depleted today. UNRWA operations will entirely depend on solar energy, which is designed only to cater for minimum operation. Functionality of the solar energy is not guaranteed as any malfunction or battery failure may cause complete stop of all operation.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Due to the absence of fuel, on 14 November, UNRWA’s solid waste removal services began shutting down, posing an environmental hazard, with about 400 tons of rubbish per day accumulating in overcrowded camps and IDP shelters.
• Due to lack of fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, the a desalination plant in the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant have all ceased operations in the past few days. The seawater desalination plant in Khan Younis is operating at 5 per cent of its capacity (some 300 cubic metres per day). Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.
• The main source of potable water in the south are two pipelines coming from Israel that supply together about 1,100 cubic metres per hour. A number of private wells and desalination facilities which are still operational are expected to shut down over the coming two days due to the lack of fuel.
• In the north, the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources.

Food security

• Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Members of the Food Security Sector have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 15 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 859 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• On 14 November, Israeli sources confirmed that one of the captured soldiers had been killed. Hamas had claimed that she was among of 57 hostages killed by Israeli airstrikes. According to the Israeli authorities, 238 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. According to some media reports, about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. On 15 November, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, renewed his call to release the hostages unconditionally.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 14 November, a Palestinian child died of wounds sustained after being shot by Israeli forces during a search-and-arrest operation in Jenin Refugee Camp on 29 October.
• Since 7 October, 183 Palestinians, including 47 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 42 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (427). About 65 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. Some 26 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; two per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians, one per cent during punitive demolitions and the remaining six per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,655 Palestinians, including at least 27 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional, 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• On 13 and 14 November, assailants believed to be Israeli settlers uprooted an unconfirmed number of Palestinian-owned olive trees in As Sawiya village (Nablus), next to the Rehelim settlement. Access to this area by Palestinians requires permission by the Israeli authorities.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 246 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (30 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (180 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of over six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements have been recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 121 Palestinian households comprising 1,149 people, including 452 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 48 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced since 7 October following punitive demolitions, and another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits.

Funding

• As of 15 November, Member States have disbursed US$132.1 million against the updated Flash Appeal made by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 11 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. An additional $250 million have been pledged, which if materialized, would bring the Flash Appeal funding level to 32 per cent.Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

Shubair Family Killed in Israeli Airstrike

15 november 2023

It is with utmost grief and sadness that we write to inform you of the tragic loss of Professor Mohammad Eid Shubair, his wife Rehab Mohamad Shubair, their daughter-in-law Najat Ayoub Alhelo, and their eldest son, Muhammad Malik Shubair in an Israeli airstrike on their home in the vicinity of the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Professor Shubair is the father-in-law of our Chicago chapter board member, Alaa Abusamaan. We offer our deepest condolences to Alaa and his wife Hoda Shubair over the devastating loss of their loved ones.

Professor Mohammad Eid Shubair was a well-respected scholar and president of the Islamic University in Gaza. Beloved by all in his community, his loss has sent shockwaves across Gaza and the world. Their home, in the immediate vicinity of the Al Shifa hospital, was bombed just three days ago. Those who survived the bombing and attempted to walk the close distance to the hospital were shot dead by Israeli forces besieging the hospital.

The savagery of this genocidal rampage has destroyed any semblance of humanity expected from an occupying power such as Israel. The indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza has taken the lives of many relatives and friends of our staff and community members. The immense pain and trauma we’ve all experienced this month is indescribable.

We pray that Allah accepts the Shubair family into the highest of heavens and grants them the status of martyrdom. We ask Allah to insert tranquility and patience in the hearts of those they left behind and to give us all strength as we fight against the genocide of the Palestinian people.

Sincerely,
The AMP Family

AJP Action condemns attacks on its staff and calls on media & politicians to end complicity in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian hate speech

15 november 2023

A member of Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) was attacked in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday, November 11, 2023. AJP Action Government Relations Coordinator Neveen Ayesh reported to local police that her home was broken into on Friday, and she was shot at in her car just blocks from her apartment soon after. The shot broke her driver-side mirror. Attacks on activists like Ayesh are fueled by dehumanizing language about Palestinians that is rampant in media and political portrayals of the genocide in Gaza. 

We call on Missouri police to investigate this incident as a hate crime, and we ask law enforcement to prosecute the perpetrators to the full extent of the law. Attacks such as this have a chilling effect on free speech as anti-violent advocates for Palestinian rights face unchecked retribution amid the vilification of Palestinian activism in media, academia, and politics.

This incident is just one of many forms of escalated harassment AJP Action staff, the staff of its affiliate 501(c)3 organization American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), and Palestine solidarity activists of all faiths have faced amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which has now reached its 39th day with over 11,100 Palestinians killed. AJP Action and AMP Executive Director Executive Director Osama Abu Irshaid has received multiple hate calls and text messages threatening his life and telling him to “go back to your country.” Other AMP staff and members have reported similar threats. 

AJP Action condemns all violence against our team and Palestine solidarity activists, who are using their constitutionally protected right to protest against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. We also condemn the widespread repression of Palestine solidarity activism nationwide: on college campuses, in workplaces, and in government. We likewise stand with Jewish solidarity activists in condemning the conflation of anti-Israel critique with antisemitism. 

Journalists and elected leaders alike have repeatedly propagated anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim talking points that often come directly from Israeli leadership—with little to no critical examination or even fact-checking. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has similarly raised unfounded suspicions of Palestinian student groups’ ties to Hamas based simply on their condemnation of occupation and apartheid—introducing legislation to federally investigate students for their pro-Palestinian sympathies. Such discourse is actively endangering Palestinian and Muslim lives.

In just the first week of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume was stabbed to death by his landlord in Illinois; in the second week, a 19-year-old Sikh man was physically attacked on a bus in New York City; in the third week, a man on the New York City subway violently attempted to pull a young Muslim woman’s hijab off and called her a terrorist; in the fourth week, a Stanford student was seriously injured as a man drove his car into the student while yelling hateful rhetoric—among many other examples. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has reported over 1200 incidents of harassment faced by Muslims since October 7th, an over 200% jump compared with last year. 

Such violence against Muslim and Palestinian communities is not new: in the wake of violent rhetoric about Muslims after 9/11 and the infamous “Muslim ban” of the Trump Administration, violent hate crimes spiked against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim. AJP Action calls on media, academics, and politicians to be accountable for inciting such violence against our communities and those in solidarity with us. 

“We will continue to stand against the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and across occupied Palestine. We will continue to call for a ceasefire and an end to the root causes of violence. And we refuse to be silent as activists are wrongfully defamed and as anti-Muslim racism is weaponized once again to overlook slaughter in the Middle East and to silence pro-peace Americans,” Dr. Abu Irshaid said.

“I blame those in leadership positions for continuing to uphold racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Palestinian rhetorics that fuel these hate crimes,” Ayesh said. A police report has been filed with the Richmond Heights Police Department. 

While we face these reprehensible attacks, we affirm that this will not deter our efforts to amplify the voices of oppressed people in the Gaza Strip who are being subjected to genocide at the hands of the Israeli government—aided and abetted by the Biden administration.

Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action)

 Americans for Justice in Palestine Action
6404 Seven Corners Place, Ste NFalls Church, Virginia 22044Question?Email us at info@ajpaction.orgor call (703) 534-1904

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #39

“In Gaza city, it was difficult to secure water and food,“ a displaced Palestinian told OCHA upon arrival to the southern area on 14 November. ”When available, food is very expensive.“ Photo of a displaced family in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Source: WHO, 1 November 2023

14 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• Only one of the hospitals in Gaza city and northern Gaza (hereafter: the north) is reportedly still operational at a minimum level for those inside the hospital, as of 14 November; all others have ceased operations due to the lack of power, medical consumables, oxygen, food and water, compounded by bombardments and fighting in their vicinities. Al Ahli Hospital, in Gaza city, currently accommodates over 500 patients and is reportedly the sole medical facility able to admit patients in the north. However, it too faces increasing shortages and challenges.
• Forty patients died in Shifa hospital on 14 November, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. The hospital reported preparations for a mass grave inside the compound to burry 180 bodies of patients, which cannot be evacuated due to the intense fighting.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 14 November, more than half of the hospitals in Gaza (22 out of 36) were non-functional due to lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff and other civilians to evacuate safely. WHO has warned that the evacuation of hospitals in the north, as demanded by the Israeli military, would be a “death sentence” for some patients, because operational hospitals in the south cannot admit more patients.
• On 14 November, UNRWA reported that, in 48 hours, telecommunication companies are expected to run out of fuel to operate data centres and connection sites. In some areas, they have reportedly shut down already. The companies have had to depend on fuel-run generators since Gaza’s black out on 11 October.
• Although 91 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered from Egypt on 14 November, the distribution of supplies to shelters, clinics and other beneficiaries has largely come to a halt due to lack of fuel. The Israeli authorities have indicated that, on 15 November, they would allow the entry of a limited amount of fuel into Gaza, to be used exclusively to run trucks for the distribution of incoming humanitarian aid. This represents a fraction of the fuel needs for humanitarian operations. Meanwhile, the entry of fuel for any other use, including the operation of generators at hospitals, and at water and sanitation facilities, remains banned. This will be the first time since 7 October that fuel is allowed into Gaza.
• Hundreds of thousands of people who are unwilling or unable to move to the south remain in the north amid intense hostilities. They are struggling to secure the minimum amount of water and food for survival. The consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases. The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed concern about malnutrition and starvation.
• In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed eight Palestinians over the past 24 hours, bringing the fatality toll among Palestinians since 7 October to 182, including 46 children.
• As of 14 November, Member States have disbursed US$132.1 million against the Flash Appeal made by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 11 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Additionally, $335 million has been pledged.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Overnight (13-14 November), clashes continued between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in and around Gaza city as well as in several areas in the North Gaza governorate and in Khan Younis (in the south). Intense strikes by Israeli forces also continue in the south, and ground incursions appear to continue in the area south-east of Khan Yunis. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor” to the south. 
• Deadly attacks included the following: On 13 November, at about 23:00, Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit and destroyed 12 houses near the Jabalia services sports club (in the north), killing 31 Palestinians and injuring others. The following morning, at about 5:30, Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit two buildings in Khan Yunis (in the south), killing 13 Palestinians and injuring 20 others.
• On 14 November, for the fourth consecutive day, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza did not update casualty figures. The reported fatality toll of Palestinians in Gaza as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured. 
• Active ground operations in the heart of Gaza city and near the hospitals, along with the lack of fuel, have halted the movement of rescue teams and ambulances in those areas. Multiple appeals by stranded households and family members underneath struck buildings, including their own homes, have gone unanswered. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), hundreds of calls have been received at the PRCS emergency number from besieged Palestinians in Gaza city, urgently requesting ambulances for the wounded, evacuation for trapped families, and assistance for those under rubble. Many of these calls for help have gone unanswered due to lack of fuel and insecurity.
• In the last 24 hours, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 51, according to official Israeli sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 14 November, for the twelfth consecutive day, the Israeli military – which has called and exerted pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards – opened a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 17,000-18,000 moved on 14 November, significantly less than in the previous days, with an estimated xx total to since [date].
• Numerous reports indicate that Israeli forces have been carrying out arrests among IDPs fleeing through the corridor, alongside allegations of beating, stripping and other forms of violence. On 14 November, IDPs have reported that the Israeli army had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to go through two containers, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. People are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
• Over the past 24 hours, IDPs staying outside the overcrowded shelters in the south have been affected by intermittent rainfall and related flooding, which have damaged or destroyed tents and makeshifts where they lived. Alongside lower temperatures, this is exposing people to increasing risk of disease.
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 787,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity. Overcrowding is leading to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, raising environmental and health concerns, and limiting the Agency’s ability to deliver effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• A total of 91 trucks, carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water, blankets, tents and hygiene products, crossed from Egypt into Gaza on 14 November as of 18:00. This brings the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October to 1,187, representing a fraction of the needs.
• On 13 November, the Egyptian border opened for the evacuation of about 600 foreign nationals and dual citizens, and four injured people. Between 2 and 13 November, some 135 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. According to media reports, the Israeli authorities have rejected requests by Member States to operate this crossing to expedite the entry of humanitarian aid.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators that run life-saving equipment.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• The situation of hospitals in the north remains dire. Only of of the hospitals is reportedly operational. Heavy fighting continues around Shifa and Al Quds hospitals.
• According to WHO, on 14 November, over half of the hospitals in Gaza (22 out of 36) are non-functional due to lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity. The 14 hospitals in the south remaining open have barely enough supplies to sustain critical and lifesaving surgeries and provide inpatient care, including intensive care  
• On 14 November, a power outage affected Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, in the south, following a failure of its sole generator, according to PRCS. This put 90 patients at risk, including 25 in critical condition. Additionally, 9,000 IDPs are seeking refuge at the hospital and PRCS premises.
• On 14 November, the Nursing Director at the European Gaza Hospital was quoted in a media outlet as stating that the hospital had run out of water. This would affect over 400 patients and thousands of IDPs sheltering on the premises. 
• On 14 November, Médecins Sans Frontières reported that live ammunition had been fired into one of three of their premises (near Shifa Hospital), where more than 100 people, including staff and their families, had taken shelter.
• The Israeli military has repeatedly alleged that Palestinian armed groups operate a military compound within and underneath the Shifa hospital. The hospital’s management and the Palestinian MoH have strongly denied these allegations and have called for an independent investigation.   
• Active ground operations in the heart of Gaza city and near the hospitals in North Gaza governorate have halted the movement of rescue teams and ambulances in those areas. According to PRCS, hundreds of calls have been received at an emergency number from Palestinians in Gaza city, urgently requesting ambulances for the wounded, evacuation for trapped families, and assistance for those trapped under rubble.
• UNRWA has continued to provide health care to IDPs at shelters through 124 medical teams deployed to the shelters. However, the fuel reserves of the health centres may have been depleted today. UNRWA operations will entirely depend on solar energy, which is designed only to cater for minimum operation. Functionality of the solar energy is not guaranteed as any malfunction or battery failure may cause complete stop of all operation.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Due to the absence of fuel, on 14 November, UNRWA’s solid waste removal services began shutting down, posing an environmental hazard, with about 400 tons of rubish per day accumulating in overcrowded camps and IDP shelters. 
• Due to lack of fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, the two main desalination plants in Rafah and the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant have all ceased operations. Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.
• In the north, the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to  water consumption from unsafe sources.

Food security

• Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food security partners have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms due to food scarcity, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 10 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 845 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• On 14 November, Israeli sources confirmed that one of the captured soldiers had been killed. Hamas had claimed that she was among of 57 hostages killed by Israeli airstrikes. According to the Israeli authorities, 238 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. According to some media reports, about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. On 13 November, Humanitarian Coordinator Lynn Hastings renewed her call to release the hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Israeli forces shot and killed eight Palestinians, between 13 November at night and noontime on 14 November. The deadliest incident, which lasted for several hours, took place in Tulkarm Refugee Camp, and resulted in seven Palestinians killed. The operation involved armed clashes with Palestinians, and airstrikes, resulting in extensive infrastructure and residential damage. According to medical sources, during the operation, Israeli forces impeded the work of paramedics. Another Palestinian was killed after he attempted to stab an Israeli soldier positioned at Beit Einun roundabout east of Hebron city.
• Since 7 October, 182 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. 
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 42 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (426). About 65 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. Some 26 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; two per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians, one per cent during punitive demolitions and the remaining six per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,650 Palestinians, including at least 278 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional, 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• In the past 24 hours, OCHA verified four settler attacks. In two of these incidents, armed assailants who, while known by Palestinian residents to be settlers, were wearing Israeli military uniforms, raided the communities of Umm At Tiran and the already displaced community of At Taybe (both in Hebron), where they vandalized a residential structure, agricultural, water tanks and punctured the tires of vehicles. In two other incidents, in Mantiqat Shi'b al Butum in Masafer Yatta (southern Hebron) and the displaced community of Ein ar Rashash (Ramallah), 18 tents used for residential and agricultural purposes were vandalized, along with two solar panel systems, and an electronic generator, and about 10 bags of livestock fodder. 
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 244 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (30 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (177 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (37 incidents). This reflects a daily average of over six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements have been recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 121 Palestinian households comprising 1,149 people, including 452 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• Additionally, 45 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced since 7 October following punitive demolitions, and another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits. 

Funding

• On 7 November, the UN and its partners issued a plan that outlines the minimum necessary to scale up humanitarian operations in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. An estimated US$1.2 billion is required to deliver existing humanitarian services amid ongoing hostilities. The UN has shared its response plan with potential donors and partners as part of an updated Flash Appeal.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

As repression grows, so does solidarity.

14 november 2023

Samen met Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International en PAX dagen wij de Nederlandse staat voor de rechter wegens schendingen van het internationaal recht tijdens de oorlog in Gaza

De recente wapenexport naar Israël maakt Nederland medeverantwoordelijk voor schendingen van het oorlogsrecht en de collectieve bestraffing van de Palestijnse burgerbevolking in Gaza.

Eerder riepen we de regering al op om alle gepleegde schendingen van het internationaal humanitair oorlogsrecht te veroordelen. Ondanks meer dan twaalfduizend Palestijnse doden in Gaza – waarvan ruim tweederde vrouwen en kinderen – en heldere uitspraken van de VN en andere internationale organisaties, weigert Nederland Israël publiekelijk aan te spreken op de ernstige schendingen van het oorlogsrecht. Eerder hebben we ook de afschuwelijke aanslagen op en ontvoeringen van burgers door Hamas veroordeeld.

Ambtenaren waarschuwden

Afgelopen week bleek dat de Nederlandse regering weigert om de uitvoer van onderdelen voor F-35-gevechtsvliegtuigen naar Israël te stoppen. NRC schreef dat ambtenaren waarschuwden dat hiermee in Gaza mogelijk ‘ernstige schendingen van het humanitair oorlogsrecht’ worden begaan.

Ook de Nederlandse ambassade in Tel Aviv waarschuwde. In strijd met het eigen wapenexportbeleid en internationale verdragen heeft het kabinet toch besloten om de onderdelen te blijven leveren.

Door de voortdurende bombardementen op Gaza wordt ook het verlenen van humanitaire hulp ernstig belemmerd. Intussen zijn al meer dan honderd VN-medewerkers gedood. Medewerkers van hulporganisaties zijn gedwongen om elders in Gaza een goed heenkomen te zoeken. Zij leven in doodangst en voelen zich verlaten door de weigering van Nederland om zich uit te spreken voor een staakt-het-vuren.

Kort geding

Wij bereiden nu samen met de andere organisaties een kort geding voor tegen de Nederlandse staat. Wij eisen dat de regering handelt in lijn met het eigen beleid, wettelijke verplichtingen en internationale afspraken.

Nederland is al jaren medeplichtig aan schendingen van internationaal recht. Dit moet nu stoppen.

We houden u op de hoogte!
 

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

NEDERLANDSE STAAT AANGEKLAAGD OM ZIJN HOUDING TEGENOVER ISRAËL.

14 november 2023

Eindelijk worden nu ook de beschikbare rechtsmiddelen in de strijd gegooid tegen de genocide op de Palestijnen, die nu al meer dan een maand lang aan de gang is! En die maar voortgaat onmetelijk en onvoorstelbaar massaleed aan te richten onder miljoenen mensen, dag en nacht.

En ook in de VS worden nu processen gestart. Waarom hier, vanuit het medeschuldige kapitalistische Westen, door degenen die aan de kant van de Palestijnen staan, niet veel eerder naar dit beschikbare middel van juridische actie werd gegrepen, is een raadsel. Want alle beschikbare middelen die naar hun aard proportioneel zijn, waaronder desnoods ook volstrekt proportionele geweldsmiddelen, om deze genocide te stoppen, moesten hiertegen al lang in het geding gebracht zijn: nood breekt wet!

Hoe dan ook, ook het middel van het recht moet hier, alsnog en ten volle, worden benut en tot ontplooiing worden gebracht. En dat niet eenmaal, niet tweemaal, maar in een veelvoud van processen. Volgens het principe van ‘frappez toujours’. Zoals ook alle andere middelen van verzet, synchroon, onafhankelijk en onophoudelijk, moeten worden ingezet.  En waarbij vooral het strijdmiddel van de massa-aktie voorop zal moeten blijven staan!

Grondslag van deze juridische procedure zal zijn de medeverantwoordelijkheid en medeplichtigheid van de Nederlandse Staat, in handen van Rutte en co, voor diens schendingen van het oorlogsrecht en de collectieve vernietiging van de Gazaanse burgerbevolking, zoals deze ook nu weer extra aan het daglicht treden vanwege de Nederlandse wapenexport naar Israël.

Het kort geding wordt voorbereid door Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, PAX en The Rights Forum.

Sagitar

BREAKING NEWS !

13 november 2023

JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, PALESTINIANS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN, AND SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD AUSTIN TO STOP U.S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL’S UNFOLDING GENOCIDE AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. 

Attorneys from the Center for Constitutional Rights are suing Biden, Blinken, and Austin "for failing to prevent an unfolding genocide where they have influence over the State of Israel to do so, and directly abetting its development with weapons, funds, and diplomatic cover."

As this lawsuit makes plain, Israel is able to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza because it is backed by the United States.

And it’s not just the Biden administration; it’s Congress too. Most of our representatives are failing to call for a ceasefire. Congress continues to vote for billions of dollars in military aid that enables Israel to keep bombing churches, refugee camps, and hospitals.

We know that the Biden administration isn’t listening to us right now. But we’ve heard report after report from insiders that our calls and emails are making a difference for individual members of Congress.

Numerous Israeli government leaders have expressed clear genocidal intentions and called Palestinians “human animals."  At the same time, the Israeli military has bombed civilian areas and infrastructure, used illegal chemical weapons, and deprived Palestinians of everything necessary for human life, including water, food, electricity, fuel, and medicine.

Those statements of intent – when combined with mass killing, the total siege, and complete destruction – reveal evidence of an unfolding crime of genocide.

Meanwhile, the United States boasts of its close coordination, and ability to influence Israeli actions, yet it has failed to exercise any of that influence to stop the unfolding genocide.

Congress should be supporting the Palestinian plaintiffs and representing the majority of their constituents who are calling for a ceasefire - not further enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
 

Please keep taking action to support a ceasefire. Millions of lives depend on it.

With resolve,
Sandra Tamari

Adalah Justice Project is a Palestinian-led advocacy organization based in the U.S. that builds cross-movement coalitions to achieve collective liberation. Our work is rooted in the conviction that drawing the linkages between US policy abroad and repressive state practices at home is crucial to shifting the balance of power.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #37

A hospital patient being transported southwards through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military following its calls to evacuate northern Gaza. Photo by OCHA, 12 November 2023

13 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• Bombardments and armed clashes around the Shifa hospital in Gaza city intensified since the afternoon of 11 November. Critical infrastructure, including the oxygen station, water tanks and a well, the cardiovascular facility, and the maternity ward, was damaged,and three nurses killed. While many internally displaced persons (IDPs) and some staff and patients have managed to flee, others are trapped inside, fearing to leave or physically unable to do so. Some 3,000 patients and staff, alongside 15,000 IDPs are believed to remain in the hospital.
• At Shifa, two premature babies and ten other patients have died since the power outage that started on 11 November, compounded by the lack of medical consumables. Another 36 babies in incubators as well as kidney dialysis patients are at hightened risk of death. On 12 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that it had lost communication with its contacts in Shifa.
• On 12 November, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced that the Al Quds Hospital in Gaza city was no longer operational due to the depletion of available fuel and power outage. 
• On the afternoon of 11 November, an airstrike reportedly hit and destroyed the Swedish clinic in Ash Shati camp, west of Gaza city, were some 500 IDPs were sheltering. The casualty toll remains unclear. Overnight (11-12 November), another airstrike hit Al Mahdi Hospital in Gaza city, reportedly killing two doctors and injuring others. 
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL). They must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff and other civilians to evacuate safely. 
• The building of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Gaza city and an UNRWA school in Beit Lahiya, both of which were hosting IDPs, were hit on 11 and 12 November, respectively, resulting in an unclear number of casualties.
• The flight of tens of thousands of IDPs southwards from the areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter “the north”), through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military, continued on 12 November.
• Hundreds of thousands of people remaining in the north are struggling to survive. Consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases. The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed concern about malnutrition and starvation.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in and around Gaza city, in several areas in the North Gaza governorate and to a lesser extent in the Middle area continued overnight (11-12 November), alongside Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land across the Gaza Strip. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor” to the south. 
• Other deadly attacks included the following: on 11 November, at about 13:00, a building in the Ash Shabora area of Rafah (in the south) was hit, reportedly killing 13 people and injuring 15 others; on 12 November, at about 2:00 a.m., two consecutive airstrikes in Jabalia camp reportedly killed 18 Palestinians; on 12 November, at about 10:00 a.m., a residential building in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis (in the south), was hit, reportedly killing at least 13 Palestinians and injuring 20 others. 
• On 12 November, for the second consecutive day, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza did not update casualty figures. The Palestinian fatality toll in Gaza as of 10 November at 14:00  (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured. 
• No fatalities among Israeli soldiers operating in Gaza have been reported over the past 24 hours. The total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations stands at 47, according to Israeli official sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 12 November, for the nineth consecutive day, the Israeli military – which has called upon residents of the north to leave southwards – opened a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. Additionally, the Israeli military announced via its social media channel in Arabic “a tactical halt in military activities” between 10:00 and 14:00 in Jabalia and Izbat Malin, next to Gaza city, to enable people to leave southwards. Tens of thousands of displaced people evacuated.
• IDPs reached the main junction next to Wadi Gaza on foot or donkey carts, given that the Israeli military reportedly stopped vehicles at about 4-5 kilometres away from that point. Most were able to carry only a few belongings. Most IDPs arrived exhausted and thirsty. UN monitors and NGOs distributed water and biscuits next to the junction.
• One UNRWA school and one health centre in Gaza city were hit by a strike on 11 November. The health centre was sheltering over 1,000 IDPs, some of whom were able to flee with UNRWA’s coordination southwards.
• The number of IDPs in the south continues to increase, with UNRWA sheltering 618,000 people in 97 facilities, three of which were recently opened in Rafah. Following these openings, the average number of IDPs per shelter slightly declined. However, UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity. Overcrowding is leading to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, raises environmental and health issues and limits the Agency’s ability to ensure effective and timely services.
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 778,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• A total of 76 trucks, carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water, blankets, tents and hygiene products, crossed from Egypt into Gaza on 12 November as of 18:00. This brings the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October to 981. 
• As of the time of writing, it is unclear whether the Egyptian border was operated on 12 November for the evacuation of foreign nationals and dual citizens, or injured people. Between 2 and 9 November, 131 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed, as does the Israeli pedestrian crossing of Erez.
• In the International Humanitarian Conference held on 9 November in Paris, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths stated that “the modest number of trucks we have so far managed to get in via the Rafah border crossing is wholly inadequate compared to the vast sea of needs […] We need to get hundreds of trucks per day into Gaza, not dozens, and be allowed to reach every place people are sheltering.”

Electricity

• 11 November marked one month since Gaza has been under an electricity blackout, following Israel’s shutting off the electricity supply and the depletion of fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant.The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators to run life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Bombardments and clashes between Israeli troops and armed groups around the Shifa hospital in Gaza city intensified since the afternoon of 11 November. 
• The Israeli military has repeatedly alleged that armed groups operate a military compound within and underneath the Shifa hospital. The hospital’s management and the Palestinian MoH have strongly denied this allegation and have called for an independent investigation. 
• An unconfirmed number of IDPs, along with several staff and patients have reportedly fled the Shifa hospital over the past few days, amid the intensified attacks and Israeli calls to evacuate it. The Israeli military has claimed it had opened “a corridor” for people to leave the hospital. However, reports cited by the WHO indicated that some of those fleeing have come under fire, resulting in casualties. Humanitarian agencies have received desperate calls from staff and patients’ relatives willing to leave but fearing reported snipers around the hospital. Others, particularly people with disabilities, are physically unable to leave by themselves. According to the MoH in Gaza, as of 12 November, there were some 1,500 patients and 1,500 medical personnel at Shifa hospital, along with at least 15,000 IDPs. 
• The last generator at the Shifa hospital ran out of fuel on 11 November. Since the start of the power outage, which is compounded by the lack of medical consumables, two premature babies and ten other patients have died in the hospital, according to the Palestinian MoH in Ramallah. Shifa’s director has stated to the media that by tomorrow 13 November, kidney dialysis patients might die due to the inability to treat them. The MoH has also warned about the inability of the hospital staff to bury the bodies of about 100 fatalities, which began to decompose in the hospital yard, alongside risks associated with the medical waste accumulated inside the departments.
• The Israeli military has reported that, in the morning of 12 November, its troops attempted to deliver to Shifa hospital 300 litres of fuel for urgent medical purposes, and that the delivery was not taken by the hospital. Shifa’s director has stated to the media that the amount delivered would have been sufficient for 15-30 minutes only, noting that the hospital would have accepted it if was delivered through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
• On 12 November, PRCS reported that the Al Quds Hospital in Gaza city was no longer operational due to the depletion of available fuel and power outage. Medical staff are making every effort to provide care to patients and the wounded, even resorting to traditional medical methods amid dire humanitarian conditions and a shortage of medical supplies, food, and water. 
• As of 11 November, only seven out of 18 PRCS ambulances in the north were still functioning, but at risk of completely ceasing operations due to fuel depletion.
• UNRWA has continued to provide health care to IDPs at shelters through 124 medical teams deployed to the shelters. Between 10 and 11 November, a total of 18,076 were treated.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• As of 9 November, following a few days of limited operation, all municipal water wells across the Gaza Strip had to shut down again due to lack of fuel. As a result, the trucking and pumping of brackish water for non-drinking domestic uses came to a halt.  
• Anecdotal reports indicate that people hosted or living near the sea, are reaching the beaches to bathe and wash clothes in the sea, as well as carrying seawater to their homes and shelters for domestic consumption. This practice may carry various negative health ramifications due to the high pollution levels of seawater. 
• In the north, neither the water desalination plant nor the Israeli pipeline is operational. Similarly, no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters has taken place for over a week. There is serious concern about dehydration and waterborne diseases following water consumption from unsafe sources. 
• UNRWA has been providing about 1.5 litres of potable water and 3-4 litres of non-potable water per person per day in all shelters in the south. In the largest shelter located in Khan Younis (over 21,700 IDPs), UNRWA in partnership with UNICEF, installed a desalination plant, which turns brackish water extracted from wells, into potable water.
• Transfer of solid waste to landfills in most municipalities has largely stopped due to lack of fuel and insecurity. Waste is accumulating in the streets and outside IDP shelters, creating a high risk of airborne diseases and infestation of insects and rats. By contrast, solid waste collection from the camps and IDP shelters has continued intermittently: about 100 loads were transferred to temporary dumping sites on 10-11 November.

Food security

• Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, as well as the damage sustained by many. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food security partners have been unable to deliver assistance in the north as access has been largely cut off There are indications of negative coping mechanisms due to food scarcity, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.
• Women, especially those pregnant or lactating, struggle to find food, putting their families at risk. Their ability to nourish themselves and their children is severely compromised, endangering their health and well-being.
• Access to bread in the south is also challenging. The only operative mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat due to a lack of electricity and fuel. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since 7 October. Only one of the bakeries contracted by WFP, along with eight other bakeries in the south, intermittently provides bread to shelters, depending on the availability of flour and fuel. People queue lasting over 5 hours in front of bakeries, where they are exposed to airstrikes. 
• WFP and its partners report that some essential food items such as rice, pulses, and vegetable oil are nearly depleted in the market. Other items, including wheat flour, dairy products, eggs, and mineral water, have disappeared from the shelves in shops across Gaza over the past two days. Despite limited stock at the wholesale level, these items cannot reach retailers due to extensive damage, security issues, and the lack of fuel. Food and beverage prices have surged by 10 per cent since the start of hostilities, with fresh vegetable prices spiking by 32 per cent, potato prices rising by 30 per cent, and fresh fruit prices increasing by 27 per cent.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media (the reported estimate has been revised by Israeli sources), the vast majority on 7 October. As of 10 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 845 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 239 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. Hamas has claimed that 57 of the hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. On 12 November, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, renewed his call to release the hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 12 November, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained by Israeli forces during a search-and-arrest operation in Burqa village (Nablus).
• Since 7 October, 172 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. 
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 42 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (417). About 59 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. Some 27 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians, and the remaining seven per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,586 Palestinians, including at least 267 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional, 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• In the past 24 hours, Israeli settlers, reportedly from Tappuah, threw stones, physically assaulted and injured three Palestinian farmers, including two women, in the village of Jamma’in (Nablus).
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 241 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (30 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (174 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (37 incidents). This reflects a daily average of over six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements were recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 121 Palestinian households comprising 1,149 people, including 452 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• Additionally, 45 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced since 7 October following punitive demolitions, and another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits. 

Funding

• On 7 November, the UN and its partners issued a plan that outlines the minimum necessary to scale up humanitarian operations in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. An estimated US$1.2 billion is required to deliver existing humanitarian services amid ongoing hostilities

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #36

Premature babies at Shifa hospital in Gaza. On 11 November, two babies died when their life support stopped working and 37 babies in incubators are said to be at imminent risk of death. Screenshot from a video by UNICEF, 16 October 2023

12 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• Israeli shelling and ground attacks intensified around hospitals in Gaza city and northern Gaza (hereafter: the north) on 11 November, with several being directly hit. According to media reports, civilians, patients, and staff were shot at while attempting to flee the Shifa hospital in Gaza city.
• On 11 November, power at the Shifa and the Indonesian hospital (northern Gaza) was reportedly cut off after fuel for generators ran out; generators at Al Quds hospital (Gaza city) failed and could not be repaired due to the bombardment and fighting. At Shifa, two babies died when their life support stopped working and 37 babies in incubators are at imminent risk of death, according to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
• On 11 November, following reports on the attacks hitting Shifa hospital, the OCHA Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stated: "There can be no justification for acts of war in health care facilities, leaving them with no power, food or water, and shooting at patients and civilians trying to flee.”
• Hospitals are explicitly entitled to specific protection under international humanitarian law (IHL). They must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare the patients, medical staff, and other civilians, who must be protected under IHL. All feasible precautions must be taken to avoid incidental civilian harm, including effective warnings, which take into account the ability of patients, medical staff and other civilians to evacuate safely.
• The flight of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the north southwards through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military, continued on 11 November.
• Hundreds of thousands of people who remain in the north are struggling to get the essentials for their survival. Consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases.
• The reported fatality toll since 7 October includes at least 192 medical staff, according to MoH Gaza. Of them, at least 16 medical staff were on duty when killed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, 101 UNRWA staff have been killed, the highest number of UN personnel killed in a conflict in the history of the organization. Eighteen Palestinian Civil Defense personnel and 44 Palestinian journalists have also been killed since this crisis began.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• On 11 November, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were reported in and around Gaza city, in several areas in the North Gaza governorate and to a lesser extent in the Middle area. Meanwhile, intense Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land continued across the Gaza Strip, while Palestinian armed groups continued launching projectiles toward Israel. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor” to the south.
• On 10 November, at about 17:00, an Israeli airstrike hit Al Buraq school in Gaza city, which was being used as a shelter for IDPs, killing 50 people. The Israeli military stated that the airstrike targeted a Palestinian commander hiding in the school.
• On 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the MoH in Gaza did not update casualty figures. The Palestinian fatality toll in Gaza as of 10 November at 14:00 stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• As of 10 November, 66 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in UNRWA shelters have been killed and 558 injured. One-third of these fatalities and most of those injured (at least 400) occurred in facilities in the south.
• In the past 24 hours, five Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 47, according to Israeli official sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 11 November, for the eighth consecutive day, the Israeli military – which has called upon residents of the north to leave southwards – opened a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. It is estimated that tens of thousands of displaced people evacuated.
• IDPs reached the main junction next to Wadi Gaza on foot or donkey carts, given that the Israeli military reportedly stopped vehicles at about 4-5 kilometres away from that point. Most were able to carry only a few belongings. Most IDPs arrived exhausted and thirsty. UN monitors and NGOs distributed water and biscuits next to the junction.
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced. Among them, almost 760,000 IDPs are staying in at least 149 UNRWA shelters, where overcrowding is a major concern. The average number of IDPs per UNRWA shelter exceeded 6,250, which is nine times higher than their intended capacity. On average, 160 people sheltering in UNRWA facilities share a single toilet and there is one shower unit for every 700 people. The worsening sanitary conditions, along with the lack of privacy and space, generate health and safety hazards.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• For the second consecutive day, the Egyptian border was closed for the evacuation of foreign nationals and dual citizens, and injured people. Between 2 and 9 November, 131 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• A total of 53 trucks, carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water, blankets, and hygiene products crossed from Egypt into Gaza on 11 November as of 18:00. This brings the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October to 914. This is far below the quantities needed to meet the needs of over two million people besieged in Gaza.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed, as does the Israeli pedestrian crossing of Erez.
• In the International Humanitarian Conference held on 9 November in Paris, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths stated that “the modest number of trucks we have so far managed to get in via the Rafah border crossing is wholly inadequate compared to the vast sea of needs […] We need to get hundreds of trucks per day into Gaza, not dozens, and be allowed to reach every place people are sheltering.”

Electricity

• 11 November marks one month since Gaza has been under an electricity blackout, following Israel’s shutting off the electricity supply and the depletion of fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant.
• The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators to run life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 11 November, communication was cut off from hospitals in the north of Gaza. Therefore, information has been difficult to verify and there are no updates to the reported fatality toll.
• On 11 November, the Director of Shifa hospital was cited in the media as stating that there was no more food, water or electricity. A patient in the Intesive Care Unit and two incubated babies reportedly died as their life support machines shut down due to absence of electricity. It is estimated that 15,000 people are still sheltering within Shifa Hospital.
• The Israeli military has repeatedly alleged that armed groups operate a military compound within and underneath the Shifa hospital. The hospital’s management and the Palestinian MoH have strongly denied this allegation and have called for an independent investigation.
• On 11 November, it was reported that Al Quds hospital’s generator had failed, and technicians were unable to fix it due to sniper fire. Out of the most critical patients, seven are in the ICU and three babies are in incubators.
• As of 11 November, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), seven out of their eighteen ambulances in the north were still functioning, but at risk of completely ceasing operations in the coming hours due to fuel depletion.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• As of 9 November, following a few days of limited operation, all municipal water wells across the Gaza Strip had to shut down again due to the lack of fuel. As a result, the trucking and pumping of brackish water for non-drinking domestic uses came to a halt.
• Anecdotal reports indicate that people hosted or living near the sea, are reaching the beaches to bath and wash clothes in the sea, as well as carrying seawater to their homes and shelters for domestic consumption. This practice may carry various negative health ramifications due to the high pollution levels of seawater.
• In the north, neither the water desalination plant nor the Israeli pipeline are operational. Similarly, no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters has taken place for over a week. There is serious concern about dehydration and waterborne diseases following water consumption from unsafe sources.
• UNRWA has been providing about 1.5 litres of potable water and 3-4 litres of non-potable water per person per day in all shelters in the south. In the largest shelter located in Khan Younis (over 21,700 IDPs), UNRWA in partnership with UNICEF, installed a desalination plant, which turns brackish water extracted from wells, into potable water.
• Water entering from Egypt in bottles and jerry cans can only address the drinking needs (three litres per person per day) of about 4 per cent of the people.
• Transfer of solid waste to landfills has largely stopped across the Gaza Strip, due to lack of fuel and insecurity. Waste is accumulating in the streets and outside IDP shelters, creating a high risk of airborne diseases and infestation of insects and rats.

Food security

• Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, as well as the damage sustained by many. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food security partners have been unable to deliver assistance in the north during the past nine days. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms due to food scarcity, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.
• Access to bread in the south is also challenging. The only operative mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat due to a lack of electricity and fuel. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since 7 October. Only one of the bakeries contracted by WFP, along with eight other bakeries in the south, intermittently provides bread to shelters, depending on the availability of flour and fuel. People queue for long hours in front of bakeries, where they are exposed to airstrikes.
• WFP and its partners report that some essential food items such as rice, pulses, and vegetable oil are nearly depleted in the market. Other items, including wheat flour, dairy products, eggs, and mineral water, have disappeared from the shelves in shops across Gaza over the past two days. Despite limited stock at the wholesale level, these items cannot reach retailers due to extensive damage, security issues, and the lack of fuel. The prices of available food items in the market have increased by 10 per cent since the start of hostilities, according to a WFP survey.
• While about 9,000 tons of wheat grain are stored in mills in Gaza, a significant portion of it cannot be used, due to massive destruction, security concerns, and shortages of fuel and electricity.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centers has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. Overall, about 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media (the reported estimate has been revised by Israeli sources), the vast majority on 7 October. As of 10 November, the names of 1,162 of fatalities in Israel have been released, including 845 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 239 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. Hamas has claimed that 57 of the hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. On 9 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, renewed his call to release the hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 11 November, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a search-and-arrest operation in Arraba village (Jenin).
• Since 7 October, 169 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 42 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (417). About 59 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. Some 27 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians, and the remaining seven per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,560 Palestinians, including at least 262 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. Seventy Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 32 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 235 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (29 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (170 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of over six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October, at least 121 Palestinian households comprising 1,149 people, including 452 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 45 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced since 7 October following punitive demolitions, and another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits.

Funding

• On 7 November, the UN and its partners issued a plan that outlines the minimum necessary to scale up humanitarian operations in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. An estimated US$1.2 billion is required to deliver existing humanitarian services amid ongoing hostilities. The UN has shared its response plan with potential donors and partners as part of an updated Flash Appeal..

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #38

Aid distribution in an UNRWA facility hosting displaced Palestinian families. Screenshot from a video by UNICEF

13 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• All but one of the hospitals in Gaza city and northern Gaza (hereafter: the north) are reportedly out of service, as of 13 November, due to the lack of power, medical consumables, oxygen, food and water, compounded by bombardments and fighting in their vicinities. Al Ahli Hospital, in Gaza city, which currently accommodates over 500 patients, is reportedly the sole medical facility able to receive patients, amid increasing shortages and challenges.
• In Shifa hospital, 32 patients, including three premature babies, have reportedly died since 11 November, following the power cut and amid dire conditions. As of midnight, between 12 and 13 November, some 600-650 inpatients, 200-500 staff, and 1,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were believed to have remained in the hospital. Among the patients at heightened risk of death were reportedly 36 babies in incubators and a number of kidney dialysis patients.
• Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. And they must not be used to shield military objectives from attack. Any military operation around or within hospitals must take steps to spare and protect the patients, medical staff, and other civilians. All feasible precautions must be taken, including effective warnings, which consider the ability of patients, medical staff and other civilians to evacuate safely. The Israeli authorities have called for the evacuation of hospitals in the north. However, as the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, this would be a “death sentence,” given that the entire medical system is collapsing and hospitals in southern Gaza cannot admit more patients.
• On 13 November, UNRWA warned that its humanitarian operations, including the distribution of aid entering through the Rafah crossing, are expected to halt within the next 48 hours, following the total depletion of its fuel reserves. In this context, two primary water distribution contractors working for the agency in the south ceased operations on 13 November, leaving 200,000 people without access to potable water. Furthermore, humanitarian organizations are facing severe communication breakdowns, which is also associated with fuel depletion.
• The Israeli military continued calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to move southwards. An estimated 200,000 have moved since 5 November through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military, according to OCHA monitoring. Overcrowding and limited access to shelter, food and water, in the south, are of increasing concern.
• Hundreds of thousands of people, who are either unwilling or unable to move to the south remain in the north, remain amid intensified hostilities. They are struggling to secure the minimum amount of water and food for survival. The consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases. The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed concern about malnutrition and starvation.
• UNRWA is verifying reports that Israeli forces entered one of its schools, and two of its health centres, in the north and forced IDPs that were sheltering there to leave southwards. Subsequently, the two health centres were reportedly stuck with artillery fire. In Rafah, an UNRWA guest house serving as a residence for UN staff was directly hit by Israeli naval strikes, severely damaging it but resulting in no casualties. The coordinates of these facilities had been shared in advance with the Israeli military.
• UN offices globally lowered flags to half-mast on 13 November, mourning the loss of 102 UNRWA staff killed since the start of the escalation of hostilities in Gaza. This is the highest death toll among UN staff in such a short period in the history of the UN.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in and around Gaza city continued overnight, in several areas in the North Gaza governorate. Intense strikes by Israeli forces also continue in the south, and ground incursions appear to continue in the area south-east of Khan Yunis. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor” to the south.
• Deadly attacks included the following: on 12 November, at about 04:00 p.m., a building in Khan Younis (in the south) was hit, reportedly killing 11 people and injuring 25 others; on 13 November, at about 02:00 a.m., a house was hit in As Sabra area, in Gaza city, reportedly killing 12 Palestinians; on 13 November, at about 11:00 a.m., a residential building in An Nuseirat was hit, reportedly killing seven Palestinians and injuring others.
• On 13 November, for the third consecutive day, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza did not update casualty figures. The reported fatality toll of Palestinians in Gaza as of 10 November at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians have reportedly been injured.
• Active ground operations in the heart of Gaza City and near the hospitals along with the lack of fuel have halted the movement of rescue teams and ambulances. Multiple appeals by stranded households and family members underneath struck buildings and homes went unanswered. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), hundreds of calls have been received at the emergency number from besieged Palestinians in Gaza city, urgently requesting ambulances for the wounded, evacuation for trapped families, and assistance for those under rubble. Many of these calls for help have gone unanswered.
• In the last 24 hours, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 49, according to official Israeli sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 13 November, for the tenth consecutive day, the Israeli military – which has called and exerted pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards – opened a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00 hrs. The Israeli military also announced on its social media platforms in the Arabic language, “a tactical halt in military activities,” in selected areas for a few hours, to enable the departure of people southwards.
• IDPs reached the main junction next to Wadi Gaza on foot or donkey carts, given that the Israeli military reportedly stopped vehicles at about 4-5 kilometres away from that point. Most were able to carry only a few belongings. Most IDPs arrived exhausted and thirsty. The UN and NGOs distributed water and biscuits next to the junction. Numerous accounts highlight that Israeli forces made arrests while people were passing through the corridor. Additionally, there are reports of some people being subjected to acts of violence, including being stripped, beaten, and, in some instances, fired upon.
• As a result of strikes near an UNRWA school in Deir Al Balah, three IDPs were injured. The school shelters about 4,000 IDPs. In the north, another UNRWA school was directly hit, damaging the building, with no injuries reported.
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 778,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters. The number of IDPs in the south continues to increase, with UNRWA sheltering 627,000 people in 97 facilities, three of which were recently opened in Rafah. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity. Overcrowding is leading to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, raising environmental and health concerns and limiting the Agency’s ability to deliver effective and timely services.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• A total of 115 trucks, carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water, blankets, tents and hygiene products, crossed from Egypt into Gaza on 13 November as of 18:00 hrs. This brings the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October to 1,096. According to UNRWA, humanitarian operations at Rafah crossing are expected to cease by 14 November, due to the depletion of fuel to operate trucks and machinery to take supplies from the border and unload them in Gaza; if no additional fuel comes in, other supplies will not come in either.
• On 13 November, the Egyptian border operated for the evacuation of about 600 foreign nationals and dual citizens, and four injured people. Between 2 and 13 November, some 135 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed, as does the Israeli pedestrian crossing of Erez.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, following Israel’s shutting off the electricity supply and the depletion of fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators to run life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• The situation of hospitals in the north remains dire. All but one of the hospitals are no longer operational. Shifa and Al Quds hospitals are being subject to heavy strikes.
• In the past 24 hours, bombardments and clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian armed groups around Shifa hospital continued. People in and near the hospital, including a technical worker, a patient and IDPs, have reportedly been shot by snipers. The ICU facility, the maternity ward, and the top floor of the surgery building, were hit and damaged A fire broke near the department treating patients with kidney disorders. .
• The Israeli military has repeatedly alleged that Palestinian armed groups operate a military compound within and underneath the Shifa hospital. The hospital’s management and the Palestinian MoH have strongly denied these allegations and have called for an independent investigation.
• Today, according to the Israeli military, a Palestinian armed group opened fire from the vicinity and from within Al Quds hospital compound, run by Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), while civilians were fleeing the facility; dozens of members of these Palestinian armed gGroups were reportedly killed by Israeli forces. The PRCS strongly denied the Israeli claims about armed individuals launching projectiles from inside the hospital.
• On 13 November, a joint convoy of the PRCS with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) heading to Al Quds hospital in Gaza city to evacuate patients, was forced to return after it left Khan Younis, due to the relentless bombardment and insecurity around the hospital. The medical team, patients, and their families, reportedly remain besieged in the hospital with no food, water, or electricity.
• Active ground operations in the heart of Gaza city and near the hospitals in North Gaza governorate, have halted the movement of rescue teams and ambulances. According to PRCS, hundreds of calls has been received at emergency number from besieged Palestinians in Gaza city, urgently requesting ambulances for the wounded, evacuation for trapped families, and assistance for those trapped under rubble.
• UNRWA has continued to provide health care to IDPs at shelters through 124 medical teams deployed to the shelters. However as of 14 November, the fuel reserves of the health centres will be depleted if no additional fuel is provided. UNRWA operations will entirely depend on solar energy, which is designed only to cater for minimum operation. Functionality of the solar energy is not guaranteed as any malfunction and/or battery failure will cause complete stop of all operation.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• In the absence of fuel, as of 14 November, UNRWA solid waste removal services will begin to shut down, posing an environmental hazard, with about 400 tons of rubish per day accumulating in overcrowded camps and IDP shelters.
• Due to lack of fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, the two main desalination plants in Rafah and the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant have all ceased operations. Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.
• Anecdotal reports indicate that people hosted or living near the sea, are reaching the beaches to bathe and wash clothes in the sea, as well as carrying seawater to their homes and shelters for domestic consumption. This practice may carry various negative health ramifications due to the high pollution levels of seawater.
• In the north, the water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning. There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters for over a week, raising is grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources.

Food security

• Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, and structural damage. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food security partners have been unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms due to food scarcity, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as consuming combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.
• Women, especially those pregnant or lactating, struggle to find food, putting their families at risk. Their ability to nourish themselves and their children is severely compromised, endangering their health and well-being.
• Access to bread in the south is also challenging. The only functioning mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat, due to a lack of electricity and fuel. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since 7 October. Only one of the bakeries contracted by the World Food Programme (WFP), along with eight other bakeries in the south, intermittently provides bread to shelters. This is dependent on the availability of flour and fuel. People queue an average of over five 5 hours in front of bakeries, where they are exposed to airstrikes.
• WFP and its partners report that some essential food items such as rice, pulses, and vegetable oil, are nearly depleted in the market. Other items, including wheat flour, dairy products, eggs, and mineral water, have disappeared from the shelves in shops across Gaza over the past two days. Despite limited stock at the wholesale level, these items cannot reach retailers due to extensive damage, security issues, and the lack of fuel. Food and beverage prices have surged by 10 per cent since the start of hostilities, with fresh vegetable prices spiking by 32 per cent, potato prices rising by 30 per cent, and fresh fruit prices increasing by 27 per cent.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 10 November, the names of 1,162 fatalities in Israel have been released, including 845 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 239 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. According to some media reports, about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. Hamas has claimed that 57 of the hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. On 13 November, Humanitarian Coordinator Lynn Hastings renewed her call to release the hostages.to release the hostages.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 13 November, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man while he was inside his vehicle during a search-and-arrest operation in Hebron city.
• Since 7 October, 173 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 42 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (418). About 59 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. Some 27 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians, and the remaining seven per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,625 Palestinians, including at least 275 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. An additional, 74 Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• No settler-related incidents against Palestinians were reported in the past 24 hours.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 241 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (30 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (174 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (37 incidents). This reflects a daily average of over six incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• No new displacements were recorded during the past 24 hours. Since 7 October, at least 121 Palestinian households comprising 1,149 people, including 452 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
• Additionally, 45 Palestinians, including 24 children, have been displaced since 7 October following punitive demolitions, and another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits.

Funding

• On 7 November, the UN and its partners issued a plan that outlines the minimum necessary to scale up humanitarian operations in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. An estimated US$1.2 billion is required to deliver existing humanitarian services amid ongoing hostilities. The UN has shared its response plan with potential donors and partners as part of an updated Flash Appeal.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

The Biden administration is lying when it says it can’t stop the war on Gaza.

13 november 2023

More than ten thousand Palestinians, including 4,200 children, have been killed in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip that began more than a month ago in response to Hamas’s surprise attack that killed 1,400 Israelis. As the humanitarian crisis and mass death mounts in Gaza — and as 237 Israelis are still being held hostage by Hamas — President Joe Biden is facing a great deal of pressure from millions of protesters around the world, 80 percent of Democratic voters, over five hundred Biden campaign alumni, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, twenty-five Arab and Jewish peace groups in Israel, and eighteen United Nations agencies to call for a cease-fire.

Biden explicitly rejected these calls last Thursday, saying there is “no possibility” of a cease-fire, and is still lobbying Congress for an additional $14.3 billion in new weapons and military funding for Israel. Seeking to maintain its brand as a defender of human rights and progress, the Biden administration has instead tried a number of compromise measures to square the circle of its enlightened self-image with support for an unprecedented violent siege and bombing campaign.

Faced with a massive PR crisis, the White House is now trying a fresh approach: feed compliant reporters a narrative that calls for Biden to push for a cease-fire are moot anyway, because the United States executive branch is more or less unable to influence Israel, even if it wanted to. It’s part of a broader tactic with the Biden White House: when it wants to do something conservative or take no action on popular progressive policies it feigns helplessness to avoid ideological conflict.

13 november 2023

It is with heavy hearts that we highlight Gaza for the November Newsletter. Gaza is an ancient city along the Mediterranean coast with a rich history dating back thousands of years. In the early 20th century, none of the people in Gaza could have envisioned that their historically rich coastal region, situated on ancient trading and maritime routes with open borders connecting Africa to Asia, would transform into the world's largest concentration camp, confining over two million Palestinians by the end of the century, with 50% of them under the age of 18, and 70% below the age of 24. Currently, Gaza is being bombarded again by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Though Gaza has been the target of many attacks by the IOF, this current attack is unlike anything Gaza has seen in terms of ruthlessness and indiscriminate attacks. As of November 12th, over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed by the IOF, primarily in airstrikes. Over 40% of these deaths are children. Over 27,000 Palestinians have been injured, and are struggling to find treatment as hospitals in Gaza run out of supplies, fuel, and other necessities to keep the facilities running.

Gaza, the ancient Canaanite city, one of the world's oldest, was established nearly 5,000 years before the violent establishment of Israel.  Before it became known as an open-air prison, Gaza was renowned for its stunning beaches, expansive shores, and fertile agricultural lands. The city was celebrated for its open-hearted hospitality, welcoming any traveler wishing to explore. There were once seven gates that were wide-open to travelers wishing to enter Gaza. They have now been replaced by three heavily armed, unsightly metal barriers that are only unlocked at the discretion of militant gatekeepers. Only the door of heaven remains opened for the souls of Gaza's children, who decided to soar proudly to heaven without seeking permission from the blind and avaricious colonial world.

Kom nu in actie tegen deze bedrijven die profiteren van de genocide op het Palestijnse volk!

12 november 2023

Mensen met een geweten over de hele wereld zijn terecht verbijsterd, woedend en voelen zich soms machteloos. Velen voelen zich gedwongen om alle producten en diensten van bedrijven die op enigerlei wijze verbonden zijn met Israël te boycotten. De verspreiding van uitgebreide “boycotlijsten” op sociale media is hiervan een voorbeeld. De vraag is hoe we boycots effectief kunnen maken en daadwerkelijk impact kunnen hebben door bedrijven verantwoordelijk te houden voor hun medeplichtigheid aan het lijden van de Palestijnen.

De BDS-beweging maakt gebruik van de historisch succesvolle methode van gerichte boycots, geïnspireerd door onder meer de Zuid-Afrikaanse anti-apartheidsbeweging, de Amerikaanse burgerrechtenbeweging en de Indiase antikoloniale strijd.

Voor maximale impact moeten we ons strategisch richten op een relatief kleiner aantal zorgvuldig geselecteerde bedrijven en producten. Bedrijven die een duidelijke en directe rol spelen in de misdaden van Israël en waar er een reëel potentieel is om te winnen, zoals het geval was bij onder meer G4S, Veolia, Orange, Ben & Jerry’s en Pillsbury. Het dwingen van grote, medeplichtige bedrijven, door middel van strategische en contextgevoelige boycot- en desinvesteringscampagnes, om een einde te maken aan hun medeplichtigheid aan de Israëlische apartheid en oorlogsmisdaden tegen de Palestijnen, zendt een zeer krachtige boodschap uit naar honderden andere medeplichtige bedrijven: ‘uw tijd zal komen, dus ga weg’. voordat het te laat is!”

 Help ons de boodschap verspreiden om onze impact te maximaliseren! Free Palestine!

Our elected officials are feeling the force of our advocacy, and we can’t stop

10 november 2023

I hope this message finds you well. Yesterday, AMP and AJP Action spearheaded an impactful event with over 200 concerned constituents from the DMV area, urging Members of Congress to address the alarming situation in Gaza. Despite nearly five weeks of indiscriminate bombing and war crimes committed by Israel on Palestinians, not a single representative from the DMV had publicly called for a ceasefire.

Our DMV Advocacy Day was marked by powerful and emotional meetings with key offices, leaving attendees reenergized to persist in our advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and at every level of government for Palestine. We had discussions with high-level staff and direct conversations with Members of Congress, such as Congressman Beyer. Constituents engaged in a fruitful dialogue with him, addressing concerns and exploring avenues to bridge the gap in his support for a ceasefire. It was evident that our collective pressure was making a significant impact.

The landscape of American public opinion has undergone an unprecedented shift, resulting in heightened pressure on elected officials and their staff to address the rights of Palestinians. This marks a historic moment in U.S. Palestinian advocacy, with offices experiencing greater scrutiny than ever.

Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we maintain this momentum. We must continue leveraging our rights as American constituents to amplify our voices, ensuring that our tax dollars cease to fund actions that amount to genocide. Our objective is clear: to work towards a fundamental shift in the U.S. government's stance on Israel, dismantling the longstanding support for actions that perpetuate and enable genocide, occupation, and settler colonialism. 

Please join us in the continued critical effort of advocacy. Together, we can wield our collective influence to bring about substantive change and ensure that our elected representatives stand for justice and liberation for Palestinians.

Sincerely,

Ayah Ziyadeh

Advocacy Director, AJP Action

10 november 2023

Palestinian, Muslim, & Arab Google workers just published an open letter covered by the New York Times¹ that exposes how workers have been surveilled & harassed for expressing solidarity with Palestine during Israel's active genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Join us in standing in solidarity with these brave workers and their demands. Tell Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian:

Stop providing material tech support to Israel's genocidal bombing of Palestinians in Gaza.

No Tech For Apartheid, No Tech For Genocide. 

No hate, abuse, or retaliation against Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab workers for standing up for Palestinian human rights.

Google leadership has allowed dehumanizing, racist comments against Palestinians on official Google work platforms while Google managers have used their rank to question, report, and attempt to fire Google employees who express sympathy with Palestinians.

Muslim employees have been accused of supporting terrorism because of their religion. Such comments included slanders of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Google leadership has stood idly by.

Google managers have called employees "sick" & a "lost cause" for showing empathy for Palestinians in Gaza.

Google workers who shared appeals to donate to a Google-sponsored charity (UNRWA) to provide food & medicine to Palestinians in Gaza were met with harassing comments that dehumanized Gazans as "animals."  Relief efforts for civilians were slandered by claims that Palestinian schools and hospitals were being used for "terrorism" and should be boycotted.²

Google leadership, again, stood idly by.

Stand with Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim Google workers. Tell Google: No Tech For Apartheid.

Obstinacy by Google & its CEO Sundar Pichai, in the face of well-documented retaliation against workers speaking up for Palestine, has been going on for years.³

By systematically silencing and retaliating against their workers, Google is evading accountability for providing material support to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza & the violent apartheid system Palestinians have lived under for decades.

Backing up and amplifying Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab workers at Google is more important now than ever.

Google workers are once again demanding that their labor not be used in upholding the oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank and the genocide in Gaza.

Add your name to their demand:

"We demand that Google stop providing material support to this genocide by canceling its Project Nimbus contract and immediately cease doing business with the Israeli apartheid government and military."

Thank you for everything you do.

In solidarity,

Lau, Sara, Binita, and the MPower Change team

P.S. The quotes above are from a Google worker open letter just released on Medium and covered yesterday in the New York Times. Please help us get them in front of as many eyes as possible — click to share on Instagram and Twitter.

Sources:

1. "Google’s Open Culture Collides With the Israel-Hamas War," New York Times, November 8, 2023.
2. "Open Letter: Google Workers Condemn Internal Culture of Hate, Abuse, and Retaliation," Medium, November 8, 2023.
3. "Palestinian, Jewish, and Arab Google Employees Speak Out," Jewish Diaspora in Tech, August 30, 2022.

Tell Google: Stop powering Israel's genocidal bombing of Gaza

10 november 2023

Palestinian, Muslim, & Arab Google workers just published an open letter covered by the New York Times¹ that exposes how workers have been surveilled & harassed for expressing solidarity with Palestine during Israel's active genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Join us in standing in solidarity with these brave workers and their demands. Tell Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian:

Stop providing material tech support to Israel's genocidal bombing of Palestinians in Gaza.

No Tech For Apartheid, No Tech For Genocide. 

No hate, abuse, or retaliation against Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab workers for standing up for Palestinian human rights.

Google leadership has allowed dehumanizing, racist comments against Palestinians on official Google work platforms while Google managers have used their rank to question, report, and attempt to fire Google employees who express sympathy with Palestinians.

Muslim employees have been accused of supporting terrorism because of their religion. Such comments included slanders of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Google leadership has stood idly by.

Google managers have called employees "sick" & a "lost cause" for showing empathy for Palestinians in Gaza.

Google workers who shared appeals to donate to a Google-sponsored charity (UNRWA) to provide food & medicine to Palestinians in Gaza were met with harassing comments that dehumanized Gazans as "animals."  Relief efforts for civilians were slandered by claims that Palestinian schools and hospitals were being used for "terrorism" and should be boycotted.

Google leadership, again, stood idly by.

Stand with Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim Google workers. Tell Google: No Tech For Apartheid.

Obstinacy by Google & its CEO Sundar Pichai, in the face of well-documented retaliation against workers speaking up for Palestine, has been going on for years.³

By systematically silencing and retaliating against their workers, Google is evading accountability for providing material support to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza & the violent apartheid system Palestinians have lived under for decades.

Backing up and amplifying Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab workers at Google is more important now than ever.

Google workers are once again demanding that their labor not be used in upholding the oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank and the genocide in Gaza.

Add your name to their demand:

"We demand that Google stop providing material support to this genocide by canceling its Project Nimbus contract and immediately cease doing business with the Israeli apartheid government and military."

Thank you for everything you do.

In solidarity,

Lau, Sara, Binita, and the MPower Change team

P.S. The quotes above are from a Google worker open letter just released on Medium and covered yesterday in the New York Times. Please help us get them in front of as many eyes as possible — click to share on Instagram and Twitter.

Sources:

1. "Google’s Open Culture Collides With the Israel-Hamas War," New York Times, November 8, 2023.
2. "Open Letter: Google Workers Condemn Internal Culture of Hate, Abuse, and Retaliation," Medium, November 8, 2023.
3. "Palestinian, Jewish, and Arab Google Employees Speak Out," Jewish Diaspora in Tech, August 30, 2022.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #35

A Civil Defense team on a mission to rescue survivors and retrieve bodies from beneath the rubble in a residential area of Gaza. About 2,700 people, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing. Eighteen Palestinian Civil Defense personnel have reportedly been killed since 7 October 2023. Photo by the Civil Defense, 2 November 2023.

10 november 2023

KEY POINTS

• An estimated 30,000 additional people fled areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) southwards through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military on 10 November. At about 15:00, several explosions were recorded in that “corridor,” resulting in fatalities and injuries, among those fleeing, according to initial reports
• Israeli bombardments around hospitals in Gaza city and the North Gaza governorate intensified on 10 November, with several being directly hit. By noon, Israeli ground forces reportedly completed the encirclement of four hospitals in An Nasser area of Gaza city. One of them, a pediatric hospital, stopped operations on 9 November after sustaining significant damage. This brings to 20 (out of 36) the number of hospitals throughout Gaza that are no longer functioning.
• The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sub-delegation in Gaza stated today that “the destruction affecting hospitals in Gaza is becoming unbearable and needs to stop. The lives of thousands of civilians, patients and medical staff are at risk.”
• On 10 November, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stressed following reports on attacks hitting Shifa: "under international humanitarian law, hospitals must be protected" adding that "acts of war in places of grace must stop.”
• Hundreds of thousands of people remaining in the north are struggling to survive. Consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases. The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed concern about malnutrition and starvation.
• The reported fatalities since 7 October include at least 192 medical staff, according to MoH Gaza. Of them, at least 16 were on duty when killed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The fatalities further include 101 UNRWA staff; this is the highest number of UN personnel killed in a conflict in the history of the organization. Eighteen Palestinian Civil Defense personnel and 44 Palestinian journalists have also been killed.
• In the West Bank, 51 Palestinians were displaced on 10 November from a herding community in Hebron following systematic settler violence and threats, bringing to 1,149 the number of people displaced in this context since 7 October. Another 18 people were displaced on 9 and 10 November following punitive demolitions of homes in Hebron and East Jerusalem; of whom some family members had been convicted or accused of killing Israelis.
• On 10 November, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child in the West Bank, bringing the total number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces or settlers to 47 since 7 October. 

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• On 10 November, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were reported in and outside of Gaza city, in several areas in the North Gaza governorate and to a lesser extent in the Middle area. Meanwhile, intense Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land continued across the Gaza Strip, while Palestinian armed groups continued launching projectiles toward Israel. Israeli ground troops have maintained the effective severance of the north from the south.
• Between 9 November (14:00) and 10 November (14:00), 260 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. According to initial information, on 9 November at about 16:20, an airstrike hit a residential building in Rafah, southern Gaza, killing 26 people and injuring 15; on 10 November, in two separate strikes, buildings in Jabalia Refugee Camp in the north of Gaza were hit, reportedly killing eleven and injuring several others.
• The fatality toll reported by MoH in Gaza since the start of the hostilities stands at 11,078, of whom 4,506 are said to be children and 3,027 women. About 2,700 others, including some 1,500 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery. Another 27,490 Palestinians were reportedly injured. 
• As of 10 November, 66 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in UNRWA shelters have been killed and 558 injured. One-third of these fatalities and the majority of those injured (at least 400) occurred in facilities in the south.
• In the past 24 hours, at least one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza and another died from injuries sustained previously, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 42, according to Israeli official sources.
• See the latest snapshot for more breakdowns.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 10 November, for the seventh consecutive day, the Israeli military – which has called upon residents of the north to leave southwards – opened a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. It is estimated that over 30,000 people evacuated.
• These internally displaced persons (IDPs) reached the main junction next to Wadi Gaza on foot or donkey carts, as vehicles were reportedly stopped by the Israeli military at about 4-5 kilometers away from that point. Most were able to carry only few personal belongings. Most IDPs arrived exhausted and thirsty. UN monitors and NGOs distributed water and biscuits next to the junction.
• “We came from Gaza city; the way was terrifying. They [Israeli soldiers] stopped my elderly father telling him to ask one of the children to leave his bag behind. They also arrested a man in front of us” (IDP interviewed by OCHA monitors).
• Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced. Among them, 588,000 IDPs are staying in 94 UNRWA shelters in the south, where overcrowding is a major concern. The average number of IDPs per UNRWA shelter exceeded 6,250, which is nine times higher than their intended capacity. On average, 160 people sheltering in UNRWA schools’ facilities share a single toilet and there is one shower unit for every 700 people. The worsening sanitary conditions, along with the lack of privacy and space, generate health and safety hazards.
• See the live IDP dashboard for the latest figures and more breakdowns.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

• On 10 November, the Egyptian border was closed for the evacuation of foreign nationals and dual citizens, and of injured people. Between 2 and 9 November, 131 injured people were taken for medical care in Egypt.
• A total of 30 trucks, carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water, blankets, and hygiene products crossed from Egypt into Gaza on 10 November as of 18:00. This brings the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October to 861. This is far below the quantities needed to meet the needs of over two million people besieged in Gaza. 
• Overnight (9-10 November), a group of 982 Palestinian workers from Gaza who had been stranded in Israel, and then in the West Bank, since 7 October, were transferred back to Gaza via the Israeli Kerem Shalom crossing. After boarding Israeli buses at the West Bank checkpoint of Tarqumiya (Hebron), Israeli forces reportedly cuffed the workers’ hands and legs and took their mobile phones.
• Otherwise, the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed, as does the Israeli pedestrian crossing of Erez.
• In the International Humanitarian Conference held on 9 November in Paris, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths stated that “the modest number of trucks we have so far managed to get in via the Rafah border crossing is wholly inadequate compared to the vast sea of needs […] We need to get hundreds of trucks per day into Gaza, not dozens, and be allowed to reach every place people are sheltering.”

Electricity

• Gaza remains under a full electricity blackout since 11 October, following Israel’s halt of its power and fuel supply, which triggered the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant.
• The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators to run life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Since 9 November afternoon, Israeli bombardments around hospitals in the north intensified. The vicinity of Shifa hospital was hit five times during this period, with at least seven fatalities reported, along with damage to the maternity ward. On the evening of 9 November, buildings surrounding the Indonesian Hospital, in Beit Lahiya (northern Gaza), were repeatedly bombarded from the air, resulting in deaths and injuries. Around the same time, the Rantisi Hospital in Gaza city was directly hit, causing fires and damage. In the early hours of 10 November, the vicinities of Al Awda hospital in Jabalia, and Al Quds hospital in Gaza city were bombarded; the intensive care unit at the latter sustained damage. 
• The ICRC stressed today: “The rules of war are clear. Hospitals are specially protected facilities under international humanitarian law. The ICRC urgently calls for the immediate protection of all civilians, including humanitarian workers and medical personnel. This protection is not only a legal obligation but a moral imperative to preserve human life in these terrible times”. 
• Since 2 November, 12 children with cancer or blood disorders have been evacuated through Rafah crossing, with their companions, to Egypt and Jordan. Before the escalation, about 100 patients were referred for treatment outside of Gaza every day. The two specialized hospitals offering care to cancer patients have been overwhelmed, undersupplied, exposed to attacks and, due to the insecurity, forced to close. 
• WHO warned on 8 November of the risk of the rapid spread of infectious diseases and bacterial infections due to the water shortage and related consumption of contaminated water. Since mid-October, over 33,500 cases of diarrhea have been reported, mostly among children under five; by contrast, the monthly average of diarrhea cases in the latter group in 2021 and 2022 stood at 2,000. 
• Nine (out of 22) UNRWA health centres are still operational in the south, recording 6,530 patient visits on 8 November. These centres also provide medical care for post-natal and high-risk pregnant women. There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with more than 180 giving birth every day. A total of 718 post-natal mothers have been attended in UNRWA shelters since the beginning of October.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• On 9 November, following a few days of limited operation, all municipal water wells across the Gaza Strip had to shut down again due to the lack of fuel. As a result, the trucking and pumping of brackish water for non-drinking domestic uses came to a halt.  
• Anecdotal reports indicate that people hosted or living near the sea, are reaching the beaches to bath and wash clothes in the sea, as well as carrying seawater to their homes and shelters for domestic consumption. This practice may carry various negative health ramifications due to the high pollution levels of seawater. 
• In the north, neither the water desalination plant nor the Israeli pipeline is operational. Similarly, no distribution of bottled water among IDPs accommodated in shelters has taken place for over a week. There is serious concern about dehydration and waterborne diseases following water consumption from unsafe sources. 
• In the south, one of the two desalination plants shut down on 9 November due to a lack of fuel, while the other operated at about five per cent of its capacity supplying drinking water to IDP shelters through trucking. Two pipelines from Israel connected to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis are also providing households connected to the network with driking water for a few hours per day. 
• UNRWA has been providing about 1.5 litres of potable water and 3-4 litres of non-potable water per person per day in all shelters in the south. In the largest shelter located in Khan Younis (over 21,700 IDPs), UNRWA in partnership with UNICEF, installed a desalination plant, which turns brackish water extracted from wells, into potable water.
• Water entering from Egypt in bottles and jerry cans can only address the drinking needs (three litres per person per day) of about 4 per cent of the people.
• Transfer of solid waste to landfills has largely stopped across the Gaza Strip, due to lack of fuel and insecurity. Waste is accumulating in the streets and outside IDP shelters, creating a high risk of airborne diseases and infestation of insects and rats. 

Food security

• Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 November, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour, as well as the damage sustained by many. Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. Food security partners have been unable to deliver assistance in the north during the past nine days. There are indications of negative coping mechanisms due to food scarcity, including skipping or reducing meals and using unsafe and unhealthy methods for making fire. People are reportedly resorting to unconventional eating, such as combinations of raw onion and uncooked eggplant.
• Access to bread in the south is also challenging. The only operative mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat due to a lack of electricity and fuel. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since 7 October. Only one of the bakeries contracted by WFP, along with eight other bakeries in the south, intermittently provides bread to shelters, depending on the availability of flour and fuel. People queue for long hours in front of bakeries, where they are exposed to airstrikes.
• Food supplies entering from Egypt include mainly ready-to-eat food (canned tuna and date bars) and are primarily distributed to IDPs and host families in the south.
• WFP and its partners report that some essential food items such as rice, pulses, and vegetable oil are nearly depleted in the market. Other items, including wheat flour, dairy products, eggs, and mineral water, have disappeared from the shelves in shops across Gaza over the past two days. Despite limited stock at the wholesale level, these items cannot reach retailers due to extensive damage, security issues, and the lack of fuel. The prices of available food items in the market have increased by 10 per cent since the start of hostilities, according to a WFP survey. 
• While about 9,000 tons of wheat grain are stored in mills in Gaza, a significant portion of it cannot be used, due to massive destruction, security concerns, and shortages of fuel and electricity.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centers has continued over the past 24 hours, with no reported fatalities. Overall, about 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities as cited by the media (the reported estimate has been changed by the Israeli sources), the vast majority on 7 October. As of 10 November, the names of 1,162 of fatalities in Israel have been released, including 845 civilians and police officers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 33 are children. 
• According to the Israeli authorities, 239 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. Hamas has claimed that 57 of the hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, renewed his call to release the hostages on 9 November. 

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 10 November Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian child during a search-and-arrest operation in Ayda Refugee Camp (Bethlehem). 
• Since 7 October, 168 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and an additional eight, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. 
• The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October accounts for 42 per cent of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023 (416). About 59 per cent of the fatalities since 7 October occurred during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations, primarily in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. Some 27 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; seven per cent were killed in settler attacks against Palestinians, and the remaining seven per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,552 Palestinians, including at least 25 children, over half of them in the context of demonstrations. Sixty-six Palestinians have been injured by settlers. Some 32 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.
• In the past 24 hours, armed settlers opened fire and injured with live ammunition a Palestinian herder in the village of Kisan (Bethlehem). The incident occurred as Palestinian herders were grazing sheep when settlers reportedly from Asfar settlement outpost and threatened herders at gunpoint to leave, leading to stone throwing between the Palestinian herders and settlers, before one of the settlers opened live fire. 
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 233 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (29 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (168 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (36 incidents). This reflects a daily average of seven incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. Over one-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

• In recent weeks, ten Palestinian households, comprising 51 people, including seven children, were displaced from At Taybe herding community (Hebron) following several raids by armed assailants, known by Palestinian residents to be settlers, who threatened to kill them if they did not leave. 
• Since 7 October, at least 121 Palestinian households comprising 1,149 people, including 452 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 
• On 9 and 10 November, Israeli forces demolished on punitive grounds the homes of four families whose members were convicted or accused of killing Israelis in previous months. Three of the targeted homes were in Hebron city and one in the Shu’fat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem. As a result, 18 people, including eight children, were displaced. Punitive demolitions are a form of collective punishment and are prohibited under international law.  
• In total, 45 Palestinians, including 24 children have been displaced since 7 October, following punitive demolitions, and another 135 Palestinians, including 66 children, following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits. 

Funding

• On 7 November, the UN and its partners issued a plan that outlines the minimum necessary to scale up humanitarian operations in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. An estimated US$1.2 billion is required to deliver existing humanitarian services amid ongoing hostilities. The UN has shared its response plan with potential donors and partners as part of an updated Flash Appeal.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

10 november 2023

Het geweld in Gaza houdt  nog altijd aan. Deze week werd het onvoorstelbare aantal van tienduizend Palestijnse slachtoffers gepasseerd, van wie naar schatting zo'n 70% uit vrouwen en kinderen bestaat. Ook raakten ruim 25 duizend Palestijnen in de Gazastrook gewond. Ook op de bezette Westoever loopt het aantal slachtoffers op. Sinds 7 oktober doodden Israëlische militairen en kolonisten daar 175 Palestijnen, onder wie 46 kinderen.

Humanitaire crisis
De humanitaire crisis in Gaza is niet te overzien. Ongeveer 1,6 miljoen Gazanen - rond de 70% van de totale bevolking - zijn op de vlucht geslagen, grotendeels naar het zuiden van de bezette kuststrook. Veertigduizend woningen werden totaal vernietigd door Israëlische bombardementen, bijna een kwart miljoen andere raakten beschadigd. Daarmee is ongeveer de helft van alle woningen in Gaza geheel of deels vernietigd.

De VN doet enorm veel om de vluchtelingen in het zuiden van Gaza op te vangen, en draagt inmiddels de zorg voor bijna 600 duizend mensen, verspreid over 92 opvangcentra. De humanitaire situatie daar is schrijnend: gemiddeld wordt elk toilet gedeeld door 160 personen, en elke douche door 700 personen. Water en voedsel is nauwelijks voorhanden. 

Demonstraties in Nederland
Afgelopen week hebben duizenden Nederlanders op talloze plekken in het land gedemonstreerd. Op universiteiten, stations, kerken en op straat spraken Nederlandse burgers zich uit tegen het geweld in Gaza, tegen het Nederlandse beleid dat dit mogelijk maakt, en voor een staakt-het-vuren.

Wilt u ook deelnemen aan één van deze bijeenkomsten? Houd dan onze agenda in de gaten, waar wij proberen de steunbetuigingen aan burgerslachtoffers en verschillende demonstraties zo goed mogelijk bij te houden. 

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

Nederland levert Israël onderdelen voor F-35’s die Gaza bombarderen

kwestie draait om een door Israël geplaatste bestelling van reserve-onderdelen voor zijn F-35’s. Die worden geleverd uit het distributiecentrum van fabrikant Lockheed Martin in Woensdrecht. Daarom is een Nederlandse exportvergunning vereist.

De juristen op het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken waarschuwden dat met de F-35’s ‘ernstige schendingen van het humanitair oorlogsrecht’ worden begaan, schrijft NRC. Om die reden zou de vergunning moeten worden geweigerd. Maar de ministers Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA) en Liesje Schreinemacher (VVD) negeerden het advies en gaven hun zegen aan de export. NRC citeert ‘ingewijden’ die stellen dat de toestemming berustte op angst voor de gevolgen van een weigering. In feite heeft de regering zich laten chanteren door Israël en de VS – ten koste van Palestijnse mensenlevens.

Olie op het vuur
De kwestie is olie op het vuur van de groeiende maatschappelijke onvrede over het regeringsbeleid. Van alle kanten wordt afkeuring uitgesproken over de eenzijdige en inhumane opstelling van de regering. Daar komt nu bovenop dat Nederland ook materieel bijdraagt aan het Israëlische geweld.

 Bekijk hier het hele artikel, waarin ook de reactie van Liesbeth Zegveld, hoogleraar internationaal recht en lid van de Raad van Advies van The Rights Forum, aan bod komt. 

Volgens een nieuwe peiling van I&O Research is twee derde van de Nederlanders van mening dat premier Rutte nú werk moet maken van een staakt het vuren! De oorlogsmisdaden en verschrikkingen moeten zo snel mogelijk stoppen. Deel de oproep van The Rights Forum, PAX voor Vrede, Amnesty, Oxfam, SOMO, Hivos en Save the Children via Twitter of Instagram. 

Amnesty International: ‘Israëlisch leger gebruikte witte fosfor in Gaza en Libanon’

Ook andere organisaties – waaronder Human Rights Watch – en journalisten maakten de afgelopen weken melding van het gebruik van witte fosfor in Gaza en Zuid-Libanon.

Wat is witte fosfor?
Witte fosfor is een extreem brandbare stof die in granaten wordt gebruikt om een rookgordijn op te trekken, een doelwit te markeren of brand te veroorzaken. Blootstelling aan de stof leidt in milde gevallen tot hoesten en kortademigheid, maar kan ook aantasting van organen en levensgevaarlijke brandwonden veroorzaken. De stof kan een temperatuur van achthonderd graden bereiken en bij contact met de huid doorbranden tot op het bot.

De inzet van witte fosfor is niet in alle gevallen verboden, maar het gebruik ervan in of nabij bevolkt gebied is dat wel. Het internationaal humanitair recht (oorlogsrecht) schrijft voor dat burgers en civiele objecten dienen te worden ontzien. Amnesty International schrijft: ‘Aanvallen waarbij geen onderscheid wordt gemaakt tussen burgers en burgerobjecten en strijders en militaire doelen zijn willekeurig en dus verboden.’

Opinie Angstaanjagende eindscenario’s in Gaza

De geschiedenis van Gaza laat zich lezen als een aaneenschakeling van protesten, verzet, repressie, deportatie en collectieve bestraffing van de bevolking. Daaraan wordt nu een inktzwart hoofdstuk toegevoegd, stelt Jan Keulen in een opiniestuk op onze website.

De vraag dient zich aan wat het einddoel is van het Israëlische offensief. Hoe ziet Gaza eruit op de dag dat Hamas is vernietigd en Israël claimt de oorlog gewonnen te hebben? Hoe gaat het verder met de meer dan twee miljoen Palestijnen die in de enclave wonen, wie zal het gebied besturen? Is een vreedzame oplossing van de Palestijnse kwestie nog mogelijk?

Lees verder >

VVD en BBB in gesprek met Israëlisch politicus die oproept tot nieuwe Nakba

Geen plaats
Voor standpunten als die van Kallner moet geen plaats zijn in de Tweede Kamer. Kamerlid Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) wees er terecht op dat Kallner oproept tot misdaden die ook in Nederland strafbaar zijn. Een ruime Kamermeerderheid besloot dan ook het videogesprek te boycotten.

Voor de VVD, BBB, SGP en BVNL gold Kallners oproep echter niet als bezwaar - zij namen wel deel aan het gesprek.

Lees hier het hele artikel.

Rashida Tlaib shouldn’t be the one getting censured.

9 november 2023

The US House voted 234-188 on Tuesday to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, with twenty-two Democrats and all but four Republicans supporting the measure. Tlaib’s supposed offense? Her use of the phrase “from the river to the sea,” a Palestinian liberation slogan that has been the target of a right-wing misinformation campaign to convince people it’s a call for violence and ethnic cleansing.

The text of the GOP’s censure resolution accuses her of “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel,” and describes the slogan as “a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel and its people to replace it with a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.” Republicans have been joined in their parade of slander by prominent Democrats, including House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said the phrase was “widely understood as calling for the complete destruction of Israel.” In the most incendiary and brazenly dishonest bit of character defamation, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) charged that Tlaib, who has been on the receiving end of an uptick in death threats, “is calling for the genocide of the Jewish people.”

You will not be surprised to learn that Tlaib has done no such thing. “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” Tlaib had written earlier, partly sparking the firestorm. “My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.”

AMP’s Annual Convention will continue during Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago

9 november 2023

As we speak, Israeli air and artillery strikes continue to relentlessly pummel Gaza while illegal settlers rampage through our cities and villages in the West Bank, and Israeli authorities carry on with their apartheid policies throughout historic Palestine. The genocide in Gaza is being broadcast live for the whole world to see. The displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank continues on a scale of apocalyptic proportions.

However, the Palestinian people keep showing us the way forward. They refuse to raise the white flag despite the atrocities they're facing. We at AMP draw our resilience from their steadfastness and remain committed to advancing the Palestinian cause in our streets, schools, campuses, media, and halls of power.

For that reason, we refuse to be silenced and refuse efforts to disrupt one of the largest gatherings for Palestine in the US. We promised you that we will remain determined to hold our Annual Convention for Palestine as planned and we will deliver! 

Sincerely,

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

7 november 2023

The situation in Palestine is an international emergency! While carpet bombing innocent civilians in Gaza, Israel has seized on the opportunity to persecute nonviolent community organizers and expel whole communities from their homes. This includes the torture and eviction of our own executive director Issa Amro from his house in occupied Hebron.

We need your help!

Sign the petition here and demand:

1) Safe return of Issa Amro and all displaced Palestinians to their homes.

2) Protection for all civilians and nonviolent defenders like Issa Amro.

3) Immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a resolution based on the historical roots of the conflict.

4) An end to Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing, land-taking and system of apartheid in Palestine.

On October 7th, Issa was abducted while on his way back to his house.

"A group of soldiers and settlers in army uniform jumped on me," Issa tells us. "They beat me, and took me to an army base. They blindfolded me and handcuffed me so tightly that it shut off the blood flow to my hands. I fainted twice from the pain. The feeling has still not fully returned. It was the torture of my life."

"They threatened to rape me. They cocked their guns and put it on my head and said they would shoot me. I thought that this was going to be my last moments."

Issa was then left under strict curfew in his house. Soldiers came and raided the yard. On October 20th, a group of Israeli soldiers showed up and told Issa to leave the house. They evicted him without producing a written order. This act goes against Israel's own laws.

"I am traumatized," Issa tells us. "This house is my life." He is now homeless and has been staying with friends.

On November 6th, an Israel soldier broke into the yard and stole security cameras.

Issa's house doubles as a community center for nonviolent resistance, and he has received many international guests here, including diplomats, Congress members, celebrities and Nobel Prize winners. Take action and help us get Issa back to his house!

Issa represents one of many civilians in the West Bank who have been abducted and tortured or evicted from their homes since October 7th.

With peace,

Friends of Hebron

Working for Peace and Justice

7 november 2023

Demonstratie Centraal Station Amsterdam tegen genocide gepleegd door Israël tegen de Palestijnse bevolking in Gaza en de Westbank. 

https://vk.com/video-134310637_456271610

We took over the Statue of Liberty to demand a ceasefire.

7 november 2023

Yesterday, hundreds of Jews and allies took over the Statue of Liberty to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the genocide of Palestinians.

The action marked a sharp escalation, one month into Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Over 10,000 Palestinians have now been killed, among them over 4,000 children.  

The takeover on Liberty Island was led by JVP-NYC. Hundreds of us — young people and elders, rabbis, descendants of Holocaust survivors, elected officials — chanted “Ceasefire now” and carried banners that read “The world is watching”, “Palestinians should be free”, and “Never again for anyone.”

“We came to the Statue of Liberty today because we are inspired by the words of our Jewish ancestor, Emma Lazarus, that are etched into the monument,” said Jay Saper, an JVP organizer. “Those words compel us to take action to support the Palestinians of Gaza yearning to be free. And we will continue to take action until we bring about a cease-fire and until Palestinians are free.” - New York Magazine

In cities across the country, people of conscience are mobilizing to demand a ceasefire. Our protests are shifting and evolving tactically…

Jewish Voice for Peace
P.O. Box 589
Berkeley, CA 94701
United States

Pro-Palestine protests are becoming a mass movement.

6 november 2023

On October 20, thousands of protesters marched through the streets of New York City to call for an immediate cease-fire and an end to hostilities in Gaza. Jeremy Cohan, cochair of New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and a Jewish organizer, told reporters that “we have to do what we have to do for justice and for peace.” Sumaya Awad, a prominent Palestinian member of DSA and author, said much the same that night: “We’re out here, it’s pouring rain, we’re wet, but they have blood on their hands.”

These are the sentiments of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have mobilized for a cease-fire in recent weeks, as Israel carries out its indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza following the brutal October 7 Hamas attacks. Just one month into the ongoing crisis, with well over nine thousand Palestinians in Gaza killed (the vast majority of them civilians, including some four thousand children), and with international pressure heightening, the United States is witnessing perhaps its largest and most coordinated antiwar movement since the demonstrations against America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.

A week ago, Palestinians in New York marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in droves, while demonstrations in Los Angeles and San Francisco drew thousands the last two weeks of October. Hundreds rallied in Austin, Texas, last weekend. Students have walked out at universities in New York and California, defying the on-campus repression that organizations like the Anti-Defamation League are trying to stoke. Tens of thousands showed strength in the Palestinian stronghold of Chicago through a series of marches last month, demanding an immediate cease-fire and the end of Israel’s decades-long occupation. Thousands of young Jewish Americans staged dazzling actions over the last two weeks, including a sit-in on Capitol Hill and an occupation of Grand Central station in New York and the 30th St Station in Philadelphia.

All of this culminated in Saturday’s National March on Washington for a Free Palestine, which is being hailed as the largest demonstration for Palestine in US history. Tens of thousands strong, the march brought together labor organizers, black civil rights activists, Jewish anti-Zionists, antiwar veterans, and relative newcomers invigorated by events like the George Floyd protests of 2020. Prominent Palestinians such as Noura Erakat and Dr. Omar Suleiman condemned the failings of the international order to prevent the atrocities in Gaza and called on supporters of Palestine to use their voice to demand change. Elsewhere in the United States, tens of thousands conducted concurrent marches in cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and Provo, Utah.

On October 25th, police shut down an Arab-Jewish meeting in the Israeli city of Haifa, the main subject of which was calling for resistance to the war and the harming of innocents.  An activist was arrested in Jerusalem for having a sign on his balcony that read “No sanctity in an occupied city.” A right-wing mob attacked left-wing Journalist, Israel Frey, in his home, from which he had to be evacuated by police forces. In Jerusalem, police brutally dispersed a silent assembly for the return of the abductees. In addition to these events, attacks online towards left-wing activists are becoming worse, with right-wing groups publishing addresses of prominent activists online. All of this, of course, is happening as, any of us, both Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, have grieved significant losses in recent weeks, the deaths of many loved ones. Now more than ever it is dangerous to raise your voice against the war and against the occupation.

The anti-war groups we support in Israel are under threat, but they keep struggling and resisting. With your help, we can continue to support the activities of our partners, both through donations and in helping to amplify their voices internationally at this critical point when international pressure is the most likely path to end the attack on Gaza.

Today we are sharing the words from Yesh-Gvul, one of the first Israeli groups to call for a ceasefire. A movement that aims to sway public opinion against wars of choice, and the occupation of Palestinian territories. Yesh Gvul was founded in 1982 with the outbreak of the First Lebanon War, as a refusal movement of soldiers in the reserves force. In recent years, its members have battled the continuing occupation together with other organizations, helped conscientious objectors, and led monthly vigils.

In the past weeks of war about 1,300 Israelis were murdered, and 239 were abducted. In the Gaza Strip over 10,000 were murdered, of which more than 3,600 were children. In the face of this horrible reality, Yesh Gvul posted the following text as a front-page ad published in Haaretz newspaper daily:

After weeks of continuous killing and harm to Israeli and Palestinian citizens, we say enough! Enough of the killing, enough of the systemic harm to civilians and neighborhoods, enough of the collective punishment.

We call on the government to immediately enter into negotiations for the release of the hostages, a ceasefire, as well as finding a political solution to the long-standing conflict between us and the Palestinians. There is no military solution to a political conflict: it is the continuation of the occupation and oppression that brought us this far.

It won't end until we talk and guarantee a safe life for all people between the sea and Jordan, for all of us - Israelis and Palestinians alike.

The shock and anger at the horrific massacre and the terrible war crimes of Hamas do not justify harming the innocent, even when they are on the other side of the border, under the rule of an abominable enemy.
 It is forbidden to execute without trial, it is forbidden to torture during investigations and arrests, collective punishments must not be imposed. Citizens must not be denied food, water, electricity, and medical care. It is forbidden to take part in war crimes!

Yesh Gvul and other Israeli war resistance groups we support need us more than ever, they are counting on us! Please Support our struggle by donating.

Sinds de aanval van Hamas op 7 oktober kwamen volgens het Ministerie van Gezondheid ruim negenduizend Palestijnen in Gaza om het leven als gevolg van Israëlische bombardementen. Op de Westoever doodden Israëlische militairen en kolonisten 132 Palestijnen, en raakten ruim tweeduizend Palestijnen gewond.

Op 1 en 2 november werd de grensovergang bij Rafah tussen Gaza en Egypte geopend. Enkele tientallen gewonde Palestijnen konden naar een Egyptisch veldhospitaal worden geëvacueerd, en enkele honderden inwoners van Gaza met een buitenlands paspoort mochten het gebied verlaten. 

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

Uitnodiging Palestina Israël-verkiezingsdebat

Op 22 november zal er een debat plaatsvinden over de genocide door Israël en de VS, die gesteund wordt door Nederland en het overgrote deel van de rest van de westerse wereld.  

Het debat zal plaatsvinden in Nieuwspoort, Den Haag. De inloop is vanaf 17:30 uur en het debat begint om 18:00 uur. 

Je kunt je aanmelden voor het debat op de website van PAX. Daar is ook meer informatie over de bijeenkomst te vinden. 

Rutte zet Nederland aan de verkeerde kant van de geschiedenis

Ultieme bondgenoot
Over zijn optreden valt veel te zeggen - en dat doen wij ook in het artikel - maar de kern is duidelijk: premier Rutte presenteerde zich als ultieme bondgenoot van Israël. Van hem mag de rechtsorde terzijde worden geschoven als de belangen van Israël en zijn ‘vriend Bibi’ daarom vragen.

Zo antwoordde hij op de vraag hoe lang Israël mag doorgaan met bombarderen dat dit niet is vast te stellen en alleen door Israël moet worden bepaald. Daaraan voegde hij toe dat Israël zich moet houden aan het humanitair oorlogsrecht.

In tegenstelling tot vrijwel alle experts stelde hij het afsluiten van water, voedsel en brandstof door Israël echter niet te willen bestempelen als het collectief bestraffen van een bevolking. Volgens Rutte kan hij die constatering ‘niet doen op basis van de feiten’, ook al spreken die voor zich en worden ze nota bene door Israël zelf bevestigd.

Doel heiligt de middelen
Daarnaast moet volgens de premier het doel van de schendingen worden beoordeeld:

Het doel van Israël moet het herstellen van de afschrikking zijn. Dat is essentieel voor het op lange termijn overleven en zelfs voor het op de middellange termijn overleven van deze staat. Vervolgens bekijk je hoe je dat op een manier doet dat het een minimumeffect heeft op de gewone burgerbevolking.

Met andere woorden: het doel heiligt de middelen. Als Israël van mening is dat schending van de rechtsorde nodig is om te kunnen overleven steekt Rutte zijn duim op.

Dader onderzoekt zichzelf
Ruttes claim dat Israël zich heeft te houden aan het humanitair oorlogsrecht werd nog verder uitgekleed. Geconstateerde schendingen door Israël moeten volgens hem pas achteraf worden onderzocht, nadat we ze eerst hebben laten begaan.

Dat onderzoek moet dan gebeuren door Israël zelf, aldus de premier, en pas daarna, eventueel, aan de rechter worden voorgelegd. Het verleden heeft echter afdoende uitgewezen dat Israëlische onderzoeken uitsluitend zijn bedoeld om rechtvaardigheid te voorkomen. Ook Rutte weet dat. Zijn pleidooi voor Israëlisch onderzoek naar de misdaden die nu in Gaza worden begaan komt dan ook feitelijk neer op het verlenen van carte blanche.

Palestijnse journalisten mikpunt van geweld

RIGHT NOW in Washington, DC 180 human rights activists are holding sit-ins at eight Senate offices to call for an immediate ceasefire.

We mourn the lives lost and continue to fight for our rights

1 november 2023

As the devastating death toll in Gaza climbs towards 9,000, the impact on the Palestinian-American community is immeasurable. The loss of family, friends, and loved ones to this senseless violence creates an indelible mark on our collective spirit. This wanton violence, unchecked and relentless, extends its tragic reach across families, homes, and communities.

It is with profound sorrow that we inform you of the grievous loss suffered by members of our own team due to the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza. Taher Herzallah, our esteemed outreach director, Zarefah Baroud, our dedicated digital media associate, and Alaa Abusaman, a board member of our Chicago Chapter, have tragically lost family members amid the continuous bombardment of Gaza. Despite facing such personal devastation, they have continued to demonstrate unwavering commitment and tireless efforts in their roles. 7 members of the Herzallah family and at least 25 members of the Baroud family have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the past few weeks.

The entire team at American Muslims for Palestine extends our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Taher, Zarefah, and Alaa, and their families. In these times of unfathomable loss, we ask Allah (SWT) to accept them as martyrs and to safeguard their families and the resilient people of Gaza from further harm. We ask Allah (SWT) to grant them and their families resilience, fortitude, and unwavering strength during this time.

While we mourn the thousands of innocent Palestinian lives lost in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli brutal genocide, we at AMP are more determined than ever to bring it to an end, especially as the Biden administration continues to be complicit in this horrific genocide. Please keep the victims, their families, and our community in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
The AMP Family

In Congress, Rashida Tlaib and JVP are under attack.

Biden has now called for an additional $14.3 billion to be sent to the Israeli military. But there is plenty we can still do.

Keep up the pressure. 

Actions in the coming week.

31 oktober 2023

31 oktober 2023

There will be a historic march in Washington DC on Saturday, November 4 at 2 PM to Free Palestine.

Palestinian people in Gaza are living through a brutal genocide, and over 8000 Palestinians have already been martyred by Israel’s assault on the besieged Gaza Strip this month.

Every year, the U.S. government writes a blank check for $3.8 billion to fund Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. Your U.S. tax dollars directly fund the destruction of Palestinian homes, the construction of Israeli settlements, and the carpet bombing of the Gaza Strip.

Through massive protests of hundreds of thousands of people around the world, the people have made it clear that they stand with the Palestinian struggle for liberation.

Now more than ever, people of conscience must apply pressure to meet Palestinian demands: an immediate ceasefire, lifting the siege on Gaza, and ending all U.S. military funding to Israel.

Join the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Palestinian Youth Movement, US Palestinian Community Network, and over 300 other organizations in DC next Saturday, November 4th to pressure Biden to end the genocide in Gaza.

SPREAD THE WORD

Find downloadable graphics and flyers here.

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30 oktober 2023

Boeren van BBB staan toe dat Palestijnen in Gaza worden uitgehongerd

Vorige week liet 'de stem van het platteland' in de Tweede Kamer haar valse geluid horen, wars van humanitaire waarden en haaks op de rechtsorde. Wat bezielt de boeren en burgers van BBB om zich zo op te stellen? Wéten ze het wel?

Iedere dag BBBeter' is de leus waarmee de BoerBurgerBeweging [BBB] zich presenteert. De partij kwam afgelopen jaar volop in het nieuws waarbij ze prat ging op de rol van de boeren in onze voedselvoorziening. In de Tweede Kamer spreekt de partij echter een andere taal: daar zet ze zich in om de uithongering van de Palestijnse burgerbevolking in de Gazastrook te bestendigen.

Uithongering als oorlogswapen

Tijdens het Kamerdebat van 24 oktober over de oorlog tussen Israël en Hamas werd door Volt en de SP een motie ingediend die de regering oproept om Israël te houden aan resolutie 2417 van de VN-Veiligheidsraad. De resolutie verbiedt de inzet van uithongering als oorlogswapen - een strategie die Israël al weken toepast op de 2,3 miljoen bewoners van de Palestijnse

Gazastrook. Nederland behoorde tot de initiators van de VN-resolutie.

De motie van Volt en de SP zou logischerwijs de steun dienen te krijgen van de voltallige Kamer. Tweede Kamerleden hebben immers een eed gezworen op het beschermen en promoten van de internationale rechtsorde. Dat is een voorwaarde om ons überhaupt te mogen vertegenwoordigen.

Genadeloos stemgedrag

Maar BBB stemde tegen de motie, net als de VVD, PVV, CDA, Christenunie, SGP, Van Haga, JA21 en Omtzigt. De motie werd verworpen. Gevolg: Nederland laat de uithongering van de Palestijnse burgerbevolking in Gaza voortbestaan en brengt de internationale rechtsorde een zware slag toe. Met dank aan de boeren van BBB.

De 'stem van het platteland' blijkt een vals Haags accent te hebben.

Daar bleef het niet bij. BBB keerde zich bij de stemmingen van 25 oktober tegen alle moties die humanitaire hulp en rechtvaardigheid bepleiten, waarvan onderstaand een selectie, 'van het platteland' blijkt een vals Haags accent te hebben. De vraag die resteert: steunen Nederlandse boeren deze inhumane politiek écht - of mikt de Haagse fractie erop dat nachtelijke debatten de agrarische achterban ontgaan?

De schade in zeven voorbeelden

Motie van Laurens Dassen [Volt] en Jasper van Dijk (SP) over de oproep aan Israël om zich te houden aan resolutie 2417 van de VN-Veiligheidsraad, die uithongering van een burgerbevolking verbiedt. BBB stemde tegen, de motie werd verworpen.

Motie van Sjoerd Sjoerdsma CD66) en Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) over een humanitair staakt-het-vuren. BBB stemde tegen, de motie werd verworpen.

Motie van Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) en Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) over het veroordelen en tegengaan van alle schendingen van het internationaal recht. BBB stemde tegen, de motie werd verworpen.

Motie van Jasper van Dijk (SP) c.s. over het ook veroordelen van de Israëlische misdaden tegen Palestijnse burgers. BBB stemde tegen, de motie werd verworpen.

Motie van Laurens Dassen (Volt) over het onderzoeken van mogelijkheden voor een VN-vredesmissie. BBB stemde tegen, de motie werd verworpen.

Motie van Jasper van Dijk (SP) c.s. over het opvoeren van druk op Israël zodat het oorlogsgeweld tegen Gaza stopt. BBB stemde tegen, de motie werd verworpen.

Motie van Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) en Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) over het in EU-verband bepleiten van de onmiddellijke levering van schoon drinkwater, brandstof en medische hulpmiddelen aan VN-organisatie UNRWA. BBB stemde tegen, maar de motie werd aangenomen.

Komende evenementen

03 november 2023 / Wake van Vrouwen in het Zwart in Amsterdam

03 november 2023 / Paneldiscussie 'Archineering, arms trade and ethics'

04 november 2023 / Wake van Vrouwen in het Zwart in Maastricht

A Day of Advocacy: 300 Voices That Stood Up For Gaza

30 oktober 2023

Today, we write to you with a heart full of gratitude and hope for the Palestinians suffering under Israel’s cruel assault on Gaza. Against all odds, 300 dedicated Americans from diverse backgrounds and 25 different states converged on October 24th to Capitol Hill to fight for an end to the Genocide taking place at this very moment. This monumental effort resulted in nearly 200 meetings where we fought for Members of Congress to push for a ceasefire, vote against the needless and dehumanizing H.Res. 768, and support humanitarian aid for Gaza while opposing military aid for Israel.

Palestine Advocacy Days 2023 was not just an event; it was a powerful statement. It showcased the strength of our collective voice and the impact we can make when we come together for a just cause. Our advocacy was not just about numbers; it was about the stories, the emotions, and the passion that each participant brought to the table. It was about making our elected officials understand the gravity of the situation and urging them to act.

However, our work does not end here. We must continue to engage, advocate, and ensure that our elected officials hear our demands and act upon them. I urge you to remain involved, to keep the momentum going, and to continue advocating for justice and peace. Don’t lose momentum because Palestinians suffering genocide cannot afford for you to become tired. Don’t be dissuaded by the smear campaigns against people who are pro-Palestinian.

Finally, do not lose hope because we must follow the example of every Palestinian throughout historic Palestine who has not given up hope for a FREE Palestine. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid

Executive Director, AJP Action

Cori Bush: Why I’m calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

30 oktober 2023

[Representative Cori Bush delivered the following speech on October 16, introducing her congressional resolution for a cease-fire.]

We all are grieving at the profound loss of life that has occurred over the past ten days. At least 2,700 Palestinians, 1,400 Israelis, and many Americans have been killed. Tens of thousands of people have been injured. [Editor’s note: The current figures are at least 8,000 Palestinians killed, including 3,000 children, and more than 20,000 injured.] Nearly two hundred Israelis are being held hostage. Families have been destroyed, and Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, are facing unimaginable trauma as they navigate this horrific moment.

Adding to the crisis, the Israeli government has cut off electricity, food, fuel, and internet to Gaza. It has bombed neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure. It has ordered 1.1 million people — including those who are children, elderly, sick, injured, disabled, and pregnant — to leave their homes in northern Gaza, and then bombed them as they evacuated.

Let me be clear: the collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza is a war crime. With a full-scale invasion of Gaza likely imminent, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives hang in the balance — and it’s not only happening right before our eyes, it’s happening with the support and power of the United States government. It’s shameful. In addition to sharing my grief and sorrow, I want to affirm my strong belief that all human life is equally precious. A belief that above all else we must save lives; we must lead with love and solidarity; we must fight against violence and human suffering.

We shut down Grand Central station to demand a ceasefire.

Read the full Wire 

How to Have Hard Conversations for BIJOCSM Peoples: A Workshop

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Shut it down: JVP's Grand Central action generated wall-to-wall coverage.

See our media roundup 

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Rutte zet Nederland aan de verkeerde kant van de geschiedenis

29 oktober 2023

In het Tweede Kamerdebat over de Gazacrisis presenteerde premier Rutte zich als ultieme bondgenoot van Israël. Van hem mag de rechtsorde terzijde worden geschoven als de belangen van Israël en zijn 'vriend Bibi' daarom vragen.

Op 24 oktober vond in de Tweede Kamer een debat plaats met demissionair premier Mark Rutte (VVD) ter voorbereiding op de bijeenkomst van EU- regeringsleiders van 26 en 27 oktober. Het tot diep in de nacht durende debat was grotendeels gewijd aan de Gazacrisis. In verschillende artikelen geven wij een terugblik op dit debat. Afgelopen vrijdag publiceerden wij een artikel over de moties die naar aanleiding van dit debat zijn ingediend. In dit deel gaan we in op de bijdrage van premier Rutte.

Meerdere waarheden

Het debat begon met een verklaring van Rutte waarin hij zijn medeleven betoonde met de slachtoffers aan Israëlische en Palestijnse kant, en kort inging op zijn bliksembezoek aan Israël en Palestina. Ook noemde hij zijn gesprekken met Joodse, Israëlische en Palestijnse slachtoffers en nabestaanden. Rutte herhaalde dat Israël binnen de grenzen van het oorlogsrecht 'het volste recht heeft zich te verdedigen tegen het terroristisch geweld van Hamas'.

Volgens Rutte kunnen er meerdere waarheden naast elkaar bestaan. Hij verwees daarbij naar het feit dat Israël enerzijds niet veilig zou kunnen bestaan als het niet optreedt tegen Hamas. 

Maar dat anderzijds onschuldige burgers in Gaza hier niet het slachtoffer van mogen worden.

Ook is het volgens Rutte waar dat zowel Israël als de Palestijnse bevolking recht heeft op een eigen, zelfstandige staat die veiligheid en toekomstperspectief biedt.

Verzwegen waarheden

De waarheid die Rutte niet benoemde is dat Israël de totstandkoming van een Palestijnse staat al sinds de Oslo-akkoorden (1993-1995) frustreert, en intussen volstrekt onmogelijk heeft gemaakt. Israël heeft zijn nederzettingen (kolonies) in bezet Palestijns gebied niet ontruimd, meer verveelvoudigd. En hoewel de nederzettingen ook volgens Rutte en zijn kabinet een 'flagrante schending van het internationaal recht' en een 'obstakel voor de tweestatenoplossing en vrede' vormen heeft hij de fatale Israëlische kolonisering nooit een duimbreed in de weg gelegd. 'Ga je gang, wij kijken wel weg' is dertig jaar lang de Nederlandse boodschap geweest.

Aantal kolonisten op de Westoever, exclusief Oost-Jeruzalem

Wat betreft de door hem genoemde 'veiligheid' vergat Rutte dat het Israël is dat in bezet Palestijns gebied dagelijkse razzia's uitvoert, Palestijnen buitengerechtelijk executeert, martelt en vaak jarenlang zonder aanklacht of proces detineert. Het is Israël dat de Palestijnen dagelijks dehumaniseert bij zijn talloze checkpoints, dat massaal Palestijnse huizen en infrastructuur sloopt. Het is Israël dat zijn kolonisten in bezet gebied de ruimte biedt voor gewelddadige pogroms op Palestijnse gemeenschappen waarbij doden en gewonden vallen, huizen in brand worden gestoken en oogsten verwoest.

Wat Rutte ook niet benoemde is dat de regering van Benjamin Netanyahu - door hem liefkozend 'Bibi' genoemd - bij haar aantreden verklaarde dat het gehele gebied tussen de rivier en de zee, inclusief de door Israël bezette Westelijke Jordaanoever, het 'exclusieve en onvervreemdbare recht van het Joodse volk' is. Evenmin memoreerde hij dat Netanyahu tijdens een recente toespraak tot de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties een kaart van het 'nieuwe Midden-Oosten' liet zien waarop Palestina niet langer voorkwam; dat was door 'vriend Bibi' letterlijk van de kaart geveegd. Rutte zag dat destijds door de vingers, en de regering met hem. Ook in het debat ging hij er compleet aan voorbij.

'Ga je gang, wij kijken wel weg' is dertig jaar lang de Nederlandse boodschap geweest.

Kabinet: Gazanen sterven met volle maag

Tijdens het debat vond uitgebreide discussie plaats over een staakt-het-vuren en een humanitaire pauze. Het kabinet wil oproepen tot humanitaire pauzes. Dit komt erop neer dat partijen gedurende korte tijd de gevechten staken om humanitaire organisaties in staat te stellen hulpgoederen naar binnen te brengen en onder de bevolking van Gaza te distribueren. 

Daarna mogen de meedogenloze Israëlische bombardementen wat het kabinet betreft worden hervat - bovenop de aangevoerde hulpmiddelen. Het netto effect van deze 'humanitaire' pauzes is dat de Palestijnen in Gaza met een iets minder lege maag kunnen sterven.

Het kabinet-Rutte wijkt in zijn standpunt sterk af van secretaris-generaal António Guterres van de Verenigde Naties. Die heeft juist opgeroepen tot een staakt-het-vuren. Dat is terecht. Het voortzetten van de bombardementen op de burgers van Gaza zal leiden tot meer slachtoffers, meer trauma, wrok en frustratie onder de bevolking van Gaza - en elders. En dat zal, zoals meerdere Kamerleden Rutte duidelijk probeerden te maken, een voedingsbodem vormen voor meer geweld. Meer Palestijnen zullen Hamas steunen en zich erbij aan willen sluiten om wraak te nemen voor de dood van hun familieleden. Net zoals wraak en vergelding

voor Israël belangrijke drijfveren zijn voor de huidige bombardementen op Gaza. Het internationaal recht is juist ontwikkeld om deze cyclus van geweld te voorkomen of te doorbreken.

'Wij kunnen nergens anders heen'

De voortdurende bombardementen zullen de Palestijnse bevolking verenigen achter hun leiders. Zoals ook in Israël de protesten tegen de regering Netanyahu vooralsnog zijn opgeschort en het land eenheid wil uitstralen. De vijand van mijn vijand is immers mijn vriend. Het voortduren van de bombardementen leidt alleen tot verdere escalatie en brengt een oplossing nog verder uit zicht.

Tijdens dit deel van het debat haalde Rutte een uitspraak van Golda Meir aan: 'Wij hebben een geheim wapen: we kunnen nergens anders heen.' Dat die uitspraak uitgerekend op de Palestijnen in Gaza van toepassing is, al 16 jaar zelfs, was bij de premier nog niet ingedaald. In zijn universum komt het niet voor.

Rutte sprak zich niet expliciet uit over de vraag of hij een grootschalig Israëlisch grondoffensief steunde. Wel gaf hij aan dat het tot veel slachtoffers en verdere (regionale) escalatie zou kunnen leiden. Desondanks meende hij dat het nodig zou kunnen zijn voor het 'langetermijnoverleven' van Israël.

Meer Palestijnen zullen Harnas steunen en zich erbij aan willen sluiten om wraak te nemen voor de dood van hun familieleden.

Peilingen spreken boekdelen

Volgens Rutte vertegenwoordigt Hamas de Palestijnse bevolking niet. Hoe ongemakkelijk ook, het is de vraag of dat juist is. Allereerst heeft Hamas in 2006 bij de laatst gehouden verkiezingen in Gaza een meerderheid behaald. Uit opiniepeilingen van afgelopen september blijkt dat - als er toen verkiezingen zouden zijn gehouden - Ismaël Haniyyah opnieuw de meerderheid zou behalen.

Dezelfde peilingen wijzen overigens uit dat in geheel Palestina - naast Gaza ook Oost- Jeruzalem en de Westelijke Jordaanoever - de door Israël gedetineerde Marwan Barghouti favoriet is. Inmiddels kan niet worden uitgesloten dat als gevolg van de Israëlische

bombardementen juist Hamas aan populariteit wint.

President zonder gezag

Rutte benoemde ook zijn gesprek met Mahmud Abbas, president van de Palestijnse Autoriteit [PA]. Probleem met Abbas is dat Israël hem heeft vernederd en buitenspel heeft gezet. Israël valt Palestijns gebied, waaronder Abbas' eigen 'hoofdstad' Ramallah, naar believen binnen, int de belastingen voor de PA en draagt die pas af als het daar zin in heeft, al dan niet na aftrek van strafkortingen. De PA heeft niets te vertellen.

Toen Rutte afgelopen week zowel Israël als Palestina wilde bezoeken moest hij daarvoor eerst toestemming en medewerking van Netanyahu hebben. Voor Rutte was een bezoek aan Abbas een harde voorwaarde, had hij Netanyahu de zondag voor zijn vertrek laten weten. 'We will fix this', was diens antwoord.

In de Israëlische media duiken pijnlijke feiten op, waaronder het pleidooi van Netanyahu in 2019 dat de financiering van Hamas nodig is om een Palestijnse staat te voorkomen.

Israël heeft er decennia naar gestreefd om Abbas tot een president zonder macht is maken, die daardoor alle respect van zijn bevolking heeft verloren. Daartoe is Hamas 15 jaar lang gepamperd - een feit waarvan de consequenties nu pas tot Israël doordringen. In de Israëlische media duiken pijnlijke feiten op, waaronder het pleidooi van Netanyahu in 2019 dat de financiering van Hamas nodig is om een Palestijnse staat te voorkomen:

"The prime minister also said that 'whoever is against a Palestinian state should be for transferring the funds to Gaza, because maintaining a separation between the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza helps prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Parlementslid Avigdor Liberman antwoordde daarop:

"The payments are a miserable decision, marking the first time Israël is funding terrorism against itself'."

Wederzijdse radicalisering

Israël heeft, met steun van de internationale gemeenschap, de meer gematigde krachten in Palestina machteloos gemaakt. Het heeft gezorgd voor verdeling in de Palestijnse gebieden met als gevolg dat de meer radicale partijen de overhand hebben gekregen. De publieke waardering van de machteloze president Abbas is inmiddels gezakt tot een dramatische 22 procent. De steun voor de tweestaten-oplossing is afgenomen van zo'n 50 procent in 2019 tot amper 30 procent in september 2023. Door de frustratie over de voortdurende bezetting en de blokkade van Gaza is in heel Palestina de steun voor gewapend verzet toegenomen van 34 procent in 2018 tot 58 procent in 2023.

Ook in Israël heeft radicalisering plaatsgevonden. Niet als gevolg van onmenselijke omstandigheden, maar doordat de internationale gemeenschap het land daartoe carte blanche heeft verleend. Permanent is geweigerd druk op Israël uit te oefenen om zijn veelvuldige schendingen van internationaal recht - zoals de bezetting, uitbreiding van nederzettingen, annexatie, blokkade van Gaza, apartheid, buitengerechtelijke executies, kolonistenterreur, detentie zonder aanklacht of proces - te beëindigen. Dat heeft geleid tot een extreemrechtse, homofobe, islamofobe en vrouwonvriendelijke Israëlische regering die de bezette Palestijnse gebieden als exclusief Joods bezit claimt.

Het op z'n beloop laten van deze ontwikkelingen, het negeren van de oorzaken van het 'conflict' en de daaruit voortkomende radicalisering hebben geleid tot de gruwelijke beelden die sinds 7 oktober onze huiskamers overspoelen. Rutte heeft die les nog steeds niet geleerd, getuige zijn uitspraak tijdens het debat:

"De Israëlische staat heeft een collectief trauma, zoals ook alle Palestijnen zeker ook de afgelopen twee weken door de verschrikkelijke berichten uit de Gazastrook een collectief trauma hebben."

Hiermee bewees de premier - zelf historicus - opnieuw dat hij weigert de recente gebeurtenissen in hun historische context te zien. Die luidt dat het collectieve Palestijnse trauma geen drie weken oud is, maar 75 jaar. De aanleiding is niet de Israëlische reactie op de aanslagen van Hamas, maar de verdrijving van tenminste 750 duizend Palestijnen tijdens de Nakba ('Catastrofe] door Joods-Europese milities vanaf eind 1947. Veel van de vluchtelingen kwamen terecht in de Gazastrook waar de laatste overlevenden en hun nazaten nu door Israël worden gebombardeerd.

De publieke waardering van de machteloze president Abbas is inmiddels gezakt tot een dramatische 22 procent. De steun voor de tweestaten-oplossing is afgenomen van zo'n 50 procent in 2019 tot amper 30 procent in september 2023.

Schendingen oorlogsrecht

Op de vraag hoe lang Israël mag doorgaan met bombarderen en wanneer de afschrikking van Harnas is voltooid antwoordde Rutte dat dit niet is vast te stellen en alleen door Israël moet worden bepaald. Daaraan voegde hij toe dat Israël zich moet houden aan het humanitair oorlogsrecht. Om daar direct een mistbank over op te trekken.

In tegenstelling tot vrijwel alle experts stelde hij het afsluiten van water, voedsel en brandstof door Israël echter niet te willen bestempelen als het collectief bestraffen van een bevolking.

Volgens Putte kan hij die constatering 'niet doen op basis van de feiten', ook al spreken die voor zich en worden ze nota bene door Israël zelf bevestigd.

Daarnaast moet volgens de premier het doel van de schendingen worden beoordeeld: 

"Het doel van Israël moet het herstellen van de afschrikking zijn. Dat is essentieel voor het op lange termijn overleven en zelfs voor het op de middellange termijn overleven van deze staat. Vervolgens bekijk je hoe je dat op een manier doet dat het een minimumeffect heeft op de gewone burgerbevolking." 

Met andere woorden: het doel heiligt de middelen. Als Israël van mening is dat schending van de rechtsorde nodig is om te kunnen overleven steekt Rutte zijn duim op. Voor de Palestijnen bestaat die coulance niet. Voor hun schendingen heeft het kabinet direct een oordeel klaar.

Sterker, zij worden zelfs aangesproken op een slogan, bleek in het debat.

Opmerkelijk is ook dat Rutte zich voortdurend beroept op Israéls recht op zelfverdediging.

Maar zoals André Nollkaemper, lid van de Raad van Advies van The Rights Forum, in NRC betoogde ontstaat het recht op zelfverdediging alleen als de ene staat geweld gebruikt tegen de andere. Palestina is door Israël, de VS, de EU en Nederland nu juist niet als een staat erkend. Wat ook opvalt is dat Rutte bij de vergelijking tussen de situatie in Gaza/lsraël en die in Oekraïne/Rusland juist prat gaat op het feit dat Hamas geen staat vertegenwoordigt. Het argument wordt gebruikt naar gelang het hem uitkomt.

"Het doel van Israël moet het herstellen van de afschrikking zijn. "  Mark Rutte, 24 oktober 2023

Dader onderzoekt zichzelf

Ruttes claim dat Israël zich heeft te houden aan het humanitair oorlogsrecht werd nog verder uitgekleed. Geconstateerde schendingen - waaronder de collectieve bestraffing van de burgerbevolking door afsluiting van water, voedsel, medicijnen, elektriciteit en brandstof, en de gedwongen verplaatsing van een miljoen Palestijnen van Noord- naar Zuid-Gaza - moeten volgens hem achteraf worden onderzocht, nadat we ze eerst hebben laten begaan.

Dat moet dan gebeuren door Israël zelf, aldus de premier, en pas daarna, eventueel, aan de rechter worden voorgelegd. Eerst dient Israël met andere partijen vast te stellen of überhaupt sprake is geweest van schendingen van het oorlogsrecht, en daar zonodig onderzoek naar te doen. De ervaring leert echter - en dat weet Rutte maar al te goed - dat Israël onderzoekscommissies en Speciaal Rapporteurs van de Verenigde Naties niet toelaat. Het meest recente voorbeeld hiervan is drie dagen oud.

Toedekken van misdaden

Ook weet Rutte dat Israëls 'onderzoeken' in de praktijk neerkomen op het toedekken van de eigen misdaden. Voorbeelden zijn de cover ups van de moorden op Shireen Abu Akleh, lyad al- Halaa en Ahmad Erekat. Een ander voorbeeld is het massieve geweld dat Israël losliet op de demonstraties die in 2018-2019 onder de noemer 'Grote Mars van Terugkeer' plaatsvonden in de Gazastrook. Onderzoek door de VN wees uit dat circa tweehonderd Palestijnen die geen enkele bedreiging vormden door Israëlische scherpschutters waren vermoord. In 187 gevallen zou mogelijk sprake zijn van oorlogsmisdaden.

Toenmalig minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Stef Blok [VVD] stelde in mei 2018 een kabinetsoordeel over de slachtingen echter uit in afwachting van een onderzoek door Israël zelf, zoals hij dat van een 'democratische rechtsstaat' zei te verwachten. De uitkomst van dat onafhankelijke, gedegen onderzoek verwachtte hij nog diezelfde zomer. Maar het is er nu nog niet. En de slachtingen zijn door Nederland nooit veroordeeld. Intussen is in Israël één militair veroordeeld. Niet omdat hij een ongewapende 14-jarige Palestijnse jongen doodschoot, maar omdat hij het bevel daartoe niet had afgewacht. Hij kreeg een taakstraf van dertig dagen.

Het verleden heeft afdoende uitgewezen dat Israëlische onderzoeken uitsluitend zijn bedoeld om rechtvaardigheid te voorkomen. Ook Rutte weet dat. Zijn pleidooi voor Israëlisch onderzoek naar de misdaden die nu in Gaza worden begaan komt dan ook feitelijk neer op het verlenen van carte blanche.

Fiasco in de VN

De standpunten van Putte zijn door Nederland op 27 oktober ook naar voren gebracht bij de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties. Daar werd gestemd over een resolutie, die oproept tot een onmiddellijk bestand, leidend tot een staakt-het-vuren, en tot respect voor het internationaal recht door de strijdende partijen. In de resolutie wordt alle geweld, waaronder terroristische aanvallen, tegen Israëlisch en Palestijnse burgers veroordeeld en opgeroepen tot directe vrijlating van ontvoerde burgers. Beide partijen worden opgeroepen om humanitaire hulp toe te laten.

Desondanks onthield Nederland zich tot verbijstering van velen zich van stemming. Maar liefst 120 VN-lidstaten, waaronder België, Luxemburg, Frankrijk, Spanje, Portugal, Ierland, Noorwegen en Zwitserland steunden de resolutie; 14 stemden tegen, 45 onthielden zich. Uit verklaringen van VN-ambassadeur Joke Brandt en premier Rutte blijkt dat Nederland de resolutie - juist geroemd om zijn balans - heeft willen politiseren. Het stemgedrag leidt tot onbegrip bij GroenLinks-PvdA, SP, D66 en andere partijen, en harde kritiek van maatschappelijke organisaties. De drie partijen hebben Kamervragen ingediend; D66 en de SP roepen de Tweede Kamer terug van reces.

AMP expresses deep concern over recent Senate resolutions aimed at suppressing pro-Palestinian voices

28 Oktober 2023

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) expresses deep concern over the recent Senate resolutions condemning antisemitism led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, Marsha Blackburn, Jacky Rosen, James Lankford, and Josh Hawley. While we unequivocally condemn all forms of hatred, including antisemitism, the language and framing of these resolutions present a dangerously one-sided narrative that risks stifling critical discourse about Israel’s actions and policies. We are concerned that the one-sided approach contributes to fueling Islamophobia and Palestinephobia.

We are alarmed that the resolutions do not delineate between antisemitism and the legitimate right to criticize the actions of the Israeli government. In doing so, these resolutions would not only further enable the suppression of pro-Palestinian voices in academic institutions but will contribute to a climate of fear and self-censorship among students and faculty at a time when Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity every day in Palestine.

In particular, the call to "investigate pro-Palestinian student groups' potential ties to Hamas" serves to demonize peaceful activists and student organizations that strive for justice and human rights for Palestinians. This not only impacts freedom of speech but also exposes these individuals to undue scrutiny, intimidation, and, potentially, legal repercussions.

We urge Congress to consider the broader impact of these resolutions. Suppressing critical voices under the guise of combating antisemitism creates a chilling atmosphere that stands in opposition to the values of freedom, equality, and justice that the United States claims to uphold.

In light of the preceding, we call on academic institutions to safeguard freedom of speech and protect the right to engage in peaceful activism without fear of reprisal or intimidation. We also call on U.S. media to be responsible in its coverage, present the facts as they are, without manipulation or falsification, and foster an environment that allows for nuanced debate and discussion on Israel-Palestine issues without labeling critical voices as antisemitic.

We believe that dialogue and critique are crucial elements of any democratic society. AMP remains committed to fighting all forms of discrimination while advocating for the right to critique governmental policies and actions, including those of Israel.

Signed,

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Our voices will not be silenced

Assalamu Alaikum,

28 oktober 2023

We write this email with heavy hearts that grieve for our brothers and sisters in Palestine. American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), remains steadfast in our commitment to the just cause of Palestine. Our efforts will only grow stronger as we bear witness to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

The attacks on Palestine are not limited to attacks in the land of Palestine. It is evident that those attacks include attempts to silence and censor the voices of anyone in support of the Palestinian people, including here in the United States.

.Rest assured, our voices will not be silenced and we remain undeterred. The AMP Annual Convention will continue.

We look forward to your continued support, and together, we will ensure that the cause of justice for Palestine remains at the forefront of our collective efforts.

Sincerely,

Salah Sarsour

Convention Chairman

We must continue placing pressure on our elected officials; we can’t give up

28 oktober 2023

Israel has killed more than 7,236 civilians in Gaza, most of which are women and children, since it began its murderous campaign on October 7, and the death toll is continuing to rise. While the Biden Administration continues to back Israel’s murderous campaign, there has been an unprecedented shift in American public support for Palestinians. The American people support a ceasefire and a genuine peace that addresses the root causes, not the misguided policies of the past, let alone genocide.  

We are asking you to:

• DEMAND Members of Congress cosponsor Rep. Cori Bush’s H.Res.786 - Ceasefire Now Resolution.
• DEMAND Congress OPPOSE the $14.6 billion in weapons aid to Israel. The U.S. shouldn’t be adding fuel to an already raging fire; instead, it needs to bring it to an end.
• DEMAND Congress to prioritize the immediate and ample delivery of humanitarian aid.

For 75 years, the world has been failing Palestinians. For three decades, the United States has been giving them promises about their right to live in a contiguous, sovereign state in which Palestinians live in freedom and dignity. 

The United States has the opportunity and the moral responsibility to call for an immediate ceasefire. We must place as much pressure as possible on our elected officials to demand an end to Israel’s violent bombing campaign of Gaza and immediate removal of the blockade. 

Please email and call your Member of Congress using our action tool and urge your friends and family to do the same. Do this every day until justice is served.

Thank you for taking action for Palestine.

Take Action Here

Sincerely,

Ayah Ziyadeh

Advocacy Director, AJP Action

Oproep: Kom massaal naar de nationale demonstratie zondag 29 oktober om 2 uur in Den Haag!

28 oktober 2023

Stop Nederlandse medeplichtigheid aan genocide in Gaza - ondersteuningsverklaring

De afgelopen weken zien we een escalatie van het Israëlische geweld tegen de Palestijnen. Gaza, de enclave die Israël al 16 jaar hermetisch afsluit en waar het al 16 jaar stelselmatig volstrekt onvoldoende water, voedsel, zorg en elektriciteit binnenlaat. Gaza wordt non-stop gebombardeerd door Israël. Ziekenhuizen, scholen, kerken en mediagebouwen: geen doelwit wordt gespaard. Door de grenzen nog strikter af te sluiten voor water, elektriciteit en voedsel probeert Israël de Palestijnen alle zuurstof te ontnemen. Tot nu toe zijn er al meer dan 6500 Palestijnen omgekomen bij dit geweld, maar dit aantal loopt met de dag op.

Deze keer vormen de burgerdoden die vielen bij de aanval van Hamas de aanleiding om de de Palestijnen nog verder te dehumaniseren - 'menselijke dieren' volgens minister van 'defensie' Gallant, “er wonen geen onschuldige burgers in Gaza” volgens president Herzog. En om de etnische zuivering van de Palestijnen, een voortdurend proces sinds 1948, nog verder aan te jagen. Minister van financiën Smotrich stelde eerder dat Palestijnen drie opties hebben: zich te onderwerpen aan Israël, te vertrekken of zich te verzetten met de dood als mogelijk gevolg.

De Westerse reactie op deze ontwikkelingen is er een van hypocrisie. Terwijl Oekraïne wordt bewapend om zich te kunnen verzetten tegen Russische bezetting, steunt het Westen in het geval van Palestina de bezetter. Al decennia wordt de staat, die door mensenrechtenorganisaties zoals Amnesty wordt omschreven als een Apartheidsstaat, gesteund door middel van bijvoorbeeld wapenhandel, militaire samenwerking en vrije toegang tot Europese aanbestedingen en onvoorwaardelijke steun binnen internationale instituties zoals de Verenigde Naties.

De reactie vanuit de Nederlandse politiek en media de afgelopen weken ligt hiermee in lijn. Premier Rutte liet weten achter Israël te staan en benadrukte dat Israël het recht zou hebben om zichzelf te verdedigen. Ook is er veel terechte aandacht voor de Israëlische slachtoffers van de aanval van Hamas, maar zoals dichter Ramsey Nasr ook stelde, hebben de talloze dode Palestijnen geen gezicht. Ook het feit dat de mensenrechten van Palestijnen al 75 jaar worden ontkend, blijft buiten beeld.

De afgelopen dagen zien we dat door de aanhoudende wereldwijde protesten in solidariteit met de Palestijnen dit beeld aan het verschuiven is. Met ons protest op zondag 29 oktober roepen we op tot onmiddellijk staakt het vuren en humanitaire hulp voor Gaza, maar dit alleen is geen basis voor een duurzame vrede.

We moeten internationaal de druk op Israël opvoeren, zoals we dat eerder met Zuid-Afrika hebben gedaan. Hiervoor hebben we een brede maatschappelijke beweging nodig. Een beweging die zich hard maakt voor een breuk van alle Nederlandse banden met Israël, om te beginnen de militaire samenwerking en de wapenhandel met Israël. Hierom organiseren verschillende groepen op zondag 29 oktober in Den Haag een demonstratie, beginnend bij Malieveld.

Deze groepen ondersteunen de oproep:

Palestijnse Gemeenschap Nederland
Palestijnse Huis
BDS Nederland
Internationale Socialisten
Dutch scholars for Palestine
Migreat
Students for Justice in Palestine
The Hague Peace Projects
Zorgverleners voor Palestina
Groningen BIJ1
Vrouwen in het Zwart Groningen
Vrouwen in het Zwart Haarlem
Mokum Kraakt
Vrouwen in het Zwart Amsterdam
Internationale Socialisten Groningen
Groningen for Palestine
Stichting Groningen-jabalya
Brabant in Verzet
Mokum Tegen Fascisme
Erasmus
School of Colour
Emcemo
Stichting Meld Islamofobie
BIJ1 Arnhem-Nijmegen
Nederlands Palestina Komitee
SJP
Students for Palestine The Hague
NAVTC
Vredesplatform Zwolle
Rotterdam voor Gaza
Verdedig Noord
S.P.E.A.K.

Ondersteunt jouw groep deze oproep? Laat het ons weten via dit formulier.

Demonstratie op Stadhuisplein Zaandam voor Palestijnse Slachtoffers en tegen de bussen van EBS

Op donderdag 26 oktober om 18:00, verzamelen we ons op het Stadhuisplein in Zaandam voor een demonstratie om de aandacht te vestigen op de schrijnende situatie van Palestijnse slachtoffers in Gaza én om te protesteren tegen de plannen van de vervoerregio om bussen te laten rijden van EBS in de Zaanstreek.

Waar: Stadhuisplein, Zaandam
Datum en Tijd: Donderdag 26 oktober, 18:00

Israël bezet Palestina met veel geweld. Het koloniseert Palestijns land al 75 jaar met steun van het Westen. Wij van de Palestijnse Gemeenschap Nederland, Palestijns Huis, BDS Nederland en Zaanstreek BIJ1 zijn tegen kolonialisme en bezetting. Wij komen op voor de vrijheid van het Palestijnse volk. Daarom zijn we solidair met de 2 miljoen Palestijnse slachtoffers die vast zitten in Gaza en de duizenden Palestijnse burgers die al overleden zijn. Wij vinden dat elk burgerslachtoffer er één te veel is.

Tegelijkertijd willen we aandacht vragen voor een ander belangrijk onderwerp. In december gaat de vervoerregio bussen van EBS in de Zaanstreek laten rijden. De bussen van het moederbedrijf van EBS vervoeren in de Westelijke Jordaanoever uitsluitend Israëliërs naar hun illegale kolonies. Daarom staan ze op een lijst van bedrijven die mensenrechten schenden. Deze lijst is opgesteld door de Verenigde Naties.

Als EBS in de Zaanstreek gaat rijden zouden wij onze buskaartjes moeten kopen van EBS. Belastinggeld en subsidies zouden naar een Israëlisch bedrijf gaan dat mensenrechten schendt. Onze organisaties vinden dat dit niet door mag gaan.

Sluit je aan bij onze demonstratie op 26 oktober!

Voor meer informatie en persverzoeken: zaanstreek@bij1.org.

No more grieving families.

The events of the past several weeks have made clear what we have always known: the lives of Palestinians and Israelis are intertwined, and safety can only come from justice, equality and freedom for all.

The only way forward is a ceasefire.

From coast to coast, AMP is leading the work for Gaza

27 oktober 2023

We are now almost three weeks into one of the most devastating and destructive attacks against the Palestinian people in history. Over 7,000 people, including 3,000 children, have been murdered by the Israeli apartheid regime with the backing of President Biden and the U.S. government. Against all odds, AMP and our supporters have taken our movement to the heart of America’s streets and to the halls of power in the U.S. Capitol, mobilizing the nation to take action for Palestine. Here's what we've accomplished in the past week:

Ceasefire Now Protest - Oct. 20th

Last Friday, AMP and our solidarity partners brought together thousands of people to protest in front of the Capitol Building, where we also held Friday prayers led by Imam Omar Suleiman.

National March for Gaza - Oct. 21st

On Saturday, AMP hosted the National March for Gaza in Washington, D.C., with over 15,000 protestors from across the country joining us to make their voices heard. Buses came from all over the nation to show solidarity with the people of Gaza and protest the Biden administration's unequivocal support for the ongoing genocide. This protest was part of our larger project which included protests in Chicago, New York City, NY, New Jersey, Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Milwaukee, WI, Dallas, TX, New Haven CT, Minnesota, and Toledo, OH.

Palestine Advocacy Days - Oct. 23rd-24th

For the past nine years, AMP and AJP Action have hosted Palestine Advocacy Days, bringing Palestinian Americans and allies from across the nation to advocate for Palestine. This year's event could not have come at a more crucial time. More than 300 passionate Americans, representing 25 different states, converged in Washington, D.C., to lobby their members of Congress to end the U.S. complicity in the genocide that Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip.

At AMP, we are working as hard as ever through our advocacy, education, and mobilization efforts. This is just a small glimpse into what we’ve been up to. But for us to be most effective, we need your help. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today to help us continue this necessary work. The people of Palestine deserve more. Let’s make sure we don’t let them down.

27 oktober 2023

Het Israëlische offensief op Gaza gaat nog altijd in alle hevigheid door. Het aantal slachtoffers dat daarbij valt, blijft onverminderd hard oplopen. Sinds de aanval van Hamas op 7 oktober kwamen volgens het Ministerie van Gezondheid ruim zevenduizend Palestijnen in Gaza om het leven als gevolg van Israëlische bombardementen. Aan Israëlische zijde vielen tot nu toe ongeveer 1.400 dodelijke slachtoffers. Daarnaast zijn nog steeds meer dan 200 Israëli's gegijzeld.

De humanitaire situatie in Gaza neemt catastrofale vormen aan. De burgerbevolking van Gaza kan nog steeds geen kant op. Water, voedsel en elektriciteit zijn niet of nauwelijks meer voorhanden. Sinds de grensovergang met Egypte op 21 oktober voor het eerst openging voor humanitaire hulp werden slechts 74 vrachtladingen met hulpmiddelen de Gazastrook binnengelaten. Ter vergelijking: voordat de oorlog uitbrak passeerden elke dag zo'n 500 vrachtwagens de grens.

Op de door Israël bezette Westelijke Jordaanoever, waar Hamas niet de scepter zwaait, leiden Palestijnen onder de terreur van illegale kolonisten en het Israëlische leger. Aan het kolonistengeweld besteedde Nieuwsuur aandacht in onderstaand fragment, dat onderdeel was van de uitzending van donderdagavond.

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

Tweede Kamer geeft groen licht voor Israëlische oorlogsmisdaden in Gaza

Op onze website geven we een compleet overzicht van alle moties en stemverhoudingen. In het bijgaande artikel gaan we dieper in op een aantal daarvan.

Internationaal recht overboord
Een bizar voorbeeld van die uitzonderingen is de motie van Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) en Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) waarin wordt opgeroepen om álle schendingen van het internationaal recht te veroordelen en tegen te gaan. Hoe ondenkbaar ook: de motie werd verworpen.

Dat de motie ook stelde dat Israël het recht heeft zijn eigen burgers te beschermen, Hamas de gijzelaars dient vrij te laten en zijn raketaanvallen moet staken, kon de rechtse partijen niet tot steun bewegen.

Uithongering als oorlogswapen
Het schokkendste voorbeeld van de morele en juridische ontsporing van de Tweede Kamer is het verwerpen van een door Laurens Dassen (Volt) en Jasper van Dijk (SP) ingediende motie. Die verzoekt de regering om Israël op te roepen zich te houden aan het verbod op uithongering als oorlogswapen. De motie verwijst naar het feit dat ruim twee miljoen Palestijnen in Gaza door Israël zijn afgesloten van voedsel en water.

'Vriend' Netanyahu
Zo bezocht Rutte maandag zijn ‘vriend’ Netanyahu, de Israëlische premier die in eigen land nota bene zwaar onder vuur ligt. Na afloop verklaarde hij zijn vriend in een ‘stevig gesprek’ te hebben gevraagd om zich een beetje in te houden bij het begaan van grove schendingen van het internationaal recht en potentiële oorlogsmisdaden. Ook verzocht hij Israël om tussen de meedogenloze bombardementen door ‘humanitaire pauzes’ in te lassen in plaats van een definitief staakt-het-vuren te eisen. De pauzes houden in dat de gevechten slechts gedurende korte tijd worden gestopt waarna ze wat Rutte betreft weer even meedogenloos mogen doorgaan.
 
De lessen van Irak
De politieke handelwijze doet denken aan de Nederlandse steun voor de catastrofale oorlog tegen Irak. In maart 2003 stemde een meerder­heid van de Tweede Kamer daarmee in, al ontbeerde de oorlog een volken­rechtelijk mandaat. De onbezonnen inval in Irak leidde tot een humanitaire ramp en geopolitieke wanorde waarvan de wereld nog lang niet is hersteld.

Bevolking pikt het niet meer: slechts 27% vóór !!

Met zijn onvoorwaardelijke steun voor Israël vervreemdt politiek Den Haag zich van een groeiend deel van de bevolking. De tijd dat een meerderheid Israël steunde ligt achter ons, bleek vorige week uit een peiling van Ipsos. Slechts 27% van de ondervraagden staat achter de reactie van de Nederlandse regering. Ruim de helft (55%) staat daar niet achter en vindt dat de Nederlandse regering kritischer moet zijn op Israël dan het nu is.

Volgens de onderzoekers valt het op hoe genuanceerd mensen reageren. Men is vooral begaan met al de onschuldige slachtoffers die dit conflict maakt, aan beide kanten. Velen kijken naar de historie, het ontstaan van de staat Israël in 1948. Ook dat is een groot verschil met Rutte en zijn kabinet die aangeven dat niet naar de context gekeken hebben.

De demonstratie, die om 14.00 uur begint, wordt gesteund door een groot aantal organisaties, waaronder de Internationale Socialisten, Students for Justice in Palestine en Dutch scholars for Palestine. 

Verzet van Nederlandse ambtenaren tegen Israëlbeleid regering

Met een niet mis te verstane interventie riep een groep Rijksambtenaren van uiteenlopende ministeries het kabinet vorige week op om zijn onvoorwaardelijke steun aan Israël te herzien.

Internationaal recht.
In een betoog benadrukken de ambtenaren dat Israël als bezettende macht onder internationaal recht gehouden is de Palestijnse bevolking te beschermen tegen ongebreideld geweld en collectieve bestraffing. De praktijk wijst echter uit dat Israël zich ‘op geen enkele wijze geremd voelt’, schrijven zij.

De ambtenaren wijzen erop dat Israël met zijn inzet van excessief geweld, gebruik van witte fosfor, blokkade van civiele basisbehoeften en bevel tot verplaatsing van een miljoen burgers het internationaal recht schendt. Het argument van ‘zelfverdediging’ biedt daarvoor geen legitimatie, aldus de ambtenaren.

Oproep tot ingrijpen.
Met zijn onvoorwaardelijke steun voor Israël biedt Nederland ruimte aan die ontsporing. De ambtenaren kunnen zich daarin niet langer vinden. Zij roepen op tot urgent ingrijpen om een humanitaire ramp te voorkomen.

Tweede brief: Ambtenaren van Buitenlandse Zaken beschuldigen Nederlandse regering van “institutioneel Racisme”

De noodkreet van de rijksambtenaren komt bovenop een brief van 350 ambtenaren van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. In deze aan de ministers Bruins Slot (CDA) en Schreinemacher (VVD) verstuurde brief wordt het standpunt van de regering bestempeld als ‘selectief’ en ‘inconsistent’. Het niet veroordelen van Israëls disproportionele reactie strookt niet ‘met de missie van ons ministerie, de waarden van Nederland en ons bredere buitenlandbeleid’, schrijven de hierbij  betrokken ambtenaren.

Lees hieronder het hele artikel over de petitie van de ambtenaren.

Onrust onder ambtenaren over Israëlbeleid regering

Met een petitie manen Rijksambtenaren het kabinet om het Israëlische geweld een halt toe te roepen en onschuldige Palestijnse burgers te beschermen: 'Laten we niet toekijken hoe een humanitaire catastrofe zich ontvouwt.' En: 'We hebben geen seconde te verliezen.'

Een hulpverlener draagt het lichaam van een kind dat op 17 oktober werd gedood bij een Israëlisch bombardement op Rafah in het zuiden van de Gazastrook. © APA images / Firas El-Shaer 

Met een opmerkelijke interventie roept een groep Rijksambtenaren van uiteenlopende ministeries het kabinet op zijn onvoorwaardelijke steun aan Israël te herzien. Die ondermijnt de internationale rechtsorde en faciliteert disproportioneel geweld, schrijven zij in een petitie die onder ambtenaren rondgaat en deze middag al door 334 van hen was ondertekend.

Internationaal recht

In een genuanceerd betoog benadrukken de ambtenaren dat Israël als bezettende macht onder internationaal recht gehouden is de Palestijnse bevolking te beschermen tegen ongebreideld geweld en collectieve bestraffing. De praktijk wijst echter uit dat Israël zich 'op geen enkele wijze geremd voelt', schrijven zij.

De ambtenaren wijzen erop dat Israël met zijn inzet van excessief geweld, gebruik van witte fosfor, blokkade van civiele basisbehoeften en bevel tot verplaatsing van een miljoen burgers het internationaal recht schendt. Het argument van 'zelfverdediging' biedt daarvoor geen legitimatie, schrijven zij. Eerder deze week wees hoogleraar André Nollkaemper, lid van de Raad van Advies van The Rights Forum, al op die ondeugdelijke legitimering.

Oproep tot ingrijpen

Met zijn onvoorwaardelijke steun voor Israël biedt Nederland ruimte aan die ontsporing. De ambtenaren kunnen zich daarin niet langer vinden:

"Als ambtenaren voelen wij ons geroepen om te staan voor het internationaal recht. Wij hebben de eed of belofte afgelegd op basis van de Grondwet en worden geacht, als integer ambtenaar, om rechtvaardig te handelen. De onvoorwaardelijke steun van ons kabinet aan Israël maakt ons medeplichtig aan de humanitaire catastrofe in Gaza. Dit kunnen en willen wij niet op ons geweten hebben."

De ambtenaren roepen op tot urgent ingrijpen om een humanitaire ramp te voorkomen. Het kabinet dient het buitensporige Israëlische geweld 'in de meest krachtige termen' te veroordelen en van Israël te eisen de blokkade van de Gazastrook op te heffen en noodhulp toe te staan.

Ook dient het kabinet volgens de initiatiefnemers met één maat te meten. Daarbij wijzen zij op het verschil met de Nederlandse reactie op het Russische geweld tegen de burgerbevolking van Oekraïne. Zij besluiten hun oproep als volgt:

"Laat het recht en uw menselijkheid spreken, in alle gelijkheid en eerlijkheid, en laat politieke macht en de kleur of de religie van slachtoffers niet bepalend zijn voor uw handelen."

Tweede brief

De noodkreet van de ambtenaren komt bovenop een brief van 350 ambtenaren van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken waarover NRC bericht. In de deze vrijdag aan de ministers Bruins Slot [CDA] en Schreinemacher [VVD] verstuurde brief wordt kritiek geuit op het standpunt van de regering als 'selectief' en 'inconsistent'. Het niet veroordelen van Israëls disproportionele reactie strookt niet 'met de missie van ons ministerie, de waarden van Nederland en ons bredere buitenlandbeleid', schrijven de ambtenaren volgens NRC.

Ook 'het uitblijven van medeleven met en sympathie voor Palestijnse burgerslachtoffers' wordt door de briefschrijvers aangekaart. Dat zou te wijten zijn aan het 'institutioneel racisme' binnen het ministerie. Palestijnse levens worden daarom 'als minder waard beschouwd'. 'Het ene slachtoffer lijkt het andere niet te zijn', citeert NRC uit de brief. De 350 ondertekenaars  verlangen dat de regering 'met klem inzet op een staakt-het-vuren en deëscalatie'.

Den Haag, werk nu aan vrede

Beide brieven sluiten aan bij de eerdere oproep van The Rights Forum voor een weloverwogen reactie van de regering op de slachting die Hamas op 7 oktober aanrichtte. Met zijn reactie zet het kabinet de poort open voor Israëlische oorlogsmisdaden, schreven wij.

In een nieuwe video stellen we de onverantwoorde handelwijze van het kabinet aan de kaak. Net als de ambtenaren roepen wij de politiek in een petitie op tot onmiddellijke koerswijziging waarbij concrete actie voor een politieke oplossing van de kwestie-Palestina voorop staat.

Daarbij dienen het wegnemen van de oorzaken van het conflict en naleving van de internationale rechtsorde als leidraad. Onze petitie werd in enkele dagen al ruim 15 duizend maal getekend.

Komende evenementen

28 oktober 2023 / Wake van Vrouwen in het Zwart in Groningen

28 oktober 2023 / Vredesmars Stop de Oorlog - Bergen voor Vrede

29 oktober 2023 / Vredeswandeling in Amsterdam

Volgens Israël dient die ‘smerige antisemitische taal’ hem de kop te kosten. De aanval past in een lange Israëlische traditie.

Lees hieronder het hele artikel.

Israël gaat VN-chef Guterres te lijf om duiding geweld van Hamas

VN-chef António Guterres stelde de aanslag van Hamas in de context van de 56 jaar durende Israëlische bezetting. Volgens Israël dient die 'smerige antisemitische taal' hem de kop te kosten. De aanval past in een lange Israëlische traditie.

Tijdens een aan de Gaza-oorlog gewijde bijeenkomst van de VN-Veiligheidsraad in New York benadrukte António Guterres, secretaris-generaal van de VN, dinsdag dat de aanvallen van Hamas op Israël 'niet in een vacuüm plaatsvonden'. Hij verwees naar '56 jaar verstikkende bezetting' en de gevolgen daarvan voor de Palestijnen:

"Ze hebben gezien hoe hun land gestaag werd opgeslokt door nederzettingen en geteisterd door geweld; hoe hun economie werd verstikt; hoe hun mensen werden ontheemd en hun huizen werden gesloopt. Hun hoop op een politieke oplossing voor hun benarde situatie is vervlogen.

De grieven van het Palestijnse volk kunnen de afschuwelijke aanvallen van Hamas niet rechtvaardigen. En die afschuwelijke aanvallen kunnen de collectieve bestraffing van het Palestijnse volk niet rechtvaardigen".

Israël reageerde furieus. De Israëlische VN-ambassadeur Gilad Erdan beschuldigde Guterres ervan 'begrip te tonen' voor de door Hamas aangerichte slachting van 7 oktober. Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Eli Cohen, ook in New York, annuleerde een geplande afspraak met hem.

Dat eiste hij ook van de familieleden van de door Hamas ontvoerde Israëli's die Guterres zouden ontmoeten. Een aantal gaf toe aan de druk. Tijdens een toespraak werd Cohen vanwege zijn schaamteloze optreden uitgejouwd door Israëlische expats die zijn aftreden eisten.

'Terrorist Guterres'

Israëlisch parlementslid Avigdor Lieberman bestempelde het betoog van Guterres als een 'vals harratief dat de VN al jaren probeert op te dringen'. Ook hij beschuldigde Guterres van 'legitimering' van het Hamasgeweld en hij stelde de secretaris-generaal op één lijn met 'de verachtelijke terroristen van Hamas'.

Volgens parlementsvoorzitter Amir Onana was de aanval van Hamas een 'moderne Holocaust'. Onana meent dat Guterres door zijn 'smerige antisemitische taal' zijn 'laatste beetje waardigheid en morele zuiverheid is verloren'.

Ook oppositieleider Yair Lapid liet van zich horen. Hij beschuldigde Guterres ervan excuses te zoeken voor 'barbaars terrorisme'. Volgens hem is Israël een 'aan het recht gebonden democratie die zich verdedigt' tegen een 'brute terroristische organisatie die een slachting op burgers heeft begaan'. Door meerdere Israëlische politici werd opgeroepen tot het ontslag van Guterres en zelfs tot onttakeling van de VN.

Lesje leren

De hetze tegen Guterres zette zich woensdag in alle hevigheid voort. Niet alleen werd opnieuw opgeroepen tot zijn aftreden, ook heeft Israël besloten om VN-vertegenwoordigers geen toegang meer te verlenen tot het land. Gilad Erdan vatte het besluit als volgt samen: 'Het is tijd ze een lesje te leren.'

Dat is een veelzeggende uitspraak. Guterres heeft zich namelijk een loyale bondgenoot van Israël getoond door het land op cruciale momenten uit de wind te houden. Zo liet hij Israël eerder dit jaar tot ieders verbazing buiten zijn jaarlijkse 'list of shame' van landen die zich structureel schuldig maken aan de mishandeling van kinderen. En in maart 2017 liet hij een rapport over Israëlische apartheid, opgesteld in opdracht van de VN, binnen twee dagen intrekken, ook al kostte dat zijn eigen mensen de kop. In beide gevallen handelde hij onder zware druk van Israël en de VS. Nu hij weigert aan de leiband te lopen wordt hem 'een lesje geleerd'.

Kant noch wal

De beschuldigingen tegen Guterres raken kant noch wal. Hij heeft het Hamasgeweld steeds scherp veroordeeld en herhaalde die veroordeling nota bene tijdens de VN-zitting. Ook zet hij zich onvermoeibaar in voor de door Hamas ontvoerde Israëli's en hun families.

Dat het beestachtige Israëlische regime een beestachtige reactie kan losmaken mag niet worden gezegd, laat staan opgelost.

Het punt dat Guterres maakte is dat 75 jaar rechteloosheid en verdrijving, 56 jaar bezetting en kolonisering, 16 jaar blokkade en een wreed regime van geweld, etnische zuivering en apartheid per definitie tot een reactie van de slachtoffers zal leiden. Wil je daarvan af dan moet je geen nieuw trauma veroorzaken maar eindelijk de oorzaken aanpakken, is Guterres' boodschap. Daar wordt hij voor gestraft. Dat het beestachtige Israëlische regime een beestachtige reactie kan losmaken mag niet worden gezegd, laat staan opgelost.

Patroon van beschuldigingen

De uitzinnige beschuldigingen tegen Guterres passen in een patroon. Israël keert zich traditioneel met zulke aantijgingen tegen instellingen en organisaties die zijn gewelddadige overheersing van de Palestijnen in de weg staan.

De VN ligt al jaren onder vuur vanwege zijn vermeende 'anti-lsraëlische' en 'antisemitische' gezindheid. Ook individuele VN-deskundigen worden met regelmaat op de meeste grove wijze belasterd - de beschuldigingen van eind 2022 tegen Speciaal VN-Rapporteur Francesca Albanese zijn een voorbeeld uit vele. In september 2017 bestempelde premier Benjamin Netanyahu in een toespraak tot de VN diezelfde VN zelfs tot 'epicentrum van het wereldwijde antisemitisme'. Met de beschuldiging van Guterres is nu ook het VN-boegbeeld aan de schandpaal genageld.

Ook het algemene inreisverbod dat Israël nu voor VN-medewerkers heeft uitgevaardigd past in de traditie. Rapporteurs als Albanese zijn per definitie niet welkom in Israël en ook ontzegt Israël medewerkers van de Hoge VN-Commissaris voor de Mensenrechten al jaren de toegang tot het land.

'Antisemitische' organisaties

Gerenommeerde mensenrechtenorganisaties als Amnesty International en Human Rights Watch en vooraanstaande instellingen als het Internationaal Strafhof ondergaan dezelfde behandeling. Direct nadat het Strafhof op 3 maart 2021 een onderzoek aankondigde naar Israëlische en Palestijnse (Hamas] oorlogsmisdaden in bezet gebied, werd het door Israëls politieke establishment beschuldigd van Israël- en Jodenhaat en het faciliteren van terrorisme. Al een jaar eerder, tijdens het vooronderzoek, riep Netanyahu op tot wereldwijde sancties tegen het hof vanwege 'puur antisemitisme'.

Ook bedrijven krijgen met de Israëlische toorn te maken als zij een onwelgevallige koers varen.

In juli 2021 kreeg Ben & Jerry'sde volle laag toen de populaire ijsproducent bekendmaakte zich terug te trekken uit Israëls illegale kolonies ('nederzettingen') in bezet gebied. Allerwegen werd het bedrijf beschuldigd van antisemitisme en het rugwind geven aan Palestijns terrorisme. Israëlische bewindslieden riepen op tot een wereldwijde boycot van het bedrijf met de Joodse wortels.

Bagatellisering van de Holocaust

De kwaadaardige aantijgingen raken natuurlijk in de eerste plaats de beschuldigde bedrijven, organisaties en instellingen. Zij lopen zware reputatieschade op. Maar de schadelijke effecten reiken veel verder dan dat. Wie beweert dat de wereld tot in de top van de VN toe vergeven is van antisemieten creëert een angstbeeld waarmee Joden en anderen de stuipen op het lijf wordt gejaagd. Die suggereert bovendien dat de overheersing van de Palestijnen eigenlijk niet een Israëlische, maar een 'Joodse' onderneming is, en dat is een klassieke vorm van antisemitisme. Het netto effect is dat het begrip antisemitisme iedere betekenis verliest en de bestrijding ervan wordt ondermijnd.

Even ernstig zijn de lukrake verwijzingen naar de Holocaust, die eveneens een lange traditie kennen. Zoals gezegd noemde parlementsvoorzitter Onana de gruwelijke operatie van Hamas 'een moderne Holocaust'. Hij was niet de enige, en tal van politici, onder wie Netanyahu en voormalig premier Naftali Bennett, verklaarden dat Israël in Gaza in gevecht is met 'de nazi's' - de laatste omschreef zelfs de hele bevolking als nazi's.

Steeds meer Holocaust- en genocidedeskundigen spreken zich openlijk uit tegen wat zij het 'misbruik' van de Holocaust noemen. Zij onderstrepen dat de context van de Holocaust een volstrekt andere was dan die van de brute aanval van Hamas. Scherp bekritiseren zij het feit dat Israëlische politici de vergelijking gebruiken om een 'dreigende genocide in Gaza' te legitimeren. De vergelijking is een typisch voorbeeld van wat wij in Nederland aanduiden als 'bagatellisering van de Holocaust', een vergrijp dat eerder dit jaar op initiatief van minister Dilan Yesilgöz strafbaar is gesteld.

28 oktober 2023

We amplified Palestinian voices throughout the halls of Congress

25 oktober 2023

In the face of formidable challenges, our recent Palestine Advocacy Day stands as a testament to the power of unity and determination. We are thrilled to share that the event exceeded all expectations. More than 300 passionate Americans representing 25 different states converged in Washington, D.C., to lobby their members of Congress to end the U.S. complicity in the genocide that Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip. It was a remarkable turnout of people from diverse backgrounds, including Muslims, Jews, and Christians, who joined hands to amplify the voices of Palestinians in Gaza and ardently call for justice and an immediate ceasefire.

Gaza is not alone in its struggle, and we are unwavering in our commitment to speaking out for them and advocating for them until this tragic genocide is brought to a complete halt. It is profoundly disheartening to acknowledge that our government is enabling this humanitarian crisis, and we cannot stand idly by.

Together, we have the power to effect change and be the driving force behind the pursuit of justice and peace in Palestine. Let’s not give up on the oppressed people of Gaza; we can’t let them down. Your unwavering support is making a difference.

Once again, thank you for being an invaluable part of our cause. 

Stay tuned for our forthcoming report.

Sincerely,

Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid

Executive Director, AJP Action

All of Palestine is under attack.

24 oktober 2023

For many of us, it’s impossible to imagine the scale of death and destruction in Gaza.

In just two weeks, the Israeli military has killed over 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli warplanes have flattened entire neighborhoods. Shell-shocked children are left to search for their parents under the rubble. Millions of Palestinians have once again been made refugees, bombed as they tried to flee. Surgeons are operating by the light of their cellphones, increasingly without anesthesia.

Let us be clear: This is genocide.

This isn’t a war on Hamas. It’s a war on all of the Palestinian people.

While international attention is focused on Gaza, the Israeli government and extremist settler groups are taking the opportunity to accelerate the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israeli settlers are being armed by the Israeli state, and have become indistinguishable from Israeli soldiers. Both abuse Palestinians with impunity.

Read the full Wire 

Jewish Voice for Peace
P.O. Box 589
Berkeley, CA 94701
United States

24 oktober 2023

These are the Palestinian communities That Were Attacked between October 7-22

Yesh Din has mapped which Palestinian communities in the West Bank have been attacked by Israeli settlers between Oct. 7-22. Since October 7, more than 100 attacks have been carried out in at least 62 towns and villages in the West Bank, at times accompanied by soldiers. Israeli settlers have killed at least six Palestinians with live ammunition, displaced shepherd communities from their lands, set homes and vehicles on fire, uprooted trees, and destroyed property. To Yesh Din’s knowledge, out of the hundreds of settlers involved in these attacks, not a single one has been detained, investigated, or arrested in relation to these incidents. This is not a failure of law enforcement in the West Bank but rather policy of the GOI that supports the violent acts carried out by settlers against innocent Palestinians. Since October 7, 96 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli security forces and settlers.

A summary of all settler attacks in the Wes Bank since Oct. 7

*In many communities, more than one incident of violence occurred. This map does not include all incidents of harm to Palestinians by Israelis in the West Bank, but is limited to cases documented by Yesh Din.

These are the villages and town which have been attacked:
 
al-Jab'a, a-Zuweidin, a-Taybah, as-Sawiya, a-Tha'lah, a-Tuwani,  Umm Thret, Um Safa, Iskaka, al-Mughayir, al-Mazra'ah al-Qibliyah, Al-Mahrur, al-'Ubeidiyah, Immatin, Burin, Burqah, Brijiyya, Jalud, Jit, Duma, Deir Istiya, Deir Jarir, Deir Nidham, Deir 'Ammar, Deir Sharaf, Wadi a-Seeq, Kharbatha Bani Harith, Kh. a-Safai, al-Mufaqarah, Khirbet ar Ratheem, Kh. Wadi Ejheish, Haris, Hebron, Huwarah, Yanun, Yasuf, Masafer Yatta, Kafr Ni'ma, Madama, Mu'arrajat, Maghayir al-'Abid, Marda, Ni'lin, Sabastiya, Susiya, Silat a-Dhahr, Sinjil, Sa'ir, Ein Yabrud, Einabus, Aqraba, Far'ata, Qabalan, Widady community, Qusrah, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Qaryut, Ras Karkar, Turmusaya, Talfit, Tuqu'.

Media Coverage

Please read these articles in the Israeli and the international media published this past weekend, in which data collected by Yesh Din was presented on the forcible transfer of Palestinian shepherding communities in the West Bank:

Le Monde, BBC, Al Jazeera, Haaretz

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.

23 oktober 2023