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Survivors Describe Horror as Israel Massacres 90 Palestinians in “Safe Zone”
“What a life we live … that we have to see the dismembered bodies of our siblings and families fly over our heads.”
"When the Israeli army struck the coastal displacement camp in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, there was no rubble. The Israeli-designated “safe zone” was little more than a sea of tents on the beach, so people were buried in the sand instead.
“A leg hit me, and I saw dismembered bodies a few meters away,” Shaima told Mondoweiss. “I saw a young child screaming. He lost his lower limbs and was crawling on his hands and screaming. The bombs didn’t stop, and suddenly the boy disappeared. I saw how he vanished before me while we ran and lowered our eyes to the ground, unable to do anything but run."
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At least 60 people killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza Strip
Targets include ‘humanitarian zone’ and school harbouring displaced people, where IDF says there were Hamas fighters
"Over the past two weeks, Israel has hit the besieged Palestinian territory with some of the fiercest bombardments in months, the deadliest of which targeted Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s military commander, in a bombing in Mawasi on Saturday that killed more than 90 people. It is still unclear whether Deif, wanted by Israel for decades, was killed in the strike."
A Palestinian official close to the negotiations told Reuters that Hamas did not want to be seen as halting negotiations despite the stepped-up Israeli attacks. “Hamas wants the war to end, not at any price. It says it has shown the flexibility needed and is pushing the mediators to get Israel to reciprocate,” the official said.
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"I'm Bored, So I Shoot"
The Israeli army’s approval of free-for-all violence in Gaza
"Israeli soldiers describe the near-total absence of firing regulations in the Gaza war, with troops shooting as they please, setting homes ablaze, and leaving corpses on the streets — all with their commanders’ permission."
But these executions, which did not appear to have any security rationale, are consistent with the testimonies of six Israeli soldiers who spoke to +972 Magazine and Local Call following their release from active duty in Gaza in recent months. Corroborating the testimonies of Palestinian eyewitnesses and doctors throughout the war, the soldiers described being authorized to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will, including civilians.
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Israel’s settlement policies break international law, court finds
International court of justice says exploitation of natural resources in Palestinian territories also break law
"The international court of justice said “the transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and Jerusalem as well as Israel’s maintenance of their presence, is contrary to article 49 of the fourth geneva convention”.
"The panel of 15 judges from around the world also said the use of natural resources was “inconsistent” with its obligations under international law as an occupying power."
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Report: US Allows Tax Incentives for Donations to Israeli Groups Blocking Aid
Three groups, including one sanctioned by the U.S., have raised $200k in tax deductible donations.
"Reporting from The Associated Press and Israeli news site Shomrim finds that three groups that have worked to obstruct aid efforts in Gaza have gotten tax deductible donations from the U.S. and Israel. The groups have collectively raised $200,000, the investigation found."
"The purpose of donations being tax deductible in the U.S. is supposedly to incentivize giving to charitable groups, though these rules are often abused by the ultra-wealthy in order to dodge taxes. In this case, Americans have an incentive to donate to groups, including one that was recently sanctioned by the U.S. for its efforts to block aid, that are seeking to manufacture a famine in Gaza amid Israel’s genocide — even as U.S. and Israeli officials dubiously claim that they wish to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza."
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A Brief Opinion
Patronizing white maleness keeps rearing its condescending head
by Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler
Have you noticed how Biden and Trump have no problem stating out loud all that they have done for Black people, women, and now for Palestinians. Each of the candidates truly believe that they have done something to advance the life and dignity of women and people of-color. At the recent presidential non-debate Trump declared to Biden that "you are a Palestinian, and not a very good one." I took note of that because Biden have basically given Israel a green light to carry out a holocaust against Palestinians, and if Trump thinks that Biden is a "Palestinian" it gives pause and makes you wonder what in the world would a Trump administration do? But we do not have to think long because we have already seen from his last administration what Trump will do. Do you remember that his Son In-Law, Jared Kushner, entrusted with Middle Eastern affairs, moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem without conversation with Palestinians. It was a moved that conceded to the Zionist viewpoint that Israel was a Jewish state and its capital is Jerusalem. This goes contrary to the history of Jerusalem being an international city that is open to all the Abrahamic faiths and other faithful movements that find significance there. The Trump administration's attitude was that Palestinians would get over it. So for Trump to state that Biden 'is a Palestinian, but not a very good one', serves to inform us that as bad as things are now in Gaza and the West Bank under Biden it will be even worse under Trump. Both of these men have expressed either racist regard or racist disregard for Blacks, women, and Palestinians. Each are so filled with white male privilege that they don't care what is offensive and what is not. There is not much light in this Presidential election, and as long as there is a two party system voters are forced to vote for poison or poison. The question is what and who will kill us quicker.
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What Trump really thinks about the war in Gaza
Trump hasn't laid out a clear vision for Gaza — and that's probably deliberate.
Earlier this month, he reportedly told donors behind closed doors that he would pursue a zero-tolerance policy with respect to what he reportedly referred to as the “radical revolution” that has swept US college campuses in recent months, saying he would have deported protesters who aren’t US citizens.
“Well, if you get me elected, and you should really be doing this, if you get me reelected, we’re going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years,” he reportedly said.
"By that account, it’s clear that Trump would be even harsher on protesters and hug Israel even tighter than Biden. But as Biden’s support erodes due to his perceived failure to be critical enough of Israel, Trump can avoid scrutiny out of the spotlight on the incumbent president."
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Biden Says He’s Done “More” for Palestinians “Than Anybody” as He Backs Genocide
Israel’s genocide, underwritten largely by Biden, has killed at least 39,000 Palestinians so far — but likely far more.
"By the way, I’m the guy that did more for the Palestinian community than anybody. I’m the guy that opened up all the assets. I’m the guy that made sure that I got the Egyptians to open the border to let goods through, medicine and food," Biden said in the interview that was filmed on Friday."
"The Biden administration has repeatedly attempted to justify Israel’s near-total blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, which has resulted in the spread of famine across the entirety of Gaza. UN officials have referred to the U.S.-backed Israeli blockade as a “genocidal starvation campaign."
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With Media Enamored by US Presidential Race, Israeli Massacres in Gaza Get Even Deadlier
"We must not lose sight of what is happening in Gaza, where an unprecedented humanitarian crisis continues to get even worse," said U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"While outlets such as Al Jazeera and Reuters have kept Israel's onslaught at or near the top of their pages, coverage of the relentless war on the Palestinian enclave has largely been supplanted in the U.S. by presidential politics, particularly in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday—the same day Israeli forces killed around 100 people in an attack on a southern Gaza town that was previously designated a "safe zone," as Common Dreams reported.
Fresh Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Tuesday killed dozens of people—including children—but the massacres didn't receive mention on the front pages of the web versions of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, or USA Today, each of which heavily featured coverage of the high-stakes U.S. presidential contest between two candidates who have backed Israel's war on Gaza."
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It’s Past Time To Talk To Hamas
"When October 7 occurred, Israel rapidly weaponized the demonization of Hamas, already declared by Israel and the US to be a terrorist group, to justify all its actions in Gaza. This was bolstered by a multitude of false accounts of beheaded babies, burnt pregnant mothers, sexually mutilated bodies, and mass rapes, none of which was proven. Every public discussion of the war had to start with the question: “Do you condemn Hamas?” And if you failed to do so, or if you failed to declare their actions “barbaric” rapidly enough, you were personally attacked and called antisemitic. Any attempt to objectively discover what happened on that fateful day was compared to Holocaust denial. Hamas certainly undertook considerable violence against civilians, but we must acknowledge that just this week leading Israeli paper Haaretz finally admitted to Israel's widespread use of the Hannibal Directive: the killing of it's own citizens to prevent capture. The declared objective of eliminating Hamas, not just defeating or neutralizing its fighting force, was the goal, and this became the justification for not only destroying Gaza—its hospitals, universities, markets, housing blocks, and infrastructure—but also for repeated population transfers on a mass scale in pursuit of that impossible objective."
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We Are Taught By Them
"We, the undersigned faith leaders from varied traditions and denominations, write to express our profound concern and condemnation regarding the police brutality against students and community members that occurred on May 30. A number of us have been present to the Wayne State encampment and others similar. They strike us as embodying beloved community, listening and learning gatherings of conscience. Indeed we are taught by them.
We understand the demands of the students – the divestment from war and weapons manufacturing – to be a good and just pursuit for which you should take pride as university leadership. Instead, you authorized the deployment of riot police and the use of brutal force against members of our communities, including the violent removal of a woman’s hijab, a grave violation within the Islamic faith."
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The church is radicalizing over Gaza
Islamists, Zionists and conservative evangelicals are strange extremist bedfellows indeed.
U.S. conservatives have also invoked Holy War. Sen. Lindsay Graham said, “We’re in a religious war here. I am with Israel … Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.”
"John Hagee and Greg Laurie, have said this war will usher in the end times. Wayne J. Edwards, a pastor in Georgia, wrote, “It’s obvious that Israel’s enemies do not recognize that God has given the land to the Jews.” Peter Leithart suggested it was time to “dust off imprecatory Psalms” and “ask Jesus to pursue justice … purge (the Amalekites) from under heaven” and to smash the “nations like pottery.”"
"Florida state Rep. Michelle Salzman, who is active in faith-based initiatives, called for the killing of “all of them” in response to a colleague’s lament asking “how many (dead Palestinians) will be enough?” during floor debate."
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Addressing Haitian women’s particular needs through their leadership role (July 2024)
300,000 Haitian women and girls are displaced without basic safety and health services
"With women and girls accounting for 54 percent of the 580,000 internally displaced people in Haiti, the new UN Women Rapid Gender Assessment shows how makeshift camps lack basic human necessities and put women and girls particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence. The survey, conducted in the six most populated and diverse Internally Displaced Persons sites of Port au Prince, shows most camps have no lighting or locks in essential areas like bedrooms and toilets, while those living in the camps are exposed to daily threats from armed gangs. The constant danger of stray bullets and other security risks underscore the urgent need for improved protection in the camps."
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Mohammed bin Zayed and Sudan's Burhan speak in call mediated by Ethiopia
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sets up call between two leaders, as Sudanese army continues to accuse UAE of arming and funding its rival
"Multiple Sudanese and diplomatic sources told Middle East Eye that Abiy had mediated the phone call following his recent trip to Port Sudan to meet with Burhan and in the wake of a $817m bilateral currency swap agreement between the UAE Central Bank and the National Bank of Ethiopia.
It was the first conversation between the two leaders since June 2023, when the Sudanese army accused the UAE at the UN Security Council of providing weapons and support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which the army has been at war with since 15 April last year.
A source close to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) told MEE that the phone call was proposed during Abiy’s visit to Port Sudan last week. During this visit, Burhan drove Abiy through Sudan’s wartime capital with just one translator present, prompting speculation that the talks between the leaders – who both have plenty of experience fighting civil wars – were top secret."
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
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In DRC’s Ituri, women coffee farmers wrestle with an uncertain future
Local cooperatives are stepping in to support vulnerable farmers, mostly women, struggling in conflict-ridden eastern DRC.
"The conflict has also made it difficult to gauge the exact amount of coffee production happening in eastern DRC; and challenges in the region continue to embitter farmers towards growing coffee.
For women, who make up 80 percent of the labour force in coffee farms as the fighting draws men to the front lines, working on farms amid conflict means multiplied dangers and challenges, with little support.
Fighting has plagued eastern DRC for decades, and has escalated recently. In resource-rich Ituri, there has been recurring conflict between government forces and more than 120 armed militias for decades. Over the past two months, there have been attacks by CODECO and Zaïre fighters over gold mining sites in the Djugu district. Additionally, six Chinese miners and two Congolese soldiers were killed early this month in the village of Gambala."
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Drone strike by Yemen’s Houthi rebels kills 1 person and wounds at least 10 in Tel Aviv
"The aerial strike rumbled through the center of the city near the U.S. Embassy, causing shrapnel to rain down and spreading shards of glass over a large radius.
The hit in Israel’s biggest city was startling because the drone appeared to have crossed much of the country through the multilayered air defenses that have intercepted almost all of the drones and rockets that Yemen’s Houthis have been launching toward Israel since the Gaza war began. Most have failed even to reach Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, on the Red Sea some 270 kilometers (160 miles) south of Tel Aviv.
The Israeli military said it was investigating what went wrong. Chief spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the drone was detected by air defenses, but an “error” occurred and “there was no interception."
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Hezbollah to hit new areas in Israel if civilians targeted, Nasrallah says
"Hezbollah will hit new Israeli targets if Israel keeps targeting civilians in Lebanon, the group's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday, saying there had been a spike in the number of non-combatants killed in Lebanon in recent days.
Five civilians, all Syrians and including three children, were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday and at least three Lebanese civilians were killed the day before, according to state media and security sources.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war."
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Upcoming Actions and Events | |
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HOLD THE DATE to Attend FOR-USA's
"Summit on Race, Guns, and America’s Love Affair with Killing"
FOR-USA Addressing the Madness of Violence Since 1915
October 5, 2024
In Washington, DC
To Be Held at The Metropolitan AME Church
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Consider Joining The Fellowship of Reconciliation USA.
I am The Senior Advisor, and Ms. Ariel Gold is our Executive Director. FOR-USA is the oldest Peace and Justice, Interfaith Organization in the country founded in 1915.
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