Author name: Helping Gaza

The captives were killed during combat with Palestinian fighters after they were erroneously identified as a threat. Published On 15 Dec 202315 Dec 2023 The Israeli army has killed three captives held by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza after “mistakenly” identifying them as a threat, according to Israeli military officials. The military said on Friday that the captives were killed during combat with Palestinian groups in Gaza and expressed its condolences to the families while saying there would be “full transparency” in the investigation into the incident, which is “under review”. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 This is what 24 hours of our lives in Gaza look like | Close Up list 2 of 4 Al Jazeera journalist Samer Abudaqa laid to rest in southern Gaza list 3 of 4 Watching the watchdogs: Media, law and Gaza genocide list 4 of 4 Israel to reopen Karem Abu Salem to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza end of list “During combat in Shujayea, the [Israeli army] mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed,” the army said in a statement. “The [Israeli army] began reviewing the incident immediately … Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all [Israeli army] troops in the field,” it added, expressing “deep remorse over the tragic incident”. The hostages were identified as three young men who had been abducted from Israeli communities during the Hamas attack on October 7 – 28-year-old Yotam Haim, 25-year-old Samer Al-Talalka and 26-year-old Alon Shamriz. The army’s chief spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was believed that the three had either fled their captors or been abandoned. Israeli troops have engaged in fierce battles with Palestinian fighters in the area in recent days. About 250 captives were taken into Gaza by Palestinian groups during the October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 18,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, most of them women and children. Thousands more are missing and trapped beneath the rubble. The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that bringing home all of the hostages is one of its principal aims in the war. To date, 110 of the captives have been freed, mostly during a seven-day truce last month in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Israel has also repatriated eight bodies, including on Friday those of dual Israeli-French national Elia Toledano, 28, abducted from an electronic music festival, and two 19-year-old soldiers. The deaths were announced as US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US and Israel were discussing a timetable for scaling back the offensive against Hamas, even though they agree the overall fight will take months. Sullivan also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the besieged enclave’s postwar future. US President Joe Biden’s administration has expressed unease over Israel’s failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer wholehearted support for Israel with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing. Israeli air raids and shelling continued Friday, including in the southern city of Rafah, part of the shrinking areas of tiny, densely populated Gaza to which Palestinian civilians had been told by Israel to evacuate. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.609.0_en.html#goog_2039511214Play Video Video Duration 03 minutes 31 seconds03:31

The Health Ministry says the number of people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 has increased to 18,608. Another 50,594 people have been wounded, it added. A total of 196 killed people and 499 wounded arrived at hospitals during the past 25 hours, while a large number of victims are still under the rubble of destroyed buildings, according to the ministry.

Israel’s foreign minister says the army will continue its war against Hamas in Gaza with or without international support and that agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza at this stage would be a mistake. “Israel will continue the war against Hamas with or without international support,” Eli Cohen said. “A ceasefire at the current stage is a gift to the terrorist organisation Hamas and will allow it to return and threaten the residents of Israel.” US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that Israel risks losing international support, in particular from the European Union, over its “indiscriminate bombing” of civilians. Cohen also called on the international community to act “effectively and aggressively” to protect global shipping lanes after the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen launched a series of new attacks against Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea.

From Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Minutes ago, seven dead bodies were taken to the Al-Aqsa Hospital after being trapped for more than 10 hours under the rubble of their house. We saw heartbreaking scenes of the family saying their last goodbyes to the seven members; some of them were children. More ambulances came and transferred more injured people to the hospital, as there were more attacks in Deir el-Balah in the past few hours.

Prior to October 7, the Biden administration made a renewed push to normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. But the Gaza war has put Riyadh and other Arab nations who signed a peace deal with Israel in an awkward position. Read our full report to find out what experts who spoke at the Doha Forum had to say about this and other consequences for the region as a result of the war in Gaza.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, UN Special Rapporteur on Food Michael Fakhri said that what the world is witnessing today is a “genocide”, adding that the more than 2.3 million people in Gaza are all facing hunger. Fakhri, a professor at the University of Oregon School of Law in the US, also said: https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.608.2_en.html#goog_69500876Play Video Video Duration 03 minutes 05 seconds03:05Starvation used as a ‘weapon of war’ on civilians in Gaza: Oxfam

Lara Friedman, the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, says the “only moral thing to talk about now is ceasefire”. That includes “ending Israel’s killing of Palestinians & destruction of Gaza; achieving the release [of] hostages; ending the firing of missiles by Hamas into Israel – and flooding Gaza with humanitarian aid”, she wrote in a series of posts on social media. “The ONLY moral objective right now is preventing Israel from ethnically cleansing Gaza & continuing the genocide of Palestinians.” Friedman’s comments come as US officials have said they want the Palestinian Authority to take over in Gaza as Israel pushes to destroy Hamas. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1734280564386009314&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2Fliveblog%2F2023%2F12%2F11%2Fisrael-hamas-war-live-who-decries-catastrophic-situation-in-gaza&sessionId=44c627880ee41a2d37ad4bb13434c55b377d9ed5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px

As the conflict between Israel and Gaza enters its 39th day, these are the main developments. Published On 14 Nov 202314 Nov 2023 Here is the situation on Tuesday, November 14, 2023: Latest on human impact and fighting Gaza’s hospitals Diplomacy Attacks in the West Bank

Melissa Barrera, star of the rebooted “Scream” franchise, has been dropped from the upcoming film “Scream 7” due to her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war. A spokesperson for Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the film, confirmed Barrera’s exit to USA TODAY on Tuesday. The news comes after the actor shared multiple posts on Instagram Tuesday in support of Palestinians. Spyglass said that its “stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.” USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Barrera and Paramount, the film’s distributor, for comment. In a since-deleted post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, director Christopher Landon seemed to speak out about Barrera as he wrote, “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.” Barrera, who had a breakout role as Vanessa in 2021’s “In the Heights,” joined the “Scream” franchise in 2022’s “Scream,” which revived the franchise following the “Scream 4” release in 2011. She reprised her role of Sam Carpenter in this year’s “Scream VI,” in which she plays the older sister of Tara (Jenna Ortega); she also happens to be the daughter of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), the original Ghostface. Susan Sarandon droppedby her talent agency following pro-Palestinian rally appearance, reports say Melissa Barrera speaks out in support of Palestinians on Instagram Through Tuesday afternoon, before Variety published a report “Inside Hollywood’s divide over Israel,” Barrera was sharing posts to her Instagram Stories about the casualties of Gaza’s children as well as a video from a Philadelphia protest calling for a ceasefire amid “genocide in Gaza.” (Variety broke the news that, according to their sources, Spyglass had “quietly dropped” Barrera as the star of the next “Scream” film.) Barrera has regularly posted and reposted content on the topic in recent weeks. In her Instagram bio, Barrera includes links to donate to Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. On Oct. 27, she shared a post on her Instagram feed co-signing Artists 4 Ceasefire’s open letter to President Joe Biden. She was among hundreds of actors, comedians and musicians who called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy6kuETgkpt/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=12&wp=1116&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A41918.80000001192%7D “We must end the bombing of Gaza, secure the safe release of all hostages, and demand adequate access for humanitarian aid to reach the people that desperately need it,” her caption reads. Melissa Barrera speaks out after ‘Scream 7’ firing: ‘I condemn hate’ On Wednesday, Barrera posted a statement on her Instagram Stories, writing, “I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.” “As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need,” Barrera wrote.  “Every person on the earth — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status — deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom. I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism.” “Silence is not an option for me,” she added. Susan Sarandon also dropped by Hollywood agency Actor Susan Sarandon was dropped by her agency, United Talent Agency, after speaking out at a pro-Palestine rally over the weekend, an agency spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press. Militants crashing across the border from Gaza on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took 240 people back as hostages, Israeli authorities say. Israel’s ensuing military campaign has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians as of Nov. 10, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. On Tuesday, Palestinian health officials in Gaza said they have since lost the ability to keep count of casualties. On Wednesday, Israel’s Cabinet announced a cease-fire deal with Hamas that would bring a temporary halt to the conflict and release dozens of hostages in a prisoner swap between the two sides. Under the deal, Hamas would free 50 of the roughly 240 hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip – mostly women and children – over a four-day period, according to the Israeli government. It said it would extend the lull by an additional day for every 10 hostages released. Hollywood reacts to Israel-Hamas war:Celebrities call for ceasefire, decry civilian deaths

list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Photos: Aid brings relief in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas truce list 2 of 4 Israel vs Hamas: Battle for narrative supremacy list 3 of 4 Israeli-owned ship targeted in suspected drone attack: Reports list 4 of 4 ‘Bulletproof’: The brief, beautiful life of Danielle Waldman end of list In truth, I never thought Israel could have much of a future in the Middle East without shedding its colonial regime and embracing normal statehood. For a short while in the early 1990s, it seemed as if Israel was changing direction towards some form of normalcy, albeit dependent on the United States. It engaged the Palestinians and Arab states in the region in a “peace process” that promised mutual existence under favourable American auspices. But Israel’s colonial nature dominated its behaviour at each and every turn. It wasted countless opportunities to end its occupation and live in peace with its neighbours. To paraphrase Israeli diplomat Abba Eban’s infamous quip, Israel “never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity”. Instead of ending its occupation, it doubled down on its colonisation project in the occupied Palestinian territories. It has multiplied the number of illegal Jewish settlements and settlers on stolen Palestinian lands and networked them through special bypass roads and other planning projects, creating a dual system, a superior, dominating one for the Jews and an inferior one for the Palestinians. As one apartheid was dismantled in South Africa, another was erected in Palestine. In the absence of peace and in the shadow of colonisation, the country has slid further towards fascism, enshrining Jewish supremacy into its laws and extending it to all of historic Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In no time, the fanatical and far-right parties gained momentum and took over the reins of power under the opportunistic leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, undermining Israel’s own institutions, and all chances of peace based on coexistence between two peoples. They rejected all compromise and have begun devouring the entirety of historic Palestine, expanding the illegal Jewish settlement on stolen Palestinian lands throughout the occupied West Bank in an attempt to squeeze the Palestinians out. They also tightened their siege of the Gaza Strip, the world’s largest open-air prison, and dropped all pretence of ever allowing it to unite with its Palestinian hinterland in a sovereign Palestinian state. Then came the October 7 attack – a rude wake-up call reminding Israel that its colonial enterprise is neither tenable nor sustainable, that it could not lock in two million people and throw away the key, that it must address the root causes of the conflict with the Palestinians, namely their dispossession, occupation and siege. But the Netanyahu regime, true to its nature, turned the tragedy into a rallying cry and doubled down on its racist dehumanisation of the Palestinians, paving the way for a genocidal war. It declared war on “evil”, by which it meant, not only Hamas, but also the people of Gaza. One Israeli leader after another, starting with the president himself, implicated all the Palestinians in the gruesome attack, claiming there are no innocents in Gaza. Since then, Israel turned vengeful, tribal and adamant on destruction and expansion with total disregard for basic human decency and international law. Israel’s colonial war became a war on hospitals, schools, mosques and residential buildings, financed, armed and protected by the United States and other Western lackeys and killing thousands of Palestinian civilians – children, doctors, teachers, journalists, men and women, old and young, as if they were enemy combatants. But this foreign tribe has no chance of surviving among all the indigenous people of the region, who have coalesced more than ever before against the bloody intruder. Israel can no longer use its fanciful theological claims to justify its violent racist practices. God does not sanction the slaughter of innocent children. And nor should Israel’s American and Western patrons. As Western public opinion turns against Israel, its cynical leaders will also change course, if not to preserve their moral standing, then to safeguard their interests in the greater Middle East. The change in the French position, demanding Israel stop the killing of children in Gaza, is an indicator of things to come. Israel has no good options after its bad war ends. This may be its last chance to pull away from the brink, stop the war, embrace US President Joe Biden’s vision of a two-state solution, impractical as it is today, and accept America’s red lines for Gaza: no to reoccupation, no to ethnic cleansing and no to shrinking its territories. But Netanyahu, along with his fanatic coalition, who’ve long taken America for granted, have once again ignored – read rejected – America’s advice to the detriment of both sides. Long before the war on Gaza, a leading Israeli journalist, Ari Shavit, predicted the demise of Israel “as we know it”, if it continued on the same destructive path. And last week, Ami Ayalon, a former head of Israel’s Shin Bet secret service, warned that the government’s war and territorial expansion will lead to “the end of Israel” as we know it. Both have written books warning Israel about the dark future ahead if it continues its occupation. Like all other violent intruders, from the ancient crusaders to the modern-day colonial powers, this last colonial entity, Israel, as we know it, is destined to vanish, regardless of how much Palestinian, Arab and Israeli blood it sheds. The Gaza war may turn out to be the beginning of the end, but not for Palestine. Just as apartheid South Africa’s bloody supremacist regime imploded, so will Israel’s, sooner or later.