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Al Mayadeen TV said an Israeli attack ‘deliberately’ targeted its correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Me’mari. Published On 21 Nov 202321 Nov 2023 An Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon has killed three journalists, according to Lebanese media, as hostilities grow along Israel’s northern border. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday that an “enemy bombing” killed three people in the Tayr Harfa area, about 1.6km (1 mile) from the Israeli frontier. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Reuters, Al Jazeera journalists ‘targeted’ in Lebanon strike: Press group list 2 of 4 How deadly is the Israel-Gaza war for journalists? list 3 of 4 Journalists allegedly targeted by Israeli strike in south Lebanon list 4 of 4 Two journalists killed by Israeli bombing on Bureij refugee camp end of list Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen TV said two of its staff were among the victims. The third person killed was said to be a local journalist and “contributor” to the channel. “Correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Me’mari were killed by an Israeli attack,” Al Mayadeen said in a statement. “It was a direct attack, it was not by chance,” Al Mayadeen director Ghassan bin Jiddo said, noting it came after an Israeli government decision this month to block access to the channel’s website. “Another attack has targeted journalists in southern Lebanon, killing a reporter and a cameraman who worked for the pan-Arabic channel Al Mayadeen … A third person, who was with them, was also killed,” said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from southern Lebanon. “The feeling here is that the Israeli army wants to silence the media and punish journalists,” our correspondent said. 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=1726907050960289848&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F21%2Fisraeli-strike-kills-three-journalists-near-lebanon-border&sessionId=0d43fc0969bb5e988ca573d54b29b1267f436eaa&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px Israel blacklisted Al Mayadeen TV last week, accusing it of “wartime efforts to harm [Israel’s] security interests and to serve the enemy’s goals”. Israel’s Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi said on October 13 he had begun work to block Al Mayadeen’s websites and programming and shut down its local offices. “The Lebanese information minister has asked the army to open an investigation into [the attack on Tuesday],” Khodr said, adding that this was the third attack against journalists in southern Lebanon since October 13. The Israeli military said it was “looking into the details” of the incident, the AFP news agency reported. The latest killings add to at least 50 reporters and media workers who have been killed amid Israel’s 46-day war in Gaza, according to press freedoms group, the Committee to Protect Journalists. The vast majority of the killed journalists are Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. Since October 7, when Israel waged its war in Gaza following Hamas’s attack on Israeli territory, there have been repeated confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border. So far, the fighting has killed 70 Hezbollah fighters, 13 Lebanese civilians, seven Israeli troops and three Israeli civilians, in what is the worst escalation since 2006.

The Israeli military claims it has found rifles, grenades and military vests — but so far, no Hamas command centre. Israel on Thursday raided Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital for a second day in a row. On Wednesday, Israeli troops had raided the coastal enclave’s largest medical facility, starting at 2am. Israel has long claimed that Hamas was using the hospital as a command centre. The Israeli army has said the raid has helped it find evidence to back up its assertion. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Analysis: How would Israel find, map, take and keep Gaza’s tunnels? list 2 of 4 ‘Terror’ amid Israel’s raid on Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital list 3 of 4 What al-Shifa doctor told Israeli forces ahead of raid list 4 of 4 ‘Hospitals are not battlegrounds’: World reacts to Israel’s al-Shifa raid end of list So what does Israel claim to have found? What was found in the hospital? The Israeli military released video footage from inside an undisclosed building within the medical complex. The video showed three duffel bags that the military claims were found hidden in an MRI lab, each containing an assault rifle, grenades, Hamas uniforms and flak jackets. Additionally, the army showed assault rifles without ammunition clips and a laptop that it said were found. Israeli military spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said: “These weapons have absolutely no business being inside a hospital,” adding that he believed the material was “just the top of the iceberg.” What about Hamas tunnels and military command? In the days leading up to the raid, Israel insisted that Hamas was operating tunnels underground al-Shifa Hospital. It also claimed that the hospital was a command centre and military post for Hamas. Advertisement Israel’s claims were also backed by United States President Joe Biden, who accused Hamas of committing war crimes by having its military headquarters under the hospital. Yet, more than 24 hours after Israel’s raid started, the Israeli army has not shown evidence of either Hamas-run tunnels or a military command centre under the hospital. 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=1721940876811727065&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F16%2Fwhat-has-israel-found-in-gazas-al-shifa-hospital&sessionId=438b38f4dbdbce0efabaabb0f7aea88e1149cbf5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px Are there holes in Israel’s claims? Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, said that what Israel had shown in videos from under al-Shifa Hospital so far could easily have been planted by the army itself. “All they’ve shown is a Kalashnikov and a laptop that they could have put there easily and claim that it was found there,” the veteran Palestinian legislator told Al Jazeera. On X, formerly Twitter, the Israeli army first posted a video of Conricus taking viewers on a tour through parts of al-Shifa, which it said was without any edits or cuts. But it deleted that post and then republished a near-identical video, with some tweaks. On social platforms, that further fuelled questions about the veracity of Israel’s claims. How has Hamas responded? Hamas has denied and dismissed the latest statements by the Israeli military. “The occupation forces are still lying … as they brought some weapons, clothes and tools and placed them in the hospital in a scandalous manner,” Qatar-based Hamas senior member Ezzat El Rashq said. He added that Hamas has repeatedly called for a committee from the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to verify Israel’s claims of Hamas tunnels under Gaza hospitals. Barghouti said Israel has constantly rejected these calls for an independent, international team to investigate the situation in al-Shifa. “Israel doesn’t want that because they know that they are lying,” he said. What is happening in al-Shifa now? Israel’s military continues to attack al-Shifa, with troops deployed on all sides of the hospital,  Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The Israeli military has destroyed the specialised surgeries building in the medical facility. The partitions, walls between the rooms and all the medical equipment inside the building have been completely demolished, he said. Hundreds of patients, doctors and nurses, and more than 2,000 others sheltering at al-Shifa are still believed to be at the hospital. “What we see today is that this war is about attacking civilians and attacking hospitals and destroying medical facilities,” said Barghouti.

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Israeli forces raided al-Shifa Hospital in the north, while continuing bombardments in the south and central regions. Published On 16 Nov 202316 Nov 2023 Two and a half weeks after sending tanks and ground troops into northern Gaza, Israeli forces have raided al-Shifa Hospital, where thousands of patients and displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Mohammed Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza, said Israeli tanks were inside the medical compound on Wednesday and that soldiers had entered buildings, including the emergency and surgery departments. The Israeli army claims that Hamas uses hospitals as cover for its fighters and has set up a command centre in and beneath al-Shifa, the largest medical facility in the besieged territory. Both Hamas and hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations. Meanwhile, the Israeli military’s attention is also focused on parts of southern Gaza, said Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Khan Younis. “In the last couple of hours, three residential houses in Khan Younis city have been bombarded,” he said late on Wednesday. While confrontations between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters rage in eastern Gaza, Israeli soldiers are trying to move “deeper” into the south of the Strip, he said. This is “terrifying people”, Abu Azzoum added, many of whom have fled their homes in the north and central areas of Gaza for what Israel said were safer regions in the south. Advertisement Gaza’s Ministry of Health has been struggling to update casualty figures as Israeli forces have increasingly targeted hospitals and allied services in the besieged enclave. On Wednesday, at least 14 people were killed and dozens of others injured in three major strikes. Two of the strikes were on homes in Khan Younis, and the third was on a home in the central Gaza region. At least three people were killed in an attack on Salhi residential towers in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. More than 11,200 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7. About 2,700 people have been reported missing. Advertisement Advertisement

iding Gaza’s largest hospital, another communications blackout, Israel’s goals in Gaza – the Middle East this week. Raiding Gaza’s largest hospital | Pushing people out of southern Gaza ‘safe zones’ | Strip being cut off from communications with the outside world  | What are Israel’s goals in Gaza? | Here is the Middle East this week: Death haunts hospital corridors Gaza is losing its connection with the outside world as its telecom towers lose power, which means it’s getting more difficult to bring you stories of the people trapped inside. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Israel raids Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital for second day list 2 of 4 Photos: Death and despair continue in Gaza as Israeli attacks rage on list 3 of 4 What has Israel ‘found’ in Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital? list 4 of 4 Israel’s opposition leader calls on Netanyahu to resign over Hamas attack end of list On Wednesday, the unthinkable happened when Israeli forces raided al-Shifa Hospital where hundreds of patients were being treated and thousands of people had sought refuge. Many people had already been watching al-Shifa, aghast, as one premature baby after the other died at Gaza’s biggest hospital, starved as it was of the fuel needed to run its generators. The lack of electricity — not to mention medicines — also means cancer patients face a horrific prospect. As do the people who rely on regular dialysis treatments and babies in incubators in other hospitals who need help to breathe and thrive. Israel says attacking hospitals is OK because it is actually attacking “Hamas operatives” hiding within them. But international law protects hospitals except in very specific cases, which al-Shifa is not one of, so who is Israel making those statements for? And as the international community finally begins to speak up more forcefully about Israel’s targeting of civilians and health installations, we pay tribute to the Indonesian medical volunteers who chose to stay with their Palestinian colleagues. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_719407916Play Video If Gaza were your city… Do you know how much of it would be destroyed in Israel’s bombardment? We’ve mapped the Gaza destruction onto several international capitals. How can this much pain be comprehended? A cheerful toddler who just took her first steps a couple of weeks ago found herself buried alive under tonnes of rubble when her home was bombed by Israel in the middle of the night. Her nine-month pregnant mother? Dead, as were her twin foetuses who had struggled to be born when the bomb struck. Her father was also dead. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins … all dead. Melissa was left with one surviving aunt, a paralysed body, and pain. There’s a man at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, and his job for the past 15 years has been to shroud the people who have died there. But, Abu Saher wept as he told us, those past years are nothing compared to the level of horrific human mutilations he is seeing now. Finally, we bring you a teacher’s plea as she checks feverishly every day to see if any of her 5th graders have been killed in an Israeli attack. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_702782010Play Video What is Hezbollah thinking? The Lebanese group, and its leader Hassan Nasrallah, have a lot of expectations to contend with. Widely seen as the region’s strongest militia, many were hoping that it would open up a wide second front with Israel, including the Palestinian refugees who live in Lebanon. But Nasrallah has a complicated line to walk, as he balances domestic pressure against him with Hezbollah’s role as part of the region’s “Islamic resistance”. As one skirmish follows another and Israeli attacks hit deeper in Lebanese territory, the question becomes: How long will Hezbollah hold back? https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_620235924Play Video If the tunnels are the issue, why not go underground? Israel has said repeatedly that its goal is to clear the tunnels under Gaza used by Hamas fighters. Yet, fighting remains above ground and any victories Israel claims seem to be largely against clusters of unarmed civilians, causing incredible destruction as it draws one weapon after the other out of its large arsenal. Our strategic analyst posits that this is likely because Israel knows that going into the tunnels will be a long, dangerous campaign for it. Advertisement He also provides a step-by-step breakdown of how Israel would have to operate in order to actually start taking over those feared tunnels. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_1461380436Play Video While the world looks towards Gaza … While Israel pounds Gaza, Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, and his ally Russia seem to have seized the opportunity to step up bombing rebel-held areas in the country. Al-Assad gave an impassioned speech at an Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh this week, decrying violations against civilians in Gaza, and eliciting a lot of contempt among the civilians being bombed in Syria. The US is getting involved as well, in Syria and in Iraq, where its troops have been attacked and exchanged fire with enemy combatants… Will it get worse? Briefly Quote of the Week “We’re working on cases now that we’ve never seen in our medical textbooks.” | Dr Ayman Harb, head of the orthopaedic department at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Ahmad Shabat lost his legs in an Israeli air attack outside a United Nations school in Nuseirat refugee camp that killed his uncle. Deir el-Balah – In the intensive care unit of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the little boy locks his eyes on his uncle’s face. “Juice,” he says. KEEP READING list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3 Canadian PM tells Israel to end ‘killing of babies’ list 2 of 3 Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital forced to bury dead patients in ‘mass grave’ list 3 of 3 Thousands trapped as Israeli forces raid Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital end of list His maternal uncle, Ibrahim Abu Amsheh, complies, leaning forward to carefully insert the straw in the little boy’s mouth. That was one of the rare words that the little boy, three-year-old Ahmad Ibrahim Shabat, has said since his legs were blown off in an Israeli air attack on Monday. His uncle Ibrahim said Ahmad is not fully aware of what has happened to him. “He doesn’t know he lost his legs,” the 28-year-old said. “He keeps asking to go outside for a walk. “He’s in a lot of pain, and the hospital only has Acamol [paracetamol], which you take if you have a headache not if you’ve lost both your legs.” Ahmad is one of the earliest victims of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. His family’s home in the northern town of Beit Hanoon was directly targeted by an air raid on the first day of Israel’s assault, killing his entire family except his two-year-old brother, Mahmoud. “I had called my sister Diana’s house, and she told me they were getting ready to leave,” Abu Amsheh recalled. “As soon as I hung up, we heard that her house had been targeted, killing all of them. Ahmad’s parents, older brother Mohammed, his grandparents, his uncles, and aunts. All gone.” When Ibrahim went to Beit Hanoon to bury his family, he found out from neighbours that Ahmad had been taken to the Indonesian Hospital, alive. “The force of the blast threw him in the air and he landed in one of the neighbour’s yards,” Ibrahim said. “I took him back with me to Sheikh Radwan, where I had evacuated to with my family.” But a day later, they were forced to move again, after a house right next door to where they were staying was bombed. Spooked, they went to a United Nations-run school in the al-Nasr neighbourhood, but barely spent a night there before they were displaced for the third time. “That morning, the Israeli military dropped leaflets on us saying that the school was not safe and for us to evacuate,” Ibrahim said. “So we went to another UN school called Abu Oreiban in Nuseirat refugee camp.” Israeli air attack They spent a month at the school, and Ahmad grew very close to his other uncle Saleh, Ibrahim’s younger brother. “Ahmad was very attached to Saleh, and the previous attacks made him cling to his uncle even more,” Ibrahim said. “He would wake up screaming and only be comforted by Saleh, who was going to be his legal guardian.” Then came November 13. Ahmad wanted to go to the shop with Saleh. As they walked out of the school, a series of explosions rocked the area. Ibrahim, still in the school, was among those who helped everyone run inside the classrooms to avoid being hit by shrapnel, until he realised his brother and nephew were outside the school. “I ran out to see what happened to Ahmad and Saleh, and I saw Ahmad on the ground without his legs,” Ibrahim said. “I carried him in my arms and ran until an ambulance picked us up.” At al-Awda Hospital, the doctors gave the little boy basic treatment before referring him to Al-Aqsa. Ibrahim looked among the wounded for his brother, but couldn’t find him. With dread mounting inside of him, he asked where the morgue was. “I unwrapped the shroud from the body closest to me and saw his face,” he said, as he started sobbing quietly. “Saleh was still young, only 26 years old. He had just gotten engaged. We buried him at sunset.” Long road to recovery In the hospital in Deir el-Balah, Ahmad spent three hours on the operating table. Dr Ahmad Ismail al-Zayyan, the orthopaedic surgeon who administered his case, said he arrived in terrible shape, with both legs severed from above the knee. “We’ve seen from other cases of amputee children, some of whom survived and others who did not, that the type of weapons used by Israel has melted bones and connective tissue,” al-Zayyan said. In the long run, Ahmad’s troubles are far from over, al-Zayyan said, and his biggest struggle may be getting fitted properly for prosthetics. “His balance will also be affected since the amputation is above the knee,” he said. “And he’ll have muscle atrophy because his body still has a lot of growing to do.” Al-Zayyan said he hopes Ahmad will get the care he needs outside Gaza. “We don’t have the resources for prosthetic parts in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “We also lack surgical instruments and anaesthesia.” ‘Live like other children’ In the ICU, Ahmad lies on his back, what remains of his legs heavily bandaged and splayed. Ibrahim, who has a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter himself, watches him tenderly. “This boy has experienced so much,” he said. “Ahmad survived, but he is practically like the living dead. He’s barely had time to recover from the attack on his home that killed his family.” Ahmad was a cheeky boy and loved to play, but now he is riddled with pain and fear. He used to ask for his mother but doesn’t anymore. “We tell him his mother loves him very much and that she’s in heaven now,” Ibrahim said, tears running down his face into his black beard. “I wouldn’t wish on anyone what we’ve been through.” The uncle, who will raise Ahmad as his own son, hopes the child will be able

Israeli police say six members of the security forces were wounded in a shooting attack at a checkpoint near Bethlehem. Three Palestinians have been killed after allegedly carrying out a shooting attack at an Israeli checkpoint near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank amid soaring violence across the territory. At least six members of the Israeli security forces were wounded in the attack, one critically, Israeli police said on Thursday. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Israeli raids kill 3 more Palestinians in West Bank, health officials say list 2 of 4 Photos: Rabbi helps West Bank farmers amid rising Israeli settler violence list 3 of 4 ‘Not just a number’: A protest and a funeral in the West Bank list 4 of 4 Palestinian children in the West Bank are also under attack end of list Following the incident, the Israeli army sealed off all entrances to the Bethlehem governorate in the south of the occupied West Bank, preventing people from entering and exiting the area. Troops have been deployed along roads leading to several nearby villages and towns. Israeli police chief Yaakov Shabtai said the alleged gunmen had planned a much bigger attack. At least two of the alleged attackers belonged to the Hamas armed group, according to Israel’s domestic security service Shin Bet. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_83205134Play Video Video Duration 01 minutes 52 seconds01:52Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids Shabtai told reporters the three arrived in a vehicle from the direction of Bethlehem and opened fire when Israeli forces there began questioning them. They were killed when the Israeli forces shot back, he said. After the gunfight, police said they found two automatic rifles, two handguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, 10 fully loaded magazines and two axes on the suspects and in their vehicle. Footage on social media, shot from inside a bus, showed a man in uniform running and falling as gunshots rang out at the checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “They [Israeli authorities] say there is a fourth Palestinian they believe is involved in the shooting,” said Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah. “In the hours that followed, we’ve seen Israeli forces raiding Hebron because they believe the perpetrators are from there,” she said. “They have arrested the families of the three Palestinians”. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_83205133Play Video Video Duration 02 minutes 33 seconds02:33Occupied West Bank protests: Palestinians gather in support of Gaza Earlier on Thursday, Israeli forces carried out raids across the West Bank, making several arrests. Witnesses told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that two young men were arrested in the city of Jericho. Two other men were arrested following a separate raid on the village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, located south of Nablus. Tensions in the West Bank have soared since Hamas carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, according to the Israeli authorities. Israel responded with an air and ground assault on Gaza that has so far killed more than 11,600 people, including at least 4,700 children, according to Palestinian health authorities. It has also left much of the besieged enclave in ruins. At least 197 Palestinians, including 48 children, have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7. Eight Palestinians have been killed in attacks by Israeli settlers, according to the UN, and more than 1,100 people have been displaced from their homes. The UN human rights chief voiced concern about the “intensification of violence and severe discrimination against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem”. “This creates a potentially explosive situation,” Volker Turk said in a briefing to UN member states in Geneva. “I am ringing the loudest possible alarm bell about the occupied West Bank.”

Telecom companies Jawwal and Paltel say the network went out of service after ‘all energy sources’ were depleted. Palestinian telecommunications companies Jawwal and Paltel say their network went out of service in the Gaza Strip because fuel deliveries are not being allowed into the besieged territory. The companies wrote in statements on X on Thursday: “All energy sources sustaining the network have been depleted.” They had warned a day earlier that Gaza was facing a “complete blackout” due to a lack of fuel to operate main data centres and switches. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Apartheid South Africa reached a tipping point, Israel will, too list 2 of 4 In Gaza, Ahmad lost his family then his legs to Israel’s bombing list 3 of 4 Are Israel and Hamas nearing a ‘hostage’ deal? What to know list 4 of 4 Is Israel using communication blackouts in Gaza as a weapon of war? end of list The companies said basic network elements have been relying on batteries since Wednesday afternoon. All fixed, cellular and internet services in Gaza have now been interrupted, leaving its 2.3 million residents largely cut off from the outside world and from each other. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1725158701479129104&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F16%2Ftelecommunications-cut-off-in-gaza-after-fuel-runs-out&sessionId=99f1acaf84bc72cde5ecbd7c90c6bb57bcbfcf70&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px “Ambulances are now standing outside Nasser Hospital with medical staff waiting to hear of any bombardments, so they can rush to the areas quickly,” Al Jazeera’s Youmna ElSayed reported from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. “This is not the first time this has happened, and it has caused a great crisis for people trying to reach ambulances or civil defence teams when bombardments occur,” she said, adding that the humanitarian situation in the south was also deteriorating. “There has been no food, water, fuel or electricity for over a month,” she said. The blackout comes as Israeli forces are “relentlessly targeting different areas”, including the north, central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, said Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, also reporting from Khan Younis. “People depend on radios now in order to get the news from the local channels,” Abu Azzoum said, adding that “deliberate attacks” by Israeli forces on telecommunication towers are isolating Palestinians. Fuel as a ‘weapon of war’ Israel cut off fuel shipments into the Gaza Strip as part of a “complete siege” on the territory after Hamas fighters from Gaza launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. Since the attack, Israel has bombarded the Palestinian territory, launched a ground offensive and severely restricted supplies of water, food and electricity. More than 11,600 people have been killed in the Israeli assault, according to Palestinian authorities, including more than 4,700 children. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1725178208155300134&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F16%2Ftelecommunications-cut-off-in-gaza-after-fuel-runs-out&sessionId=99f1acaf84bc72cde5ecbd7c90c6bb57bcbfcf70&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px The first fuel truck to enter Gaza since Israel imposed the siege arrived on Wednesday. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said it had received 23,000 litres (6,075 gallons) of fuel. However, Israeli authorities have restricted its use exclusively for the transport of aid delivered from Egypt. “It is appalling that fuel continues to be used as a weapon of war,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said. Since Israel launched a ground invasion in late October, Gaza has experienced two blackouts after Israel cut communications and internet services. Humanitarian agencies and first responders have warned that blackouts severely disrupt their work and put lives at risk. “People will be deprived of access to lifesaving information, such as finding areas of safety or contacting emergency services,” said Rasha Abdul-Rahim, director of Amnesty Tech. “The critical work of humanitarian agencies will also be severely disrupted as workers lose contact with each other,” she added. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.605.0_en.html#goog_1962883557Play Video Video Duration 25 minutes 20 seconds25:20Will Israel stop using communication blackouts in Gaza as a weapon of war? | The Stream “Prolonged and complete communications blackouts, like those experienced in Gaza, can provide cover for atrocities and breed impunity while further undermining humanitarian efforts and putting lives at risk,” said Deborah Brown, senior technology researcher at Human Rights Watch. Communications networks in Gaza have been unreliable since the war began due to a lack of electricity and damage to infrastructure caused by the Israeli bombardment. The Palestinian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has previously appealed to neighbouring Egypt to operate communication stations near the Gaza border and activate roaming services on Egyptian networks. Ismail Thawabta, the director general of the government media office in Gaza, warned the blackout could allow Israel to hide any evidence of its “war crimes”. That’s because Israeli military actions against hospitals and other sites in the enclave will be “hidden from the eyes of international organisations” and countries around the world, Thawabta said at a news conference. “This will deepen the humanitarian crisis. No one will be able to have contact with medical teams, with the civil defence, with the municipalities and all institutions in Gaza,” Thawabta said.

Paltel and Jawwal have announced the network is operating on batteries after fuel ran out, with only a few hours left. The two main telecommunications companies in Gaza have warned of a “complete telecom blackout in the coming hours” due to a lack of fuel amid an Israeli siege on the Palestinian territory. “Main data centers and switches in the Gaza Strip are gradually shutting down due to fuel depletion,” Paltel and Jawwal said in a joint statement on Wednesday. KEEP READING list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 First fuel truck since start of Israel-Hamas war enters Gaza list 2 of 4 She lost her home, had to send her kids away, but keeps reporting on Gaza list 3 of 4 ‘Hospitals are not battlegrounds’: World reacts to Israel’s al-Shifa raid list 4 of 4 An SOS call from Gaza end of list The companies said “all generators” operating network elements in Gaza have ground to a halt, and that basic network elements were now relying on batteries. 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=1724727104607064246&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F15%2Fgaza-telecom-companies-warn-of-coming-blackout&sessionId=1c888db8b804a2706dd94597b57bd9cd4623613b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px “The countdown has begun for the halt of all communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip,” Laith Daraghmeh, CEO of the Palestinian telecommunication regulatory authority, said in a statement cited by the Turkish state news agency Anadolu. He said talks were under way with international institutions “to ensure the entry of quantities of fuel necessary for the operation of the communications service”. On Sunday, Palestinian Communications Minister Yitzhak Sidr warned that all communications and internet services would stop in the Gaza Strip by Thursday due to depleting fuel. Israel cut off fuel shipments into the Gaza Strip as part of a “complete siege” on the territory after Hamas fighters from Gaza launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. Since the attack, Israel has bombarded the Palestinian territory, launched a ground offensive and severely restricted supplies of water, food and electricity. More than 11,300 people have been killed in the Israeli assault, according to Palestinian authorities, including more than 4,600 children. The first fuel truck to enter Gaza since Israel imposed the siege arrived in the besieged territory on Wednesday. The UN agency for Palestine refugees said it received 23,000 litres of fuel, which Israel said could be used to transport aid coming in via Egypt. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said that 160,000 litres a day are needed just to run basic humanitarian operations. “It is appalling that fuel continues to be used as a weapon of war,” Lazzarini said. “This seriously paralyses our work and the delivery of assistance to the Palestinian communities in Gaza.” Since Israel launched a ground invasion in late October, Gaza has experienced two blackouts previously, after Israel cut communications and internet services. Humanitarian agencies and first responders have warned that blackouts severely disrupt their work and put lives at risk. “People will be deprived of access to lifesaving information, such as finding areas of safety or contacting emergency services,” said Rasha Abdul-Rahim, director of Amnesty Tech. “The critical work of humanitarian agencies will also be severely disrupted, as workers lose contact with each other,” she added. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1724868177165717666&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F15%2Fgaza-telecom-companies-warn-of-coming-blackout&sessionId=1c888db8b804a2706dd94597b57bd9cd4623613b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px “Telecom blackouts enable Israel to cover up the mass atrocities being committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza and to maintain its chronic impunity,” said Al Mezan, a Gaza-based human rights group, in a statement. Communications networks in Gaza have been unreliable since the war began due to lack of electricity and damage to infrastructure. The Palestinian Ministry of Communications has previously appealed to neighbouring Egypt to operate communication stations near the Gaza border and activate roaming service on Egyptian networks. The warning comes after the Israeli military entered Gaza’s largest medical complex, al-Shifa, in what they called a “targeted operation” to search for Hamas weapons and infrastructure. Several people have been detained during the raid at the hospital. The raid comes after Israeli forces besieged the hospital for several days amid growing alarm over the deteriorating conditions in the facility, where the UN says thousands of people have sought shelter from the war. Hundreds of patients remain at the hospital, which ceased to function at the weekend due to a lack of fuel. Ahmed Mokhallalati, a surgeon at the hospital, told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces moved tanks inside the hospital grounds after “continuous, aggressive gunshots, bombardments and attacks since yesterday evening”. “Imagine being in a hospital where the water is not there, the basic hygiene of the people going to the toilet is a challenge. Food and drinking water haven’t come to the hospital for the sixth day now, with no way of getting anything in the hospital,” Mokhallalati said. The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement it was “urgently exploring the possibility for evacuating patients and medical staff” in al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza in discussions with Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

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