israeli warcrimes in Gaza reports 2024-'23:

April - March, 2024

 When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

israeli warcrimes in Gaza reports 2024:
with special thanks to citizen-reporter 'Biba' (Algeria)

Skynews - April 13, 2024
<<Middle East latest: Iranian commandos hijack Israel-linked cargo ship by helicopter - Israel vows 'consequences' Iranian forces have seized an Israel-linked cargo ship with 25 crew members on board, steering it towards Iran. Israel has vowed there will be <consequences> for the hijacking, and demanded the EU sanction Iran and deem its Revolutionary Guards terrorists.
.....
Analysis: Iran has sent a message to Israel's allies - it has chaos at its fingertips
By Alex Rossi, international correspondent
This was no act of maritime piracy and it was not meant to be. It was a warning from a major state which would have been sanctioned at the highest levels in Tehran. In daylight, commandos from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps board and takeover a ship in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Huge amounts of oil and gas pass through the waterway everyday - if it was closed, it would have huge ramifications for global trade. In short, it would cause chaos. Why have the Iranians done this? Well, timing is everything. The ship, the MSC Aries, is Portuguese-flagged but it is linked to Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire's Eyal Ofer's portfolio. Tensions between Israel and Iran are extraordinarily high - US intelligence claims an Iranian missile attack on Israel as retaliation for the Damascus consulate strike is imminent. The taking of the ship is unlikely to draw a military response from the IDF but it sends signals. It is a provocation to Jerusalem but it's also a message to Israel's allies that Iran can cause mayhem by closing the Strait of Hormuz. In that sense it is a projection of Iranian power and a warning that standing with Israel can bring consequences.
.....
Analysis: Carefully selected hijacking is a threat to UK and US
This is the biggest ship that has been seized or attacked so far, says military analyst Michael Clarke. At least 20 crew members on board the MSC Aries have now become hostages, he said. The UK and US have a lot of naval assets in the area of the hijacking, and so Iran is effectively issuing a threat to widen tensions, explained the professor.<This is a big moment. This is 1,000 miles away from the Gulf of Aden and what the Houthis were doing in the southern part of the Red Sea.> He recalled the Galaxy Leader, which was taken by the Houthis using the same methods. <The important thing is this is the Revolutionary Guard in Iran. This is not some bunch of pirates, not even the Houthis.>
The ship's position was squarely within the shipping lane and it was <directly targeted,> said Clarke.
.....
Israel's provocation of Iran risks dragging UK and US into another major conflict, says expert The UK and US are at risk of being dragged into another major conflict in the Middle East, an expert has said. The war is escalating in multiple theatres, putting the region on <the brink of another all-out wider conflict>, said Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. Benjamin Netanyahu and his generals have been provoking Iran for several years and while the latter is <desperate> to avoid direct conflict with Israel or the US, it wants to re-establish effective deterrence, he said. <This a manmade crisis. This is Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet decision to provoke Iran. To attack Iranian sovereignty, the Iranian consulate in Syria, and kill several top commanders.>
.....
US 'prepared to intercept' strikes on Israel
The US is prepared to intercept any weapons launched at Israel by Iran, according to reports. Iran has been moving military assets like drones and cruise missiles internally, two people familiar with US intelligence told CNN. America believed Iranian proxies, like the Houthis and Hezbollah, could also be involved in the threatened attacks, the sources said. Yesterday, Sky News learned from a defence official that the US was <moving additional assets> to the Middle East to bolster deterrence efforts. The White House said yesterday it changed its force posture in the region after threats of an Iranian attack on Israel.
.....
Man killed and 25 wounded after 'Israeli settlers storm West Bank village'
A human rights groups says dozens of settlers stormed a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, shooting and setting fire to cars and houses.
A Palestinian man was killed and 25 others wounded, said the Palestinian health ministry in the territory. Settlers entered the village of al-Mughayyir in search of a missing 14-year-old Israeli boy, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din. The group posted videos showing smoke billowing from burning cars as gunshots rang out. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said eight of the injured were hit by live fire. Israel's military said it was looking into the reports. Sky News cannot independently verify them. Tensions have flared in the West Bank since the war began in Gaza.
More than 460 Palestinians have been killed there by Israelis since 7 October, the Palestinian health ministry says,>>
Read and watch videos here:
https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-hamas-iran-latest-sky-news-blog-12978800

Al Jazeera - April 12, 2024
<<Germany cancels pro-Palestine event, bars entry to Gaza war witness
Police halt Palestine Congress, saying one of the speakers was subject to a ban on political activity in Germany. Police officers stand guard in front of the entrance to the venue of the Palestine Congress in Berlin [John Macdougall/AFP. Police in Berlin interrupted and cancelled a pro-Palestine conference soon after it started, hours after one of the main speakers said authorities held him up at the airport and prevented him from entering Germany. Officers initially halted the Palestine Congress because another speaker was subject to a ban on political activity in Germany, police wrote on the social media platform X on Friday. Police did not give the name of the speaker, but participants in the congress wrote on X that it was Palestinian researcher Salman Abu Sitta. Police later wrote on X that they had banned the remainder of the conference, which was being attended by about 250 people and due to last until Sunday. They said there were risks that same speaker would be invited to talk again, accusing him of having made <anti-Semitic> statements in the past. On the Congress's website, the organisers denounce Israel's crimes in Gaza, saying: <Together, with the voices of the Palestinian movement and the international community, we will denounce Israeli apartheid and genocide. We accuse Germany of being complicit.> Berlin police said they had dispatched 930 officers, including reinforcements from other regions of Germany, to secure the event.
'Silencing a witness'
One of the main speakers, Ghassan Abu Sittah, a British Palestinian doctor, had earlier been denied entry into Germany to attend the event, he said.
<The German government has forcibly prevented me from entering the country,> Abu Sittah posted on X. The doctor, who volunteered in Gaza hospitals during the first weeks of Israel's war, said he arrived at Berlin airport on Friday morning before being stopped at passport control, where he was held for several hours and then told he had to return to the UK. Airport police said he was refused entry due to <the safety of the people at the conference and public order,> Abu Sittah told The Associated Press. An event organiser, Nadija Samour, told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency, <There is absolutely no legal basis for this, no justification at all. [Abu] Sittah is the dean of the University of Glasgow. I can't imagine that he's a dangerous person or a person who incites violence. Quite the opposite.> Abu Sittah added on X that barring him from the event was <silencing a witness to genocide before the ICJ adds to Germany's complicity in the ongoing massacre.> In a case at the top UN court brought by Nicaragua, Germany is facing accusations of aiding genocide in Gaza by selling arms to Israel, whose war has killed more than 33,600 people since October 7.
Germany is one of Israel's biggest military suppliers, sending 326.5 million euros ($353.7m) in equipment and weapons in 2023, according to Economy Ministry data.
'Government pressure'
There was <pressure from the federal government> to cancel the Palestine Congress, organiser Samour told Anadolu, adding that Germany was <actively and illicitly> trying to impede the event. She also accused Berlin of intentionally delaying the start of the congress, citing technical reasons as a pretext. <The congress could not be banned. Freedom of assembly protects the congress, which is precisely why the police came up with all sorts of harassment,> she said.
Police take measures as people attend the Palestinian Congress in Berlin
Police intervene as people attend the Palestine Congress [Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu. The crowd waiting to enter the hall on Friday chanted slogans including <Viva, Viva Palestine> and <Germany finances, Israel bombs>. Some waved Palestinian flags outside the building. Police in Berlin have taken a generally tough stance towards pro-Palestinian protests since the start of the war in Gaza. Authorities have put strict conditions on demonstrations or banned them outright. Protesters and critics have accused authorities of violating democratic freedoms of speech and assembly with the crackdowns.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES>>
Source:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/12/germany-cancels-pro-palestine-event-bars-entry-to-gaza-war-witness
Related: watch an interview with Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah after he was detained entering Germany
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiparGPDc_w
Opinion by Gino d'Artali: during and after WW2 hundreds of thousands if not millions kept saying about the holocaust "Wir haben es nicht gewuescht" translated 'We didn't know'. Well, it looks like the apple is not falling far from the tree.


Journalists under siege
CPJ Committee to Protect Journalists - April 12, 2024
<<Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war
Editor's notes: The list below is CPJ’s most recent and preliminary account of journalist deaths in the war. Our database will not include all of these casualties until we have completed further investigations into the circumstances surrounding them. For more information, read our FAQ. The Israel-Gaza war has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip. CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or missing in the war, which has led to the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. As of April 12, 2024, CPJ's preliminary investigations showed at least 95 journalists and media workers were among the more than 34,000 killed since the war began on October 7-with more than 33,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Reuters and Agence France Press news agencies in October that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, after they had sought assurances that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli strikes, according to a Reuters report. Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages.
As of April 12:
95 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead: 90 Palestinian, 2 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese.
16 journalists were reported injured.
4 journalists were reported missing.
25 journalists were reported arrested.
Multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.
CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists' homes. <CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,> said Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. <Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.>
The list published here includes names based on information obtained from CPJ's sources in the region and media reports. It includes all journalists* involved in news-gathering activity. It is unclear whether all of these journalists were covering the conflict at the time of their deaths, but CPJ has included them in our count as we investigate their circumstances. The list is being updated on a regular basis.
Journalists and media workers reported killed, missing, or injured:>>
Click here for the complete list dating back to october 7,2024:
https://cpj.org/2024/04/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/

Skynews - April 12, 2024
<<Middle East latest: US predicts attack by Iran against Israel - as Iranian sources 'brief Washington officials on nature of response'
Washington officials expect Iran to attack Israel in retaliation to a strike on its embassy in Syria - as the US says it will not be drawn into any wider war and Tehran suggests its response will be non-escalatory.
...
Iran says it won't act hastily and will avoid major escalation
A likely retaliatory attack on Israel will be calculated with the aim of avoiding major escalation, Iranian sources have told Reuters news agency.
They say this was communicated to the US and that Iran will not act hastily. Iran has been threatening a response for the suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which killed a top Iranian commander. Iran's message to Washington was conveyed by Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, the sources said. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on any messages from Iran, although they said the US has told Iran it was not involved in the strike on the consulate. A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has <been very clear> that its response to the attack in Damascus would be <controlled> and <non-escalatory>. They added Iran planned <to use regional proxies to launch a number of attacks on Israel>. Iran has been considering its response for close to two weeks now as it appears it does not want a wider war in the Middle East.>>
Source:
https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-hamas-iran-latest-sky-news-blog-12978800

Jinha - Womens News Agency - April 12, 2024

Israel launches new operation
<<Israel launches new operation in central Gaza Strip
The Israel army has announced that Israeli forces launched a new operation in the central Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday.
News Center- The Israel army has announced in a written statement that Israeli forces launched a new operation in the central Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday. <The Israeli military launched on Thursday a surprise military operation in the central Gaza Strip led by the 162nd Division,> the statement said.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/israel-launches-new-operation-in-central-gaza-strip-34897

Skynews - April 11, 2024
<<Middle East latest: .... tensions between Iran and Israel reach boiling point.
...........
UN Security Council 'should have condemned' strike on Iranian embassy
The UN Security Council should have condemned the strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria, Iran's mission to the United Nations has said.
If the council had done so, the <imperative for Iran> to retaliate to the attack could have been avoided, it added. The embassy in Damascus was struck last week in an attack that killed two Iranian generals and six other Iranian military officers. Israel has been widely blamed for the strike, with Iran vowing to take revenge on the country.
Israel has not publicly commented on the attack.
<Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime's reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,> Tehran's mission to the UN said on X. Iran uses the term <Zionist regime> to refer to Israel.
Families of British aid workers killed in Israeli strike in Gaza pay tribute to them after repatriation of their bodies. The families of three British aid workers who were killed in an Israeli drone strike in Gaza have paid tribute following the repatriation of their bodies to the UK. James Kirby, James <Jim> Henderson and John Chapman were among the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers who died in the attack last Monday. The strike, which the Israel Defence Forces said was a <serious mistake>, prompted condemnation from London and other Western capitals. Mr Kirby's family said he will be <missed by so many>, adding they were <overwhelmed by the support shown>.
.....

John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby all died in the Israeli strike
<As a family we are shocked and saddened by the sudden death of our beautiful James, who we lost on 2 April,> they said. Mr Henderson's family described him as a <kind, compassionate, loyal and considerate man, our shining light>. <We as a family are deeply shocked, saddened and upset at the untimely tragic death of Jim,> they said. The family of Mr Chapman said: <John was an incredible husband, father, brother, son and friend who will be missed deeply and he was an inspiration to many. We are devastated by this unbearable loss but are hugely relieved to have John home.>
.....
Analysis: Dangerous moment for Middle East
With reports of an imminent attack on Israel by Iran, our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn says this is a <very dangerous moment for the Middle East>. He says just as we thought the risk of a regional war were subsiding <it has now come back>. Waghorn says the <Iranians throughout this war have avoided escalating wherever they can> and <don't want a war> but <they feel they have to retaliate>. <The assumption is it will be a calibrated well-planned retaliation. It won't go too far but it will go far enough to try and restore their deterrence but it won't go too far as to plunge the region into all out conflict,> he explains. He notes whatever decision Iran takes <it's war and things don't necessarily go to plan>. <This is a very dangerous moment for the Middle East,> he adds.
......
Germany urges Iran to exercise 'maximum restraint'
Germany's foreign minister has called her Iranian counterpart to urge <maximum restraint> to avoid further escalation. In a statement on X, Germany's foreign office said Annalena Baerbock had spoken to Hossein Amirabdollahian about the <tense situation in the Middle East today>.
<Avoiding further regional escalation must be in everyone's interest. We urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint,> the statement read.
For context: Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the war in Gaza, with Iran-backed groups declaring support for those waging attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Tehran has avoided direct confrontation with Israel or the US, while declaring support for its allies.
But on 1 April, suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria and Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel <must be punished>.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the 1 April attack.
.....
IDF 'constructing northern crossing' to increase aid into Gaza
The IDF is <constructing a northern crossing> in Gaza to increase aid into the enclave, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari has said. He said Israel was working together with countries and international organisations to <develop new and improved measures to increase the flow of aid to Gaza civilians>. Sharing Israel's next phase, he went on to say the IDF was <constructing the northern crossing>, which is <a new land crossing from Israel into northern Gaza> to enable more aid to flow into areas <that have been challenging for trucks to access>. <The combination of these measures mean that we expect the daily average number of trucks to go up gradually from 350 per day to around 500 per day,> he said.
......
Israel 'preparing for scenarios outside of Gaza'
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war in Gaza will continue but adds that his forces are preparing for scenarios in other areas.
He said: <We established a simple principle - whoever hurts us, we hurt him. We are preparing to meet the security needs of the state of Israel both in defence and in attack.> The comments come following a visit to an air force base in southern Israel and amid fears of Tehran launching a retaliatory strike over the killing of senior Iranian commanders in Damascus.
......
Video: Palestinians return to Khan Younis
Palestinian residents have been returning to Khan Younis after Israeli forces withdrew from the area. Footage shows much of the the city in ruins.
The Times of Israel has reported that one IDF brigade remains in the area.
......
Kremlin calls for restraint to stop Middle East 'slipping into chaos'
The Kremlin has called on all countries in the Middle East to show restraint, as the region braces to see whether Iran follows through on its threats against Israel. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asked governments to avoid the region slipping into chaos. Iran has vowed revenge for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus which killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers on 1 April. There had been no requests for Russia to mediate between Israel and Iran, Mr Peskov said. He claimed the Israeli strike was a violation of international law.>>
Read more and watch videos here:
https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-hamas-iran-latest-sky-news-blog-12978800


France 24 - April 11, 2024 - Video by: Emerald MAXWELL
<<'They killed the joy of Eid': Gazans mark end of Ramadan amid death and destruction
Gazans did their best to celebrate the end of Ramadan, as the war raged on with 14 killed, including children, in a strike on their home, the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said.>>
Watch the video here:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240411-they-killed-the-joy-of-eid-gazans-mark-end-of-ramadan-amid-death-and-destruction

France 24 - April 11, 2024
<<Live: No sign of truce agreement between Israel, Hamas days after mediators’ proposal
Neither Hamas nor Israel on Thursday had shown any signs of agreeing to a truce in Gaza despite setting themselves a 48-hour deadline earlier this week and facing pressure from international mediators. The US, Egypt and Qatar put together a framework for a deal that would include a six-week halt in fighting and the exchange of about 40 hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. President Joe Biden on Wednesday said it was <now up to Hamas, they need to move on the proposal>. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war.
Summary:
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday promised <ironclad> support for Israel as Iran threatens reprisals over a strike that levelled an Iranian consulate building in Damascus and killed two generals in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk called the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iraq to ask them to deliver a message to Iran urging it to lower tensions with Israel following the suspected Israeli strike on Iran's consulate building in Syria, a source with knowledge of the situation said to Reuters. The US military on Thursday said it had shot down 11 drones belonging to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels after the group claimed it had targeted Israeli and American ships off the Gulf of Aden. At least 33,482 Palestinians have been killed and 76,049 wounded since Israel began its offensive on Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Around 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.>>
Read more and watch a video here:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240411-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-biden-vows-ironclad-support-for-israel-against-iran-reprisals

Skynews - April 11, 2024
<<Middle East latest: Iran attack on Israel could be 'imminent'; Why some Israeli soldiers are 'refusing to work' near Gaza border
Security circles in the US and Israel have likely accepted that the killing of a top Iranian commander in Damascus earlier this month means Iran will have to <retaliate in some form>, with reports suggesting an attack could be imminent. Former Israeli ambassador calls for strikes on Tehran
A former Israeli ambassador to the US has called on Israel to strike <the head of the snake> in Tehran. Danny Ayalon said Iran was attempting to encircle Israel with a <ring of fire> around Israel in the form of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. His comments come after Iran vowed to retaliate against Israel following a strike that killed senior Iranian commanders in Damascus - an attack Israel has not said it was responsible for.
<It is not surprising that Iran is continuing with a very aggressive approach, where they really try to change the entire landscape of the Middle East,> said Mr Ayalon. <With this heightened tension, there is a novelty here. Iran, for the first time, is threatening to strike, itself, directly at Israel, and not through proxies.> Mr Ayalon said Israel has a <fairly good missile defence> but Iran could attack Israeli tourists abroad or embassies. <I think that by striking at the head of the snake in Iran and in Tehran, this is probably the most effective way to bring Iran back, to keep it at bay.>
More than 33,500 Palestinians killed, says Hamas-run ministry. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has said at least 33,545 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive since 7 October. Another 76,094 have been injured, the ministry added in its latest update.
The ministry's figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters, but it says the majority of those killed were women and children.
Israel 'preparing for scenarios outside of Gaza'
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war in Gaza will continue but adds that his forces are preparing for scenarios in other areas.
He said: <We established a simple principle - whoever hurts us, we hurt him. We are preparing to meet the security needs of the state of Israel both in defence and in attack.> The comments come following a visit to an air force base in southern Israel and amid fears of Tehran launching a retaliatory strike over the killing of senior Iranian commanders in Damascus. The Times of Israel has reported that one IDF brigade remains in the area.
Kremlin calls for restraint to stop Middle East 'slipping into chaos'
The Kremlin has called on all countries in the Middle East to show restraint, as the region braces to see whether Iran follows through on its threats against Israel. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asked governments to avoid the region slipping into chaos. Iran has vowed revenge for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus which killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers on 1 April. There had been no requests for Russia to mediate between Israel and Iran, Mr Peskov said. He claimed the Israeli strike was a violation of international law.
Analysis: Iranian retaliation would be very dangerous moment for region
The Biden administration has been very frustrated with Israel over Gaza in recent weeks, but when it comes to Iran, America still has Israel's back, says Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall.
<The Americans have been very worried over the last six months that [the conflict] would spill out. Now that really is a possibility if Iran decides to retaliate and how Iran decides to retaliate.> A <like-for-like> retaliation could involve an attack on something connected to the Israeli government or military, said Bunkall. This may not be in Israel - it could include an Israeli diplomatic mission abroad. It may be an Iranian proxy like the Houthi or Hezbollah that carries out such an attack, ratter than Iran itself. This could <be enough not to force Israel to attack Iran directly>. <The one thing I think is not in any doubt is if Iran does decide to retaliate then it would spell a very, very dangerous and risky moment for a region that is already incredibly tense.>
More than 100 Israeli conscripts 'refuse to serve on Gaza border'
More than 100 female soldiers are refusing to serve in surveillance units on the Gaza border, according to reports. Fears among the conscripts included that female border observers were among those killed or taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October, Israeli news agency Ynet said.
Of the 346 draftees, 116 would not travel to a border protection corps training base. This is the third group of draftees that have refused the posting, where soldiers monitor cameras and report potential incidents, since the war began. In January, Ynet reported a group of 50 female soldiers declined to be taken to the base on the grounds that senior commanders had disregarded warnings from observers ahead of the 7 October attacks. The vast majority of those serving in the border surveillance unit are female soldiers, according to the Times of Israel.
Reports: Senior military or political officials not consulted before attack on Hamas leader's family
Israeli forces did not consult senior commanders or Benjamin Netanyahu before killing three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to Israeli media. Neither Mr Netanyahu nor defence minister Yoav Gallant were told in advance of the strike, which was coordinated by the Israeli military and the Shin Bet intelligence service, senior Israeli officials told Walla news agency. They said his sons were targeted as fighters and not because they were relatives of the political leader. The Israeli military did not comment on reports that four of Mr Haniyeh's grandchildren were killed in the attack.
Leeds man sentenced after posting pro-Hamas content on social media
A 23-year-old man from Leeds has been handed a suspended sentence after publishing pro-Hamas content on X. Ozain Ibn Yousef, of Mexborough Place, admitted posting images of armed soldiers wearing Hamas headbands and sharing Hamas-led videos in October and November last year, according to the UK's counter-terrorism policing group. He was given a 16-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years, on Tuesday.
Since 2001, the UK has proscribed Hamas's military wing as a terrorist organisation. This was extended to the whole group in November 2021.
Yousef was charged on 27 February 2024 with publishing images that aroused reasonable suspicion he supported a proscribed organisation.
Alongside the suspended sentence, Mr Yousef was ordered to undertake 100 hours of community service and he will be subject to a 35-day rehabilitation requirement.
Russia advises citizens to avoid travel to Middle East
Russia's foreign ministry has told citizens they should refrain from travelling to the Middle East, especially to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The US and its allies believe major missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies against military and government targets in Israel are imminent, Bloomberg reported yesterday. <The tense situation in the Middle East region persists,> said the Russian foreign ministry. <We strongly recommend that Russian citizens refrain from traveling to the region, especially to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, except in cases of extreme necessity.> Earlier this morning, German airline Lufthansa said it had suspended flights to the Iranian capital, Tehran.>>
Source and watch a video here:
https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-hamas-iran-latest-sky-news-blog-12978800 

Iranwire - 11 April 2024
<<Lufthansa Suspends Tehran Flights Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
German airline Lufthansa announced on Wednesday that it had temporarily halted flights to and from Tehran until likely Thursday amid an escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel. Citing <the current situation in the Middle East> as the reason, the company emphasized prioritizing passenger and crew safety. <We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities,> a Lufthansa spokesperson told Reuters. This decision comes after a suspected Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria on April 1 heightened tensions Iran said the attack killed seven military advisors. Reacting to the incident, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared that Israel <must be punished and it shall be.> Earlier, two top Israeli officials warned that Israel would retaliate with strikes inside Iran if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, speaking to troops at an Iron Dome air defense system battery in northern Israel, emphasized that any attack on Israel would be met with a strong defense and a <powerful response in its territory.> <In this war, we are being attacked from more than one front... from different directions. Any enemy that tries to attack us will first of all encounter a strong defense,> Gallant stated. <But we will know how to react very quickly with decisive offensive action against the territory of whoever attacks our territory, no matter where it is, in the entire Middle East,> he added, according to the Times of Israel. Foreign Minister Israel Katz also posted on the social media platform X that <If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran.> Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack, but some Israeli officials have stated that the targeted building housed the IRGC Quds Force headquarters and was a <legitimate target.> In response to concerns about Iran's potential retaliatory attack, the Israeli military also ceased granting leaves for combat units on Thursday.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/127335-lufthansa-suspends-tehran-flights-amid-rising-middle-east-tensions/

France 24 - April 11, 2024
<<......................................................
'Destabilising Middle East'

Washington has also ramped up pressure on Netanyahu to agree to a truce, increase aid flows and abandon plans to invade the territory's far-southern city of Rafah. About 1.5 million civilians are sheltering in Rafah, the last Gazan city yet to face a ground incursion. Biden labelled Netanyahu's handling of the war a <mistake> in an interview broadcast on Tuesday. Washington's tougher line has brought some results, the US Agency for International Development said. Recent days had seen a <sea change> in aid deliveries, said USAID administrator Samantha Power, although she insisted Israel needs to do more. Gallant promised Israel would <flood Gaza with aid>, using a crossing point on its border with Gaza, streamlined checks and two new routes organised with Jordan. He said they expected to hit 500 aid trucks entering Gaza a day, the average pre-war level. Israel has faced a chorus of international criticism over its handling of the war. Spain is among several Western nations, including Ireland and Australia, to have suggested they would recognise a Palestinian state in the near future as a starting point for wider peace talks. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that Israel's <disproportionate response> in Gaza risked <destabilising the Middle East and, as a consequence, the entire world>. Israel's foreign ministry slammed Ireland's new prime minister Simon Harris for not mentioning the hostages held in Gaza during a speech to parliament. Displaced children in a tent on the first day of the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 10, 2024. The ministry charged that <after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.... there are those in Ireland who persist on being on the wrong side of history>.
2024 AFP>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240411-israel-on-alert-after-iranian-threat-as-gaza-war-grinds-on
Opinion by Gino d'Artali: No matter what way one looks at this 'dirty war' fact is that the USA keeps sending armour to israel making them an accomplice of the genocide.
Watch and listen to this to know that however there are still people:
Breaking the Silence: Israeli Army Veterans Tour U.S. & Canada to Speak Out Against Occupation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUW7Ds4hWhM

Al Jazeera - March 2, 2024
<<Nicaragua drags Germany to ICJ for ‘facilitating Israel’s genocide’ in Gaza
Managua accuses Berlin of violating the Genocide Convention by funding Israel's war on Gaza.
gaza. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and about 7,000 remain missing since Israel launched its brutal assault on October 7 [AFP]
Nicaragua has sued Germany at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for funding Israel and cutting aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), the court announced on Friday. The Latin American country accused Berlin of violating international law in its continued funding for Tel Aviv and asked the ICJ to order emergency measures that would force Germany to cease military aid to Israel, and restart funding to the UNRWA.
<By sending military equipment and now defunding UNRWA which provides essential support to the civilian population, Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide,> Nicaragua said in its filing, citing the 1948 Genocide Convention and the 1949 Geneva Conventions on the laws of war in the occupied Palestinian territories. Germany is a key ally of Tel Aviv, and is one of its biggest arms providers alongside the United States, according to UN experts. A hearing date is not yet known, however, the ICJ, also known as the World Court, usually starts proceedings on requests for emergency measures within weeks. At least nine UNRWA donors, including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the United Kingdom, suspended funding after allegations that about 12 of the tens of thousands of Palestinians employed by the agency were suspected of participating in Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel. But Israel has yet to provide evidence to UN investigators more than a month after it made its claims.
Deaths due to hunger
Berlin was the second biggest donor to UNRWA after the US in 2022 when it pledged $202m to the agency.
The UNRWA has warned that the suspension of its funding could lead to the agency being unable to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has seen deaths due to hunger and a lack of health facilities. On Thursday, at least 117 people were killed after Israel fired at hundreds of Palestinians waiting to collect food aid in Gaza City. The incident has triggered global condemnation and calls for an independent investigation. Emergency measures, Nicaragua said in its Friday filing, were necessary because of Berlin's <participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law> in the Gaza Strip. Under the genocide agreement, countries agree not to commit genocide, meaning complicity in the act is a violation. The pact also enables member states to actively prevent and punish possible genocide. The Managua case comes after an earlier and much-followed filing by South Africa last December which accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In February, the ICJ ruled that Pretoria’s claims that Israel violated the genocide convention were not implausible and ordered emergency measures, including a call for Israel to halt any potential acts of genocide in Gaza. Israel, which defended itself in the South Africa hearings, has denied allegations of genocide, citing <self-defence>, though experts have questioned Israel's <right to defence> as an occupying power. The case is continuing. Last week, Human Rights Watch said hampering the delivery of aid by Israel was a violation of the January 26 ICJ order. <The Israeli government is starving Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians, putting them in even more peril than before the World Court's binding order,> Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said on February 26. Israel has also been criticised for targeting civilians, with more than 80 percent of those killed being women and children. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and about 7,000 remain missing since Israel launched its brutal assault on October 7 in the wake of a deadly attack carried out by the Palestinian Hamas group. In separate proceedings at the ICJ, more than 50 countries in February presented arguments against Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and occupied East Jerusalem since 1967.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
Source:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/2/nicaragua-drags-germany-to-icj-for-facilitating-israels-genocide-in-gaza?traffic_source=KeepReading

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