Saturday, July 13, 2024

More War Crimes with 90 left dead in Gaza

 The government of Israel has attacked another refugee camp leaving at least 90 civilians dead. 





THE NATIONAL notes, "The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 90 people were killed by Israeli air strikes on Al Mawasi displacement camp in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, updating a series of earlier tolls.The attack injured 300 others, including some in serious condition, the ministry said." Rushdi Abualouf, Tom McArthur and Lucy Clarke-Billings (BBC NEWS) report, "BBC Verify has analysed footage of the aftermath of the strike, confirming that it took place within an area shown on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website as a humanitarian zone."  Get it?  War Crime.  Hadeel al-Shalchi spoke with Scott Simon (NPR) about the attack, "Now Al Mawasi, like you said,  is a designated humanitarian by the Israeli military.  Thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering there in encampments."  ALJAZEERA reports:


The United Nations and countries across the Middle East have denounced Israel after its military attacked a designed humanitarian safe zone in Gaza, killing at least 90 Palestinians and wounding 300 others.

[. . .]

Jordan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on “displaced persons’ tents in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, in an area that Israel had previously classified as safe, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of Palestinians”.

Spokesperson Sufyan Al-Qudah said Jordan called for the international community to act to bring an end to Palestinian suffering amid Israel’s repeated violations of international law.

Egypt

In a statement, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israel’s “ongoing violations against the rights of Palestinian citizens” add serious “complications” to achieving a ceasefire deal.

Egypt has been among the countries working to mediate such an agreement between Israel and Hamas. 

“We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli raids on the al-Mawasi area,” the Foreign Ministry said.

[. . .]

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked and saddened” by the Israeli air raids which killed at least 90 Palestinians.

“The [Israeli military] stated that they were targeting two senior members of Hamas,” Guterres said in a statement. “The Secretary General underlines that international humanitarian law including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack must be upheld at all times.”


Julia Conley (COMMON DREAMS) adds:


The United Nations' top expert on human rights in Palestine condemned the Israeli military as it resorted to a familiar excuse for the killing of nearly 100 Palestinians on Saturday in an area that had been designated as a "humanitarian zone"—just the latest massacre of dozens of people whom the Israel Defense Forces dismissed as collateral damage in attacks they claimed were targeting Hamas.

"The justification is always the same: 'targeting Palestinian militants,'" said Francesca Albanese, U.N special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. "When is the world going to stop this death machine?"

Albanese was referring this time to the bombardment of al-Mawasi, a coastal area west of Khan Younis where hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents have been sheltering after fleeing cities including Rafah.


And ALJAZEERA notes that Oxfam has called out the attack:


Countries that continue to supply Israel with weapons are demonstrating “abhorrent complicity” with Israel’s “heinous approach to warfare”, the humanitarian organisation Oxfam has said in response to Israel’s latest attacks on the al-Mawasi camp.

“Once again, we are witnessing the absolute disregard Israel has for Palestinian lives and for international law,” said Oxfam’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Sally Abi Khalil in a statement.

“Nowhere in Gaza is safe – we need a ceasefire now, for arms transfer to Israel to end immediately, and for Israel to be held to account for all violations of international law,” she added.


Gaza remains under assault. Day 281 of  the assault in the wave that began in October.  Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion.  The ongoing campaign in Gaza by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction.  But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge for the propaganda outlets:  How to justify it?  Fortunately for Israel, the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence."   CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund."  ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them."  NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll. The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza."  The slaughter continues.  It has displaced over 1 million people per the US Congressional Research Service.  Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide."   The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza is grows higher and higher.  United Nations Women noted, "More than 1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza -- have been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million people -- are in crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse."  THE NATIONAL notes, "The Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday that at least 38,443 Palestinians have been killed and 88,481 injured in Israel's war on Gaza since October 7."  Months ago,  AP  noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing."  February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000 Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of their former home."  February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe Lazzarini Tweeted:

  



April 11th, Sharon Zhang (TRUTHOUT) reported, "In addition to the over 34,000 Palestinians who have been counted as killed in Israel’s genocidal assault so far, there are 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza who are missing, a humanitarian aid group has estimated, either buried in rubble or mass graves or disappeared into Israeli prisons.  In a report released Thursday, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that the estimate is based on initial reports and that the actual number of people missing is likely even higher."
 

As for the area itself?  Isabele Debre (AP) reveals, "Israel’s military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells."  Kieron Monks (I NEWS) reports, "More than 40 per cent of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to a new study of satellite imagery by US researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University and Corey Scher at the City University of New York. The UN gave a figure of 45 per cent of housing destroyed or damaged across the strip in less than six weeks. The rate of destruction is among the highest of any conflict since the Second World War."


Let's turn to the US where 82-year=old Bernie Sanders wants to tell everyone he's endorsing Joe Biden in the race for the Democratic Party nomination.  I don't think anyone really cares what cowardly Bernie thinks.  He folded in 2016, he folded 2020.  I'm glad he folded in 2024.  Oh, the stupidity.  Watch me bite my tongue while they did their hole.

 

We should probably note that calling out Joe's age would mean Bernie calling out his own since he's even older than Joe.  Who put Joe and Bernie down for their naps today?


Andrew Solendar (AXIOS) reports on Joe's bad day that made him grumpy:


President Biden was raked over the coals by a group of center-left House Democrats on Saturday in what sources said was a "tense" – even "awful" – meeting aimed at stemming defections on Capitol Hill.

Why it matters: Biden got particularly animated towards a question from Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) about slipping public confidence in his leadership as commander-in-chief, according to several members in the meeting.

  • "That was a complete disaster. We saw the same Joe Biden from the debate," said one House Democrat on the call.
  • "It was awful," said another lawmaker.
  • A third told Axios: "Members were not holding back ... it got tense with Crow for sure."

What we're hearing: Biden huddled virtually with the center-left New Democrat Coalition as part of an outreach campaign to Capitol Hill to try to stem the flow of statements calling for him to drop out.

  • Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) scrutinized Biden on how he plans to turn his campaign around, according to two lawmakers.
  • In response to Veasey asking how Biden plans to win back disaffected voters, he said in part that members need to do a better job advertising his administration's accomplishments.
  • As Houlahan outlined distressing polling numbers, Biden interrupted to try to add caveats, with Houlahan having to interject to finish her question, members said.

Zoom in: Crow's question prompted what two members described as "shouting" from the president, who challenged the Coloradan to "name me a foreign leader who thinks I'm not the most effective leader."


Joe's ready to destroy the whole party.  He's not just old and senile, he's also being selfish.  It's time for him to bow out and shame on the people who are pretending otherwise.  


But, by all means, Joe supporting Dems in Congress, please follow Bernie's lead because you help those of us wanting Joe off the ticket every time you do.  I honestly can't believe how stupid some people are.  

 

Was there a theme to today's music videos?  Ray e-mailed asking that. After Diana Ross and the Supremes this morning and until Dolly Parton this evening, it was piano.  All I wanted to do today was play the piano but there was no time.  So that's what we were noting and why.  


The following sites updated:




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