If Americans Knew: More than 700 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza mega concentration camp during the last 24 hours, according to the Director General of the Gov’t Media Office in Gaza.
Palestinian human rights organizations have issued a letter calling on UN human rights experts specializing in the prevention of genocide to take ‘immediate’ action as ‘genocide is unfolding in the Gaza.’
RECOMMENDED READING: From north to south, nowhere safe in Gaza as 700 killed in 24 hours
Recent Israeli attacks:
- An entire block in the Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza city was heavily bombarded and about fifty residential buildings destroyed. More than 60 people were killed, crews were working to rescue or retrieve more than 300 others from under the rubble.
- More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza.
- More than 30 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids Sunday morning that targeted areas in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.
- Israeli forces in the vicinity of Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, reportedly hit an ambulance evacuating wounded people; two paramedics were reportedly killed and several others injured.
- There have been hundreds of Israeli attacks across Gaza on Saturday, including more than 50 in Khan Younis and surrounding areas.
- The Israeli Air Force reportedly bombed the Holy Family School in Gaza City that belongs to the Catholic Church and hosts hundreds of internally displaced people, on the first Sunday of Advent. The school’s website says it’s
“one of the most important schools of the Latin Patriarchate in Palestine and one of the best in the region. It provides a high level of education, supports cultural exchange, and offers a suitable and safe environment for exceptional education for all.”
Catholic Herald reported on Nov 16 about Israeli attacks on Christian institutions:
MORE than 50 Christian family homes and a Catholic school have been destroyed, and other Christian buildings have been badly damaged by airstrikes in Gaza, according to a charity’s project partner.
One of the buildings destroyed has been the Rosary Sisters School, which had 1,250 students, both Christian and Muslim, and was one of the largest institutions in Gaza educating poor communities.
Sister Nabila Saleh of the Rosary Sisters, the principal of the school, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that she received the tragic news of the school having been hit on Saturday 4th November
Prisoner negotiations: A Hamas official said negotiations on prisoner exchanges were over and would not resume until Israel halted its attacks and handed over all Palestinian prisoners.
RECOMMENDED READING: Israeli assault on southern Gaza could push 1m refugees to Egypt border, UNRWA chief warns
Gaza’s economic disaster: The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) stated that Gaza –loses US$1.6 million daily in farm production losses. These losses are likely higher considering the destruction of farm equipment and farmland, and damage caused to thousands of trees, especially olive trees. The economic impact is significant, considering that 55 per cent of Gaza’s agricultural products used to be sold outside Gaza.
Gaza’s poverty rate is set to soar to more than 90 percent, according to the director of statistics at the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Israel’s devastating war on Gaza since 7 October has resulted in at least $700m worth of losses, just in the first month.
At least 147,000 had stopped working, around 56,000 businesses had closed, and unemployment is expected to rise to about 65%.
Excluding the current conflict, the economic losses in the Gaza Strip since 2007 when Israel began its siege amounts to about $35bn.
A total of 55 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip Saturday after a week-long humanitarian pause ended. The aid, including water, food, medicine, and medical supplies, entered via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Aid from Qatar: Qatar has announced the delivery of an additional 68 tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. The aid, consisting of food and shelter equipment, was provided by the Qatar Fund For Development, the Qatar Red Crescent Society and the Qatar Charity, the ministry said. The latest flights bring the total number of humanitarian flights organized by Qatar to 35, delivering 1,314 tons of aid.
RAISES QUESTIONS: Israeli personnel gave false information about 7 October attack crimes – report
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he learned from his time leading forces against ISIL (ISIS) that “you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians”. He added that Washington “will remain Israel’s closest friend in the world”.
It is important to note that Hamas and ISIS are completely different, and that Hamas actually fought against an ISIS presence in Gaza.
White House claims Israel is trying to reduce casualties: The White House says Israel is “making an effort” to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza as international concern mounts over the surging death toll in the resumed war with Hamas. A spokesman noted that Israel created an online map to warn civilians of upcoming bombings, adding, “There’s not a whole lot of modern militaries that would do that … to telegraph their punches in that way. So they are making an effort.”
It is not clear how civilians can use this system after Israeli air attacks damaged telecommunications and electrical infrastructure – and apparently does not take into account the fact that many Palestinians in Gaza do not have electricity or internet due to the Israeli aggression.
In spite of the map, over 700 Gazans were killed yesterday.
OCHA points out that under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, civilian harm. This can entail evacuating civilians or giving effective advance warning of attacks, which provides civilians enough time to leave, as well as a safe route and place to go.
All possible measures must be adopted to ensure that those civilians displaced can afford satisfactory conditions of safety, shelter, nutrition, and hygiene and ensure that family members are not separated. Civilians choosing to stay in areas designated for evacuation do not lose their protection (emphasis added).
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz launched a new Jewish Caucus in Congress. Wasserman Schultz had earlier said that House members who opposed a resolution affirming support for Israel in its war against Hamas didn’t “have a soul.” Israel’s Jerusalem Post reports about the new caucus:
For decades, Jewish members of Congress had been gathering unofficially. Earlier this month, Axios reported that Wasserman Schultz got the go-ahead from House administrators to make the Jewish Caucus official — though it appears that not all Jews in the House believe the caucus should exist.
For the last decade, the unofficial gatherings were helmed by Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat who is the longest-serving Jew in Congress.
More than 250 US financial executives have signed a letter in support of Israel – Senior managers and executives from companies such as JP Morgan and Bank of America stated: “”We stand united in our support for the State and people of Israel” and asserted: ““The attack in Israel is an attack on all of us.”
The signatories include billionaire Bill Ackman, manager of the New York hedge fund Pershing Square, Jeffrey Talpins, founder-manager of the New York hedge fund Element Capital, Sander Gerber, CEO of Hudson Bay Capital, Boaz Weinstein, founder of Saba Capital, and Jay Seidman, the founder of Altitude Venture.
RECOMMENDED READING: US Muslims pledge to ditch Biden in 2024 over his stance on Israel-Gaza war
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