Live Blogs

General Strike Begins in Israel – Ben Gurion Airport Paralyzed

Flight operations at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv are nearly at a standstill. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David announced on Sunday a general strike scheduled to begin on Monday in response to the failure to secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza.

Ben Gurion International Airport joined the general strike halting all arrivals and departures from this main hub on Monday in a bid to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a prisoner exchange deal with the resistance movements in Gaza.

The spokesperson for Histadrut, the largest labor union in Israel, announced that Ben Gurion airport will be closed to all takeoffs and landings starting from 8 AM on Monday, without revealing when operations will resume.

However, an unidentified airport official told Israel’s Channel 12 that “the strike at Ben Gurion Airport may be extended past 10 am despite intense pressure from the government to resume operations,” the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported.

According to the paper, at present, “flights are not departing the airport, and checked baggage is not being put on planes.”

The paper added that an official in the Histadrut told Channel 12 that “the organization is considering extending the general strike to tomorrow.”

Reaching a Deal

Israel’s largest and most influential trade union Histadrut has called a general strike to pressure the government into a ceasefire deal.

Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David announced on Sunday a general strike scheduled to begin on Monday in response to the failure to secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

According to the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel, Bar-David emphasized the urgency of reaching a deal, stating that “a deal is more important than anything else.”

The move comes after the Israeli army announced that it had recovered the bodies of six Israeli captives in a tunnel in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

During a press conference following his meeting with the ‘Hostages and Missing Families Forum’ in Tel Aviv, Bar-David reportedly declared, “Jews are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza. It is impossible to grasp and has to stop.”

Additionally, after discussions with various security officials, Bar-David expressed his belief that the deal to release the captives is stalled due to “political considerations,” and lamented that political polarization has divided the nation.

“We are no longer one people; we are camp against camp,” he reportedly said, adding, “we need to bring back the State of Israel.”

Earlier Sunday, the forum urged the public to participate in a large demonstration demanding a complete shutdown of the country and appealed to the powerful Histadrut to organize a mass strike on Monday.

This call was supported by the Israel Business Forum, which represents most private-sector workers from 200 of the country’s largest companies, as well as by Israel’s opposition Leader Yair Lapid.

Gaza Genocide Continues

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,738 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,154 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

 The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety. 

(PC, Anadolu)

9:56 am | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

Continued Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza – Scores of Palestinians Killed, Injured

Israel continues to carry out massacres against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.(Photo: via QNN)

The Israeli army carried on its attacks against Palestinian residential homes, refugee camps, and vehicles on the 332nd day of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, claiming scores of Palestinian lives and injuring others.

The attacks touched different areas in the center and south of the besieged Gaza Strip, namely the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps, Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa and Al-Zaytoun neighborhoods, Al-Jalaa Street and Abasan Al-Kabira as well as Rafah city, in the south of Gaza.

Four Palestinians were killed and several others injured when Israeli occupation warplanes bombed a residential house in the Bureij camp, in central Gaza, WAFA reported, citing local sources.

Israeli warplanes conducted a raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp concurring with heavy and sporadic gunfire north of the camp by the Israeli occupation vehicles.   

A group of Palestinians was targeted with a reconnaissance missile by Israel’s occupation army on Salah al-Din Street, claiming the life of a Palestinian and injuring many others who were later transferred to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.

South of Gaza City, a residential home near the Al-Istijaba Mosque, belonging to the Saqallah family in the Sabra neighborhood, was shelled by Israeli warplanes.

Residential buildings were also blown up by the Israeli army near the university college in the Ral Al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City while Israel’s artillery targeted several residential houses south of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.

The Israeli warplanes killed two Palestinians and injured others when its warplanes targeted the apartment of the al-Araj family on Abdul Aal intersection on Al-Jalaa Street, north of Gaza City, who were transferred to the Baptist Hospital in the city.

The occupation army also killed three Palestinians when it shelled a vehicle standing by the Al-Remal Clinic, west of Gaza City, WAFA reported.

In the south of the besieged Strip, Israeli occupation warplanes hit the town of Abasan Al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis, as its artillery shelled the northern parts of Rafah city.

Gaza Genocide Continues

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,738 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,154 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety. 

(WAFA, PC)

9:42 am | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

‘Our Right to Live’ – Ben-Gvir Calls for Restriction of Palestinian Movement, Death Penalty for Detainees

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Ben-Gvir’s call came as Israel continued a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, killing at least 26 Palestinians, arresting dozens, and inflicting huge damage to infrastructure.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the restriction of movement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as well as the death penalty for Palestinian detainees.

“The right to life prevails over the freedom of movement of the residents of the Palestinian Authority,” Ben-Gvir said on X on Sunday.

Calling the killing of three Israeli police officers at the Tarqumiya checkpoint, west of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in a resistance operation on Sunday the “dire consequences of terrorists roaming freely in the area,” Ben-Gvir said “our right to live and not to be murdered, prevails over their right of movement.”

“We need to close the traffic lanes we travel on in front of the residents of the PA,” he added.

‘Return of Checkpoints’

The far-right minister also called for the “death penalty” for Palestinian detainees as well as “the return of checkpoints” across the occupied territory, saying it was “the order of the hour.”

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Council chairman Tzahi Hanegby, Ben-Gvir demanded the approval of legislation for a bill to introduce the death penalty for detainees “who participated in the October 7” resistance operation.

He wrote that “the answer to Hamas murdering our hostages requires an Israeli response that will be very painful to Hamas. The Death Penalty Law … can definitely serve as such a response,” according to a report in The Jerusalem Post.

The bill, the report said, “already passed its preliminary vote in the Knesset plenum in March 2023 but requires approval of the National Security Cabinet to proceed.”

Ben-Gvir’s call came as Israel continued a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, killing at least 26 Palestinians, arresting dozens, and inflicting huge damage to infrastructure.

In a statement, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas said that “the Al-Khalil operation is a natural response to the crimes of the occupation against our people, and the resistance will only grow stronger and more fierce.”

‘Natural Response’ – Three Israeli Police Officers Killed in Operation near Hebron

‘Unlawful Force’

The UN Human Rights Office has condemned the use of “unlawful force” in the West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to halt immediately its offensive in the Jenin camp.

“The use of military weapons and tactics during law enforcement give rise to grave concerns of a systematic disregard for the rights of the Palestinian population and contribute to an escalation in violence and insecurity,” the Office said in a statement on Sunday. “The only way to ensure security for Palestinians and Israelis is to end the occupation.”

The UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, on Friday also slammed Israel for claiming self-defense to justify its military offensive in the occupied territory.

“Israel claims that what it is doing in the West Bank is justified under the law of self-defense. This claim has no validity,” Albanese said on X.

ICJ Ruling

Albanese pointed out that “Twenty years ago the @CIJ_ICJ determined that Israel could not invoke self-defense under article 51 of the UN Charter to justify its Wall in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).”

This past July, she stressed, the Court “indicated that Israel’s very presence in the oPT is itself unlawful.”

Albanese argued that “as an ongoing unlawful use of force,” Israel’s occupation of the oPT cannot be justified by any claim of self-defense.

“Israel’s perversion of the law on self-defense must be recognized for what it is: a brazen attempt to provide an imprimatur of ‘legality’ to the maintenance of its unlawful aggression against the territorial integrity and political independence of the State of Palestine.”

On July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and mandated the dismantling of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

(PC, Anadolu)

9:29 am | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Protests in Israel | 281 Attacks in August | US: Final Proposal | Destroying Jenin – Day 332

Israel continues to carry out massacres against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.(Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The general strike began in Israel in solidarity with families of prisoners held in Gaza and in rejection of Netanyahu’s obstruction of a deal. The strike includes schools, universities, Ben Gurion Airport, public transportation, and broad economic sectors.

The United States plans to submit a final agreement proposal to the parties in the coming weeks on the war in Gaza, according to the Washington Post.

At least four Palestinians were killed and others were injured in the Israeli bombing of a house in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,786 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,224 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

This blog has been discontinued. Click here for the new blog.

Monday, September 2, 11:45 pm (GMT+2)

NBC: US President Joe Biden may present the final offer to Hamas and Israel as soon as this week.

LAPID: Israel withdrew from the Philadelphi corridor 19 years ago and Netanyahu supported that.

HAMAS: Netanyahu is looking for an imaginary victory that he failed to market.

‘Dead or Alive’ – Resistance Roundup – Day 332

ANSARALLAH: We carried out a qualitative operation against a ship in the Red Sea.

Monday, September 2, 10:30 pm (GMT+2)

AL-QASSAM: Al-Qassam Brigades broadcast a video recording of the Israeli captive, Idan Yerushalmi, who appealed to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to work on concluding a deal to release her.

YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: Thousands of demonstrators surround Likud Party headquarters.

KAN: Senior American officials expressed their frustration in closed talks with Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent steps.

Monday, September 2, 10:00 pm (GMT+2)

BIDEN: US President Joe Biden said that they are still continuing negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners, adding that the negotiations are taking place with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s team, not with Netanyahu himself.

ABU OBEIDA: Netanyahu and the occupation army alone bear full responsibility for the deaths of prisoners after they deliberately disrupted any deal. Netanyahu’s insistence on releasing the prisoners through military pressure instead of concluding a deal means they will return in coffins. The families of Israeli prisoners must choose between returning them dead or alive.

Monday, September 2, 9:00 pm (GMT+2)

NETANYAHU: The achievement of the four war objectives passes through the Philadelphia axis.

BRICK: We will bring ourselves down if we continue fighting in Gaza.

KAMALA HARRIS: It’s time for a ceasefire in Gaza.

GALLANT: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressed his “deep” disappointment over British measures regarding arms export licenses.

AL-JAZEERA: Thousands have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv to demand a prisoner swap deal, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused of obstructing the deal.

Monday, September 2, 8:00 pm (GMT+2)

ISRAELI FM: Britain’s decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel “sends an ambiguous message to Hamas and Iran.”

MAARIV: The Israeli Center for Security Studies confirmed that Hezbollah launched 281 attacks on northern Israel last August, killing 3 Israelis and wounding 30 others.

WHITE HOUSE: US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the next steps to secure the release of detainees in the Gaza Strip.

YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: The relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant has reached a dead end.

Monday, September 2, 7:00 pm (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli raid targeted the town of Houla in southern Lebanon.

DAVID LAMMY: London will suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel, including equipment used in the current war on the Gaza Strip.

IRANIAN FM: Iran is seeking to reduce tension, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to expand violence in all areas, including the West Bank.

HAARETZ (citing senior Israeli Air Force officer): It is impossible to continue the war without American support. The Israeli officer added that the army is working on a recommendation to increase local ammunition production to reduce dependence on foreign countries.

HEZBOLLAH: We bombed the settlements of Ein Yaakov, Ga’aton and Yehiam in northern Israel for the second time with Katyusha rockets.

AL-QUDS BRIGADES: Our fighters detonated an explosive device in an Israeli military bulldozer in the schools axis in Tulkarm camp in the occupied West Bank.

GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE: Five Palestinians were killed as a result of Israeli shelling in front of Al-Fakhoura School, which houses displaced people in Jabaliya camp, north of the Gaza Strip.

Monday, September 2, 6:00 pm (GMT+2)

AL-JAZEERA: Israeli occupation forces blew up residential homes in the middle of Jenin camp, especially on Al-Damj Street in the occupied West Bank.

CHANNEL 12: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, neither after 42 days nor after 42 years.

ISRAELI MEDIA (citing political official): It is strange that US President Joe Biden is pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not the head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar.

AL-JAZEERA: Explosions were heard in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

How Israel Sabotaged Ceasefire Deal through ‘Blood Document’ – Report

Monday, September 2, 5:00 pm (GMT+2)

BIDEN: Netanyahu is not doing enough to reach a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, as he insists on staying in the Netzarim and Philadelphi axes.

AL-JAZEERA: Two Palestinians, including a child, were killed in an Israeli bombardment that targeted a group of citizens northwest of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

NETANYAHU: We will respond forcefully to the killing of the six detainees.

Monday, September 2, 4:00 pm (GMT+2)

ISRAEL HAYOM: Israeli police arrested 7 demonstrators in Tel Aviv.

HEZBOLLAH: We bombarded the settlements of Ein Yaakov, Ga’aton and Yehiam with Katyusha rockets.

CHANNEL 14: Gunfire targeted an Israeli military site near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the southern West Bank.

CHANNEL 12: The strike in Israel is in support of Yahya Sinwar.

Monday, September 2, 2:00 pm (GMT+2)

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Labor Court issued an order to end the Histadrut workers’ union strike at 2:30 pm local time.

AL-JAZEERA: The Israeli police suppressed protesters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s torpedoing of the deal in the Ayalon axis in Tel Aviv and arrested some of them.

AL-QUDS BRIGADES: Our fighters continue to target enemy forces on the battlefronts in Jenin camp.

AL-JAZEERA: Demonstrators demanding a prisoner swap are closing the Ayalon axis, which connects Tel Aviv’s major cities to each other.

CHANNEL 14: Israeli soldiers injured in the Gaza Strip battles did not receive treatment at Sheba Hospital due to the strike.

ISRAEL HAYOM: The newspaper quoted the Minister of Settlement Orit Struck as saying: I went to the military secretary and the security cabinet to declare a state of war in the West Bank.

Monday, September 2, 1:00 pm (GMT+2)

GAZA MUNICIPALITY: The car targeted by Israel belonged to the municipality. One employee was killed.

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 40,786 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,224 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

ISRAEL HAYOM: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant summoned members of his party in the Knesset to his office to explain his positions, and informed them that he does not intend to resign.

LAZZARINI: More than 70% of our schools in Gaza were destroyed.

ISRAELI ARMY RADIO (Citing Labor Court Judge): We accept the Histadrut’s proposal regarding the strike, and we will not issue any arrest warrants.

BEN-GVIR: We have the authority, and we are exerting great pressure to oppose the deal, and I hope that the prime minister will not feel confused and that no one will back down.

Monday, September 2, 12:00 pm (GMT+2)

YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: The Israeli Federation of Trade Unions informed the Labor Court that the strike will end tonight but Channel 12 reported that workers at Ben Gurion Airport and Israeli Airlines decided to continue the strike and cause chaos at the airport.

LAPID (in a letter to government members): You are complicit in the greatest disaster in the country’s history and bear responsibility for all decisions. The kidnapped are dying one by one and the army is in its deepest crisis.

CNN (citing Israeli officials): We are outraged by the killing of the six hostages, and the government owes their families an apology.

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: The Al-Qassam Brigades claimed full responsibility for the Gush Etzion and Karmei Tzur operations near the city of Hebron last Friday.

ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army announced that one of its drones fell a short while ago in Ashkelon without causing any injuries, noting that the incident is being investigated.

Monday, September 2, 11:00 am (GMT+2)

KAN: Demonstrators are staging a sit-in in front of the house of Arnon Bar-David, head of the labor unions, in support of him.

CHANNEL 12: 5 shells were detected fired from Lebanon towards the settlement of Matat in the Upper Galilee.

LEBANESE HEALTH MINISTRY: Two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a car in the town of Naqoura, south of Lebanon.

ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army said it bombed Hezbollah military buildings in the areas of Yaroun, Aita al-Shaab, Hanin, Tyre Harfa and Bayda in southern Lebanon.

WALLA: We are considering extending the general strike until tomorrow and expanding it to include larger sectors.

KAN: Dozens of Haredim are demonstrating near the recruitment office in Tel Hashomer, refusing to be recruited.

Monday, September 2, 09:30 am (GMT+2)

WAFA:

At least four Palestinians were killed and others were injured in the Israeli bombing of a house in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Israeli warplanes launched a raid on Nuseirat camp, coinciding with heavy and random gunfire from the occupation’s vehicles north of the camp.

ISRAELI MEDIA: A car bomb was defused at the entrance to the Atarit settlement, northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two Palestinians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli bombardment that targeted a civilian car in the vicinity of Al-Rimal Clinic, west of Gaza City.

CHANNEL 12: The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations is calling on the Security Council to hold an emergency session to discuss the situation of prisoners in Gaza.

WALLA: A house in the town of Avivim in the Upper Galilee was directly hit by an anti-tank missile launched from Lebanon.

Monday, September 2, 08:00 am (GMT+2)

PRCS: We received from the occupation forces an unidentified prisoner martyr at the Salem checkpoint west of the city of Jenin.

AL-JAZEERA: General strike begins in Israel in solidarity with families of prisoners held in Gaza and in rejection of Netanyahu’s obstruction of a deal. The strike includes schools, universities, Ben Gurion Airport, public transportation and broad economic sectors.

LAPID: Netanyahu invented the Philadelphi Corridor obstacle to thwart a deal.

UKMTO: A merchant ship captain reports that his ship was hit by two unknown projectiles 70 nautical miles northwest of Al-Salif in Yemen.

Monday, September 2, 06:30 am (GMT+2)

THE WHITE HOUSE: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Monday with the U.S. negotiating team following the killing of the American prisoner held in Gaza.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli warplanes targeted a house in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City.

WASHINGTON POST (Citing US officials): The US plans to submit a final agreement proposal to the parties in the coming weeks on the war in Gaza.

HEZBOLLAH: We targeted a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Avivim settlement, directly hitting it.

AL-JAZEERA: Occupation forces stormed the new Askar camp in Nablus, in the northern West Bank.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

6:46 am | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

West Bank Rises – Resistance Roundup – Day 331

Fighters of the Jenin Battalion detonates an IED in an Israeli military vehicle. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The Jenin resistance reported operations against invading Israeli soldiers in various axes of fighting throughout the camps.

A Palestinian fighter, Muhannad Mahmoud Al-Asoud, killed three Israeli occupation soldiers west of the occupied Palestinian city of Al-Khalil (Hebron)

The operation followed another operation, on Saturday, where two Palestinian fighters detonated two cars in two separate areas, also in the vicinity of the Al-Khalil region.  

Meanwhile, the Jenin refugee camp is now leading the Resistance in the West Bank, despite several days of Israeli raids, attacks, bombardment and assassinations. 

The Jenin resistance reported operations against invading Israeli soldiers in various axes of fighting throughout the camps.

Meanwhile, the resistance continues in Gaza, and in South Lebanon, where the Lebanese group Hezbollah reported several operations against Israeli military bases and camps throughout the border region. 

Below are the latest statements from the main Palestinian Resistance groups in the West Bank and Gaza.

The statements below also contain the latest announcement by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which continues to target Israeli occupation forces in occupied south Lebanon and northern Israel. 

The statements were communicated via their Telegram channels and are published here in their original form.

Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas)

“WATCH: Netanyahu is creating dozens of Ron Arad. 

“In a joint operation by Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades and Martyr Izz El-Din al-Qassam Brigades: We targeted a Zionist military bulldozer of the D9 type with a tandem shell near Al-Quds Open University in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip.”

Al-Quds Brigades (Islamic Jihad)
 

“Our fighters in Jenin successfully ambushed an infantry unit in the camp square, showering them with heavy direct gunfire, causing confirmed casualties. Our heroes continue to target reinforcement and support forces with explosive devices and direct gunfire.

“Our fighters continue to target enemy forces on the battlefronts in Jenin Camp, showering the infantry at the Al-Aloub axis with heavy barrages of bullets and explosive devices, achieving direct hits.

“Our fighters continue to target enemy forces on the frontlines in Jenin Camp, and our heroes in the Kafr Dan, Al-Yamoun, and Al-Sila Al-Harithiya groups continue to target Zionist enemy reinforcements and supply lines with heavy gunfire and explosive devices, achieving direct hits.

“Our fighters in Jenin were able to detonate a pre-prepared explosive device in the invading occupation forces in the axis of the Tawalbeh Mosque, and our heroes continue to shower the enemy forces with barrages of bullets in the various fighting axes.

“Our fighters continue to target enemy forces on the combat axes in Jenin camp. Our heroes on the Al-Damj axis continue to shower the occupation forces with heavy barrages of bullets and explosive devices, achieving direct hits.

“Our fighters in Jenin are engaged in fierce clashes with enemy forces on the Al-Ansar Mosque front, raining down heavy barrages of direct bullets on the infantry forces.”

Hezbollah

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, at 2:47 PM on Sunday, 1-09-2024, targeted the espionage equipment at the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba Hills with appropriate weapons, hitting it directly and destroying it. 

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, on Sunday, 1-09-2024, targeted an Israeli army patrol near the “Kfar Yuval” checkpoint on with appropriate weapons and achieved confirmed casualties.

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, at 4:40 PM on Sunday, 1-09-2024, targeted a deployment of enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Marj site with rocket weapons.

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, at 4:45 PM on Sunday, 1-09-2024, targeted the espionage equipment in the Hadab Yaroun site with an (FPV) attack drone, hitting it directly and leading to its destruction. 

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, at 5:30 PM on Sunday, 1-09-2024, targeted the Jal Al-Alam site with artillery shells, hitting it directly. 

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, at 5:35 PM on Sunday, 1-09-2024, targeted the Ramia site with artillery shells, hitting it directly. 

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, at 17:15 on Sunday, 01-09-2024, targeted the Al-Samaqa site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with rocket weapons, hitting it directly.

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, on Sunday, 01-09-2024, targeted a building used by enemy soldiers in the Manara settlement with appropriate weapons and hit it directly.

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance, on Sunday, 01-09-2024, targeted buildings used by enemy soldiers in the Shtula settlement with rocket weapons and hit it directly.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)

7:57 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Videos | Read More »

‘More Important than Anything’ – Histadrut Calls General Strike over Ceasefire Deal Stalemate

The head of Histadrut, Arnon Ben-David. (Photo: שגב ויסברג, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israel’s largest and most influential trade union has called a general strike to pressure the government into a ceasefire deal. 

Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David announced on Sunday a general strike scheduled to begin on Monday in response to the failure to secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza, according to Israeli media. 

According to the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel, Bar-David emphasized the urgency of reaching a deal, stating that “a deal is more important than anything else.”

The move comes after the Israeli army announced that it had recovered the bodies of six Israeli captives in a tunnel in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. 

Captive Who Pleaded for Action in Video Dies in Gaza – Netanyahu Blamed

“The action will start at 6 a.m. and is currently planned as a one-day strike, with Bar-David saying decisions beyond Monday will be made later,” the report stated.

During a press conference following his meeting with the ‘Hostages and Missing Families Forum’ in Tel Aviv, Bar-David reportedly declared, “Jews are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza. It is impossible to grasp and has to stop.”

Additionally, after discussions with various security officials, Bar-David expressed his belief that the deal to release the captives is stalled due to “political considerations,” and lamented that political polarization has divided the nation. 

“We are no longer one people; we are camp against camp,” he reportedly said, adding, “we need to bring back the State of Israel.”

Earlier in the day, the forum urged the public to participate in a large demonstration demanding a complete shutdown of the country and appealed to the powerful Histadrut to organize a mass strike on Monday. 

Bodies of Six Captives Recovered – Three Included in July Agreement Rejected by Netanyahu

This call was supported by the Israel Business Forum, which represents most private-sector workers from 200 of the country’s largest companies, as well as by Israel’s opposition Leader Yair Lapid.

Massive Protests

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday requesting a prisoners’ exchange agreement between their government and the resistance movements in Gaza.

Israeli media reported that the huge demonstrations took place in different cities namely, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The Israel Broadcasting Authority (KAN) said that the demonstrators in Tel Aviv closed parts of the Ayalon Highway in the city center.

In conjunction, protesters in Haifa took to the streets in the Karkur Junction and Rehovot, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

“Dozens of demonstrators closed a major road at the Karkur Junction, while other demonstrators closed a crossroads in Rehovot,” the newspaper stated.

According to Al-Mayadeen, the protesters have set up on August 26 several tents along Rothschild Street as part of their demonstration.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

3:15 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

‘Unlawful Force’ – UN Calls for Immediate Halt of Offensive in West Bank

Tawfiq Ahmad Younis Qandil, 83, was killed by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The human rights office revealed that one of the Palestinians killed on Friday is an 83-year-old man by the name of Tawfiq Ahmad Younis Qandil.  

The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned on Saturday the use of “unlawful force” by the Israeli occupation army during its military operations in the West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to halt immediately its offensive in Jenin camp.  

The UN organization stated that the “use of military weapons and tactics are contributing to an escalation of violence in the Occupied West Bank.”

“The use of military weapons and tactics during law enforcement give rise to grave concerns of a systematic disregard for the rights of the Palestinian population and contribute to an escalation in violence and insecurity. The only way to ensure security for Palestinians and Israelis is to end the occupation,” the statement said.

‘No Validity’ – UN Rapporteur Rejects Israel’s Claim to Self-Defense in West Bank

The UN office stated that the ongoing Israeli military operation in Jenin refugee camp and the neighboring areas of the city “has led apparently to unlawful killings, insecurity for Palestinian residents and enormous destruction of the camp, home to about 11,000 Palestinians.”

The Israeli occupation army has claimed the lives of at least 22 Palestinians in Jenin and the adjacent areas, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Elderly Killed

The human rights office revealed that one of the Palestinians killed on Friday is an 83-year-old man by the name of Tawfiq Ahmad Younis Qandil.  

“According to his family, he had gone out of his house in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin to get groceries, and was riddled with bullets, allegedly by Israeli snipers, the moment he stepped outside.” the statement read, adding: 

“His family reported that they were prevented from reaching him for two hours as Israeli forces fired on anything moving in the area”.

Intense Clashes in Jenin – Israeli Soldier Killed amid Ongoing Military Offensive

Massive Destruction

The UN office highlighted the huge destruction the area has sustained during the Israeli military operation, confirming that the Israeli occupation army has “bulldozed roads and destroyed public infrastructure on a massive scale, as well as private homes and a mosque in the eastern neighborhood of the city and Jenin camp.”

The statement stressed that the Israeli occupation army has deployed since the start of its operation in Jenin on August 28, a significant number of “armored personnel carriers, bulldozers and snipers, supported by drones and aircrafts”, while imposing a curfew on residents of the refugee camp and the surrounding areas and cutting off electricity and water.

“Residents of the camp, paramedics and UN workers report that many families are stuck in their homes without water and food, including for babies and infants,” the statement added.

The UN office quoted the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) as saying that they were able to evacuate 20 Palestinians sustaining live ammunition injuries since the start of the offensive, including an 18-month-old baby.

PRCS confirmed according to the statement that the Israeli occupation forces “shot at their ambulances at least four times” during the evacuation operation, resulting in the injury of a physician and a driver.  

Arrest Campaign

Moreover, the international organization revealed that they have received reports of detention, interrogation and mistreatment of young Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces.  

“Israeli soldiers are rounding up dozens of young Palestinians from their homes and interrogating them, as well as subjecting them to various forms of mistreatment, including beatings and forcing them to remain in the open air for long hours without food or water,” the statement read.

The Latest from Jenin – Resistance Roundup – Day 330

“Many of those taken into custody have been reportedly taken to undisclosed locations,” it read.

The Human Rights Office said that Israel as an occupying power “is bound by the laws of occupation”, which entails ensuring the well-being and safety of Palestinian citizens citing the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which indicated that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and asked it to rapidly end it.   

(PC, Anadolu)

1:35 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »

Captive Who Pleaded for Action in Video Dies in Gaza – Netanyahu Blamed

In a video released by Al-Qassam Brigades last April, Hersh Goldberg-Polin criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

In April, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video featuring Goldberg-Polin, where he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six captives found inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, confirming their identities.

The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas stated that these detainees were killed due to the ongoing Israeli bombings in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden confirmed that one of the bodies recovered was that of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American citizen.

In April, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video featuring Goldberg-Polin, where he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, accusing it of neglect and failure to secure the release of himself and other detainees.

The video showed Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 24-year-old Israeli-American citizen, who stated that he was born in California and resided with his family in occupied Jerusalem. 

Addressing Netanyahu and his government, Goldberg-Polin expressed frustration, saying, “Every day we are here, you ignore us more and more and ignore our blood.” 

He then urged, “Do what is expected of you and return us to our homes immediately, or has this become too much for you?”

He expressed deep disappointment with the government’s efforts, stating, “it is time to hand over the keys, evacuate the ministries, and stay in your homes.” 

He accused the government of neglect, saying they had abandoned the captives for 200 days and that the Israeli Air Force’s actions had resulted in the deaths of about 70 captives like him.

Goldberg-Polin also criticized the government for rejecting all proposed deals during negotiations to release the captives, asking, “Don’t you want to end this nightmare?”

He painted a grim picture of the conditions in captivity, describing life as “hell underground without water, food, or sunlight,” and mentioned that he was not receiving the medical treatment he needed.

‘Go out and Protest’

Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity party, called on the public to protest, stating that “it’s time to replace this total failure of a government,” referring to Netanyahu’s leadership. 

In a post on X, the Israeli politician accused Netanyahu of being “hesitant, scared and is playing for time for political reasons rather than take action. A game that is costing lives.”

For his part, opposition leader Yair Lapid echoed Gantz’s sentiments, stating that Netanyahu and what he called the “government of death” had decided not to rescue the captives. He urged labor unions and local authorities to shut down the economy in protest.

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior Israeli official saying that Netanyahu is preventing an agreement from being reached to avoid the collapse of his government, predicting that within a month, “no hostage will remain alive in Gaza.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ally of Netanyahu, commented on the recovery of the captives’ bodies in Gaza, stating, “We will continue to strike Hamas until it is completely destroyed and our sons are returned.” He condemned the use of the captives’ deaths for political purposes.

In response to the criticism, Netanyahu said in a statement that “since December Hamas has been refusing to hold real negotiations.”

Amid these developments, the Israeli cabinet meeting was reportedly canceled, and a security ministerial team meeting was scheduled for the afternoon. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called for a large-scale demonstration to demand a prisoner exchange deal.

Israeli media reported that demonstrators blocked the Weizmann Institute intersection in Rehovot, near Tel Aviv, to demand action on a prisoner exchange.

Yedioth Ahronoth also reported that three of the captives who were killed and whose bodies were recovered by the army had been included in a list approved by Hamas on July 2.

Israeli Army Radio quoted security officials suggesting that it might have been possible to recover four of the deceased captives through a prisoner exchange deal.

(PC, AJA)

1:22 pm | Posted in Blog | News | Videos | Read More »

‘Natural Response’ – Three Israeli Police Officers Killed in Operation near Hebron

Three Israeli police officers were killed in an operation near Hebron. (Photo: via social media, AJA)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Three Israeli police officers were killed Sunday morning in an armed operation at the Tarqumiya checkpoint, west of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the southern occupied West Bank.

The Israeli ambulance service reported that two police officers and border guards were killed immediately, while a third officer was seriously injured and later succumbed to his wounds.

The Israeli army announced that three of those killed were security forces and police officers who were on duty at the time of the attack. The vehicle used in the attack was found abandoned after the attackers managed to flee. 

Israeli Army Radio said that the military had raided Idhna, close to the attack site.

Palestinian sources confirmed that Israeli reconnaissance drones were flying over the town of Tarqumiya and nearby areas northwest of Hebron as part of the search operation.

Al-Aqsa TV reported that large numbers of occupation forces stormed the town of Idhna following the operation.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that its teams in Hebron were treating a person injured by live ammunition near the Tarqumiya checkpoint.

According to the Israeli radio station KAN, the attackers fired 11 bullets at the targeted vehicle near the Tarqumiya checkpoint. Additionally, Israeli Army Radio mentioned that the attackers fired from a distance of one kilometer from the checkpoint.

Video footage showed Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arriving at the scene of the shooting.

This follows another double operation targeting two settlements north of Hebron two days earlier, which left three Israelis injured, including the commander of the Etzion Brigade.

The operation also comes amid an ongoing Israeli offensive in the northern West Bank, now in its fifth day, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 22 Palestinians and the killing or wounding of Israeli soldiers in Jenin.

Natural Response

In a statement, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas said that “the Al-Khalil operation is a natural response to the crimes of the occupation against our people, and the resistance will only grow stronger and more fierce.”

“Our steadfast people, who are engaged in Al-Aqsa Flood battle, will continue the path of jihad (struggle) and resistance against the Zionist enemy, rejecting occupation, oppression, and aggression, until the liberation of Palestine,” the statement continued.

Hamas also called on the Palestinian people to rise and confront the Israeli “occupiers, who continue to commit massacres against our steadfast people in the Gaza Strip.”

“We call upon all cities, villages, and camps to rise up and ignite the fire of resistance against the occupation and block settler routes by all means,” the statement said.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

9:55 am | Posted in Blog | News | Videos | Read More »

Bodies of Six Captives Recovered – Three Included in July Agreement Rejected by Netanyahu

Israeli public blames Netanyahu for blocking ceasefire, hindering chances of freeing prisoners in Gaza. (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

According to Israeli media, the names of three captives were included in the exchange agreement of July 2, which was rejected by Netanyahu.

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six captives found inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, confirming their identities. 

The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas said in a statement that the detainees were killed in the ongoing Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip. 

According to Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari, the six bodies were recovered in a tunnel located in the Rafah area in southern Gaza. 

Earlier in the day, the Israeli army had announced the discovery of bodies in Gaza without providing details about their number or identities, urging Israelis to “refrain from spreading rumors.”

US President Joe Biden confirmed that one of the bodies found was that of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American citizen. 

Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” and added that Hamas leaders will pay “for these crimes”.

Hamas, in a statement, blamed Israel for the deaths of the captives, citing Israel’s ongoing genocide on Gaza and accused the US of supporting the aggression. 

Hamas stated that the detainees were killed by Israeli bombings and argued that if Biden was truly concerned for their lives, he should stop supporting Israel. 

The movement added that they had been more concerned about the lives of the detainees than Biden and had agreed to his proposals and the UN Security Council resolution, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected.

On Saturday night, Hamas released a message titled “The Price is One” on its Telegram channel, recalling previous statements by the Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson, Abu Obeida, who had said that “the price for the release of five prisoners is the same as for all prisoners.”

According to an anonymous Israeli official cited by the Israeli news website Ynet, three of the captives whose bodies were listed to be retrieved as part of the ceasefire agreement of July 2. 

Before the discovery of the six bodies, Israel had claimed that 107 prisoners were still held in Gaza, including several who had died. 

Hamas had previously stated that dozens of detainees were killed by Israeli bombings across the Strip during the 11-month genocidal war.

The discovery of these bodies has led to increased protests in Israel, with growing accusations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for obstructing prisoner exchange and ceasefire negotiations.

(PC, AJA)

9:30 am | Posted in Blog | News | Read More »
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