Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organized “flash protests” in 10 countries across the globe to pay homage to Palestinian journalists killed during the nearly one-year genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) said in a statement on Thursday that the protests are organized to pay homage to the over 130 Palestinian journalists killed by the Israeli occupation army, “32 of whom were murdered while working.”
The ‘flash protests’ were held the whole day on Thursday in Germany, Brazil, Spain, the United States, Britain, France, Senegal, Switzerland, Taiwan and Tunisia.
RSF announced that the aim behind the “global awareness campaign” is to “alert the international public to the gravity of this crisis: the alarming rate at which these journalists are being killed is jeopardizing the right to free and independent information.”
Today, RSF filed its 4th complaint with the ICC for war crimes committed by the Israeli army in #Gaza: 8 journalists killed and one wounded. We demand justice for all of the 130+ journalists killed in the Palestinian territory over the past year. ?https://t.co/hvTDuYF7uk
Along with press vests covered in blood to symbolize “the horrifying number of journalists who paid with their lives for the commitment to keeping the world informed”, protesters also held photos of the slain journalists.
Large banners with the message “at the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed” were placed in symbolic locations such as the African Renaissance Monument in Dakar, the Liberty Square in Taipei, near the Eiffel Tower in Paris and in front of Big Ben in London.
“The massacre of journalists in Gaza must end. The Israeli army’s elimination of journalists in Gaza – over 130 killed in less than a year – threatens to create a complete media blackout in the blockaded enclave,” RSF’s Director General Thibaut Bruttin said.
“These attacks target not only the Palestinian press, but the international public’s right to information that is reliable, free, independent, and pluralist from one of the most closely watched conflict zones on the planet,” he added.
Bruttin ended by demanding, “protection for Gaza’s journalists, an end to impunity, and that foreign journalists be given access to the strip. Our right to information is at stake.”
?"At the rate journalists are being killed in #Gaza, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed." Today, RSF is holding protests in 10 countries to honor the 130+ ??journalists killed by the ??army & demand protection for their colleagues https://t.co/lDNRSKsumK
RSF indicated in its statement that it has already filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) “for war crimes committed against journalists in Gaza.”
The organization stated that ICC’s Prosecutor Karim Khan has assured RSF that the Israeli crimes committed against journalists are “included in its investigation into the situation in Palestine.”
RSF added that along with Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) it has supported shelter and equipment for over 250 Palestinian journalists who work for local and international media outlets to enable them to continue their coverage.
The media watchdog reiterated its position of continuing to advocate against the “massacre of Gaza’s journalists” and called on Israel to end its blockade that prevents journalists from “entering and exiting the territory, and documenting crimes committed against media professionals.”
The statement ended by announcing that it had opened a “press freedom center” in the Lebanese capital “to provide journalists in the region – especially those covering the war – with the equipment, aid and resources necessary to continue their work of informing the world in the safest conditions possible.”
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, a total of 173 Palestinian journalists have been killed, and more than 190 others have been injured, while 87 media institutions have been destroyed, according to the Health Ministry in the Strip.
Tel Aviv has secured the package “to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a qualitative military edge in the region.”
Israel announced on Thursday that it is ready to collect $8.7 billion in military aid from the United States.
The US military aid package to Israel comes amidst a genocide in Gaza and the fifth day of an Israeli unprecedented escalation on Lebanon.
According to a statement by Israel’s defense ministry quoted by the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel, Tel Aviv has secured the package “to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a qualitative military edge in the region.”
“The package comprises $3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement, which has already been transferred to the IMoD (Israeli Ministry of Defense), and $5.2 billion designated for air defense systems, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and an advanced laser system,” Anadolu news agency reported quoting the statement.
The military aid package deal was sealed following negotiations at the Pentagon between American officials including acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory and the Israeli Defense Ministry’s director general, Eyal Zamir, according to the statement.
Israel’s defense ministry stated that the deal accentuates the “strong and enduring strategic partnership between Israel and the United States and the ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” chiefly to address “regional security threats from Iran and Iranian-backed terror groups,” The Times of Israel said.
US Military Aid to Israel
Despite recent polls, indicating that more than half of Americans stand in favor of halting military aid to Israel, the US administration remains committed to providing substantial military aid to Israel.
In her first interview as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, United States Vice President Kamala Harris firmly rejected last month the idea of an American arms embargo on Israel as it continues its ten-month genocide on Gaza.
In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Harris voiced her unshakable support of Israel and its ability to defend itself.
“I’m unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself, and that’s not going to change,” the vice president told CNN.
Pushed on whether she would back any change from President Joe Biden’s policy regarding military assistance to Israel, Harris replied with a simple “No.”
While acknowledging that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” in reference to the official number of 40,000 plus victims in Gaza, Harris nevertheless upheld Israel’s right to defend itself.
CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, repeatedly called on the Biden administration to impose an arms embargo on Israel as it launched attacks on Lebanon “using American weapons that have already killed hundreds, including women and children.”
Israel has bombed numerous Lebanese targets, focusing its attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut. The attacks have reportedly reached many civilian areas and infrastructure.
The escalation followed an Israeli attempt to assassinate the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
Meanwhile, Lebanese, Palestinian and Iraqi Resistance continued to hit back at Israeli military targets at all fronts.
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Saturday, September 28, 07:00 am (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN:
Israeli shelling forms what looks like firebelts in areas in the southern suburbs.
A fire broke out as a result of targeting a gas station in the Kokodi area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Air traffic did not stop at Beirut airport despite the widespread Israeli attacks.
Saturday, September 28, 06:00 am (GMT+2)
ISLAMIC RESISTANCE IN IRAQ: We targeted for the third time with drones a vital Israeli target in northern occupied Palestine.
AL-MAYADEEN:
Dozens of Israeli raids targeted residential buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut for hours.
Israeli warplanes target an area near Beirut International Airport with a second raid.
A new raid on the southern suburb of Beirut.
AL-QUDS BRIGADES (Jenin Battalion): Our fighters directly targeted the occupation forces in the Zakum axis.
JOSEP BORRELL (EU foreign policy chief): I call for the diversification of diplomatic efforts away from the United States, which tried unsuccessfully to reach a truce in Gaza.
AL-MAYADEEN:
An Israeli quadcopter opens fire east of Maghazi in the central Gaza Strip.
The Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut is taking place through warplanes and battleships.
Some of the children who were recovered alive from the rubble following the Israeli massacre in Beirut today. pic.twitter.com/djmcFOYaKC
AL-MAYADEEN: New raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Saturday, September 28, 04:15 am (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN:
Israeli warplanes targeted during the last hours Burj al-Barajneh, al-Lilaki, Tahwitat al-Ghadeer and al-Mareija in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli warplanes targeted a house a short while ago in the Jamous area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli warplanes launch a new raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli warplanes target the Choueifat desert area south of Beirut.
Israeli warplanes target Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
HEZBOLLAH: We targeted an Israeli military target in the north of our occupied Palestinian territories with drones.
? Five more Israeli strikes targeted the Choueifat area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Concurrently, heavy Israeli raids targeted Baalbek in the western Bekaa and Al-Housh near the coastal city of Sour in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/XfkqD5wrKc
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli raids continue on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
ISLAMIC RESISTANCE OF IRAQ: We attacked a vital target in the south of our occupied territories with drones.
AL-MAYADEEN: Two martyrs and a number of wounded in an Israeli shelling that targeted a house in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Four killed and others wounded in an Israeli shelling that targeted a house in the town of Al-Nasr, northeast of the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
AL-MAYADEEN: An Israeli airstrike on the Lailaki neighborhood in the southern suburbs. pic.twitter.com/JWWYLG96q1
An Israeli raid targeted Al-Hosh in the vicinity of Tyre.
New Israeli Raid Targets Southern Suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli raids target the towns of Al-Safri and Sareen, south of Baalbek district, east of Lebanon.
Israeli occupation warplanes target the vicinity of Baalbek, east of Lebanon, with three violent raids.
HEZBOLLAH: There is no truth to the claims of the enemy about the presence of weapons or weapons stores in civilian buildings that it targeted by shelling in the southern suburbs of Beirut a short while ago.
AL-MAYADEEN: Three Israeli raids targeted Al-Hadath in the southern suburb of Beirut.
Israeli drones are flying in the meantime over the Hadath area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The new raid targeted the same place in the event for the second time.
LEBANESE SOURCES: Two children were pulled out alive from under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli warplanes carried out 7 raids in less than an hour early Saturday on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
AL-AQSA TV: two Palestinians were killed and others were injured early Saturday when Israeli warplanes targeted the home of the Harb family in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
POLITICO (citing US officials):
Targeting Hezbollah’s headquarters could lead to a major escalation and undermine the Biden administration’s efforts to avoid war.
Biden is frustrated that Netanyahu has repeatedly humiliated his administration by publicly undermining negotiations in Gaza and Lebanon.
Saturday, September 28, 12:50 am (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN: An Israeli airstrike on the Lailaki neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
AL-MAYADEEN: An Israeli airstrike on the Lailaki neighborhood in the southern suburbs. pic.twitter.com/JWWYLG96q1
IRAN: The Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs said that Iran Calls for an Emergency Meeting of OIC.
LAVROV: Israel after all this fighting has not achieved its goals and wants to provoke a comprehensive war.
MEHR NEWS AGENCY: Commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, is fine and in good health.
Friday, September 27, 11:30 pm (GMT+2)
IRANIAN PRESIDENT: Israeli aggression on Dahiyeh is a clear war crime that cannot be concealed.
IRAQ-US JOINT STATEMENT: The coalition military mission in Iraq will end within the next 12 months and no later than the end of September 2025.
HEZBOLLAH: Our Mujahideen bombed the settlement of “Sa’ar” with a salvo of rockets.
Friday, September 27, 10:50 pm (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN: A third medium-range missile salvo was launched toward the northern occupied territories.
Fires erupted in Safad due to a barrage of rockets fired from Hezbollah in response to the bombardment of civilians in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/mejvbLbMLB
HAMAS: The escalating Zionist terrorism against the brotherly Lebanese people requires our Arab and Islamic nation to leave the square of silence and move by all means and in all international forums
Friday, September 27, 9:50 pm (GMT+2)
ISRAELI MEDIA: Missile sirens ring in Safad and its surroundings in northeastern Israel.
IRANIAN EMBASSY IN BEIRUT: The Israeli crime today is a dangerous escalation that changes the rules of the game.
IRAN (Foreign Ministry): Iran strongly condemns Israeli aggression on southern suburbs in Beirut.
An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building sheltering displaced people in Baadraan town in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/Qo4p6scawW
AL-MAYADEEN: Rubble removal and search for survivors and wounded as a result of the Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut continue.
ANSARALLAH (Official Spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam): We are sure that the enemy’s disappointment will grow and a certain defeat awaits it.
PENTAGO: The United States was not involved or prior to the recent aerial bombardment in the southern suburb of Beirut.
IRAN (Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf): We will stand until the last minute by Hezbollah.
Friday, September 27, 9:00 pm (GMT+2)
UN SPECIAL COORDINATOR: All parties must cease fire immediately, expressing grave concern about the impact of Israeli strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs on civilians.
TASNIM NEWS AGENCY: Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and the head of the party’s Executive Council, Hashem Safieddine, are alive.
LEBANESE HEALTH MINISTRY: Two people were killed and 76 injured in a preliminary toll following what it called the Israeli aggression on Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah before he traveled to New York.
LEBANESE HEALTH MINISTRY: Two people were killed and 76 injured in a preliminary toll following what it called the Israeli aggression on Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
CHANNEL 12: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to head to Israel for security consultations immediately upon landing.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Gallant monitored the implementation of the raids on Hezbollah headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut from the Air Force headquarters in Tel Aviv.
KAN: In parallel with the preparation for a response from Hezbollah, there are concerns about attacks being carried out by Iran.
NYT (citing Israeli and American officials): It was not clear whether Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was present in the building at the time of the attack.
AL-MAYADEEN: Three Palestinians were killed and four injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a house in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah city.
Friday, September 27, 8:00 pm (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN: Continued work to remove rubble and search for survivors and wounded as a result of the Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Shelters in Haifa are open.
PENTAGON: The United States did not participate in the operation in the southern suburbs of Beirut and had no prior knowledge.
ABC (citing US official): Israel informed the United States less than an hour before the strike that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut and said that it would target Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
CHANNEL 12: The targeting of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had been planned for a long time, and today what it described as the “golden information” arrived and the headquarters was targeted as a result.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO (citing military source): Indications are growing that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was injured in the bombing of the southern suburbs of Beirut.
REUTERS (citing source close to Hezbollah): The party’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, is alive.
Friday, September 27, 7:20 pm (GMT+2)
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Initial indications are not sufficient to confirm or deny the killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in the bombing that targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut.
LEBANESE NEWS AGENCY: The Israeli Air Force implemented a fire belt that extended from Burj al-Barajneh camp to the vicinity of the Saha Restaurant on the Beirut International Airport Road, reaching Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Israel informed the United States of the bombing of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
? 10 buildings have collapsed as a result of the Israeli unprecedented bombing in Beirut, using multiple 2,000-pound bombs on residential areas crowded with people. pic.twitter.com/flQqv3b6wP
AL-MAYADEEN: Six buildings in Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs of Beirut were completely destroyed and razed to the ground as a result of the violent Israeli raids, stressing that the destruction is very great.
YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: The aim of the bombing of the southern suburb was to assassinate Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
A number of buildings were leveled to the ground as a result of the Israeli raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut, and no information has been received yet about casualties.
Israeli raids targeted several residential buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut on the outskirts of Burj al-Barajneh camp.
? Over 10 airstrikes targeted multiple areas in the southern suburb of Beirut in an unprecedented aggression.
The targeted areas include the road to Beirut International Airport, Bir Hassan, and behind Al-Zahraa Hospital.
HAGARI: We bombed Hezbollah’s central headquarters in the heart of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urgently left a briefing for journalists in New York against the backdrop of events in the southern suburb.
ISRAELI MEDIA: 10 explosions were heard in a series of Israeli raids, the most violent on the southern suburb of Beirut, suggesting that they were near the Beirut International Airport road in the Haret Hreik area.
CNN (citing Blinken): An all-out war with Hezbollah by Israel would be devastating and the number of casualties could exceed Gaza.
Friday, September 27, 6:00 pm (GMT+2)
YEMENI SOURCE To Al-Mayadeen: The American talk about intercepting Yemeni weapons that targeted warships in the Red Sea is inaccurate
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Several Palestinians were killed and wounded in an Israeli bombardment that targeted a house in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
REUTERS (citing US officials): American warships intercepted projectiles launched by the Ansarallah group while passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: We destroyed an Israeli Merkava 4 tank with a “Yassin 105” shell in Sufa, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
AL-MAYADEEN:
Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Deir Siryan.
A series of raids by Israeli warplanes on the town of Taybeh.
Reports of casualties as a result of an Israeli raid on the town of Anqoun in the Sidon district.
Friday, September 27, 5:00 pm (GMT+2)
HEZBOLLAH: We shelled the Israeli position of Biyadh Blida with artillery, and direct hits were achieved.
ISRAEL HAYOM: A verbal altercation took place between the head of the Israeli National Union party, Benny Gantz, and the German National Security Advisor regarding the supply of combat systems to Israel. Gantz asked the German side to remove obstacles to supplying combat systems that Israel needs, while the German National Security Advisor said that Israel did not provide documents confirming that weapons were not used to commit genocide.
ANSARALLAH MILITARY SPOKESMAN: The military spokesman for the Houthi group, Yahya Saree, announced the implementation of a qualitative operation targeting 3 American destroyers in the Red Sea, explaining that the operation was carried out with 23 ballistic, winged and unmanned missiles, and achieved direct hits.
Diplomatic delegations leave the United Nations Hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his speech at the UNGA. pic.twitter.com/imKdsmrlvU
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: We destroyed an Israeli Merkava 4 tank with a Yassin 105 shell in the Sufa area east of Khan Yunis, and helicopters landed to evacuate the dead and wounded.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli warplanes bombed with 4 raids north of the Hermel district on the Syrian border.
NEW YORK: Whistles and chants against Netanyahu inside the UN General Assembly before his speech as many delegations leave the hall.
Friday, September 27, 4:00 pm (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN: The Israeli army blew up residential buildings west of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Sirens sounded in Dafna and Sha’ar Yashuf in the Galilee Finger.
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: We directly hit an occupation vehicle and a number of soldiers with two Yassin-105 shells east of Khan Yunis.
AL-MAYADEEN: A number of Lebanese were killed and wounded in an Israeli raid targeting the town of Rshaf.
AL-MAYADEEN: A number of Lebanese were killed and wounded in an Israeli raid targeting the town of Rshaf. pic.twitter.com/I8l65xZ7kG
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli artillery shelled from Israeli tanks northwest of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: We targeted an Israeli engineering Qadouh with a group of engineering unit soldiers who were next to him with two Yassin-105 shells, causing direct hits on them in the Sofa area east of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip.
SAREE: The Yemeni Armed Forces will carry out more military operations against the Israeli enemy in victory for the blood of our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon.
AL-MAYADEEN: A number of Lebanese were killed and wounded in an Israeli raid targeting the town of Rshaf. pic.twitter.com/I8l65xZ7kG
SOCIAL MEDIA: Students in front of the Sorbonne University in the French capital, Paris, organized a solidarity stand in support of Palestine and Lebanon, in protest against Israel’s continued crimes in both countries.
HAARETZ (citing former Israeli security official): It would be a mistake to rush into Lebanon by land, because Hezbollah possesses tens of thousands of anti-tank missiles that “will set dozens of tanks on fire,” as he put it.
AXIOS: Washington did not provide operational support during the current Israeli operations against Hezbollah, but he indicated that it did not stop exchanging intelligence information with Israel.
TIMES OF ISRAEL (citing Israeli security official): any Israeli ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon would be carried out in the shortest possible time, adding, “We are preparing for it daily.”
HAGARI: The army has completed the recruitment of two reserve brigades for operational missions on the northern front, as part of raising combat readiness on that front.
AP: Nine international unions filed a complaint against Israel with the International Labor Organization on behalf of 200,000 Palestinian workers.
Friday, September 27, 2:30 pm (GMT+2)
ANSARALLAH MILITARY SPOKESMAN: The operations targeting Tel Aviv and Ashkelon achieved their goals successfully.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli helicopters fire at homes and lands of citizens in Al-Amur neighborhood in Al-Fakhari town, east of Khan Yunis city, south of the Gaza Strip.
FAMILIES OF ISRAELI PRISONERS: Heading north is a death sentence for the captives in Gaza.
LEBANESE HEALTH MINISTRY: More than 25 people were killed and a large number of others were wounded in the Israeli bombing since midnight.
LEBANESE HEALTH MINISTRY: More than 25 people were killed and a large number of others were wounded in the Israeli bombing since midnight.
WASHINGTON POST: Israeli military convoys are massing in the north in preparation for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon.
BRITISH DEFENSE MINISTER: We are very concerned about the continuation of the conflict in the region.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The Israeli occupation army is blowing up residential buildings east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Friday, September 27, 1:30 pm (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli raids targeted the towns of Al-Shahabiya and Burj Al-Shamali, in the Tyre district.
ISRAELI MEDIA: 15 rockets were fired at the Tiberias area and the Sea of Galilee from Lebanon.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli raid targeted the town of Srifa, southern Lebanon.
?AL-MAYADEEN:
Israeli raids targeted the towns of Al-Shahabiya and Burj Al-Shamali, in the Tyre district.
Israeli raids targeted the area between the towns of Selaa and Al-Shahabiya and several towns in the Nabatieh district, along with the town of Mleikh and the heights of… pic.twitter.com/lBgLOa9zSq
IRGC COMMANDER: Hezbollah will emerge victorious and will add another disappointment to the enemies’ plans.
CHANNEL 13: Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed during his visit to Safed that the army would continue targeting Hezbollah until calm was achieved in the north.
NETANYAHU’S OFFICE: The Prime Minister stressed to his Dutch counterpart that the war against the Iranian axis of evil is necessary to secure the future of the entire West.
ISRAELI MEDIA: An Israeli military helicopter landed at the Tel Hashomer Hospital near Tel Aviv.
AL-MAYADEEN:
Israeli raids targeted the area between the towns of Selaa and Al-Shahabiya and several towns in the Nabatieh district, along with the town of Mleikh and the heights of Mount Rayhan.
Two Lebanese were killed in a raid targeting the Badnayel plain, as well as raids targeting several towns in the south and west of Baalbek district.
AL-MAYADEEN:
Israeli raids targeted several towns and villages in Lebanon.
Israeli aircraft targeted civilian sites in the town of Iaat and fires broke out.
? PALESTINIAN MEDIA: An Israeli raid targeted the outskirts of the town of Ghazieh, Sidon District, southern Lebanon.
AL-AQSA MARTYRS BRIGADES, Nablus: We detonated a number of highly explosive Zofi bombs against enemy vehicles and soldiers storming Balata camp and achieved direct hits.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli strikes targeted the town of Burj al-Shamali in southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the town of Ghazieh, Sidon District, southern Lebanon.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: An Israeli raid targeted the outskirts of the town of Ghazieh, Sidon District, southern Lebanon.
HEZBOLLAH: The occupied city of Tiberias was targeted with a missile salvo for the second time.
Friday, September 27, 11:00 am (GMT+2)
MAARIV: Hezbollah increases the rate of fire: non-stop barrages on Haifa and Tiberias, and sirens sound in Krayot and Tira Carmel.
AL-QUDS BRIGADES, Nablus Battalion: Our fighters in Balata groups are fighting fierce battles with the enemy forces storming the fighting fronts.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli artillery shelling of Wadi Al-Arayes, east of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.
? AL-QUDS BRIGADES, Nablus Battalion: Our fighters in Balata groups fought fierce battles with invading Israeli forces. pic.twitter.com/XKPj09PykX
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two Palestinians were killed and a number of wounded in Israeli shelling on the eastern part of the Shejaiyya neighborhood.
HEZBOLLAH: We targeted the occupied city of Tiberias with a missile salvo.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli injured in latest rocket barrage on Tiberias.
SYRIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE:
Israeli aggression at dawn on one of our military sites on the Syrian-Lebanese border near Kfar Yabous in the Damascus countryside.
Aggression on the Damascus countryside resulted in the killing of 5 soldiers and the injury of another.
Friday, September 27, 10:00 am (GMT+2)
AL-MAYADEEN: Two Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling of a group of citizens in the Al-Zahour neighborhood, north of Rafah city.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Injuries as a result of the occupation bombing a group of citizens in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Sirens sound in Tiberias, Jordan Valley and Golan Heights.
HEZBOLLAH: Lebanon: We targeted the settlement of Kiryat Ata with a salvo of Fadi-1 missiles.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli artillery shelling east of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.
HAIFA MAYOR: The streets are empty and the economy is damaged.
ISRAELI ARMY SPOKESMAN: About 10 missiles were detected launched from Lebanon towards Haifa.
GEN. BRIK (To Israeli media): If the Israeli army failed to defeat Hamas, how will it defeat Hezbollah?
Friday, September 27, 09:00 am (GMT+2)
ISRAELI MEDIA:
Two rockets fell in the Haifa port.
Three shells fired from Lebanon fell in the Haifa and Karyot areas.
AL-MAYADEEN: Loud explosions were heard in Haifa.
ISRAELI MEDIA:
Two rockets fell in the Haifa port.
Three shells fired from Lebanon fell in the Haifa and Karyot areas.
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Yemeni missile that targeted Tel Aviv caused two million Israelis, including Knesset member Benny Gantz, to enter shelters
AL-MAYADEEN:
Four Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling at night on Jabaliya, north of the Strip, and 2 near Al-Shati camp in Gaza.
Israeli artillery shelling of the Al-Fakhari area, southeast of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
ISRAELI MEDIA: A rocket fell near Lake Tiberias in the north.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli night raids targeted the towns of Chtaura and Taalabaya, the outskirts of Nabi Sheet, and the surroundings of the city of Baalbek.
Friday, September 27, 08:00 am (GMT+2)
ISRAELI MEDIA: Sirens sound in Tiberias.
AL-MAYADEEN: Nine Lebanese were killed in an Israeli raid on an inhabited house in the town of Shebaa.
AL-MAYADEEN:
Four Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling at night on Jabaliya, north of the Strip, and 2 near Al-Shati camp in Gaza.
Israeli artillery shelling of the Al-Fakhari area, southeast of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
SAUDI FM: The establishment of an international alliance to establish the Palestinian state is the result of a joint European and Arab effort. We will not stand idly by in the face of Israel’s rejection of the two-state solution.
Friday, September 27, 06:00 am (GMT+2)
ISLAMIC RESISTANCE IN IRAQ: We attacked “a vital target of the occupation in our occupied territories using an advanced cruise missile.”
PALINFO: Palestinian Authority security forces detonate explosive devices that were confiscated in the city of Tubas, which were prepared to confront the occupation forces’ incursions.
AL-MAYADEEN: Israeli night raids targeted the towns of Chtaura and Taalabaya, the outskirts of Nabi Sheet, and the surroundings of the city of Baalbek. pic.twitter.com/EHepPH4Ba2
CHANNEL 12: There is an agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the occupation to deploy 500 security personnel affiliated with the PA in the northern West Bank to dismantle explosive devices prepared by the resistance to target the occupation during the raids.
Friday, September 27, 04:50 am (GMT+2)
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli occupation forces storm Safa village, west of Ramallah in the West Bank.
AL-MAYADEEN: An Israeli raid on the town of Joya in South Lebanon, and early reports indicate that several people were killed.
“Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has declined to accept an award from the Noguchi Museum in New York in protest at its new staff dress code which led to the firing of three employees for wearing the keffiyah, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
Last month, the art museum announced an internal policy reportedly prohibiting employees from wearing clothing or accessories that expressed “political messages, slogans or symbols.”
“Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum said, according to The New York Times.
“We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views,” the statement reportedly added in a statement emailed to the paper on Wednesday.
The museum said it remained “committed to our core mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of Isamu Noguchi’s art and legacy while upholding our values of inclusivity and openness.”
Support for Student Movement
Born in London, the award-winning author is a Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at her alma mater, Barnard College of Columbia University.
Lahiri was one of thousands of scholars who signed a statement to university and college presidents across the United States in May expressing “solidarity with the students, staff, and faculty who are peacefully and courageously protesting the Israeli government’s ongoing war on Gaza.”
Following the adjustment to the museum’s dress code, 50 staff members signed a petition to oppose the new rules and also staged a walkout in protest.
“The museum has not made any public statement surrounding the ongoing war in Gaza, but by changing the dress code to ban the kaffiyeh it is taking a public stance,” the petition reportedly said.
‘No Political Statements’
Museum Director, Amy Hau, said the decision was made “to update our dress code policy and reemphasize that we do not allow any political statements in the workplace.”
The decision, Hau said in a statement on the museum’s website, was “intended to prevent any unintentional alienation of our diverse visitorship, while allowing us to remain focused on our core mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of Isamu Noguchi’s art and legacy.”
The museum was founded nearly 40 years ago by Japanese-American sculptor and activist Isamu Noguchi.
‘Stupidity and Irony’
Natalie Cappellini, one of the three fired gallery attendants, called out “the stupidity and irony of a cultural institution banning a cultural garment.”
“How naive can you be? To be inside of a museum of a man who self-interned with his oppressed Japanese American brothers and sisters in World War 2; a museum filled with sculptures dedicated to the memory of those killed by atomic weapons. How dare they say this place is a sanctuary away from politics!” Cappalini said at a rally outside the museum earlier this month.
The statement asked “a straightforward but weighty question: Is your university profiting from or otherwise complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza, and its occupation of Palestinian territories more broadly?”
It called on the presidents to, amongst other requests, “Treat the student-led protests for what they are: a moral stance against their university’s potential complicity in war crimes, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.”
According to the NY Times, Lahiri declined to comment.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for Blinken to resign after a report suggesting he misled Congress on Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disregarded assessments from two “foremost authorities” that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza, suggesting he presented a misleading report to Congress, according to the investigative ProPublica news outlet.
In a report on Tuesday, ProPublica said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) delivered a 17-page assessment to Blinken and the State Department’s refugees bureau in late April.
“Their conclusion was explosive because U.S. law requires the government to cut off weapons shipments to countries that prevent the delivery of U.S.-backed humanitarian aid,” the report said.
However, Blinken “and the administration of President Joe Biden did not accept either finding,” and a few days later, on May 10, Blinken “delivered a carefully worded statement to Congress.”
“We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance,” Blinken reportedly said.
‘Israeli Interference’
The assessment by USAID “described instances of Israeli interference with aid efforts, including killing aid workers, razing agricultural structures, bombing ambulances and hospitals, sitting on supply depots and routinely turning away trucks full of food and medicine.”
It also indicated that “lifesaving food was stockpiled less than 30 miles across the border in an Israeli port, including enough flour to feed about 1.5 million Palestinians for five months.”
USAID said in a memo to Blinken that the looming famine in Gaza was the result of Israel’s “arbitrary denial, restriction, and impediments of U.S. humanitarian assistance” and said the US should pause additional arms sales to Israel.https://t.co/aZoZC18lII
However in February, the Israeli government prohibited the transfer of flour, after its UN recipient had been accused of having ties to Hamas, the report said.
In a memo obtained by ProPublica, USAID said that the looming famine was the result of Israel’s “arbitrary denial, restriction, and impediments of U.S. humanitarian assistance.”
The organization described the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the world” and advised that “because of Israel’s Israel’s behavior, the U.S. should pause additional arms sales to the country,” the report said.
Taxpayers Dollars
According to emails obtained by ProPublica, the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration had also determined that “Israel was blocking humanitarian aid and that the Foreign Assistance Act should be triggered to freeze almost $830 million in taxpayer dollars earmarked for weapons and bombs to Israel.”
Following questions from ProPublica, a State Department spokesperson said it had “made clear” in May when its report was released, that the US had deep concerns during the period since October 7 about action and inaction by Israel that contributed to a lack of sustained delivery of needed humanitarian assistance.”
“Israel subsequently took steps to facilitate increased humanitarian access and aid flow into Gaza,” the spokesperson added.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
Call for Resignation
Following the report, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for Blinken to resign after a report suggesting he misled Congress on Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Secretary Blinken and the Biden administration ignored Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to the suffering people of Gaza – which is a violation of American law – and lied about it to Congress,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement on Tuesday.
“ When a senior American official lies to Congress in the middle of genocide so that the government can keep funding that genocide, he is deliberately flouting the law and prolonging the suffering of millions of innocent people who desperately need our government to stop funding their slaughter.”
We’re calling for the resignation of @SecBlinken after @propublica reports revealed he misled Congress about Israel's deliberate blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza – a violation of U.S. law. The American people deserve leaders who tell the truth. It's time to hold the Biden… pic.twitter.com/i1wHtl142E
Awad said “Secretary Blinken may have committed a crime with his lies. The American people deserve honest and upright leaders to represent their values and protect their interests.
“He must resign, and the Biden administration must be held accountable for its violation of the law and its complicity in the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”
CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, last month said Blinken should resign after reports that he has ended the investigation into the Israel military’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for war crimes and human rights violations in the occupied West Bank.
The organization also repeated its call for the Biden administration to impose an arms embargo on Israel as it launched attacks on Lebanon “using American weapons that have already killed hundreds, including women and children.”
‘This award is testimony to the power of one woman armed only with an iPhone who survived almost a year of bombardment.”
Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda has won an Emmy award for her documentary produced by Al Jazeera’s AJ+ titled ‘It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive.’
This comes despite a call from a pro-Israel organization, endorsed by more than 150 actors and producers, to revoke the 25-year-old’s short film nomination in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story category.
The eight-minute documentary follows Owda’s journey as she is forced to leave her home in Gaza City after October 7 and is displaced several times amidst Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Strip.
‘Journalism Not a Crime’
‘This award is testimony to the power of one woman armed only with an iPhone who survived almost a year of bombardment,” John Lawrence, senior executive producer for AJ+ Reports, said as he accepted the award on Owda’s behalf at the prize ceremony.
Gaza journalist Bisan Owda – @Wizard__Bisan and @ajplus have won an Emmy for their report, “It’s Bisan From Gaza – and I’m Still Alive”. The short film documented the initial days of Israeli bombardment and its devastating impact on ordinary people in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/k8z4iNiuRx
Lawrence pointed out that over 100 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza “including several of our Al Jazeera colleagues.”
“Our bureau in the occupied West Bank was shut down at gunpoint just last week”, he added.
“We thank you, our journalistic community, for this recognition for Bisan and the AJ+ team and we urge you to join us in saying that journalism is not a crime.”
‘Terrorist’ Allegations
Last month, the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) organization alleged that Owda had “documented ties” to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), “a United States-designated terrorist organization.”
The non-profit also accused Owda of having “disseminated antisemitic content” and said the “Emmys cannot allow their prestigious award show to be hijacked by terrorists.”
In response, NATAS CEO and President Adam Sharp said in a letter that the News & Documentary Emmys “have recognized excellence in television journalism for nearly half a century.”
He said some of the “honored programs and reports” have “been controversial, giving a platform to voices that certain viewers may find objectionable or even abhorrent.
“But all have been in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story,” Sharp emphasized.
He pointed out that in every case, submissions to the News & Documentary Emmys are judged by experienced journalists from across multiple news organizations, serving in an independent, volunteer capacity.
Independent Judges
‘It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive’, Sharp said, was reviewed by two successive panels of independent judges, including senior editorial leadership from each significant US broadcast news network.
“It was selected for nomination from among more than 50 submissions in one of the year’s most competitive categories,” he noted.
The piece was also recognized for journalistic achievement by the Peabody Awards and the Edward R Murrow Awards, “each administered by processes and organizations wholly separate from and independent of NATAS and the News & Documentary Emmys.”
At the time Al Jazeera also defended Owda in what the network called “efforts to silence her reporting from Gaza.”
In a statement the network said the allegations were “baseless” and “an attempt to silence Bisan, and present a real threat to her safety on the ground.“
Al Jazeera said the call for the Emmy nomination to be rescinded was “nothing more than an attempt to deny an important perspective to the global audience on the war and its devastating impact on innocent civilians.”
Since October 7, more than 100 journalists have been killed in Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
‘Murdered While Working’
On Thursday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) held protests in ten countries “to honor the 130+ journalists killed by the Israeli army and demand protection for their colleagues.”
?"At the rate journalists are being killed in #Gaza, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed." Today, RSF is holding protests in 10 countries to honor the 130+ ??journalists killed by the ??army & demand protection for their colleagues https://t.co/lDNRSKsumK
“Since October 7, the Israeli army has killed over 130 journalists in the Palestinian enclave, at least 32 of whom were murdered while working,” RSF said in a statement.
“With this global awareness campaign, RSF aims to alert the international public to the gravity of this crisis: the alarming rate at which these journalists are being killed is jeopardising the right to free and independent information.”
Blood-Covered Press Vests
The protests were to be held all day long in ten countries: Germany, Brazil, Spain, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Senegal, Switzerland, Taïwan and Tunisia.
The organization said “press vests covered in blood – symbolising the horrifying number of journalists who paid with their lives for their commitment to keeping the world informed – will be placed in emblematic locations” in each of these countries, such as Liberty Square in Taipei, in front of London’s Big Ben, in front of The African Renaissance Monument in Dakar, and near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
RSF said a shared message will appear on large banners at each protest: “At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Nurah Tape is a South Africa-based journalist. She is an editor with The Palestine Chronicle.
The article highlighted that the recent operations carried out by Hezbollah, though significant, do not reflect the full extent of the group’s capabilities.
Despite the significant hits it endured over the past week, Hezbollah has maintained its strategic sharpness, according to a report published in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday.
The paper pointed to the Lebanese Resistance group’s unprecedented launch of the Qader-1 ballistic missile toward Mossad’s headquarters in the suburbs of Tel Aviv as evidence of this.
“It was a historic landmark for the organization,” the report said, noting that in 2006, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had promised to “bomb Haifa and beyond” while now the group has demonstrated the capability to strike beyond Tel Aviv as well.
CHANNEL 12: 80 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Safed and towns in the Upper Galilee during the past hours.
The article further highlighted that the recent operations carried out by Hezbollah, though significant, do not reflect the full extent of the group’s capabilities.
“Contrary to what could be expected, the scope and quality of fire do not represent the full capabilities of Hezbollah. This is a war, no doubt, but one that is not yet close to what it could be,” the paper said.
The report estimated that Hezbollah “has not yet used ten percent of its power”, based on its own strategic considerations.
“According to the estimates, (Hezbollah) definitely plans to respond to the beatings he received,” the report stated.
It also cautioned that “the euphoria that can be seen among the decision-makers and part of the public should be brought back to awareness”, adding that “the situation is still complex and flammable, and a few great achievements do not erase a year of failures and a crisis of confidence.”
On Tuesday, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari acknowledged that Hezbollah retains a range of capabilities.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to conduct strategic strikes on key Israeli military bases. This comes amid ongoing Israeli assaults.
AL-MAYADEEN: Explosions rocked Safed and its surroundings after a heavy barrage of missiles was launched from Lebanon.
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.
In recent weeks, however, the intensity of the fighting has increased, leading to concerns that an all-out war is imminent.
Hundreds of Lebanese have been killed and thousands wounded in continued Israeli airstrikes targeting southern and eastern Lebanon, along with southern suburbs in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership.
Israel attempted to re-occupy Lebanon in 2006 but failed in what Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel.
Israel, however, continues to occupy parts of Lebanon, namely the Sheeba Farms region.
Hezbollah has vowed to recover every inch of Lebanon that has been occupied by Israel contrary to international law.
At least 15 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced individuals in the Jabaliya refugee camp, in northern Gaza.
Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told Al-Aqsa TV that children and women were among those killed at the Hafsa School in the Al-Faluja area. He also noted that several of the victims had yet to be identified.
Footage showed Civil Defense workers and civilians searching through the rubble for the remains of the victims.
In a statement on Telegram, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas condemned the attack, describing it as part of a broader campaign of extermination being carried out by Israeli forces against the Palestinian people.
The Israeli military has previously targeted schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians.
IRANIAN FM: We strongly condemn the brutal Zionist aggression on a school in Jabaliya camp in Gaza and the aggression on the southern suburb of Beirut.
The international community’s failure to confront occupation crimes will only normalize the crime and tarnish the reputation… pic.twitter.com/Q13ti2dFI3
Medical sources told Al Jazeera that 31 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since dawn on Thursday.
In a separate incident, five Palestinians—including two children and a woman—were killed when Israeli forces bombed the customs police area east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
For the second consecutive day, the Israeli army continued its operations east of Al-Fakhari town in Khan Yunis, where bulldozing and clearing activities are taking place near the security fence.
Additionally, two Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling of the Al-Zahour neighborhood in Rafah, north of Khan Yunis.
In central Gaza, three people were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in Nuseirat camp.
GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE: We recovered scores of dead and wounded after the occupation targeted a school in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.
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, 41,534 Palestinians have been killed, and 96,092 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.
“We South Africans know what apartheid looks like…We will not remain silent and watch as apartheid is perpetrated against others.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the UN General Assembly that even though apartheid was declared a crime against humanity, Palestinians continue to be subjected to “more than half a century of apartheid.”
“Genocide was declared to be a stain on the conscience of the world, and the world community took a stand against it,” Ramaphosa said in his speech at the 79th UNGA session in New York on Wednesday.
We South Africans know what apartheid looks like.
We lived through it. We suffered and died under it.
We will not remain silent and watch as apartheid is perpetrated against others.
“Apartheid was declared a crime against humanity and a stain on the conscience of the world. The United Nations took a stand against it,” he continued. “These were crimes against humanity then, and they are crimes against humanity now.”
He pointed out that since the Hamas resistance operation of October 7 which his government “condemned”, Israel “embarked on collective punishment in its assault on Gaza.”
‘Unabated Torment’
With more than 40,000 Palestinians having been killed, the “torment of the people of Gaza continues unabated,” he said.
?? ?? President Cyril Ramaphosa: “The violence the Palestinian people are being subjected to is a grim continuation of a more than half a century of apartheid by Israel…we South Africans know what apartheid looks like, we suffered and died under apartheid. We will not remain… pic.twitter.com/Et7vT6jcBW
As homes, hospitals and schools lie destroyed, and famine and disease “stalk the streets,” the situation “cannot but shock our collective humanity.”
“The violence the Palestinian people are being subjected to is a grim continuation of more than half a century of apartheid,” the president emphasized.
South Africans “know what apartheid looks like,” he stressed, adding “We lived through it. We suffered and died under it.”
“We will not remain silent and watch as apartheid is perpetrated against others,” he continued and stressed that through the UN and “the instruments it wields, we must end this suffering.”
“International law cannot be applied selectively. No one state is more equal than any other,” Rampahosa stated.
ICJ Case
He pointed out that in terms of South Africa’s obligations as a State Party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the country approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last December seeking an order to prevent Israel from committing genocide against the people of Gaza.
Since then, several countries including Turkiye and Spain have joined the case, a move welcomed by Ramaphosa.
In its findings, the ICJ said there was “a plausible case of genocide” against the people of Gaza.
Ramaphosa emphasized the responsibility of State Parties to the Genocide Convention, saying the World Court’s orders “further make it clear that States must also act to prevent genocide by Israel – and ensure that they are not themselves in violation of the Genocide Convention by aiding or assisting in the commission of genocide.”
Transformation of UNSC Required
He also highlighted that 78 years since its formation, the structure of the UN Security Council “remains largely unchanged.”
“Africa and its 1,4 billion people remain excluded from its key decision-making structures,” he said.
“The Security Council has not fulfilled its mandate to maintain international peace and security,” Ramaphosa stated, adding the Council “must be reformed as a matter of urgency. It must become more inclusive so that the voices of all nations are heard and considered.”
Israel continues to defy a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire and has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the ICJ for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
Over 41,000 Killed
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,534 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 96,092 wounded. 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.
Famine and Displacement
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.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Nurah Tape is a South Africa-based journalist. She is an editor with The Palestine Chronicle.
A million people in the Gaza Strip are in need of shelter before winter, according to the UN special rapporteur on the right to housing.
The United Nations special rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, announced on Wednesday that a million people in the ravaged Gaza Strip need urgent shelter before winter.
“A million people in Gaza need urgent shelter supplies before winter sets in,” the UN special rapporteur wrote on X.
“Action Now!” Rajagopal appealed.
The UN special rapporteur made his remarks commenting on a post he retweeted from Jan England, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
England wrote in his post that a million Palestinians in Gaza are in “need of shelter aid before winter.”
Gaza: A million desperately need shelter aid before winter. Tents provided months ago now often unsuitable due to wear/tear.
New shelter aid delayed/blocked by Israel at the border. It would take 2yrs to cover shelter needs with current levels of access:https://t.co/Fq6SRklXBW
“Tents provided months ago now often unsuitable due to weather/tear,” he clarified.
The NRC Secretary General criticized Israel for obstructing aid flow to the besieged Strip.
“New shelter aid delayed/blocked by Israel at the border,” he said.
England disclosed that it would take two years “to cover shelter needs with current levels of access.”
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, 41,495 Palestinians have been killed, and 96,006 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.
Palestine Chronicle is calling on all its readers to come to its aid NOW. Not only do we need your urgent support to continue with our operation, but we also need your help to challenge unfounded accusations in US courts, so that we may carry on with our mission until a just peace is finally achieved in Palestine.
A recent New York Times made many claims about the ‘mass rape’ of Israeli women on October 7. But two leading Palestinian media organizations, The Palestine Chronicle and Friends of Palestine Network, conducted a joint investigation, the outcome of which resulted in the ‘The Black Dress’, a groundbreaking 18-minute documentary looking into allegations and the possible falsification of evidence.
(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered 501(c)3 organization, thus, all donations are tax deductible.)
The funeral of two Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle) 
US President Joe Biden. (Photo: video grab) 
An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential area in southern Beirut. (Photo: via AlMayadeen)
Renowned writer Jhumpa Lahiri. (Photo: Carlo Benini, via Wikimedia Commons) 
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Image: Palestine Chronicle) 
Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda. (Photo: via wizard_bisan1 IG page) 
Hezbollah missiles fired at Israel. (Photo: video grab) 
Israeli forces carried out a massacre in a school in Jabaliya. (Photo: via QNN) 
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: UN website) 
Palestinian refugees in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle) 
