Archiv: Western Block / area of influence / Westblock / Machtbereich


16.01.2025 - 19:48 [ Propublica.org ]

A Year of Empty Threats and a “Smokescreen” Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza

In early November, a small group of senior U.S. human rights diplomats met with a top official in President Joe Biden’s State Department to make one final, emphatic plea: We must keep our word….

16.01.2025 - 19:45 [ Common Dreams ]

Report Says Biden‘s ‚Empty Threats‘ on Gaza Fed Israeli Impunity

New reporting published Wednesday details the impotence and insincerity of President Joe Biden‘s „multiple threats, warnings, and admonishments“ to Israel as it annihilated the Gaza Strip, killing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians while receiving tens of billions of dollars in U.S. arms and unwavering diplomatic support.

Writing for ProPublica, Brett Murphy showed how multiple „red lines“ issued by Biden administration officials were ignored by Israel with impunity.

16.01.2025 - 19:38 [ Anadolu ]

Israel kills 81 more Gazans as death toll nears 46,800

Medical sources told Anadolu that most of the victims were killed in intensified Israeli attacks across Gaza following the announcement of a cease-fire deal Wednesday evening.

16.01.2025 - 19:33 [ Middle East Eye ]

At least 81 Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours: health ministry

At least 81 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the health ministry announced on Thursday.

16.01.2025 - 19:31 [ Washington Post ]

Netanyahu delays cabinet vote on Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal and hostage release

An Israeli cabinet meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas was delayed Thursday morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the militant group of “reneging” on parts of the agreement.

15.01.2025 - 23:11 [ Reuters ]

Israel gov‘t expected to vote on Gaza deal by Thursday, according to FM statement

Israel‘s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting his visit to Europe short on Wednesday so that he could take part in security cabinet and government votes on a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal.

15.01.2025 - 20:48 [ Associated Press ]

Officials tout a Gaza ceasefire deal and plan to free hostages. Israel says details still in flux

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said final details were being ironed out, saying in a statement that it hoped “details will be finalized tonight.”

15.01.2025 - 20:40 [ YeniSafak.com ]

Gaza death toll tops 46,700 as Israeli attacks continue unabated

(7 hours ago)

At least 62 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 46,707, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Wednesday.

A ministry statement added that some 110,265 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

14.01.2025 - 19:34 [ BMFC BREAKING NEWS / Youtube ]

Protests Erupt in Washington: Blinken Dubbed ‚Secretary of Genocide‘ by Activists!

On January 14, 2025, during a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was interrupted by activists:

„you will forever be known as bloody blinken, secretary of genocide.“

14.01.2025 - 19:03 [ Washington Post ]

Ask a Therapist: Radical acceptance can help build emotional resiliency

(January 1, 2025)

Pain is unavoidable. It’s what we do with the pain that matters. As Devine writes, “When you are broken, the correct response is to be broken.” Accepting that reality doesn’t make life more painful — it makes it more bearable — especially when it feels impossible to bear.

14.01.2025 - 18:56 [ Middle East Eye ]

Gaza death toll reaches 46,645

Since the Israeli onslaught began on 7 October 2023, the death toll has risen to 46,645, with 110,012 people wounded, according to the ministry‘s latest figures.

14.01.2025 - 18:53 [ Middle East Eye ]

32 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza since dawn

(14 January 2025 12:25 GMT)

Medical sources reported to Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed 32 Palestinians since dawn today, with 24 of the victims located in the central and southern regions of Gaza.

13.01.2025 - 23:48 [ Al Jazeera ]

Kamal Adwan’s Hussam Abu Safia held in Ofer Prison, rights group says

An Israeli rights group says Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital who was detained by Israeli forces during their raid on the facility in Beit Lahiya last month, is being held in a notorious Israeli military prison in the occupied West Bank.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), said the Israeli military confirmed in an email that Abu Safia was at Ofer Prison. A lawyer for Abu Safia’s family was told that he would not be allowed to see him until January 29, said a spokesman for PHRI, Ran Yaron, according to The Associated Press.

13.01.2025 - 12:48 [ Middle East Eye ]

Gaza death toll reaches 46,584

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll from Israel’s ongoing military onslaught has climbed to 46,584, with 109,731 people wounded since Israel‘s war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023.

13.01.2025 - 11:37 [ Dimsumdaily Hong Kong ]

Israeli airstrikes target Baalbek region in Lebanon, violating ceasefire agreement

In addition to the Baalbek strikes, Israeli aircraft executed six intense airstrikes across various locations in southern Lebanon, as reported by NNA.

The ceasefire, facilitated by the United States and France, was intended to conclude nearly 14 months of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

13.01.2025 - 09:25 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israel kills 13 Palestinians in northern Gaza Strip since dawn

(13 January 2025 07:49 GMT)

At least 13 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli air strikes on the northern Gaza Strip since the early hours of today, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

12.01.2025 - 19:50 [ Middle East Eye ]

Biden and Netanyahu discusses ceasefire deal

(12 January 2025 17:39 GMT)

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke over the phone on Sunday, according to several reports.

12.01.2025 - 19:46 [ Middle East Eye ]

Trump‘s incoming national security advisor urges ceasefire before 20 January

(12 January 2025 16:15 GMT)

Donald Trump‘s incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, spoke with ABC News on Sunday, where he called for a ceasefire deal in Gaza to happen before Trump‘s inauguration on 20 January.

„Hamas has nowhere else to go but enter some type of agreement. Let‘s have a ceasefire, let‘s allow our hostages to be set free. I want to see them walking across a tarmac. At a minimum, some type of agreement before inauguration,“ he said.

12.01.2025 - 19:18 [ Palestine Chronicle ]

Gaza Death Toll Reaches 46,565, 70 Children Killed in the Last 5 Days Alone

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday that two separate massacres committed by Israeli forces over the past 24 hours resulted in the deaths of 28 Palestinians, with 89 others injured.

The Civil Defense in Gaza further revealed that in the past five days, nearly 70 children have been killed due to relentless Israeli bombing across the strip.

11.01.2025 - 10:43 [ Wikipedia ]

United States support for Saudi Arabian–led operations in Yemen

During the presidency of Barack Obama, the United States began providing Saudi Arabia with critical support to „sustain“ the Saudi Arabian–led intervention in the Yemeni Civil War,[1] later expanded during the presidency of Donald Trump.[2] This support included logistical and intelligence aid. Trump vetoed a bipartisan bill in 2019 aimed at stopping U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. In 2021, Joe Biden vowed to halt U.S. support for the war, though U.S. arms sales to the coalition have continued.[3][4]

From 2015 to 2019, Saudi Arabia was reportedly the largest importer of U.S. arms.[2]

11.01.2025 - 09:05 [ theCradle.co ]

Over 20 warplanes bomb Yemen in three-way attack by Israel, US, UK

Eleven air raids hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa, including the vicinity of Al-Sabeen Square, where around one million people were taking part in a weekly pro-Palestine march.

The Harf Sufyan District was hit by 12 airstrikes in the Amran Governorate of northern Yemen, while six hit the Hodeidah port west of the country. One strike also targeted the Ras Issa port north of Hodeidah.

The main power station in Haziz, south of Sanaa, was struck as well.

11.01.2025 - 08:48 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

Israeli airstrike on Tayr Debba kills five, injures four, health ministry reports

An Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Tayr Debba has resulted in five fatalities and four injuries, according to the Ministry of Public Health‘s Emergency Operations Center.

11.01.2025 - 08:45 [ Al Jazeera ]

LIVE: Israeli air strikes hit Yemen, Lebanon as more than 20 killed in Gaza

Israel’s military said it attacked sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi fighters, including a power station near the capital Sanaa, and the ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa.

Several people have been killed in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon’s south with Israel’s military saying later that it was still “committed to the understanding of the ceasefire” with Lebanon.

10.01.2025 - 15:36 [ United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office (OCHA) ]

Humanitarian Situation Update #253 | Gaza Strip

Key Highlights

– Child Protection partners are facing severe challenges in bringing needed winter clothing kits into Gaza; only 19,000 kits have been distributed out of 220,000 procured.
– At least 369 aid workers, including 263 UNRWA staff, have been killed since October 2023, according to data received by the UN and its partners.
– Zero fuel reserves to operate electricity generators at hospitals across Gaza are placing the lives of patients and newborns at grave risk.
– The UN attempted to reach the besieged area in North Gaza 165 times between 6 October and 31 December 2024, of which 149 attempts were denied by the Israeli authorities and 16 faced impediments.
(…)
– Access to North Gaza governorate, which has been under intensified siege since 6 October 2024, continues to be largely denied by the Israeli authorities. From 6 October to 31 December 2024, the UN attempted to reach the area 165 times, of which 149 attempts were denied and 16 were allowed to proceed but faced impediments. Coordinated aid missions to areas in the Rafah governorate, where there has been an ongoing Israeli military operation since early May, have faced similar challenges. Overall, in 2024, the UN and its partners carried out 5,321 coordinated humanitarian movements across the Gaza Strip, including 3,707 in the south and 1,614 in the north. Of these, 48 per cent (North: 621, South: 1,936) were facilitated, 24 per cent (North: 398, South: 864) were denied, 19 per cent (North: 434, South: 567) were interfered with or initially agreed to but then faced impediments, and nine per cent (North: 161, South: 340) were cancelled by the organizers due to logistical and security challenges. Movements facing impediments were accomplished either partially or not at all.

10.01.2025 - 12:00 [ Lancet ]

Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture–recapture analysis

Findings We estimated 64 260 deaths (95% CI 55 298–78 525) due to traumatic injury during the study period, suggesting the Palestinian MoH under-reported mortality by 41%. The annualised crude death rate was 39·3 per 1000 people (95% CI 35·7–49·4), representing a rate ratio of 14·0 (95% CI 12·8–17·6) compared with all-cause mortality in 2022, even when ignoring non-injury excess mortality. Women, children (aged <18 years), and older people (aged ≥65 years) accounted for 16 699 (59·1%) of the 28 257 deaths for which age and sex data were available. Interpretation Our findings show an exceptionally high mortality rate in the Gaza Strip during the period studied. These results underscore the urgent need for interventions to prevent further loss of life and illuminate important patterns in the conduct of the war.

10.01.2025 - 11:48 [ Antiwar.com ]

Lancet Study: Gaza Health Ministry Undercounted Death Toll By 41%

Explaining the methodology, the study said it used “capture-recapture methods to estimate total deaths from traumatic injury in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024. By combining three data lists—official hospital lists, an MoH survey, and social media obituaries—we provide an estimate of mortality that accounts for under-reporting.”

The study only accounts for deaths caused by violence and not indirect deaths caused by the Israeli siege and the destruction of medical and other civilian infrastructure.

10.01.2025 - 11:05 [ DailySabah.com ]

46,006 and counting: Israel kills father, 3 sons in latest atrocities

The death toll in Israel‘s genocidal Gaza war crossed 46,006 on Thursday after at least 70 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks, the enclave‘s Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement added that some 109,378 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

10.01.2025 - 10:25 [ Antiwar.com ]

US, Israel Cheer as Lebanon Elects Joseph Aoun as President

Aoun’s election happened only after former Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh, the main alternative candidate, withdrew and endorsed Aoun.

Electing a president requires a two-thirds majority of parliament, which was met after Frangieh’s endorsement gave Aoun the support of Hezbollah and Amal Movements. Many media reports see Aoun’s election as a sign of Hezbollah’s weakness, despite most Hezbollah MPs supporting him.

10.01.2025 - 10:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

Who is Joseph Aoun, Lebanon‘s army chief turned president?

Securing 99 of the Lebanese parliament’s 128 votes, Aoun garnered widespread support across Lebanon’s political spectrum, despite initial reservations from Hezbollah and its allies.

While political statements from Aoun are rare, he recently emerged as the US and Saudi Arabia’s favoured candidate for the Lebanese presidency.

The local and international push gathered momentum following Israel’s two-month offensive in Lebanon last year, which killed over 4,000 people and displaced over a million.

09.01.2025 - 12:00 [ Lee Mordechai / Witnessing-the-Gaza-War.com ]

ת חרבות ברזלמלחמ לע עדות

לי מרדכי, היסטוריון ואזרח ישראלי
.202412.5(גרסה5.5.6

09.01.2025 - 12:00 [ Lee Mordechai / Witnessing-the-Gaza-War.com ]

Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War

Last updated:1 November 29, 2024

I, Lee Mordechai, a historian by profession and an Israeli citizen, bear witness in this document to the situation in Gaza as events are unfolding. The enormous amount of evidence I have seen, much of it referenced later in this document, has been enough for me to believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza. I explain why I chose to use the term below. Israel’s campaign is ostensibly its reaction to the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, in which war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed within the context of the longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that can be dated back to 1917 or 1948 (or other dates). In all cases, historical grievances and atrocities do not justify additional atrocities in the present. Therefore, I consider Israel’s response to Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 utterly disproportionate and criminal.

(…)

Cases in which the IDF kills civilians almost never make the news in Israel and the United States. An exception happened in early April, when the IDF killed 7 workers of the international NGO World Central Kitchen (all foreign citizens) within their clearly marked vehicles operating in full coordination with the IDF. A source from the IDF stated that a drone attacked the convoy of three vehicles because a Hamas person was thought to be in it (later investigation stated this was uncertain and the person simply appeared armed). After the first vehicle was bombed, some NGO workers left their vehicle and evacuated to a second vehicle, immediately notifying the IDF. Despite this, the second vehicle was bombed as well, and the survivors evacuated it to a third vehicle that was also bombed, killing them all.

09.01.2025 - 12:00 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Dokumentation der Hölle, des Genozids an der palästinensischen Bevölkerung in Gaza

Selbst wenn Gaza jetzt in deutschen Medien so gut wie keine Rolle mehr spielt … Der israelische Historiker Lee Mordechai hat die Abgründe dieser Hölle in einer ausführlichen Dokumentation bis inkl. Ende 2024 zusammengestellt. Dieses Grauen ist nicht zu ertragen. Aber es ist notwendig, dies zu dokumentieren. Siehe hier. Zu Ihrer Information unter Teil A. die Zusammenfassung des Textes, übersetzt von Susanne Hofmann, und unter Teil B. eine Dokumentation von Haaretz.

(…)

“Ich garantiere nicht, dass jede einzelne Zeugenaussage absolut zuverlässig ist. In der Tat weiß niemand genau, was in Gaza passiert – nicht die internationalen Medien, sicherlich nicht die Israelis und nicht einmal die IDF. In ‘Bearing Witness’ behaupte ich, dass das Verstummen der Stimmen aus dem Gazastreifen – die Einschränkung der Informationen, die von dort kommen – Teil der Arbeitsmethode ist, die den Krieg möglich macht. Ich stehe hinter der Synthese, die ich verwende, und ich wünschte, ich läge falsch. Aber von israelischer Seite gibt es nichts. Ich spreche von Beweisen – bringt mir Beweise!”

Ein Fall, der in dem Dokument beschrieben wird, auch wenn es vielen Israelis schwer fallen wird, dies zu glauben, bezieht sich auf den Einsatz einer Drohne durch die IDF, die Geräusche eines weinenden Säuglings abgab, um festzustellen, wo sich Zivilisten aufhielten und sie vielleicht aus ihrem Schutzraum herauszulocken. In dem Video, auf das Mordechai verweist, ist ein Weinen zu hören und die Lichter einer Drohne zu sehen.

“Wir wissen, dass es Drohnen mit Lautsprechern gibt, vielleicht macht sich ein gelangweilter Soldat einen Spaß daraus und die Palästinenser empfinden es als schrecklich”, sagt er. “Aber ist es wirklich so weit hergeholt, dass ein Soldat, anstatt sich mit Höschen und BHs filmen zu lassen oder die Sprengung einer Straße seiner Frau zu widmen, so etwas tut? Es mag erfunden sein, aber es passt zu dem, was ich sehe.” Diese Woche strahlte Al Jazeera einen investigativen Bericht über die so genannten weinenden Drohnen aus und behauptete, ihr Einsatz sei von einer Reihe von Augenzeugen bestätigt worden, die alle die gleiche Geschichte erzählten.

“Wir können immer noch über solche anekdotischen Berichte streiten, aber es ist schwieriger, dies zu tun, wenn wir mit Bergen von fundierteren Berichten konfrontiert werden”, bemerkt Mordechai. “Dutzende amerikanischer Ärzte, die als Freiwillige in Gaza arbeiteten, berichteten zum Beispiel, dass sie fast jeden Tag Kinder sahen, denen in den Kopf geschossen worden war – wie ist das zu erklären? Versuchen wir überhaupt, das zu erklären oder zu verkraften?”

09.01.2025 - 02:51 [ Middle East Eye ]

Jeremy Corbyn demands answers from UK government on arms exports to Israe1

Corbyn also demanded answers on whether or not the UK would suspend the licences of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.

„I remain astounded by your government‘s admission that it is making an exception to the UK‘s legal obligations. The Foreign Secretary has accepted the fact that F-35 jets are being used in violation of international humanitarian law. By justifying the continued licencing of F-35 jet parts, your government is admitting its complicity in war crimes,“ the letter said.

09.01.2025 - 02:22 [ ilkha.com ]

Gaza death toll surpasses 45,936 as Israeli attacks intensify

The death toll from Israel‘s ongoing military aggression against the Gaza Strip has exceeded 45,936, with a significant number of casualties reported in the last 24 hours.

According to medical sources, the Israeli army has carried out six massacres targeting families, killing 51 civilians and injuring 78 others.

08.01.2025 - 11:20 [ israel-alma.org ]

Joseph Aoun – Will He be The Next President of Lebanon?

After the explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, countries friendly to Lebanon diverted their aid to the military, claiming that they only rely on the army to distribute it. Therefore, all the aid, estimated at tens of millions of dollars, was directed directly to the army and was at Aoun’s disposal and under his direct management. It appears that the military establishment has effectively managed the funds and has never experienced a shortage due to corruption.

08.01.2025 - 10:31 [ Middle East Eye ]

US dangles Saudi Arabia‘s cash to push candidate for Lebanon‘s presidency

The US has told Lebanese officials that Saudi Arabia is prepared to deploy hundreds of millions of dollars to reconstruct their war-torn country if Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun is elected president, one senior Arab official and one former senior US official told Middle East Eye.

08.01.2025 - 09:35 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israeli air strikes kill 28 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn

Medical sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic that 28 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids targeting multiple areas across the Gaza Strip since dawn today.

07.01.2025 - 17:46 [ Libertarianinstitute.org ]

Top Trump Official Claims Iran Is the Problem in the Middle East, Vows Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Protesters

In an interview with Mark Levin, Waltz explained the “philosophy” of the incoming administration for the Middle East. “The problems in the Middle East by and large originate from Tehran, not from Tel Aviv. We’re going to stand by and support our greatest ally in the Middle East,” he said. “We’re aligned from a national security, intelligence and values standpoint.”

Waltz described this policy as instituting a “complete philosophical, wholesale national security shift.”

07.01.2025 - 17:26 [ Common Dreams ]

‚Morally Bankrupt‘ Biden Blasted for $8 Billion More in Arms to Israel Amid Gaza Genocide

Human rights advocates in the United States and around the world on Monday condemned outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden for continuing to fuel Israel‘s genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip with a pending $8 billion weapons package.

Since Axoisrevealed late Friday that his administration had notified Congress of the deal, Biden has faced a fresh flood of outrage, with critics calling the president „morally bankrupt“ and his decision to keep arming Israel „willful madness.“

07.01.2025 - 17:13 [ Middle East Eye ]

Gaza‘s death toll rises to 45,885

Since the onset of Israel‘s military onslaught on Gaza in October 2023, at least 45,885 Palestinians have been killed and 109,196 wounded, the Palestinian health ministry reported on Tuesday.

05.01.2025 - 17:28 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Next Thursday in Berlin: A Meeting with Prominent Activists in the Anti-War Movement in Israel

A meeting with Reem Hazan and Sapir Sluzker-Amran, two prominent activists in the anti-war movement in Israel, who are fighting against Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza and advocating for an end to the occupation will be held in Germany next Thursday, January 9, 2025, 18:00 at Heiners Bar, Weserstraße 58, Berlin-Neukölln 12045.

In a conversation hosted by the Berlin-based group Israelis für Frieden (Israelis for Peace), Hazan and Sluzker-Amran will discuss the link between Israel’s current war crimes and the deep-rooted heritage of discrimination and oppression within Israeli society—targeting the Arab-Palestinian minority as well as Mizrahi Jews and other marginalized communities, and their analysis and experiences from the past 15 months of struggles against intense state violence and oppression within a public opinion that supports the war. In addition, they will share their perspectives on the situation and potential paths toward a future of equality and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.

05.01.2025 - 13:35 [ Common Dreams ]

Biden Greenlights ‚Racist‘ and ‚Sociopathic‘ $8B Arms Sale to Israel

The administration of US President Joe Biden announced on Saturday an arms sale to Israel valued at $8 billion, just ahead of President-elect Donald Trump‘s return to the White House.

Biden has repeatedly rejected calls to suspend military backing for Israel because of the number of civilians killed during the war in Gaza. Israel has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, primarily women and children.

05.01.2025 - 11:36 [ Middle East Eye ]

45,717 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 2023: Health ministry

The Palestinian health ministry reported that 59 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza in the past 24 hours, raising the total death toll to 45,717 killed since 7 October 2023.

05.01.2025 - 11:31 [ Middle East Eye ]

At least 66 people killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza: Report

4 January 2025 20:29 GMT

At least 66 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported, citing medical sources.