SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - Hamas launches war on Israel

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Gaza is a 'killing field', says UN chief, as agencies urge world to act on Israel's blockade

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The UN's secretary-general says "aid has dried up [and] the floodgates of horror have re-opened" in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has blocked the entry of all goods and resumed the war against Hamas.

"Gaza is a killing field, and civilians are in an endless death loop," António Guterres said on Tuesday.

His comments come after the heads of six UN agencies appealed to world leaders to act urgently to ensure food and supplies reached Palestinians there.

Israel's foreign ministry insisted there was enough food in Gaza and accused Guterres of "spreading slander against Israel".

Israel blockaded Gaza on 2 March, after the first stage of a ceasefire expired. Hamas refused to extend that part of the truce, accusing Israel of reneging on its commitments.

Israel then renewed its aerial bombardment and ground offensive on 18 March and these have since killed 1,449 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The Israeli military insists it does not target civilians.

In his address to journalists, Guterres said Israel, as the occupying power, had obligations under international law to ensure that food and medical supplies get to the population.

"The current path is a dead end – totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history," he said.

Responding to the comments, Israel's foreign ministry said there was no aid shortage in Gaza.

"As always, you don't let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel," spokesman Oren Marmorstein said.

"There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip - over 25,000 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in the 42 days of the cease fire," he added.

Guterres's comments followed a joint statement issued by six UN agencies on Monday that said world leaders must act urgently to make sure food and aid supplies get to Palestinians in the Strip.

Gazans were "trapped, bombed and starved again", the statement said.

"The latest ceasefire allowed us to achieve in 60 days what bombs, obstruction and lootings prevented us from doing in 470 days of war: life-saving supplies reaching nearly every part of Gaza," it said.

"While this offered a short respite, assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low."

The statement was signed by the heads of:

OCHA - UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Unicef - UN's children's agency

WFP - World Food Programme

WHO - World Health Organization

Unrwa - UN agency for Palestinian refugees

UNOPS - UN Office for Project Services

Because of the blockade, all UN-supported bakeries have closed, markets are empty of most fresh vegetables and hospitals are rationing painkillers and antibiotics.

The statement says that Gaza's "partially functional health system is overwhelmed [and]... essential medical and trauma supplies are rapidly running out."

"With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.

"Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire."

The two-month pause in fighting saw a surge in humanitarian aid let into Gaza, as well as the release by Hamas of 33 hostages - eight of them dead - in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

On Tuesday, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said at least 58 people had been killed in the territory over the previous 24 hours.

Israeli strikes overnight killed 19 people, including five children whose home in the central town of Deir al-Balah was hit, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.

Another 11 people were reportedly killed in two separate strikes in the northern town of Beit Lahia and an area north-west of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) said a second Palestinian journalist had died of the wounds following an Israeli strike on Monday.

Ahmed Mansour suffered severe burns when a media tent in the southern city Khan Younis was hit, also killing his Palestine Today colleague Helmi al-Faqaawi.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a third journalist, Hassan Eslaih, whom it accused of being a "Hamas terrorist". The PJS said Eslaih was in a critical condition following the attack, along with several other journalists.

The war was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 50,810 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive since then, according to Gaza's health ministry.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87p15q8d74o

Israel says it will expand its offensive across most of Gaza

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Israel's defence minister has announced the military will soon "expand vigorously" its offensive throughout most of Gaza.

Israel Katz also said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had completed the takeover of a "security zone" in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, separating the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.

Israel's military also issued evacuation orders for Khan Younis and its surrounding areas, saying it was preparing to carry out strikes in response to the launch of projectiles from Gaza, which Hamas claimed responsibility for.

Israel resumed its offensive against Hamas on 18 March following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire.

Since then, it has seized large areas of Gaza, displacing hundreds of thousands of Gazans once more.

The military has already seized land running along the entirety of the Palestinian territory's borders, which it has characterised as a buffer zone to prevent attacks.

Israeli officials have said the ongoing offensive aims to pressure Hamas into freeing the 59 remaining hostages held in Gaza - 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

On Saturday, Katz said the IDF had completed the takeover of the "Morag axis" - a reference to a former Jewish settlement located between Rafah and Khan Younis.

"The IDF has now completed the takeover of the Morag axis that crosses Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis and makes the entire area between the Philadelphia axis and Morag part of the Israeli security zone," he said.

The takeover of the corridor effectively cuts the southern city of Rafah off from Khan Younis. Rafah makes up almost one fifth of Gaza.

Katz also warned that "IDF activity will soon expand vigorously to additional locations throughout most of Gaza" and people in these areas "will have to evacuate the fighting zones".

"This is the last moment to remove Hamas and release the hostages and bring about an end to the war," he said.

He added that areas of northern Gaza, including the city of Beit Hanoun and in the Netzarim Corridor - which cuts through central Gaza - were also being evacuated so that a "security zone" could be expanded there too.

"In northern Gaza as well - in Beit Hanoun and other neighbourhoods - residents are evacuating, the area is being taken over and the security zone is being expanded, including in the Netzarim corridor," Katz said.

When approached for comment, the IDF told the BBC to refer to Israel's defence ministry.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg5jwyje0do

Sometimes i get the feeling, they are too much focused on Gaza, and less on the West Bank.

While Hamas is ruling Gaza and Fatah is ruling the West Bank. Sometimes i feel Hamas is being targeted because its kinda the only military more radical arm of the Palestinians.

If Hamas was ruling the West Bank too. I don't think Jewish settlers would illegally occupy parts of the West Bank like they do today.
I'm not pro Hamas. But i feel like the Palestinians don't have someone to defend themselves. So they join the more extremists sides like Hamas.

If you take any authority away from the Palestinians. And the illegal settlers still are taking away houses or stealing land in the West Bank. Some Palestinians feel helpless and Hamas sees this as a perfect way to recruit new people.
Hamas needs to go away. but there needs to be some kind of Palestinian police force.

Palestinians are drawn to Hamas. Because they have no one else to defend themselves.
If i was a Palestinian and i'm living in the West Bank getting harrassed by those settlers. I would join Hamas too. Not because i agree with there radical ideas. But because i want to defend myself.

I think the only real solution is a two state solution with harsh conditions on both sides. And get rid of the extremist Hamas and the illegal jewish settlers.
Both sides have extremist on there sides, that need to go away. There are Palestinians and Israeli people that get along pretty well.

Hamas rejects Israeli ceasefire disarmament proposal, Palestinian official says

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Hamas is said to have rejected an Israeli proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza which called for the armed group to give up its weapons.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks said the plan gave no commitment to end the war or for an Israeli troop pull-out - key Hamas demands - in exchange for releasing half of the living hostages which it holds.

It comes as Israel continues its military offensive in Gaza.

A security guard was killed and nine other people were injured in an air strike on a field hospital in Khan Younis, the hospital said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately comment.

A UN agency meanwhile warned that "the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities".

It is six weeks since Israel allowed any supplies to enter through crossings into the Palestinian territory - by far the longest such stoppage to date.

UN agencies strongly refute Israel's claim that there is enough food in Gaza to last for a long time and suggest the blockade could breach international humanitarian law.

Israel's prime minister said the block on supplies was aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages and to extend the ceasefire which expired on 1 March.

At the same time, the UN's humanitarian affairs office stated: "Partners on the ground report a surge in attacks causing mass civilian casualties and the destruction of some of the remaining infrastructure that's needed to keep people alive."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxgy7vwxlxo

Israeli troops will remain in Gaza 'security zones' after war, minister says

Israel's defence minister has said troops will remain in so-called security zones they have established by seizing large areas of Gaza even after an end to the war.

Israel Katz said the zones would provide a "buffer" to protect Israeli communities "in any temporary or permanent situation", and that "tens of per cent" of the Palestinian territory had been added since the Israeli offensive resumed three weeks ago.

Israel would continue its six-week blockade of humanitarian aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages, he said, despite the UN warning of "devastating" consequences.

On Wednesday Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) became the latest international organisation to sound alarm at the impact of Israel's campaign, saying that Gaza had been "turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance".

"We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza," Amande Bazerolle, the charity's emergency co-ordinator in Gaza, said.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has said more than 1,650 people have been killed since the war resumed on 18 March.

Hospital officials said at least 24 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Wednesday.

The majority of those reported killed were in Gaza City, in the north.

They included 10 members of the Hassouna family, mostly children and women. One of them was Fatema Hassouna - a young writer and photographer.

The BBC has asked the Israeli military for comment on the strike.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g2775v853o

Hamas formally rejects Israeli ceasefire offer

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Hamas has formally rejected Israel's latest ceasefire offer, saying it is prepared to immediately negotiate a deal that would see the release of all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

In a video statement, Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said: "We will not accept partial deals that serve [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's political agenda."

Fifty-nine hostages remain in captivity and 24 are thought to be alive. Israel's latest offer involved a 45-day ceasefire in return for the release of 10 hostages.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said it was time "to open the gates of hell" on Hamas.

Hamas officials had already indicated to the BBC earlier in the week that they would reject the plan.

"Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation, even if the price is sacrificing all his prisoners [hostages]," Hayya said.

He added the group was "ready to immediately negotiate a deal to swap all hostages with an agreed number of Palestinians jailed by Israel" and end the war.

Hamas has previously said it would contemplate an overall deal to end the war but the two sides are nowhere near any kind of agreement that would bring that about.

Israel's stated aim is the complete disarmament and destruction of Hamas. Meanwhile dozens of Gazans are dying each day in air strikes with no humanitarian aid entering the strip at all.

The latest series of Israeli strikes killed at least 37 people, the majority of them displaced civilians living in a tented camp, according to Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency.

Witnesses in al-Mawasi said dozens of Palestinians including children had died after tents were set ablaze following a "powerful" explosion.

"I rushed outside and saw the tent next to mine engulfed in flames," a man told the BBC's Gaza Lifeline programme.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment but said that it was looking into reports of the strikes.

Israel has previously told Palestinians to evacuate from other parts of Gaza to al-Mawasi.

The Israeli military said attacks over the past two days had "struck over 100 terror targets" including "terrorist cells, military structures and infrastructure sites".

Israel said there was no shortage of aid and that it was maintaining the blockade installed on 1 March to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages.

However the heads of 12 major aid groups said the humanitarian aid system in Gaza was "facing total collapse".

The war began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 51,065 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8gzm0p1y8o

He that will not hear must feel.

"Release the hostages now, and we guarantee you free escape from Gaza and one week of time, and then will hunt you down all over the world for as many years as it takes, one by one, killing you like we hunted down and killed the terrorists form Munich. Release the hostages not, and we continue to kill you right now and right in place where you are."

Not difficult to comprehend. I wonder why they talk so much.

"What's the point of so many words? The matter stands solely on this sword, on this blade alone." - Yosano Hiroshi (Hiroshi Tekkan)

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Originally Posted by Skybird (Post 2953917)

The ones that suffer are always the innocence, not the responsible people that started this all.

Very very damn many of those "innocent" families raise their children in hate. Hamas is not a legion of foreigners, but recruits its members from the middle of civilian society. Its embedded in it, and roots in it.

'Operational misunderstanding' led to killing of Gaza medics, IDF inquiry says

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The Israeli military has said an "operational misunderstanding" led to the killing of 14 emergency workers in Gaza last month.

An inquiry into the incident by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found a series of failings. It said the killing of a UN worker shortly afterwards was "a breach of orders during a combat setting".

It added that the deputy commander of the unit involved has been dismissed "for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief".

Fourteen emergency workers and a UN worker were killed on 23 March after a convoy of Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances, a UN car and a fire truck came under fire by the Israeli military.

In a statement, the IDF said its troops opened fire believing they were facing a threat from enemy forces.

The IDF said its investigation found six of the casualties were Hamas members, and rejected there had been summary executions.

It did not produce evidence for any affiliation to Hamas, despite the names of those killed being in the public domain.

The report said the incident took place in what it called a "hostile and dangerous combat zone", and that the commander on the ground perceived an immediate and tangible threat after vehicles approached rapidly.

It also blamed "poor night visibility", which the IDF said meant the commander did not identify the vehicles as ambulances.

Israel originally claimed troops opened fire because the convoy approached "suspiciously" in darkness without headlights or flashing lights. It said movement of the vehicles had not been previously co-ordinated or agreed with the army.

But it later said that account was "mistaken" after a video found on the mobile phone of a medic showed the vehicles with their lights on and their emergency signals flashing.

In the footage, which is more than five minutes long, the paramedic says his last prayers before the voices of Israeli soldiers can be heard approaching the vehicles.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24q6201d8yo

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Originally Posted by Skybird (Post 2954063)

Orly? You do not need to be raised to see around you the dead, wounded, ruins and starvation to hate the ones that bomb you and starve you. In like every situation where it Vietnam, Afghanistan or any other occupation 1 killed produce 10 combatants.