Israel orders mass 'evacuation' from Northern Gaza, humanitarian crisis certain to ensue

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Gaza combat surges anew as Israeli tanks storm back into areas they left

GAZA/ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER (Reuters) -Israeli tanks stormed back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip they had left last week, residents said on Tuesday, reigniting some of the most intense fighting since the New Year when Israel announced it was scaling back its operations there.

Massive explosions could be seen over northern areas of Gaza from across the border with Israel - a rarity over the past two weeks after Israel announced a draw-down of forces in the north as part of a transition to smaller, targeted operations.

The rattle of intense gunfire carried across the border through the night. In the morning, contrails snaked through the sky as Israel's Iron Dome defences shot down rockets fired by militants across the fence, proof they retain the capability to launch them despite more than 100 days of war.
Israel said its forces had killed dozens of Hamas fighters overnight in clashes in Beit Lahiya on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip. Gaza health authorities said the last 24 hours of Israeli bombing had killed 158 people in the enclave, raising their toll for the war, now in its fourth month, to 24,285, with thousands more bodies feared lost in the rubble.

Israel launched the war to eradicate Hamas after militants stormed across the border fence on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages. The war has driven nearly all Gazans from their homes, some several times, and caused a humanitarian crisis, with food, fuel and medical supplies running low.

Under pressure from Washington to reduce civilian casualties, Israel had said it was shifting tactics, transitioning from a full-scale ground assault to targeted operations against the Hamas militants that control the enclave.

It began that shift with a pullback in the north, where its forces had begun their ground offensive in October. On Monday evening, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also said the more recent ground assault in the south was drawing to a close.

But any path toward de-escalating the war still seems remote, with Israel saying it will not halt until Hamas is destroyed, and the fighters showing no sign of losing the ability to resist.

Some of the hundreds of thousands of residents who fled the north earlier in the war had begun returning last week to bombed-out areas where the Israelis had withdrawn. But residents who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday said the abrupt resurgence of fighting in the north would now halt plans to try to go home.

"We almost planned to return to our house in Nazla, east of Jabalia, but thank God we didn't. This morning people living nearby arrived here and told us the tanks pushed back there," said Abu Khaled, 43, a father of three now living with relatives in severely damaged Gaza City.

"The sounds of bombing from the tanks, from the planes didn't stop all night. It reminded us of the first day of the ground incursion," he said.

'FORGIVE ME, MY SON. I COULD NOT PROTECT YOU'

Israeli forces have fought their way to the centre of Gaza's main southern city of Khan Younis, and into towns north and east of the central city of Deir al-Balah.

Defence Minister Gallant's announcement on Monday that the major ground offensive in the south would soon come to an end raises the question of whether the Israelis will still try to advance into the remaining southern areas.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are now crowded into the few southern areas that Israeli troops have yet to enter, including Deir al-Balah and Rafah, which is located on the southern edge of the strip.

In Khan Younis, Zaher Abu Zarifa wept and cradled a black plastic body bag holding his seven-year-old son Saif, one of at least 11 bodies brought out at a hospital morgue.

The boy was killed by a missile while playing on a bicycle by a school gate, his father said. Later, by a small freshly dug grave, a gravedigger unzipped the bag so the father could kiss the boy's face, then zipped it back up, took the boy and gently laid him in the ground.

"Forgive me, my son. I could not protect you," the father repeated. "Forgive me, my son. I could not protect you."

IRAN STRIKES IRAQI KURDISH REGION

In the latest example of the conflict spreading to other parts of the Middle East, Iran fired missiles at what it called an Israeli spy base in northern Iraq's Kurdish region, killing four people in the regional capital Erbil.

Masrour Barzani, head of the regional government, called it a "crime against the Kurdish people".

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls most of Yemen has been attacking commercial ships at the mouth of the Red Sea, a route used by 15% of world shipping, claiming to target vessels linked to Israel in solidarity with Gaza.

The United States and Britain responded by bombing Yemen to prevent what they called a threat to global commerce.

The latest ship to be attacked, a Malta-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier, sustained minor damage when it was hit with a missile in the Red Sea on Tuesday. Greek sources identified the vessel as MT Zografia. Everyone on board was safe and it was still sailing but would probably reroute for checks.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said on Tuesday the kingdom could "certainly" recognise Israel - if it resolves the Palestinian issue.

[Elfdart]

Israel to fight South Africa's Gaza genocide claim in court

By Raffi Berg
BBC News

Israel will fight South Africa's claim that it is committing "genocidal" acts in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, an Israeli spokesman has said.

"History will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy," Eylon Levy said, addressing South African leaders.

South Africa filed the case at the ICJ on Friday, to Israel's outrage.

South Africa is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has repeatedly condemned Israel since the start of the war with Gaza on 7 October.

More than 22,000 Palestinians - the majority of them civilians - have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began, according to Gaza's health ministry which is run by the Islamist group Hamas.

Israel declared war on Hamas after the group led a massive attack on communities inside Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 240 others back to Gaza as hostages.

Following its application to the ICJ, South Africa's presidency said that the country was obliged "to prevent genocide from occurring".

The 84-page document states that the "acts and omissions by Israel" are "genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group".

South African government lawyers are preparing for the case to be heard on 11 and 12 January, Clayson Monyela, a spokesperson for South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said on X.

The ICJ, which is based in the Hague in the Netherlands, is the UN's highest court. It settles disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. It does not have the power to bring prosecutions. However, its opinions carry weight with the UN and other international legal bodies.

Israeli intended to fight the case, Eylon Levy said, "to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel".

A blood libel is a term used to describe antisemitic false allegations against Jewish communities of bloodletting, originating in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily rejected South Africa's allegations when it filed the lawsuit, saying "No, South Africa, it is not we who have come to perpetrate genocide, it is Hamas.

"It would murder all of us if it could. In contrast, the IDF [Israeli army] is acting as morally as possible."

It comes as Israel is already facing an investigation by the ICJ, initiated by the Palestinians, into its "prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of... Palestinian territory".

The court has sat in judgement on Israel once before, in 2004, when it found that Israel's barrier built in and around the occupied West Bank was against international law. Israel said the barrier was built to thwart suicide bombings from the West Bank; Palestinians considered it a mechanism to take land.

I wonder how a ruling that Israel is engaged in genocide would affect their support from the US. It should reduce support a lot, but I have my doubts.

South Africa & Friends are asking for the equivalent of a temporary restraining order to demand Israel stop their genocide in Gaza. This doesn't require proof of the crime, just "probable cause". Israel's flacks at the ICJ didn't do their country any favors with their four-pronged defense:

1) A noun, a verb and "ZOMG! OCTOBER 7TH!"
2) A variation on the "She deserved it because she's a slut and wears short skirts" defense.
3) Why do you hate Jews so much?
4) We were just kidding when we said we're going to exterminate the people of Gaza and started doing so.

It was an admission that they were in fact perpetrating genocide.

Not that it matters, since like most other high courts, the ICJ is a political institution. Norman Finkelstein and Katie Halper went over the list of judges at the ICJ to see which ones are likely to vote in South Africa's favor. Out of the fifteen votes, Finkelstein thinks there are maybe six or seven votes:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17q8b-xKu_E

UNLESS Russia, France and China vote for it. Of course, there's going to be all kinds of thuggish extortion brought to bear against Slovakia, Morocco, Somalia, Lebanon, Brazil and Jamaica. A preliminary injunction (hell, even a split vote) would be a major pie in the face not only for Israel, but for the US, UK and others who backed the biggest aerial massacre since Cambodia in 1970. This explains their hysterical reaction.

[Solauren]

The thing is, would Israel even care about a court order?

[Elfdart]

Probably not, since the chances of it being enforced are zero. However, if South Africa gets any kind of favorable ruling, it would be a big, shining black eye for Netanyahu, Israel and their ghoulish apologists. It's like getting a favorable verdict in a defamation case: The money and forced apology are seldom awarded, but the whole point of that kind of legal action isn't to get a retraction or a check in the first place -it's to have the defendant formally declared as a liar.

[Solauren]

Probably not, since the chances of it being enforced are zero. However, if South Africa gets any kind of favorable ruling, it would be a big, shining black eye for Netanyahu, Israel and their ghoulish apologists. It's like getting a favorable verdict in a defamation case: The money and forced apology are seldom awarded, but the whole point of that kind of legal action isn't to get a retraction or a check in the first place -it's to have the defendant formally declared as a liar.

I'm actually now wondering how long until Israel or one of their apologists bring some kind of similar suit against South Africa for something.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

‘It’s a war crime’: ITV News' Gaza clip sparks outrage from charities, US officials and Westminster

The "shocking video" of a man waving a white flag being shot dead in Gaza, released by ITV News, has sparked accusations of a "war crime".

Leading charities including Amnesty International and the Norwegian Refugee Council condemned the incident, while Rishi Sunak plus top US officials were quizzed on their reaction today.

On Tuesday, footage filmed by Mohammed Abu Safia, a cameraman working for ITV News, showed a group of men in Gaza, holding a white flag who wanted to rescue their family after being forced to evacuate their homes.

Minutes later, one of the men - Ramzi Abu Sahloul - was fatally shot in the chest.

A group of men in Gaza, holding a white flag, told ITV News they wanted to rescue their family members - minutes later one was shot dead, as Senior International Correspondent John Irvine reports

When asked about the video on Wednesday, the leader of the Norwegian Refugee Council said "it's evidence of a war crime".

Speaking to ITV News, Jan Egeland said: "It's an absolutely shocking video...civilians are protected, precautions should be taken to shield them -it's not debatable the law is very clear.
"If it was the Israel Defense Force you could charge commanders here, it's utterly important there will be accountability."

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, agreed that the "extremely damning footage" is "evidence of a possible war crime" committed by the IDF.

He said: “Shooting incidents like this are currently occurring with sickening regularity in Gaza and it’s why many Palestinians say that Gaza has now become a free-fire zone in which civilians can be killed at any moment.

“It’s not good enough for the Israeli authorities to shrug this off by saying they’re ‘not aware’ of the incident - it’s literally just been broadcast to millions of people on a national television station."

Rishi Sunak has been urged to back a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the wake of the video being released.

During Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, Stephen Flynn said: "Last night, as Tory MPs were once again fighting amongst themselves, the public were sat at home watching John Irvine of ITV News report on footage from Gaza of an unarmed Palestinian man, walking under a white flag, being shot and killed by the IDF.

"Prime Minister, such an act constitutes a war crime, does it not?"

[Solauren]

At this point, I don't think Israel even cares anymore. Really, so long as the US is backing them, they can probably do whatever they want.

[Ralin]

At this point, I don't think Israel even cares anymore. Really, so long as the US is backing them, they can probably do whatever they want.

Yup. Short of military intervention. Would be great if the US declared a no-fly zone and went after Israeli artillery or some other NATO country took it upon themselves to do the same and forced the US to either back down or open fire. But doesn't seem likely.

[LadyTevar]

At this point, I don't think Israel even cares anymore. Really, so long as the US is backing them, they can probably do whatever they want.

Yup. Short of military intervention. Would be great if the US declared a no-fly zone and went after Israeli artillery or some other NATO country took it upon themselves to do the same and forced the US to either back down or open fire. But doesn't seem likely.

Right now, even if the US withdrew backing, it'd not stop Israel.

[Zwinmar]

To play the devils advocate a bit here: Why should Israel care about anyone? The same ones complaining to the ICC are the same ones who are felicitating Russia over Ukraine. What exactly is Israel supposed to do with an enemy that us every opportunity and body shield to attack them?

I really think that Israel believes that they are out of options, if they don't continue then their people will be massacred again and if they do continue they have no real choice but attack through the human shields.

There really is no easy solution here and I think that ultimately time will see the US sending in the Marines on the MEU to set up a refugee camp, possibly in Egypt on the border.

[Ralin]

What exactly is Israel supposed to do with an enemy that us every opportunity and body shield to attack them?

Not rule over an open air concentration camp of people who have no political representation or economic opportunities in service of a quasi-ethnic/quasi-religious ethno state because granting full citizenship to everyone born and living there would change the 'Jewish character' of the country.

I really think that Israel believes that they are out of options, if they don't continue then their people will be massacred again and if they do continue they have no real choice but attack through the human shields

Israel is absolutely right that they're going to endure periodic violent retaliation as they continue the process of ethnically cleansing the land and people they've conquered in the past several decades. This does not deserve sympathy and understanding because the only way those massacres of their people are worse than the ongoing ethnic cleansing they've been carrying out is if you work on the assumption that the Palestinians are some kind of 'underpeople' whose lives matter less than real people

There really is no easy solution here

There's no easy solution. The only just and feasible solution is to give full citizenship and rights to all the Palestinians, spend a fortune on welfare for them and allowing Palestinians who have already been driven out of the country to return.

[PainRack]

Israel to fight South Africa's Gaza genocide claim in court


Israel will fight South Africa's claim that it is committing "genocidal" acts in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, an Israeli spokesman has said.

"
Not that it matters, since like most other high courts, the ICJ is a political institution. Norman Finkelstein and Katie Halper went over the list of judges at the ICJ to see which ones are likely to vote in South Africa's favor. Out of the fifteen votes, Finkelstein thinks there are maybe six or seven votes:


UNLESS Russia, France and China vote for it. Of course, there's going to be all kinds of thuggish extortion brought to bear against Slovakia, Morocco, Somalia, Lebanon, Brazil and Jamaica. A preliminary injunction (hell, even a split vote) would be a major pie in the face not only for Israel, but for the US, UK and others who backed the biggest aerial massacre since Cambodia in 1970. This explains their hysterical reaction.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/i ... ica-407617
So the current news is that the court WILL hear the case, a minor defeat for Israel who attempted to dismiss the case .

[Ralin]

There really is no easy solution here and I think that ultimately time will see the US sending in the Marines on the MEU to set up a refugee camp, possibly in Egypt on the border.

Also, yeah that's not going to be. Think about this. There are a couple million Palestinians. Integrating refugees is expensive and difficult under the best of cirumstances, much less when the refugees are that numerous and as traumatized and angry as the half teenaged or younger Palestinian population. And Egypt isn't from what I understand a country with a great standard of living for most people born there in the first place. So suppose even half the Palestinians end up as refugees in the Sinai or wherever. Cue crazy poverty and lack of resources. The Egyptian government is going to be very limited in its ability to care for them appropriately even if they wanted to, so it's not going to take long for the Palestinian refugees to start wondering why they should be listening to a government that they aren't represented in and is doing what looks like sweet fuck all for them. Now the Egyptian government has what amounts to a small country's worth of angry people inside their borders bucking their authority.

Oh, and they're not going to just forget about what happened to them. Some of them are going to keep launching rockets at Israel and doing whatever else they can to make the Zionist fuckers pay. Which means that now the Egyptian government has to deal with America's psycho attack dog launching retaliatory strikes into their territory.

Now do you see why Egypt isn't going to agree to do this to make America and Israel happy? Or anyone else?

[Elfdart]

I'm pleasantly surprised at the lopsided decision. Honestly, I thought the ICJ would try to dismiss the case on a technicality. The fact that they agreed to hear the case is pretty damning for Israel. It's like a case of domestic abuse where the court gives a preliminary injunction stating that while the actual trial for wife-beating is months away, in the mean time, the defendant is ordered to keep away from the victim, not to contact the victim and so on. In other words, there's enough probable cause that they will proceed with the case.

The item that might have real teeth as of now is the 16-1 decision (2:29) demanding that Netanyahu stop cutting off water, medical supplies, etc.



The best part is that the US, Australian, German and Japanese judges voted in favor!

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I'm pleasantly surprised at the lopsided decision. Honestly, I thought the ICJ would try to dismiss the case on a technicality. The fact that they agreed to hear the case is pretty damning for Israel. It's like a case of domestic abuse where the court gives a preliminary injunction stating that while the actual trial for wife-beating is months away, in the mean time, the defendant is ordered to keep away from the victim, not to contact the victim and so on. In other words, there's enough probable cause that they will proceed with the case.

The item that might have real teeth as of now is the 16-1 decision (2:29) demanding that Netanyahu stop cutting off water, medical supplies, etc.



The best part is that the US, Australian, German and Japanese judges voted in favor!

What happens when Benjamin Netanyahu inevitably tells them to fuck off?

[Ralin]

Right now, even if the US withdrew backing, it'd not stop Israel.

It's easy to think that, but Israel doesn't have an unlimited amount of manpower and material anymore than any other country. The more they're paying full price out of their own collective pocket for each bomb they drop the sooner they're going to have to make compromises to the people demanding they scale things back.

You might say hey, they don't need to invade and occupy to keep stopping water and food for being allowed in, and yeah that's a problem when the Israeli state is in a dominant position. But it'd be that much harder to enforce and maintain.

[Elfdart]

What happens when Benjamin Netanyahu inevitably tells them to fuck off?

Aside from Bill Maher cumming in his pants?

Nothing shows innocence like telling the world in advance that you're going to ignore a court packed with your own allies.

[Batman]

The entire world already knows Israel is guilty as fuck and has for decades. At best they'll get a little nervous about waning US support (you think they'll actually LOSE US support over this, you're delusional.)

[loomer]

Seeing a lot of spin on it around the traps so for those on here who are curious: No, the ICJ's provisional measures decision was in no way a win for Israel's position. It stopped short of ordering some more extensive measures that may or may not have been possible to put through and enforce, but as it stands, it is a binding decision that requires serious alterations in the way the war is being fought, in the provision of supply, with genuine teeth via the report requirement, all of which is predicated on the real, reasonable, and not-insignificant risk that a genocide is occurring or is likely to occur. At 15-2/16-1 on all decisions, it is a strong show of near unanimity, so there isn't even the runner up prize of a strong and well-supported dissent indicating a failure of international consensus.

[Ralin]

I'm seeing Palestinian people spitting fire on social media about how they didn't even order a ceasefire. Ancedotal, but it seems like it's being taken as a betrayal and a failure.

Though ordering them to stop committing war crimes, stop starving civilians via blockade and killing them via bombings etc certainly sounds like a ceasefire demand in all but name.

[Ralin]

Oh hey, looks like the ruling has already had an effect! https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official ... suspension

UNRWA’S LIFESAVING AID MAY END DUE TO FUNDING SUSPENSION
27 January 2024
OVER 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN GAZA DEPEND ON UNRWA FOR SURVIVAL AS WAR AND DISPLACEMENT CONTINUE 
FROM PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, UNRWA COMMISSIONER GENERAL 

AMMAN, 27 January 2024- “Nine countries have as of today temporarily suspended their funding to UNRWA. These decisions threaten our ongoing humanitarian work across the region including and especially in the Gaza Strip.  

“It is shocking to see a suspension of funds to the Agency in reaction to allegations against a small group of staff, especially given the immediate action that UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and asking for a transparent independent investigation. The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the highest investigative authority in the UN system, has already been seized of this very serious matter.  

“UNRWA is the primary humanitarian agency in Gaza, with over 2 million people depending on it for their sheer survival.   Many are hungry as the clock is ticking towards a looming famine. The Agency runs shelters for over 1 million people and provides food and primary healthcare even at the height of the hostilities. 

“In its ruling yesterday, the International Court of Justice ordered that “Israel must take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. These measures are aimed at preventing irreparable damage to the rights of Palestinians.

“The only way that this can be done is through cooperation with international partners, especially UNRWA as the largest humanitarian actor in Gaza. Some 3,000 core staff out of 13,000 in Gaza continue to report to work, giving their communities a lifeline which can collapse anytime now due to lack of funding. 

“It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region. 

“UNRWA shares the list of all its staff with host countries every year, including Israel. The Agency never received any concerns on specific staff members.

“Meanwhile, an investigation by OIOS into the heinous allegations will establish the facts. Moreover, as I announced on 17 January, an independent review by external experts will help UNRWA strengthen its framework for the strict adherence of all staff to the humanitarian principles. 

“I urge countries who have suspended their funding to re-consider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response. The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability".

[Gandalf]

Pelosi Wants FBI to Investigate Pro-Palestine Protesters for Financial Ties to Russia

Democrats and diversity of opinion; a solid match.

[Gandalf]

In a follow up to the above story, Pelosi has now yelled at a bunch of protestors; "Go back to China, where your headquarters is!"

A Twitter link, but all I could find.

[Ralin]

In a follow up to the above story, Pelosi has now yelled at a bunch of protestors; "Go back to China, where your headquarters is!"

A Twitter link, but all I could find.

I couldn't hear her saying that in the clip

[Gandalf]

It's at the end, as she's in the car.