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Sunday, January 14, 2024

Israel’s war on Gaza live: Israeli assault continues on 100th day of war

January 14, 2024
·        Israel’s relentless attack on Gaza continues with 125 Palestinians killed and 265 wounded over the past 24 hours.
·        Pro-Palestinian protests around the world over the weekend – from Johannesburg to Washington, DC – call for an end to the war on Gaza.
·        Dozens of arrests as Israeli bulldozers enter Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
·        At least 23,968 people have been killed and more than 60,582 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
 
Palestinians slam Netanyahu’s comments defying ICJ
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments in which he pledged “to continue the genocidal war in defiance of both the international community and the role of the International Court of Justice”, in the ministry’s words.
On Saturday, the Israeli PM said that the ICJ was not able to stop Israel’s war in Gaza.
“No one will stop us – not The Hague, not the ‘Axis of Evil’, and no one else,” Netanyahu said, referring to the ICJ by its location in the Netherlands, and also referring to Iran and its proxies.
The Palestinian ministry also said: “States that have enabled, encouraged and participated in Israel’s genocide are also complicit in these attacks against the Court and its officials.”
Journalist killed by Israeli shelling: Al Jazeera Arabic
We are receiving reports that Yazan Zweidi, who worked for the Egyptian channel  Al Ghad TV, has been killed by Israeli shelling while working in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
New US-UK strikes on Yemen hit Hodeidah governorate
That’s according to Houthi media outlets, which reported the attacks targeted Jabal al-Jada in al-Lahiya district.
The reports added that US aircraft continue to fly over the governorate, which lies on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The exact target of the strikes is unclear, but no casualties have been reported, a Houthi military source told Al Jazeera.
Hodeidah has been a particular focus of US and UK air strikes, which began on Friday and are aimed at limiting the capability of the Houthis to attack shipping in the Red Sea. The Iran-allied Yemeni rebel group says its attacks are in support of Gaza.
Israeli strikes continue across Gaza
Hani Mahmoud
Reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza
Not only are people reflecting on 100 days, but they’re also experiencing renewed air strikes across the territory, even in the northern part, where there are attacks on Beit Lahiya and attacks on the southern part of Gaza City, with the Israeli military demolishing more than 10 residential homes.
As we speak, there are more air strikes and artillery concentrated in the central area [of the Gaza Strip], where the remaining health facility has been attacked repeatedly, as well as an evacuation centre.
Distressing reports are also coming from the southern part of the city of Khan Younis, which has been repeatedly targeted with intense shelling and air strikes.
There are reports about an entire residential block that was attacked and destroyed by relentless air strikes. We’re trying to get a confirmation on the number of people who have been killed.
We were told by a civil defence crew and an ambulance that they were finding it very difficult to get to the area as it was under heavy artillery shelling.
Protesters gather at UK-base in Cyprus over Yemen strikes
About 300 demonstrators gathered at the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, protesting its role in recent US-UK strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
The base was used as a staging point for Typhoon fighter jets involved in the operation, according to Reuters news agency.
“They are using Cypriot land to do something every Cypriot is condemning, activist Nicos Panayiotou told the news agency.
ICJ should issue measures requested by South Africa: Palestinian rights groups
Three legal and human rights groups have urged the International Court of Justice to issue provisional measures as requested by South Africa and instruct Israel to:
·        Cease military operations
·        Refrain from genocidal acts
·        Facilitate entry of aid and fact-finding teams
The rights groups – Al Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) – also called on all “State Parties to the Genocide Convention to express their endorsements and formally support the legal proceedings initiated by South Africa at the ICJ.”
A two-day public hearing of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has concluded.
South Africa laid out a list of genocidal acts by Israel on the first day of the hearing on Thursday, while Israel defended itself on Friday.
Hezbollah has taken a pragmatic position
Imran Khan
Reporting from Ebel el-Saqi, south Lebanon
One of the things Hassan Nasrallah is using and trying to get across is that because Hezbollah is being a deterrent on this border, it is putting pressure on Israel.
He said 100 days have passed, Gaza is still holding out, and Israel is mired in failure and hasn’t achieved its declared and undeclared goals.
Hezbollah leader Nasrallah said that the group is inflicting losses on the enemy and putting pressure on the displaced, whose voices have grown louder.
This is a key strategy for Hezbollah – all those Israelis who have had to leave their homes in the north and can’t come back. He wants them to rise up and start putting pressure on the Israeli government and let them come back to their homes.
The only way that is going to happen is if Hezbollah and Israelis come to some sort of negotiated settlement, but that’s not going to happen while the Gaza war takes place.
Two Palestinians killed trying to restore Gaza internet service: Communications monitor
The NetBlocks observatory says the more than 48-hour outage has left “most residents cut off” as the war in the enclave passes the 100-day mark.
The monitor added that operator Paltel has said that two of its repair crews have been killed while trying to restore service.
War in Gaza hangs over Palestinian football team as first Asian Cup match approaches
Joanna Gasiorowska
Reporting from Doha, Qatar
I have been with the team for the last few months on and off. They’re no strangers to overcoming adversity when it comes to playing at big tournaments like this one.
In fact, one of the challenges that they’ve always faced is just in getting together because their players are scattered around the world. They’re playing in different [football] leagues, and even when they do come to play together, in getting into and out of the occupied Palestinian territories, their movements are controlled by Israel.
But the build-up to this Asian Cup has been unlike any other. Just after the war began, the Palestinian team members who are based in the West Bank left with great difficulty to play in some World Cup qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates and in Kuwait, and they haven’t been able to go home since.
The coach, Makram Daboub, has spoken about the feeling of constant anxiety among the players. It’s been very difficult for them to communicate with their friends and family and often they have had to rely on the news and social media to give them information about what is happening back home.
In fact, just last night, we learned from one of the players from Gaza that his cousin was killed just before the final training session ahead of this match.
If you’re just joining us
It’s 6:30pm (16:30 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.
Here are some of the main developments in the last few hours:
·        The Israeli army confirms its soldiers killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
·        Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that the US is wrong if it thinks the Houthi rebels in Yemen will stop confronting Israel in the Red Sea.
·        The Bank of Israel estimates that about 210 billion Israeli shekels ($54bn) will be spent on the war in Gaza between 2023 and 2025.
·        The Axios news website has claimed that the US administration is frustrated with Israel’s rejection of most of their recent requests related to the war on Gaza.
·        A Hezbollah antitank missile has killed a 70-year-old Israeli woman and her son, says the Times of Israel.
Air raid sirens sound in southern Israel
Israeli Army Radio claims that a rocket was intercepted and that five more landed in open fields near the city of Ashdod.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, stated that they had fired rockets at the city from locations within Gaza where Israeli forces are operating.
‘Kids begging for sip of water or loaf of bread’ in Gaza: UNRWA chief
The hunger and desperations is happening “despite all the warnings we gave about this tragedy”, the chief of the UN’s refugee agency tells Al Jazeera, describing the state of Palestinian children inside UNRWA-run shelters and schools.
“Whenever you go to a school, the kids are looking at your eyes begging for a sip of water of a loaf of bread,” said Philippe Lazzarini.
“This 100 days feels to be an eternity. But despite all the adversity, I find our staff very motivated, heroic and committed to provide assistance,” he added, asking for more aid trucks to be allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip.
 
Gaza: 400K Rally in DC against “Genocide Joe;” Massive Protests in Johannesburg, London, other Capitals
Millions of protesters came out around the world on Saturday, answering the call of Palestinian activists to rally against the ongoing Israeli attack on Gaza on a “Global Day of Action for Palestine.” Close to home, an estimated 400,000 demonstrated in Washington, D.C., and scattered what looked like bloodied dolls of children before the White House gate as people chanted “Genocide Joe” and “Bloody Blinken.” The rally in the capital was called for by the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine. There are roughly 4 million Muslims in the United States, about 1.2 percent of the population, though the demonstration comprised many Christians and Jews, as well.
The crowds demanded a ceasefire and insisted that Mr. Biden force Israel into one. They also called for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
American Near East Refugee Aid said Saturday, “The death toll in Gaza is immense and difficult to estimate due to telecommunications cuts. UNOCHA reports that, as of January 11, at least 23,469 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 59,604 injured. And some 1.9 million people, nearly 85% of Gaza’s population, are internally displaced.
Among the organizers, the Council on American Islamic Relation (CAIR), said “We thank every person who attended this historic event to call for an end to the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza and an end to our government’s support for their atrocities. The Biden administration can no longer ignore the millions of Americans who are saying ‘enough is enough.’ It is time for the administration to listen to the people and demand an immediate ceasefire, end its support for the Israeli apartheid government, and hold Israeli officials to account for their crimes against humanity.”
Before the event began, six Palestinian-Americans from Gaza shared the catastrophes that have befallen their families. CAIR writes that, e.g., “Dr. Alaa Hussein Ali (MI) shares the story of the more than 100 members of his family who were killed in November in Israeli attacks, including the murder of his brother by sniper as he attempted to fetch water, and all of his in-laws after fleeing for safety to the south of Gaza.”
Also speaking were presidential candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein, Rep. Andre Carson, Code Pink Director Medea Benjamin, and prominent Muslim-American leaders, including Ilyasa Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X. Gaza-based Aljazeera journalist Wael Dahdouh, many of whose close family members have been killed by Israel, spoke by video.
President Biden had left the White House for Camp David.
One of the more poignant world-wide rallies was staged at the US Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, as the International Court of Justice at the Hague deliberates on the charge of genocide brought against Israel by Pretoria. There was also a big protest in Capetown. The organizers had a statement read out at the latter, according to Matthew Hirsch at Ground Up: “We are here today to be part of the global day of action that will see demonstrations planned in more than 66 cities and at least 36 countries. Today’s rally will be part of a united front of global voices, calling unconditionally for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Imtiaz Sooliman of the aid group “Gift of the Givers,” which has had teams in Gaza and the West Bank, said according to Hirsch, “People like us and people all over the world will make sure that the ceasefire comes. The power of the people is more powerful than any government and any weapon in the world.” Of the case brought by South Africa at the Hague, he said, “I feel great to be South African. When we sent our people to the ICJ we brought back the Mandela magic.”
South African attorneys are saying that if the ICJ issues a ruling in South Africa’s favor they will bring civil suits in the U.S. and U.K. on that basis, because of the collaboration of those two governments in the massacre of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands also demonstrated in London, and similarly large crowds came out in numerous other cities around the world.

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