Israel's conflict with its neighbours

[firestar464]

Hamas officials say group willing to disarm if Palestinian state is established

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ha ... r-AA1nF3tp

No. We are not integrating Hamas into any future Palestinian state

[wjfox]

Gaza’s 37m tonnes of bomb-filled debris could take 14 years to clear, says expert

Fri 26 Apr 2024 17.56 BST

Israel’s war in Gaza has created 37m tonnes of debris, much of it laced with unexploded bombs, which could take more than a decade to remove, a top UN demining official said.

Nearly seven months into the war, there is an average 300kg of rubble a square metre of land in Gaza, Pehr Lodhammar, the former United Nationals Mine Action Service chief for Iraq, told a news conference.

“Based on the current [amount] of debris in Gaza, with 100 trucks we are talking about 14 years of work … to remove it,” he said. With the war continuing, it was impossible to estimate how long clearance might take at its end, he added.

Israel has been accused of “domicide” over the intensity of its bombing campaign in Gaza, which has reduced large swathes of the strip to ruins. Sixty-five per cent of the buildings destroyed in Gaza were residential, Lodhammar said.

Clearing and rebuilding them will be slow and dangerous work because of the threat from shells, missiles or other weapons buried in collapsed or damaged buildings. On average about 10% of weapons failed to detonate when they were fired, Lodhammar said, and had to be removed by demining teams.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... ays-expert

[wjfox]

One of my favourite journalists and radio presenters.

I'm going to really miss her on LBC.

[wjfox]

This petition is now going viral, and is currently trending on X. https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-sang ... ion-at-lbc

[weatheriscool]

Mass graves found at Gaza hospitals raided by Israel prompt demands for independent investigation

At mass graves in southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, Palestinian authorities say they are uncovering bodies that bear signs of having been shot in the head, their hands bound by zip ties, stripped of their clothes, or buried in hospital gowns with tubes or needles still in their skin. Among the dead are women and children.

The remains found in the mass graves have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding their deaths during the months of intense fighting in and around Nasser Hospital. Israel denies wrongdoing but acknowledges exhuming bodies that had already been buried, then reburying them, in its search for hostages taken captive into Gaza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, on Thursday called the reports from Nasser Hospital “deeply disturbing,” adding that “we’d like to see this investigated.” Kirby said the White House was in dialogue with Israeli counterparts.

“We want answers,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters during a news briefing Wednesday. “We want to see this thoroughly and transparently investigated.”

…

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna149110

[firestar464]

Mother of Israeli-American hostage speaks about hope amid her son’s captivity by Hamas

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/mo ... i-AA1nICgU

[firestar464]

State Department reviewing plans to sanction IDF unit

https://www.axios.com/2024/04/26/state- ... n-idf-unit

[weatheriscool]

[Time_Traveller]

Israel-Gaza - live: Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire as IDF orders 100,000 to evacuate Rafah

1 minute ago

Hamas has accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal hours after Israel launched airstrikes on Rafah and ordered more than 100,000 people to leave part of the city.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the Qatar-Egypt brokered deal, but Israeli media outlet N12 reported the deal was “unacceptable” to Netanyahu’s war cabinet.

After the release of the statement, Palestinians erupted in cheers in the sprawling tent camps around Rafah, hoping the deal meant an Israeli attack had been averted.

The news comes hours after Rafah’s population were struck with panic-inducing posters which read: “The IDF is about to operate with force against the terror organisations in the area you currently reside, as the IDF has operated so far.

“Anyone in the area puts themselves and their family members in danger. For your safety, evacuate immediately to the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 40175.html

[Time_Traveller]

Gaza: Israel takes Rafah crossing as truce talks continue

1 hour ago



The Israeli military says its troops have taken "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Rafah has been a key entry point for aid and the only exit for people able to flee since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October.

A tank brigade moved in to the crossing area after a night of intense strikes.

With Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing also closed, the UN warned Gaza's two main aid arteries were now choked off.

On Monday, the Israeli military ordered tens of thousands of civilians to begin evacuating nearby eastern parts of Rafah city, ahead of what it called a "limited" operation to eliminate Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68967397

[Time_Traveller]

‘Sustainable calm’ proposal splits Israel and Hamas

37 minutes ago



After months of stalemate, the search for peace in Gaza has reached a critical stage. UN chief Antonio Guterres says it is a "decisive moment for the Palestinian and Israeli people and for the fate of the entire region".

There seems to be common ground between most sides about the principles: a ceasefire should take place alongside the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Various draft agreements have been drawn up, setting out a complex process of how it would all work.

There is some disagreement over the detail of what should happen to whom and when and in what order. Israeli officials say, for example, that its female soldiers should be released earlier than envisaged.

They also say the texts should be clearer that the first 33 hostages to be released must be alive and are worried about not having a veto over which Palestinian prisoners would be released.

These are issues that could potentially be surmounted through negotiation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68971818

[firestar464]

TV report: Israeli officials say not the same proposal they agreed to with Egyptian mediators 10 days ago

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ ... -days-ago/

[erowind]

.

[wjfox]

[firestar464]

Like I said I don't want to argue with people here anymore but I feel I should say something on this rn.

Israel clearly broke the ceasefire they just signed, any rhetoric to the opposite is a lie. America and Israel are both tapped into each others communication networks intimately. There is no miscommunication, breaking the ceasefire and spoiling the truce was the plan.

Israel is committing genocide and Some American senator's recent reference to the "Hague Invasion Act" as a threat to Hague workers in relation to the case is really telling, you know, if anyone wasn't already convinced by the endless stream of videos showing military strikes on civilians every single day.

I've seen IDF shooting crowds of people waving white flags trying to leave a hospital. Videos of IDF bulldozing civilan infrastructure and razing the whole earth. Images of ruin for as far as the eye can see where no building or person is spared. IDF snipers shooting livestock. IDF snipers shooting civilians. IDF airstrikes on aid convoys. IDF soldiers loading hundreds of men and children naked into the backs of trucks. IDF videos of IDF personal bragging about openly torturing POWs and civilian hostages. IDF personal reading out to prisoners that they are now slaves of Israeli families and will be sent to work on their estates. IDF soldiers posing in front of schools they've destroyed.

The list goes on and on and on and on.

KKK, Nazis, Zionists, USA all the same to me. Down with Fascist State of Isn'treal.

In no particular order some clips. Major NSFL warning. I wish had saved more of what I've seen. You can find a lot of it yourself by going to r/palestine sorting by top in the past month/year and spending an hour or two in a state of horror at what you're seeing.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/American_Se ... ection_Act

[Videos documenting atrocities; truncated for brevity.]

Of course I'm not denying that Israel is committing mass murder and atrocities in Gaza. I wasn't endorsing the official Israeli account of the ceasefire deal; my response to that article was more "confusion" than anything. It's worth noting that neither party has officially signed anything, correct me if I'm wrong. So far all I've heard is verbal agreements? IDK? There isn't even any official word on whether the previous ceasefire was signed or verbal, only that it was a formal agreement. In any case, this current row of alleged miscommunication makes it far less likely that this was "signed."

Regarding the allegations that Hamas was being deceitful, it wouldn't be beyond Hamas to do that kind of thing. I'm still processing this confusing affair, but here's what I think happened:

• The US invited Israel to the talks, but the latter refused, so it's only possible for them to receive a copy after the talks. What else do you expect? Nothing misleading about that on Hamas or the US's part.

• However, Hamas did, in my opinion, implicitly mislead the public by implying that their counterproposal was the same agreement that the two parties were working on when both parties were last present at the negotiations. Basically, they accepted their own, new proposal while not telling anyone that it wasn't the same proposal everyone's been hearing about.

• Israel sent a delegation the next day, and talks are ongoing.

And back to our regularly scheduled programming

[wjfox]

Please avoid quoting large numbers of pics/videos – I don't think people want to scroll through all that.

[firestar464]

Fixed

[wjfox]

[erowind]

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[wjfox]