Palestinians fight for their lives and their stolen lands

[Anthea]

What Israeli-made famine
has done to Gaza's children

Doctors warn Gaza’s youngest face stunted growth, organ damage, and deadly infections as Israeli seige and relentless bombings hinder life-saving treatment

In The New York Times, reporter Stephanie Nolen explains that health workers often use a simple but vital tool to detect malnutrition in young children: a measuring tape. For most two-year-olds, the upper arm measures about six inches (15.2 cm), made up of bone, muscle, and fat.

When the circumference drops below 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) in children under five, she writes, it signals severe malnutrition, the point at which the body, having burned through fat reserves, begins consuming muscle and bone.

This case of severe malnutrition is evident in the Gaza Strip undergoing genocide by the Israeli occupation. Just earlier, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that four fetuses and three premature babies have died at Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza due to severe malnutrition, highlighting the devastating toll the ongoing blockade and war are taking on the enclave’s youngest and most vulnerable residents.

The Gaza Strip, where Israel has restricted aid during the ongoing genocide, is facing extreme levels of malnutrition. In July, a UN-backed panel of food security experts declared Gaza City officially under famine, reporting that 16% of children screened were malnourished.

Even those who survive severe malnutrition may carry lifelong consequences: stunted growth, weakened bones, liver and kidney damage, cognitive impairments, and heightened risks of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease later in life.

Israeli officials have downplayed these concerns. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the famine declaration “an outright lie.”

How hunger devours Gaza’s young

As a foreign correspondent covering global health, Nolen has witnessed acute malnutrition in many settings, from wars and displacement camps to drought-stricken regions of East Africa and central India, where social factors such as caste and gender discrimination exacerbate chronic undernutrition.

“For a child, food is not just energy for the day at hand, but the essential building block for a life ahead, needed for the development of muscle, bone, and brain,” she notes.

Treatment centers for malnourished children are marked by an eerie silence. Many are too weak to cry, staring blankly at caregivers. Some remain motionless or refuse food and drink because eating itself consumes energy they no longer have.

In the most severe cases, children’s bodies begin breaking down vital organs to survive. Their immune systems collapse, leaving them dangerously vulnerable to disease. Even minor infections can become fatal, and wounds or rashes may not heal.

Challenges of treatment

Treating these children is complex. They cannot simply be given a hot meal. Instead, they require specially formulated, high-energy therapeutic foods that their bodies can absorb, administered in carefully measured amounts.

Food and other essential supplies began slowly trickling into Gaza this summer after months of blockade by Israel, slightly easing the hunger that had gripped the enclave’s two million residents by late July.

Despite partial relief, food shortages remain widespread. With the Israeli occupation forces poised to invade and then occupy Gaza City, medical workers face mounting challenges in delivering the careful, intensive care these children need to survive and recover.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/hea ... ldren--nyt

[Anthea]

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza
UN commission of inquiry says

A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births

It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent.

Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as "distorted and false".

A spokesperson accused the three experts on the commission of serving as "Hamas proxies" and relying "entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others" that had "already been thoroughly debunked".

At least 64,905 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of the population has also been repeatedly displaced; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The three-member expert panel is chaired by Navi Pillay, a South African former UN human rights chief who was president of the international tribunal on Rwanda's genocide.

The commission's latest report, external alleges that Israeli authorities and Israeli forces have committed four of the five acts of genocide defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention against a national, ethnic, racial or religious group - in this case, Palestinians in Gaza:

Killing members of the group through attacks on protected objects; targeting civilians and other protected persons; and the deliberate infliction of conditions causing deaths

Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group through direct attacks on civilians and protected objects; severe mistreatment of detainees; forced displacement; and environmental destruction

Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the group in whole or in part through destruction of structures and land essential to Palestinians; destruction and denial of access to medical services; forced displacement; blocking essential aid, water, electricity and fuel from reaching Palestinians; reproductive violence; and specific conditions impacting children

Imposing measures intended to prevent births through the December 2023 attack on Gaza's largest fertility clinic, reportedly destroying around 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm samples and unfertilised eggs

The Israeli military has ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City ahead a ground offensive to conquer it

To fulfill the legal definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention, it must also be established that the perpetrator committed any one of those acts with specific intent to destroy the group in whole or in part.

The commission says it analysed statements made by Israeli leaders and alleges that President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have "incited the commission of genocide".

It also states that "genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference" that could be concluded from the pattern of conduct of Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza.

The commission says the pattern of conduct includes intentionally killing and seriously harming an unprecedented number of Palestinians using heavy munitions; systematic and widespread attacks on religious, cultural and education sites; and imposing a siege on Gaza and starving its population.

Israel's government insists that its efforts are directed solely at dismantling Hamas's capabilities and not at the people of Gaza. It says its forces operate in accordance with international law and take all feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

"As early as 7 October 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to inflict… 'mighty vengeance' on 'all of the places where Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble'," Pillay said in an interview with the BBC.

"His use of the phrase 'wicked city' in the same statement implied that he saw the whole city of Gaza [Gaza City] as responsible and a target for vengeance. And he told Palestinians to 'leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere'."

She added: "It took us two years to gather all the actions and make factual findings, verify whether that had happened… It's only the facts that will direct you. And you can only bring it under the Genocide Convention if those acts were done with this intention."

The commission says the acts of Israeli political and military leaders are "attributable to the State of Israel", and that the state therefore "bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide".

It also warns all other countries have an immediate obligation under the Genocide Convention to "prevent and punish the crime of genocide", employing all measures at their disposal. If they do not, it says, they could be held complicit

"We have not gone so far as to name parties as co-conspirators, or being complicit in genocide. But that is the… ongoing work of this commission. They will get there," Pillay said.

A number of international and Israeli human rights organisations, independent UN experts, and scholars have also accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is meanwhile hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israeli forces of genocide. Israel has called the case "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8641wv0n4go

[Anthea]

IOF forces civilians out of Gaza City

Israeli troops pressed ahead with a ground offensive into Gaza City on Wednesday, making further efforts to force more people to flee their homes and travel to overcrowded and unsafe areas in the south of the devastated territory

The Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) said on Wednesday they had carried out 150 air and artillery strikes ahead of the ground operation that began early on Tuesday morning.

Two army divisions are working their way slowly towards the city centre and are expected to be joined by a third in the coming days.

Several of the airstrikes brought down apartment blocks in the midst of tented camps inhabited by displaced people. Israel claims the buildings were being used by Hamas for surveillance.

On Tuesday night Gaza City’s al-Rantisi children’s hospital was hit. According to the Gaza health ministry, half the hospital’s 80 patients managed to flee the building but the rest, including four children in intensive care and eight premature babies, remained.

Overnight strikes killed 16 people, according to local hospitals, bringing the total Palestinian death toll in two years of war to 65,000. On Tuesday, a UN human rights commission published a report concluding that Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza

The coast road leading south from Gaza City has been packed with families trying to flee the offensive. On Wednesday, the IOF announced the opening of a second route, through the middle of the Gaza Strip, for two days to try to encourage the exodus.

Israeli army drops evacuation leaflets over Gaza City

However, many residents of Gaza City and the rest of the north are very unlikely to have received any of the text messages or social media posts put out by the IOF because strikes in the region have damaged the telephone network.

Of the million Palestinians living in and around Gaza City, the Israeli military estimates 350,000 people have left and moved south over the past month. The UN estimate is 238,000, including about 50,000 in the last 48 hours.

The United Nations voiced grave concerns on Wednesday about food and other supplies running out in northern Gaza, where many are already experiencing famine, after Israel closed the only crossing there last week.

“There are grave concerns over fuel and food stock depletion in a matter of days as there are now no direct aid entry points into northern Gaza and resupply from south to north is increasingly challenging due to mounting road congestion and insecurity,” the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
Gaza City residents unable to leave as Israel strikes residential buildings.

Contrary to Israeli claims, none of the Palestinians interviewed by the Guardian in recent weeks have said they came under pressure from Hamas to stay in the city. Many residents said they had been unable or reluctant to leave for multiple other reasons

Some are physically unable to move, weakened by many months of near starvation, and some cannot afford the costs of transport or the price of a rudimentary plastic sheeting tent at their destination.

Very many consider the south to be as dangerous as Gaza City. Israel has frequently bombed the “humanitarian zone” it established at al-Mawasi. The sprawling camp there was hit by an Israeli strike overnight, killing two parents and their child.

Many Israeli security officials, including the IOF chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, have privately questioned the wisdom of the offensive, in terms of its human cost and because they think there is little chance it will achieve its stated goal of the total destruction of Hamas.

There have been no security checks of the mass of people fleeing south, so most observers believe it probable that Hamas militants will regroup elsewhere. IOF officials have estimated there are between 2,000 and 3,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters ready for battle in the city centre, but IOF intelligence estimates suggest that is only a small fraction of their surviving forces.

Many Israeli observers and commentators believe the real motives for the offensive are political: to keep Israel in a state of war so as to fend off early elections in which Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition could be unseated, and to make Gaza City uninhabitable so as to put pressure on Palestinians to leave and for other countries to receive them.

Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body that administers access to Gaza, on Wednesday issued advice to Palestinians in the territory who wanted to leave.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, described Gaza as a “real estate bonanza” on Wednesday, Hebrew media reported

Speaking a property development conference in Tel Aviv, Smotrich said he was talking to “the Americans” and that “the demolition, the first stage in the city’s renewal, we have already done. Now we just need to build.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

Israel exploiting Gaza war
to seize West Bank land

An opinion piece published in The New York Times on Thursday by Philip H. Gordon, former national security advisor to Kamala Harris, sounded the alarm over Israel's accelerating annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank, a project that he argues would bury the prospect of Palestinian statehood and intensify Israel's pariah status worldwide

While the world's gaze remains fixed on the devastating assault on Gaza, Gordon warns that the Israeli government is exploiting the chaos to push forward a colonial agenda in the West Bank.

He stresses that extreme-right figures in Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, emboldened by US indifference, are seizing the moment to entrench permanent control over territory that belongs to Palestinians.

For decades, Palestinians have seen their land steadily carved away by settlements. The settler population, Gordon notes, has ballooned to around 740,000 from just 10,000 in the 1970s, and over a hundred new outposts were established in the past year alone

The latest flashpoint is the E1 plan, dubbed a "doomsday" settlement by advocates of a two-state solution, that would physically sever East Al-Quds from Palestinian cities like Ramallah and Bethlehem.

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich admitted bluntly that the project "buries the idea of a Palestinian state," while Netanyahu declared, "We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us."

Settler violence shielded

The expansion is driven not only by bureaucracy but also by increasing settler violence. Palestinians endure systematic intimidation: destroyed crops, torched cars, water cutoffs, and killings. The UN has recorded over 1,000 cases this year alone, the highest since monitoring began in 2006. Gordon highlights the case of radical settler Yinon Levi, caught on video shooting activist Awdah Hathaleen. Israel delayed returning Hathaleen's body for more than a week, while Levi was quickly released by a court citing insufficient evidence.

The US role looms large. Unlike past administrations, Trump's team has offered cover for "Israel's" annexation drive. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described annexation as "not a final thing," while Ambassador Mike Huckabee claimed the US "has never asked Israel to not apply sovereignty" in the West Bank.

Washington has also lifted sanctions on violent settler groups and barred Palestinian Authority leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas, from attending the UN General Assembly.

Apartheid expansion

According to Gordon, only coordinated international action can halt Israel's apartheid expansion. The UAE has already warned that annexation is a "red line," and France and Saudi Arabia are pressing the issue at the UN.

The choice, Gordon concludes, is clear: Israel can maintain ties with the global community or pursue domination over Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, but not both.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -land--nyt

[Anthea]

Israel Army Warns of
Unprecedented Force

The Israeli military on Friday warned it will operate with what it described as “unprecedented force” in Gaza City, urging residents to evacuate south while closing a temporary escape route it had opened just two days earlier

The escalation comes amid mounting international criticism and heightened diplomatic tensions as several Western governments prepare to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations next week.

In a statement posted on X, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee announced that Salah al-Din Road — Gaza’s main north-south artery — was now closed for southbound movement. “From this moment, Salah al-Din Road is closed for southbound travel. The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate with unprecedented force against Hamas and other terrorist organizations,” he said.

Adraee added that the only remaining evacuation route is along Al-Rashid Street on Gaza’s western coast, urging residents to follow “hundreds of thousands” of others who have already moved south to designated “humanitarian areas.”

Israel had announced on Wednesday that Salah al-Din would be open for 48 hours to facilitate evacuation from the besieged city. The closure follows a massive ground offensive and intensified aerial bombardment on Gaza City, where the United Nations estimates around one million people still live despite months of displacement.

AFP footage from Al-Rashid coastal road on Thursday showed thousands of Palestinians walking or driving south with only a few belongings stacked onto vehicles. In western Gaza City on Friday, displaced resident Sami Baroud described the situation as “relentless and intense shelling,” underscoring the humanitarian toll of Israel’s latest offensive.

The Israeli military insists its operations target Hamas and other armed groups entrenched in Gaza City, but the campaign has left entire neighborhoods in ruins after nearly two years of war. The United Nations declared a famine in the territory earlier this year, adding to widespread humanitarian alarm.

The offensive coincides with a major diplomatic development: several Western countries, including France and Britain, are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN summit next week. The timing has amplified global criticism of Israel’s military strategy, particularly as humanitarian conditions worsen.

On Tuesday, a United Nations probe accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, naming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials as inciters of the crime. Israel swiftly rejected the findings, calling them “distorted and false.”

The conflict traces back to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel, which killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Israel’s subsequent retaliatory campaign has since killed at least 65,141 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry figures cited as reliable by the UN.

As Israel intensifies its offensive on Gaza City, the humanitarian crisis shows no sign of easing. With major evacuation routes closing and food insecurity deepening, the fate of the city’s remaining residents hangs in the balance while international calls for accountability grow louder.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/894899

[Anthea]

A long Document - Please Read It All

Together for Palestine:
Troubling questions about the organisers of this huge event

David Miller reveals that the “Together for Palestine” concert in London, featuring major artists, is funneling donations through Choose Love, a charity with deep ties to Zionist funders and intelligence-linked networks, raising serious questions about transparency.

A huge concert took place at Wembley arena in London on 17th September.

Under the title Together for Palestine a long list of acts are performing, including Brian Eno, Damon Albarn, Hot Chip, James Blake, Jamie XX, Paloma Faith, and Nai Barghouti.

The Together for Palestine event website says: “Every penny donated will go to supporting Palestinian-led humanitarian organisations saving lives under fire. All funds will go through Choose Love, a UK-registered charity who support local partners in conflict zones.”

So who gets the funds? It doesn’t say. If we look on the Choose Love website, we find that the charity has partners in both what it calls Israel and what it calls the “Occupied Palestinian territories.”

Its Israel partner is the New Israel Fund, a Zionist funding mechanism which claims to be interested in human rights but will not support even mild actions like BDS.

Amongst its Palestinian partners are the International Rescue Committee, an organisation headed by former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and set up originally by the CIA. The classic account of the organisation describes it as a “covert network”

Given the lack of clarity on which "Palestinian-led humanitarian organisations saving lives under fire” would be beneficiaries, I wrote to the press contact advertised: togetherforpalestine@s-414.com. This resulted in a reply from “Tom Mehrtens (they/them) Director of Music SATELLITE414” Tom wrote that:

100% of the funds will be split between the below three organisations for these outlined activities…

PCRF - children’s medical relief and they are especially known for secondary/tertiary care (amputations, reconstruction etc)

Taawon - Noor orphan care program. 5-point intervention to the age of 18 for 20k children with family placement as default mode. This is probably the largest non-state, national-level war orphan program in the world.

PMRS - does primary medical relief and are the most on the ground amongst the population. Many of the ambulance services are run by them.

I also asked Tom at Satellite 414 who was the client that they were working for. He replied that it was “Together for Palestine.”

This is odd, since there is no such organisation - no charity, no company. On the Together for Palestine website it says explicitly that the event "is independently organised by T4P Events". I wrote back to clarify this but received no reply. So the question of who pays the bills to the PR firm is unclear. It might be Choose Love or it might be T4P Events (which is a company). Let’s look at each in turn.

What is Choose Love?

Choose Love is based in the UK and US, and among its many funders in 2023 were Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Goldman Sachs Gives, Jewish Communal Fund, and Open Society Foundations, all of which are Zionist. Also listed is the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, widely known as a CIA pass through.

Choose Love says that it is administered by an innocent sounding group called Prism the Gift Fund. But further investigation reveals an altogether different picture.

Prism the Gift Fund was set up by Anne Josse. Josse is described by the Jewish Chronicle as “an Orthodox Jew who … co-runs private equity firm Regent Capital (with Prism co-founder Gideon Lyons)” She ran the Zionist funding agency the New Israel Fund UK in the 1990s. When younger, she travelled to occupied Palestine and spent time at a religious seminary, as well as having been chair of the Manchester University Jewish Society, the Manchester branch of the Zionist Union of Jewish Students..

The charity operates as a donor advised fund, a mechanism to obscure public knowledge of where funding for recipients originates. The charity, unsurprisingly, is deeply embedded in the Zionist movement. It runs the activities of the Jerusalem Foundation - engaged in ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem [Al-Quds] as well as at least two other Zionist family foundations (the Bluston Charitable Settlement, of which Anne Josse is a trustee, and the Pelz Trust), which also give to the IOF and other genocidal charities.

In the last year or so, Choose Love has stated that it has severed its relations with Prism the Gift Fund and is now independent. I understand that this happened in 2024 and that a dispute over the genocide prompted the split.

Have Brian Eno and the other artists involved been fully apprised of all these details?

What is T4P Events?

In the small print of its website, Together for Palestine discloses that the event “is independently organised by T4P Events in aid of Choose Love’s vital fundraising.”

What is T4P Events?

It’s a company registered at Companies House on 29 May this year. It has two directors. Anna Catherine Nolan and James Sadri. Let’s have a look at their background.

James Sadri says he is a ‘migrant’ and has three links on his Instagram page to campaigns he has worked in. As well as T4P Events, there is Led By Donkeys and the Syria Campaign.

The Syria Campaign and propaganda for regime change in Syria

The Syria Campaign is a Public Relations outfit which claims: “We are a human rights advocacy group supporting Syria’s heroes in the struggle for freedom and democracy.”

In reality, it was created to give PR cover to the British intelligence operation known as the White Helmets, which involved itself in war crimes in pursuit of regime change in Syria. Perhaps the most famous Syria Campaign output was Killing the Truth, a dossier full of lies intended to suggest that scepticism about fake chemical weapons attacks in Syria were “Russian disinformation".

The White Helmets

Anna Nolan was co-founder and Director at The Syria Campaign, where she says she “helped elevate Syria’s heroic civil society.” In addition, Nolan claims to have been on the advisory council of the White Helmets since 2019 and is still on it.

In 2017 she personally went to collect the Good Housekeeping Woman of the Year award given to “Syrian heroes” described as “The women of The White Helmets”.

Obviously, the publicity did not picture or mention the most senior woman in the White Helmets: Emma Winberg. She ran the operation on the ground and is a serving MI6 officer. This was revealed after her husband James Le Mesurier was found dead outside their flat in Istanbul while she reportedly “slept”. Le Mesurier himself was a former British military intelligence officer.

Their roles were a key indication that the White Helmets was an MI6 led and funded operation. According to official disclosures, in total, since 2014, the Foreign Office (on behalf of MI6) has given the White Helmets a total of £60,330,856, including the latest payment of £2.3 million in 2024.

The Syria Campaign also received support from the US intelligence community, funnelled through the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the National Endowment for Democracy and other sources, including directly from the White Helmets and from the Syria Truth and Accountability Centre, both of which have been directly funded by the UK Foreign Office via its MI6 slush fund, the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. They also received support from Choose Love

Nolan appears to have a history with regime change propaganda which goes back before her involvement with the Syria Campaign. In fact, she spun the Syria Campaign out of a PR firm called Purpose, for which she worked, in 2014.

At the time ,connections between Purpose and the Syria Campaign were disparaged by James Sadri himself as a “crank conspiracy”. But now Nolan publicly admits that she worked on the Syria campaign while still at Purpose between January and June 2014.

War crimes in Syria?

The White Helmets are plausibly guilty of war crimes in Syria, including participation in a managed massacre of civilians for the purposes of faking chemical weapons attack in Ghouta (2013), Khan Sheikhoun (2017), Douma (2018), and other incidents.

All those involved in directing their activities - including those in MI6 as well as accessories to their activities, like James Sadri and Anna Nolan of The Syria Campaign, could and should potentially face war crimes charges in the future.

Choose Love and the White Helmets

In their 2024 “Impact” report, Choose Love continue to lie about the White Helmets' involvement in allegedly clearing “toxic” chemicals in Syria, playing into false propaganda suggesting the Assad government was involved in chemical weapons attacks.

Choose Love also admits that it gave the White Helmets over half a million dollars to put on their fake show of digging for “secret” prisoners in Sednayah prison after the fall of the Assad government and the installation of an al-Qaeda/ISIS government there. Even the White Helmets had to admit that their operation failed to find any “secret” areas or prisoners.

Half a million dollars wasted. Both France 24 and even CNN reported on how they were fooled by this story. It is notable that Choose Love refers to the disaster that has befallen Syria with the regime change led by former al-Qaeda and ISIS commander, Julani, as a “liberation”.

Why was Choose Love using a firm with British and US intelligence connections to run a pro-Palestine musical event?

[Anthea]

At least 92 slaughtered in Israeli
strikes across Gaza since dawn

Israeli bombardment on Gaza killed at least 92 people Saturday, hitting homes, shelters, and aid sites in Gaza City, Nuseirat, and Khan Younis

At least 92 people were killed on Saturday as the Israeli occupation launched heavy bombardments across the Gaza Strip, targeting residential areas and shelters for displaced civilians, according to local authorities.

In northern Gaza City, occupation forces detonated an armored vehicle packed with explosives to destroy homes along al-Nafaq Street, while tanks fired shells and heavy machine-gun rounds in the surrounding area. Artillery also struck the city’s northwestern districts, and air raids hit Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, with smoke bombs dropped near the al-Mashtal Hotel.

Israeli quadcopter drones reportedly dropped grenades on Abu Assi School in al-Shati refugee camp, where displaced families had taken shelter. One person was killed and several others were wounded. Two more people were killed when a house belonging to the Hassan family near al-Firouz Towers was hit.

Fourteen people, including four children and five women, were killed in an airstrike on a residential block belonging to the Daghmash family in the Sabra area, south of Gaza City. Rescue teams said several others remained trapped under rubble amid major difficulties accessing the site.

Strikes across central and southern Gaza

Israeli artillery also targeted homes in al-Zaytoun and al-Shujaiya east of Gaza City, while warplanes destroyed two residential buildings near al-Shujaiya junction. Several people were injured in an airstrike near the Jordanian Hospital in Tel al-Hawa.

In the al-Shati camp, four people were killed and others were injured when Israeli artillery hit the Hamid intersection. Another strike from an Israeli drone killed one person and injured others in the al-Sahaba area of the al-Daraj neighborhood.

Four more people were killed when a tent sheltering displaced families near Yarmouk Stadium on al-Wahda Street was hit. In western Nuseirat, three people were killed and four wounded when a tent shelter for displaced families near the archaeological site was struck.

Further south, Israeli shelling targeted aid security personnel in Batn al-Samin, south of Khan Younis, with tanks and smoke grenades reported in the area. A woman was shot dead near Hamad City, north of Khan Younis, while three people were killed in another strike on central Khan Younis.
Gaza residents exhausted amid relentless attacks

AFP on Saturday reported that the director of Gaza's largest hospital, already struggling to cope with the carnage of Israel's ongoing assault, was struck by personal loss when the bodies of his brother and sister-in-law arrived at the emergency ward

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, who leads Al-Shifa hospital, said he was working as waves of martyrs from Israeli bombardments were being brought in when he realized two of the dead were his own family.

"I was shocked and devastated to see the bodies of my brother and his wife," he said. "Anything is possible now, as you receive your dearest ones as martyrs or wounded. The occupation's crimes continue, and the number of martyrs keeps rising."

Hospitals across the besieged enclave remain flooded with bodies. Al-Shifa reported receiving 34 corpses, while the Baptist hospital took in 28. An AFP journalist witnessed ambulances pulling into the Al-Shifa compound, unloading the dead and injured, including children. Four bodies wrapped in white cloth were placed beneath a tree as more victims arrived.

Israel's military dismissed questions about the rising civilian death toll but insisted it was expanding its operation, claiming that "troops dismantled numerous terror infrastructure sites."

Forced displacement under fire

"Israel's" bombardment of Gaza City forms part of a broader campaign that international bodies and human rights organizations describe as a systematic effort to erase Palestinian communities. Entire neighborhoods are being reduced to rubble, echoing the destruction of Beit Hanoun and Rafah.

"Death is more merciful," said 38-year-old Mohammed Nassar from Tal al-Hawa, who explained he cannot afford to evacuate his wife and three daughters. "As for me, my wife and my three daughters, we will wait until the last moment.

The occupation wants to forcibly displace everyone so it can destroy Gaza City and turn it into another Beit Hanoun or Rafah -- unlivable for the next 100 years."

The Gaza civil defence agency estimates that 450,000 people have already fled the city, while "Israel" claims 480,000 have left. Yet with the United Nations reporting about one million residents in Gaza City and its environs, hundreds of thousands remain trapped, too poor or too exhausted to flee.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... a-since-da

[Anthea]

Portugal joins UK, Canada and
Australia in recognizing Palestine

Portugal has formally recognized the State of Palestine, joining Canada, the UK, and Australia, as more nations consider supporting a two-state solution

Portugal has officially recognized the State of Palestine, becoming the latest Western country to take this step after similar announcements by Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel announced the decision on Sunday, affirming Lisbon’s support for a two-state solution, which he described as “the only viable path toward achieving a just and lasting peace.”

The move came just hours after the governments of Britain, Canada, and Australia announced their formal recognition of the State of Palestine. Israeli media described the development as a “diplomatic tsunami,” coming on the eve of the UN General Assembly meetings, where several more countries are expected to take similar steps.

The announcement coincides with preparations for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and the resumption of a high-level international conference on resolving the Palestinian question and implementing a two-state solution, co-sponsored by Saudi Arabia and France.

Currently, nearly three-quarters of the UN’s 193 member states officially recognize the State of Palestine

Australia, UK, Canada recognize Palestine

Australia has formally recognised the State of Palestine, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Sunday, aligning Canberra with Canada and the United Kingdom in a coordinated move to revive momentum for a "two-state solution."

In a joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Albanese said the decision was intended to support a political path that begins with “a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held there.” He emphasised that the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas “must have no role in Palestine.”

The statement described recognition as “part of a coordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution,” calling it the only route to "lasting peace and security" for Palestinians and Israeli settlers. It added that Australia’s step reflects a longstanding commitment to Palestinian self-determination.
Canada Recognizes State of Palestine

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Sunday that Canada has formally recognized the State of Palestine, joining a coordinated international effort to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

"Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel... While Canada is under no illusions that this recognition is a panacea, this recognition is firmly aligned with the principles of self-determination and fundamental human rights reflected in the United Nations Charter," Carney said in a statement.

Britain formally recognizes Palestine

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also confirmed the United Kingdom's recognition of Palestine on Sunday, declaring: “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine.”

According to Albanese, work is underway with partners in the Arab League, the United States, and others to develop a credible peace plan enabling Gaza’s reconstruction, strengthening Palestinian state institutions, and ensuring "security" for the Israeli occupation.

“The hope, and the right, of all humanity is lasting peace and security in the Middle East,” Albanese said, pledging Australia’s continued engagement with international partners to build on the recognition and pursue a durable settlement.

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[Anthea]

IOF, settlers ramp up
aggression across West Bank

Palestinian towns witnessed overnight raids, arrests, and home occupations as Israeli forces and settlers expanded assaults across the occupied West Bank

Israeli occupation forces and settler groups continued their assaults across the occupied West Bank on Sunday and Monday, carrying out aggression against Palestinians and their property.

According to the Palestinian news agency, two young men were injured by Israeli rubber-coated bullets shortly after midnight during a raid on the town of Ya’bad, west of Jenin.

The Palestinian Information Center reported that a group of settlers occupied a Palestinian house in al-Khalil’s Old City in the southern West Bank. At the same time, elsewhere, Israeli occupation forces set fire to a home during a raid on the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.

In Nablus, IOF launched a detention campaign in the Balata refugee camp, coinciding with ongoing raids in the city’s eastern neighborhoods. They also detained Sheikh Mustafa Shawar, head of the Association of Palestinian Scholars, from his home in al-Khalil

Additional raids were reported in several areas of al-Khalil, including Surif, Bani Na’im, and Wadi al-Hariyya. Israeli occupation forces also stormed the town of Qusra and the Old Askar refugee camp near Nablus, as well as the town of Qaffin north of Tulkarm.

In Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied al-Quds, Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters along Airport Street as students made their way to school.

IOF launch mass detention amid escalating aggression

Israeli occupation forces launched a mass detention campaign across the occupied West Bank at dawn Sunday, detaining dozens of Palestinians, including former Arab MK Haneen Zoabi.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that Zoabi was detained at her home in al-Nasira and forcibly taken for interrogation on charges of “incitement to terrorism,” following a speech she delivered at a conference abroad that Israeli authorities labeled as anti-Israeli. She was released a few hours later.

The brutal Israeli raids extended to several West Bank cities and towns. In Nablus, former Palestinian prisoners Qutaiba Azem, Mahmoud Abdel Hadi, and Musab Malitat were detained. In Tulkarm, arrests targeted Mohammed Sultan Mallah and Dr. Mujahid Burhan Shadid.

In the villages surrounding al-Khalil, Israeli occupation forces carried out raids that led to the detention of Adam Tamer Abu Arqoub, Mustafa al-Tawil, and Mohammed Hussein al-Alami.

Elsewhere, the IOF arrested Qarawa Bani Hassan’s mayor, Ibrahim Assi, in Salfit, while also seizing municipal equipment. In Jenin’s town of Jaba, soldiers conducted field interrogations of Palestinian youth during their continued raids.

Meanwhile, the al-Quds Brigades' Jenin Brigade announced on Sunday that it had targeted Israeli occupation vehicles with heavy gunfire in the vicinity of the Great Mosque last night.

Netanyahu rejects Palestinian state as recognition expands

In a related context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that he rejects the notion of a Palestinian state and vowed to push back against countries that have recognized Palestinian sovereignty following the UN General Assembly.

"There will be no Palestinian state. I will give an answer to the latest attempt to impose a terrorist state in the very heart of our country upon my return from the United States.

He added that Israel would continue expanding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, reinforcing his government's long-standing opposition to Palestinian statehood initiatives.

Netanyahu's statement comes hours after the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia announced their formal recognition of Palestine, a move seen as a major diplomatic setback for Israel.

In the West Bank, Palestinians have welcomed the symbolic step but voiced doubts about whether international recognition will translate into practical change without pressure on Israel.

Analysts warn that Netanyahu's rejection, combined with settlement expansion, risks further eroding the possibility of a negotiated two-state framework.

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[Anthea]

France recognizes state of Palestine

Nations push for the recognition of Palestine at the UNGA International Conference on a "Two-State Solution", stating that peace starts at this conference amid Israeli and US objections

The United Nations General Assembly summit for the recognition of a Palestinian State has kicked off, with France, among many others, recognizing a Palestinian State during the event, in what they call a push for peace under the "two-state solution".

Opening the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the "Two-State Solution" at the United Nations in New York on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, "The time for peace has come, as we are just moments away from no longer being able to seize it."

Macron announced France's recognition of a Palestinian state, a long-anticipated move he defended as being in the interest of peace despite criticism from "Israel" and the United States. "France today recognizes a State of Palestine," Macron stated at the General Assembly while the Palestinian delegation led an ovation, noting that with this step, he was propping up "peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples."

Calling for the release of the Israeli captives, the French president added that "the time has come to stop the war, the bombings of Gaza, the massacres, and the displacement." He conditioned the possible opening of a French embassy in the Palestinian state on the release of the Israeli captives currently in Gaza and a ceasefire.

In his UN speech that endorsed the recognition of a Palestinian state, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to continue his fight against antisemitism following criticism from both Israel and the United States, describing it as an "existential fight".

Macron added, "We have a historic responsibility today to chart the path for peace and preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, and the time for that has come," adding that waiting to recognize a Palestinian state was no longer productive, stressing that "Israel" has an absolute duty to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the Gaza Strip.

Saudi Arabia calls on all nations to follow suit

Separately, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan thanked the countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, calling the "Two-State Solution" conference a "historic opportunity to achieve peace." Bin Farhan called for all countries to follow the example of Western nations in recognizing a Palestinian state.

"We call on all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards implementation of the two-state solution," he stated during the UN conference.

Guterres disappointed at barring Palestinian delegation from attending

On his part, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed his disappointment that the Palestinian delegation was prevented from attending the session with full representation, reiterating his call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the release of captives, and the entry of aid into the enclave.

The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, also insisted that Israel is obligated to enable humanitarian access for Palestinians. She added that the current message is one of resilience, with the international community now developing a schedule of concrete steps to secure peace.

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[Anthea]

UNGA 2025 opens with Gaza genocide
dominating leaders' speeches

World leaders at UNGA 2025 focus on Gaza, Ukraine, climate, and global peace in speeches at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly summit in New York

World leaders have gathered in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, with this year's session expected to overwhelmingly revolve around the Israeli war on Gaza and the war in Ukraine.

Some of the most notable speakers include Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres, as well as presidents like the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva, and US President Donald Trump.

Antonio Guterres, the top chief in the United Nations, opened the convention with an address that stressed the importance of unity at a time when the role of the international organization he heads has been under scrutiny.

“Eighty years ago, in a world scorched by war, leaders made a choice, cooperation over chaos, law over lawlessness, peace over conflict, and that choice gave birth to the United Nations, not as a dream for perfection, but as a practical strategy for survival of humanity,” Guterres stated.

He added, “Eighty years on, we confront again the question our founders faced, only more urgent, more intertwined, more unforgiving."

What kind of world are we building: Guterres

“What kind of world do we choose to build together, excellencies? We have our work cut out for us as our ability to carry out that work is being cut from us,” the UN Secretary-General emphasized.

Guterres declared that the world had entered an age of reckless disruption and relentless human suffering, urging the assembled leaders to observe how the foundational principles of the United Nations were under siege and to hear how the pillars of peace and progress were buckling under the weight of impunity, inequality, and indifference.

“Sovereign nations invaded, hunger weaponised, truth silenced, rising smoke from bombed-out cities, rising anger in fractured societies, rising seas, swelling coastlines, each one a warning, each one a question – what kind of world will we choose?” he added.

War on Gaza unprecedented

Guterres referenced several global conflicts, beginning with the war in Sudan and Ukraine, but giving particular emphasis to the war on Gaza, which was set to define this year’s General Debate. The UNGA held a conference on September 22, where several countries recognized a Palestinian state.

“In Gaza, the horrors are approaching a third monstrous year. They are the result of decisions that defy basic humanity. The scale of death and destruction are beyond any other conflict in my years as secretary-general,” he said.

In his address, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres further referenced the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s top court, which had delivered several orders on Gaza, including calls for Israel to take steps to prevent genocide, allow for investigations, and boost humanitarian aid.

Guterres then proceeded to call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the Israeli captives, full access to humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that "we must not relent in the only viable answer to sustainable Middle East peace: a two-state solution."

The UN chief put a strong emphasis on the importance of human rights in the process of peace, stating, “We must choose human dignity and human rights. Human rights are not an ornament of peace, they are its bedrock."

“Choosing rights means more than words. It means justice over silence,” he added.

We must never give up

Concluding his address to the UNGA, Guterres promised to continue his efforts to reinvigorate the United Nations, a pledge that has defined his tenure.

“We must never give up. That is my promise to you. For peace. For dignity. For justice. For humanity. For the world we know is possible when we work as one. I will never, ever give up,” Guterres asserted.

He called for a more equitable global economy, increased funding for development, renewed commitments to address climate change, and preparations to respond to emerging technologies, notably artificial intelligence, outlining a broad agenda for international cooperation.

Brazilian president talks Gaza and climate change

The Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addressed the UNGA after Guterres, as Brazil is traditionally the first state to deliver a speech at the General Debate.

Lula quickly raised the recent conviction of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro for his attempts to stay in power after his 2022 election loss. “A few days ago. … a former head of state was convicted of attacking the democratic rule of law. He was investigated, indicted, tried and held accountable for his actions in a meticulous process,” he stated.

“Brazil sent a message to all aspiring autocrats and those who support them: Our democracy, our sovereignty are nonnegotiable,” the Brazilian president added.

Lula indirectly condemns US attacks in the Caribbean

Without directly naming the US, the Brazilian leader aimed at the recent US military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

“The comparison between crime and terrorism is worrying,” he stated, emphasizing that “the most effective way to combat drug trafficking is to cooperate to suppress money laundering and limit arms trade. Using lethal force in situations that do not constitute armed conflict is tantamount to executing people without trial."

He warned that other regions had already experienced military interventions that caused greater damage than intended, resulting in serious humanitarian consequences, a clear reference to the civilian casualties throughout Washington’s "war on terror," predominantly in the Middle East and Africa.

Absolutely nothing justified genocide in Gaza

In his remarks, the Brazilian president discussed the ongoing war on Gaza, which has so far killed more than 65,000 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Opening his remarks, Lula denounced Hamas' operation on October 7, characterizing it as "indefensible from any angle," noting, however, that "nothing, absolutely nothing justifies the ongoing genocide in Gaza."

"Under tonnes of rubble are buried tens of thousands of innocent women and children," the Brazilian leader stated, adding, "We can see that international humanitarian law and the myth of ethical exceptionalism of the West are also being buried there."

He asserted that the genocide in Gaza would not have been possible without the acquiescence of those in a position to avert it, while mentioning that hunger is being utilized by Israel as a weapon of war and forced displacement of the Palestinian population in Gaza is going unpunished.

"The Palestinian people are at risk of disappearing. They will only survive with an independent state integrated into the international community," Lula added.

Climate change gets a mention at the podium

Noting that 2024 was the warmest year ever recorded, and with Brazil set to host the UN climate change conference, COP30, in two months, Lula used his speech to stress both the inequities of the impacts of climate change and the need for wealthy nations to step up.

“Developing nations face climate change while grappling with other challenges. Meanwhile, rich countries enjoy a standard of living reached at the expense of 200 years of greenhouse gas emissions, demanding greater ambition and greater access to resources and technology. It’s not a matter of charity, but of justice," Lula said in his speech.

Donald Trump takes center stage at New York, talks Gaza ceasefire

US President Donald Trump, despite his administration's opposition to yesterday's session on the topic of a "two-state solution" and the recognition of a Palestinian state, gave an address at the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump used his speech to talk about his "deep" engagement in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza, almost two years after the war broke out and after over 65,000 people have been killed by Israel with full impunity and backing from Washington.

“We have to stop the war in Gaza immediately. We have to stop it,” Trump said, adding, “We have to get it done. We have to negotiate peace. We have to get the hostages back. We want all 20 back."

“We have to get them back now,” he said. “We want actually the 38 dead bodies back too,” he continued.

Trump also argued that Hamas “has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace,” a claim that was rejected by the Palestinian group, which has repeatedly accused "Israel" of blocking a ceasefire agreement and has even accepted terms previously set forth by Israel itself.

The US president also reiterated his claim that the recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western countries over the last few days was a "reward" for Hamas.

Trump boasts about ending Iran's nuclear capabilities

Trump used his platform at the UN General Debate to tout the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, an operation carried out in June.

“Three months ago, in Operation Midnight Hammer, seven American B2 bombers dropped 30,000 pound each bombs on Iran’s key nuclear facility, totally obliterating everything. No other country on Earth could have done what we did," Trump stated.

Trump's claims are rather unsubstantiated, with a US Department of War report detailing that the US strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities only set back the program by a few months.

London mayor aiming to impose 'Sharia law'

The US president additionally took aim at the United Nations itself, specifically its branch that aids migrants.

Trump's remarks seemed to allude to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an organization that not only offers aid to migrants in perilous circumstances but also aims to reduce irregular migration by collaborating with local governments to establish safer and more lawful alternatives.

Specifically, Trump was referring to the IOM's assistance disbursement cards, which sometimes provide aid, in addition to transporting individuals based on local needs and coordination with governments.

The US president accused the United Nations of funding an attack on Western nations and their borders, stating, “The UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and then we have to get them out. The UN also provided food, shelter, transportation and debit cards to illegal aliens."

Moreover, Trump went and claimed in his speech that the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has been trying to institute Sharia Law, stating, “I look at London where you have a terrible mayor. A terrible, terrible mayor,” he said, adding that Mayor Khan wants to impose “Sharia law”.

War in Ukraine not making Russia look good

Trump has repeatedly referenced the situation in Ukraine, stating that he initially believed ending the war would be simpler than it has proven to be because his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin had, in his words, always been a good one.

He stated that Russia's war in Ukraine is damaging to Russia's international image, while also sharply criticizing EU nations for their continued purchases of Russian oil and gas, despite most having made efforts to reduce their reliance.

Climate change denial takes the spotlight

The US president went on in his speech to claim that climate change is a hoax, in a stark contrast to the UN Secretary-General Guterres and Brazilian President Lula, both of whom expressed concern regarding the worsening climate catastrophe on the planet.

He claimed climate change is the “greatest con job ever perpetuated on the world," calling it a “fake energy catastrophe" and adding, “The carbon footprint is a hoax, made up by people with evil intentions, and they’re heading down a path of total destruction.”

Trump then spent several minutes railing against clean energy policies and other practices aimed at tackling the climate crisis, calling renewable energy expensive and ineffective and characterizing it as a scam.

He went as far as to claim that “if you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.”
European countries 'are going to hell'

After exceeding his allotted 15 minutes to give a speech, Trump proceeded to take a jab at European countries, namely Germany, Greece, and Switzerland.

In his speech, Trump leveled an accusation that several countries were involved in an "open borders experiment," even though each of them maintains rigorous immigration policies.

“Your countries are going to hell. In America, we’ve taken bold action to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border and removing illegal aliens from the United States, they simply stopped coming,” Trump stated.

Trump then hailed the US attacks on boats in the Caribbean, delivering a warning: “To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America, please be warned that we will blow you out of existence."

Trump says he, Lula will talk

Trump mentioned that he and Lula shared an embrace upon meeting at the entrance to the UN building and arranged to meet again the following week. He described Lula as a seemingly "nice guy".

Migration, renewable energy bane for the world: Trump

The US president has concluded his speech after a whopping 55 minutes, far exceeding the 15-minute guideline, during which he reiterated what he identified as the two defining issues facing the world.

“In closing, I just want to repeat that immigration and the high cost of so-called green renewable energy is destroying a large part of the free world and a large part of our planet,” Trump stated.

“Countries that cherish freedom are fading fast because of their policies on these two subjects. You need strong borders and traditional energy sources if you are going to be great again, whether you have come from north or south, east or west, near or far,” he added.

“So together, let us uphold our sacred duty to our people and to our citizens. Let us protect their borders, ensure their safety, preserve their cultures, treasure their traditions and fight, fight, fight for their precious dreams and their cherished freedom,” Trump continued.

Prabowo draws parallels between Indonesia, Palestine

Following Trump, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took to the podium, giving a speech that heavily linked the war on Gaza to the history of Indonesia without naming "Israel" and rarely mentioning Gaza by name.

He stated that his country is ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza or, as he put it, anywhere else requiring peace, such as Ukraine.

“My country knows this pain for centuries. Indonesians lived under colonial domination, oppression and slavery, we were treated less than dogs in our own homeland,” he said.

"We Indonesians know what it means to be denied justice and what it means to live in apartheid, to live in poverty and to be denied equal opportunity, we also knew what can do in our struggle for independence, in our fight to overcome hunger, disease and poverty," he stated.

Prabowo highlighted the United Nations' historical role in assisting Indonesia to first achieve its independence and subsequently develop, before turning his focus to what he described as the "genocide and blatant disregard for international law and human decency" being witnessed in the world today.

Prabowo pleads for an independent Palestine

Indonesia's president declared, "We will never forget and today, we must never be silent while Palestinians are denied that same justice and legitimacy in this very hall," while adding that the United Nations "exists to reject this doctrine – we must stand for all the strong and the weak."

He concluded his speech with an impassioned plea for regional peace, calling for an independent Palestine while simultaneously stressing the need to recognize "Israel's" safety and security as a necessary condition for achieving a genuine and lasting peace.

“The only solution is that the two descendants of Abraham must live with reconciliation. Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhist – all religions, we must live as one human family," Prabowo said.

“Indonesia is committed to being part of making this vision a reality. Is this a dream? Maybe, but this is the beautiful dream that we must work together towards," he added, concluding his statement.

Erdogan condemns silence over Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then addressed the United Nations General Assembly, immediately pointing out the absence of Palestinian Authority and Palestinian Liberation Organization officials, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“I would like to first express my regret at the absence today of the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, at a time when Palestine is being recognised by an increasing number of countries,” Erdogan said.

“I stand here on this podium alongside my 86 million citizens, also for our Palestinian brothers and sisters whose voices are being silenced, I’d like to thank all the countries who announced that they recognised the state of Palestine, and I call on all the other countries who have not done so yet to do so to recognise the state of Palestine as soon as possible,” he added.

Israel failed to bury the truth with journalists

Erdogan stated that Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 250 journalists and emphasized that, despite "Israel" having closed all entrances to Gaza, they have still been unable to cover up the genocide.

He commended Guterres’ efforts to draw attention to the ongoing genocide but added that the United Nations has not even been able to protect its own personnel.

Erdogan points to the famine in Gaza

The Turkish president dedicated a significant portion of his remarks to Israel's war on Gaza, and he presented to the UN General Assembly a photograph that he says depicts the daily reality in Gaza, showing hungry women holding buckets and pots as they wait for food.

“Just feel your conscience and answer the following question. Can we possibly have a reasonable reason for this brutality in 2025?” Erdogan stated.

“This shameful picture has been unfolding in Gaza and is being repeated for 23 months now," the Turkish president stated, adding, “What kind of a human consciousness can possibly bear this? How can one stay silent vis-a-vis this? In a world where children are dying of starvation and lack of medication, can we possibly have calm and peace?”

Strike on Qatar proves Israel completely out of control

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then went on to point out Israel's aggressions outside of Gaza, bringing up the widespread Israeli airstrikes on Yemen, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, and Qatar.

“Israel is not limiting itself to Gaza and the West Bank only but has launched attacks on Syria, on Iran, Yemen and Lebanon. Israel is also threatening regional peace,” he stated.

“Just recently, an Israeli attack took place against a [Hamas] delegation meeting in Qatar for ceasefire negotiations. The attack on Qatar has also shown that the Israeli leadership is now completely out of control,” he emphasized.
Silence is complicity

Regarding Israel’s war on Gaza, the Turkish president stated, "We cannot continue with this madness any more," adding, "We have to have a ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible."

“Attacks should stop. Humanitarian aid should be able to enter with no obstacles,” he stated, demanding that those responsible for the genocide in Gaza be held accountable.

The Turkish president stated that anyone who remains silent is complicit in this barbarity, as he urged world leaders to take a firm stand in solidarity with both the oppressed Palestinians and the cause of humanity.

“Why are your people back home reacting to the barbarity in Gaza? Do show courage to take action here. Fulfill your humanitarian duty towards Gaza where children are raising children," he continued.

Erdogan pledges support for Syria

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, Erdogan said the country has "opened the doors to a new period," adding that he has great hope the people of Syria will be able to rebuild their nation.

Furthermore, the Turkish president pledged military support for the Syrian Army to "the vision of a one and unified Syria with no forms of terrorism, especially ISIS."

Turkiye will continue to pursue Ukraine-Russia ceasefire

On the topic of the war in Ukraine, Erdogan pointed to the role of Turkey in the process of a peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow and emphasized that his country, being part of NATO and a close trading partner of Russia, will continue to pursue peace between the two.

“Through direct talks, we facilitated the exchange of several prisoners and bodies, and we worked to identify the modalities of peace negotiations between the parties,” Erdogan stated, adding, “Don’t forget: There is no winner of war and no losers of a just peace. So with this matter in mind, in the coming days also, we will continue to work hard for a peaceful ceasefire."

Erdogan congratulates Armenia, Azerbaijan

Turning his attention to the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Turkish president stated that Turkeyis "pleased" by the recent steps taken toward enabling a lasting peace between the two countries.

He went on to congratulate the neighboring leaders, as well as Trump, for their contributions to this process, while also noting that the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia is "progressing as planned."

King Abdullah outlines injustice faced by Palestinians

Jordan's King Abdullah, speaking after President Erdogan, focused his address almost exclusively on Palestine, stating that failing to address the war on Gaza would "signal acceptance of the situation and abandonment of our humanity," before declaring, "And that I will not do."

“Our UN General Assembly was born 80 years ago, pledging to learn from and not repeat history. The world vowed never again,” he stated, noting that “however, for almost as long, Palestinians have been living through a cruel cycle. Yet again, bombed indiscriminately, yet again, killed, injured and maimed, yet again, displaced and dispossessed, yet again denied rights, dignity, their basic humanity."

War on Gaza 'darkest moment'

Calling "Israel’s" war on Gaza “one of the darkest moments in this institution’s history,” Jordan’s King Abdullah noted that the injustices underpinning the situation stretch back for decades. He then pointed out that the Palestinian struggle has been on the United Nations' agenda throughout the institution's existence for over 8 decades.

“How long will we be satisfied with condemnation after condemnation without concrete action? When it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it seems that what unfolds in the halls of power is theory; the struggles and suffering on the ground are reality," King Abdullah stated.

He noted that interim agreements and temporary stopgaps have failed to achieve lasting peace, arguing that many would contend these processes instead served as a distraction while Israel seized more land, expanded illegal settlements, and demolished homes, displacing entire neighborhoods.

King Abdullah warns of religious war

Jordan's leader criticized Israel for its threats to attack the al-Aqsa Mosque, a site that remains a constant point of contention in the Palestinian-Israeli struggle.

“Its hostile rhetoric calling for the targeting of Al-Aqsa Mosque will incite a religious war that would reach far beyond the region and lead to an all-out clash that no nation will be able to escape," he stated.

Moreover, the Jordanian Hing warned that the Israeli government's provocative pursuit of a so-called "greater Israel" can only be realized through the blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of surrounding countries, pointing to Israeli violations of Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and most recently Qatar.

'Two-state solution' the only answer

The Jordanian King ended his speech by making a call to establish a Palestinian State, claiming that a "two-state solution" is the only way to lasting peace.

“Security will only come when Palestine and Israel begin to coexist side by side. This is the two state solution, in line with international law and UN resolutions, an independent and viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside the state of Israel," he stressed.

“For the past two years, we have finally seen the world’s conscience stirring in the courage of ordinary people from every walk of life and every corner of the globe, raising their voices as one and declaring it has been too long. This United Nations must echo that call. It has been too long, and it must act on that call until peace is a reality," he added.
Qatari Emir takes the stage, condemns Israel

Speaking after King Abdullah II of Jordan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stated that the international rules-based order must be respected by all, while pointing to the attack earlier this month on Qatar by Israel.

“These rules are based on the maintenance of international peace and security and the respect for human dignity and state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs and to cooperate for the benefit of our peoples,” he said.

“This means, if we allow violations to continue, it means allowing the rule of the jungle, where perpetrators and violators enjoy benefits just because they can,” he added.

The Qatari emir continued to criticize "Israel", noting that while it claims to be a" democratic country surrounded by enemies," it is actually an enemy to its own neighbors and is engaged in genocide.

He noted that the nations surrounding Israel have committed themselves to peace through several signed agreements, but pointed out that Israel aims to paint anyone who opposes its will as either "antisemitic" or a "terrorist".

“Even Israel’s allies realize this fact and reject it, and here we are today, where we witness an international solidarity movement that is similar to the international movement against apartheid last century," Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani added.

Israel 'rogue state' feeding its settlers delusions

Qatar's emir further highlighted what he called the treacherous attack on September 9 that targeted Hamas' negotiating delegation in Doha within a residential neighborhood housing schools and diplomatic missions.

He called the attack a political assassination that "undermines any diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the genocide against the people in Gaza," saying it underscores that Israel has become a "rogue state".

“They [Israel] negotiate with delegations and plot to assassinate the members of the negotiation teams. It is difficult to cooperate with such a mentality that does not respect the most minimum standards of cooperation,” the Qatari emir emphasized.

“They consider negotiations a continuation of war in other means and a way to delude the Israeli public opinion,” he stated, pointing out that "Israel's" goal is to destroy Gaza so that it is "unliveable".

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[Anthea]

Almost 100 martyrs in Gaza since dawn
mass displacement in Gaza City

The death toll from Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza has surpassed 65,400

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza reported that 95 Palestinians have been martyred in Israeli air raids since dawn Wednesday, with the toll approaching 100 as strikes continue across different areas of the Gaza Strip.

At least 16 Palestinians were martyred when an Israeli strike hit the al-Nujoom stadium, which shelters thousands of displaced people in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Medical sources at al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat confirmed the arrival of 11 martyrs, most of them dismembered bodies, along with 17 wounded, following the targeting of a civilian gathering outside the stadium's gate in the camp's marketplace area.

Our correspondent also reported that Israeli warplanes struck a displaced persons' tent on Abu Areef Street in Deir al-Balah, killing one person and wounding several others.

Meanwhile, nine people were injured and transferred to the al-Saraya field hospital after Israeli strikes on the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighborhoods, south of Gaza City.

Forced displacement in Gaza City intensifies

The Government Media Office in Gaza estimates that around 335,000 people were forced to flee from Gaza City under relentless bombardment, with more than 60,000 displaced in just the past three days. It further affirmed that more than 900,000 Palestinians remain steadfast in Gaza City.

In contrast, the teams also recorded reverse displacement, where more than 24,000 Palestinians have returned to their neighborhoods in Gaza City as of Tuesday. Many had initially transported furniture and belongings to the south for safekeeping, only to return because of the complete absence of the most basic necessities of life in the south.

The so-called "safe humanitarian zone" in the South has been subjected to more than 114 airstrikes and repeated bombardments. These massacres have left over 2,000 martyrs inside Mawasi itself. The zones designated by the occupation on its maps as "shelter areas" cover only about 12% of the Gaza Strip, yet it seeks to cram more than 1.7 million people into them.

Death toll

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the death toll has risen to 65,419 martyrs and 167,160 wounded since October 7, 2023. From March 18, 2025, until today, the toll stands at 12,823 martyrs and 54,944 wounded

Over the past 24 hours, five martyrs and 20 injuries were recorded while seeking humanitarian aid, raising the total number of aid massacre victims who have arrived at hospitals to 2,531 martyrs and more than 18,531 wounded.

While deaths from malnutrition have risen to 440, including 147 children, underscoring the deepening humanitarian catastrophe.

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Civilians in Gaza sustain war injuries
at rates far beyond combat troops

Civilians in Gaza have sustained injuries of a type and on a scale more usually seen among professional soldiers involved in intense combat operations, a new research has found

A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that some types of wounds, such as burns or injuries to legs, were more common among civilians in Gaza than among US soldiers fighting in the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Injured civilians in Gaza are experiencing a pattern of wounds that you would expect in intense combat with military professionals. The distribution and nature [of injuries] is almost the same or worse,” bioethicist Bilal Irfan, one of the study's authors, told The Guardian.

The peer-reviewed research, which is the first of its kind, drew on data provided between August 2024 and February 2025 by dozens of international medical professionals who have worked in Gaza during the nearly two-year-long war.

Irfan explained that the data did not include most fatal injuries, noting that it only represented the patients who made it to the hospital and therefore survived. He added that they do not even have a full profile of the serious injuries of those who died without any medical attention.

Children with fourth-degree burns

The authors found that burns were particularly common and severe, especially among children, and that more than one-tenth of burn injuries were fourth-degree, meaning they penetrated all tissue layers down to the bone. The study stated that the extent of traumatic injury victims reflects the impact of indiscriminate aerial and heavy explosive bombardment in civilian areas.

Firearm injuries made up about 30% of war-related trauma

According to The Guardian, 78 experts who provided data came from 22 NGOs from Britain, the US, Canada, and the EU, and included specialists in several disciplines. They were interviewed or they provided data within three months of their deployment in Gaza.

Dr. Victoria Rose, a consultant plastic surgeon working at St Thomas’ hospital and King’s College hospital in London and another of the journal article’s authors, said the findings should sound alarms through the halls of government worldwide and the humanitarian community.

The medics who contributed to the new study, working under the severe constraints of the Israeli siege on humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, found that malnutrition had worsened patient outcomes by delaying wound healing and causing preventable deaths from otherwise treatable conditions.

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MSF forced to quit Gaza City as
IOF massacres intensify relentlessly

Dozens of Palestinians, including children, were killed as the IOF bombed homes, hospitals, and aid seekers, leaving Gaza’s health system near collapse

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent confirmed that 55 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since dawn Saturday as Israeli occupation forces intensify their aggression on the Strip.

Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the al-Sharafa family on Hajar Street in eastern Gaza City, killing 11 people and wounding several others. Civil defense teams reported that 13 remain missing under the rubble.

Israeli quadcopters also struck near al-Sahaba Medical Complex in al-Daraj, while Israeli tanks shelled the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital in Tal al-Hawa.

Further strikes killed three Palestinians, including two children, north of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp.

Concurrently, Al-Awda Hospital reported receiving one martyr and 10 wounded after an Israeli attack targeted starved Palestinians waiting for aid near the Netzarim Corridor.

The bombardment also extended to displacement camps in central Gaza, leaving additional casualties and widespread destruction. At the same time, invading Israeli units deployed explosive-laden robots to blow up Palestinian homes across multiple neighborhoods.

MSF halts Gaza City operations amid intensified Israeli assault

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it has been forced to suspend lifesaving medical activities in Gaza City as invading Israeli units press deeper into the enclave, besieging clinics and placing both patients and staff at severe risk.

“The unacceptable level of risk has led us to reluctantly decide to suspend our lifesaving activities in Gaza City,” the organization said Friday, noting that Israeli tanks are now less than one kilometer from its facilities.

Jacob Granger, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, underscored the gravity of the decision, saying, “We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities, as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces.

This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most vulnerable people, infants in neo-natal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses, unable to move and in grave danger.”

While many residents have been forcibly displaced south under evacuation orders, MSF stressed that hundreds of thousands remain trapped in Gaza City. “Those who are able to leave face an impossible choice: either remain under intense military operations and the deterioration of law and order, or abandon what’s left of their houses, their belongings, and their memories,” the group stressed.

Despite the intensifying assault, MSF clinics managed over 3,600 consultations and treated 1,655 malnutrition cases last week alone, alongside trauma patients, burn victims, pregnant women, and others requiring critical care. The group warned that hospitals across Gaza are already overwhelmed, operating with dwindling staff, supplies, and fuel, leaving many in critical condition

“People in Gaza City have been repeatedly and relentlessly bombed. They are exhausted and are being deliberately deprived of the essentials needed to survive,” MSF emphasized.

The humanitarian organization reiterated its call for an immediate cease-fire and demanded Israel ensure “unhindered access and security for humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza City, and acceptable conditions for the safe and sustained delivery of medical care.”

While suspending operations in Gaza City, MSF confirmed it continues supporting hospitals and field clinics in central and southern Gaza, including facilities in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

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Russian FM Accuses Israel of
Threatening Middle East Stability

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday accused Israel of attempting to "blow up" the Middle East, criticizing its actions against Palestinians and its military operations in several regional countries

Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Lavrov condemned Israel’s "illegal use of force against the Palestinians and aggressive actions against Iran, Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq," saying these measures threaten the stability of the entire region.

Lavrov also criticized proposals by hard-right allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank, calling them an attempt to "bury UN decisions on the creation of a Palestinian state." He said, "There is no justification for plans to annex the West Bank. We are essentially dealing with an attempt at a kind of coup d’état aimed at killing the prospects of an independent Palestinian state."

Over the past week, France, Britain, and several other Western powers formally recognized a Palestinian state, citing frustration over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The United States, Israel’s key ally, opposed the declarations but has reportedly advised Netanyahu not to annex the West Bank following concerns raised by Arab partners.

Lavrov criticized the delayed Western recognition, asking, "What took them so long?" He added that waiting until the UN General Assembly may have been an attempt to act after "there would be nothing and no one left to recognize" due to Israel’s offensive

Russia has officially recognized Palestinian since the Soviet era

Lavrov further accused Western powers of undermining diplomatic efforts with Iran by reimposing UN sanctions. He said the rejection of a Russian and Chinese proposal to extend the sanctions deadline "finally exposed the West's policy of sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions in the UN Security Council, as well as its desire to extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure."

The remarks highlight Russia’s growing criticism of Israeli and Western policies in the Middle East amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing international diplomatic efforts.

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