The number of disabled Israeli army soldiers has exceeded 70,000 for the first time, including 8,663 who had been wounded after the start of the war on Gaza on 7 October.
Israeli Channel 7 confirmed that these numbers are receiving treatment in the Defence Ministry’s rehabilitation departments, noting that 35 per cent of them are dealing with mental issues while 21 per cent of them deal with physical injuries.
The Channel said the Ministry’s rehabilitation departments are preparing to receive about 20,000 new injuries by the end of 2024.
According to the Channel, data provided by the Israeli Medical Conference shows that more than a thousand new wounded men and women are admitted to the ward every month to receive treatment; 95 per cent of them are men; about 70 per cent of whom are reserve soldiers, and half of them are between 18 and 30 years old.
“According to an analysis conducted by specialists, about 40 per cent of the wounded who will be admitted to the hospital by the end of the year may face various mental reactions, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and difficulties in adaptation and communication,” it said.
“Of the approximately 70,000 disabled soldiers being treated in the rehabilitation ward, 9,539 suffer from post-traumatic and mental reactions,” it said.
In mid-April, the Israeli army admitted that more than 2,000 soldiers, policemen and security personnel have been disabled since the beginning of its war on the Gaza Strip, according to the Hebrew Walla news site, citing the Safety and Security Institute of the Israeli Ministry of Labour.
The website added at the time, “The percentage of people who suffer from sleeping difficulties rose from 18.7 per cent last summer to 37.7 per cent, an increase of 101 per cent while reports of suffering from high stress rose to 43.5 per cent during the war, an increase of about 78 per cent”.
CNN - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added Israel’s military to a global list of offenders that have committed violations against children, his spokesman confirmed on Friday.
Israel had been told it is being placed on the list in the secretary-general’s annual report on children in armed conflict, to be sent to the UN Security Council next Friday, Stephane Dujarric told a press briefing.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were also added to the list, according to a diplomatic source, along with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Dujarric added that the Israeli UN mission was called by Guterres’ chief of staff on Friday, a courtesy afforded to countries that are newly listed. “It is done to give those countries a heads-up and avoid leaks,” he said.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan recorded a video of himself making a phone call from his office, apparently to a UN official, and leaked part of it on social media.
In the video, Erdan expressed outrage at the UN decision, calling the IDF “the most moral army in the world.”
“The only one who is blacklisted today is the secretary-general, whose decisions since the war started, and even before, are rewarding terrorists and incentivizing them to use children for terror acts… Shame on him!”
Dujarric said it was “shocking and unacceptable” that Erdan had apparently published the private call, saying it was “something he had never seen in my 24 years serving this organization.”
Israel’s inclusion on the list comes after eight months of war in Gaza, in which more than 15,500 children have been killed, according to the Ministry of Health in the enclave.
The war was sparked by a Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage. Many are still in captivity and Hamas’ top leadership is still at large despite the Israeli onslaught.
The UN’s so-called blacklist has previously included countries such as Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the UN, said the decision to add Israel to the list “will not bring back tens of thousands of our children who were killed by Israel over decades and will not restore normal life for the children who were permanently disabled by its actions.”
“But it is an important step in the right direction towards ending the double standards and the culture of impunity Israel has enjoyed for far too long and that left our children vulnerable to its consequences.”
The annual report will go to the Security Council on June 14. The official report will be published on June 18. It will be discussed at a debate in the council on June 26.
Asked about ramifications, the UN spokesman said it will be up to the members to decide any action.
The war has seen Israel-UN relations reach historic lows with Israeli diplomats using their platforms at the UN to denounce the world body.
Israel’s quarrel with the UN has gone beyond the secretary-general. Israeli officials have also criticized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the World Health Organization, UN Women, and the UN’s Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
Meanwhile, dozens of UN staffers have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, the largest loss in the world body’s history.
Israel has long accused UNRWA of anti-Israeli incitement, which UNRWA has repeatedly denied, and in 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to dismantle the UN body, saying it should be merged with the main UN refugee agency.
Since the October 7 attack, Israeli journalists and news outlets have refocused their attention on UNRWA and have amplified stories questioning its role in the war.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain became on Thursday the first European country to ask a United Nations court for permission to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
South Africa filed its case with the International Court of Justice late last year. It alleged that Israel was breaching the genocide convention in its military assault that has laid waste to large swaths of Gaza.
The court has ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah but stopped short of ordering a cease-fire for the enclave. Israel has not complied and shows no sign of doing so.
“There should be no doubt that Spain will remain on the right side of history,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said after his foreign minister made the announcement.
Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua, Libya and the Palestinians are waiting for the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, to grant approval to their requests to join the case.
Israel denies it is committing genocide in its military operation to crush Hamas triggered by its deadly Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 250 more hostage in the surprise attacks. Israel’s air and land attacks have since killed 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
“Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 250 more hostage in the surprise attacks. Israel’s air and land attacks have since killed 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
“We take the decision because of the ongoing military operation in Gaza,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said in Madrid. “We want peace to return to Gaza and the Middle East, and for that to happen we must all support the court.”
Once admitted to the case, Spain would be able to make written submissions and speak at public hearings.
Spain’s request is the latest move by Sánchez’s left-wing coalition to support peacemaking efforts in Gaza.
Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state on May 28 in a coordinated effort by the three Western European nations. Slovenia, a European Union member along with Spain and Ireland, followed suit and recognized the Palestinian state this week.
Over 140 countries have recognized a Palestinian state — more than two-thirds of the U.N. — but none of the major Western powers, including the United States, has done so.
While Sánchez has condemned the attacks by Hamas and joined demands for the return of the remaining Israeli hostages, he has not shied away from the diplomatic backlash from Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that by recognizing a Palestinian state, Sánchez’s government was “being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes.”
Sánchez’s backing of the Palestinians is generally supported in Spain, where some university students have followed their American counterparts in protesting on campuses. Spaniards will vote in elections for the European Parliament elections on Sunday.
Last year, the International Court of Justice allowed 32 countries, including Spain, to join Ukraine’s case alleging that Russia breached the genocide convention by falsely accusing Ukraine of committing genocide in its eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and using that as a pretext for the invasion.
Preliminary hearings have already been held in the genocide case against Israel, but the court is expected to take years to reach a final decision.
Albares said the decision by Spain’s government had the immediate objective of adding pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow the court’s interim measures to stop bloodshed in Rafah.
“I insist once again that these interim measures must be complied with,” Albares said. “Whether this is genocide or not, that is for the court to decide, and Spain of course will support its decision.”
Israel sent troops into the southern city of Rafah in early May in what it said was a limited incursion, but those forces are now operating in central parts of the city. Last week, Israeli strikes hit near a U.N. Palestinian refugee agency facility in Rafah, saying they were targeting Hamas militants. An inferno that followed ripped through nearby tents housing displaced families , killing at least 45 people.
More than 1 million people have fled Rafah since the start of the operation, scattering across southern and central Gaza into new tent camps or crowding into schools and homes.
Netanyahu is also facing a separate legal challenge from the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader and others, including leaders of the Hamas militant group. The U.N. General Assembly endorses the ICC, but the court is independent.
Natanyahu is a war criminal, he is not interested in a cease-fire. On the contrary, he wants to prolong the war for as long as possible to remain in power. And should Biden decide to continue this lockstep support for barbaric Israel, it’s not only going to kill tens of thousands more Palestinians, but it’s also going to lose him the election.
Massive Protests Rock Tel Aviv, 14 Injured as 100,000 call on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to approve US ceasefire deal and release hostages.
An estimated 120,000 people are believed to have rallied in Tel Aviv to pressure Israel's government to approve a deal outlined by Joe Biden - while two far-right ministers have threatened to resign if the proposal is accepted.
Tens of thousands of protesters have rallied in Tel Aviv to call for the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu and the immediate release of hostages.
An estimated 120,000 people took to the streets of the Israeli city to call on the far-right governing coalition to accept a ceasefire deal outlined by Joe Biden on Friday, according to local media.
The deal would see the staggered release of hostages captured on 7 October - the day of Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people - in return for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the besieged enclave of Gaza.
A water cannon was also reportedly deployed for the protest - believed to have been the biggest demonstration against Mr Netanyahu's government since 7 October - but not used.
Families of hostages said time to get their loved ones back was running out as they gathered in different cities across Israel.
About 120 of the 252 people taken are believed to still be in captivity since 7 October, an attack that prompted a retaliatory Israeli military campaign on Gaza which has left the territory in ruins, led to widespread starvation and killed more than 36,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Besides the ongoing protests by families of hostages, Mr Netanyahu is also facing pressure from within his own circles as two far-right members of his coalition threatened to withdraw from the government if he went ahead with a deal that ended the war without destroying Hamas.
Hamas said on Friday it was ready to engage "positively and in a constructive manner".
But senior official Mahmoud Mardawi told Qatari television it had not yet received details of the proposal.
Families described an aggressive meeting on Thursday with Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, who told them the government wasn't ready to sign a deal to bring all hostages home and there was no plan B.
The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from the war's devastation.
Meanwhile, US forces on Saturday destroyed one Iran-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial system in the southern Red Sea and saw two others crash into Red Sea, US Central Command said.
The Central Command forces also destroyed two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles fired in direction of the USS Gravely, it said.
No injuries or damage were reported by US, coalition or commercial ships, it said
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Maldives government will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean archipelago, known for luxury resorts, as public anger in the predominantly Muslim nation rises over the war in Gaza.
The president’s office said Sunday that the Cabinet decided to change laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country and to establish a subcommittee to oversee the process.
It said President Mohamed Muizu will appoint a special envoy to assess the Palestinian needs and to launch a fundraising campaign.
Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited Maldives last year, which was 0.6% of the total tourist arrivals.
The Biden administration made a sharp U-turn on sanctioning the International Criminal Court of Justice, amid warnings from lawmakers and human rights groups against the move.
Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s “surprised and disappointed” that the Biden administration won’t support sanctions on a war crimes court seeking his arrest.
The White House on Tuesday said it would reject the Republican-led congressional effort to reprimand the International Criminal Court after its chief prosecutor filed arrest warrants for Netanyahu, War Cabinet member Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders. That reversed a previous signal from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who last week told lawmakers the court’s move was a “profoundly wrong-headed decision” and the administration would work with Congress on potentially imposing sanctions.
Netanyahu blasted the new stance in an interview with Sirius XM’s “The Morgan Ortagus Show” that is set to air Sunday. POLITICO obtained a clip of the interview, which took place Wednesday, ahead of the broadcast.
“The United States said that they would, in fact, back the sanctions bill,” Netanyahu says in the interview. “I thought that was still the American position because there was bipartisan consensus just a few days ago.”
“Now you say there’s a question mark,” he told host Morgan Ortagus, a former spokesperson for the State Department in the Trump administration, “and frankly I’m surprised and disappointed.”
The comments provide fresh evidence of the deepening rift between the Israeli and American leaders, who have differed over how Israel should conduct its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) earlier this month introduced a bill to sanction the ICC — which targets individuals accused of war crimes, genocide and other international law violations — for investigating and prosecuting U.S. citizens and American allies, including Israel. Calls to pass that measure, or something like it, grew following the court’s announcement, even though the U.S. is not a member of court.
The Stefanik-Roy bill would revoke visas as well as block access to a person’s property in the U.S. It’s unclear if those reprimands or others would feature in a measure that sails through Congress, a tough order now that the president opposes sanctions on the court.
For months, aid groups have accused Israel of slowing down the amount of aid that enters the territory, leading to famine-like conditions affecting Gaza’s 2.2 million people. Over the weekend, Israel reportedly dropped a small bomb targeting two Hamas operatives that led to a fire in a displaced persons camp near Rafah, killing at least 45 people and injuring dozens more. Israeli forces now have tanks in the center of the southern Gaza city to eliminate the remaining elements of Hamas’ fighting force there.
Despite the growing civilian toll in Rafah, the Biden administration insisted Tuesday that Israel’s operation wasn’t large enough to cross the president’s “red line” or spark a policy change toward Isreal
Fuckyoumod: from the pictures I can't see a single dead person or burnt bone. Are you sure it's not another propaganda from Hamas terrorists media? Just last month the world had to review and discard palestinian terrorists health casualty figures.
I have said it before, the war against Hamas is a just and fair war, Hamas brought this war on Gaza not israel, only Hamas can end this war by releasing hostages.
I will have a different view and I believe the world will have a different view the day Hamas releases all the hostages in their custody.
Because those hostages have right to freedom and life. Hamas have no right to keep them hostage.
Until the hostages are released, let the war continue. let Israel keep searching for their citizens in the hands of Hamas.
The people of Gaza are not innocent, they are complicit.
To those who claim the airstrike was carried out because of Hamas: If Hamas were to hide behind Tel Aviv University or jew populated area and fire rockets, would the IDF carry out an airstrike on the university, killing all the Jewish students? Your guess is as good as mine. Israel is committing acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians.
A leaked video of Netanyahu is circulating on social media where he boldly admits to carrying out genocide on the Palestinians. What more evidence do you need?
Don't be surprised if the October 7th attack was orchestrated by the Israeli government just to provide them with a pretext to carry out genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians.
Netanyahu calls Rafah airstrike that killed 45 people "a tragic mistake"
JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday an air strike in the area of Rafah in southern Gaza that killed dozens of Palestinians was not intended to cause civilian casualties and would be investigated.
"In Rafah, we already evacuated about 1 million non-combatant residents and despite our utmost effort not to harm non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong," he said in a speech in parliament that was interrupted by shouting from opposition lawmakers. "We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions, because this is our policy."
Meanwhile, scores died and many more were injured when the Israeli airstrike hit the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, in western Rafah, on Sunday night, causing a blast at the camp and killing many, including women and children inside, local health officials said.
Eyewitnesses told Reuters the tents were “melting” from the bombardment, burning people alive.
A leaked video is doing its rounds on social media showing Benjamin Netanyahu talk about how Israel intentionally strikes Palestinians “painfully”. He also brags about how he deceived the United States to break the Oslo Accords and says that Americans will always support Israel if it faces backlash.
Some 21 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in new Israeli strikes on a tent area near Rafah, health officials have said. Meanwhile, a top UN official says Rafah is "hell on earth" after people were "burnt to death" in an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 45 people.
Some 21 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in new Israeli strikes on a tent area to the west of Rafah, Palestinian health officials have said.
The strikes targeted tents of displaced families in the designated humanitarian area in Mawasi in western Rafah, medics and residents told Reuters.
At least 12 of those killed were women, medical officials said.
It comes after Israeli strikes on Rafah killed at least 16 Palestinians, as residents reported an escalation of fighting in the city in southern Gaza.
Those strikes took place in the same area where Israel targeted what it said was a Hamas compound on Sunday night - in an attack that ignited a fire in a camp for displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people, according to local health officials.
TruthU87: A leaked video is doing its rounds on social media showing Benjamin Netanyahu talk about how Israel intentionally strikes Palestinians “painfully”. He also brags about how he deceived the United States to break the Oslo Accords and says that Americans will always support Israel if it faces backlash.
A leaked video is doing its rounds on social media showing Benjamin Netanyahu talk about how Israel intentionally strikes Palestinians “painfully”. He also brags about how he deceived the United States to break the Oslo Accords and says that Americans will always support Israel if it faces backlash.
EU has to choose between supporting international rule of law institutions or Israel
The European Union's foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, has said that the bloc faces a "difficult" choice between its support for the rule of law and its support for Israel, just minutes after the ICJ ruled Israeli forces should halt their offensive in Rafah.
Speaking during a European University Institute (EUI) event in Florence, Borrell said: "Let's see which is going to be the action of the European Union to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that has been issued today, which is going to be our position?"
"We will have to choose between our support to the international institutions and the rule of law, or our support to Israel, and both things is (sic) going to be quite difficult to make compatible," he added.
It came just minutes after the Hague-based top UN court called on Israel to "halt its military offensive in Rafah", citing that the Palestinian people were at an "immediate risk".
The UN estimates that some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering from war in the southern Gazan town, which Israel claims is Hamas' last stronghold.
Borrell also acknowledged that the EU's decision-making when it came to its response to the war in Gaza had been too sluggish due to deep rifts between EU capitals' stance on the conflict.
He called for a change to the EU's decision-making processes on foreign policy, which requires the unanimous backing of all 27 leaders.
Hungary has notably blocked or delayed key EU initiatives in response to the war, including sanctions on violent Israeli settlers as well as a joint communication calling on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to abandon plans to invade Rafah.
Borrell's opening speech was also interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters who slammed the EU's response to the devastation and loss of life in Gaza, to whom the EU's top diplomat responded: "I understand perfectly the concern being expressed."
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state, a historic but largely symbolic move that further deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel immediately denounced the decisions and recalled its ambassadors to the three countries.
Palestinians welcomed the announcements as an affirmation of their decades-long quest for statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls.
While some 140 countries — more than two-thirds of the United Nations — recognize a Palestinian state, Wednesday’s cascade of announcements could build momentum at a time when even close allies of Israel have piled on criticism for its conduct in Gaza.
It was the second blow to Israel’s international reputation this week after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he would seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister. The International Court of Justice is also considering allegations of genocide that Israel has strenuously denied.
Israel recalled its ambassadors to the three countries and summoned their envoys, accusing the Europeans of rewarding the militant Hamas group for its Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the European ambassadors would watch grisly video footage of the attack.
Thundafireseun: This is a confirmation that the God Of Israel neither sleeps nor slumber
Yeye, then You worship a very nepotic god such that the Jewish European Israelis are the only children of your god who are more important and special than others, so God can deal with the iranians, but couldn't deal with the abductors of Leah sharibu.
Over the last two days in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes on refugee camps have killed 15 Palestinian civilians in Jabalia and at least 20 Palestinian civilians in Nuseirat, as reported by the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
These recent Israeli airstrikes have been marked as one of the deadliest in weeks, as both refugee camps are packed with displaced Palestinians attempting to flee areas of aggressive targeting.
“Today is the most difficult in terms of the occupation bombardment, air strikes and tank shelling have been going on almost non-stop,” one resident in Jabalia, Ibrahim Khaled, told France24 via a chat app. The two refugee camps, besieged by Israeli forces for days, face critical shortages of food, water, and medical supplies, leaving families in desperate conditions. Rescue teams struggle to reach the camps to attend to the wounded, and retrieve bodies.
A video circulating on social media captures a scene of Palestinian civilians, from the Jabalia camp, fleeing amidst the Israeli airstrikes; it shows numerous injuries sustained in the attacks.
“Not eight months ago, not last year, not yesterday, but this morning, this video was taken in Jabalya camp, north of Gaza,” Hani Almadhoun, director of UNRWA USA, shared in a post. “Bodies are literally piling up in the streets, specifically next to Temraz Gas station, where anyone entering the area is fired upon, including volunteers attempting to retrieve the bodies. This video shows an airstrike and residents trying to rescue their neighbors.”
Since 7 October, the continuous Israeli assault on Gaza has led to 35,386 documented Palestinian deaths and 79,366 more injured, as reported by local health authorities. Among the victims, a significant majority are women and children.
Johncuppa: The covenant is still very intact. Any day any time, as far as Israel is not against the token of the covenant, they will continue to possess the gates of their enemies.
Lol as far as Israel is not against the token of the covenant? Dude, the Whole of Jewsih don't like Christians. They are taught in school to spit at Christians and they believe that Jesus Christ is burning in hell. You are just demonically ignorant and stupid if you still support the people that order the death of your Messiah.
Johncuppa: You need to beg God against the person. And if by any means the person is apple of God's eyes, you have got to do nothing, than to befriend him and align with him for peaceful coexistence.
Or what else can you do for someone who is more powerful than you, have the assistance of powerful nations and got the backing of the God of the universe? 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱 The covenant hovering over them, their military mastery, and support across the globe will not be matched anytime soon.
You worship a very nepotic god such that the Jewish European Israelis are the only children of your god who are more important and special than other creatures,including the Palestinians.
Because Jesus was a Jew,so other creatures other than Jews are inferior?
Even the majority of so called Israelis do not even worship Jesus.
Foreign Affairs › Re: Picture: God Of Isreal In Action. by TruthU87(op): 12:06pm On Oct 02, 2024
