[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

Israel issues new evacuation orders

Israel’s military issued new evacuation orders in the north of the Gaza Strip yesterday after carrying out strikes across the enclave which Palestinian media and medics said had killed at least 35 people.

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Israel issues new evacuation orders
Kills 35 more Palestinians in fresh strikes in Beit Lahiya
​

• Over 100 patients to be evacuated: WHO official​
• 4 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank​
• Death toll in Gaza rises to 43,391​

Israel's military issued new evacuation orders in the north of the Gaza Strip yesterday after carrying out strikes across the enclave which Palestinian media and medics said had killed at least 35 people.

An air strike damaged two houses in the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, where the army has carried out new operations since October 5, and killed at least 20 people late on Monday, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA and Hamas media said.

Four other people were killed in the central Gazan town of Al-Zawayda around midnight on Monday, medics said.

Palestinian health officials said six people had also been killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City and Deir Al-Balah in the central area of the narrow enclave.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said without giving details, that its forces had "eliminated terrorists" in the central Gaza Strip and Jabalia area. Israeli troops had also located weapons and explosives over the past day in the southern Rafah area, where "terrorist infrastructure sites" had been eliminated, it said.

Later yesterday, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over Beit Lahiya ordering residents who have not yet left their homes and shelters housing displaced families to quit the town completely.

At least 43,391 Palestinians have been killed in more than a year of offensive in Gaza, the authorities in Gaza said yesterday, and much of the territory has been reduced to ruins.

Announcing a rare transfer of patients out of Gaza, a World Health Organization official said more than 100 people would be evacuated from Gaza today, including children suffering from trauma injuries and chronic diseases.

They will travel via the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel before flying to the United Arab Emirates, said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Some will then go on to Romania, he said, adding that 12,000 people were awaiting transfer.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said at least four people were killed yesterday during an Israeli military raid and airstrikes.

The Israeli military said its aircraft had targeted a group of gunmen and that its forces had "arrested 60 militants".

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the offensive in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gun battles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.​

 

[Saif]

Displaced Palestinians among 13 killed in Israel strikes

Gaza civil defence agency said on Tuesday that at least 13 people, including some living in tents for displaced Palestinians, were killed in Israeli air strikes overnight.

www.newagebd.net

Displaced Palestinians among 13 killed in Israel strikes
Agence France-Presse . Palestinian Territories 06 November, 2024, 01:20

Displaced Palestinians flee Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, through the main Salah al-Din road on the outskirts of Gaza City, on Tuesday amid the on-going war between Israel and Hamas. | AFP photo

Gaza civil defence agency said on Tuesday that at least 13 people, including some living in tents for displaced Palestinians, were killed in Israeli air strikes overnight.

Four people were killed when an Israeli missile hit the home of the Shurafa family in eastern Gaza City, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.

Three people were killed and several wounded when a tent housing Palestinians displaced by the war was hit by an Israeli missile in the east of Khan Yunis city, Bassal said.

Another tent housing displaced people in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza was also hit by an Israeli air strike overnight, killing at least four people, he added.

Two other people were killed in separate incidents, Bassal said.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, said its forces were continuing their land and air assault in northern Gaza, where the civil defence says hundreds have been killed since October 6, when the military launched the offensive.

‘Over the past day, IDF military troops in the area of Jabalia eliminated dozens of terrorists during close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes,’ the military said in a statement.

Several militants were also killed in central Gaza and in the area of Rafa in the south of the territory, the military added.

Israel has been waging a month-long military offensive in northern Gaza, which it says is aimed at preventing Hamas militants from regrouping.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said a large-scale medical evacuation was planned from Gaza this week, with more than 100 seriously ill and injured patients due to leave the war-ravaged territory.

The WHO said that alongside its partners it would evacuate as many as 113 patients on Wednesday, with most going to the United Arab Emirates and some heading to Romania for specialised care.

If it goes ahead, it would be the largest evacuation from Gaza since October 2023, according to data from the UN health agency.

Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, said he was hopeful the evacuation would go ahead.

He said efforts were currently under way to bring patients from various hospitals across the Gaza Strip to the Gaza European Hospital near Khan Yunis in the south.

They will be transported to the Kerem Shalom crossing early Wednesday and then flown on to the UAE and Romania, Peeperkorn told reporters in Geneva, via video link from Gaza.

Those on the list figure among up to 14,000 people currently waiting in Gaza to be evacuated out of the territory for medical reasons.

Around half of them have sustained trauma injuries in the war and the others are suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, he said.​

 

[Saif]

Gazans want Trump to end war with Israel

Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday want Donald Trump, who won the US election, to end the war between Israel and Hamas that has devastated their territory.

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Gazans want Trump to end war with Israel
Agence France-Presse . Palestinian Territories 06 November, 2024, 21:57

A displaced Palestinian child fleeing Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, walks on Gaza's main Salah al-Din road on the outskirts of Gaza City, on November 5, 2024. | AFP photo

Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday want Donald Trump, who won the US election, to end the war between Israel and Hamas that has devastated their territory.

The conflict sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack has taken an appalling human toll in the Gaza Strip, displacing most of its residents, causing widespread hunger and death, and leaving hospitals struggling to cope.

‘We were displaced, killed there’s nothing left for us, we want peace,’ Mamdouh al-Jadba, who was displaced to Gaza City from Jabalia, said.

‘I hope Trump finds a solution, we need someone strong like Trump to end the war and save us, enough, God, this is enough,’ said the 60-year-old.

‘I was displaced three times, my house was destroyed, my children are homeless in the south there’s nothing left, Gaza is finished.’

Umm Ahmed Harb, from the Al-Shaaf area east of Gaza City, was also counting on Trump to ‘stand by our side’ and end the territory’s suffering.

‘God willing the war will end, not for our sake but for the sake of our young children who are innocent, they were martyred and are dying of hunger,’ she said.

‘We cannot buy anything with the high prices of food. We are here in fear, terror and death.’

For Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where violence has also surged since October last year, Trump’s victory was reason to fear for the future.

‘Trump is firm in some decisions, but these decisions could serve Israel’s interests politically more than they serve the Palestinian cause,’ said Samir Abu Jundi, a 60-year-old in the city of Ramallah.

Another man who identified himself only by his nickname, Abu Mohammed, said he also saw no reason to believe Trump’s victory would be in favour of the Palestinians, saying ‘nothing will change except more decline’.

He said all US presidents ‘are in favour of the State of Israel’, the Palestinian from east Jerusalem said.

The United States is Israel’s main political and military backer and despite pressure from President Joe Biden’s administration for a ceasefire, the support has not wavered.

Imad Fakhida, a school principal in the main West Bank city of Ramallah, said ‘Trump’s return to power will lead us to hell and there will be a greater and more difficult escalation.’

‘He is known for his complete and greatest support for Israel,’ he added.

During his first term in office, Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights and helped normalise ties between Israel and several Arab states under the so-called Abraham Accords.

The Accords were condemned as ‘treason’ by Palestinian leaders who feared they undercut their aspirations for a homeland, and led to disgruntlement in Hamas.

The war erupted on October 7, 2023 after Hamas militants attacked Israel, resulting in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 43,391 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry the United Nations considers reliable.

During his campaign for a return to the White House, Trump said Gaza, which is located on the eastern Mediterranean, could be ‘better than Monaco’.

He also said he would have responded the same way as Israel did following the October 7 attack, while urging the US ally to ‘get the job done’ because it was ‘losing a lot of support’.

More broadly he has promised to bring an end to raging international crises, even saying he could ‘stop wars with a telephone call’.

In Gaza, such statements gave reason for hope.

‘We expect peace to come and the war to end with Trump because in his election campaign he said that he wants peace and calls for stopping the wars on Gaza and the Middle East,’ said Ibrahim Alian, 33, from Gaza City.

Like many of the territory’s residents, Alian has been displaced several times by the fighting. He said he also lost his father to the war.

‘God willing the war on the Gaza Strip will end and the situation will change,’ he said.​

 

[Saif]

Dhaka reaffirms support for Palestine, two-state solution

Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef S.Y. Ramadan paid a courtesy call on Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin on Wednesday, reports UNB. During the meeting, the foreign secretary reiterated Bangladesh's strong and ongoing support for the cause of Palestine, particularly its commitment

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Dhaka reaffirms support for Palestine, two-state solution
Published :
Nov 06, 2024 23:30
Updated :
Nov 06, 2024 23:30

Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef S.Y. Ramadan paid a courtesy call on Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin on Wednesday, reports UNB.

During the meeting, the foreign secretary reiterated Bangladesh's strong and ongoing support for the cause of Palestine, particularly its commitment to a two-state solution to independent Palestinian statehood.

Both sides reviewed the growing collaboration in various fields, including culture, education, exchange of training, and mutual cooperation in the multilateral fora, including the OIC and other organisations.

They also emphasised the importance of continued engagement and cooperation to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and beyond, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.​

 

[Saif]

‘End the war, save us’

Palestinians in Gaza want Donald Trump, who won the US election, to end the Israeli offensive that has devastated their territory.

www.thedailystar.net

‘End the war, save us’
Palestinians urge Trump as the year-long Israeli offensive takes an appalling human toll in Gaza

A man carries the dead body of a Palestinian at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo: REUTERS

Palestinians in Gaza want Donald Trump, who won the US election, to end the Israeli offensive that has devastated their territory.

The offensive that began on October 7 last year attack has taken an appalling human toll in the Gaza Strip, displacing most of its residents, causing widespread hunger and death, and leaving hospitals struggling to cope.

"We were displaced, killed... there's nothing left for us, we want peace," Mamdouh al-Jadba, who was displaced to Gaza City from Jabalia, told AFP on Wednesday.

"I hope Trump finds a solution, we need someone strong like Trump to end the war and save us, enough, God, this is enough," said the 60-year-old. "I was displaced three times, my house was destroyed, my children are homeless in the south... There's nothing left, Gaza is finished."

Abu Mohammed said he saw no reason to believe Trump's victory would be in favour of the Palestinians

Umm Ahmed Harb, from the Al-Shaaf area east of Gaza City, was also counting on Trump to "stand by our side" and end the territory's suffering.

"God willing the war will end, not for our sake but for the sake of our young children who are innocent, they were martyred and are dying of hunger," she told AFP. "We cannot buy anything with the high prices (of food). We are here in fear, terror and death."

For Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where violence has also surged since October last year, Trump's victory was reason to fear for the future.

"Trump is firm in some decisions, but these decisions could serve Israel's interests politically more than they serve the Palestinian cause," said Samir Abu Jundi of Ramallah.

Another man who identified himself only by his nickname, Abu Mohammed, said he also saw no reason to believe Trump's victory would be in favour of the Palestinians, saying "nothing will change except more decline".​

 

[Saif]

US must stop supporting Israel’s genocide

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed mostly women and children

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US must stop supporting Israel’s genocide
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed mostly women and children

Though we are witnessing the catastrophic impact of the Israeli offensive in Gaza live, the fact that 70 percent of the dead are women and children, as stated by the UN Human Rights Office, continues to shock and horrify us. Overall, 44 percent of the victims were children—the youngest was a one-day-old boy, and the oldest was a 97-year-old woman. This also goes to show that despite many countries condemning Israel's genocidal campaign, the mindless violence on civilian populations continues unabated.

Following his office's latest report, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk has censured Israel's "wanton disregard" for the "rules of war," which are aimed at limiting and preventing human suffering during conflicts. He has urged Israel to comply with its international obligations. The report warns that the attack on civilians could amount to "crimes against humanity." In fact, Israel's siege of northern Gaza, its decision to sever ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) should be labelled as such because it effectively starves people by cutting off essential food and medical aid to Gaza.

Israel's military has deliberately targeted densely populated areas, sparing neither women, children, nor even babies. This demonstrates an attempt to ethnically cleanse Gaza, which constitutes genocide. How can Israel justify killing such a staggering number of women and children in the name of "self-defence"? Meanwhile, an independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) has warned of famine in northern Gaza. The FRC has urged those directly involved in the conflict (Israel), as well as those who can influence them, to take immediate action within days to stop or alleviate this catastrophic situation. The US has warned of restrictions on military aid to Israel if it does not "improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza."

Though this is too little too late, and comes after over 43,500 people have been killed in Gaza during the 13 months of war (according to Palestinian health authorities), if the US actually follows through on its warning, there may be some hope. It is up to the US to force Israel to stop its genocidal war, agree to a ceasefire, and enter into negotiations for a two-state solution. For this to happen, the first step would be for the US to refrain from sending any more military aid to Israel.

The question is, does it have the moral courage to do so? Since the Biden administration does not have to worry about elections anymore, this could be its chance to show that it does. Donald Trump, the next president of the US, has said that he will end all wars but that he will continue to support Israel. We hope in the interest of humanity and to honour international law, the Trump administration will change this stance and aim for a ceasefire.​

 

[Saif]

US warplanes attack Houthi targets

US warplanes staged multiple strikes Saturday night on Iran-backed Houthi advanced weapons storage facilities in Yemen, the Pentagon said.

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US warplanes attack Houthi targets

US warplanes staged multiple strikes Saturday night on Iran-backed Houthi advanced weapons storage facilities in Yemen, the Pentagon said.

The facilities contained various weapons used to target military and civilian vessels navigating international waters throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to information provided to AFP by the Pentagon.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah television network reported three American and British raids that targeted the capital Sanaa's southern Al Sabeen district.

"Eyewitnesses said they heard intense flying, along with explosions in different parts of the capital Sanaa," Al Masirah said.

The United States and Britain have repeatedly struck Houthi targets in Yemen since January in response to attacks by the rebels on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The rebels say the strikes, which have disrupted maritime traffic in a globally important waterway, target vessels linked to Israel and are intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza offensive.

The attacks have seriously disrupted the Red Sea route which carries 12 percent of global trade.

In more than 100 Houthi attacks over nearly a year, four sailors have been killed and two ships have sunk, while one vessel and its crew remain detained since being hijacked last November.​

 

[Saif]

Famine looming in north Gaza

Famine is looming in the northern Gaza Strip amid increased hostilities and a near-halt in food aid, a UN-backed assessment said on Saturday.

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Famine looming in north Gaza
Agence France-Presse . Rome 10 November, 2024, 22:26

Displaced Palestinian children eat bread dipped in lentil soup in front of a tent at the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, amid the on-going war between Israel and the Hamas group. | AFP photo

Famine is looming in the northern Gaza Strip amid increased hostilities and a near-halt in food aid, a UN-backed assessment said on Saturday.

Israeli forces have intensified their operations in large swathes of devastated northern Gaza since early October, where evacuation orders are in place.

Aid shipments allowed to enter the Gaza Strip were now lower than at any time since October 2023, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report.

The alert from the Famine Review Committee warned of ‘an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine occurring, due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip’.

On October 17, the body projected that the number of people in Gaza facing ‘catastrophic’ food insecurity between November and April 2025 would reach 3,45,000, or 16 per cent of the population.

The IPC report classified that figure as Phase 5 — a situation when ‘starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident’.

Since that report, conditions have worsened in the north of Gaza, with a collapse of food systems, a drop in humanitarian aid and critical water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, the committee said.

‘It can therefore be assumed that starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease, are rapidly increasing in these areas,’ it read.

The Israeli military on Saturday questioned the UN-back report’s credibility.

‘To date, all assessments by the IPC have proven incorrect and inconsistent with the situation on the ground,’ the army said in a statement, denouncing ‘partial, biased data and superficial sources with vested interests’.

Access to food continues to deteriorate, with prices of essentials on the black market soaring. Cooking gas rose by 2,612 per cent, diesel by 1,315 per cent and wood by 250 per cent, it said.

‘Concurrent with the extremely high and increasing prices of essential items has been the total collapse of livelihoods to be able to purchase or barter for food and other basic needs,’ said the alert.

The body expressed concern over Israel’s cutting ties last month with the UN aid agency for Palestinians, warning of ‘extremely serious consequences for humanitarian operations’ in Gaza.

The United States — Israel’s biggest supporter — has given Israel until November 13 to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip or risk the withholding of some American military assistance.​