In strike after strike, a growing number of children have paid the price in Israel's offensive in Gaza
Throughout its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has faced mounting accusations of war crimes and genocide, including in a case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' top court. The ICJ last year ordered Israel to do everything it can to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, issuing a symbolic blow condemning the Israeli military's campaign in the enclave since the court has no power to enforce its rulings. Both Israel and the United States have rejected accusations of genocide.
But condemnation has also grown from within, with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert telling the British newspaper The Guardian in a recent interview that by the spring, when the Israeli government abandoned negotiations for a permanent end to fighting, he had reached the conclusion that his country was committing war crimes.
Meanwhile, he said, a widely condemned proposal from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz to build a so-called 'humanitarian city' over the ruins of hard-hit Rafah in southern Gaza and force Palestinians to live there would constitute ethnic cleansing. Olmert called the proposed site a 'concentration camp.'
Avi Melamed, a former Israeli military intelligence official, said that often in strikes, decisions of life and death are inevitably being made.
'If there is a person there that is, you know, responsible for terrible things … I would say, of course, we have to take this person down. But then, of course, comes the question, 'OK, what's the cost?''
'Is he sitting surrounded by 20 kids in a classroom? Probably, I would say I would not, I would not attack,' he said in a phone interview. 'If say, there is a probability that this person is finding shelter around among civilians, I would try to verify that to the best of my capacity and then to take the decisions.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
29 minutes ago
- Scotsman
How Labour minister's attack on quality of Scotland's water backfired badly
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Westminster went into recess this week, a time of year when MPs can take a breath, undertake summer surgery tours and constituency visits, and generally catch up with work back home that can be difficult with the weekly commute to London. It is also historically when we enter what is known as 'silly season', described in the Collins dictionary as 'the time around August when the newspapers are full of unimportant or silly news stories because there is not much political news to report'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This week it arrived a few days early as a Labour Cabinet minister sought to make the case against water nationalisation using inaccurate figures about Scottish water quality. A Labour politician, Environment Secretary Steve Reed no less, arguing against a successfully nationalised public utility and showing a courageous streak by criticising Scots over the quality of their tap water. Just 16 per cent of England's water bodies are in good ecological status, compared to 66 per cent in Scotland (Picture: Christopher Furlong) | Getty Images Swimming in sewage Now, there are times, when stories that the political bubble, politicians and journalists alike, think are terribly serious fail to capture the public imagination. The quality of Scotland's water is not one of them. People in Scotland, of all political persuasions and none, take some pride in the quality of Scotland's water – not least those of us who drink London tap water during our weekly London commute! The Secretary of State was swimming in sewage of his own making and gave Scottish Government Cabinet minister Gillian Martin ample opportunity to rebut his claims in a pointed letter. Sixty-six per cent of Scotland's water bodies are of good ecological status compared to 16 per cent in England and 29 per cent in Wales. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Whilst there is always more that can be done and Scottish ministers are right to focus on areas for which they have responsibility, Scottish water is improving with 87 per cent assessed as 'clean or good', up from 82 per cent in 2014. There is always work to be done in Scotland, and in fairness Scottish ministers have the benefit of being answerable to the public rather than shareholders, but nonetheless the intervention was 'courageous' by the British minister. £78bn in shareholder dividends A recent report by the UK Environment Agency showed serious pollution incidents in England were up 60 per cent compared to the previous year with 'consistently poor performance from all nine water and sewage companies' in England. The Environment Agency put this down to 'persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance and reduced resilience due to the impacts of climate'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Secretary of State even conceded on Sky News this week that most of the £104 billion investment needed in the water industry in England would have to be paid back by bill payers. What's more, since privatisation by the Tories in the 1990s, water companies have paid out £78bn in dividends and millions in bonuses to water company bosses, a system that a Labour minister was now seeking to defend. One might say that the UK Government has found itself up a rather polluted creek without a paddle. No wonder so few voices are calling for Scottish water to be privatised given the unfolding disaster south of the Border. Bill payers in Scotland gain from successive devolved administrations managing water better. Since 2010 for instance, average charges to Scottish customers have reduced by over 10 per cent with average prices significantly lower than in England and Wales. Given all of this you might have expected the Secretary of State to be more focused on keeping to past Labour commitments that might help voters down south. In the 2020 Labour leadership race, one of Keir Starmer's ten key pledges was to 'support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water'. That commitment appears to have been one of many dropped by Labour in office. Scottish Labour's favourite tactic Labour finds itself politically rudderless in stormy waters, pun absolutely intended. No wonder, the party has won power and doesn't know what to do with it. The Secretary of State was left gasping, a fish out of water. When he was interviewed, unable to defend his own record, he did what Labour MPs are getting rather good at, talk about something else entirely. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's a favoured tactic of Scottish Labour MPs to talk about anything but their own Westminster government. At the most recent Scotland Office question time, supposed to be Scotland's voice in the UK Government, only my Dundee colleague Chris Law and I seemed to be bothered to ask about issues pertinent to the UK Government. Labour MP after Labour MP stood up to talk about the Scottish Government, telling us something of who is setting the policy agenda – and it isn't this Labour administration. The lack of Labour MPs' curiosity about the work of their own government and the Secretary of State's brazen deflection tells us of a Westminster government and UK ruling party without much of a political compass, holed below the water line by their own lack of purpose. My experience of speaking to voters tells me that people want to know what you are for, rather than what you are against. Even where voters disagree with you, and plenty do, they respect parties who are clear on their beliefs. Things could always be better and Scottish ministers should continue to keep up their work to ensure that Scottish water is cheaper, less polluted and more sustainable than elsewhere. The same goes the other way, and given the state of England's waters maybe, just maybe, Labour ministers could do with focusing on areas over which they have responsibility. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Water is a precious commodity, and it has rightly grabbed a bit of attention this week. It's certainly more deserving than this week's early silly season but we shouldn't let that wander into September. Time for some serious politics about a serious resource – time for Labour ministers to focus on the day job?
Metro
39 minutes ago
- Metro
Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course
Donald Trump is following up his dire warnings about the future of Europe by cracking on with the real business of his trip to Scotland: a few rounds of golf. The US President landed at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire yesterday evening for his first UK visit since returning to the White House in January. It took only a few minutes after stepping off Air Force One for Trump to begin predicting doom for the West due to immigration. He told reporters: 'On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together.' The President claimed nobody had entered the US last month before describing the situation faced by Europe as a 'horrible invasion'. His British mini-break will begin with a day of golf at his Turnberry course on the Ayrshire coast. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. More serious discussions with leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish First Minister John Swinney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will come on Sunday and Monday. Police in Scotland are bracing for a major operation as protesters begin to gather at a number of spots Trump is expected to visit on his brief tour. The presidential motorcade, containing more than two dozen vehicles, passed a small protest on its way into Turnberry yesterday evening but demonstrations are expected to swell today. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Later, the entourage will travel east across Scotland to Aberdeen and another of Trump's links courses near Balmedie, on the coast north of the city. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, who met the President at Prestwick just after he arrived at around 8.30pm yesterday, said Trump's first words after stepping off the plane were: 'It's great to be here, I always love standing on the soil of Scotland.' Murray added: 'I said, 'I hope you're looking forward to a bit of downtime with some golf this weekend', and he said, 'Yes'. 'And I said, 'Well, we've whipped up a bit of a wind for you to make it a bit more competitive', and he went, 'I'm looking forward to it'.' Trump is expected to meet with von der Leyen tomorrow in an effort to thrash out a trade deal between the EU and the US. More Trending The EU has been one of the biggest targets of the tariff campaign from the White House since dramatic new trade measures were announced at the beginning of April. Starmer is understood to be travelling to Scotland on Monday for a meeting with the President, where the finer details of the UK's trade deal with the US are likely to be discussed. Speaking at Prestwick yesterday, Trump said: 'I like your Prime Minister, he's slightly more liberal than I am – as you probably heard – but he's a good man. He got a trade deal done.' He also suggested the meeting would be taking place this evening, which is not believed to be accurate. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: New arrest in cold case of mum killed 30 years ago walking home from shops MORE: Trump says 'I'll give you a list' of Epstein associates and 'I'm allowed' to pardon Maxwell MORE: Donald Trump's Scotland visit branded 'cynical circus' by his nemesis in land battle
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Meet the Refusers: The Israeli teenagers risking jail, friendships and family to refuse conscription to the IDF
Six months in an Israeli military prison and branded a traitor by friends; it has been a tough year for Itamar Greenberg. The 19-year-old Israeli Jew made the rare decision to refuse conscription to the IDF last August as it waged its devastating war in Gaza. Instead, Itamar accepted half a year behind bars alongside military criminals. 'I have lost friends, sadly,' he tells The Independent. 'I have a lot of friends who are soldiers, some of them decided to cut our connection. They actually think I'm a traitor. I understand what they feel, but obviously I don't agree.' Since his release four months ago, Itamar has continued supporting fellow young refusers willing to risk ostracisation from Israeli society by defying the mandatory order for all Jewish, Druze or Circassian citizens of Israel to serve years with the IDF. Men must serve at least 32 months in the army while women must serve at least 24 months. Israeli Arabs, religious women, married individuals, and those deemed medically or mentally unfit are exempt from compulsory military service, the IDF says on its website. Last Tuesday, a group of young refusers burnt their army draft letters during a rally in Tel Aviv. Another protest also took place in Jerusalem on Tuesday this week, when ultra-orthodox Jews blocked a highway to protest military conscription - although their objection is centred around protecting their strong religious identity, as opposed to conscientious objections to the IDF's actions in Gaza. The refuser movement, activists say, is growing. But Itamar says they remain on the fringes, despised by some, disliked by many. The fear of being jailed, and of being shunned to the periphery of Israeli society after their release, drives many young adults who disagree with the IDF's actions to join the army nonetheless. 'I have friends that are afraid of going to prison and some of them are in the army,' Itamar explains. 'Some don't want to be in the army. They think it's immoral. They are joining it because they are afraid of Israeli society and the consequences on their social life.' Itamar recalls one of his good friends who came close to refusing service. When his family told him he would be kicked out of the house if he did not serve, the friend gave in - and is now with the IDF. Family life is complicated for Itamar too. The son of an army officer, he avoids engaging in debates around politics and activism while at home, choosing instead silence while his father discusses his work. 'He's proud of it, all of the family are proud of it,' Itamar says, explaining that bringing his activist views inside the family home would only damage their relationship to no avail. Last week's rally, which saw dozens take to the streets in support of a handful of young Israelis who set their drafts on fire, came at a time of increasing international pressure on Israel. Starvation has torn through the devastated enclave, killing dozens of children, Palestinian health officials say. In recent weeks, catastrophic levels of hunger have seen the first hunger-related deaths spiral - something experts and UN officials say is a result of Israel's blockade on aid entering Gaza has pushed the strip to the brink of famine. Israel says the hunger crisis is because of a 'man-made shortage' of food which is 'engineered by Hamas', Palestinian health officials say the IDF has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since its bombardment began on 7 October 2023, soon after Hamas-led attacks killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. For the few on the Israeli left who have refused service on ideological grounds, the ongoing destruction in Gaza has added an unique complexity to their daily lives. 'It's very complicated to live in a society, to walk in the street and you know that most people around you are war criminals, or taking part in genocide,' Itamar says. Most Israelis who want the war to end, he adds, don't care about the lives of Palestinians, but rather they 'want the soldiers back home; they're afraid for their lives'. Yona Roseman, 19, was among those to burn her draft letter last week. She expects to be jailed when her conscription date passes in 24 days. 'It's scary,' she says of a looming stint in prison. Yona's parents, while they have come to understand her choice, were initially not very supportive of her decision. 'But I don't have any second thoughts about it. It's very much what needs to be done.' Like Itamar, Yona says the decision has made her an 'outcast' in Israel. 'It's a decision which takes you out of mainstream society. I have friends from my class who cut ties with me over my decision. My social circle these days is made up of people who are with me in this sort of activism, so I have a community, but it's disconnected from the rest of society.' Yona and Itamar are tentative in their hopes for any significant change in public mood in Israel. They both note that interest in the refuser movement is growing, but Yona believes that almost everyone who could have refused would have done so by now already. 'I don't know what could change for them to stop showing up and fighting,' she says. Instead, the young activists hope that those who are already serving in the army will turn their backs on it. Itamar speaks of a friend who serves in the IDF and is 'not a leftist'. He says the friend recently messaged into a group chat: 'I don't know how to say it, but it's started to look like we're doing genocide.' Yona also has friends in the IDF who tell her that they lack the bravery to be a refuser. 'I feel for them, but really, they should just get out of that. It's not an easy process, but it's not a complicated decision.' But despite being part of an ostracised group in Israeli society, losing a number of friends and spending a six-month stint in prison, Itamar wishes he could do more. He says: 'I just feel that I don't do enough, even though almost all my life has been for stopping [occupation]. I just don't know how.'
