Anti-Hamas protests break out in Gaza Strip over demands to end war
Videos of the protest began circulating on social media on Tuesday and come as Israeli air strikes and offensive operations against Hamas have continued since the first phase of an internationally-brokered ceasefire ended earlier this month, before a second phase could be secured.
One such video shared with Fox News Digital by the Center for Peace Communications showed protesters chanting, "Hamas get out!"
Israel Orders Idf To Seize More Gaza Territory If Hamas Doesn't Release Hostages
The man filming the protest provided his own commentary, which reportedly said, "Gaza's people don't want wars. They demand the end of Hamas' rule. They demand peace."
"Gazans turned out in anti-Hamas street demonstrations, braving gunfire and prison, in 2019 and again on July 30, 2023. This is the most substantial mass protest since then," Joseph Braude, president of the Center for Peace Communications, told Fox News Digital. "It highlights Gazan aspirations to end the war by ending Hamas' reign of terror, alongside the release of all hostages.
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"Gazans are expressing anger at Al-Jazeera and global media generally for covering only Hamas, ignoring the voices of Gazan civilians," he added. "The more attention these brave souls get, the more they can help bring change for the better to Gaza and the broader region."
Mother Of Injured Hamas Hostage Directs Plea To 'Every Mother In This World' To Help Secure Son's Release
Palestinian civilians have taken the brunt of Hamas' brutal and deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which resulted in the death of some 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 251 others. Fifty-eight of those hostages remain in Hamas captivity, but only 25 are believed to still be alive 535 days later, including American hostage Edan Alexander.
The Hamas-run Gaza's Health Ministry reported on Sunday that some 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 600 over the last four days after Israel officially ended the tenuous ceasefire by launching air strikes after negotiations on hostage releases stalled.
The ministry also reported that over 15,600 Palestinian children have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.
According to Israeli news agency TPS-IL, Gaza activist Hamza al-Masry also took to Telegram to share footage of the protest and said, "It is time for our people in all the governorates of the Gaza Strip to come out like them and to be united and united in one message.
"The people of Gaza want to stop the torrent of bloodshed of our people, and enough is enough," he added.Original article source: Anti-Hamas protests break out in Gaza Strip over demands to end war
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Chicago Tribune
27 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Op-ed writer gives Hamas a pass for what's happening in Gaza
I read with great interest Seth Lavin's opinion piece 'What Israel is doing is harming Jews' (Aug. 6). As a Jew, I care very much about Israel and what happens to the Jewish people around the world. The writer is correct in that Israel must change course immediately and do much more to enable Palestinians in Gaza to eat. That's a basic human right. But he misses the larger point. Lavin mentions Israel more than 25 times in his op-ed, almost always to accuse and to blame. But he mentions Hamas only once. In doing so, he fails to mention the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre that provoked Israel's war against Hamas. And he fails to mention how Hamas continues even today to hold hostage up to 20 innocent people. I acknowledge that Israel bears some responsibility for the Gazans' current plight, while Hamas bears much more. But Lavin gives Hamas a complete pass here. That's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faced corruption charges before Hamas' despicable 2023 hostage-taking attack, said his objectives include defeating Hamas, releasing the remaining hostages and ensuring Gaza never again threatens Israel. His retaliation has killed more than 60,000 people and continues killing through starving Palestinians, bombing hospitals and reducing Gaza to rubble. This is no longer an eye for an eye. It is the whole body and soul. Netanyahu is creating more terrorists, not eliminating op-ed by Seth Lavin is well meaning but misguided. Anti-Israel protests and celebrations of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas started before Israel even got its pants on. Although Oct. 7 was the most heinous of Hamas' terror attacks, it was far from the first. Hamas started wars against Israel in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021. Each time, Israel's military weakened Hamas' terror capacities, so-called 'mowing the lawn,' and each time Hamas used a ceasefire to regroup, arm itself to the teeth and fortify Gaza with hundreds of miles of tunnels, while planning its Oct. 7 massacre for years. Israel's leaders finally realized that half measures only kick the terror can down the road. Lavin needs to more closely examine the reason why this war gets a million times more attention than all the other wars in progress today. It's not because Israel is doing anything worse to Gazans than combatants in other wars are doing to each other. Rather, it is because Israel is the only Jewish state. People don't hate Jews because of Israel — they hate Israel because they hate Jews. Thus, Israel has two choices: Repeat the same mistakes from prior wars against Hamas, ensuring future massacres and wars, or do what it has to do and deal with public opinion later. It's better to be an unpopular live Jew than a popular dead did the war between Hamas and Israel start? Yes, it is unconscionable that the Palestinian people are being killed and their land destroyed. But what right did Hamas have to gun down innocent people with no weapons who just wanted to enjoy a concert?The Democratic National Committee must change its focus from texting us 15 to 20 times a day for donations and signatures and focus on organizing and scheduling a day of mourning. Mourning for the inhuman deportation of immigrants, the pardoning of the Jan. 6 rioters, the firing of essential government employees, the rise of the anti-vaxxers, the support of coal and gas, the defunding of public television and universities — we could go on and on. Millions of Americans are ashamed of our country and our president but are either cowed or silent about stopping the eroding of our democracy. We need help from the DNC and our elected Democrats. Organize a march like the Million Mom March of 2000, the 1963 March on Washington and the Million Man March of 1995, allowing us to demonstrate our opposition to the current government and show the world that there are decent voices in our country and hope for the future.I hope that one day the Tribune and its editorial staff will fairly acknowledge the accomplishments of the Donald Trump administration, rather than continuing their relentless criticism. Under Trump, the southern border has become more secure than ever, significantly curbing illegal immigration and reducing the flow of illegal drugs. Inflation and energy prices are under control. On the global stage, Trump has curtailed escalating conflict in the Far East and slowed Iran's nuclear ambitions. These are not minor achievements; they are substantial successes that deserve recognition, especially when contrasted with the policies and outcomes of the Joe Biden there anyone else out there who wants to be like Howard Beale in the movie 'Network' and go to a window to shout, 'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' What am I not taking anymore: giving a convicted sex trafficker and child abuser a more cushy prison to live in; cutting millions of dollars from vaccine and other scientific research by a nonmedical person; cutting millions from food pantries while spending millions on renovating a White House ballroom; allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to grab up people to take them to God's knows where; and so much more. I am ready to go to my window. How about you?I was both astounded and appalled to learn that 500 of food, earmarked for starving children and their families by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been incinerated, reportedly due to the fact the biscuits were about to expire. I understand that federal workers had warned the administration for months that these biscuits would go to waste if not sent to the people for whom they were earmarked. In addition, warnings were provided to the administration of the ongoing effects of malnutrition, malaria and a possible polio outbreak due to the elimination of USAID. Marco Rubio was the acting administrator of USAID during this time. The fact that the potentially lifesaving food was destroyed appears to be due to incompetence, a lack of prioritization or worst of all — cruelty. The administration reportedly also has plans to incinerate potentially lifesaving contraceptives instead of delivering them to impoverished women overseas. While acknowledging that people have different beliefs, wasting vital resources that had already been purchased and were awaiting distribution, makes no sense and has caused unnecessary suffering to some of the most vulnerable people in our world. I would hope the people of the USA do not turn a blind eye to these horrific decisions by our government.
Los Angeles Times
27 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Uncharted territory': Newsom and UC go to battle against Trump's UCLA sanctions
Two weeks ago, UCLA was optimistic. For months, it had successfully avoided clashes with President Trump as university leaders declined to publicly criticize him by name over his battle to remake American higher education, first raging against several Ivy League schools. The morning of July 29, UCLA announced it had settled a federal lawsuit with students who accused it of discrimination, paying more than $2 million to Jewish civil rights groups and millions more in legal fees. University leaders hailed the action as 'real progress' to combat antisemitism. Privately, they pointed the Trump administration to the agreement, eager to convince federal officials they had made good with Jewish communities. The high lasted just a few hours — and touched off an extraordinary 14 days of rapid-fire accusations, investigative findings and a massive federal freeze of UCLA's research funding. It culminated Friday afternoon when Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed furious comments in response to a federal demand that UC pay a $1-billion fine over a host of allegations against UCLA: antisemitism on campus, illegal use of race in admissions and policies that allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity. 'He has threatened us through extortion with a billion-dollar fine, unless we do his bidding,' Newsom said, adding that California would sue. 'We will not be complicit in this kind of attack on academic freedom on this extraordinary public institution.' Spokespeople for the Justice Department did not respond Sunday to a question about Newsom's comments and legal threat. The escalating events lead up to decisive moments this week, starting with an emergency meeting of the UC Board of Regents on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, a federal court hearing will unfold in a preexisting case that could result in some — but not all — UC grants being restored. The developments bring the fight over America's higher education institutions — which has roiled elite private East Coast universities for months — to the nation's most powerful and lauded public university system. 'We are in uncharted territory,' said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities. 'We have seen the government come after Columbia, Brown, Harvard and others. But this, now, is a test. Will UCLA be the defender of public universities? Will it strike a deal? And what role will money — taxpayer money — play?' California is facing off against a president who has been relentless in his aims to rein in what he calls 'Marxist' universities that in his view are bastions of liberalism that have done too little to protect Jewish students, have been too soft on pro-Palestinian protests, and rely too heavily on international student dollars. His administration has accused a host of elite colleges nationwide — Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Stanford and three UC campuses — of illegally considering race in admissions and programming to the detriment of white and Asian American students. In response to pro-Palestinian protests, Trump has said colleges have enabled 'jihadists,' saying demonstrators are 'pro-Hamas' terrorists. 'UCLA is not a random selection,' Mitchell said. 'The administration has had issues with California, with the governor, for some time. This is part of a larger battle between the administration and the state of California.' Since July 30, when UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk began receiving notices from the federal government announcing grant suspensions — totaling nearly half a billion dollars — UCLA leaders have scrambled to assess the effect on what they describe as life-saving, groundbreaking research. Deans and departments have been told to be prepared for layoffs if the cuts last. Science and medical professors, whose research labs would not exist without federal funding, have solicited private donations. Doctoral and postdoctoral students, whose tuition and living expenses are often funded by grants in exchange for lab work, are rushing to speed up their graduation plans before stipends become depleted. 'The federal government claims antisemitism and bias as the reasons. This far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination,' Frenk said about the messages from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy. UC as a system and UCLA in particular have been under multiple federal investigations for months: The ongoing investigations were launched by the Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services departments. UCLA leaders thought they were being cooperative by sharing internal records over the months with government lawyers and making progress in quiet negotiations over the accusations, senior UC officials said. They hoped the government took notice of efforts that could appease the president: a new campus initiative to combat antisemitism, the banning of Students for Justice in Palestine groups, a UC-wide ban on student government boycotts of Israel, quick shutdowns of pro-Palestinian campus protests, and strict discipline of pro-Palestinian students accused of time, place and manner violations during demonstrations. But the federal government's stance is now clear: It believes UCLA is guilty of all allegations. The NSF letter said that UCLA 'engages in racism, in the form of illegal affirmative action, UCLA fails to promote a research environment free of antisemitism and bias; UCLA discriminates against and endangers women by allowing men in women's sports and private women-only spaces.' Federal lawyers want UC to pay the billion-dollar fine against UCLA in installments and contribute $172 million to a fund for Jewish students and other individuals affected by alleged civil rights violations. The settlement demands include ending scholarships that focus on race or ethnicity, forcing UCLA to share more admissions data than it already publicly releases with the government and changes to campus protest rules such as a ban on overnight encampments. In addition to the sticker-shock fine, some requests have puzzled UCLA leaders — as the UC system has already significantly overhauled many practices outlined by the federal government. It has ended the use of 'diversity statements' in hiring. Last fall, UCLA declared a 'zero-tolerance' policy for encampments. The government wants transgender women off women's sports teams. But as a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Assn., the university is already required to follow new association rules that bar transgender players from women's teams. 'It feels like a cut-and-paste job,' said a senior UC official about Trump's proposal. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about negotiations. 'It's like they took a parts of letters to the Ivy Leagues, cobbled them together and added the words 'UCLA.' ' The 24-member UC Board of Regents, which must approve of any settlement or payout to the federal government and would be involved in a suit, has called an emergency, closed-door meeting Monday afternoon. It's unclear whether Newsom, who is an ex-officio member of the board, will attend. Another pivotal moment comes Tuesday in San Francisco's federal district court. There, Judge Rita F. Lin has ordered the Justice Department to explain why the UCLA cuts are not a violation of a June order in which she blocked certain science grant terminations for all of UC. The case, filed by UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco researchers, is being argued by Erwin Chemerinsky, UC Berkeley law school dean and constitutional expert. If the judge rules in UC's favor, it could apply to NSF cuts that account for about half of those in limbo at UCLA. In an interview, Chemerinsky said actions against UCLA were 'clearly illegal' because 'the president lacks constitutional authority to refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress.' He outlined what would likely be California's argument in a suit: The government's actions violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which restricts the president's ability to halt spending that Congress has authorized. 'The cutoff of funds has been without the due process required by federal laws and the Constitution,' Chemerinsky said. 'Agencies cutting off funds, like NIH and NSF, are violating the Administrative Procedures Act in that the actions are 'arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion.' Many of the cutoffs of funds violate the 1st Amendment for being based on viewpoint.' But California faces a risk if it files a suit against the administration's orders. When Harvard pushed back against billions in similar cuts earlier this year, the Trump administration hit the university with additional costly funding clawbacks and a termination of its ability to host foreign students, an issue it further sued over. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said time — and politics — is not on UCLA's side. 'At some point you have to be ready for fall classes and international students coming in and the campus trying to deal with the uncertainty and losing all your grants,' said Tobias. Litigation can take months, if not years, he said. California 'might do well in the district courts and then in the 9th Circuit, but I don't know what would happen in the Supreme Court.' After Newsom threatened a suit, UC Regents Chair Janet Reilly told The Times that negotiation is still on the table — but not on the current 'unacceptable' terms. 'The university remains willing to engage in a constructive and good-faith dialogue with the federal government but the University of California will always stand firm in protecting the integrity and values of our institution,' Reilly said. Mark Yudof, a former UC president who led the system from 2008 to 2013, believed negotiations were still likely. 'While litigation is certainly a possibility, my sense is that both sides will first try negotiating a settlement,' Yudof said. He said the settlement UCLA came to with Jewish students in late July is 'likely to be the initial framework for those discussions. Hard to say where it goes from there. The fact that UC is a public university system adds to the complexities.' Mitchell, the American Council on Education president and former top administrator of Occidental College, said a quick resolution would benefit both sides. He said a months-long process — as it's been between Harvard and Trump — would have the potential for 'great harm.' 'These things, the longer they go on, the worse they get,' he said.
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Our tax dollars fund Israel's genocide in Gaza. Every American should care.
'It's all very complicated, and I'm not an expert, but I'm not sure any country can help to the capacity it should and could.' For nearly two years, the world has watched the decades-old conflict between Israel and Palestine evolve into an increasingly brutal war. Hamas-led militants killed more than 1,200 people – mostly civilians – on Oct. 7, 2023, and took 251 hostage – including Americans. Today, 50 hostages remain captive in Gaza, though Israel believes only 20 of them are alive. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. More than 145,000 have been wounded and 90% of the population has been displaced. Half of those killed and injured are women and children, the ministry says. Those who've managed to live through the war are facing new threats to their survival: Starvation has swept through Gaza, with half a million people affected by famine-like conditions, according to the World Food Program. Polluted aquifers and broken pipelines leave safe drinking water scarce. Since May, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food. On July 28, two Israeli human rights groups released statements saying the country was committing genocide in Gaza, echoing declarations previously made by Amnesty International and a United Nations special committee. On Aug. 8, Israel approved a plan for the Israel Defense Forces to take control of Gaza City. Twenty-two months ago, that October day lit aflame deeply rooted hostilities, igniting new tensions in neighboring countries and across oceans: On college campuses, in public streets and on social media platforms. It's a war that has divided families, friends and even the Republican and Democratic parties. USA TODAY columnists and contributors have covered this issue from many sides – including inside and outside of Gaza itself. But we hadn't heard from you, until now. We wanted to know your opinions. For our next installment of Forum, we asked: Are you concerned about the developing situation in Gaza? Should the U.S. send more aid to Gaza? To Israel? Is the news media's coverage getting it right or wrong? What could finally end this conflict? Here's what you said. I've seen Israelis and Palestinians coexist. It's the only thing that gives me hope. I want to be clear that I am pro-peace. I lived in Israel for many years, and I saw coexistence every single day. I lived it. It might be the only reason I have any hope left. On any public bus, you might see a soldier standing next to a woman in a hijab next to a Hasidic man next to a guy with a mohawk next to a Druze family. And thousands of Israelis have been protesting the government for years, before Oct. 7, 2023. The difference is that they have the freedom to do so without fear or repercussion. Gazans do not have that same luxury. Openly protesting Hamas means death or worse. And yet many of them have, because they have nothing more to lose. Which is why it's disgusting and sad that news coverage has been minuscule, and people in the West, most of them the descendants of colonizers themselves, feel the need to call Hamas "resistance fighters" and advocate for the destruction of a country they can't even find on a map. What about the hostages, who are also starving? What about how Hamas has weaponized starvation and does not care for its people? What about how Hamas has looted aid and funneled donations to line the pockets of their own leaders? The United States should do more to help dismantle Hamas, in addition to criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and actively trying to end this war. The United States should focus on supporting peace-building coalitions, accountability and support for Israel's population (which includes Israeli Arabs, who make up about 20% of the population) – but also help the Palestinians in finding a path forward without Hamas or Islamic jihad or similar leadership. There is not enough focus on the day after the war, especially when it comes to dismantling Hamas, reeducation and supporting efforts to pivot Netanyahu's right-wing government, which is adding fuel to the fire. The United States should do more to combat antisemitism, which has skyrocketed here and globally. Antisemitism has risen globally by 340% since the start of this war, and it's no coincidence. We need help combating false narratives that restrict empathy. This is a national concern as well as a global one that does not help either Israelis or Palestinians, or Jews across the world. I think there should be a Palestinian state at some point, but it should not be created as a knee-jerk reaction to this terrible war. If anything, this should give everyone pause. It will take years of peace-building coalitions and mapping out a sustainable plan to actually make this work. I'm a father in Gaza. My children wake in the middle of the night crying for food. | Opinion Another view: Western nations want a Palestinian state. But Arab nations keep their distance. | Opinion Celebrities are nothing but armchair activists who are also responsible for spreading misinformation and false narratives. They add fuel to the fire, and their commentary actually leads to violence and sows division. There is blatant skewing of the narrative, including reporting Hamas figures as facts when many of the numbers of the dead include combatants. Everyone blames Israel and seems to cast Hamas in the light of "resistance" and "freedom fighters" even when they are the ones responsible for the violence, sexual assault, torture and kidnapping that have defined this war. Why has no one reported on the protests in Gaza against Hamas, which killed and tortured Gaza civilians for protesting? Why has no one focused on the plight of the remaining hostages who are also starving? Why has no one highlighted where Hamas leaders have been – safe in Qatar and other countries? — Elle Brooke, West Bloomfield, Michigan Our tax dollars are funding a genocide. Every American should care about that. The United States is aiding Israel in committing genocide. Through the U.S. support, Israel is starving hundreds of thousands of families. America has criticized organizations doing real work and feeding people. It has instead supported an organization, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose 'distribution sites' saw the slaughtering of Palestinian families with the aid of mercenaries and the genocidal Israel Defense Forces. Cracking down on public criticism of Israel and support of Gaza under the false guise of addressing antisemitism has made a mockery of actual antisemitism. President Donald Trump is using it as a false way to challenge universities and shut down free speech in the name of addressing antisemitism, but truthfully, he is just engaging in fascism. The United States must recognize a Palestinian state – and with recognition there needs to be an end to the occupation, the right to return and justice for the people of Palestine and the thousands of Palestinians harmed, killed and starved. Every person should care about genocide. Everyone – celebrity, politician and everyday person – should care about genocide. Every one of us must speak up and take action immediately. Because, as U.S. taxpayers, our dollars go to supporting Israel, we should get a say in how those dollars are used. — Ella Mendonsa, Washington, DC I feel for innocent Palestinians. But as a Jew, I know we can't have a two-state solution. It's all very complicated, and I'm not an expert, but if you have Hamas intentionally preventing aid from getting to the population in order to prolong their own lies, I'm not sure any country can help to the capacity that it should and could. I'm not a Trump supporter at all, but at least he has taken steps to show that, as a democracy, we support democracy. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is a democracy. So I think the Trump administration's support of Israel is refreshing compared with prior ones. What can anyone do when Iranian-backed, Hamas-linked organizations fill the news with grotesque lies and omissions of the truth? This is not about the innocent Palestinians, many of whom are afraid of Hamas. This is about Hamas using its own population for propaganda. Don't get me wrong. I care and feel for the Palestinians suffering. But as a Jew, I have to care about the fact that the entire raison d'être and mantra of Hamas is to kill all Jews and destroy the land of Israel. There is no longer a chance for a two-state solution. Israel has tried over and over to offer paths to this and to show that we can live peacefully with Arabs and Palestinians. We cannot offer this in the face of a Hamas-led government that specifically and openly states that its members would like to see Israel wiped off the map. How could Israel trust them when they savagely killed people who lived near the border and who were reaching out across the border and helping Palestinians? It's fair to say innocent people are suffering, but the news media is biased toward the Palestinian plight as opposed to showing that Israel has tried numerous times to make peace, only to have its own people suffer. Would you tear down a barrier in your backyard if you knew your neighbors would do anything to break in to your house and try to kill you? Honestly. Israel has never gone to war with any country out of hatred for human beings or religion. It's always on the defensive, and in the end, it's always blamed. But let's not forget that the Jewish people have endured thousands of years of antisemitism from every corner of the earth, and we're still standing. — Deena Thomas, Memphis, Tennessee We've given billions to fund this war. It's time Trump leverages it for peace. We give billions in military aid to Israel every year, some of which was used for good purposes against Iran, but also at least some of which was used to cause this starvation crisis. It seems like the least we could do would be to help save the lives of civilians there. The Biden administration launched the first national strategy to combat antisemitism. But now Trump is just using antisemitism as an excuse to go after his political enemies on issues like immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion. I know that many people on both sides complain about the media attention, but the fact is that billions of American taxpayer dollars are involved here, so it's fully legitimate for the media to be focusing on this. The two-state solution is the least impossible of all the impossible options to end this conflict. And we could be doing much more to support the Israelis, especially the hostage families, protesting against Netanyahu's disastrous policies. Just a week ago, an organization of retired Israeli generals called for an end to the war. We should applaud France and Saudi Arabia for seeking to advance the two-state solution and for persuading the entire Arab League to condemn Hamas as it did last week. — Matthew Weinstein, Baltimore
