Relocating 600,000 Gazans in 60 days 'simply not possible'
Rob Geist Pinfold, an international security lecturer at King's College London, explains Israel's plan to displace 600,000 Palestinians from Gaza by making the territory unlivable.
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Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Hague Group announces steps to hold Israel accountable in Bogota summit
A coalition of countries has announced at a meeting in the Colombian capital of Bogota that they will pursue accountability for Israeli abuses in Gaza, including by preventing the transfer of weapons to Israel. The two-day meeting concluded on Wednesday with two dozen countries agreeing to six measures to 'restrain Israel's assault on the Occupied Palestinian Territories'. They include Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and South Africa. 'We believe in protagonism, not supplication,' said Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, the executive secretary of The Hague Group, which organised the summit. 'Today marks an end to the era of the impunity and the beginning of collective state action by governments of conscience.' Founded in January, the Hague Group seeks to bring together countries from the 'Global South' — a loosely defined region of developing economies — to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza and the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Among the steps announced by the group are the denial of arms to Israel, a ban on ships transporting such arms and a review of public contracts for possible links to companies that benefit from the Israeli occupation. The six measures also included support for 'universal jurisdiction mandates', which would allow states or international bodies to prosecute serious international crimes, regardless of where they took place. 'The delegates here that have been discussing these measures for two days are calling it the most ambitious, multilateral plan since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza 21 months ago,' Al Jazeera correspondent Alessandro Rampietti reported from Bogota. The 12 countries that agreed to the measures, however, represent fewer than half of the 30 countries in attendance at the Bogota summit. And critics question how effective smaller economies can be in dissuading Israel from its military campaign, especially given the multibillion-dollar support it receives from the United States. Israel has given little indication that international outrage has slowed down its attacks on Gaza, even after experts at the United Nations (UN) and major humanitarian organisations compared its tactics to genocide. Israeli forces continue to displace Palestinians and restrict their access to food, fuel and water. At least 58,573 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023. While the majority of the countries at this week's Bogota conference did not immediately sign on to Wednesday's measures, the Hague Group expressed optimism that more could join in. In a statement, the group set a deadline of September 20 for others to participate — a date chosen to coincide with the start of the UN General Assembly. 'Consultations with capitals across the world are now ongoing,' the statement said. Officials attending the summit also hailed the six measures as part of a larger effort to chip away at Israeli impunity. 'Ministers, the truth is that Palestine has already triggered a revolution, and you are part of it,' said Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. 'Palestine has changed global consciousness, drawing a clear line between those who oppose genocide and those who accept it or are part of it.' Albanese was recently sanctioned by the US for her outspoken criticism of Israel's actions. The summit has become a symbol of the growing calls from non-Western nations for world leaders to enforce international law in Gaza, where critics say Israel has consistently flouted human rights law. Developing nations such as South Africa and Colombia, which cohosted the conference, have been at the forefront of such accountability efforts. South Africa, for instance, filed a case in December 2023 at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel perpetrated genocide in Gaza. And Colombia announced it would cut ties with Israel in May 2024 over its military campaign. 'We came to Bogota to make history,' Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a statement. 'And we did.'
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israeli demolition threat looms over vital Jenin disability rehab centre
The Al-Jaleel Society for Care and Community-based Rehabilitation has provided essential services to disabled Palestinians in Jenin refugee camp for decades. But now, after repeated Israeli attacks, the centre has been destroyed, and its staff have discovered that it sits in an Israeli-designated demolition zone. Al-Jaleel's staff have received no official notice, but in early June, the Israeli army published an aerial map showing several buildings in the area that were set to be destroyed, including the rehabilitation centre. Zaid Am-Ali, senior advocacy officer for Palestine operations at Humanity and Inclusion, Al-Jaleel's partner organisation, told Al Jazeera the reason the organisations were given was that the area was being secured for military and security purposes. 'This is not the first time the centre has been targeted, the Israeli military has destroyed parts of it during previous acts of demolition in the refugee camp and has breached and ransacked the centre and tampered with assistive devices meant for persons with disabilities,' Am-Ali said. Al Jazeera has reached out to the Israeli military but has not received a response at the time of publication. Supporting thousands of Palestinians Al-Jaleel is a 'critical lifeline', Am-Ali said, describing how the demolition of the centre would deprive vulnerable communities in Jenin and the wider northern West Bank of its essential services. It was established in 1991 as the Local Rehabilitation Committee, which became an independent NGO in 2010 under the name Al-Jaleel. Since it first opened its doors, Al-Jaleel has provided thousands of Palestinians with a wide range of support and services, especially to those with mobility impairments resulting from injury, illness, or conflict-related trauma. As well as prosthetics, orthotics and physical and occupational therapies, Al-Jaleel also offers psychological support for those affected by disability and continuing violent assaults perpetrated by the Israeli military, which has been attacking Jenin on a regular basis for years, but has intensified operations since the start of 2025. 'This is the same area that has been subject to an ongoing Israeli military operation for years now, causing a lot of casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure,' Am-Ali said. Al-Jaleel's ability to function and provide care was severely compromised in April when an Israeli attack damaged the building. Although staff have since relocated and started operating from another location due to their displacement from the camp, they have not yet been permitted to re-enter the organisation's original building to retrieve any equipment that was spared during the April attack. Staff were told they would be allowed to evacuate their equipment on July 12, but were then not allowed to do so by the Israeli military. It is unclear when or if staff will be able to collect Al-Jaleel's belongings before the demolition takes place. With the area now declared a closed military zone, Al-Jaleel's staff are being denied information about the building's status. At the time of writing, the centre has not been demolished, but other buildings in its vicinity have been torn down. Violence in Jenin Violence in Jenin has escalated significantly since January 21, when the Israeli military launched 'Operation Iron Wall' in the city and the nearby refugee camp. According to Israeli forces, the operation is an 'antiterrorism' offensive, attempting to crush Palestinian resistance efforts in the area. The Israeli military has for years attempted to root out any form of armed resistance in the occupied West Bank, conducting raids that have escalated in severity since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. At least 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in that period. 'Operation Iron Wall' – targeting Palestinian fighters in the northern West Bank – started in Jenin, but has since spread to Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and al-Fara refugee camps. On March 22, just 60 days after the beginning of the offensive, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that 40,000 Palestinian refugees had been displaced from refugee camps in the northern West Bank. In addition, earlier this year, Israeli authorities announced that they planned to wipe out the Jenin refugee camp completely. Since then, Israeli bulldozers have been tearing down commercial buildings and homes at an alarming rate. Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, reported on June 30 that more than 600 homes and 15 roads in Jenin camp had been demolished. On June 17, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by Adalah, a legal centre for Palestinian minority rights in Israel, on June 12 to halt the demolition of Jenin refugee camp. The Supreme Court authorised the Israeli military to proceed with the destruction of nearly 90 civilian buildings that housed hundreds of Palestinian families. 'The Israeli Supreme Court's decision to uphold these operations, including its 7 May 2025 rejection of Adalah's petition against the mass demolitions in Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps, provides a false legal cover for policies of forced displacement and entrenched impunity,' said Adalah. Bigger picture The potential demolition of Al-Jaleel fits into a wider pattern of Israeli attacks on Palestinian healthcare institutions. The targeting of health facilities, medical personnel and patients has been widespread during Israel's war on Gaza. These actions are considered war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Israel has justified the attacks as being part of its fight against Hamas and other armed groups, accusing them, without any overwhelming evidence, of using health facilities as cover for their bases and operations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 94 percent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. Between October 7, 2023, and July 2, 2025, WHO recorded 863 attacks on healthcare in the West Bank. These attacks affected 203 institutions and 589 health transports In a statement to Al Jazeera, WHO reported that, of the 476 government health service delivery units assessed by WHO and partners in the West Bank in June 2025, only 345 are fully functional, 112 are partially functional, nine are non-functional, and 1 has been destroyed. That, Am-Ali believes, is being overlooked amid the understandable focus on Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians. And it is allowing Israel to get away with its devastation of Palestinian life in the West Bank, and its destruction of vital centres like Al-Jaleel. 'These developments are not isolated incidents and are in clear violation of international law, including the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force under the UN Charter and the Fourth Geneva Convention,' he said.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel targets Syrian government with attack on Damascus military HQ
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