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Shafaq News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
72-Hour blitz: Israel intensifies Gaza strikes
Shafaq News/ Israel struck more than 200 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 72 hours, as part of an ongoing military campaign. The Israeli Army's Spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed on X the killing of Ahmad Mansour, a senior Islamic Jihad operative in the group's rocket unit, who it said was involved in the October 7 cross-border attack on southern Israel. #عاجل تطورات المشهد في قطاع غزة🔻قضى جيش الدفاع وجهاز الشاباك على المخرب أحمد منصور وهو أحد مخربي المنظومة الصاروخية لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي الإرهابية، ودخل إلى أراضي البلاد ليشارك في مجزرة 7 أكتوبر. بالإضافة إلى ذلك عمل منصور خلال الحرب على تنفيذ عمليات إطلاق القذائف الصاروخية… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) April 21, 2025 The army noted that its operations have so far destroyed over 1,400 targets since the resumption of hostilities on March 18. Israeli media also reported that several individuals were hospitalized following a 'security incident' in southern Gaza, without providing further details. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to intensify pressure on Hamas, calling on the group to accept a new hostage deal. Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated that no aid would be allowed into Gaza until all Israeli captives are released. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, a total of 51,240 Palestinians have been killed and 116,931 injured since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, including 1,864 deaths and 4,890 injuries reported since the resumption of Israeli operations.
Middle East Eye
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
The Gaza playbook: Israel's five-step ethnic cleansing strategy
The notion of "Greater Israel" represents a foundational goal of Zionism and the Israeli political elite. For decades, Israel has worked to carry out the mass transfer of Arab populations from historic Palestine. For Israel's current leadership, as well as large swathes of Israeli society, the war on Gaza has presented what they see as a pivotal opportunity: the chance to remove Palestinians from Gaza once and for all. Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, Israel has signalled its desire to rid Gaza of its Palestinian population. For most of the war, however, Israeli leaders have been hesitant to state the plan - which amounts to ethnic cleansing - explicitly. As Israel moves closer to implementing its overarching goal, it is important to examine its path towards ethnic cleansing, which follows a comprehensive five-step programme. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israel is a veteran of ethnic cleansing - having carried out, in 1948, one of the largest such campaigns of modern times. Since then, it has continued a slower-motion campaign, primarily in the West Bank, where it has seized vast tracts of Palestinian land, established more than 200 illegal settlements and outposts and brought in approximately 700,000 illegal Israeli settlers. Israel's illegal settlement expansion programme involves routine land confiscation, home and neighbourhood demolitions, and forced population transfer. Step 1 - Muzzling the media Drawing on decades of practice removing Palestinians from their land, the current Israeli leadership recognised that, as a first step to depopulating Gaza, critical media coverage needed to be limited as much as possible. To this end, and from the start of the war, Israel cut Gaza off from the outside world. In October 2023, Israel tightened the seals on Gaza's borders and barred international journalists from entering the strip. That same month, it informed Agence France-Presse and Reuters that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists in Gaza. During ceasefire negotiations in November 2023, Israel's closest ally and chief financier, the US, reportedly expressed concern that a temporary pause in fighting could allow greater international media access to Gaza. In response, Israel and the US likely worked to ensure the continued closure of Gaza's borders during what turned out to be a six-day pause in hostilities. Drawing on decades of practice, Israeli leaders recognised that, as a first step to depopulating Gaza, critical media coverage needed to be limited as much as possible Israel has also systematically targeted journalists - more than 200 have been killed in Gaza so far, a world record in modern conflict. Two weeks ago, Israel bombed a media tent, burning Palestinian journalist Ahmad Mansour alive. His final moments were captured in harrowing mobile phone footage. Israel has additionally banned multiple media outlets within its own borders and shut down Al Jazeera offices in both Israel and the West Bank. Step 2 - Shrinking the population The second step of Israel's ethnic cleansing plan has involved exterminating as many Palestinians as possible, mostly through relentless, large-scale aerial bombardment. In a cabinet meeting in late 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of his desire to "thin" the population "to a minimum". To this end, Israel has dropped thousands of bombs indiscriminately on the tiny enclave, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians - overwhelmingly women and children. Israel has not sought to avoid civilian casualties - rather, it has pursued them as a matter of policy. Perhaps the most chilling illustration of this is its 100:1 targeting ratio, a system that allows the Israeli military to kill "more than 100" civilians in the course of targeting a single Hamas commander. Israel has always wanted to expel Palestinians. Now it's saying the quiet part out loud Read More » Various "kill zone" policies ensure that Israeli soldiers shoot first and ask questions later. As one Israeli commander recently told troops: "Everyone you encounter is an enemy. If you see a figure, open fire, neutralise the threat, and keep moving. Do not hesitate and do not second-guess." In December 2023, Israel killed three of its own captives who had wandered into an arbitrarily demarcated kill zone, despite waving white flags. Palestinians are routinely gunned down in these zones. Bombings and shootings have not been the only means through which Israel has sought to reduce Gaza's population. It has also pursued a policy of forced starvation. Retired Israeli general Giora Eiland told Israeli media in early October 2023 that it was necessary to create a "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza. Later, Eiland published a "Generals' Plan" outlining a starvation strategy in which Palestinians would be given a choice to either "surrender or starve". Israel appears to have followed Eiland's instruction. Throughout the war, it has blocked the entry of food and water into Gaza. In the summer of 2024, the United Nations declared that famine had taken hold and that numerous children had died from malnutrition. Human Rights Watch, Euro-Med Monitor and B'Tselem - among other rights groups - have concluded that Israel has been deliberately starving Palestinians, with Human Rights Watch stating that Israel has used "starvation as a weapon of war". Step 3 - Destroying the healthcare system The third step of Israel's ethnic cleansing programme dovetails with the second. Here, Israel has sought to destroy as much of Gaza's healthcare system as it can. This has ensured the continued suffering - and in many cases, slow deaths - of thousands injured in the bombings. As part of this effort, Israel has systematically attacked and destroyed hospitals. In December 2024, the UN Human Rights Office stated that such attacks had brought Gaza's health system "to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians' access to health and medical care". Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war It has also targeted health workers, killing more than 1,000 doctors and nurses and arresting or torturing over 300 others, according to Gaza's government media office. In December, Israel abducted the director of one of Gaza's last functioning hospitals. Last month, it killed 15 paramedics and rescue workers and buried them in a mass grave with their ambulances. Crucially, Israel has also worked methodically to block the entry of essential medical supplies. A 2024 CNN investigation found that it prevented the entry of "anaesthetics and anaesthesia machines, oxygen cylinders, ventilators and water filtration systems", as well as "medicines to treat cancer… and maternity kits… crutches, generators… [and] x-ray machines", among other items. The lack of anaesthetics has meant that many Palestinians - including children - have had limbs amputated without anaesthesia. The lack of fuel needed to power generators has caused incubators to fail, leading to the deaths of newborns. American doctor Mark Perlmutter, who recently served in Gaza, said surgeons work "without soap, antibiotics or x-ray facilities" and noted that patients routinely die due to the lack of supplies. Another American doctor, Samer Attar, who also volunteered in Gaza, described the slow death of a small boy who was "missing skin over half of his body" after an Israeli bombing. Doctors were unable to save him. "We just sat back and helplessly watched him die," said Attar. Israel's strategy fulfils a promise made by then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant at the war's outset, when he announced a "complete siege" of Gaza, declaring there would be "no electricity, no food, no fuel". It is also consistent with Eiland's advice to Israel's defence ministry. In a November 2023 op-ed in Yedioth Ahronoth, Eiland suggested that "severe epidemics" would "bring victory closer [to Israel]" - a view endorsed by senior Israeli figures including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Step 4 - Rendering Gaza uninhabitable The first through third steps alone are sufficient to create a hellscape. But the fourth may be the most critical component of Israel's ethnic cleansing effort. Here, Israel has sought to make Gaza so uninhabitable that Palestinians have no choice but to flee. Israel has sought to make Gaza so uninhabitable that Palestinians have no choice but to flee It has systematically destroyed homes, schools, universities, shelters and roads. According to Doctors Without Borders, by January, more than 90 percent of Gaza's housing units had been completely or partially destroyed. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, after visiting Gaza in January, said there was "almost nothing left". He dismissed reconstruction plans as "impossible". Shortly after, Trump referred to Gaza as a "demolition site". These comments were not neutral observations but tacit endorsements of Israel's plan. The logic goes: since Gaza is now a wasteland, the "humane" response is to relocate its remaining residents. Step 5 - Diplomatic legitimisation Israel hopes that the fifth step will serve as the final stage in the complete ethnic cleansing of Gaza. This step centres on aggressive political manoeuvring and logistical coordination to advance that goal. In January, Trump proposed the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza - a plan Israel immediately endorsed. But the so-called "Trump proposal" did not originate with Trump. It began in Israel as part of its broader "Greater Israel" vision and longstanding ethnic cleansing strategy. Israeli expulsion plans are not new: They were first proposed in the 1930s Read More » Branding it a "Trump plan" helps shield Israel and lend the plan credibility. Beyond branding, Israel has set up an agency to facilitate Gaza's depopulation, announced the seizure of territory within the strip, and lobbied third countries - including Somalia and South Sudan - to accept Palestinians. Whether Israel will succeed remains unclear. A complete ethnic cleansing seems unlikely for now. Many Palestinians have rejected the plan, and the Arab League has proposed its own five-year reconstruction initiative. Still, the short-term outlook is uncertain - to say nothing of the long-term. What happens when there is nothing left to destroy, no nation offers refuge and Palestinians refuse to leave? These are open questions. Even if Israel's plan ultimately fails - and most of the international community hopes it does - it will have left behind something dangerous: a 21st-century blueprint for ethnic cleansing. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Jordan News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
The Number of Journalist Martyrs in Gaza Rises to 211 - Jordan News
The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the number of journalists martyred since the beginning of the war on Gaza has risen to 211. This increase follows the recent crime committed by the Israeli occupation, which targeted a journalists' tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of journalist Hilmi Al-Faqawi, and the announcement of the death of journalist Ahmad Mansour, who worked for Palestine Today News Agency, succumbing to his injuries from the direct shelling of the tent. اضافة اعلان The Government Media Office strongly condemned the targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli occupation, calling on the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union, and all journalistic bodies worldwide to condemn these systematic crimes against Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza. The office also urged the international community, along with organizations concerned with press and media freedom, to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its ongoing crimes, and to bring its perpetrators to justice in international courts. Additionally, it called for serious and effective pressure to stop the ongoing genocide and to protect journalists and media workers in Gaza, and put an end to the crimes of killing and assassination.
Al Jazeera
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Palestinians mourn journalist burned alive in Israeli strike on Gaza tent
NewsFeed Palestinians mourn journalist burned alive in Israeli strike on Gaza tent Palestinians in Gaza are mourning the death of journalist Ahmad Mansour who was filmed burning alive after Israel targeted a tent for journalists with an air strike and set it ablaze in Khan Younis.
Shafaq News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Gaza: 212 journalists killed amid the Israeli war
Shafaq News/ The death toll of journalists in Gaza has reached 212, the Strip's Government Media Office reported on Tuesday. The increase in casualties follows an Israeli airstrike that targeted a journalists' tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, killing journalists Helmi Al-Faqawi and Ahmad Mansour, a correspondent for Palestine Today news agency. The media office condemned the deliberate targeting of Palestinian journalists, calling for urgent action from the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union, and all international media and human rights organizations to condemn these crimes and stop the systematic killings of journalists in Gaza. The statement also held Israel, the US administration, and its supporting countries, including the UK, Germany, and France, fully responsible for the continuing crimes against Palestinian journalists, labeling them as war crimes and acts of genocide. Urging the international community and organizations concerned with press freedom to uphold their legal and ethical responsibilities, the media office called on them to take immediate action to hold Israel accountable and to pursue legal action against Israel in international courts for its crimes against journalists.
