Biden ok’s sale of fighter jets, thousands of one-ton bombs to Israel, again – Day 175

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Biden ok’s sale of fighter jets, thousands of one-ton bombs to Israel, again – Day 175
In spite of Monday's UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, Israeli attacks – and Gazan deaths – continue (photo)

Israel to receive billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets from US; another flour massacre; Hannibal Directive; Israel wants US to pay for multinational aid distribution team; West Bank youth killed; “ecocide” in Gaza; Netanyahu reportedly rejects hostage deal; more

By IAK staff, from reports

Washington Post reports: The Biden administration in recent days quietly authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel despite Washington’s concerns about an anticipated military offensive in southern Gaza that could threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter. The 2,000-pound bombs have been linked to previous mass-casualty events throughout Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. These officials, like some others, spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because recent authorizations have not been disclosed publicly.

The development underscores that while rifts have emerged between the United States and Israel over the war’s conduct, the Biden administration views weapons transfers as off-limits when considering how to influence the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” said a White House official. “Conditioning aid has not been our policy.”

ANOTHER FLOUR MASSACRE – The New Arab reports: The Palestine Red Crescent said five people were killed and dozens wounded by gunfire and a stampede during an aid delivery early Saturday in northern Gaza, where famine looms.

Thousands of people gathered for the arrival of around 15 trucks of flour and other food, which was supposed to be handed out at Gaza City’s Kuwait roundabout, in the territory’s north.

Eyewitnesses told AFP that Gazans overseeing the aid delivery shot in the air, but Israeli troops in the area also opened fire and some moving trucks hit people trying to get the food.

The Israeli military told AFP it “has no record of the incident described.”

NO WONDER NORTH GAZA IS FACING FAMINE – UN humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza are still being denied by Israeli authorities despite spreading famine.

Since the start of March, a total of 30 percent – or 18 missions – were denied and 13 missions postponed or withdrawn.

OCTOBER 7TH TRUTHS KEEP COMING OUT – 2 soldiers admit to using the Hannibal Directive:

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER EXPECTS US FUNDING – Axios reports: During his visit to Washington this week, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant raised the possibility of establishing a multi-national military force with troops from Arab countries to improve law and order in Gaza and escort humanitarian aid convoys, two senior Israeli officials tell Axios.

Gallant asked for U.S. political and material support for such an initiative — though not American boots on the ground — in meetings with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

According to the Israeli officials, the proposal is for an Arab force to stay in Gaza for a limited transition period and be responsible for securing the temporary pier that the U.S. will build off the coast and for escorting humanitarian convoys so that aid reaches the population, will not be looted, and will not be under the control of Hamas.

NOTE: The real problem in Gaza is Israel’s refusal to allow the thousands of truckloads of aid waiting at the border to come in; when it lets some in, Israeli forces often shoot at the starving crowds. Israel has killed at least 560 Palestinians and injured 1,523 in such incidents, the most deadly on February 29, when over 100 were killed and 760 were injured. In several cases, when aid was airdropped, Palestinians were crushed by packages with malfunctioning parachutes, and drowned when packages fell in the sea. None of this would have happened if Israel had allowed enough aid to enter Gaza by truck.
At least 12 Palestinians were drowned as they tried to reach aid dropped by the US which fell into the sea
At least 12 Palestinians were drowned on March 25 as they tried to reach aid dropped by the US which fell into the sea (photo)

WEST BANK DEATH – WAFA reports: A 13-year-old Palestinian youth, Nabil Abu Abed, 13, was shot and killed and two others were injured, one of them critically, during an Israeli military incursion at dawn into the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.

Israeli occupation forces impeded the arrival of ambulance vehicles to the town to transport the wounded to hospital.

Ha’aretz adds: The Israeli army said that “the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.” According to the army, the forces were being shot at by “terrorists” and responded with fire, hitting some of them.

*NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for a group that resists occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, even to the point of armed resistance. Hamas has clearly and openly stated that its enemy is not the Jewish people, but the racist ideology of Zionism – the ideology under which Israel dispossessed 750,000 Palestinian people and exiled them to Gaza and other locations. 

GAZA SCHOOL UPDATE – OCHA reports: A new assessment by the UN Education Cluster of school damages in the Gaza Strip concludes that at least 67 per cent of schools in Gaza will either need full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again.

The assessment is based on an analysis of satellite imagery due to access limitations, especially in northern Gaza, intensive Israeli bombardment and recurrent telecommunications shutdowns.

The analysis also provides evidence that complements reports, photos, and videos previously received by the Cluster “showing that schools are being used for military operations by Israeli Security Forces (ISF) including use as detention, interrogation centers, and military bases.”

A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on 21 December 2023, shows smoke billowing amid the destruction in northern Gaza
A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on 21 December 2023, shows smoke billowing amid the destruction in northern Gaza (photo)

“ECOCIDE IN GAZA” – Ken Roth reports for the Guardian in ‘Ecocide in Gaza’: does scale of environmental destruction amount to a war crime? : The full extent of the damage in Gaza has not yet been documented, but analysis of satellite imagery provided to the Guardian shows the destruction of about 38-48% of tree cover and farmland.

Olive groves and farms have been reduced to packed earth; soil and groundwater have been contaminated by munitions and toxins; the sea is choked with sewage and waste; the air polluted by smoke and particulate matter.

Researchers and environmental organizations say the destruction will have enormous effects on Gaza’s ecosystems and biodiversity. The scale and potential long-term impact of the damage have led to calls for it to be regarded as “ecocide” and investigated as a possible war crime.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it follows international law and attempts to limit damage to agricultural areas and the environment.

“The IDF does not intentionally harm agricultural land and seeks to prevent environmental impact absent operational necessity,” it told the Guardian. (Read the full article here.)

For perspective on Israel’s destruction of the environment, read Baseline of a Desecrated Land
Palestinians inspect a farm after an Israeli airstrike. One farmer described the land as returning to desert.
Palestinians inspect a farm after an Israeli airstrike. One farmer described the land as returning to desert. (photo)

NETANYAHU REJECTS HOSTAGE DEAL – Andalou Agency reports: Israeli spy agency Mossad chief David Barnea gave a positive nod to the possibility of a hostage swap deal with Hamas during his recent meeting with mediators in the Qatari capital Doha, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it, Israeli media reported on Friday.

Barnea believed that an agreement with Hamas was possible, but Netanyahu objected to the details when presented to him, Channel 12 television reported, citing unnamed sources.

According to the channel, the proposal includes the release of 40 Israeli prisoners in exchange for the unconditional return of northern Gaza residents to their homes.

It is also reported that Netanyahu considered the proposal “weak” from Israel’s perspective and ordered preparations for the occupation of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. (photo)

More news:

Andalou Agency: BDS victory – Israeli arms company Elbit ‘forced to sell’ Tamworth factory in UK
+972 Mag: Why do Israelis feel so threatened by a ceasefire?
Middle East Monitor: Like the establishment of Israel, the ‘Red Heifer’ is yet another forced prophecy
Middle East Monitor: Israel will confiscate 16% of Gaza’s area to establish a buffer zone
Middle East Eye: Sanctioned Israeli settlers can still access bank accounts
Middle East Eye: Israel likely tortured Palestinian to record rape confession, say rights groups
The New Arab: Israel attacked Al-Shifa after ‘failure to convince Gaza tribes to form security teams’: Hamas official

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – MARCH 29:

Palestinian death toll from October 7 – March 29: at least 33,545* (33,084 in Gaza* (14,280 children, 9,340 women), and at least 461 in the West Bank (117 children). This does not include an estimated 7,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 40,042 Palestinian deaths.

At least 41 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 14 from West Bank)

At least 31 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**

About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced.

About 2.2 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are facing Crisis, Emergency, or Famine levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – March 29: at least 80,092 (including at least 75,092 in Gaza and 5,000 in the West Bank).

It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – March 29: ~1,407 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~574 were civilians, 373 or 337 were security and/or military forces, ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 252 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza;, 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured.

NBC reports: “According to the latest available IDF data… nearly 1 in 5, or 17%, of all Israel’s losses have come not at the hands of Hamas but from mishaps on its own side.”

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

*Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.

**Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. 

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

For more news, go here and here. Broadcast news from the region is here.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org
 

 

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