ICJ ruling offers some vindication after 76 years of Palestinian struggle; Israeli strikes keep killing Gazans

The International Court of Justice says Israel's ongoing presence in Occupied Palestinian territory is illegal and violates international law. Judges determined Israel is obligated to end its unlawful presence as quickly as possible and must stop all new settlement activity. (photo)

Int’l Court of Justice deals a severe blow to Israel; at least 50 killed in Gaza; Israel’s killing of Hind Rajab a war crime; West Bank deaths; Yemeni drone hits Tel Aviv; Eilat Port in Israel declares bankruptcy; calls for Israel to be “unseated” from UN; 200 Congress staffers call for boycott of Netanyahu’s Congress speech; Calls to investigate Israel for genocide; more.

By IAK staff, from reports.

Israel should evacuate settlements, pay reparations, ICJ says

Washington Post reports: The International Court of Justice, the top judicial arm of the United Nations, said Friday that Israel should end its occupation of Palestinian territory, evacuate existing settlements, stop building new ones and pay reparations to Palestinians who have lost land and property.

In a sweeping 83-page legal opinion, the court, based in The Hague, said Israel is responsible for “systematic discrimination” against Palestinians based on race or ethnicity, has breached the right of Palestinians to self-determination and has effectively annexed large swaths of land.

“Israel has an obligation to bring an end to its presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible,” Nawaf Salam, the court’s president, said from the bench Friday. He added that the court considers Israel’s continued presence illegal and a “wrongful act.”

The searing advisory opinion is nonbinding but still holds legal weight and could have broader consequences in the international arena, including in trade and diplomacy. The court said member states should not recognize as legal the situation arising from Israel’s presence in occupied territory, nor should they render aid or assistance in maintaining it.

The key points in the ICJ’s opinion

Israel’s ongoing presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is deemed illegal.
Israel must end its presence in the occupied territories as soon as possible.
Israel should immediately cease settlement expansion and evacuate all settlers from the occupied areas.
Israel is required to make reparations for the damage caused to the local and lawful population in the Palestinian territories.
The international community and organizations have a duty not to recognize the Israeli presence in the territories as legal and to avoid supporting its maintenance.
The UN should consider what actions are necessary to end the Israeli presence in the territories as soon as possible.

At least 50 killed across Gaza over last day

Al Jazeera reports: As the world responded to a landmark ICJ ruling declaring Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in violation of international law, Israeli forces continued attacks across Gaza.

At least 24 people were killed in attacks in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to local authorities.

Other killings included three people in an Israeli raid on a house south of Khan Younis and another Palestinian killed north of Nuseirat. Attacks were also reported in Deir el-Balah.

Video shows strike near Civil Defense, journalists in az-Zawayda

Al Jazeera reports: A video, which has been verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad unit, shows a man wearing a “press” vest standing next to a member of the Civil Defence with a fire hose over his shoulder in the central Gaza area.

An Israeli strike then hits just metres (yards) away as the men dive for cover.

In a post on Instagram, the man who took the video, activist Saleh Aljafarawi, said the Israeli attack “deliberately targets the place where the ambulance crews, Civil Defence and press crews are located”.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Wednesday that 160 journalists and 79 members of the Civil Defence have been killed since the war began.

Gaza: Killing of Hind Rajab and her family – a war crime

OHCHR reports: The killing of five-year old Hind Rajab, her family and two paramedics may amount to a war crime, independent experts warned Friday.

“The brutality of these killings seem to illustrate how reckless the army has been in its Gaza campaign: all instances of extrajudicial killing must be duly investigated and accounted for,” the experts said.

Six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab was killed along with five relatives and two medics sent to rescue her during an Israeli tank attack in Gaza City on January 29, 2024 (photo)

“These killings are not isolated cases,” the experts said. “We are extremely troubled by the pattern of apparent indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civillians in Gaza, including on locations used for humanitarian assistance or to shelter IDPs,” they said.

“The firing of heavy-calibre projectiles at a humanitarian zone near an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, killing 22 displaced civilians, and most recently the attacks on IDP tents in Al Mawasi area, on Ash Shati’ Refugee Camp, and on the UNRWA Abu Oreiban school sheltering IDPs, among others, killing nearly 320 Palestinians, half of them women and children, have reinforced the fact that there is no safe place in Gaza” the experts said.

“Such attacks amount to grave violations of international humanitarian law, must be promptly and reliably investigated, and should be severely punished.

“The willful or indiscriminate killing of protected persons, including civilians, medical personnel and humanitarian workers, amount to war crimes, and if systematic, crimes against humanity, and should be prevented at all costs,” the experts warned. “We remain deeply troubled by the total impunity and apparent lack of investigations, and prevention of these crimes. This is all the more worrisome in the context of the recent order from the International Court of Justice for Israel to take immediate measures to protect Gaza’s population from the risk of genocide,” the experts said.

West Bank: Israeli forces kill 20 year old; 22 year old dies of injuries

IMEMC reports: Israeli forces shot and killed Palestinian Ibrahim Hamza Zaqaqiq, age 20 on Friday night, in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.

Israeli soldiers reportedly fired live rounds, tear gas canisters, and concussion grenades at citizens, shooting Zaqaqiq in the head with a live round, causing serious injuries; he was transported to Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, where he later died.

WAFA reports: Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, north of the West Bank, announced this evening the passing of 22-year-old Yaman Ahmed Asfour, who succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli army gunfire in January.

The medical staff worked tirelessly to save his life, but his condition remained critical until his passing earlier today.

Israeli forces, and in some cases settlers, have killed over 570 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th, with near total impunity. (photo)

PIJ, Hamas call on PLO to ‘withdraw recognition’ of Israel

The Cradle reports: Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement called in a joint statement on 19 July for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to drop its recognition of Israel.

The statement called on the PLO and its affiliated legislative body, the Palestinian Authority (PA), to “withdraw its recognition of the Zionist entity, in response to the Knesset’s decision not to recognize a Palestinian state.”

Yemen declares Tel Aviv ‘unsafe zone’ after successful drone attack

The Cradle reports: The Yemeni Armed Forces has claimed responsibility for a deadly drone attack that hit the Israeli city of Tel Aviv during the early hours of 19 July, killing at least one and injuring several others.

The drone did not set off any alarms as it entered Israeli airspace from the south before hitting a building near the US consulate.

The Yemeni drone also bypassed US warships.

The Armed Forces of Yemen’s Sanaa government reportedly has a “very large” stock of this type of drone.

The Yemeni Houthis’ attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, as part of the rebels’ support for Gaza

Israel’s Eilat Port declares bankruptcy

Middle East Monitor reports: The Israeli port of Eilat officially declared its bankruptcy, after eight months of complete paralysis of commercial activity and its cessation of receiving ships and containers, especially coming from the Asian countries’ markets, carrying with them the needs of the economy and its industrial sector.

The reason for this was the successive attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthi group on Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, as well as the targeting of ships from countries supporting the Occupation in the genocidal war it is waging against the people of Gaza, most notably American and British ships.

According to the World Cargo website that reports global shipping news, the port of Eilat has officially declared bankruptcy due to the lack of commercial activity.

Special rapporteur supports call for Israel’s ‘unseating’ from UN

Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, has added her voice to a call for Israel to be unseated from the United Nations.

Reposting an earlier call on social media for the “unseating” of Israel by the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Albanese said it was “time” to remove Israel from the world body.

The UN rapporteur on housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, said on Tuesday that it was “high time” to take action as Israel continued its “criminal attacks” on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza “without any consequences”.

Israel should be unseated “from the UN, as was done with apartheid South Africa”, Rajagopal said in a post on social media.

Time to #UNseatIsrael from the UN. https://t.co/il87Umf8lP

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) July 18, 2024

Over 200 congressional staffers sign letter protesting Netanyahu address

The Hill reports: More than 200 anonymous staff members across 122 Democratic and Republican congressional offices signed a letter this week calling for Congress to protest or boycott Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech next week on Capitol Hill, citing concerns about the ongoing war in Gaza.

The letter, organized by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association and signed by 230 House and Senate staffers, said speaking out against Netanyahu’s July 24 joint address to Congress was an “issue of morality” and not politics.

“Citizens, students, and lawmakers across the country and the world have spoken out against the actions of Mr. Netanyahu in his War on Gaza,” the letter reads. “Israelis have been protesting in the streets for months, decrying his failure to negotiate a ceasefire and release of hostages. We hope you will join your fellow Members of Congress in protest at his speech or in refusing to attend it.”

Rights Group Urges DOJ to Investigate US-Bound Netanyahu for Genocide

Common Dreams reports: As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to visit Washington, D.C. next week, an American legal group on Friday pressured the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into him and other officials for committing or authorizing genocide, war crimes, and torture targeting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“We believe ample credible evidence exists to sufficiently establish that serious crimes falling within U.S. criminal jurisdiction are systematically being perpetrated in Gaza,” says the Center for Constitutional Rights’ (CCR) 23-page letter to Hope Olds, who leads the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) of the DOJ’s Criminal Division.

“Given the frequent travel of Israeli officials and citizens to the United States resulting in their presence within U.S. jurisdiction, and recalling that HRSP is part of a coordinated, interagency effort to deny safe haven in the United States to human rights violators,” the letter states, “the Department of Justice must urgently investigate and hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and other serious crimes being committed on a wide-scale basis in the occupied Gaza Strip, including potentially U.S. and U.S.-dual citizens.”

(Read the full article here.)

MENA sports headlines:

Belgium and Italy refuse to host Israel match over Gaza war

The Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) said it would not host a Nations League match against Israel on 6 September as the event was likely to spark demonstrations.

The city of Brussels said last month that the match would not be played at the King Baudouin stadium as authorities had deemed it “impossible to organize this very high-risk match” in the city due to tensions linked to Israel’s war on Gaza.

Other Belgian cities also refused to host the match.

Similarly in Italy, a northeastern city has refused to host the Israeli national team for a Nations League game in October.

“Hosting such a match at a time when Israel is a country at war carries risks of causing divisions and social problems […],” the mayor said. “We refuse to associate the name of our city with this match”.

Lebanese journalist who survived Israeli strike to carry Olympics flame

Lebanese photojournalist Christina Assi who was severely wounded by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon last October while on assignment, is set to carry the Olympic Flame on Sunday, 21 July, in Vincennes, France.

The AFP photographer made the announcement on her Instagram page on Wednesday, which she described as a tribute to journalists who had lost their lives while doing their job.

Assi, 29, was struck by an Israeli shell on 13 October 2023 while reporting on cross-border attacks from southern Lebanon, and has since had her right leg amputated.

“When AFP was asked to carry the Olympic Flame, we thought of Christina, whose courage and tenacity are admired by everyone at the Agency. Having her carry this symbol of peace sends a powerful message for her and for all journalists affected in the line of duty,” said Pierre Galy, AFP’s head of sport.

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

The Guardian: Shellshocked, attacked, left to die – this is the reality for disabled people in Gaza

Common Dreams: ‘Ticking Time Bomb’: International Alarm as Poliovirus Found in Gaza Sewage

Al Jazeera: Adidas drops Bella Hadid from campaign referencing 1972 Munich Olympics

Mondoweiss: The end of Israel’s economy

Middle East Eye: ICJ opinion on Israel’s occupation upends the order that oppresses Palestinians

We are lifting the pause on UK funding to @UNRWA.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is devastating and no other agency can get aid into Gaza at the scale needed. pic.twitter.com/6vjCVCnzbu

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) July 19, 2024

The EU is providing short-term emergency financial support to the Palestinian Authority.

This support, worth €400 million in grants and loans, will help the Palestinian Authority address its most pressing financial needs and support its reform agenda.

— European Commission (@EU_Commission) July 19, 2024

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 19:

Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 19: at least 39,497* (38,919 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,034 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.]

This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 578 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths.

Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.

Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank).
At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**.
About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced.
2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 19: at least 95,042 (including at least 89,622 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children).

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

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 19: ~1,481 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 326 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured.

Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%.

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.

† For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

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