Children going without food, bathrooms; in a bid for total lawlessness, Israel kills 8 Gaza police officers; thousands desperately need medical evacuation; Slovenia recognizes Palestinian state; Israel purchases F-35 fighter jets; Israel uses white phosphorous in Lebanon; Biden opines on Netanyahu’s war “strategy,” still can’t say “war crime”; US House passes bill calling to sanction ICC; no date set for Netanyahu’s address to Congress; call to boycott Maersk, more.
By IAK staff, from reports.
Children unfed all day, thousands for one toilet in Gaza – Oxfam:
Oxfam reports: A lethal combination of closed border crossings, ongoing airstrikes, reduced logistical capacity due to evacuation notices and a failing Israeli permission process that debilitates humanitarian movement within Gaza, have created an impossible environment for aid agencies to operate effectively.
Over one million people have fled Rafah into Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. 1.7 million people, more than two-thirds of Gaza’s population, are now estimated to be crammed into an area of just over 26 square miles – less than a fifth of the Strip. Despite Israeli assurances that full support would be provided for people fleeing, most of Gaza has been deprived of humanitarian aid, as famine inches closer.
As the humanitarian situation within Gaza deteriorates even further and more children die of starvation and disease, Oxfam said that:
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- A food survey by aid agencies in May found that 85 percent of children did not eat for a whole day at least once in the three days before the survey was conducted, with dietary diversity worsening.
- Living conditions are so appalling that in Al-Mawasi, there are just 121 latrines for over 500,000 people – or 4,130 people having to share each toilet.
- Just 19 percent of the 400,000 liters of fuel a day needed to run the humanitarian operation in Gaza – including transportation, the provision of clean water and sewage removal – is being allowed in and is not delivered every day.
- According to the UN, aid deliveries have dropped by two-thirds since Israel’s invasion of Rafah. Since May 6, just 216 trucks of humanitarian aid entered via Kerem Shalom and were able to be collected – an average of eight a day.
Gaza authorities decry Israeli strike that killed 8 police officers:
Middle East Eye reports: The Palestinian government in Gaza has accused Israel of inciting chaos after Israeli forces killed eight police officers in their latest attack.
The officers were performing “their regular duties in maintaining security and order” in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah when they were killed on Tuesday, the government’s media office said in a statement.
“The occupation’s goal is to disrupt the home front, cause chaos and prevent any attempt to manage daily life and provide relief to our people,” the statement added.
Since the onset of the war in October 2023, members of Gaza’s police force have been frequently targeted by Israel.
“Police members are protected under the Geneva Conventions and are only performing their humanitarian and professional duties,” the media office stated.
“The occupation’s bombing of police personnel reflects its disregard for international humanitarian law.”
Up to 11,000 Palestinians need immediate medical evacuation – WHO official:
Andalou Agency reports: Hanan Balkhy, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, has said that between 7,000 to more than 11,000 Palestinian patients need immediate medical evacuations.
Speaking in Geneva, Balkhy said the patients who need evacuation require treatment in specialized hospitals.
WHO said that all medical evacuations in Gaza are under “abrupt halt” since May 7.
Families that fled #Rafah are now in areas with insufficient clean water, medical supplies, fuel, and limited food assistance.
To reach as many people as possible with fewer resources, WFP is forced to provide reduced rations and is prioritizing hot meals at community kitchens. pic.twitter.com/huP9PjHwzk
— World Food Programme (@WFP) June 4, 2024
Slovenia approves recognition of an independent Palestinian state:
Middle East Monitor reports: The Slovenian parliament approved the recognition of an independent Palestinian state with a majority vote on Tuesday, following in the steps of Spain, Ireland and Norway.
Slovenia’s government proposed a motion last week to recognize a Palestinian state, and sent the proposal to parliament for final approval, which was needed for the decision to take effect.
Slovenia’s decision came only a week after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a state of Palestinian. Israel has lashed out at the moves taken to recognize a Palestinian state.
“Dear people of Palestine, today’s final decision of Slovenia is a message of hope and peace. We believe that only a two-state solution can lead to a lasting peace in the #MiddleEast. Slovenia will tirelessly continue to work on the security of both nations, Palestinians and Israelis,” said the ministry of foreign affairs in a post on X following the decision.
Israel Signs $3 Billion Deal to buy more F-35 Fighter Jets:
AFP reports: Israel said Tuesday it signed a $3 billion deal to buy a third squadron of 25 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, with the delivery to commence in 2028.
“At time when some of our adversaries aim to undermine our ties with our greatest ally, we only further strengthen our alliance,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement announcing the deal.
“This sends a powerful message to our enemies across the region.”
The defense ministry said the deal would bring to 75 the number of F-35s in Israel’s fleet.
“The delivery of the aircrafts to the IDF (army) will commence in 2028 at a rate of three to five aircrafts per year,” the ministry said in a statement.
The deal requires that some components of the stealth aircraft will be purchased from Israeli companies, according to the Times of Israel.
“Israel is the second country after the US to have received the F-35 and one of the few to be allowed to modify the state-of-the-art aircraft.”
Israel is the only Middle East nation with F-35s, the world’s most advanced fighter which is stealth capable and can be used to gather intelligence, strike deep into enemy territory and engage in air duels.
NOTE: The US gives Israel over $3.8 billion in military aid each year.
RECOMMENDED READING (Al Jazeera): New report shows Biden is going to extraordinary lengths to continue arming Israel.
RECOMMENDED READING (If Americans Knew): Air attacks: Gazan rockets and Israeli airstrikes – a comparison of weapons.
Will Israel go to war with Lebanon?
Ha’aretz reports: The country is approaching “the point where a decision will have to be made in the north,” IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said on Tuesday during a tour of northern Israel.
Halevi said Hezbollah has increased the intensity of its attacks against Israel in recent days, and the Israeli army is prepared for an offensive attack in Lebanon.
The Hezbollah attacks are an attempt to stop Israel’s slaughter in Gaza
In the last three days, over 3,700 acres of forests and vegetation were burned in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.
Al Jazeera reports: The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is not seeking to widen its conflict with Israel but is ready to fight any war imposed on it, its deputy leader said, as hostilities across the Lebanese-Israeli border continue to flare.
Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Lebanese group’s deputy chief, said Hezbollah is “ready for the battle and will not allow Israel to secure any victories”.
The Israeli military and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement have been exchanging near-daily fire since October 7.
Reuters reports that Israeli strikes have killed about 300 members of Hezbollah since Oct. 7 and around 80 Lebanese civilians.
Israel has often attacked Lebanon in the past. For example, In its 1993 “Operation Accountability” and 1996 “Operation Grapes of Wrath” bombing campaigns, Israeli forces had sought to inflict serious damage on villages in southern Lebanon as a means to pressure the Lebanese population and government to turn against Hezbollah.
Human Rights Watch says Israel is using white phosphorus in Lebanon:
New from Human Rights Watch: Israel’s widespread use of white phosphorus in south Lebanon is putting civilians at grave risk and contributing to civilian displacement, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch verified the use of white phosphorus munitions by Israeli forces in at least 17 municipalities across south Lebanon since October 2023, including 5 municipalities where airburst munitions were unlawfully used over populated residential areas.
White phosphorus is a chemical substance dispersed in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets that ignites when exposed to oxygen. Its incendiary effects inflict death or cruel injuries that result in lifelong suffering. It can set homes, agricultural areas, and other civilian objects on fire. Under international humanitarian law, the use of airburst white phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate in populated areas and otherwise does not meet the legal requirement to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm.
“Israel’s use of airburst white phosphorus munitions in populated areas indiscriminately harms civilians and has led many to leave their homes,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Israel forces should immediately stop using white phosphorus munitions in populated areas, especially when less-harmful alternatives are readily available.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed eight south Lebanon residents and verified and geolocated 47 photos and videos from south Lebanon posted on social media or shared directly with researchers indicating the use of white phosphorus munitions. In five municipalities, photos and videos show airburst munitions containing white phosphorus landing on top of residential buildings in the southern Lebanese border villages of Kafr Kila, Mays al-Jabal, Boustane, Markaba, and Aita al-Chaab.
NOTE: Use of white phosphorus in civilian areas is considered a war crime due to its extremely dangerous effects on the human body. White phosphorus ignites instantly when in contact with oxygen. It can burn through the human body, including through bone, causing severe, excruciating damage and death. It can also cause extreme harm when inhaled, with risks of suffocation, cardiovascular failure, coma, and other lifelong effects. The substance burns at temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hamas says Israel wants ‘endless’ truce negotiations:
AFP reports: A senior Hamas official in Beirut on Tuesday accused Israel of prolonging truce negotiations and repeated Hamas’s position rejecting any deal that excludes a permanent ceasefire.
The statement came as mediator Qatar said it was awaiting a “clear position” from Israel on a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Israel’s response to mediators regarding a ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted on May 6 “speaks to opening the door to endless negotiations on everything”.
To read about the ceasefire proposal, go here.
Biden concedes Netanyahu is prolonging Israel’s Gaza war for political gains:
Al Jazeera reports: President Joe Biden has suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war on Gaza for political reasons, an accusation that highlights the apparent tensions between the two leaders.
In a TIME Magazine interview published on Tuesday, the US president suggested that Netanyahu, who faces a litany of corruption charges in Israel, may be dragging the war out to keep his grip on power.
Asked whether he thought Netanyahu was prolonging the war for his own political reasons, Biden said, ” I’m not going to comment on that. There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”
For months, Palestinian rights advocates have warned that Netanyahu has a personal, political interest in prolonging the war to boost his standing in Israel and extend his political career.
Asked if Israeli forces have committed war crimes in Gaza, Biden said, “It’s uncertain.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: A glance at the United Nations list of War Crimes, side-by-side with a factual narrative of this war – the kind of narrative that If Americans Knew provides, including reports by respected human rights organizations – makes it plain to see that Israel has indeed been committing war crimes on a regular basis.)
(Returning to Al Jazeera) Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, had been a staunch defender of the war. His administration has vetoed three United Nations Security Council draft resolutions that would have called for a ceasefire.
The US president also signed off in April on $14 billion in additional military aid to Israel. And his administration has continued to transfer weapons to the country despite growing allegations of war crimes, including withholding aid, killing non-combatants, torturing detainees and targeting civilian infrastructure.
UPDATE: Ha’aretz reports that following President Biden’s comments on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in TIME magazine, U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby appeared to walk back the president’s words, implying that it was not the president’s opinion that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for political reasons, but Netanyahu’s critics’ opinion.
Kirby said, “We’ll let the Prime Minister speak to his own politics and to what his critics are saying. The President was referencing what many critics have said. For our part, we’re going to make sure that Israel has what it needs to continue to eliminate the threat by Hamas, and that we’re going to continue to work with the Prime Minister and the war cabinet to try to get this proposal over the finish line – a proposal I would add that was an Israeli proposal.”
As war nears 8-month mark, US says doesn’t know if Israel committing war crimes:
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Washington has “processes ongoing to look at whether there have been violations of international humanitarian law”.
“That’s why the president says the answer to that question is uncertain, it’s because we don’t know the answer,” Miller told reporters.
“It’s something that we have an ongoing process to look at and to try to get an answer to, but at this time we don’t know the answer.”
In December, Biden said Israel was losing support for its war on Gaza over its “indiscriminate bombing” of the territory – a war crime.
US wants UN Security Council backing for Biden-backed ceasefire proposal:
AFP reports: The US said on Monday it wants the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution backing the proposal outlined by President Joe Biden to end fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
It circulated a one-page draft text, seen by Reuters, to the 15-member council. To pass, a resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, China, or Russia.
The draft calls on Hamas to accept the deal and “fully and implement its terms without delay and without condition.” It also “stresses the importance of the parties adhering to the terms of the deal once agreed, with the aim of bringing about a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
The US proposal comes a week after Algeria proposed a draft Security Council resolution demanding a Gaza ceasefire, release of all hostages held by Hamas and essentially ordering Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive” in Rafah.
NOTE: The US has vetoed three prior resolutions calling for a ceasefire.
House passes proposal sanctioning top war-crimes court after it sought Netanyahu arrest warrant:
Associated Press reports: The House passed legislation Tuesday that would sanction the International Criminal Court for requesting arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
The 247-155 vote amounts to Congress’ first legislative rebuke of the war crimes court since its stunning decision last month to seek arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas. The move was widely denounced in Washington, creating a rare moment of unity on Israel even as partisan divisions over the war with Hamas intensified.
Both the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee acknowledged the bill in question is unlikely to become law, but they said it would be better for Congress to be united against the Hague-based court.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller reiterated the administration’s opposition to the sanctions bill.
“We have made clear that while we oppose the decision taken by the prosecutor of the ICC, we don’t think it is appropriate, especially while there are ongoing investigations inside Israel looking at somebody’s very same questions, and we were willing to work with Congress on what a response might look like but we don’t support sanctions,” Miller said.
RECOMMENDED READING: Spying & threats: Israel spent 9 years trying to keep the ICC off the trail of Israel’s war crimes
No date set for Netanyahu’s address to US Congress:
Reuters reports: No date has been set for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, his office and congressional sources said on Monday, following reports that the leader’s speech had been set for June 13.
Without citing a source, a Punchbowl News reporter said on X.com that Netanyahu would address a meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on June 13. Politico and Bloomberg later reported the same date, citing unnamed sources.
That would bring the Israeli premier to Washington when U.S. President Joe Biden, who has clashed with Netanyahu over the Gaza war, is expected to be in Puglia, Italy, for a June 13 to 15 G7 leaders’ summit. The U.S. is Israel’s main ally and provides billions of dollars in aid.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that a date for his address to Congress had yet to be set, but that it would not take place on June 13 due to a Jewish holiday.
New international campaign demands logistics giant Maersk cut ties with genocide
The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) announced the new transnational arms embargo campaign, ‘Mask Off Maersk’, targeting Maersk, the world’s largest integrated logistics and shipping company:
“We must pressure Maersk to end its relationship with Israel, which is a small percentage of their business, but life or death for our people.”
Since October, Maersk has transported more than $300 million of weapons components for major arms manufacturers to the U.S. — a quarter of the shipments identified as components for Northrup Gruman, Woodward, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin into the US are Maersk ships. At least 68% of Israel’s weapons are sent from the United States. Maersk guarantees the prompt and consistent supply of massacre and destruction in Gaza.
Logistics companies, with Maersk as the industry’s lead, are the invisible profiteers of weapons manufacturing, making the genocide of Palestinians a reality. Targeting Maersk directly disrupts the flow of weapons in the supply chain of death used to genocide Palestinians.
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