Civil defense teams and locals carry the lifeless body of a person during a search and rescue operation among the buildings which were destroyed by an Israeli strike, which caused the death of at least 40 people according to the reports, in Menara district of Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 02, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

At least 79 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, making it one of the deadliest mornings in the enclave in weeks (details below).

In Lebanon, 55 people were reportedly killed and 156 injured in the last 24 hours.

902 Palestinian families wiped out in Gaza by Israel over past year: Media office

Anadolu Agency reports:

The Israeli army has wiped out 902 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, the government media office in Gaza stated Wednesday.

“As part of the ongoing genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation army with full American support, the occupation army has exterminated 902 Palestinian families, erasing them from the civil registry by killing all their members during a year of genocide in Gaza,” said the media office.

4,836 additional Palestinian families have lost all but one or two individuals to Israeli violence.

The office added, “These massacres occur with the participation of several European and Western countries that supply the occupation (forces) with lethal and internationally prohibited weapons, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and others.”

It urged “the international community and all international organizations to pressure the US administration and the criminal occupation to stop the genocide and halt the ongoing and continuous bloodshed.”

Gaza endures deadliest morning in weeks amid fresh Israeli assault

Middle East Eye reports:

The past day has seen a series of fresh Israeli assaults on Gaza, as the world’s focus turns to Lebanon and the Iranian missile attack on Israel.

At least 79 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, making it one of the deadliest mornings in the enclave in weeks.

On Wednesday morning, Israeli strikes on the al-Amal orphanage and the Mascat school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed at least 25 people, including children, according to Palestinian media.

Israeli fighter jets Wednesday also targeted the family home of journalist Ahmed al-Zard in Khan Younis.

The strike resulted in the deaths of Zard’s brother, uncle, and two cousins. Zard himself, along with his mother and another brother, was seriously injured and is currently being treated in hospital. Others remain trapped under the rubble.

Besides those attacks, over the past day dozens of other people have been killed, according to medical sources.

View of a school housing displaced people that was hit during Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, in June. (Bashar Taleb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

For the first time ever there will be a vote in Congress on blocking weapons to Israel

Mondoweiss reports:

Last week Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced that he had introduced legislation to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel.

The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval would prevent the delivery of offensive weapons that the State Department approved in August, just days before ceasefire talks were set to resume. The package includes fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles.

The effort was cosponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Brian Schatz (D-HI).

Sanders’ statement:

Sadly, and illegally, much of the carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment. Providing more offensive weapons to continue this disastrous war would violate U.S. and international law.

The sales would reward Netanyahu’s extremist government, even as it continues to cause massive destruction in Gaza, undermine the prospects of a ceasefire deal that would secure the release of the hostages, and advance its effort to illegally annex the West Bank.

Congress must act to save lives, uphold U.S. and international law, and stand up for U.S. interests. We must end our complicity in Israel’s illegal and indiscriminate military campaign, which has caused mass civilian death and suffering.

G7 leaders mull sanctions against Iran (not Israel)

CNN reports:

World leaders are considering new sanctions against Iran in the aftermath of Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel, according to the White House. Those moves, the White House said in a readout, were discussed during a call between President Joe Biden and his G7 counterparts.

According to a statement: “President Biden and the G7 unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel. President Biden expressed the United States’ full solidarity and support to Israel and its people, and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”

NOTE: Just last month, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of calling for an arms embargo against Israel (as well as an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and other measures). Of the G7 countries, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the UK abstained from the vote; the US voted against it, while France and Japan voted for the resolution.

Meanwhile…Israel Again Accused of Illegally Using White Phosphorus in Lebanon

AntiWar reports:

Israeli forces were accused Tuesday of the war crime of firing white phosphorus artillery munitions over populated areas of southern Lebanon as Israel escalates an assault on its northern neighbor that has killed or wounded thousands of people.

Video footage published on social media and reported by Middle East Eye shows distinctive explosions that appear consistent with the use of white phosphorus rounds over civilian areas of southern Lebanon, including the village of Kfar Kila.

While white phosphorus munitions are not completely prohibited under international law, their use in populated areas is forbidden. White phosphorus round are primarily used to create smokescreens.

However, when used as an incendiary weapon, white phosphorus – which ignites on contact with air and burns at nearly 1,500°F (815°C) – can maim and kill by burning flesh straight through to the bone, often causing a slow, agonizing death. Water does not extinguish it.

According to Human Rights Watch, Israel has used white phosphorus in at least 17 municipalities since October 2023; in at least 5 municipalities it was used unlawfully directly above residential buildings.

NOTE: Apparently, CNN has never reported on Israel’s use of white phosphorus.

(Read more here.)

Destroyed houses hit by an Israeli airstrike in Chebaa, a Lebanese town near the Israeli border, June 26, 2024. (Anadolu Agency)

Israel and US outsiders as world leaders defend UN leader Guterres

Various agencies report:

CNN reports: Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz has declared United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata in Israel, effectively barring him from entering the country.

The announcement was made on Wednesday in response to what Katz described as Guterres’ failure to unequivocally condemn Iran’s attack on Israel, and what Katz called his support for terrorist organizations.

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” Katz said. He accused Guterres of being an anti-Israel UN chief who provides “support to terrorists,” such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iran.

“Guterres will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come,” the foreign minister added. “Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres.”

Anadolu Agency adds: After the strikes, Guterres had said: “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation,” and urged an immediate ceasefire.

The US criticized Israel’s decision Wednesday to declare UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” and ban him from entering the country: “We don’t find that step to be productive in any way,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said about the decision.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, responded to the Israeli foreign minister’s comments: “We support the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in his tireless efforts to achieve peace in all the conflicts and particularly in the Middle East.” He added, “We deplore the unjustified attacks against him as well as the unacceptable number of casualties among UN humanitarian workers.”

The members of the UN Security Council expressed support Wednesday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, including France, Russia, China, Malta, Slovenia, South Korea, Algeria, and Switzerland all made statements of approval or admiration for Guterres.

However, US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield merely said, “The United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel.”

U.S. United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, centre, addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the war in Gaza, Monday, March 11, 2024, at U.N. headquarters. (photo)

Israel admits air bases were hit in Iran attack – how much damage was there?

Various agencies report:

Middle East Monitor says: The Israeli army yesterday admitted that some of its air bases were hit during Iran’s missile attack on the occupation state on Tuesday night, but claimed the impact was insignificant.

Army Radio quoted the military: “No air force aircraft were damaged in the attack and all of the missile impacts in the air bases are deemed by the military as ‘ineffective’, meaning that no harm was caused to the continuous operations of the air force.”

A number of videos on social media Tuesday night, during the attack, show impact explosions, infrastructure damage, and huge craters (for example, this and this and this and this and this).

Military Watch Magazine says: Reports have indicated that the bulk of Nevatim Air Base’s F-35s – over 20 fighters – were destroyed in the attack, with the stealth fighters representing one of the most high value targets in Israel.

F-35s play a central role in Israeli plans for potential attacks on Iran, with their stealth capabilities and advanced avionics, including electronic warfare systems and other air defense suppression features, making them optimal assets for such operations.

Forbes, however, stated that these “reports” are from Iranian state media, and is an example of “spread[ing] misinformation and propaganda without supporting evidence.”

Ha’aretz points out: According to images taken by Planet Labs, one missile hit an aircraft hangar. Most photos of the damage were banned from publication.

Israel heavily censors information on its military, so the truth may never come out.

Photo Credit: (Fadel Itani/AFP/Getty Images)

Biden admin puts the cart before the horse to make Israel the righteous victim (again), green-light attack on Iran

BACKGROUND: On April 1, 2024, in an unprovoked attack, Israel launched a missile attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, which resulted in the killing of 13 people including top Iranian military commander Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy.

On April 13, Iran launched several hundred of its older missiles toward Israel, most of which were intercepted. The Iranian mission to the UN declared, “Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” and said Iran now “deemed the matter concluded”.

On July 31, Israel assassinated Hamas political leader – the Palestinians’ head ceasefire negotiator – while he was an official guest on sovereign soil in Iran.

In late September, Israel carried out attacks in Lebanon, killing over 700 in just a few days, including Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran vowed to respond, and on Tuesday night, it did. Following its missile attack on Israel, Iran indicated that its retaliation was complete and the chapter could be closed (unless Israel again did something provocative).

Various agencies report:

US President Joe Biden is counseling Israel to take a proportional response to this week’s barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles, voicing opposition to a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in the hopes of preventing the conflict that has erupted in the region from widening further.

“No one’s saying don’t respond,” one senior administration official said.

Kamala Harris’ statement Tuesday: “Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in a reckless and brazen attack. I condemn this attack unequivocally. Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today’s attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact.”

After talking about the Iranian attack as a brazen and unacceptable escalation, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller was asked by the press if he considered anything Israel has done in the past three weeks escalatory. Miller ridiculously refused to acknowledge any escalatory behavior on Israel’s part, saying instead that Israel had merely “done things to expand the conflict” in order to fight terrorism.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that the US would work with Israel to ensure Iran faces “severe consequences” for launching a missile attack on Israel.

THAT IS TO SAY: Harris does not consider Israel’s multiple unprovoked attacks to be destabilizing or dangerous; Miller could not bring himself to admit that Israel had done anything provocative; Sullivan announced that the US was collaborating with Israel to bring another attack from Iran.

Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy offers this commentary: “After a string of assassinations and other Israeli escalations in recent weeks, Iran is trying to create a new deterrence equilibrium. They are saying that we can still hit you, and we can hit you hard. Iran is actually trying to ‘escalate to de-escalate’ here.”

The word you’re looking for is “invasion.”

Israel is invading Lebanon, a sovereign country. pic.twitter.com/8fy9JLb29p

— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) September 30, 2024

Several Israeli politicians openly call for a large-scale assault on Iran

Middle East Eye reports:

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: “Israel has now its greatest opportunity in 50 years, to change the face of the Middle East. We must act now to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, its central energy facilities, and to fatally cripple this terrorist regime.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said: “What we did to Lebanon must also be done to Iran… no political arrangements, no diplomacy – crush, crush, crush.”

Parliament member Avigdor Lieberman said: “Bomb all the oil, gas and nuclear facilities, and destroy the refineries and dams.”

NOTE: According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative: Although Israel has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s, it maintains a policy of nuclear opacity, never officially confirming the existence of its nuclear program. Accordingly, Israel has never signed the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Peace is within reach – if Israel will be a partner

From the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi:

The Arab world calls on the international community to bring Israel to the table, where a peace initiative is waiting for him.

US finally steps up to evacuate Americans from Lebanon

BACKGROUND: The US State Department faced harsh criticism after announcing Sunday that it would not be assisting Americans who wanted to leave Lebanon, as Israel (backed by the US) has increased its attacks on southern Lebanon.

National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said, “Right now, the State Department does not feel a need for [evacuation]. There are still commercial operations, commercial air traffic that is getting out of Beirut and are still available to those Americans that want to leave…if you’re in Lebanon and you want to go, go now while these options are available to you.”

Apparently, the agency has had second thoughts.

Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State (photo)

CNN reports:

The US organized a charter flight for Americans to depart Lebanon on Wednesday and plans to offer future flights based on demand, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said.

There were just over 100 people, including Americans and family members of American citizens, on the flight today, he said. The flight flew from Beirut to Istanbul.

Around 7,000 people have registered with the State Department to get more information about US-supported ways to depart Lebanon.

Malaysian PM calls out Netanyahu’s genocidal self-preservation strategy

Anadolu Agency reports:

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim criticized Israeli politicians Wednesday, saying they are sacrificing innocent lives to keep themselves in power.

In a statement on X, Anwar said Israel’s continued aggression and attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Yemen are deliberate attempts to divert the global community’s focus from its brutal atrocities and acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

“This escalation is plainly aimed at keeping Israel’s current political leaders in power and out of prison, sacrificing innocent lives at the altar of one man’s political career,” he added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He called on all parties in the Middle East to urgently de-escalate tensions which are destabilizing the region.

Israeli court rules that body of Walid Daqqa can be held as bargaining chip in hostage negotiations

The New Arab reports:

Israel’s highest court on Monday ruled authorities have the right to indefinitely hold the body of Palestinian novelist Walid Daqqa, rejecting a petition filed by his family to secure the return of his remains for a dignified burial.

Walid Daqqa, a Palestinian prisoner who has been in Israeli jails for 38-years, was martyred at Assaf Harofeh near Tel Aviv, on 06 April 2024 [Social media/X] (photo)

Daqqa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, died from cancer at age 62 while still in custody in April.

He had spent 38 years in detention for the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli soldier in 1984, with Israel accusing him of being a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

During his time in prison, Daqqa authored several highly regarded works of Arabic literature, including the 2018 children’s fable The Tale of the Secrets of the Oil.

Following his cancer diagnosis, there were widespread calls for him to be released early, with only two years left on his sentence. However, Israel refused.

Additionally, Amnesty International visited him a few weeks before his death and reported that he had been subject to torture while in an already weakened state.

Palestinian journalist released by Israel

Middle East Monitor reports:

The Israeli authorities released journalist Asmaa Harish Tuesday after holding her for six months in administrative detention in Damon Prison, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

She was detained in April of this year, and has been since subjected to ill-treatment and serious human rights violations.

READ: Welcome to Hell: the Israeli prison system as a network of torture camps

Israel continues to hold 96 Palestinian women in its prison, including 27 administrative detainees, not including prisoners from Gaza.

The release of Harish means that Israel is now holding six women journalists in its prisons.

NOTE: The Committee To Protect Journalists reports that at least 174 journalists have been killed in the Palestinian territories since October 7th, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. Israel also recently banned Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel and the West Bank, forbids international journalists entrance into Gaza, and heavily censors reporting by international news organizations.

Read about the assassination by Israel of one of Palestine’s most beloved journalists, Shireen Abu Akleh, here.

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Electronic Intifada: Families deserve answers about 88 bodies returned in a container

Middle East Eye: US: Thousands sign petition demanding Cornell University reinstate pro-Palestinian PhD student

Middle East Eye: ‘Failure or deception?’: Iran missile attack, Israel’s Lebanon invasion taint Biden’s diplomacy

The New Arab: Losing its leverage, Jordan has become Israel’s insurance policy

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Some more videos from that first site. pic.twitter.com/WMTYLLxCwo

— Sally Hayden (@sallyhayd) October 2, 2024

Tonight’s vice president debate opened with a reckless and biased question about bombing Iran that sounded like it could have written by AIPAC, not CBS. Our soldiers and taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be wasted on another futile war in the Middle East that ends with more blood on our… pic.twitter.com/jyOmgsBbm1

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) October 2, 2024

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 2, 2024:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – October 2, 2024: at least 42,508* ( 41,788 in Gaza* – 11,308 women (30%), 16,859 children as of September 5. [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 720 in the West Bank (~160 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 49,032 Palestinian deaths.

Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 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 300,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 25 from West Bank).
At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition (at least 37 of them children)**.
About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced.
Almost 500,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – October 2, 2024: at least 102,544 (including at least 96,794 in Gaza and 5,750 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, 2023 – October 2, 2024: ~1,457 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 293*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 25 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.

The death toll in Lebanon since October 8, 2023 is at least 1,928 (at least 104 children, 194 women) and 9,290 injuries. An estimated 1.2 million have been displaced.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis 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.

***The figure does not include the reportedly 56 Israeli soldiers – nearly 16% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents.

† 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

Israel has wiped out 902 Palestinian families in Gaza over past year – Day 361

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

902 Palestinian families wiped out in Gaza by Israel over past year: Media office

Read more about this bombshell revelation: Did Hezbollah’s Nasrallah agree to a ceasefire before he was assassinated?

Gaza endures deadliest morning in weeks amid fresh Israeli assault

For the first time ever there will be a vote in Congress on blocking weapons to Israel

RECOMMENDED READING: Leahy Law would cut aid to Israel, but no one wants to enforce it AND I created the Leahy law. It should be applied to Israel.

G7 leaders mull sanctions against Iran (not Israel)

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Electronic Intifada: Families deserve answers about 88 bodies returned in a container

Middle East Eye: US: Thousands sign petition demanding Cornell University reinstate pro-Palestinian PhD student

Middle East Eye: ‘Failure or deception?’: Iran missile attack, Israel’s Lebanon invasion taint Biden’s diplomacy

The New Arab: Losing its leverage, Jordan has become Israel’s insurance policy

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 2, 2024:

Israel has wiped out 902 Palestinian families in Gaza over past year – Day 361

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

902 Palestinian families wiped out in Gaza by Israel over past year: Media office

Read more about this bombshell revelation: Did Hezbollah’s Nasrallah agree to a ceasefire before he was assassinated?

Gaza endures deadliest morning in weeks amid fresh Israeli assault

For the first time ever there will be a vote in Congress on blocking weapons to Israel

RECOMMENDED READING: Leahy Law would cut aid to Israel, but no one wants to enforce it AND I created the Leahy law. It should be applied to Israel.

G7 leaders mull sanctions against Iran (not Israel)

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Electronic Intifada: Families deserve answers about 88 bodies returned in a container

Middle East Eye: US: Thousands sign petition demanding Cornell University reinstate pro-Palestinian PhD student

Middle East Eye: ‘Failure or deception?’: Iran missile attack, Israel’s Lebanon invasion taint Biden’s diplomacy

The New Arab: Losing its leverage, Jordan has become Israel’s insurance policy

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 2, 2024:

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Israel tramples everything in its path as White House tries to keep up – Day 359

Yes, American-made bombs killed Hezbollah leader Nasrallah (and thousands more) – Day 358