“There’s nothing to sustain life” in northern Gaza city; Biden admin ignores illegal use of US weapons in genocide – Day 389

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“There’s nothing to sustain life” in northern Gaza city; Biden admin ignores illegal use of US weapons in genocide – Day 389
A general view of the destruction following the Israeli army's attack on a five-story building in Beit Lahiya, Gaza, on October 29. (Khalil Ramzi Alkahlut/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff 

Wednesday was the twenty-sixth consecutive day of the Israeli occupation forces’ aerial, ground, and naval bombardment of northern Gaza. The siege has included blocking supplies of food, water, medicine, and fuel, destroying homes, demolishing entire residential blocks, attacking hospitals, and assassinating individuals trying to escape.

Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its siege of northern Gaza.

At least 102 Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, with 287 injuries Wednesday.

Northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya declared disaster area amid Israeli siege

The city of Beit Lahiya has been declared a disaster area as the Israeli military batters northern Gaza with air strikes.

The municipality made the declaration on Wednesday after an overnight attack that reportedly killed eight people. The strikes extended an Israeli onslaught that has killed about 350 people in the north of the enclave in the past seven days, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Thousands of displaced people are seeking shelter while they lack food, water and other essential resources. Medical care is also virtually absent as health facilities are no longer operational.

A spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza called the situation “catastrophic”. Oxfam has said it is unable to reach people in the north of the enclave and accused the army of using starvation as a weapon.

“This is why the municipality in Beit Lahiya has declared that the northern part of the strip is a disaster area, which means there’s nothing to sustain life there,” reported Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud from Deir el-Balah in Gaza.

Residents and civil defence after an Israeli army strike on Asma School, run by UNRWA, in Gaza City on October 27, 2024
Residents and civil defense after an Israeli army strike on Asma School, run by UNRWA, in Gaza City on October 27, 2024 (Omar El Qattaa /Anadolu)

US identified 500 cases where its weapons harmed Gaza civilians – but hasn’t taken action

From the Washington Post: The Biden administration has received nearly 500 reports alleging that Israel used U.S.-supplied weapons for attacks that caused unnecessary harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip, but it has failed to comply with its own policies requiring swift investigations of such claims, according to people familiar with the matter.

At least some of these cases presented to the State Department over the past year probably amount to violations of U.S. and international law, these people said.

The reports are received from across the U.S. government, international aid organizations, nonprofits, media reports and other eyewitnesses. Dozens include photo documentation of U.S.-made bomb fragments at sites where scores of children were killed, according to human rights advocates briefed on the process.

Yet despite the State Department’s internal Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance, which directs officials to complete an investigation and recommend action within two months of launching an inquiry, no single case has reached the “action” stage. More than two-thirds of cases remain unresolved, with many pending response from the Israeli government, which the State Department consults to verify each case’s circumstances.

On Tuesday, after an Israeli strike on an apartment building killed more than 90 people, including 25 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the State Department said Washington was seeking a “full explanation” from Israel. The Israeli military said it was “aware of reports that civilians were harmed”…

(Read the full article here.)

Nearly all the publicly available information on U.S. arms transfers to Israel comes from leaks reported by the media. The Biden administration says very little about the weapons it delivers to Israel or how the Israeli military uses them.
Nearly all the publicly available information on U.S. arms transfers to Israel comes from leaks reported by the media. The Biden administration says very little about the weapons it delivers to Israel or how the Israeli military uses them. (photo)

The US Is Funding 70% of Israel’s Wars

A new report by the Israeli outlet Calcalist reviewed Israeli military spending on wars since October 7, finding that Washington is funding 70% of Tel Aviv’s military costs. In a little over a year, the US has provided Israel with more than $20 billion in military aid.

“The scope of American aid since the beginning of the war is about 85 billion shekels… According to official estimates by the Bank of Israel, the total cost of the war is…approximately NIS 118 billion.” It continues, “Therefore, according to a simple calculation, The Americans financed about 70% of the war effort.”

According to the Cost of War Project, the US has given Israel $22.57 billion in military aid since the Hamas attack. Calcalist concludes without US support, Tel Aviv’s war would simply be unaffordable.

RECOMMENDED READING: Hezbollah says will only accept ‘suitable’ truce as Israel pounds Lebanese city of Baalbek
A view of the US-origin weapons and ammunition that were used by the Israeli Army in the ground operation following their withdrawal from Khan Yunis city where they carried out a ground attack for four months, in Khan Younis, Gaza on May 16, 2024.
A view of the US-origin weapons and ammunition that were used by the Israeli Army in the ground operation following their withdrawal from Khan Yunis city where they carried out a ground attack for four months, in Khan Yunis, Gaza on May 16, 2024. (Anas Zeyad Fteha/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Hamas rejects ceasefire proposal that would keep Israeli troops in Gaza

Hamas has rejected a ceasefire proposal that would have brought the release of a small number of Israeli captives and a 30-day cessation of hostilities, but no withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

Sources close to the Palestinian group told Middle East Eye that they had officially dismissed the proposal put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt, and the US, despite reports in Israeli media that it was still under consideration.

Hamas has been adamant that any ceasefire deal must eventually lead to the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

In November, a prisoner swap deal led to the release of about 100 Israeli captives in exchange for about 240 Palestinian detainees.

The first phase of the new proposed deal would have seen between 11 and 14 Israelis – including women and elderly – released in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees and a 30-day ceasefire.

Despite the current proposals being an apparent non-starter, officials told Israeli news outlet Maariv that American officials involved in the talks were hoping for a ceasefire deal before the US election on 5 November.

Husam Bassam Yousef Mallah
Husam Bassam Yousef Mallah (IMEMC)

West Bank: Israeli special forces assassinate Palestinian man

On Wednesday night, undercover Israeli soldiers infiltrated the Tulkarem refugee camp, in Tulkarem, in the northwestern part of the occupied West Bank and assassinated a Palestinian man.

Media sources reported that the undercover soldiers broke into a supermarket near the refugee camp’s main entrance.

The soldiers fired multiple live rounds at Husam Bassam Yousef Mallah, 30, from point-blank range, and immediately withdrew from the refugee camp.

Eyewitnesses said the undercover soldiers used a confiscated taxi and a pickup truck to infiltrate the camp.

It is worth mentioning that Husam is the brother of Yousef, who is held by Israel under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial, and Mohammad, who was exiled by Israel and is currently in Qatar.

Since the beginning of the Israeli military onslaught against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed 764 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 166 children, and injured 6,300.

A Palestinian activist holding a national flag stands by as an Israeli army bulldozer moves during an ongoing raid on the Tulkarm camp for Palestinian refugees in the north of the occupied West Bank on September 12, 2024. [ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images]
A Palestinian activist holding a national flag stands by as an Israeli army bulldozer moves during an ongoing raid on the Tulkarm camp for Palestinian refugees in the north of the occupied West Bank on September 12, 2024. [ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images] (ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel threatens to bomb Baalbek Citadel, Lebanon calls for UNESCO intervention

Lebanon’s Minister of Culture, Mohammed Wissam Al-Murtada, stated that recent Israeli threats have targeted the renowned archaeological site of Baalbek, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Al-Murtada announced his formal request to Lebanon’s permanent mission to UNESCO in Paris to expedite follow-up actions with UNESCO’s director-general and relevant international bodies regarding recent complaints.

“Every remaining trace of conscience in the world must prevent Israel from carrying out its threats to bomb Baalbek Citadel, a cultural legacy inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list,” Al-Murtada said. “This heritage belongs not just to Lebanon but all of humanity.”

The city is known for the ruins of the Baalbek temple complex from the Roman period, housing two of the largest and grandest Roman temples: the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. It was inscribed in 1984 as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

NOTE: As of 17 September 2024, UNESCO has verified damage to 69 culturally significant sites in Gaza: 10 religious sites, 43 buildings of historical and artistic interest, two repositories of movable cultural property, six monuments, one museum and seven archaeological sites. Other reports give a much higher number of affected sites.
These assessments are made in very difficult situations, in the midst of constant bombardment, thanks to testimonies and studies on the ground and supported by satellite images.
Baalbek is UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lebanon.
Baalbek is UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lebanon. (Véronique Dauge, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, )

Palestinian gov’t church group condemns Israel law banning UNRWA

The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine condemned a recent law passed by the Israeli Knesset that prohibits the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), declaring it a “terrorist organisation”.

In a message on its official account on Facebook, the committee urged churches around the world to “act against Israel’s ban on UNRWA,” citing the catastrophic impact this decision will have on refugee rights.

The Committee emphasised that this law represents a direct threat to the right of return for Palestinian refugees and constitutes a violation of the UN Charter. It asserted that the enactment of such legislation sets a dangerous precedent, as no permanent member of the United Nations has previously prohibited the activities of a UN agency.

It called on churches and Christian institutions worldwide to take action against Israel’s restrictive laws, urging them to support the continuation of UNRWA’s essential work.

A view of the UNRWA building in East Jerusalem, with the UN flag flying at half mast, on October 30, 2024.
A view of the UNRWA building in East Jerusalem, with the UN flag flying at half mast, on October 30, 2024. (Saeed Qaq – Anadolu Agency])
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STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 30, 2024:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – October 30, 2024: at least 43,927* ( 43,163 in Gaza* – 69% are women and children, according to Gaza’s Media Office). [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 764 in the West Bank (~166 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more in Gaza 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 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 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 30, 2024: at least 107,810 (including at least 101,510 in Gaza and 6,300 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 30, 2024: ~1,570 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 392*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza (most recent: Oct 29); 39 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 2,820, with 12,937 injuries. An estimated 1.34 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
 

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