More weapons to Israel as it plans a potentially genocidal invasion (that US opposes); aid orgs shocked by the recklessness of the plan; Israel holds highest ever number of Palestinians in administrative detention – no charges, no trial; Israel reportedly about to invade Beit Lahiya, denies burying Gazans in mass graves; Israeli forces kill Palestinian woman near Hebron; Google fires more employees over its provision of tech to Israeli gov’t; updates on Freedom Flotilla, campus protests, more
By IAK staff, from reports
Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Israel et al
Associated Press reports: The Senate has passed $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late Tuesday. Biden, who worked with congressional leaders to win support, said that he will sign it Wednesday.
The legislation would send $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and some humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza (needed because of Israel’s actions)
NOTE: The US already gives Israel $3.8 billion every year in no-strings-attached military aid; in addition, the Biden administration in recent days has quietly authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel.
NOTE: Find out how your Congress members voted here (House) and here (Senate).
Israel Moves Closer to Rafah Invasion
Wall Street Journal reports: Israel is preparing to move civilians from Rafah to nearby Khan Younis and other areas, where it plans to set up shelters with tents, food-distribution centers and medical facilities such as field hospitals, according to Egyptian officials briefed on the Israeli plans.
That evacuation operation would last two to three weeks and be done in coordination with the U.S., Egypt and other Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the Egyptian officials said. They said Israel plans to move troops into Rafah gradually, targeting areas where Israel believes Hamas leaders and fighters are hiding. The fighting is expected to last at least six weeks, they said.
Any military action would also be aimed at flushing out top Hamas military leaders and finding the remaining 129 hostages held by the group from its Oct. 7 attacks, many of whom are believed to be held in Rafah. Israel has also said it must cut smuggling routes from Egypt into Gaza that provide war materiel for militants, from fuel to ammunition.
US: Israel attack on Rafah will ‘lead to inordinate civilian harm’
From the State Dept:
We don’t want to see Palestinians evacuated from Rafah unless it is to return to their homes. And we have made that quite clear to the government of Israel.
We don’t think there’s any effective way to evacuate 1.4 million Palestinians. There’s no way to conduct an operation in Rafah that would not lead to inordinate civilian harm and would severely hamper the delivery of humanitarian assistance. And that’s the point that we continue to make to them.
Aid orgs say ‘no idea’ what Israel’s Rafah plan is
Al Jazeera reports: A threatened Israeli ground assault on Rafah has humanitarian groups scrambling for ways to help the 1.5 million civilians sheltering in the besieged southern Gaza city.
The uncertain timeline of such an attack poses a logistical nightmare, they say.
Aid groups say they haven’t been briefed on Israel’s plans. Earlier this month, Israeli media reported the Defense Ministry bought 10,000 tents to be set up outside Rafah over the next two weeks and planned to acquire 30,000 more.
“I have no idea what the plan with the procurement of tents by the Israelis is,” said the head of the UN humanitarian office in the occupied Palestinian territory, Andrea de Domenico.
“We always are prepared with plans to upscale or downscale, but really we don’t know what to expect,” said Bushra Khalidi, head of the British charity Oxfam.
“When we see the level of destruction in the middle area [of Gaza] and in the north, it’s not clear to us where people will be moved to, … where they can have decent shelter and essential services,” said Fabrizio Carboni, Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“So today, with the information we have and from where we stand, we don’t see this [massive evacuation] as possible,” he said.
UNRWA update: Gaza
The destruction of waste management installations and medical waste disposal centers severely restricts the collection and disposal of solid waste management. In January and February, UNRWA and UNDP collected 10,000 tons of solid waste. Over 270,000 tons of solid waste across the entirety of the Gaza Strip remains uncollected.
There has been very little significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north. Since the beginning of April, an average of 186 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza per day via the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah land crossings. This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the minimum target of 500 trucks per day.
NOTE: Israel has promised to “flood” Gaza with aid, but has not done so – with the exception of a few days – although the enclave is in desperate need. Israel has instead created an inspection regime that makes aid delivery extremely difficult – while Israeli officials allege that aid organizations are at fault for the famine for their failure to distribute aid efficiently.
Thousands of aid trucks are reportedly waiting at the southern border of Gaza, where Israel has made it extremely difficult to pass, employing complicated and arbitrary procedures; when aid has gotten into Gaza, the people have many times been shot at as they tried to obtain food. Israeli forces have targeted trucks themselves and humanitarian aid staff.
EU humanitarian chief urges countries to restore UNRWA funding
“I call on the donors to support UNRWA – the Palestinian refugees’ lifeline,” Janez Lenarcic, the European commissioner for crisis management, has said on X.
The plea comes after an independent review said Monday that Israel had provided “no evidence” of any wrongdoing by staff of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Israel in January made the allegation that some UNRWA staff participated in the October 7 attacks, which led to numerous donor states suspending or pausing some $450m in funding.
Many have since resumed funding while others – including the US, the largest donor – have not.
Germany to resume cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza
Reuters reports: The German government plans to resume cooperation with the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in Gaza, the foreign and development ministries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The decision follows a review by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna into UNRWA’s ability to ensure neutrality and respond to any breaches after Israel’s allegations that 12 of its staff took part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks.
‘Highest ever’ number of Palestinians held in administrative detention, prisoners group says
Al Jazeera reports: There are more than 3,660 Palestinians held in administrative detention by Israel, the Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy organization, says.
The unprecedented figure includes Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the besieged Gaza Strip. Among them are 22 women and more than 40 children, it said.
Prior to October 7, some 1,320 Palestinians were held in administrative detention. The widely criticized practice involves holding Palestinians on secret evidence, without charge or trial, indefinitely.
NOTE: Israel is currently holding about 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in inhumane conditions where many are systematically tortured – 200 of them are children, 80 are women, and about3,660 are administrative detainees – being held without charge or trial. Administrative detention is intended to be used only in “exceptional” circumstances, but Israel uses it widely. Read more here.
Israel effectively using Gaza hospital as military base
Al Jazeera reports: Israeli troops have turned Gaza’s only specialized cancer hospital into a de facto military base, stationing dozens of armored vehicles at the facility and building earthen fortifications to shield them, according to satellite imagery analyzed by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency.
The Israeli army first moved its vehicles into the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, located south of Gaza City, on November 23, according to the analysis. Since then, Israeli forces have built a dedicated supply road from the facility to the Netzarim corridor, an east-west military road that Israel uses to split Gaza City from the rest of the enclave.
As of April 16, Israel’s military had brought 55 vehicles at the area, the analysis found.
Some good news for #Gaza
Yesterday, more than 310 trucks of aid entered.
This is the highest # since the war began on 7 October.
This shows that when there is a will there is a way.It needs now to be sustained & further increased.
Trucks should include both commercial and… pic.twitter.com/n0IsgH1VyK— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) April 23, 2024
Tent compound rises in southern Gaza
Associated Press reports: Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press appear to show a new compound of tents being built near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip as the Israeli military signals that it plans an offensive on the city of Rafah.
Khan Younis has been targeted by repeated Israeli military operations over recent weeks. Israel has said it plans to evacuate civilians from Rafah during an anticipated offensive on the southern city, where hundreds of thousands of people have taken refuge during the war, now in its seventh month.
A Palestinian health official later said the tent camp was being set up to house displaced people who are currently sheltering in a hospital and is not related to any impending military operation. Its presence underscores the struggle to find shelter in Gaza, where some 80% of people have fled their homes. More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah.
Gaza’s government media office marks 200 days of ‘genocide’
Gaza’s media office released updated “key figures” to mark 200 days since Israel launched its deadly assault on the besieged enclave.
Israel’s military has dropped 75,000 tonnes (over 82,000 tons) of explosives on the Gaza Strip. As a result:
- At least 34,183 Palestinians have been killed, including 14,778 children.
- Thousands more remain missing or trapped under the rubble.
- Some 30 children have lost their lives due to the spread of “famine” in parts of the Strip.
- At least 485 medical staff members have been killed.
- More than 77,140 Palestinians have sustained injuries.
- Around 17,000 children have lost either one or both parents.
- More than one million people have been affected by infectious diseases due to repeated displacement.
- Around 310 medical staff members and 20 journalists have been arrested by Israeli forces.
- 380,000 housing units damaged or destroyed
- 412 schools and universities damaged or destroyed
- 556 mosques and 3 churches damaged or destroyed
- 206 archeological and heritage sites damaged or destroyed
- 32 hospitals and 53 health centers and 126 ambulances damaged or destroyed
Israeli army orders new evacuations in Beit Lahia
Avichay Adraee, an army spokesperson, has issued a warning to Palestinians in certain parts of the northern Gaza Strip city, describing the areas as a “dangerous combat zone”.
He said on X the Israeli army “will use extreme force against terrorist infrastructure and subversive elements in the region”, telling residents to “evacuate the area immediately and head towards known shelters in blocks number 1770, 1766”.
Israel denies burying Gazans in mass graves
Reuters reports: The Israeli military said claims by Palestinian authorities that the Israeli miilitary had buried bodies were “baseless and unfounded”. It said forces searching for Israeli hostages had examined bodies previously buried by Palestinians near Nasser hospital and had returned the bodies to where they were buried after they were examined.
“The examination was conducted in a careful manner and exclusively in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages. The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased,” it said in a statement.
“Some of them had their hands tied, which of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations,” a UN spokesperson said.
West Bank: Israeli Soldiers Kill A Young Woman Near Hebron
IMEMC reports: On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers fatally shot a young Palestinian woman on the bypass road #60, north of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.
Media sources said the soldiers fired several live rounds from point-blank range at the woman and left her bleeding on the ground until she succumbed to her wounds.
The slain young woman has been identified as Maymouna Abdul-Hamid Harahsha, 20, from Hebron.
An eyewitness said, “I was in a car across the street when I saw the soldiers pointing their guns at her. She didn’t move at all, remained standing still, yet they shot and killed her.”
The Israeli army claimed the young woman “carried a knife,” and “intended to stab the soldiers.”
UNRWA update: West Bank
Between 15 and 21 April there were more than 195 Israeli military operations reported across the West Bank, with at least 21 Palestinians killed during this period. Of these fatalities, two were children.
A large-scale Israeli military operation commenced on 18 April in Nur Shams Camp in the northern West Bank, lasting approximately 50 hours and concluding on 20 April with significant casualties and massive damage sustained, including to UNRWA facilities. At least 14 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli military deployed anti-tank missiles and armored bulldozers, with Palestinian armed groups detonating improvised explosive devices. Widespread damage to private property as well as camp infrastructure was reported, with water, electricity and internet both cut.
Settler violence continued across the West Bank, with violent confrontations also reported in Burka, in the central West Bank, where six Palestinians were injured by settlers and Israeli military on 21 April.
Google fires more workers who protested its deal with Israel
ABC News reports: Google fired at least 20 more workers in the aftermath of protests over technology the company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, bringing the total number of terminated staff to more than 50, a group representing the workers said.
It’s the latest sign of internal turmoil at the tech giant centered on “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to provide the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
Workers held sit-in protests last week at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California. The company responded by calling the police, who made arrests.
The group organizing the protests, No Tech For Apartheid, said the company fired 30 workers last week.
Then, on Tuesday night, Google fired “over 20” more staffers, “including non-participating bystanders during last week’s protests,” said Jane Chung, a spokeswoman for No Tech For Apartheid, without providing a more specific number.
“Google’s aims are clear: the corporation is attempting to quash dissent, silence its workers, and reassert its power over them,” Chung said in a press release. “In its attempts to do so, Google has decided to unceremoniously, and without due process, upend the livelihoods of over 50 of its own workers.”
FOLLOW THE FREEDOM FLOTILLA
Veteran pro-Palestinian activist John Hurson journeying from Ireland, talks about why he is joining the @GazaFFlotilla | via @YousefAlhelou https://t.co/ibIrQuMgQ2
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) April 23, 2024
Att: Australian Government. "Established channels" to take aid to Palestinian people in Gaza are failing. That's why Dan, Helen and Surya are sailing with #FreedomFlotilla to Gaza.https://t.co/T3it6CySRk pic.twitter.com/z2S6MEX3Sb
— Free Gaza Australia (@GFFAusGroup) April 23, 2024
NOTE: We will bring regular updates about the 2024 Freedom Flotilla until it arrives in Gaza.
NOTE: Read about the individuals who launched the flotilla movement over 16 years ago here.
Campus protest update
Send in the National Guard quick https://t.co/0LZqKZMWcZ
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) April 24, 2024
(Read more about the “stabbing in the eye” incident here.)
Massive faculty walkout at @Columbia opposing the university’s decision to call in NYPD on Palestine solidarity protests: pic.twitter.com/DcCSxObtx9
— Bassam Khawaja (@Bassam_Khawaja) April 22, 2024
Now, at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities:
an emergency protest has mobilized upwards of 1,000 UMN students & staff — now gathered outside Memorial Union.
student protestors arrested this morning have been released, and the Solidarity Encampment is being re-established. pic.twitter.com/7dngI6VlzQ
— Sean Lim (@SeanLimMN) April 23, 2024
MEMORABLE QUOTE
State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel: We’ve seen those reports [about 300 Palestinians found in mass graves], and we are asking the Government of Israel for more details and more information.
QUESTION: And do you believe that the Government of Israel is a credible source in enlightening you in that regards?
MR PATEL: We do. We do. We do.
