Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel had not agreed to “pauses in the fighting in order to administer polio vaccines.”

Rather, it is being described as “the allocation of certain places in the Gaza Strip” for unstated purposes, an arrangement it said had been approved by the security cabinet.

The wording appeared designed to avoid indicating it had approved a humanitarian pause in the fighting in the absence of a cease-fire deal opposed by some members of Netanyahu’s coalition.

The State Department official said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a meeting with Netanyahu in Israel last week, had made a “major push” to make arrangements for the safe implementation of a vaccination campaign.

Pressure came after international health officials confirmed a case of the polio virus in Gaza, where vaccinations and other health care have been severely disrupted since Israel’s war on Gaza began in early October.

With @UNICEF, @WHO, and partners, we are working to start a large-scale vaccination campaign against polio as soon as possible in #Gaza. For this to happen, we need a humanitarian pause.

We cannot vaccinate children under a sky full of bombs and strikes. We need humanity. pic.twitter.com/8TCqIyKO48

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 28, 2024

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UN food agency halts staff movement in Gaza after vehicle fired on by Israeli forces

Reuters reports:

The United Nations World Food Programme temporarily suspended movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, saying at least 10 bullets struck one of its clearly marked vehicles as it approached an Israeli military checkpoint.

WFP said in a statement that a convoy of two armored vehicles received “multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach” the Wadi Gaza bridge checkpoint on Tuesday evening. Bullets hit one of the vehicles, but no one in it was hurt.

“Though this is not the first security incident to occur during the war, it is the first time that a WFP vehicle has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing the necessary clearances,” WFP said.

It said the vehicle was a “few metres” from the Israeli checkpoint when it was hit.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that the incident was under review. “The State of Israel is committed to improve coordination and security with humanitarian organizations to ensure the effective delivery of aid within the Gaza Strip,” it said.

There have been previous incidents of aid and humanitarian organizations coming under fire during the war. In April, three Israeli air strikes hit a convoy of aid vehicles travelng through Gaza, killing seven World Central Kitchen staff.

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Satellite Imagery Shows Vast Destruction in Rafah

Bellingcat reports:

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) invaded Rafah in May this year in order to establish control over the Gaza-Egypt border – an eight-mile-long strip of land referred to as the “Philadelphi Corridor”. Recent imagery provided by Planet Labs PBC showed a large amount of destruction not only along the corridor but in neighborhoods two kilometres from the border.

In May, U.S. President Joe Biden set a “red line” for Israel during an interview with CNN. If the Israel Defense Forces went into Rafah’s population centers, such as Tall As Sultan, his administration was going to start limiting what weapons the U.S. would provide Israel. When asked about the red line days later, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified that the president specifically referred to a “major military operation” in Rafah.

Satellite imagery shows that the Israel Defense Forces demolished entire city blocks along this route, including the Al Salam Neighborhood. This is something that has happened in other parts of the Gaza Strip in the past.

Nadia Hardman, the Refugee and Migrant Rights Researcher at Human Rights Watch told Bellingcat that the Israeli military should not be taking actions that render return impossible.

“International humanitarian law prohibits the forced displacement of civilians except temporarily when required for their security or imperative military reasons,” she told Bellingcat.

“We are seeing mounting evidence that the Israeli authorities may be committing the war crime of forced displacement by turning neighborhoods into rubble and destroying or damaging the majority of homes and basic infrastructure in Gaza, making large parts of the Strip unliveable for years to come,” Hardman said.

(See more before-and-after photos here.)

Israel is Demolition Nation par excellence. Evidence of vast demolition of housing in Rafah, a pattern that extends far back, again shows commission of vast international crimes including domicide. ICC cannot fail to add these to its charges. https://t.co/8lyvZxXNig

— UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing (@adequatehousing) August 28, 2024

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14 Palestinians homeless as Israel forces them to demolish their Jerusalem home

Middle East Monitor reports:

Israeli occupation authorities yesterday reportedly forced Palestinian Abdullah Salaimeh to demolish his own home in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem.

Salaimeh was notified on 18 August of the decision to demolish his house in which his family of 14 have lived since 2010. He faced paying fines of up to 120,000 shekels ($32,690) for occupation forces to demolish it.

Israeli occupation authorities regularly claim Palestinian structures lack the necessary building permits and need to be demolished. However, planning consents are rarely issued to Palestinians in Jerusalem.

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US imposes sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in West Bank

The Guardian reports:

The US has announced new sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank who are funded by the Israeli government, as Washington steps up its attempt to rein in worsening settler violence.

The new measures drew a sharp response from the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said it viewed them “with utmost severity” and that the issue was under “pointed discussion” with Washington.

The sanctions target one organization and one individual with long involvement in the intimidation of Palestinians with the aim of seizing their land. The US Treasury has made them “specially designated nationals”, which means their assets are blocked and US citizens and companies are prohibited from dealing with them.

The targeted group was Hashomer Yosh, which provides security for illegal settler outposts, including some which have already been sanctioned by the US. The group has been particularly active in the south Hebron hills, at the southern end of the West Bank, which has been a focus of Israeli settler violence against local Bedouin inhabitants.

Hashomer Yosh is officially a non-government organization, but it has been funded and supported in recent years by Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing coalition.

The choice of targets brings US punitive measures a significant step closer to the members of the coalition closest to the extremist settlers: the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.

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The main suspect in the Sde Teiman gang rape case is now a media star in Israel

Mondoweiss reports:

Three weeks ago, the Israeli right-leaning Channel 14 aired a 10-minute interview with one of the suspects in the Sde Teiman gang rape case. He was masked, in uniform, and had a gun slung across his shoulder. He received a number of standing ovations from the studio audience as he told his story of being the unfairly treated victim of the Sde Teiman affair.

Just two days later, he went public and revealed his identity in a video. The suspect, now known to be Meir Ben-Shitrit, started by taking his mask off and saying, “Shabbat shalom to all the people of Israel, this is Meir from Force 100.” He then proceeded to read the bible episode of the week.

Ben-Shitrit ended with a call for people to unite “for the truth,” and to demonstrate for the release of all the gang rape suspects.

On August 26, Ben-Shitrit was hosted for his longest interview yet on Channel 14. It went for 11 minutes on the “Fathi and Shai” show, which also usually features upbeat satire. They promoted him on the channel throughout the day like a star and did a serious interview with him in the evening. It opened with a recap of his ‘mask off’ video.

(Read the full article here.)

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Nothing can be more bizarre than the US showering Israel with $billions, supplying its genocidal army with unlimited lethal weapons & munitions, deploying its own warships, submarines, & fighter planes to the region in readiness to fight Israel’s wars of “self defence,”…

— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) August 27, 2024

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Escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque – Hamas Warns of a Potential ‘Religious War’

Palestine Chronicle reports:

“The occupation government’s decision to fund Zionist tours of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation and playing with fire, leading the region towards a religious war for which the occupation and its supporters will bear responsibility,” Hamas said in a statement.

The resistance movement called on Palestinians to “mobilize, rally, and stand in solidarity in defense of our people and our sanctities, in the face of the fascist occupation government’s escalation of all forms of systematic targeting and implementation of its Zionist agendas and plans against the sanctity, status, and identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

It also appealed to the masses in the Arab, Islamic world and the free people of the globe to protest against Israel’s crimes and aggressions against the Palestinian people, and their land, and their Islamic and Christian holy places, and “to stand with our people’s just cause for freedom, independence, self-determination, and an end to the occupation,” per the statement.

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Namibia blocks ship carrying ‘explosive material’ for Israel citing Genocide Convention

The Cradle reports:

The Namibian government has barred the Portuguese-flagged MV Kathrin cargo vessel from entering its territorial waters under suspicions that the ship carries military equipment and “explosive material” for Israel.

“Yes, I have asked Namport via the line ministry to consider the request to not allow the vessel MV Kathrin to dock in our ports. The request was made on Friday,” Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab told Namibian daily New Era on 26 August.

“Upon receiving reports that a vessel may be carrying weapons intended for Israel, I addressed a letter to Cabinet, international relations ministry, works ministry, as well as the safety and security ministry, advising and reminding them of our international obligations, not only under the Genocide Convention but also as articulated in the recent advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” she added.

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IMEMC Daily Reports.

Al Jazeera: The US is Israel’s accomplice, not a ceasefire mediator

+972 Magazine: ‘If you try to defend yourself, you’re dead’: A West Bank village’s night of terror

Amnesty Int’l: ICJ opinion means there can be ‘no business as usual’ for EU and Israel

Middle East Eye: How Israeli genocide in Gaza exposed the West’s liberal delusion

The Guardian: Joe Biden ordered Gaza pier to be built despite fears of aid experts

 

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STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – AUGUST 27:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – August 27, 2024: at least 41,271* (40,602 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,251 children as of July 22. [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 669 in the West Bank (~147 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 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 23 from West Bank).
• At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**.
• 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 – August 27: at least 99,275 (including at least 93,855 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how man Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.]

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – August 27, 2024: ~1,452 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 288*** 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.

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. 

***Approximately ten of the deaths listed above were Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah in fighting at the Israel-Lebanon border. The figure does not include the reportedly 53 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.

• Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
• Israeli media’s coverage of the rape of Palestinian detainees shows support for sexual violence in service of genocide
• Inside Israel’s torture, rape, and dehumanization centers
• I’m a pediatrician. The scars I saw on Gaza’s children will take generations to heal.
• What Harris’s Jewish outreach director said at a private DNC afterparty
• ‘Strong record of supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship’: a look at Tim Walz’s votes on Palestine as a member of Congress
• Nearly Two-Thirds of All Campaign Funds for Cori Bush Challenger Came From AIPAC
• Israeli army probe covered up “friendly fire” killings on October 7
• Are US officials’ investments of public funds in Israeli bonds ethical? How much is too much?
• Honoring the memory of a Gazan Olympic hero: Majed Abu Maraheel
• An American was just shot in the West Bank. The American press can’t be bothered.
• Understanding what motivates ultra-orthodox Jewish attacks on West Bank Palestinians
• Palestinians’ harrowing stories of rape by Israeli soldiers (including female soldiers)
• A Palestinian journalist visited Ismail Haniyeh’s home in Gaza to report on his death. Israel assassinated him too.
• I reported a piece for the New York Times on antisemitism. I found a major error, but the Times didn’t care.
• How Israel plans to whitewash its war crimes in Gaza
• Why the West Bank is on the verge of economic collapse
• Netanyahu’s plan to involve US in regional war on its behalf
• Western media continue to withhold the truth about Israel and Gaza – 4 stories
• “Well What SHOULD Israel Have Done After October 7?”
• Welcome to Hell
• More dead children. More BBC ‘news’ channelling Israeli propaganda as its own
• U.S. media downplays and ignores ICJ ruling declaring Israeli occupation illegal
• Israeli soldiers tell story of savage cruelty in Gaza – one given blessing by the West
• Searching for Gaza’s missing children
• What Would You Do With An Extra $320 Million?