The week in Gaza: On Sunday morning at the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, Israel released three Palestinian civilians it had arbitrarily arrested: Muhammad Awad Ramadan Hegazy, Ramadan Awad Ramadan Hegazy and Kamel Ihab Ghabayen. As the men walked away still handcuffed, all three were shot dead and their bodies left where they fell until they were retrieved by local people. (Al Jazeera)
Northern and central Gaza were hit by a second day of heavy Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday, which threatened to derail new international efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release. (Guardian) 16 killed and 50 injured whilst sheltering in a school in Al Nuseirat.
Wednesday was the crucial 24 hour window for a ceasefire deal, so of course, the ground raids accelerated throughout Gaza, especially in the refugee camps. More deaths in Khan Younis and Gaza City. It was also reported online that summary executions were being allowed by bored soldiers, by commanding officers.
Thursday – Israel intensified assaults, particularly in Gaza City, where bodies lay uncollected in the streets. Residents were leafleted and told to move South, but people killed trying to flee by Israeli snipers.
The pier for ‘humanitarian aid’ into Gaza is to be dismantled after 20 days of actual use. The Lancet, estimated that the death figures could be as high as 186,000.
Meanwhile, Israel has made the largest land seizure in the occupied West Bank since the Oslo accords. 12.7 kilometres in the Jordan valley.
So, all week headlines have been covering the possibility of a ceasefire agreement, but killings have increased throughout Gaza; its people being sent from one place to another, when in fact nowhere is safe.
The new president of Iran, Pezeshkian, condemned Israel as his first policy statement: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported the resistance of the people in the region against the illegal Zionist regime.” (Times of India) And our new Zionist regime still kept schtum.
On Friday it was reported that Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of making demands in ceasefire talks that contradict a framework deal brokered by Washington. Another stalling strategy to exterminate a few more thousand. (Reuters)
And facebook announced that it will not allow the use of the term Zionist towards Jews, as it is Anti-Semitic… work that one out.
Ceasefire – what ceasefire?
The current agreement being put forward by Israel would be at the cost of continued occupation of Gaza, and insurgency warfare by IDF. Netanyahu does not want to end the war for his own reasons.
It is anticipated that an army division would be posted on the new Netzarim corridor which splits North and South Gaza and means people would be unable to return to their homes.
The other division would be on the Philadelphi corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt which would shut down any smuggling in the tunnels.
These troops will launch frequent raids on any ‘suspects’ – a strategy known as “mowing the lawn” – a euphemism for bombardments.
Israel will also expropriate two corridors of land for military use to create a buffer zone, which could be up to 30% of the territory. (Guardian 7/7/24)
Good mother:
No one dies complete.
After a missile strike, everyone searches in the debris to put their loved one back together.
Mothers search for their children’s heads to match with their bodies.
To be a good mother in the rest of the world is to feed your children good food and keep them warm.
But to be a good mother in Gaza is to bury your children whole.