Middle East
Israel uses Gaza as a testing ground for weapons, says Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti has accused Israel of using the Gaza Strip as a testing ground for new weapons. Speaking during a review of 2014 in Ramallah, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative reminded listeners that Israel is now the third largest arms exporter in the world. "There is conclusive evidence that it used the Gaza Strip as a test bed for its deadly weaponry," he claimed.
Amnesty International Strikes on Gaza high-rises amount to war crimes – Arab-Israeli Conflict – Jerusalem Post
The IDF's destruction of four high-rises in Gaza in the final days of a 50-day war between Israel and Hamas amount to war crimes that must be investigated, Amnesty International said on Monday. Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program said the buildings were destroyed on purpose and had no military justification.
UN official confirms Israeli soldiers launched attacks from inside Gaza school
Addressing a Security Council debate on children and armed conflict, Zerrougui said 244 schools, including 75 UNRWA schools, "were shelled by Israel's armed forces", adding that "one school was used as a military base by the IDF." Although she did not name the school, it has been confirmed to me this was a reference to Hani Naim Agriculture Secondary School for Boys in Beit Hanoun.
Mustafa Barghouti’s speech on the destruction of Gaza
Even in the Second World War, there was not so much destruction in such a small area. This was not about one house being destroyed and the house next to it being destroyed. This was intentional bombardment by the Israeli army and navy and air force to destroy whole neighbourhoods. Shujaya, which was completely destroyed was not a neighbourhood. It was a town, it was a city, with 150,000 people and it was destroyed, one house after another.
Why Israel’s bombardment of Gaza neighborhood left US officers “stunned”
The cease-fire announced Tuesday between Israel and Palestinian factions - if it holds - will end seven weeks of fighting that killed more than 2,200 Gazans and 69 Israelis. But as the rival camps seek to put their spin on the outcome, one assessment of Israel's Gaza operation that won t be publicized is the U.S. military s. Though the Pentagon shies from publicly expressing judgments that might fall afoul of a decidedly pro-Israel Congress, senior U.S. military sources speaking on condition of anonymity offered scathing assessments of Israeli tactics, particularly in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City.
Ban Ki-moon calls for end to Gaza ‘nightmare’, as charities launch appeal
A coalition of British charities is launching an appeal to help the people of Gaza recover from what the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has called the nightmare of the last four weeks . The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which comprises 13 UK charities, is urging the public to support the hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes by the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Questions of Weapons and Warnings in Past Barrage on a Gaza Shelter
An examination of an Israeli barrage that put a line of at least 10 shells through a United Nations school sheltering displaced Palestinians here last week suggests that Israeli troops paid little heed to warnings to safeguard such sites and may have unleashed weapons inappropriate for urban areas despite rising alarm over civilian deaths.
Hamas Denies Holding Missing Israeli Officer, Saying He May Be Dead
‘World stands disgraced’ as Israeli shelling of school kills at least 15
United Nations officials described the killing of sleeping children as a disgrace to the world and accused Israel of a serious violation of international law after a school in Gaza being used to shelter Palestinian families was shelled on Wednesday. At least 15 people, mostly children and women, died when the school in Jabaliya refugee camp was hit by five shells during a night of relentless bombardment across Gaza. More than 100 people were injured.
Israeli Shells Said to Hit School in Gaza, Killing at Least 20
West Bank rage at Gaza bloodshed as protests erupt over UN school attack
The violence of the conflict in Gaza spread to the West Bank on Thursday with at least two Palestinians killed and scores wounded in one of the biggest clashes seen for several years. Further protests in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are expected following noon prayers on Friday, the last Friday of Ramadan, after the Palestinian Authority called for a day of rage over the bloodshed in Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians took part in a demonstration after more than 15 women, children and United Nations staff were killed and around 200 injured when a UN shelter for those fleeing the Israeli bombing was hit
Blasts Kill 16 Seeking Haven at Gaza School
For more than a week, as the war engulfed their homes, families in this northern Gaza town packed up their belongings and children and headed to the one place they presumed would remain safe: the United Nations school. But in the last few days, the war approached there as well. The Israeli military warned on Monday that the shelter should be evacuated. By Thursday, the United Nations had decided to withdraw its staff and to stop providing food. Then, as the Palestinians gathered in the courtyard on Thursday, believing they were about to be bused elsewhere, blasts tore through the crowd, killing 16 people and sending scores of wounded, mostly women and children, streaming into local hospitals.
Israel-Gaza conflict: Israeli military ‘using flechette rounds in Gaza Strip’
Glenn Greenwald: Why Did NBC Pull Veteran Reporter After He Witnessed Israeli Killing of Gaza Kids?
NBC is facing questions over its decision to pull veteran news correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin out of Gaza just after he personally witnessed the Israeli military s killing of four Palestinian boys on a Gaza beach. Mohyeldin was kicking a soccer ball around with the boys just minutes before they died. He is a longtime reporter in the region. In his coverage, he reports on the Gaza conflict in the context of the Israeli occupation, sparking criticism from some supporters of the Israeli offensive.