No end in sight for Gaza bloodshed, 1,000 women & children imprisoned by Israel

Israel’s claims about the school massacre refuted; Germany condones massacre as “self-defense”; 75th anniversary of Geneva Conventions – the Rules of War that no one follows; West Bank deaths; 1,000 women, children imprisoned by Israel in West Bank since 7 Oct; Iran attack could be imminent; West calls on Iran, but not Israel, to refrain from retaliation; 600 Israelis hold rally by Gaza border, demand Israelis re-colonize Strip; Israeli hostage executed in response to massacre; more.

By IAK staff, from reports.

Initial Euro-Med Monitor investigation finds no evidence of military presence at site of Tab’een School massacre in Gaza

Euro-Med Monitor reports: Initial investigations by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor found no proof or indication of any military operations or combatants at the Tab’een School in Gaza City, whose prayer hall Israel targeted in a brutal massacre that claimed the lives of over 100 Palestinians. The incident has been nicknamed the “Fajr massacre,” since the attack happened during the dawn, or Fajr, prayer.

Quite the contrary, the location turned out to be a series of narrow buildings, with sections open to each other and lacking any equipment, where dozens of Palestinian families had taken refuge after being forcibly displaced from their homes, some of which have since been completely erased from the civil registry.

The Euro-Med Monitor field and legal team carried out a survey and preliminary investigation at the Tab’een School, which was providing shelter to over 2,500 displaced people in Gaza City. The team gathered data, recorded the statements of witnesses and survivors, and surveyed the location following the attack.

According to all available information and testimonies, there were no military gatherings or centers at the school, and it was never used for military objectives. Survivors testified that the school was providing shelter to hundreds of children whose families felt safe there.

The Israeli bombing specifically targeted the prayer hall where displaced people were praying at dawn, as well as the upper prayer hall used for housing women and children. Preliminary reports indicate that the Israeli army detonated three US-made bombs in the attack, which had a tremendous capacity to burn, melt, and destroy bodies. As a result, over 100 Palestinians were killed, including several families, and prominent academic figures at the universities of Gaza, among them Professor Youssef Al-Kahlout, an Arabic language professor.

Owing to the bombs’ immense destructive power, the victims’ bodies were reduced to shredded pieces and burned parts, along with numerous serious injuries.

Israel must be bound by the principles of international humanitarian law, particularly those regarding distinction, proportionality, military necessity, taking necessary precautions, and the duty to protect civilians. This requires deciding on the best course of action for military operations and the kind of weaponry to employ with the express consideration of reducing civilian casualties and losses.

(Read the full report here.)

US funding of Israeli #Genocide is ballooning as the Israeli army uses ever more lethal bombs. The ones used yesterday in the #AlTabinSchool massacre sliced bodies to the point of making them unrecognizable. They are now identified by weight: 70kg bag = 1 adult. Revolting. https://t.co/elFVamEmcw pic.twitter.com/y361oeSXgL

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 11, 2024

Germany justifies Israel killing of 100 Palestinians at school shelter in Gaza

Andalou Agency reports: Despite strong international condemnation, including from the EU, of Israel’s brutal attack on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza, which killed at least 100 people, Germany justified it on Monday, saying Tel Aviv has the “right to defend itself.”

“Israel has the right to defend itself. The reality is that Hamas uses schools, hospitals, kindergartens as command centers,” government deputy spokesman Wolfgang Buechner told the press in Berlin, echoing Israel’s claims after each such attack.

Buechner, however, provided no evidence to back up his allegations against Hamas, which are consistent with Israeli propaganda used to justify lethal attacks on civilians in Gaza.

Buechner’s controversial remarks stand in stark contrast to statements made by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who strongly condemned the attack on Saturday that killed at least 100 Palestinians.

UNRWA chief marks 75 years of Geneva Conventions

Statement from UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini: 75 years ago today, the Geneva Conventions were put in place to protect civilians in times of wars. They are the universal “Rules of War” meant to limit the devastating impact of wars & conflicts on humanity.

The one set of rules we “all agree on”, but do we?

In the past 10 months, these rules have been blatantly broken day in, day out in Gaza by the Israeli Forces as well as the Palestinian armed groups including Hamas.

More concerning, Member States- party to the Geneva Conventions- have failed in their responsibilities to respect the conventions and ensure that parties to the conflict respect them under all circumstances.

Our shared values enshrined in the Conventions are at stake as is our shared humanity. It is time to re-instate those values + re-commit to the Conventions. They are the compass of international humanitarian law.

The basics still apply: Civilians, women, children, detainees must be protected. Schools, hospitals, people’s homes, humanitarian + UN staff, facilities & operations must be protected.

West Bank: 2 Palestinians die of wounds from Israeli occupation forces raid

Middle East Monitor reports: A Palestinian detainee, Kifah Dabaya, 34, was pronounced dead at an Israeli hospital after he succumbed to a serious bullet wound sustained when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened fire at him and other young men in Jenin a week ago, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

Meanwhile, another man identified as Sobhi Al-Bad from Jenin city died of a serious bullet wound at the Jenin Hospital on Sunday evening. Hospital Director Wisam Bakr said that Al-Bad died of the wound he sustained last week during an IOF raid in Jenin.

Kifah Dabaya (L) , Sobhi Ahmed Al-Bazz (R) were killed by Israeli forces in a raid on Jenin, on 12 August 2024 [blackmoth89/X]

Israeli forces kill 18-year-old who wounded one Israeli and two Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Middle East Eye reports: Israeli soldiers shot and killed 18-year-old Tareq Ziad Abdulraheem Daoud near the town of Azoun, east of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry says.

Daoud reportedly opened fire at an Israeli civilian who entered Qalqilya, wounding him and two Palestinians, before being shot by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli forces killed 16 volunteer medics since October 7: PRCS

Al Jazeera reports: Israel has killed 16 Palestinian volunteer medics in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank since October 7, the Palestinian Red Crescent says.

Medical workers and ambulances are routinely targeted in Israeli attacks.

According to the Government Media Office, at least 885 medical workers have been killed since Israel launched its assault on Gaza.

At least 131 ambulances have been targeted there, it said.

A Palestine Red Crescent ambulance in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, following the withdrawal of occupation forces Thursday, May 30

Over 1,000 women, children imprisoned by Israel in West Bank since 7 Oct.

Detainees’ Institutions in Palestine report: Israeli forces have made 10,000 arrests across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since the start of the war on Gaza, according to a brief released by several Palestinian prisoner organizations on 12 August.

“The total number of arrests stands at 10,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), and Addameer Association for Human Rights said in a joint brief released Monday.

Since 7 October, 345 women and 700 children have been imprisoned in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, according to the brief.

It adds that 94 journalists have been detained, 53 of who are still in custody.

“More than 8,322 orders of administrative detention have been issued since 7 October, ranging between new orders and renewals, including orders against children and women,” the brief goes on to say.

Hundreds of Israelis Gather at Prayer Rally by Gaza Border, Demanding Israelis re-colonize Strip

Ha’aretz reports: Around 300 right-wing activists gathered on Monday evening for a prayer rally, titled “a step on the path to the destination: Jewish settlement in all of Gaza,” that took place on the Israeli side of the Netzarim corridor, which bisects the Gaza Strip, just prior to the onset of the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av, which began at sundown.

Far-right settlement activist Daniela Weiss, of the Nachala settlement movement, organized the event, stating in the invitation, “We have already managed to resettle large parts of the land, but many areas still await redemption.”

Tzvi Elimelech Sharaf, the movement’s director, claimed that “Jewish settlement in Gaza is the only way to win the war,” and that “anything else will lead to atrocities.”

One settler explained that the rally site was chosen “because it is a symbolic location with available land for settlement, a fitting Zionist response to our enemies.” She added, “We have over 600 families ready to move here. We can’t wait for the war to end, and it will also significantly support the war effort.”

Israeli forces take safety measures as fanatic Jewish settlers organize a provocative march in the Old City under the protection of Israeli forces on July 27, 2024 in Hebron, West Bank. [Amer Shallodi – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli hostage killed, two wounded in response to Israel’s massacres, Hamas says

Middle East Eye reports: The spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced on Monday that one Israeli male captive was killed by his guard and two female captives were seriously wounded in separate incidents in Gaza.

Abu Obaida, the official spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that a committee has been formed to investigate the incidents and the details of the probe will be announced later. He added that efforts are underway to save the lives of the two women.

“The enemy government [Israel] bears full responsibility for these massacres and the resulting reactions that affect the lives of Zionist prisoners,” he said in a statement posted on Telegram.

The statement provided no further details, leaving the condition of the female captives unclear.

This marks the first time that the Qassam Brigades have publicly acknowledged that one of their guards killed an Israeli captive. They have previously reported the deaths of several captives, blaming the fatalities on Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli army spokesperson responded to the news, saying: “There is no intelligence document to confirm or refute Hamas’ allegations.”

The killing of the captive followed an Israeli air strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians, which killed at least 100 people. The strike occurred in Gaza City on Saturday while the Palestinians were performing dawn prayers.

A Palestinian Civil Defence worker told MEE that “most of those killed were children and elderly people”, with the victims reduced to shreds and burned body parts due to the intensity of the air strike.

Iran rejects Western calls to stand down Israel threat

The New Arab reports: Tensions continue to mount between Israel and Iran, with Tehran on Tuesday rejecting a joint call from the E3 – France, Germany and the UK – for it to stand down in its threat to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month.

“The declaration by France, Germany and Britain, which raised no objection to the international crimes of the Zionist regime, brazenly asks Iran to take no deterrent action against a regime which has violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

“Such a request lacks political logic, flies in the face of the principles and rules of international law, and constitutes public and practical support” for Israel, he added.

In a statement on Monday, the United States and European allies called on Iran to “stand down”.

“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” said the joint statement issued by Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.

New Israeli intelligence suggests Iran prepares to attack Israel within days: sources

Axios reports: The Israeli intelligence community’s updated assessment is that Iran is poised to attack Israel directly in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran and is likely to do it within days, two sources with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.

The new intelligence assessment indicates an attack could come before the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal talks planned for Thursday, potentially jeopardizing negotiations at what Israeli officials have said is a “now-or-never” moment for a potential deal between Israel and Hamas.

Iran’s mission to the UN in a statement on Friday said “we hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire.”

But Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke on Sunday with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and told him the Iranian military preparations suggest Iran is getting ready for a large-scale attack, a source with knowledge of the call said.

In a summary of the call, the Pentagon said Austin has ordered the ballistic-missile submarine USS Georgia to the Middle East and accelerated the arrival of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt to the region.

NOTE: Attacks from Iran and Lebanon are expected in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of a top Hezbollah military commander and the political leader of the Hamas party. The US has asked for the states to refrain from responding; Iran and Lebanon insist that they have the right to self defense. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to “exact a very heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.”

This round of violence began with Israel’s lethal April 1 attack on Iran’s embassy-consulate complex.

Academic union of American university professors now supports boycott of Israeli universities

Middle East Eye reports: The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a union committed to safeguarding academic freedom with 500 chapters on campuses around the country, announced on Monday that it had reversed its longstanding policy of opposing academic boycotts.

“Academic boycotts are not in themselves violations of academic freedom; rather, they can be considered legitimate tactical responses to conditions that are fundamentally incompatible with the mission of higher education,” a statement approved by the organization’s committee on academic freedom and tenure said.

While the statement did not specifically refer to Israel, the war on Gaza “was likely the reason” that the professors’ association chose to revisit its policy, according to Ha’aretz.

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

The Cradle: Germany says Israel’s massacre at Gaza school justified in ‘self defense’

Al Jazeera: ‘Part of me is missing’: How Israel’s war on Gaza tears spouses apart

Palestine Chronicle: “US funding of Israeli genocide ballooning” – UN rapporteur, Francesca Albanese

Middle East Eye: Pro-Israel donors raise hundreds of thousands in last-minute funds to unseat Ilhan Omar

Middle East Monitor: Israel is a state built on lies and will continue promoting lies

The New Arab: Annexing history: Israel poised to seize West Bank’s archaeological sites under new law

The recent attack on a school sheltering hundreds of displaced families in #Gaza has caused mass casualties and utter devastation.

Half of the school buildings that have been directly hit since October 2023 were sheltering displaced people.

Watch the aftermath 📹⬇️

— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) August 12, 2024

Our joint @UN convoy arriving in Gaza City this morning with medical supplies, hygiene kits, food & more.

Emotional response from these exhausted families, relieved to see aid supplies reach them. But it’s not enough – basic needs in north #Gaza have not improved in 6 months. pic.twitter.com/K0aE8wrGKg

— Louise Wateridge (@UNWateridge) July 12, 2024

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – AUGUST 12:

Palestinian death toll from October 7 – August 12: at least 40,519* (39,897 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 622 in the West Bank (~145 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 death9 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, 18 from West Bank).
At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**.
About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced.
2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – August 12: at least 97,572 (including at least 92,152 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 – August 12: ~1,486 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 331 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured.

Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel 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.

† 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