Pro-Palestinian protests spread worldwide as Israel pushes into Gaza
Israeli forces forced to close down Gaza’s medical facilities after a tank-bombing attack on October 7, and more than 1000 injured people have been evacuated
The military said an Israeli soldier was killed when a tank overturned. More than 300 Israeli soldiers have been killed, most of them on October 7.
By the end of the weekend, Palestinian health officials said that over 1000 people, many from the same family, were killed in the Israeli bombardment.
Phone, cellular and internet services dropped Friday evening, leaving most of Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians unable to communicate with each other or the rest of the world.
With beds full of injured people and hallways crowded with Palestinians seeking refuge from airstrikes, Israel continues to urge the evacuated of northern Gaza, including hospitals. At least a third of hospitals in Gaza have been forced to shut down due to a lack of fuel to operate generators, the U.N. says.
The staff at Ah-Ahli Arab Hospital is still handling patients despite the fact that they have been evacuated. According to estimates by the U.S. intelligence service, at least 100 people were killed in an explosion at the hospital.
About 117 trucks carrying aid have been allowed into Gaza via the territory’s Rafah border with Egypt. Most of the trucks have carried medical and food supplies. Israel has blocked the carrying of fuel due to concerns it could be stolen by Hamas.
Food in Gaza has been difficult to come by. Many food suppliers are out of business because of the lack of electricity and fuel. Palestinians living in Gaza have told NPR about fruitless searches for open vendors or waiting in line for hours for a days’ worth of bread for their family.
On Saturday, thousands of people broke into UNRWA warehouses to steal wheat flour and other survival supplies.
Gaza Water Supply to the Gaza Strip During the Sixty Day of War: UNRWA, Palestine Presses into Gaza as Pro-Palestinian Protests Spread Worldwide
Civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a siege on Gaza. People are scared, frustrated and desperate,” said Thomas White, UNRWA’s top official for Gaza, in a statement Saturday.
The system is doomed due to lack of trucks, slow processes and supplies that do not match the requirements of UNRWA and the other aid organizations.
The Palestinian Water Authority would be allowed to make repairs to the damaged pipes in order to resume water supply to central Gaza. The U.N. reported that water supply in southern Gaza had experienced “significant improvement” in recent days as its agencies have delivered small amounts of fuel to desalination plants and pumping stations.
“We have been taking extreme measures to reserve whatever water we had left. For instance, showers are something of the past,” said Abood Okal, a Palestinian-American and Massachusetts resident who was visiting family in Gaza when the war began and has since been stranded.
He, his wife and 1-year-old son are sheltering in a home in southern Gaza with about 40 or so other people, he said. The household has been walking to the Filtration Station every day to fill up a few gallons for everyone.
Israel’s Second-Phase-Second-State Operation in Gaza During a “Surprising Attack” on Hamas
Last Thursday, that filtration station ran out of diesel to operate its generators, Okal said Thursday evening. “We are almost out of drinking water today. He said they have enough to stay through tonight and then will basically be out tomorrow.
Thousands of people took to the streets of New York City, London, Madrid, Casablanca, Istanbul, and other cities worldwide, asking for a cease-fire in the conflict between Palestinians and Israel.
An airport in Russia’s Muslim-majority region of Dagestan closed Sunday night after pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the airport upon the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv.
The video that was posted to social media seems to show a crowd of people surrounding the plane at the Makhachkala airport.
“All Dagestanis empathize with the suffering of victims of the actions of unrighteous people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine. “What happened at the airport is outrageous and should be looked into by law enforcement agencies”, said Sergey Melikian in a post on Telegram.
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military’s intensified ground operations in Gaza pushed into a fourth day Monday as part of its so-called “second phase” of its war with the militant group Hamas.
Since the intensified operation began on Friday night, Israeli airstrikes have hit more than 600 Hamas targets, including weapons depots and anti-tank missile launch sites, Israel said. The army said it killed dozens of Hamas fighters on Sunday. Statements from the Israeli military described several “clashes” between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters.
At a Sunday night news conference, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the leader of Hamas in Gaza was one of Israel’s targets. Israelis say Sinwar was the chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that left 1,400 dead.
Palestinian telecommunications providers blamed the service outage on deliberate Israeli sabotage. An Israeli defense official said she was “unaware” of the matter.
Anas Baba speaks of the onset of the communications crisis in Gaza City. “I’m sorry to hear about this, but I’m afraid I can do it,” he says
Anas Baba was about to tape an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered when it happened. Baba said his line was “a bit bouncy” before the interview began.
Baba sent his first voice memos in the midst of the communications crisis. He connected to the Israeli cellular network for over an hour and a half and was dangerously close to the Israeli border.
“Today I was lucky to visit Gaza City. … I saw horrible things when I was living as a Gazan. Neighborhoods are totally flattened to the ground. You can’t find people and you can’t understand where they are. I was unable to find a single person.
Baba returned south to see the desperation of the people he is sheltered in. Taking a horse cart is a way to get around when the fuel supplies are low.
“Today it was a struggle just to find some bread, some water, and even to understand where to go, or how to go. … I returned home from Khan Younes using a horse cart. And today, I couldn’t even find that horse cart anymore.
“Nothing is the same, nothing is the same. I am reporting now for you from Rafah, and my heart is still there, my memories are still there [in Gaza City].
“Don’t know what to do, don’t know what to say. Don’t know how to describe what has happened. It’s flattened, totally flattened to the ground. Nothing is the same, nothing is standing.”
“It’s super, super dangerous, but I needed to understand what’s happening around me. My mind was going to melt when I tried to understand what was happening.
“But the most catastrophic: When you hear the stories of some of the people who are still trying to reach some of their beloved, their families, their friends.
Some people here are saying that the war with signal and reception went well. But two days without reception and telecommunication was around 20 years for us. Being completely blind and disconnected is making you feel powerless and vulnerable at the same time.
