Middle East Eye

“I didn’t come on to be lectured by you!” British journalist Peter Oborne is interrupted by TalkTV host Vanessa Feltz during a discussion in which she claimed that Israel does not use “genocidal talk" when referring to Palestinians unlike Hamas who want to eradicate all Jews.

Members of the Palestinian Abu Jazar family expressed their despair amidst the rubble of their house, which was hit on Tuesday night in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. At least one resident was killed in the strike. The relentless Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip has resulted in over 11,000 deaths.

“This avalanche of human suffering is unprecedented in modern times.” Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care doctor for Doctors Without Borders and a co-founder of the GazaMedicVoices social platform, appeared on BBC News from Amman, Jordan to discuss the dire conditions in Gaza. The doctor said a new acronym was coined in Gaza three weeks ago: “There’s an acronym that is unique to Gaza strip and it’s WCNSF: Wounded Child No Surviving Family”.

“I urge colleagues from all sides to bear in mind that this is more than just party politics right now.” During the debate in the UK House of Parliament over a ceasefire in Gaza, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran raised a point of order to share that she had lost a member of her family in Gaza. Moran called on members of parliament to vote in support of a ceasefire saying she was “voting for peace”. The motion was voted down by 293 to 125 votes.

"Ceasefire now, not tomorrow, not in an hour.” British Palestinian activist, Wafa Shamakakh, who has lost 30 members of her family in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the youngest of whom was only two months old, spoke on Sky News on Wednesday, and stated that “the first demand is to ceasefire.” "What did they do to this world to be killed in this way?"

Ambulances transported injured members of the Abu Jazar family while residents cleared the rubble of their house after it was hit by an Israeli air strike on Tuesday night in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a phone call before Israeli forces raided al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday aired by Al Jazeera, Dr Munir Albursh, the health director of Gaza, refused to cooperate with the Israeli army’s demands to come down in fear of being killed and abandoning his patients. A doctor from inside the hospital has told Middle East Eye that during the raid the Israeli army turned the hospital, which shelters thousands of Palestinians, into a “war zone”.

Israel has repeatedly targeted medical facilities and ambulances in the besieged Gaza strip, claiming they are used by Hamas, but experts are questioning the legality of the attacks.

Learn about the controversies surrounding press freedom, censorship, and the broader implications for media in Israel and its actions in occupied Palestine.

"I witnessed seven Israeli aggressions on Gaza since 2008. However, this is the first aggression, Israeli aggression over Gaza that I have spent outside of Gaza. Away from my parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my beloved husband and family-in-law." Hala Hanina, a UK-based PhD student in sociology and politics from Gaza, shares her harrowing experience of witnessing seven Israeli aggressions since 2008, during a press conference in London held by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians. The current bombardment of Gaza is the first one she has experienced while away from her family. She describes the isolation and helplessness she felt during the Israeli-imposed blackout on 5 November that cut off communication in and out of Gaza, preventing even emergency calls. Amidst this, she tragically learned of the death of her friend, Maisara Alrayyes, a 28-year-old physician and leader, and his family, during an air strike in Gaza

“Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth — Israeli and Palestinian” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Israel to stop “this killing of women, of children, of babies” in the Gaza Strip, during a news conference on Tuesday, which he described as heart wrenching. Trudeau called on the Israeli government to exercise 'maximum restraint'. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu slammed Trudeau following his speech saying Israeli forces don’t deliberately target non-combatants while Hamas ‘beheaded, burned and massacred civilians’

NOTE: Israeli forces have now raided al-Shifa Hospital This week on The Big Picture, we examine 6 myths about Gaza told by the former Secretary of State in her viral interview with The View. Do You want a Full episode about Why American politicians are 'lying' about Gaza?

So the words the word ‘defends’ itself is an oxymoron... Israel is an occupying force in the Palestinian territories.” Palestinian translator and interpreter Basma Ghalayini says the events of 7 October “only escalated Israel’s already-established ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians” during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. She says Israel never withdrew completely from Gaza which remained occupied.

“We want to live as the other children live.” A group of children at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza held a press conference on Tuesday night, calling for global attention to the child victims of Israeli bombardment on the besieged Gaza Strip. Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the majority of whom are women and children.

In a speech in London, Dr Khalil Alagha, an academic and media professional, shared his painful experience, saying, “I lost more than 44 of my extended family due to Israeli air strikes in the southern Gaza strip, after Israel declared it a safe place.”

A number of US politicians and rabbis gathered outside the US capital and called for an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the strip. “We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. And we will not stop until we save lives. We will continue to demand a ceasefire, demand the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza,” said representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American member of the House. Echoing this sentiment, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised the term “collateral damage” used to describe the loss of innocent lives, calling it an attempt to sanitise atrocities. "The killing of children and innocents is never just ‘collateral damage'," she stated firmly. Rabbi Abby Stein spoke out against the actions of the Israeli government, asserting that their measures do not represent her or others who believe in peace. "Killing thousands of Palestinians isn't making us safe," Stein declared, advocating for safety and peace for all.

In an extended interview, Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy asks Israel’s Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, whether she has empathy for the Palestinian people. She stated that she has “zero empathy” for people who lost their land and refuse to recognise the Jewish right to their homeland.

“We loathe and hate the vicious siege against Gaza. The least we can do in this moment of overwhelming vulgarity is to have a ceasefire. Yet, there are those in Washington, DC talking about a ’humanitarian pause.’” Dr Cornel West, a philosopher, political activist and US presidential candidate, spoke in support of Palestinians in Gaza and called for a ceasefire outside the UN building in New York City. He firmly stated that advocating for Palestinians and their children does not equate to hatred towards others. “Don’t let anybody tell you that loving Palestinians and Palestinian babies means you hate someone else,” he said. Emphasising his commitment to human rights, West declared solidarity with all who are occupied, subjugated or exploited, focusing specifically on Gaza due to what he described as a “genocidal attack.”

“My cousin is there. My cousin’s wife is there. There are babies Jews, and Arabs.” Gil Dikman, an Israeli with family members held captive in Gaza, publicly responded to statements made by Galit Distel Atbaryan, a Likud Party and Knesset member who had controversially suggested that "Gaza should be wiped off the face of the earth." During a meeting in the Knesset, which included relatives of Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza, Dikman emphasised the value of life in Gaza, stating that his own family and others reside there. He urged for a reconsideration of destructive rhetoric and appealed for a focus on the well-being and existence of people in Gaza. Dikman also criticised Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel for not engaging with the families of captives and reiterated his call to prioritise life over destructive slogans.

In a heartfelt letter addressed to Britian’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) accuses Israel of breaching humanitarian laws by destroying civilian infrastructure and causing the deaths of over 11,000 Palestinians in their bombing campaign of Gaza, and criticises the UK government for its inadequate response to the humanitarian crisis. They are seeking an urgent meeting with the prime minister to address enforcing an immediate ceasefire in the besieged Strip, restore basic services and vital aid and protect medical facilities in Gaza. They also are requesting the inclusion of Gazan families in the UK Resettlement Scheme, highlighting their plight as British citizens impacted by the conflict. ICPJ represents the UK's Palestinian community. They say they are agonised by the dire conditions their families are facing in Gaza. Detailing the humanitarian crisis, including limited access to essentials and disrupted communications, the ICJP shares distressing data about the high casualty rates, including children, and mass displacement in Gaza.

Why did Palestinians give up the chance for their own state in 2000?

nternational Centre of Justice for Palestinians director Tayab Ali said on Monday that his organisation is committing itself to its Justice for Gaza campaign, which seeks to collect evidence to prosecute those who are complicit in preparing, supporting and committing war crimes in Gaza. Ali also criticised Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps for using the bombing of Dresden in World War Two to “excuse the massive number of civilians being killed by Israel in Gaza.”

Patients are out “in the streets without care” after “forced evacuations” of two paediatric hospitals in Gaza, says Mohammed Zaqut, director-general of hospitals in Gaza, countering the Israeli army which said it secured safe passage for civilians. At least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, with doctors warning that up to 15,000 more Palestinians face a slow death in hospitals as they run out of power and supplies

"The youngest we’ve had with burn injuries is a baby of four months”. ICRC’s chief surgeon in Gaza, Dr Tom Potokar, gave a detailed account of the kind of injuries children are inflicted with. In his interview with CNN on Sunday he also discussed the difficulties of operating on patients with limited equipment and said he had “seen patients with maggots in their wounds.”

Israeli forces arrest Palestinian father in front of family on live stream