
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>South Africa <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched</a> a case Friday in the UN’s International Court of Justice alleging “acts and omissions by Israel” in Gaza “are genocidal in character,” and asking the court to order Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza as the death toll reportedly exceeds 20,000.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>South Africa’s submission said Israel’s actions in Gaza are “genocidal” because they are intended “to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press reported.</a></p>



<p>Israel rejected the allegations “with disgust,” according to the report.</p>



<p>South Africa can bring its case against Israel under the Genocide Convention, which both are&nbsp;<a href="https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&amp;mtdsg_no=IV-1&amp;chapter=4&amp;clang=_en&amp;_gl=1*1hi9d9x*_ga*MTk5NDkwNTg0Mi4xNzAzMjY0MzU2*_ga_TK9BQL5X7Z*MTcwMzg3NDg1OS42LjAuMTcwMzg3NDg2NS4wLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">signatories</a>&nbsp;to,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Associated Press.</p>



<p>As of December 22,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/12/22/more-than-20000-dead-in-gaza-amid-israel-hamas-war-hamas-run-health-ministry-says/?sh=c6ed0892c385">over 20,000</a>&nbsp;Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.</p>



<p>A hearing for South Africa’s request for Israel to suspend its military operations is likely in the next days or weeks, but if the case goes ahead it will take years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Associated Press, and the court’s orders are not always followed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CONTRA</h2>



<p>Lior Haiat, the spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs <a href="https://x.com/LiorHaiat/status/1740803554166636751?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> the claim “lacks both a factual and a legal basis, and constitutes a despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the Court.” Haiat <a href="https://x.com/LiorHaiat/status/1740803554166636751?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accused</a> South Africa of “cooperating with a terrorist organization that is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel,” and called on the ICJ and international community to reject the case.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>South Africa also filed a referral to the International Criminal Court in November for an investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in Gaza. “We have put through a referral because we believe that war crimes are being committed there,” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-palestinians-icc-referral-6f1dd2b3af534d4d42d56a156968eae4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a> the Associated Press. “And of course we do not condone the actions that were taken by Hamas earlier, but similarly we condemn the actions that are currently underway and believe that they warrant an investigation by the ICC.” During a virtual meeting in November that included Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Ramaphosa <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-palestine-putin-xi-brics-0c070286b154198a36f0cf7440f973b5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">called</a> Israel’s “deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water,” in Gaza “tantamount to genocide.” Later that month, a majority of South African lawmakers voted to close the Israeli embassy and cut diplomatic ties with Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-ambassador-recall-gaza-bb30d780d0d33f2220dc08bf032a5738" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/12/22/more-than-20000-dead-in-gaza-amid-israel-hamas-war-hamas-run-health-ministry-says/?sh=c6ed0892c385">More Than 20,000 Dead In Gaza Amid Israel-Hamas War, Hamas-Run Health Ministry Says</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Johannesburg

South Africa Accuses Israel Of Genocide In UN Filing


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israel released 39 Palestinians it was holding in its Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank on Friday as part of a deal for the release of Israeli hostages Hamas took during its Oct. 7 attack—the Palestinians released were mostly teenage boys and women, a vast majority had not yet been convicted of a crime and many had been imprisoned for years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Seventeen of the released Palestinian prisoners are minors and, of those 17, 15 are boys and two were girls, while the remaining 22 are adult women,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/who-were-the-palestinian-prisoners-israel-released-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>Israel holds 2,200 Palestinians in detention under its controversial “administrative detention” policy that Israel says is a counter-terrorism measure it uses against people who plan to commit future offenses, according to the AP.</p>



<p>The released prisoners include Iyas Khatib, 17, the son of a U.N. aid worker who was put in “administrative detention” last year based on secret evidence without being publicly charged of a crime or put on trial, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-prisoner-exchange-hostage-92545883b1fef86fb9b34549b7deca58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>The prisoners also include Marah Bakeer, 24, who was a 16-year-old high school student in occupied East Jerusalem when Israeli forces shot at and arrested her for allegedly trying to stab an Israeli officer, an accusation Bakeer and her family deny,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/25/family-celebrates-return-of-free-palestinian-prisoner-marah-bakeer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>The 39 are part of a list of 300 Palestinians Israel said it was considering releasing as part of its deal with Hamas—some on the list were held on minor charges like throwing stones (though some were held on charges as serious as attempted murder), less than a quarter of them were convicted of a crime and most were being held on remand while awaiting a trial, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67522703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC</a> reported.</p>



<p>Other common offenses the prisoners have been accused of include threatening security officers, entering Israel illegally without a permit, supporting terrorism and associating with hostile or unknown organizations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/who-were-the-palestinian-prisoners-israel-released-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The released prisoners were being held in Israel’s Ofer prison, which is situated in the occupied West Bank near its western border north of Jerusalem. Israeli forces began using it in 2002 and it has since housed scores of Palestinian detainees, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.addameer.org/content/offer-prison" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Addameer</a>&nbsp;Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a Palestinian non-governmental organization. The Israeli military court system is designed to prosecute Palestinians that violate its various military orders in occupied Palestinian territory, according to Addameer. Human rights groups allege that Israel’s military court system rules Palestinains guilty 99% of the time, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67528844" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC</a>. Addammer points to other perceived issues with the military court and Israeli prison systems, including that Israeli officers, despite being required to interrogate prisoners in their native language, allegedly often&nbsp;<a href="https://www.addameer.org/israeli_military_judicial_system/military_courts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get them to sign</a>&nbsp;statements in Hebrew they don’t understand and that prison officials allegedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.addameer.org/key_issues/medical_negligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deliberately don’t provide</a>&nbsp;prisoners with necessary medical care.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>750,000. That’s how many Palestinians have at one point been in an Israeli jail since 1967, according to estimates from human rights groups, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-prisoner-exchange-hostage-92545883b1fef86fb9b34549b7deca58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AP</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>The release of the Palestinian prisoners was part of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/11/22/what-to-know-about-the-israel-hamas-hostage-deal/?sh=64f13bfe5845">an agreement</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Hamas that ended weeks of ferocious fighting between the two. That fighting began Oct. 7 after Hamas crossed the border of northern Gaza into Israel, killing around 1,200 and taking 240 hostage in a bloody attack. Israel responded with frequent airstrikes and a ground military incursion into Gaza. More than 14,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel declared war, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/11/24/temporary-ceasefire-takes-effect-in-gaza/?sh=2c11d07321a5">fighting paused</a>&nbsp;as part of a temporary cease-fire. As part of the cease-fire deal, Hamas agreed to release some of the hostages it took on Oct. 7, and Israel agreed to free some of its Palestinian prisoners. Along with the 39 released Palestinians, 13 Israeli hostages were released Friday. The pause in fighting—which is set to last four days, but could be extended if both sides come to further agreement—allowed trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>More Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages to be released. Israel has promised to release 150 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas agreed to release 50 hostages. All of those are expected to be released by the end of the four-day cease-fire. However, even more could ultimately be released soon. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to continue the pause in fighting one more day for each additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The newly freed Palestinian minors’ names are Yousef Mohammad Mustafa Ata, Qusai Hani Ali Ahmad, Jibreel Ghassan Ismail Jibreel, Mohammad Ahmad Suleiman Abu Rajab, Ahmad Nu’man, Ahmad Abu Na’im, Baraa Bilal Mahmoud Rabee, Aban Iyad Mohammad Said Hammad, Moataz Hatem Moussa Abu Aram, Iyas Abdul Qader Mohammad Khatib, Hazma Laith Khalil Othman Othman, Mohammad Mahmoud Ayoub Dar Darwish, Jamal Khalil Jamal Barahmeh, Jamal Yousef Jamal Abu Hamdan, Mohammad Anis Saleem Tarabi, Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahman Suleiman Rizq, Zeina Raed Abdou and Noor Mohammad Hafez al-Tahir, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/who-were-the-palestinian-prisoners-israel-released-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>. The adults’ names are Rawan Nafez Mohammad Abu Matar, Marah Joudat Moussa Bakeer, Malak Mohammad Yousef Suleiman, Amani Khaled Nu’man Hasheem, Nihaya Khader Hussein Sawan, Fayrouz Fayez Mahmoud al-Baw, Tahreer Adnan Mohammad Abu Suriya, Falasteen Fareed Abdul Latif Najm, Walaa Khaled Fawzi Tanja, Maryam Khaled Abdul Majid Arafat, Asil Muneer Ibrahim al-Tayti, Azhar Thaer Bakr Assaf, Raghd Nashat Salah al-Fanni, Fatima Nu’man Ali Badr, Rawda Moussa Abdul Qader Abu Ujaima, Sara Ayman Abdul Aziz Abdullah al-Suweisa, Fatima Ismail Abdul Rahman Shahin, Samira Abdul Harbawi, Samah Bilal Abdul Rahman Souf, Fatima Bakr Moussa Abu Shalal, Hanan Saleh Abdullah al-Barghouthi and Fatima Nasr Mohammad Amarnah, according to Al Jazeera.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/11/24/heres-what-to-know-about-the-hostages-released-from-gaza/?sh=4800c2e1aff7">Here’s What To Know About The Hostages Released From Gaza</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/11/24/first-hostages-released-amid-temporary-israel-hamas-ceasefire/?sh=1c663278e9fe">First Hostages Released Amid Temporary Israel-Hamas Ceasefire</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/11/24/temporary-ceasefire-takes-effect-in-gaza/?sh=2c11d07321a5">Temporary Ceasefire Takes Effect In Gaza</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/11/22/what-to-know-about-the-israel-hamas-hostage-deal/?sh=64f13bfe5845">What To Know About The Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/11/23/israeli-forces-reportedly-arrest-director-of-gazas-largest-hospital/?sh=28e410055505">Israeli Forces Reportedly Arrest Director Of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Gilad Shalit Swap Deal

Israel Released 39 Palestinian Prisoners: Here’s What We Know About Them


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The Israel Defense Forces admitted to striking the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza—an attack that Hamas said killed dozens and injured hundreds—and said it killed a senior Hamas commander in the attack.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>A spokesperson for Israel said the IDF killed a Hamas commander who oversaw fighting in northern Gaza, and that Israeli forces killed&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1719424225751027715" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">around 50 Hamas fighters</a>&nbsp;and damaged a Hamas command center.</p>



<p>Hamas has denied that any leadership was at the refugee camp at the time of the attack, NBC News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna122919#rcrd23975" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/dozens-killed-in-israeli-air-attack-on-gaza-refugee-camp-medical-official" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;Al Jazeera that more than 50 people were killed and many others were hurt in the strike, and the director of Gaza’s Indonesian hospital, Dr. Atef al-Kahlout,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-10-31-23/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;CNN that “hundreds” of people came in dead or injured and said there were still people in the rubble.</p>



<p>Photos of the aftermath of the attack show massive holes in the ground, and eyewitnesses said there were “body parts all over the place,” CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/middleeast/jabalya-blast-gaza-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>The Jabalia refugee camp, the area hit by the Israeli strike, is the largest of the eight refugee camps in Gaza and has held refugees since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>116,011. That’s how many Palestinian refugees were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip/jabalia-camp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">registered</a>&nbsp;with the United Nations and living in the camp, though the total population of the camp was likely higher. Many refugees in the camp were living in “substandard conditions,” according to the UN, which said the camp is characterized by “overcrowding and a lack of living space.”</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>A statement&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/pmofa/status/1719372014211768685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posted</a>&nbsp;to the X, formerly known as Twitter, account of the Gaza Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it “strongly condemns the recent massacre committed by the occupation against our people in the #Jabalia camp just a while ago. This resulted in the destruction of an entire densely populated residential area, over their heads.” The post estimated that 400 people were killed or wounded.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The strike came as Israel is facing calls for a ceasefire to allow for humanitarian aid, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there won’t be a ceasefire. He has said calls for a ceasefire are calls “to surrender to terrorism,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/30/world/middleeast/netanyahu-israel-hamas-cease-fire.html#:~:text=Calls%20for%20a%20cease%2Dfire%20are%20calls%20for%20Israel%20to,Israel's%20fight%20is%20your%20fight." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>, and has continued to vow to destroy Hamas. Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency, said Monday that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions,” CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/middleeast/israel-gaza-hamas-war-tuesday-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, the Hamas-run Healthy Ministry in Gaza&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-news-10-31-2023-54ab6bd7f6861be86266770c245827e1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimates</a>&nbsp;that more than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, adding that most have been children or minors. The Israeli death toll is around 1,400, almost entirely from the initial attack, while hundreds of hostages were taken from Israel to the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-news-10-31-2023-54ab6bd7f6861be86266770c245827e1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>


Israeli attack on residential square in Jabalia refugee camp

Israel Admits Striking Refugee Camp—Says It Targeted And Killed Hamas Commander


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Humanitarian aid continued to flow into Gaza Sunday afternoon through the Rafah border crossing—the crossing between Egypt and Gaza that was opened for the first time in two weeks on Saturday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Fourteen additional aid trucks were allowed into Gaza Sunday afternoon, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1716183555343085624?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a>&nbsp;on X by Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.</p>



<p>The first trucks with aid arrived in Gaza yesterday and carried food, water and medical supplies, though the World Health Organization said much more is needed, NBC News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna121580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, and the aid trucks notably did not have fuel, which Gaza has been without for weeks.</p>



<p>Aid had been blocked—but the allowance of it was recently&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1716183555343085624?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">negotiated</a>&nbsp;by leaders including President Joe Biden—since Israel implemented a blockade after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>Griffiths called the second convoy of trucks entering Gaza “another small glimmer of hope for the millions of people in dire need of humanitarian aid,” in the&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1716183555343085624?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>&nbsp;on X. “But they need more, much more,” he continued. He had previously said Saturday’s delivery was a “very good start, but it&#8217;s nowhere near enough to provide for the needs of up to 2 million people,” NBC News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna121580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>100. That’s how many trucks daily UN officials have said Gaza would need to address “urgent needs,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/second-aid-convoy-egypts-rafah-soon-en-route-gaza-sources-2023-10-22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to Reuters.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>More than 2 million people in Gaza have been without food, water, medical supplies and fuel since Israel closed the borders to aid following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,400 Israelis. More than 4,300 Palestianians have been killed since the war began earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-west-bank-gaza-militants-25b93d7eda4f2972360fe384d381bbff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Associated Press. Late last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/18/israel-approves-egyptian-humanitarian-aid-for-gaza-after-biden-applied-pressure/?sh=2bf88e6057da">announced</a>&nbsp;Israel would allow “food, water and medicine” for civilians in the southern Gaza Strip “as long as these supplies do not reach Hamas.” Netanyahu was also clear that any supplies that reached Hamas will be “thwarted.” The decision to allow aid was made after a meeting with Biden in which he said he supported the decision.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>U.S. Special Envoy David Satterfield&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna121580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;MSNBC Sunday that a &#8220;continuous flow&#8221; of humanitarian aid should get into Gaza through the Rafah border. Satterfield said he expects aid will be regularly moving into Gaza through the week, saying “we want to build that flow up to the levels necessary to begin to meet Gaza’s needs.”</p>


Palestinian workers from UN received the humanitarian aid

‘Continuous Flow’ Of Aid Expected Into Gaza As Second Delivery Arrives


<p><strong>As they grapple with keeping their businesses afloat, Palestinian founders are grieving the loss of life and community in Gaza, with many currently unable to reach friends, family and colleagues.</strong></p>



<p>alestinian founder Ram Mere was pitching his startup, Olivery, to a Startups Without Borders program backed by Meta to support and train local entrepreneurs. One of 10 finalists, Mere took home second place and a $15,000 check. Olivery now provides logistics solutions to 100 clients in seven countries and mostly hires Palestinians, he told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;on Saturday from Ramallah, in the West Bank.</p>



<p>But amid the chaos of war, Mere has no idea whether all of his Gazan employees are safe. He recalled one person who continued to work for two days after the fighting began. “Now nothing,” he said. “They have no internet, and I am not sure if he is alive or not.”</p>



<p>Like other Palestinian startups, Olivery has served as a bright spot for a growing local tech scene, with pockets of young companies, incubators and accelerators across Gaza and the West Bank. While small, that tech ecosystem has been viewed as an important part of Palestinians’ economic future, Palestinian founders and investors said. But in the face of renewed tragedy and war, it’s one that also seems increasingly fragile.</p>



<p>After Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed 1,300 Israelis last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/israel-hostages-hamas-explained.html#:~:text=Hamas%20Took%20Scores%20of%20Hostages,citizens%20are%20among%20the%20captives" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kidnapping</a>&nbsp;nearly 200 others, the Israeli government responded with aerial strikes that killed at least 3,000 Palestinians,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestinians/card/latest-death-tolls-in-gaza-and-israel-xJRhBt04VQMocRuYUtsA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">per local officials</a>, and an evacuation order for 1.1 million Gazan civilians to relocate ahead of an expected ground invasion. Israel has cut off access to water, food and electricity for civilians and the evacuation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/unispal/document/israel-must-rescind-evacuation-order-for-northern-gaza-and-comply-with-international-law/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has been called</a>&nbsp;a “crime against humanity” by the U.N. “It’s impossible to deliver help or anything to support my employees in Gaza,” Palestinian founder Mo Jebrini, told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;on Friday from Ramallah; 30% of his Palestinian team is based in the enclave.</p>



<p>Now, what was once a tenuous path to economic advancement in one of the poorest places in the world could vanish entirely.</p>



<p>“Tech was actually the last resort they could escape to from the prison,” said Mere, referring to Gaza&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-occupation-makes-palestinian-territories-open-air-prison-un-expert-2023-07-11/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">description</a>&nbsp;by some human rights groups as an open-air prison. “Now, even that is gone.”</p>



<p>In Israel, founders and tech employees are mourning killed relatives and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2023/10/13/israel-founders-struggle-to-balance-startups-and-front-line-military-service/">grappling</a>&nbsp;with their colleagues getting called up to Israel’s military reserves. More than 500 venture capital firms&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2023/10/12/vc-firms-sign-statement-israel/?sh=2d8192997a7a">signed</a>&nbsp;a public statement in support of Israel and its tech community last week.</p>



<p>The country’s technology sector, which represents 18% of GDP, raised nearly $10 billion in funding in 2021, and $1.4 billion in the last quarter alone, according to data from startup funding tracker Crunchbase. By comparison, the Palestinian startup community has received a tiny amount of funding: $9.5 million for all of 2021, at a combined valuation of $66 million, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://fastcompanyme.com/impact/palestinian-startups-are-growing-fast-but-they-face-huge-challenges/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Fast Company Middle East</em></a>.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>“I’m trying to stay focused on the tech sector and build it in a way that keeps everyone safe and free.”Ibraham Housheya, founder of Endeavor Technology</p>
</blockquote>



<p>But despite its small size, the Palestinian startup landscape represents a unique chance at economic development and sustainability. (<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinstoller/2022/06/02/heres-how-young-palestinian-and-israeli-entrepreneurs-are-forging-co-existence-through-startups/?sh=7a3bc4d243b2">attended</a>&nbsp;a joint Israeli and Palestinian startup pitch competition just last year.) And it’s been growing: The West Bank’s and Gaza’s $493 million information technology sector&nbsp;<a href="https://www.anera.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OTG-Tech-Ecosystem-Palestine-spreads.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">doubled between 2008 and 2018</a>, with an estimated 2,500 graduating with tech degrees from Palestinian universities annually (though just 10% find jobs in the sector immediately out of school). In Gaza, where the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/westbankandgaza/overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unemployment rate</a>&nbsp;hovers at nearly 50%, the most common tech jobs for trained residents are in online IT freelancing, with outsourcing amounting to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.anera.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OTG-Tech-Ecosystem-Palestine-spreads.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approximately 80%</a>&nbsp;of the Palestinian tech sector.</p>



<p>It’s unclear how the war will affect this momentum; some of the community’s infrastructure is already gone.</p>



<p>“The lack of basic necessities has made it nearly impossible for anyone to continue their work, and believe me, work is not a priority for them at the moment with everything they are facing,” Leen Abubaker, programs manager at Flow Accelerator and cofounder of social impact startup Sawaed19. Many of the buildings that Gaza’s IT freelancers used to conduct work for international companies, including offices and coworking spaces, have been destroyed, she said.</p>



<p>That appears to include the headquarters of Gaza Sky Geeks, a tech hub founded in 2011 with support from Google parent Alphabet and non-profit organization Mercy Corp.&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/14/palestine-tech-industry-hamas-israel-war/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to&nbsp;<em>TechCrunch</em></a><em>,&nbsp;</em>at least 5,000 coders and developers in the West Bank and Gaza have graduated from the group’s tech programs, which include a coding academy and startup accelerator. Named for the satellite internet access that provided many Gazans with an “open gate to the world,” said Dalia Shurrab, a former communication and social media coordinator for the group, Gaza Sky Geeks was a valuable source of training for residents unable to leave to pursue their education.</p>



<p>On Wednesday, Shurrab&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7117624115745693696/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shared footage on LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;of the Mercy Corps building where Gaza Sky Geeks had rented an office floor. Most of its windows appear blown out and ash covers the street. Mercy Corps regional director for the Middle East, Arnaud Quemin, said its team members are taking shelter and Gaza Sky Geeks is “not currently able to safely operate in Gaza.”</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<p>In the West Bank, which is home to most of the Palestinian startup scene and its only venture capital firm, Ibtikar Fund (which has backed startups like Olivery), tech companies are looking to maintain as normal operations as possible.</p>



<p>Endeavor Technology founder Ibraham Housheya, who employs more than 20 people in an office in Nablus, said his company has completed digital transformation projects for the likes of Walmart and Kroger. His Palestinian staff’s technical talent is no different from that of their colleagues in the company’s U.S. or Turkey offices, added Housheya — but they work using 3G wireless connections, not 4G or 5G. Colleagues are still able to connect on a daily basis via Gmail and Google Meet, said Housheya, who grew up in the West Bank and spoke to&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;from Turkey on Saturday.</p>



<p>“The most important thing right now is to help to keep the business running,” Housheya said. “There is a difference between Hamas and Palestinians,&#8221; with Hamas &#8220;only a part of a diverse Palestinian nation,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I’m trying to stay focused on the tech sector and build it in a way that keeps everyone safe and free.”</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>“It’s a continuous struggle when you don&#8217;t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”Mohammad Alnobani, cofounder and CEO of The Middle Frame</p>
</blockquote>



<p>One entrepreneur who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons said that they were leading an ongoing effort to supply meals to Gazan workers&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/gazan-workers-israel-stranded-occupied-212240164.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stranded</a>&nbsp;in Ramallah and other towns following Saturday’s Hamas attacks. Access to Israel and Gaza is blockaded, they said; locals can feel their windows shake from aerial bombardments at night. “We’re trying to be as hospitable as possible,” they said, adding that their focus is on providing food, clothing and blankets. “Many of the people stuck here have double the pain because they’re away from loved ones and unable to reach them.”</p>



<p>Ramallah-based Sondos Mleitat, the cofounder and CEO of online mental health platform Hakini, is trying to set up a&nbsp;<a href="https://donorbox.org/psychological-first-aid-for-our-people-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free mental health phone hotline</a>&nbsp;for Gazans, wherein psychologists and specialists from the Palestinian territories and around the world could provide immediate trauma intervention. She told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;the war has underscored Hakini’s mission of social responsibility, even though running a business at this time has been challenging. “I know there are delays, and we are behind schedule, but this is nothing,” she said. “It’s worthless for me when I think about the people whose lives are at risk.”</p>



<p>Palestinian founders described the unique challenges they faced in building companies even before war broke out: reduced access to early stage capital, crossing through military checkpoints in order to travel. In Gaza for example, Palestinian internet service providers have only been able to offer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/middleeast/gaza-internet-outage-map-visuals-dg/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2G networks</a>, and the blockade has placed restrictions on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.anera.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OTG-Tech-Ecosystem-Palestine-spreads.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hardware imports</a>. Raising money internationally has also been difficult due to instability. Next to Israel’s tech ecosystem, “it is not comparable at all in terms of resources,” said Mleitat.</p>



<p>Now, these obstacles may be compounded.</p>



<p>“It’s a continuous struggle when you don&#8217;t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” said Mohammad Alnobani, cofounder and CEO of The Middle Frame, a stock image platform that aims to dismantle stereotypes about the Arab world. He was returning home from a conference when war broke out. “I was literally at the border on the bus waiting to go in, and everything started blowing up and they sent us back to Jordan.”</p>



<p>But Mleitat said that her community is used to building companies with so few resources and against so many odds. “One of the advantages we have as Palestinians is that we’re resilient because of what we have been going through,” she told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>. That resilience, multiple founders said, is core to entrepreneurs’ success.</p>



<p>“The Gazan people are very talented,” said Gaza Sky Geeks’ Dalia Shurrab. She believes the organization — and the community it supports — will endure. “We are going to rebuild it again, and we are going to rebuild Gaza again.”</p>



<p><em>This story has been updated with the most recent death toll numbers in Gaza as of publication and details about Olivery’s pitch to Boost Without Borders.</em></p>


Israel continues bombing Gaza

The Palestinian Startup Ecosystem Has Represented Economic Hope. War Is Decimating It


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed media reports about a supposed ceasefire with Hamas and delivering aid to Gaza in exchange for hostages on Monday, a day after UN authorities warned that they can no longer provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian enclave due to Israel’s blockade of the territory.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-commissioner-general-philippe-lazzarini%E2%80%AF-remarks%E2%80%AF-situation-gaza-strip" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press conference</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Gaza was running out of water and electricity and “soon…there will be no food or medicine either.”</p>



<p>Lazzarini told the press that most of the UNRWA’s 13,000 staffers in the territory have been displaced and 14 have been killed so far.</p>



<p>On Monday,<em> Haaretz </em><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-16/ty-article-live/israel-prepares-for-ground-invasion-biden-big-mistake-to-reoccupy-gaza/0000018b-364f-dc99-a1db-3fcf1ae10000?liveBlogItemId=52323506#52323506" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> that Israel agreed to allow aid—mostly water and medicine—to be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt in response to U.S. requests.</p>



<p>The report mentioned that Israel was still blocking the shipment of fuel to the territory over concerns that it would be used by Hamas to operate generators in its tunnel complexes under the enclave.</p>



<p>The Israeli PM’s office&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1713818720697532592" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>: “There is no ceasefire” and told the press that no deal has been struck to allow “humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the removal of foreigners.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>Citing unnamed foreign diplomatic sources, <em>Haaretz </em><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-16/ty-article/.premium/foreign-diplomats-talks-on-humanitarian-deal-for-release-of-some-israeli-hostages-ongoing/0000018b-3753-da5e-abef-bf775eb30000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> that talks of a humanitarian deal with Hamas to ensure the safe release of hostages from Gaza have taken place over the past few days. But it is unclear if such a deal will go into effect or if it will find support within the Israeli government.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>199. That is how many hostages are being held by Hamas inside Gaza, Israel’s military&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-has-notified-199-families-that-have-loved-ones-being-held-hostage-in-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Monday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>Lazzarini said during Sunday’s press conference: “Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity…The answer to killing civilians cannot be to kill more civilians. Imposing a siege and bombarding civilian infrastructure in a densely populated area will not bring peace and security to the region. The siege in Gaza, the way it is imposed, is nothing else than collective punishment.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Israel has bombarded parts of Gaza as it readies its military for a likely ground invasion of the enclave, after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel more than one week ago that killed 1,300 people. Last week, Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/10/13/israel-orders-1-million-gaza-residents-to-relocate-within-24-hours-un-says-its-impossible/?sh=6a8dc2841322">ordered</a>&nbsp;more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza—including Gaza City—to relocate to the south, prompting criticism from international groups including the Norwegian Refugee Council, which called it a “war crime of forcible transfer.” Israel had initially set a 24-hour deadline for the evacuation but has since acknowledged that such a large movement of people will take time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Israel began evacuating residents residing in a 2km zone along its border with Lebanon in the north on Monday after minor clashes in the region with the militant group Hezbollah. The evacuation and clashes come amidst concerns of Hezbollah&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-says-when-time-comes-any-action-we-will-carry-it-out-2023-10-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opening a second front</a>&nbsp;against Israel as it prepares for potential ground invasion of northern Gaza.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/14/us-citizens-stuck-at-gaza-egypt-border-after-crossing-agreement-possibly-hindered-by-hamas/?sh=19fb895729f9">U.S. Citizens Stuck At Gaza-Egypt Border After Crossing Agreement Possibly Hindered By Hamas</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/15/iran-warns-it-may-not-remain-a-spectator-in-israel-hamas-conflict-as-us-urges-iran-not-to-intervene/?sh=1e6b925c2a6f">Iran Warns It May Not ‘Remain A Spectator’ In Israel-Hamas Conflict—As U.S. Urges Iran Not To Intervene</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Israeli attacks on Gaza continue on the 10th day

Israel Dismisses Reports Of Ceasefire And Aid After UN Warns Gaza Is Running Out Of Water And Food


<p><strong>TOPLINE </strong>Israeli air and ground forces attacked Gaza Strip targets Thursday night, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to extract a “very heavy price” in response to rocket attacks from Hamas militants in the territory — but local news outlets say Israeli troops have not launched an actual ground invasion in Gaza yet.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Hamas — which controls Gaza — and other militant groups have fired&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-airstrikes.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hundreds of rockets</a>&nbsp;toward Israeli population centers in recent days, and the Israeli Defense Force has responded with heavy airstrikes that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/05/12/israel-palestine-gaza-building-collapse-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toppled</a>&nbsp;several Gaza Strip buildings, reportedly leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57097475" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over 100</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/weary-gaza-marks-muslim-feast-as-violence-spreads-in-israel/2021/05/13/0545e73e-b3ad-11eb-bc96-fdf55de43bef_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Palestinian deaths</a>&nbsp;and at least seven Israeli deaths.</p>



<p>The IDF has massed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/13/94-dead-in-gaza-conflict-as-worries-rise-of-israeli-ground-invasion/?sh=15598cf97eb6">thousands of troops</a>&nbsp;near the Gaza border in preparation for a ground campaign, and both air and ground troops are “currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the military&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1392953390443991040" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said on Twitter</a>&nbsp;early Friday morning, Israel time.</p>



<p>Some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/13/world/israel-gaza-news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">international</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-steps-up-airstrikes-against-hamas-in-gaza-tries-to-contain-violence-at-home-11620900941?mod=hp_lead_pos4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">media</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-57089065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>&nbsp;claimed IDF troops have already entered the territory, but its forces appear to be shelling the Gaza Strip from Israeli-controlled positions rather than carrying out a ground invasion in the territory, local and regional outlets like Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/roysharon11/status/1392955293466828805" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">public broadcaster</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/roysharon11/status/1392973698777354243" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kan 11</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-13-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Times of Israel</em></a>&nbsp;and Qatar-based al Jazeera reported.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h3>



<p>Israeli officials say they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/biden-send-envoy-israel-palestine-gaza-crisis-2115a8db-3453-41e0-a0ea-01b373b0ec68.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aren’t interested</a>&nbsp;in an immediate ceasefire, instead promising to punish Hamas. “I said that we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations,” Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1392972151028858880" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday night</a>. “This operation will continue as long as necessary in order to restore the calm and security to the state of Israel.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



<p>If Israeli troops ultimately enter the Gaza Strip, it would mark the country’s first major ground campaign in the territory in seven years. Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4841877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pulled all troops</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/02/does-israel-actually-occupy-the-gaza-strip/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">settlers</a>&nbsp;from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas — which most Western countries deem a terrorist group —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-timeline/timeline-key-events-since-2006-hamas-election-victory-idUSL1752364420070620" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">took over</a>&nbsp;the territory in the following year, but Israel and Hamas have periodically exchanged fire since then. During a bout of violence in 2014, the IDF made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-strip.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rare ground incursion</a>&nbsp;into Gaza with a stated mission of destroying the territory’s cross-border tunnels.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>The latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas follow days of unrest and tension. Israeli police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-jerusalem-076a9ec7e2bd9c065882c64a4ab820a1?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clashed</a>&nbsp;with Palestinian protesters earlier this week at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, and protesters and police&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/world/middleeast/evictions-jerusalem-israeli-palestinian-conflict-protest.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">faced off</a>&nbsp;last week over planned evictions of several Palestinian families in part of East Jerusalem, an area&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerusalem-middle-east-lifestyle-government-and-politics-43d4cab031c28da0abf98d694dd169ac" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">annexed by Israel</a>&nbsp;decades ago. Plus, violent street clashes have erupted in cities with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/world/middleeast/arab-jewish-violence-lod.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">large numbers</a>&nbsp;of both Jewish and Arab Israelis.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>The United States has called for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995942104/biden-administration-urges-israelis-and-palestinians-to-de-escalate-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">de-escalation</a>. Some Biden administration statements have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-call-with-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relatively muted</a>, broadly defending Israel’s right to self-defense and condemning civilian violence. Meanwhile, the Pentagon&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/553453-pentagon-120-us-military-personnel-moved-from-israel-out-of-an-abundance-of" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday</a>&nbsp;it has moved 120 U.S. troops out of Israel, and the U.S. State Department is telling Americans to reconsider traveling there.</p>


Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

Israeli Ground Forces Take Action In Gaza As Death Toll Tops 100 — But Troops Reportedly Haven’t Invaded


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Gaza militant groups launched another round of more than 100 rockets into central Israel in retaliation for the Israeli military&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tzXlZ5_Sds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">leveling another Gaza Tower</a>, a move that sent millions of Israelis into hiding in bomb shelters as the conflict’s death toll continues to climb.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-1024x698.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51100" width="734" height="500" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-1024x698.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-1536x1047.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-2048x1396.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; Smoke billows from Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, controlled by the Palestinian Hamas movement, on May 11, 2021. &#8211; Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza exchanged heavy fire, killing at least 26 Palestinians and two Israelis, in an escalation sparked by violent unrest at Jerusalem&#8217;s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (Photo by ANAS BABA / AFP) (Photo by ANAS BABA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, said the 130 rockets it fired toward Israel Wednesday afternoon were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/12/israeli-bombardment-continues-on-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a direct response</a>&nbsp;to the destruction of Gaza City’s Al Sharuk tower earlier in the day.</p>



<p>Footage circulating on social media Wednesday shows the 14-story tower&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tzXlZ5_Sds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">collapsing</a>&nbsp;after it was targeted for a strike by the Israel Defense Forces.</p>



<p>Besides residential apartments, the building also housed the offices of local and international&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/12/israeli-bombardment-continues-on-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">media outlets</a>, according to reports.</p>



<p>More than 335 Palestinians in Gaza have been wounded in the attacks, Gaza’s health officials said Wednesday, and of the 56 who have been reported killed, 14 were children.</p>



<p>Strikes from Hamas and other Gaza militant groups like Islamic Jihad have injured roughly 100 and killed 6 in Israel, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1392482375490211844?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">21-year-old soldier</a>&nbsp;and an Indian woman who was reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-woman-killed-in-israel-was-struck-by-rocket-strike-during-a-video-call-with-husband-384415" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on a video call</a>&nbsp;with her husband when she died.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>International powers are calling for a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will send top diplomat Hady Amr to the region “to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/world/middleeast/israel-palestine-blinken.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urge deescalation</a>&nbsp;and to bring calm,” Blinken said Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>Weeks of tension reached a tipping point Saturday when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/10/hamas-fires-rockets-into-israel---and-threatens-to-launch-more---as-tensions-escalate/?sh=3c99b7b6312c">Hamas fired rockets</a>&nbsp;into Jerusalem after Israeli security forces confronted Palestinian protestors within the compound of the city’s Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam. Relations between Israel and Palestinians had been strained over the efforts of Jewish settlers to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/10/hamas-fires-rockets-into-israel---and-threatens-to-launch-more---as-tensions-escalate/?sh=35fdef5d6312">forcibly evict Palestinian families</a>&nbsp;from their homes in East Jerusalem and celebrations of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/jerusalem-alaqsa-templemount-haramalsharif/2021/05/10/17f29614-b161-11eb-bc96-fdf55de43bef_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jerusalem Day</a>, a controversial holiday that marks the anniversary of Israel seizing control of East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/05/12/49-dead-hundreds-injured-amid-warning-israeli-palestinian-violence-escalating-toward-full-scale-war/?sh=45955a53424e">49 Dead, Hundreds Injured Amid Warning Israeli-Palestinian Violence Escalating Toward ‘Full-Scale War’</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/11/tel-aviv-comes-under-fire-as-israel-and-palestinian-militants-trade-blows/?sh=750d983b557e">“Tel Aviv Comes Under Fire As Israel And Palestinian Militants Trade Blows”</a> (<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


TOPSHOT-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-GAZA-ROCKET

Israel Levels A Third Tower Building In Gaza City—And Militant Groups Respond With Rockets

<p>There’s a certain attention that a lone Kalashnikov rifle commands. Even more so when it is carried by a woman wearing a keffieh (the chequered scarf once used as the symbol of the Palestine resistance movement). This is exactly how the world learned to know of Leila Khaled.</p>
<p>What made the Palestine-born activist a terrorist was not the rifle but the first time she played a part in hijacking a plane in 1969, while still in her 20s.</p>
<p>It was after this hijacking that the now-iconic photo (see next page) of Khaled holding the Kalashnikov was taken by American photographer Eddie Adams. Khaled since underwent six facial surgeries to change her appearance, which also allowed her to participate in the second plane hijacking in 1970.</p>
<p>Her cause? That of the Palestinians, and their right to return to their homeland as a free people.</p>
<p>Today, at 70, she’s a mother of two sons and has a granddaughter she dotes on. The Palestinian Right to Return, as she explains during her visit to Johannesburg in February, is just as close to her heart.</p>
<p>“It’s very important to put the Palestinian question on the international agenda. After the first intifada [Arabic word for resistance] in 1987, it was a widespread awareness about the Palestinians because we did not, up to now, achieve our goals, in return for the refugees [to go back] to their homeland, to their cities, villages, properties,” says this member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-29975 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/CTX1596-238x300.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/CTX1596-238x300.jpg 238w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/CTX1596-300x379.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/CTX1596-600x758.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/CTX1596.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px" /></p>
<p>“The Right of Return is still a dream. We cannot practice our self-determination without being in our land, and to establish an independence.”</p>
<p>Khaled’s visit to Johannesburg was however not without controversy. Her visit was organized by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions South Africa (BDS South Africa), which is part of the global campaign aimed at pressurizing Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land.</p>
<p>The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), alongside a number of other parties, were quick to condemn the visit before Khaled had arrived, and continued to do so. The SAJBD issued a statement against Khaled’s visit and BDS South Africa’s role in bringing her to the country, adding to the recent tension between South Africa’s Jewish and pro-Palestine groups.</p>
<p>Despite the tense backdrop to her visit, Khaled is nevertheless vocal about the Israel and Palestine conflict, and her crucial duty to fight for her people.</p>
<p>“Israel is still having [exclusions] against our people, in the West Bank and in the Gaza strip, and lately they have [committed] a holocaust for the Palestinians in Gaza. Now Israel denies all rights of Palestinians,” she says.</p>
<p>The Israeli-Palestine conflict has now become a focus of the International Criminal Court, and the Hague-based power could prosecute both parties for war crimes. At the center of any conflict, however, are women and children, and especially at a time where civilians have now become the target. Rape and systematic sexual assault is also a weapon of war, and according to Khaled, a societal ill that has taken too long to remedy.</p>
<p>“[These challenges] should be supported by civil society. It’s not just by one person. It needs time, it needs education, and the steps for the betterment of the people. It doesn’t mean that everything is okay. There are many big challenges facing not only the government, but society as well,” she says.</p>
<p>While there are societies in which some women have succeeded alongside men, statistics point to the gaping gender pay gap.</p>
<p>“[There is still a need] to have consciousness about the woman as a human being, not as a sex. Women’s rights are part of human rights, so if any country doesn’t apply this to its rules and laws, it means that they are violating human rights,” says Khaled.</p>
<p>Her active role extends beyond her iconic photograph, which has also become a part of popular culture, the same way Che Guevara’s image is emblazoned on T-shirts. The keffieh, which has been used as a symbol of Palestinian resistance and support, is now a fashion accessory. The message these symbols carry, according to Khaled, is however not lost.</p>
<p>“When I look at Che Guevara as a symbol, and also Nelson Mandela as a symbol of the struggle against injustice, whether it’s under [the] apartheid regime or [not], it’s not the whole thing that I see. I see behind it,” she explains.</p>
<p>“It means that this image should be in [popular] culture. We should learn from history, from other people. It’s not only our people who are struggling, there were many other people in the world who struggle.”</p>
<p>Young Khaled’s image is almost timeless as it speaks for the many women on the frontline, taking on an equal role alongside men in conflicts around the world.</p>


Tag: Palestine

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