[RD] War in Gaza News: Pas de Deux

[Broken_Erika]

they're Hamas; they want to total control the food distribution just like the ran everything else (once). What leads us to believe otherwise?

And if it's Israel causing violent disruptions, undercover, in these few cases, when millions of meals are being distributed already, they will have to do far better at false flag ops let alone full embargoes to have any deleterious effect on Gazans.

bbc of course scales this back to: it's just rando "gunmen" out and about looking for trouble. Sure fine I'll buy it /s

Try to keep up

Netanyahu confirms Israel arming clans opposed to Hamas in Gaza​

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel is arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas.

His comments came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to one particular group in the south of Gaza.

Several Israeli politicians have accused Netanyahu of endangering Israeli security.

"What's wrong with this?" Netanyahu says in a short video he's tweeted. "It only saves the lives of Israeli solders", he continues - "and publicising it only helps Hamas".

What the Israeli prime minister is referring to are the reports that Israel under his authorisation has been supplying weapons to a clan in Gaza led by a man called Yasser Abu Shabab.

The group, which some see as a militia or a criminal gang, has presented itself as an opposition force to Hamas.

It says its aim is to protect trucks bringing aid into Gaza, but critics say it is doing the opposite and is looting them.

The revelations may have been brushed off by Benjamin Netanyahu, but they have the potential of developing into a serious new political scandal.

Israeli defence sources had earlier confirmed to local journalists that accusations made by the opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman were correct.

Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beiteinu party, had told the public broadcaster, Kan, that Netanyahu had unilaterally approved the transfer of weapons to the Abu Shabab clan.

"The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State group," Lieberman said.

"To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet," he added.

Defence sources subsequently confirmed that Israel had been arming the Abu Shabab clan with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that had been seized from Hamas.

The clan has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control.

However, Yasser Abu Shabab posted online to "categorically reject" that Israel had supplied his group's weapons.

"Our weapons are simple, outdated and came through the support of our own people," he said.

Hamas sources have said that Abu Shabab's activities have become an issue - with one report in an Arabic newspaper saying that the Hamas armed wing had begun carrying out assassinations of members of the clan.

Netanyahu's office said that Israel "was working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on the recommendations of all the heads of the security establishment".

Strong criticism of the initiative has come from Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats in the Knesset.

In a social media post on X he said: "Netanyahu is a threat to Israel's national security. Instead of bringing about a deal...bringing the hostages home and providing security for Israeli citizens, he is creating a new ticking time-bomb in Gaza".
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyn2m9yk0vo

 

[Broken_Erika]

Dozens of Canadians gather in Egypt ahead of global march to Gaza border​

Some 170 people taking part in planned march delayed, detained by Egyptian officials ​

Dozens of Canadians are expected to be among thousands of other activists gathering in Egypt this week ahead of a global march to its Gaza border as they call for an end to Israel's siege on the territory.

As many as 84 Canadians were set to travel to Egypt to be part of the civilian-led effort, dubbed the Global March to Gaza, to draw international attention to the crisis and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow unimpeded aid access to Palestinians amid warnings of famine and starvation.

Canadian organizer Tatiana Harker told CBC News that as of early Thursday afternoon, 50 of the roughly 80 Canadians have been allowed to enter amid reports of Egyptian authorities detaining and deporting activists involved in the planned march. So far, one Canadian was detained and questioned before he was denied entry with no reason given.

"We're not expecting to breach the siege. We're not expecting to breach the borders. We're doing it in a [peaceful] humanitarian way," Harker said.

Activists are expected to bus to Egypt's coastal city of Al-Arish on Thursday after arriving in Cairo, where the following day they will begin a three-day trek, sleeping in tents along the way to the Rafah crossing. The roughly 48-kilometre walk is expected to take several days.

After reaching the Rafah area, they plan to camp there for roughly three more days before returning to Cairo, according to the coalition's website, though it noted that much of their plans will depend on authorization from Egyptian officials.

At least 170 activists delayed, detained​

Activists and attorneys told the Associated Press that airport detentions and deportations began Wednesday with no explicit reason given by Egyptian authorities to detainees.

March organizers said in a statement that they had received reports that at least 170 participants had been delayed or detained in Cairo. They said they had followed the protocols laid out by Egyptian authorities, met with them and urged them to let march participants into the country.

"We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," organizers said in a statement.

Harker, who is helping with coordinating Canadian travellers on the march, will remain in Canada. She said the organization had reached out to the federal government but did not hear back.

The organization said participants were made aware of all of the possible risks that they could encounter including being turned away from entering the country and being detained.

In a statement to CBC News Thursday, Global Affairs Canada said it advises Canadians to avoid all travel to the Governate of North Sinai in Egypt and to Gaza.

"Canadians who choose to travel to the region do so at their own risk," it said.

Harker, a member of Palestine Vivra and representative of the Canadian delegation in this march, said the Montreal-based organization was overwhelmed by the amount of applicants with more than 700 people applying to be involved but only 84 applicants approved.

"We were expecting five Canadians in our delegation and we would have been happy. Because of logistics … we were not able to accept [everyone] willing to participate," Harker told CBC News on Tuesday.

The planned march comes as a convoy of more than 1,000 people from the Maghreb, the Northwest African region, arrived in Libya on Tuesday awaiting permission to cross the eastern part of the country before heading toward Rafah.

Unclear if planned march will go ahead​

Egypt had earlier warned that only those who received authorization would be allowed to travel the planned march route, acknowledging it had received "numerous requests and inquiries."

"Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas," its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Israel Katz, Israel's defence minister, referred to the protestors as "jihadists" on Wednesday and called on Egypt to prevent them from reaching the border with Gaza. He said they "endanger the Egyptian regime and constitute a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region."

Kelsey Lyseng, a registered nurse in Edmonton, said while she has made plans in hopes of reaching the Rafah crossing, there are no guarantees that the march will not face obstacles along the way.

"It's such a tense situation. Escalation can happen at any point, whether that's someone deciding that on the Egypt side or the Israeli side that this [march] is something they don't want to happen and they escalate in terms of just stopping us and turning us back," Lyseng told CBC News on Tuesday, ahead of her trip.

"As we've seen with the Freedom Flotilla, that's a very real possibility."

Earlier this week, Israeli forces seized the Madleen, a small aid ship, which was seeking to break a longstanding naval blockade of Gaza, and the 12-strong crew were brought to Israel before some were detained awaiting a court hearing on their legal status while others were deported back to their home countries.

The incident comes after earlier attempts of aid boats trying to break Israel's naval blockade that has been imposed since 2007, and roughly one month after another ship bound for Gaza carrying humanitarian aid and activists was bombed by drones in international waters off Malta.

Desire to show solidarity, help on the ground​

Lyseng said she has been saving for an opportunity to help in some way on the ground.

"I honestly have wanted to go physically since October 7th because I've known about the dehumanization of Palestinians for seven or eight years now," she said.

The Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed more than 1,200 people while 251 were taken hostage, according to Israel. Israel says there are still 56 hostages held by Hamas, with fewer than half believed to be alive.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and reduced much of the territory to a wasteland.

Lyseng, who works in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), said seeing images of malnourished children facing starvation and risk of famine is especially difficult for her.



"Seeing babies in their incubators, just skin and bones [or] seeing a child have their entire family's house and all of their family members [killed] and he's sitting on the roof crying, asking for mom or literally anybody and there's no one for him," she said.

"[Those scenes] stay in my memory forever as a moment of like, what the f–k are we doing? What are we doing as a society? What is the point of what we're doing right now?"

'Frustrated with the lack of action,' Canadian says​

Thomas Piekutowski, a retired resident of Montreal, says while his awareness for the Palestinian plight goes back decades, he sees Israel's response to the Oct. 7 attack as "disproportionate."

Piekutowski said he has participated in demonstrations in Montreal, signed petitions and written letter to elected officials urging the Canadian government to address Israel's attacks on Gaza.

"I just feel very frustrated with the lack of action," Piekutowski told CBC News ahead of his trip.

He says the latest actions taken by the Canadian government, including placing sanctions on two Israeli cabinet ministers who took part in promoting "extremist settler violence," simply doesn't go far enough to pressure Israel.

"I would like that to be so much pressure on [Israel] and that they start to feel the pain of economic sanctions and boycotts that they do decide to open the border."

Activists to demand opening of humanitarian corridor​

Israel controls the Rafah border in Gaza, severely controlling aid access into the enclave. It briefly reopened to Egypt earlier this year but shuttered after the total blockade began in March.

In less than two weeks after hearing about the march to Gaza, Piekutowski was preparing to head to Cairo to join the movement alongside other activists from all over the world.

"This current situation of starvation and death caused by lack of water, lack of food, lack of medications, it's inhumane, it's totally sickening and it's wrong."

Israel imposed a total blockade of all food or aid supplies reaching Gaza for roughly 11 weeks starting on March 2. which aid groups say has driven the population of more than two million to the brink of famine.

Over the past two weeks, Israel has allowed in limited food supplies largely distributed by a new Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. More than 110 people were killed and hundreds of others injured near aid distribution sites by either Israeli fire or unknown gunmen.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/global-march-gaza-canada-egypt-1.7558073

 

[Klaus Hergersheimer]

Try to keep up

So obviously these must be those people...

It's not that the possibility doesn't exist, it's that BBC refuses to even acknowledge where Hamas would have an interest in preventing not only Israeli military action but also their relief efforts.

 

[banzay13]

"I'm shaken to my core," Jan Egeland, the veteran head of the Norwegian Refugee Council and former UN humanitarian chief, told me. "I haven't seen a population like this being so trapped for such a long period of time in such a small, besieged area. Indiscriminate bombardment, denied journalism, denied healthcare.

"It is only comparable to the besieged areas of Syria during the Assad regime, which led to a uniform Western condemnation and massive sanctions. In this case, very little has happened."

Israel is accused of the gravest war crimes in Gaza

Distinguished lawyers, senior humanitarians and diplomats tell Jeremy Bowen why they are increasingly concerned about the catastrophe inside Gaza.

www.bbc.com

 

[Broken_Erika]

Canadian demonstrators held, passports confiscated ahead of planned global march to Egypt-Gaza border​

Thousands of demonstrators travelled to Egypt to join march to Gaza, demand aid access​

More than 40 Canadians planning to participate in the global march to Gaza, alongside thousands of other foreign activists, have been detained in Egypt and had their passports confiscated by authorities, organizers told CBC News.

A group of 83 Canadians arrived in Cairo on Wednesday and Thursday, ahead of the scheduled march to Egypt's border with Gaza, an attempt to draw attention to the deepening humanitarian crises facing Palestinians under Israel's blockade of the war-torn territory more than 20 months after attacks began.

The Global March on Gaza was slated to be among the largest demonstrations of its kind in recent years, coinciding with other efforts, including a boat carrying activists and aid that was intercepted by Israel's military en route to Gaza earlier this week. Thousands of demonstrators from 80 different countries gathered in Cairo this week in preparation for the march.

Tatiana Harker, a member of Palestine Vivra Montreal and march co-ordinator, said Canadians were among the thousands of demonstrators en route to Al-Arish, where they were expected to begin a three-day march toward Egypt's Rafah crossing with Gaza to hold a peaceful demonstration there.

"A lot of people are being detained, left in the [heat] without any answers, for two to three hours," Harker told CBC News on Friday from Montreal.

• Dozens of Canadians gather in Egypt ahead of global march to Gaza border

Harker said Egyptian authorities confiscated their passports at a checkpoint in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia on Friday without providing a reason.

"The [Canadians] have been contacting the Canadian embassy in Cairo with no answer whatsoever. Our government is completely ignoring us."

Passports confiscated, protesters told to board buses​

Canadian demonstrators at the checkpoint were told by authorities to board buses in order to retrieve their passports, without any other details, according to Harker.

Ottawa family physician Dr. Yipeng Ge, one of the demonstrators in the Canadian group, said they were told they would not be allowed to cross the Ismailia checkpoint unless they are Egyptian.

"People are not getting their passports back. Some have been waiting for hours," Ge said in a post on X on Friday, with a video of hundreds of protesters chanting "Free, Free Palestine," as they are held at the checkpoint.

Global Affairs Canada said in an earlier statement to CBC News that it advises Canadians to avoid all travel to the Governate of North Sinai in Egypt and to Gaza.

"Canadians who choose to travel to the region do so at their own risk," it said Thursday.

Protesters ready to initiate hunger strike: organizers​

Demonstrators were set to travel by bus to Egypt's coastal city of Al-Arish to start the walk on Friday. Canadian organizers told CBC that authorities did not allow demonstrators to bus to Al-Arish, and they had to find other modes of transportation to get there.

The 48-kilometre walk between Al-Arish and the Rafah crossing is expected to take up to three days, with protesters sleeping in tents along the way. After reaching the Rafah area, they plan to camp there for roughly three more days before returning to Cairo, according to the coalition's website, though it noted that much of their plans will depend on authorization from Egyptian officials.

Egyptian authorities on Friday detained more activists who were joining the planned march, while security forces in eastern Libya blocked a convoy of activists en route to meet them.

Organizers on Friday said authorities confiscated the passports of 40 activists at what they called a "toll both-turned-checkpoint" being patrolled by riot gear-clad officers and armoured vehicles. They said security forces had begun detaining and using force to remove activists from the area and suppress protests.

"If individuals are forcibly taken to the airport for deportation under false pretenses, participants are prepared to ... initiate a hunger strike," organizers said.

The group's spokespeople urged officials from the activists' home countries to push Egypt to release their citizens. Egypt's Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

• Analysis
  Israel appears to believe its war goals are getting closer as Gaza teeters on brink of starvation
• Windsor couple joins global march to Gaza border to protest war

Friday's detentions come after hundreds arriving in Cairo were previously detained and deported to their home countries in Europe and North Africa. Before authorities confiscated their passports, the activists said they planned to gather at a campsite on the road to the Sinai to prepare for Sunday's march. They said authorities had not yet granted them authorization to travel through the Sinai, which Egypt considers a highly sensitive area.

"We continue to urge the Egyptian government to permit this peaceful march, which aligns with Egypt's own stated commitment to restoring stability at its border and addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza," the activists said in a statement.

Group to refrain from demonstrating for now​

Hicham El-Ghaoui, one of the group's spokespeople, said they would refrain from demonstrating until receiving clarity on whether Egypt will authorize their protest.

The planned demonstrations cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Egypt, one of the Arab countries that has cracked down on pro-Palestinian activists even as it publicly condemns aid restrictions and calls for an end to the war.

Alexis Deswaef, a Belgian human rights lawyer, said he woke up on Friday to dozens of security vehicles packed with uniformed officers surrounding Talat Harb Square, where he and other activists had found hotels. Members of his group snuck out of the lobby as security entered, holding up a guidebook and asking an officer for assistance booking taxis to the Pyramids of Giza, where they've been since.

"I am so surprised to see the Egyptians doing the dirty work of Israel," he said from the Pyramids. He hoped there would be too many activists at the new meeting point outside Cairo for Egyptian authorities to arrest en masse.

• Joy of Gaza aid boat's arrival turned to moment of fear, crew member says

Meanwhile, an aid convoy travelling overland from Algeria picked up new participants along the route in Tunisia and Libya, yet was stopped in the city of Sirte, about 940 kilometres from the Libya-Egypt border.

The efforts — the activist flotilla, the overland convoy and the planned march — come as international outcry grows over conditions in Gaza.

Israel has continued to pummel the territory with airstrikes while limiting the flow of trucks carrying food, water and medication that can enter, saying it is applying pressure on Hamas to disarm and release Israeli hostages.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/global-march-gaza-egypt-israel-canadians-1.7560348