Under the guise of rescuing hostages and defeating terrorism Israel has now "emptied" and seized over a quarter of the Gaza Strip.
Back in March, I was at the Erez crossing at the Gaza border, interviewing jewish settlers who see the industrial scale extermination of Palestinians as a chance to Judaize Gaza and live by the sea.
"We have lists already of about 500 families that are willing, on the drop of a hat to move to Gaza...People are going to start building towns. We have the names of towns. It's already being planned."
Watch my full documentary report from within the ranks of Jewish Israeli nationalists who're regularly invading Gaza and proudly blocking humanitarian aid:
'Kill them all': inside the Israeli blockade on Gaza aid
"How Israel's War Against Hamas Turned Into a Springboard for Jewish Settlement in Gaza
The IDF has taken control of 26% of the Gaza Strip, building bases and paving roads. Israel's religious right is already advancing towards its target. This is how it looks through the eyes of Israeli soldiers Yarden Michaeli and Avi Scharf Jul 8, 2024
Opening video: Battalion 22 fighters. Published under Section 27A of the The Israeli army's occupation of parts of the Gaza Strip, for an undefined period of time, is one of the most dramatic developments in the war that began with Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
The IDF considers Israeli control over these areas as a strategic step, while Israel's political leadership is pushing to continue the war. In the ongoing cease-fire negotiations, Hamas is demanding that Israel withdraw from areas that have been occupied and to end the war. Despite reports suggesting progress in the negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear Israel may renew the fighting, and the parties are still far from reaching an agreement.
The army's activities in the occupied areas are diverse: expanding military bases, building infrastructure and even paving roads, all while under persistent Hamas fire. Based on satellite imagery analysis and other open sources, Haaretz calculates that the Israeli army now controls about 26 percent of Gaza. A senior IDF officer discussing the territory under full IDF control in the heart of Gaza called it "an effort at prolonged occupation." But the military's activity also provides a tailwind for supporters of the reestablishment of settlements which were evacuated in 2005. Conditions for the emergence of a new reality are being created: an indefinite Israeli presence in Gaza.
How the IDF controls Gaza
After nine months of war, the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Gazans to the southern part of the Strip is becoming permanent. The IDF has occupied strategic areas from which Gazans fled, flattened them and turned them into positions used to control the Strip. This map shows the significance of these "control positions." " Continue scrolling.
Entire population of north Gaza at risk of dying,’ warns UN’s top humanitarian official
26 October 2024 Peace and Security The UN’s top humanitarian official warned on Saturday that the entire population of northern Gaza is at risk of dying, calling for an immediate stop to “blatant disregard for basic humanity” by Israeli forces. “What Israeli forces are doing in besieged north Gaza cannot be allowed to continue,” said Joyce Msuya, acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement posted on the social media platform X.
Hospitals have been hit, health workers detained and first responders prevented from rescuing people trapped under the rubble, she noted.
“Shelters have been emptied and burned down…families have been separated, and men and boys taken away by the truckload,” she added.
According to reports, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since Israeli security forces renewed their offensive in northern Gaza earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced again.
“The entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying,” Ms. Msuya warned.
“Such blatant disregard for basic humanity and for the laws of war must stop.”
Siege ends at key hospital ‘at heavy cost’
The head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) also voiced deep concern over the situation, highlighting the severe impact on healthcare.
In a post on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as “catastrophic”.
“Intensive military operations unfolding around and within healthcare facilities and a critical shortage of medical supplies, compounded by severely limited access, are depriving people of life saving care,” he said.
He also noted that the Gazan health ministry informed WHO that the siege at Kamal Adwan Hospital – one of the last minimally functioning hospitals in the north – has ended, “but it came at a heavy cost.”
Following the detention of 44 male staff members, only female staff, the hospital director and one male doctor are left to care for nearly 200 patients in desperate need of medical attention.
Protect hospitals at all times
Reports that hospital facilities and medical supplies were damaged or destroyed during the siege are deplorable, Mr. Tedros said.
“The whole health system in Gaza has been under attack for over a year. WHO cannot stress loudly enough that hospitals must be shielded from conflict at all times. Any attack of healthcare facilities is a violation of international humanitarian law.”
He added that the only path to safeguard “what remains of Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system” is through an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.