This is the reality of what Israel is doing (part 2)

[Eyesopenwideawake]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/28/one-in-five-pregnant-women-in-gaza-clinic-are-malnourished-doctors-warn

The president of Egypt, Sisi, says that the cost of rebuilding Gaza would exceed $90billon USD.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240309-gaza-reconstruction-set-to-cost-90b-egypts-president/

I saw this yesterday and wondered what it was about - assuming that the PRCS were there in a role similar to the St Johns Ambulance Service at mass events in the UK

Why are Israel doing this? Suspect it's all the usual reasons - don't like PRCS, not keen on supporting healthcare for Palestinians wherever they live

There's a few confusing things about this - maybe because there is information missing

In the tweet you posted - surely this isn't the 'new port' looks more like the hastily cobbled together 'jetty' or maybe the beginnings of the new US pier/port? And the larger port down the road ?Port Gaza was destroyed years ago and is unusable

COGAT tweeted yesterday to say that they had unloaded the aid and had taken it away for distribution

Have felt for a long time that all this 'maritime aid route' 'northern humanitarian area' etc plus concerns that Israel will try to take over/close the Rafah crossing is part of a bigger plan to completely isolate Gaza and cut UNRWA [and Egypt] out of their future plans for post-war Gaza. Used to also think I was paranoid but not so much now

Have felt for a long time that all this 'maritime aid route' 'northern humanitarian area' etc plus concerns that Israel will try to take over/close the Rafah crossing is part of a bigger plan to completely isolate Gaza and cut UNRWA [and Egypt] out of their future plans for post-war Gaza. Used to also think I was paranoid but not so much now

I don't think you are paranoid at all. Plenty of people are suspicious that the military action in Gaza is related to the Leviathan gas fields and the Israeli proposal of a trade route to rival the Chinese belt and road initiative. If you look at leases Erdogan has recently purchased from Egypt it would seem he thinks so too.

I always tell myself I'm being paranoid when I think people are killed over oil and gas too.

@FOJN don't know enough about the oil/gas situation tho' have seen it mentioned a quite few times wrt ulterior motives - who knows what the whole plan looks like but can't imagine that any of it's going to be for the benefit/wellbeing of the people of Gaza

See now it's confirmed that the aid was dropped off at a make-shift jetty south west of Gaza City and not at Rimal which is part of the city - maybe better for supplying aid to the 'humanitarian islands' north of Rafah

Head of UNWRA refused entry into Rafah today - this is his response

After Israel refuses him access to Gaza, UNRWA chief says 'man-made starvation' there is 'stain on our collective humanity'The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, has posted a statement after

Israel’s refusal to allow him to enter Gaza, saying his trip had been intended “to coordinate and improve the humanitarian response” in the territory, which he said is facing unprecedented levels of “man-made starvation”.

In a lengthy post on social media, he wrote:

On the day new data is out on famine in Gaza, the Israeli authorities deny my entry to Gaza. Famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip, expected to arrive between now and May. Two million people – the entire population of Gaza – is facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse. Half the population has completely exhausted food supplies and coping capacities. They are struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation. This is the highest number of people ever recorded as facing catastrophic hunger by the IPC system and double the number just three months ago. Earlier, Unicef warned that the number of children under two years old suffering from acute malnutrition has doubled in one month. Children are now dying of dehydration and hunger.

The statement continues

UNRWA has by far the largest presence among all humanitarian organisations in Gaza. My visit today was supposed to coordinate and improve the humanitarian response. This man-made starvation under our watch is a stain on our collective humanity. Too much time was wasted, all land crossings must open now. Famine can be averted with political will.

This is the highest number of people ever recorded as facing catastrophic hunger by the IPC system and double the number just three months ago.

That is a shocking statistic. Netanyahu and his government will go down in history as the government that willingly starved a population as the world looked on. Horrifying

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68577026

Look at the children in this article. What hope is there for a society that sees this and does nothing to stop it?

I feel I cannot even look these days!!!

I mean, I must - if nothing else I do makes any difference at all, at the very least, let me bear witness!

But: speaking to my Palestinian friends every day (I have many, function of my biography), I just don't know what to say to people anymore! "I'm sorry, we're trying everything" just doesn't seem to make any difference at all!

In case it makes anyone else feel better: I have this one wonderful friend - I won't go into his history or how I know him because that might be outing to me [not that big of a deal] or him [potentially ruinous]. And he's just the most optimistic person I have ever met in my entire life! No matter what life - or the Israeli state - throws at him, he's just ... full of faith in a better future.

He keeps on telling me "try to keep fit as you get older [he's a decade older than me, and this seems pertinent here] - you and I will be dancing in the street together at the roundabout in free Nablus one day!"

I don't know if I believe it - but I desperately want to!

WARNING

By God that is criminal.

That poor boy, about 16, like a skeleton with one leg amputated after a strike on his house, who can only move position with his uncle.
And the others mentioned on the article.

And they were in Al Shifa which is now being attacked again by the IDF arresting everyone, so what will become of them?

That article was a difficult read. Almost all friends and family that I speak to have all been saying that this Ramadhan has been really difficult at the time when we break our fast. Knowing that we have an abundance of food and some people in the north of Gaza are left eating grass.
It's not a natural disaster but a man made intentional famine, and as @Scirocco said whilst the world watches on.

This is from Middle Eastern Eye, but seems likely to be a straightforward factual report and quote.

A multi-faith coalition of 60 of New York City’s religious leaders rallied at Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s New York City offices to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza on Monday.

“We are here today as people of faith grieving the unimaginable devastation and suffering happening in Gaza after five months of relentless, indiscriminate bombing and starvation of an entire population, carried out by the Israeli military and funded by our own government,” Miriam Grossman from Rabbis for Ceasefire said.

@Scirocco it is so depressing. I’m ashamed to be human.

In the Guardian this morning.

Israeli delegation to visit Washington to discuss planned offensive on Rafah

‘US says attack would be ‘mistake’ as Biden and Netanyahu talk by phone for first time in over a month’

‘Sullivan described the Biden-Netanyahu call, their first in over a month, as “businesslike” but said the US president had dismissed “straw man” arguments put forward by the Israeli leader.
“The president has rejected and did again today the straw man that raising questions about Rafah is the same as raising questions about defeating Hamas. That’s just nonsense,” he said.’

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/israeli-delegation-us-officials-plan-offensive-rafah-gaza-war

For a coubtry that left 20 years ago and is not occupying … they’re controlling quite a lot!

Its too late now.

Everything that everyone said would happen is going to take place and the world is going to watch like its an inevitable consequence.

I read that an Israeli minister denied that people were starving.

@kirinm and do you believe them? What Israeli minister? I'm unclear about the point of your vague post

No, of course I don't believe them.

I cannot fathom the cruelty. I cannot fathom how anyone believes anything Israel say.

Where is this cruelty in the Israeli state coming from? And the lying? It is more how we think of certain elements in Russia.

Bart Simpson: "I didn't do it".

Apologies took your post to mean something else. Poster on another thread also denying Israel are starving people

Trigger warning

https://x.com/RedactedRosalia/status/1769852324451697013?s=20

Foretaste of ME policy under Trump

SMH

Jared Kushner has praised the “very valuable” potential of Gaza’s “waterfront property” and suggested Israel should remove civilians from the territory to the Negev desert region while it “cleans up” the strip.

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**

Really?! And the chances of those people being able to return home are...?

A better solution would be temporarily relocating families to the West Bank so they could have work, school, hospital treatment and a normal life whilst the reconstruction happened. They would need to be actively involved in the rebuild of their city and have a legal, cast-iron right of return.

I can't see that being the case here. At best, we are looking at another permanent refugee camp.