Thoughts of the Day 11 December 2024
Keir Starmer is still totting up the air miles, expect he’s got enough for a pension by now FFS.
I can’t help thinking that he’s getting desperate going to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus where all the spy flights supporting Israel’s Gaza genocide fly from.
On a different topic, I’d like to thank my anonymous benefactor for my gifts. I got a jumper and a huge box of chocolates from Amazon – I somehow doubt that they were from Jeff Bezos. I don’t expect presents from anyone but anonymous is the rule if you do. Years ago I wouldn’t have spirits in the house because I was scared that I would drink them all. I’m very glad that I’ve overcome that and don’t often drink much, seem to have that issue with chocolate now. 11.35pm GMT Forgot to say that I’m also quite happy with pre-owned ;) X
Gaza Ministry Says 50 Killed in a Day as Israel Bombs Flour Line, Hospital, and Refugee Camps
Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
“We demand international protection for hospitals, patients, and medical staff,” said the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The death toll from Israel’s 14-month assault on the Gaza Strip hit at least 44,758 on Monday, with 50 people killed in the past 24 hours alone, as Israeli forces bombed refugee camps, a flour distribution line, and a hospital, according to reporters and officials in the Palestinian enclave.
The Gaza Ministry of Health said a bombing at the Indonesian Hospital north of Gaza City wounded six patients—who are now among more than 106,000 Palestinians injured since Israel began its retaliation for last year’s Hamas-led attack.
“We demand international protection for hospitals, patients, and medical staff,” the ministry said in a statement reported by The Associated Press—which noted that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Sunday evening it was unaware of any attack on the hospital “in the last three to four hours.”
A nurse shared footage from the hospital with Drop Site News, which circulated the material on social media:
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According to Al Jazeera, “Overnight, an Israeli attack in the southern city of Rafah also killed 10 people while they had lined up to buy flour.”
Israel, which faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, has been accused of starving Gaza’s 2.3 million residents by refusing to allow enough humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
Reporting from central Deir al-Balah, Al Jazeera‘s Hani Mahmoud said that at least three people were killed in a Monday morning attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in the north that Israeli bombing and the ongoing blockade have “turned into a graveyard.”
The victims “were trying to leave their home in search of food in the vicinity of their neighborhood when they were targeted by a drone,” the journalist said. “They were killed right away. Their bodies are still in the street and nobody has the ability to get to the bombed site and remove the bodies from the street.”
The IDF announced that three soldiers were killed and 12 others were wounded Monday in fighting in Jabalia.
Mahmoud, the journalist, also said Monday that bodies were piling up outside al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after an Israeli bombing at the Bureij refugee camp.
“The agony keeps on unfolding here at al-Aqsa Hospital, where survivors and relatives showed up early this morning to collect the bodies from the morgue of the hospital,” he said. “At some point, the morgue of the hospital was packed with the bodies and there was not enough room for more bodies.”
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Citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Middle East Eye reported that “two children lost their lives, and others were injured on Monday, during Israeli shelling of al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.”
The updates followed a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya leaving Cairo Sunday evening after meeting with Egypt’s general intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Hassan Rashad, to discuss a potential cease-fire in Gaza.
Israeli media reported Sunday that unnamed political sources claimed Hamas and Israel are close to reaching a “small” deal that would involve a two-month cease-fire; the release of prisoners who are elderly, women, wounded, and sick; and the IDF’s withdrawal from parts of Gaza.
Neither Hamas nor mediators Egypt and Qatar have commented on the reporting—which came over a week into an Israeli cease-fire with the Lebanese group Hezbollah that Israel has repeatedly violated since it took effect late last month.
In neighboring Syria, the government of President Bashar al-Assad collapsed over the weekend as he fled and rebels took control of the capital. Israel seized more of the country’s Golan Heights, which it has illegally occupied for decades, and the United States—which arms the IDF—launched airstrikes on over 75 Islamic State targets in Syria.
Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
Israel warned against invasion of Syria as it joins US in bombing country
ISRAEL was condemned today for its invasion of Syria in the wake of the fall of its president, Bashar al-Assad, as the United States joined Tel Aviv in widespread bombing of targets within the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria.
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Stop the War vice-chairman Chris Nineham told the Morning Star: “We condemn the bombing of various sites in Syria.
“Not content with conducting genocide in Gaza, Israel, the US’s main ally in the Middle East, is contributing to the growing chaos and instability in the region.”
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Syria gov’t adviser: Israel seeks occupation of our land
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241210-syria-govt-adviser-israel-seeks-occupation-of-our-land
Israel does not wish for stability in Syria and is attempting to take advantage of the current situation following the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime to expand its occupation of the country, adviser to the Syrian Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Abdelkader Azzouz, warned yesterday.
Speaking during a phone interview with Al Qahera News yesterday, Axzouz added that Israel is working to weaken Syria’s defensive capabilities, occupy more land, and extend its presence. These actions, he said, aim to challenge any future government or transitional authority.
He highlighted that the Israeli occupation seeks to impose a fait accompli policy to exploit the situation, emphasising that this matter is the responsibility of the international community.
“International law firmly opposes such actions, as they endanger global peace and security. It is imperative to counter occupation, aggression and the use of force, as these behaviours erode international law and weaken global institutions,” he added.
READ: Al-Azhar cautions against Zionist exploitation of Syria
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