Gaza

With Genocide Confirmed and Gaza City a ‘Lifeless Wasteland,’ US Vetoes Another UN Ceasefire Resolution

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Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus raises her hand to veto a United Nations Security Council veto of a Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN headquarters New York City on September 18, 2025. (Photo by UN News/X)

“Israel kills every day and nothing happens,” said Algeria’s UN ambassador. “Israel starves a people and nothing happens. Israel bombs hospitals, schools, shelters, and nothing happens.”

Against a backdrop of Israel’s genocidal obliteration of Gaza City and a worsening man-made famine throughout the embattled Palestinian exclave, the United States on Thursday cast its sixth United Nations Security Council veto of a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.

At its 10,000th meeting, the UN Security Council voted 14-1 with no abstentions in favor of a resolution proposed by the 10 nonpermanent UNSC members demanding “an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, the “release of all hostages” held by Hamas, and for Israel to “immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid” into the besieged strip.

Morgan Ortagus, President Donald Trump’s deputy special envoy to the Middle East, vetoed the proposal, saying that the move “will come as no surprise,” as the US has killed five previous UNSC Gaza ceasefire resolutions under both the Biden and Trump administrations, most recently in June.

Ortagus said the resolution failed to condemn Hamas or affirm Israel’s right to self-defense and “wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”

The US has unconditionally provided Israel with billions of dollars worth of armed aid and diplomatic cover since October 2023 as the key Mideast ally wages a war increasingly viewed as genocidal, including by a commission of independent UN experts this week.

Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said the torpedoed resolution represented the “bare minimum” that must be accomplished, adding that “it is deeply regrettable and painful that it has been blocked.”

“Babies dying of starvation, snipers shooting people in the head, civilians killed en masse, families displaced again and again… humanitarians and journalists targeted… while Israeli officials are openly mocking all of this,” Mansour added.

Following the UNSC’s latest failure to pass a ceasefire resolution, Algerian Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama asked Gazans to “forgive” the body for not only its inability to approve such measures, but also for failing to stop the Gaza famine, in which at least hundreds of Palestinians have died and hundreds of thousands more are starving. Every UNSC members but the US concurred last month that the Gaza famine is a man-made catastrophe.

“Israel kills every day and nothing happens,” Bendjama said. “Israel starves a people and nothing happens. Israel bombs hospitals, schools, shelters, and nothing happens. Israel attacks a mediator and steps on diplomacy, and nothing happens. And with every act, every act unpunished, humanity itself is diminished.”

Benjama also asked Gazans to “forgive us” for failing to protect children in the strip, more than 20,000 of whom have been killed by Israeli bombs, bullets, and blockade over the past 713 days. He also noted that upward of 12,000 women, 4,000 elderly, 1,400 doctors and nurses, 500 aid workers, and 250 journalists “have been killed by Israel.”

Condemning Thursday’s veto, Hamas accused the US of “blatant complicity in the crime of genocide,” which Israel is accused of committing in an ongoing International Court of Justice (ICJ) case filed in December 2023 by South Africa and backed by around two dozen nations.

Hamas—which led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and is believed to be holding 20 hostages left alive out of 251 people kidnapped that day—implored the countries that sponsored the ceasefire resolution to pressure Israeli Prime Minister

who along with former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, to accept an agreement to halt hostilities.

Overall, at least 65,141 Palestinians have been killed and over 165,900 others wounded by Israeli forces since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry—whose figures have not only been confirmed by former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, but deemed a significant undercount by independent researchers. Thousands more Gazans are missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the ruins of the flattened strip.

UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward stessed after Thursday’s failed UNSC resolution that “we need a ceasefire more than ever.”

“Israel’s reckless expansion of its military operation takes us further away from a deal which could bring the hostages home and end the suffering in Gaza,” Woodward said.

Thursday’s developments came as Israeli forces continued to lay waste to Gaza City as they push deeper into the city as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2, a campaign to conquer, occupy, and ethnically cleanse around 1 million Palestinians from the strip’s capital. Israeli leaders have said they are carrying out the operation in accordance with Trump’s proposal to empty Gaza of Palestinians and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

In what some observers said was a bid to prevent the world from witnessing fresh Israeli war crimes in Gaza City, internet and phone lines were cut off in the strip Thursday, although officials said service has since been mostly restored.

Gaza officials said Thursday that at least 50 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces since dawn, including 40 in Gaza City, which Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum said is being pummeled into “a lifeless wasteland.”

Azzoum reported that tens of thousands of Palestinians “are moving to the south on foot or in carts, looking for any place that is relatively safe—but with no guarantee of safety—or at least for shelter.”

Israel has repeatedly bombed areas it advised Palestinians were “safe zones,” including a September 2 airstrike that massacred 11 people—nine of them children—queued up to collect water in al-Mawasi.

“Most families who have arrived in the south have not found space,” Azzoum added. “That’s why we’ve seen people setting up makeshift tents close to the water while others are left stranded in the street, living under the open sky.”

Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Continue ReadingWith Genocide Confirmed and Gaza City a ‘Lifeless Wasteland,’ US Vetoes Another UN Ceasefire Resolution

Portending Another Attack, Israeli Foreign Ministry Smears Sumud Flotilla as ‘Jihadist Initiative’

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Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla wave a Palestinian flag and make a peace symbol with their hands. (Photo by Global Sumud Flotilla)

One journalist said that it “feels like the response is being set up to be more severe than in the past.”

After Hamas urged international support for the Global Sumud Flotilla, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday signaled another potential attack by claiming on social media that the peaceful humanitarian mission to feed starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “is a jihadist initiative serving the terror group’s agenda.”

While Israel has not taken responsibility for recent drone attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla—whose name means perseverance in Arabic—the incidents have raised eyebrows, given the country’s history of attacking previous ones. The foreign ministers of 16 other nations on Tuesday implored Israel not to target this flotilla, which involves activists and political leaders from dozens of countries, including eight US veterans.

As Middle East Eye reported Thursday, Hamas—which Israel and the United States designate as a terrorist organization despite its governance of Gaza—called for escalating the global movement in solidarity with the strip “in rejection of the [Israeli] occupation’s aggression, crimes of genocide, and starvation.”

“We call for mobilizing all means to support the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza, and we warn the occupation against targeting it,” Hamas also said in a statement, part of which was quoted in the Israeli ministry’s post on X.

Responding on the same platform, journalist Séamus Malekafzali said: “Past comments from the Israeli government about the aid flotillas focused on celebrity vapidity or didn’t mention their aim at all. Now, they’re honing in on it being a supposedly terrorist instrument. Feels like the response is being set up to be more severe than in the past.”

The post came two days after Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism published a report titled “Global Sumud Flotilla”: A Humanitarian Cover With Documented Links to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

As Brussels Signal reported Thursday:

Flotilla representatives and critics dismissed these claims as Israeli disinformation, echoing accusations leveled at prior missions, and called the report a case of “guilt by association,” reliant on photos and unverified affiliations rather than evidence of operational control.

Organizers emphasised transparent crowdfunding for aid, with no terror funding, and framed the convoy as a grassroots response to aid blockages.

Earlier this week, a commission of independent experts at the United Nations concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and an investigation from The New Humanitarian found that Israeli forces have killed nearly 3,000 Palestinian aid-seekers and wounded almost 20,000 others since October 2023. As of Thursday, the overall death toll has topped 65,000, though experts warn the true tally is likely far higher.

Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
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Continue ReadingPortending Another Attack, Israeli Foreign Ministry Smears Sumud Flotilla as ‘Jihadist Initiative’

UNRWA chief: Denial of famine in Gaza is part of deliberate disinformation campaign

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) holds a press conference in Berlin, Germany on October 16, 2024 [Halil Sağırkaya – Anadolu Agency]

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said on Thursday that Gaza has become a battleground of a fierce and rampant information war.

Lazzarini stressed that, “Dis-information continues to be used as a tool to distract from the atrocities in the war-torn enclave

On the UNRWA official site, Lazzarini explained that “UNRWA was the first to be targeted, followed by other UN agencies, media outlets, and health institutions”.

He noted that the latest example was the denial of famine in Gaza and the disregard of the findings of the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which concluded this week that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians. 

According to Lazzarini, such denial aims at “undermining world experts’ assessments, analysis and at promoting narratives denying atrocities and dehumanizing Palestinians.”

Praising the resilience of reporters, he said: “Meanwhile, the heroic work of Palestinian journalists continues against all odds, as Israel’s military operations expand.”

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces, with direct support from the United States and other Western countries, have been waging a destructive war in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the territory, the offensive has so far killed and injured around 231,000 Palestinians.

READ: EU moves to end complicity in Gaza genocide, proposes trade freeze with Israel

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA

Continue ReadingUNRWA chief: Denial of famine in Gaza is part of deliberate disinformation campaign

‘We cannot allow the immense, unfathomable suffering of the Palestinian people to be ignored for a minute longer’

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/we-cannot-allow-immense-unfathomable-suffering-palestinian-people-be-ignored-minute-longer

Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City, September 5, 2025

Britain’s involvement in the Gaza genocide condemned by Amnesty International

BRITAIN’S involvement in the Gaza genocide was condemned in a new report by Amnesty International UK, which today highlighted 15 companies profiting from and fuelling Israel’s mass atrocities.

The government is enabling mass atrocities through defence contracts, public-sector deals, supply chains and failures to comply with its legal obligations, said the NGO.

Amnesty released its 20-page report on the first anniversary of a UN general assembly resolution demanding that Israel end its unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory within 12 months of its adoption. 

The NGO’s secretary-general Agnes Callamard said: “Human dignity is not a commodity. While Palestinian mothers in Gaza are left to watch their children waste away from starvation under Israel’s genocide, arms companies and others continue to reap substantial profits.

“Israel’s prolonged unlawful occupation and decades of apartheid have required in-depth and sustained support to Israel through economic relations and trade.

“Amnesty calls on its members and supporters the world over to demand an immediate end to the political economy underpinning Israel’s international crimes.”

…

Famous names, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, Damon Albarn and Paloma Faith, gathered for a sold-out charity concert raising funds for humanitarian efforts in Palestine at London’s Wembley Arena on Tuesday.

Normal People author Sally Rooney today confirmed that she has been unable to travel to Britain to accept a Sky Arts award for literature for her new book, as she can “no longer safely enter the UK without facing arrest” due to her expressed support for Palestine Action.

Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/we-cannot-allow-immense-unfathomable-suffering-palestinian-people-be-ignored-minute-longer

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine 'Private Eye'.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue Reading‘We cannot allow the immense, unfathomable suffering of the Palestinian people to be ignored for a minute longer’

Will Eurovision uphold Israel’s colonial genocide?

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 


This photograph shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 displayed on a screen at the end of the dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 14, 2025. [Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images]

by Ramona Wadi

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland have declared their intention to not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to take part. In response, Eurovision’s director Martin Green issued a weak statement that can only be classified as impunity for Israel. “We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” Green stated. “It is up to each member to decide to take part in the contest, and we would respect any decision broadcasters make.”

The statement completely misses the point. Five countries have declared they will not participate in the contest if Israel takes part, because Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This not an opinion, but a stance. To distance Eurovision from the intentions declared by these five participating countries is not a sign of respect, but a decision to exclude a principled stance in order to accommodate a genocidal colonial entity’s inclusion. In the name of neutrality, which only serves impunity for genocide in this case, Israel is being allowed unquestioned access to the competition while those calling for accountability are being excluded on account of taking a principled stance.

In 2022, the European Broadcasting Union banned Russia in a bid to support Ukraine. Yet despite almost two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the EBU has not sought to ban Israel from participating in the context. The EBU is mirroring the general political stance that has prevailed not only since 7 October, but since the 1947 Partition Plan – Zionism can get away with anything because it derives its support from European colonial ideology and the institutions and initiatives promoting the colonial interpretation of neutrality. 

READ: Spain to officially boycott Eurovision if Israel remains in contest amid Gaza war

According to Green, the EBU is consulting “to gather views on how we manage participation and geopolitical tensions” in relation to Eurovision.

But consulting is merely a euphemism for stalling on accountability and strengthening Israel’s impunity. By mid-December this year, all countries need to confirm or decline participation in the next Eurovision Song Contest. There is still time for countries to take a principled stance against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and change the levels of impunity in the name of neutrality from within.

Participating countries can make or break Eurovision. While the politics directly supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza are what needs to be altered, because diplomatic, economic and military support for Israel are enabling the annihilation of Palestinians in Gaza, Eurovision sets the scene for a heavily publicised stance against genocide, and one that cannot be easily ignored. 

The EBU may dictate the rules, but as Green stated, it is up to each member to decide to participate. This can be an opportunity to highlight autonomy over neutrality, and more importantly, to illustrate the presence of politics in every event. There is no neutrality in the EBU allowing Israel to participate, and there is no neutrality in countries deciding not to participate based on Israel’s participation in Eurovision. However, this also creates a level playing field if neutrality is acknowledged to be non-existent. Without the illusion, the truth is revealed – that of institutions creating space for colonialism and genocide and the opportunity to rise against complicity in the annihilation of Palestinians in Gaza. 

BLOG: Genocide admissions and international silence

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingWill Eurovision uphold Israel’s colonial genocide?