A protester holds a placard reading “Free the doctor Abu Safiya” during a protest supporting Palestine on July 29, 2025 in Madrid. (Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“There cannot be peace without justice, human rights, and dignity of ALL,” said a top United Nations rights advocate. “Palestinian lives matter.”
As families on Monday celebrated the return of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 20 living Israeli hostages after the two-year Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 67,000 people and left rubble across Gaza, advocates demanded the return of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who was captured nearly a year ago and has reportedly been imprisoned in a detention center known for torturing detainees.
Middle East Eye reported Monday morning that according to Israeli media reports, Abu Safiya was on a list of Palestinian prisoners who would be released only “if the number of those released is not completed.”
“The government has approved the creation of a reserve list of five prisoners from Gaza, who will be released if changes are made,” according to Israeli media reports.
Palestinian writer and poet Mosab Abu Toha noted that “if he and the others are approved, they would replace five other Palestinian hostages who were previously set for release.”
I’m not sure who else has shared this, but regarding Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, his name, along with four others, has reportedly been submitted for approval by the Israeli government. This is according to Israeli Channel 12. A phone vote is expected to take place.
Abu Safiya was seized by the Israel Defense Forces in December 2024 after the IDF raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, where he was the medical director.
The IDF claimed without evidence that Kamal Adwan Hospital was a Hamas command center; it was the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza when it was attacked.
As the exchange of hostages and prisoners neared over the weekend, advocates including healthcare professionals demanded that Abu Safiya be included in the exchange.
“I am a family doctor and public health practitioner. I have studied the impacts of settler colonialism on health, locally and abroad. I am demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya who is being held captive by the Israeli military for fulfilling his duty and calling to protect his patients,” said Dr. Yipeng Ge. “I am calling for protection of hospitals, patients, and health workers in Gaza.”
Abu Safiya is one of more than 9,600 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
The prisoners being released on Monday include 1,700 Palestinians who were detained after Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
At least 154 Palestinian prisoners freed on Monday were forced into exile by Israel and deported to third countries.
On Saturday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the Trump administration to “demand that Israel release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all other kidnapped medical professionals.”
Francesca Albanese, United Nations rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, suggested that the international acceptance of the continued detention of Abu Safiya and thousands of people in Israeli prisons, many of whom have been held without charges and were detained as minors, “says a lot about [the] peace that lays ahead, for the Palestinians.”
“There cannot be peace without justice, human rights, and dignity of ALL,” said Albanese. “Palestinian lives matter.”
The prisoner-hostage exchange is a major part of the first phase of the 20-point peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump, with the next phases yet to be negotiated.
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.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/O74hZCKKdpAGenocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
At our conference in November we will use a jury service-type model to allow members to discuss and decide policy, strategy and even the name of our party
At Labour’s latest conference, one thing stood out: the party no longer believes in democracy. Members and trade union affiliates voted to back, first the findings of a UN commission of inquiry that Israel is committing genocide, and second that the government must do all it can to prevent it.
It is now two weeks since this motion was passed, but still the Labour government refuses to recognise the genocide in Gaza and allows the supply of weapons to Israel.
Over the past 40 years in parliament, I have witnessed at first-hand the democratic deficit in our political system. For too long, top-down political parties have disempowered their membership and crushed internal debate. Now, Your Party will try to do something unprecedented in British politics: forge a mass, democratic party from scratch.
When we launched, we announced that members would decide the policies, the strategy and even the name. In the meantime, we called it Your Party. It was an apt choice because it expressed the essence of what we are trying to build: a new kind of political party that belongs to its members.
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.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/O74hZCKKdpAVote Labour for Genocide.
Palestinians return to their neighborhoods in Gaza amid the third ceasefire deal with Israel. Photo: screenshot
The entry of a minimum quantity of aid to besieged Gaza, the release of all Israeli captives in return for Palestinian prisoners, the return of displaced people to their home areas, and the IOF’s withdrawal to agreed-upon lines are the main points of the first phase.
Over two years after one of the most gruesome genocides in modern history began, claiming tens of thousands of lives in the besieged Gaza Strip and shaking hearts and minds across the world, a ceasefire deal was finally reached. The hope is that it will be permanent, ending the latest and intensified genocidal violence that the Palestinian people have endured.
The current ceasefire deal, which US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, October 8, finally went into effect at noon on Friday local time, according to the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
The agreement is the third reached during Israel’s merciless, two-year-long genocidal aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The first ceasefire took place in November, 2023, and lasted only 6 days before being violated by Netanyahu’s government. The second was reached in January 2025, before being annihilated by the Israeli occupation two months later.
The ceasefire begins with the IOF’s withdrawal to agreed-upon deployment lines
The ceasefire officially started after the IOF completed the withdrawal of its troops to certain agreed-upon deployment lines within the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday at noon.
The timeline for releasing Israeli captives by Hamas
Now that the ceasefire has taken effect, Hamas was given a 72-hour window to release all 48 Israeli captives held in Gaza (alive or deceased). The deadline for the whole process to be completed was set for Monday, October 13, at noon.
All the 20 living captives, and some of the deceased, should be released by the timeline. However, Hamas made it clear that it will not be able to determine the location of all the 28 dead captives by the established deadline. A fact which Israel has also been familiar with.
Israeli sources reported that the Israeli government has for months been aware of the fact that Hamas does not know the whereabouts of some deceased Israeli captives because a group of them were held by other Palestinian factions in Gaza. Thus their release or retrieval may be beyond Hamas’s control.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have started to return to their home areas
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, forcibly displaced to southern Gaza, began to return to their devastated home areas in other parts of the besieged strip as soon the ceasefire went into effect on Friday at noon.
Videos went viral of a flood of Palestinian people walking towards Gaza city along the coastal road, weeks after fleeing Israel’s merciless offensive, which flattened the city into rubble.
The majority of the population is seen in the footage walking on foot for distances of about 20 kilometers, carrying shabby luggage sacks on their backs. Meanwhile, others hired donkey carts, a high-price service often unaffordable for many.
Although the IOF withdrew its troops from certain areas in the besieged strip, they informed the people of Gaza that Israeli soldiers are still deployed in other areas, warning them to avoid approaching them. The alarming message has added a level of panic to the already arduous and long return journey.
Aid to start entering Gaza under UN supervision on Sunday
Multiple international media outlets reported on Friday that Israel has finally given approval to the United Nations to begin large-scale aid deliveries to Gaza as of Sunday, October 12.
The prospective aid shipment will include 170,000 metric tons of supplies, which are already stationed in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Egypt. Humanitarian teams in charge of handling the delivery process had also been waiting for Israel’s authorization to resume their operations.
For his part, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Stéphane Dujarric, told reporters in New York on Friday that some essential life-saving materials have started to flow into Gaza through the Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, including fuel, medical supplies, and other critical materials.
The senior UN official further urged Israel to open more border crossings, and guarantee the safe movement of aid workers and civilians alike, especially in areas that were very recently subjected to heavy fire by the IOF during their return journey.
Israel publishes list of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the deal, Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office denies reaching an agreement on the list
The Israeli Ministry of Justice published on its website on Friday, a list of the Palestinian prisoners, who are allegedly intended to be freed as part of the current ceasefire deal.
The published list includes the names of 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment, and 1,700 other prisoners, including women and children, who were arrested from Gaza after October 7, 2023.
Nonetheless, the published list does not include the names of prominent figures in the Palestinian Prisoners’ movement, whose release Hamas has always held as a condition during every round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations. The eminent prisoners excluded from the list published by Israel are:
Marwan Barghouti
Ahmed Saadat
Abdullah Barghouti
Hassan Salama
Abbas al-Sayed
Ibrahim Hamed
Commenting on the list, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office issued a statement via its Telegram channel, denying that any final agreement has been reached regarding the Palestinian prisoners to be released.
“No official agreement has yet been reached regarding the lists of prisoners included in the exchange deal,” the statement reads.
“If a final agreement is reached, the official lists will be published on the Prisoners’ Media Office’s (social media) platforms,” the office added.
Reports say that Hamas is insisting on the release of the eminent prisoners, making that the most significant sticking point in current negotiations. The group has also affirmed their refusal to disarm.
The ceasefire deal is a victory of Palestinian people and the masses who mobilized against Genocide, says IPA
The International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA) issued a statement on Thursday, October 9, unequivocally saluting “the unyielding resistance and resilience of the Palestinian people, who have bravely confronted unimaginable violence and devastation with steadfastness.”
“This agreement would not have been reached were it not for their strength and determination,” the IPA emphasized.
The IPA considered reaching the agreement a victory that “belongs to the Palestinian people and the masses who mobilized against Genocide, Imperialism, and Zionism.” A victory that was achieved despite Israel’s “widespread atrocities and destruction with the full support of US imperialism”.
The statement asserts that the “Zionist regime has failed in displacing the Palestinian people from their land.” The anti-imperialist assembly also called “on the people of the world to continue taking action, building pressure and mobilizing”.
“We must relentlessly work to isolate Zionism, ensuring that the terms of this agreement are fully upheld by the occupying power. This ceasefire is not an end, but a crucial juncture. We must intensify our efforts until the full demands of the Palestinian people are met, rooted in self-determination and the complete liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.”
PYM hails Palestinians for remaining steadfast on their land after 732 days of genocide
The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), in an Instagram post, reflected the IPA’s commendation of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land after over two years of genocide, which in itself represents a victory:
“The streets of Gaza ring out tonight with the joyful cries of its people. While a ceasefire proposal is announced, Israel’s flagrant and repeated violations of previous agreements give us pause. Still, we find cause to celebrate. That despite the best efforts of Israel, the United States, Canada, Europe, and Arab regimes to conspire against them, 732 days of genocide later, the Palestinian people remain steadfast on their land. Gaza still rises, and with it, the people of the world rise. The joy of our people in Gaza is our joy, their relief is our relief, and their determination must also be our determination: to lift the siege, liberate all prisoners, end the occupation, and free our land. From the river to the sea.”
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.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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Aid trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies remain stranded at the Rafah Border Crossing on the Egyptian side due to Israeli attacks and closed border crossings, the delivery of aid is limited and delayed in Rafah, Egypt on August 6, 2025. [Mohamed Elshahed – Anadolu Agency]
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday that around 170,000 tons of humanitarian aid are waiting to enter the Gaza Strip, pending approval from the Israeli occupying authorities that control all border crossings.
Speaking after the announcement of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war on Gaza, an OCHA spokesperson said the aid—comprising medicines, tents, and other critical supplies—could reach nearly two million Palestinians facing severe shortages of food and basic necessities once access is granted.
OCHA reported earlier this week that Israel has blocked the entry of 45 per cent of registered aid convoys since the genocide began in October 2023, severely limiting relief efforts. The spokesperson emphasised that effective delivery requires open crossings, security guarantees for aid workers and civilians, visas for international staff, and unrestricted entry of supplies. He also underlined the need to revive Gaza’s private sector to restore minimum living conditions.
At dawn Thursday, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first stage of his proposed peace plan, which includes a prisoner exchange and an Israeli withdrawal to the so-called “Yellow Line” as an initial step.
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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.
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Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes targeted residential areas in the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel near the border, on October 07, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]
A new report has accused London’s £34 billion ($45.43 billion) public sector pension fund of investing billions in companies allegedly complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against Palestinians, Anadolu reports.
The Blood Money report, released Thursday by the campaign group Shake The CIV, claims that the London Collective Investment Vehicle (LCIV) — which manages £34.2 billion on behalf of 32 London local authorities — has over £7 billion ($9 billion) invested in firms “enabling Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights.”
The fund represents the deferred wages of around 700,000 Londoners.
According to the report, LCIV’s investments include almost £1 billion ($1.4 billion) in arms manufacturers, such as £10 million ($13 million) in Israeli weapons producer Elbit Systems and £228 million ($305 million) in British firm BAE Systems.
The report also highlights £5.2 billion ($7 billion) in technology companies accused of facilitating Israel’s surveillance and control of Palestinians, including over £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in Microsoft.
For the first time, the report reveals the names of elected councilors who sit on LCIV’s Shareholder Committee — information the organization has refused to make public despite multiple Freedom of Information requests.
LCIV, which quietly sold £6.7 million ($9 million) in Israeli government bonds in 2024, has faced growing protests and says it is reviewing its investments in 12 unnamed companies.
However, the fund has refused to disclose the names of those companies, even to the councilors representing the local authorities whose pension funds it manages.
The report also criticizes LCIV for deleting a July 2024 statement on Gaza from its website, later replacing it in July 2025 with a post claiming to be “neutral” on the issue.
Campaigners say this stance “belies its claims to be a responsible investor,” noting that LCIV took “swift action” over the Russian invasion of Ukraine but not in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Shake The CIV is calling on LCIV to “immediately, completely, and permanently divest from all companies complicit in Israel’s genocide and apartheid against Palestinians.”
Cllr Liam Shrivastava, a member of Lewisham Council’s Pension Committee, said in a statement: “At stake here are not only the lives of millions of human beings but also local authorities’ right to make democratic decisions about financial matters. In the 1980s, many London councils made history by cutting financial ties with apartheid South Africa and recently, many have divested from fossil fuels. Genocide is the crime of crimes — we have to do whatever we can to stop it.”
Five boroughs — Waltham Forest, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Lewisham — have announced plans to divest following local campaigns.
However, their pension funds remain invested through LCIV portfolios, and campaigners say progress has been slow.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children.
The relentless bombardment has left Gaza largely uninhabitable, leading to widespread starvation and diseases.
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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.
