12.12.24
Editorial Note
Last week, a new document of 124 pages titled “Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War” was published by Dr. Lee Mordechai, a Hebrew University historian specializing in Premodern, Byzantine and Environmental History. Most of his recent research deals with environmental history. Mordechai is one of the directors of the CCHRI at Princeton University, a research group that deals with society and the environment in the pre-modern period. His doctoral thesis deals with minorities in the Eastern Roman Empire during the 11th century, before the arrival of the Crusades in the region. His 2023 book is titled Diseased Cinema: Plagues, Pandemics and Zombies in American Movies.
The document provides his understanding of the war in Gaza. Mordechai wishes to “bear witness in this document to the situation in Gaza as events are unfolding. The enormous amount of evidence I have seen, much of it referenced later in this document, has been enough for me to believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza. I explain why I chose to use the term below. Israel’s campaign is ostensibly its reaction to the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, in which war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed within the context of the longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that can be dated back to 1917 or 1948 (or other dates). In all cases, historical grievances and atrocities do not justify additional atrocities in the present. Therefore, I consider Israel’s response to Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 utterly disproportionate and criminal.”
He begins his document by stating, “A few words about myself and my expertise. I grew up in Israel and am a member of Israeli civil society. I have been trained as a professional historian with degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (BA) and Princeton University (PhD), and currently have a faculty position at a leading Israeli university. My relevant professional skills include conducting thorough research, evaluating written sources and their reliability, critical thinking, and synthesizing much material into a coherent narrative. My work on this document is very similar in nature to the professional work I conduct daily. Although the present war began as a new topic for me, I have invested in it far more work than I invest in an average scholarly article.”
In his introduction, Mordechai notes: “The following document represents my understanding of the war in Gaza. It was compiled by me alone, except for a subsection on healthcare (marked below) which I wrote together with a colleague, Liat Kozma. I have not received any payment for writing this document and I have written it out of a sense of commitment to human rights, my profession, and my country. The vast majority of this document is written in dry unemotional language to avoid trying to sway readers’ opinion based on emotion, a known bias. I attempted to stick to the facts as I understand them.”
Mordechai argues that “In depth investigations of the Israeli smear campaign against UNRWA and the persistent doubts towards the Palestinian death counts reveal that both are cases of unfounded propaganda. All of the above normalizes Israeli violence and actions by portraying them as legitimate, deflects attention away from the reality in Gaza, and contributes to the de-humanization of Palestinians.”
Mordechai expresses reservations about the ZAKA (humanitarian volunteer organization that provides a response to mass casualty disasters) accounts of the horrors of Oct. 7. That this “was a primary source that drew much attention early in the war. As an NGO, I believed the ZAKA accounts at first, but a few months after the beginning of the war investigative reports revealed that some of the worst atrocities they reported, which also drew the most attention, were fake. Furthermore, ZAKA did not admit that this information was fake. As a result, ZAKA lost its credibility in my eyes.”
Speaking of authentic sources, Mordechai states that “Throughout the war there has been a very large number of videos and images that claim to show the survivors or victims of Israeli attacks. These are often bloodied and sometimes include gory details. They are shared by individuals from Gaza and outside of Gaza, some NGO members and some media outlets such as al-Jazeera. There have been only a few cases in which this kind of material has been claimed to be fake, false or misleading. The massacres and deaths corroborate written and statistical information about the results of Israeli attacks, for example in investigative reports and NGO publications. While one cannot be completely certain that all this material is reliable, there has been enough of it coming from independent sources for me to judge most of it as reliable.”
Yet, contrary to Mordechai’s assertions, The New York Times recently reported that secret internal Hamas documents which the Israeli government shared, reveal that Ahmad al-Khatib, a deputy principal at an elementary school in Gaza – run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees – was a member of Hamas. al-Khatib “held the rank of squad commander, was an expert in ground combat and had been given at least a dozen weapons, including a Kalashnikov and hand grenades.” According to The NYT, “al-Khatib was one of at least 24 people employed by UNRWA — in 24 different schools — who were members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, another militant group. Before the war, the agency was responsible for a total of 288 schools, housed in 200 different building compounds, in Gaza. A majority were top administrators at the schools.”
Moreover, in April 2024, the BBC spoke with Joan Donoghue, who has just retired as president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), “about the case brought by South Africa to the ICJ over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention by Israel. Ms Donoghue explained that the court decided the Palestinians had a ‘plausible right’ to be protected from genocide and that South Africa had the right to present that claim in the court. She said that, contrary to some reporting, the court did not make a ruling on whether the claim of genocide was plausible, but it did emphasize in its order that there was a risk of irreparable harm to the Palestinian right to be protected from genocide.”
IAM reported on Mordechai before. In March 2024, he signed the letter to President Biden, titled “Genocide is plausible; stop arms to Israel,” when the “undersigned academics and supporters, call on the US to stop transfer of all offensive arms and related funds to Israel, immediately.” In October 2024, IAM reported that Mordechai was a signatory in another petition, stating that “Israeli citizens calling for true international pressure on Israel for an immediate ceasefire.”
The Mordechai document is flawed at many levels; it focuses on Israel alone without taking into consideration the Palestinian militants’ actions and accidents, which often killed Palestinian citizens. Equally important, contrary to Mordechai’s claim, he is not “bearing witness” since he has not witnessed anything but has watched videos and read reports written by the UN agencies and international media. In other words, Mordechai is “searching for his keys under the street light.”
IAM noticed this pattern before. By writing documents favorable to the Palestinians, Mordechai seems to be signaling to his pro-Palestinian academic peers in the West that he is ready to find a job in a prestigious university abroad.
REFERENCES:
https://witnessing-the-gaza-war.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Bearing-witness-to-the-Israel-Gaza-War-v6.5.5-5.12.24.pdf
1 Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War Lee Mordechai, Historian and Israeli citizen December 5, 2024 (version 6.5.5) 2 Contents Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Professional and ethical statement (including trigger warning)…………………………………………………. 7 Preface……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9 The war and public support …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 War crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide………………………………………………………….. 11 Context………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 16 The massacre of Palestinians…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18 Numbers and ratios……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 International responses………………………………………………………………………………………………… 19 Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks…………………………………………………………………….. 20 Mortality and impacts on groups in Palestinian society………………………………………………………. 22 Massacres, rules of engagement and examples ………………………………………………………………… 24 Causing the deaths of civilian populations…………………………………………………………………………… 29 Famine and starvation ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 31 December to April……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 31 May and June………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33 Additional findings…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 35 Non-food shortages (electricity, medicine, water) …………………………………………………………….. 36 Gaza’s health system……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 37 Israeli discourse and de-humanization of Palestinians …………………………………………………………… 40 Dehumanization in Israeli institutions and the IDF …………………………………………………………….. 40 De-humanization in the IDF …………………………………………………………………………………………… 41 Dehumanization in Israeli society……………………………………………………………………………………. 46 Effects of de-humanization on detained and arrested Palestinians ………………………………………. 48 Ethnic cleansing………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 53 Hostages ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 The West Bank ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 62 Evidence for the killing of Palestinians…………………………………………………………………………….. 63 Abuse, humiliation and detainment of Palestinians……………………………………………………………. 63 The media, propaganda and the war (disclaimer) …………………………………………………………………. 66 Emphasizing the horrors of the Oct. 7 attacks…………………………………………………………………… 68 Discrediting critical voices outside Israel………………………………………………………………………….. 69 Limiting information flow from Gaza……………………………………………………………………………….. 70 Rallying the Israeli public around the war ………………………………………………………………………… 71 Israeli media and discourse……………………………………………………………………………………………. 72 3 Israeli’s media’s uncritical pro-war position ……………………………………………………………………… 74 American media ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 75 The treatment of UNRWA as a case of media misrepresentation …………………………………………. 77 Another case of successful propaganda: doubting the Palestinian death toll………………………….. 79 US involvement in the war………………………………………………………………………………………………… 83 US military aid to Israel…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83 Active deployment of US military……………………………………………………………………………………. 84 Diplomatic support………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 85 US oversight and Israeli accountability…………………………………………………………………………….. 87 US-Israeli relations……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 90 Dissent in the US administration and society ……………………………………………………………………. 94 Zoom-in 1: The Second Israeli invasion of al-Shifa hospital (18 March-1 April) …………………………… 96 Zoom-in 2: Campus Protests in the US (April 17-May 2024) ……………………………………………………. 99 Coverage and reactions ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 101 Zoom-in 3: The ethnic cleansing campaign in northern Gaza, October-December 2024 …………….. 103 Plans, voices and media coverage…………………………………………………………………………………. 103 Siege and ethnic cleansing…………………………………………………………………………………………… 105 The siege………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 105 The military operation…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 108 The healthcare system………………………………………………………………………………………………… 113 Appendix 1 – The reasons underlying my definition of Israel’s actions in the war as genocide ……. 118 Appendix 2 – Methodology ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 120 4 Summary Last updated:1 November 29, 2024 I, Lee Mordechai, a historian by profession and an Israeli citizen, bear witness in this document to the situation in Gaza as events are unfolding. The enormous amount of evidence I have seen, much of it referenced later in this document, has been enough for me to believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza. I explain why I chose to use the term below. Israel’s campaign is ostensibly its reaction to the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, in which war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed within the context of the longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that can be dated back to 1917 or 1948 (or other dates). In all cases, historical grievances and atrocities do not justify additional atrocities in the present. Therefore, I consider Israel’s response to Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 utterly disproportionate and criminal. The paragraphs of this executive summary contain the summary of much longer sections below, a paragraph for each section. Each section below includes dozens to hundreds of references that lead to the supporting evidence upon which I base my assessment. This version of the document greatly expands upon the previous version from June 18, 2024 by adding much content and evidence to existing sections, adding new sections (an appendix on methodology and a focus on the Oct.-Nov. 2024 campaign in northern Gaza) as well as responding to the discussion it initiated. Due to the sheer amount of material and the expansion of the war, I move in this version from updating the entire document at once to a model that updates sections separately, starting from the beginning of the document. Over the past year, Israel has repeatedly massacred Palestinians in Gaza, killing over 44,000 Palestinians – at least 60% of whom are women, children and elderly – as of writing. At least one hundred thousand others have been injured and more than 10,000 are still missing. There is ample evidence for Israel’s indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks throughout the war, as well as many examples for massacres and other killings. Many international institutions have harshly criticized Israel’s conduct of the war. Israel has actively attempted to cause the death of the civilian population of Gaza. Israel has created famine in Gaza as a de facto policy and used it as a weapon of war, resulting in the confirmed deaths of dozens of civilians (mainly children) from starvation. Israel created shortages of water, medicine and electricity. Israel has also dismantled Gaza’s health system and Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. As a result, more people die from treatable conditions and difficult medical procedures such as amputations and caesareans are conducted without anesthesia. The overall mortality in Gaza is unknown, but is almost certainly much higher than the official death toll. Israeli discourse has de-humanized Palestinians to such an extent that the vast majority of Israeli Jews supports the aforementioned measures. The de-humanization was led by Israel’s highest state officials, and it continues to be supported through the state infrastructure and military. Dehumanization is also widely prevalent in broader civil society. Speaking about Palestinians in genocidal language is legitimate in Israeli discourse. The de-humanization results in widespread abuse of, and violence towards, detained Palestinians and Gazan civilians and their property, all with 1 I thank Hanoch Sheinman for commenting on the November 2024 version of this section. 5 almost no consequences. The vast majority of de-humanizing content is shared by Israelis themselves, and is confirmed by Palestinian testimonials of their experiences. The evidence I have seen and discuss indicates that one of Israel’s very likely objectives is to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, whether in part or in total, by removing as many Palestinians as feasibly possible. Key members in Israel’s government have made statements confirming this intent, and several of Israel’s government ministries have planned or worked to facilitate such an end, sometimes by persuading or pressuring other states. Israel has already cleared significant parts of the Gaza strip by demolition and bulldozing, also attempting to destroy the fabric of Palestinian society by deliberately targeting civilian institutions such as universities, libraries, archives, religious buildings, historical sites, farms, schools, cemeteries, museums and markets. So far more than 60% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged. One of the purposes of the war, according to the Israeli government, is to release the hostages – some 101 of whom remain in Hamas’ captivity. The evidence demonstrates that compared to the ethnic cleansing this is a low priority for Israel’s government. To date Israel has released seven hostages through military operations, while killing many other hostages directly or indirectly through its actions. Moreover, there is much evidence that Israel has stalled the negotiations for releasing hostages or attempted to obstruct them on many occasions. Members of Israel’s government have also attacked the families of the hostages, and their associates have attempted to prevent them from speaking up politically. The global attention to Gaza, and at times to Lebanon, Iran and Syria, has drawn attention away from the West Bank. There, Israel’s operations through its military or settlers since the beginning of the war have resulted in the killing of over 700 Palestinians, the ethnic cleansing of at least 20 local communities, as well as a sharp increase in levels of violence, abuse and humiliation of Palestinians by both the Israeli state and Jewish settlers. All of the above has been made possible through the strong support of most mainstream media in Israel as well as the West, primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. From the beginning of the war, Israel has waged an information campaign that emphasized the horrors of the Oct. 7 attacks with both reliable and unreliable factual claims, limited information flows from Gaza, discredited critical voices outside Israel, and curtailed domestic discourse to rally the Israeli public around the war. As a result, Israeli media and discourse remain predominantly and uncritically pro-war, with many institutions and individuals self-censoring. Mainstream media outlets in the US share much of this approach. In depth investigations of the Israeli smear campaign against UNRWA and the persistent doubts towards the Palestinian death counts reveal that both are cases of unfounded propaganda. All of the above normalizes Israeli violence and actions by portraying them as legitimate, deflects attention away from the reality in Gaza, and contributes to the de-humanization of Palestinians. America’s almost complete support has been fundamental for Israel’s conduct of the war. This support took the form of military aid, the deployment of US military and other assets, ironclad diplomatic support, especially at the United Nations, and the release of Israel from mechanisms of US oversight and serious accountability. Despite rhetoric that was sometimes critical, de facto the US gave Israel unprecedented support. Dissenters in the US – both government employees and sizable groups in American society – had little to no influence on US policy. I examine more specific events in three zoom-in sections as case studies of many of the themes described above: 6 1. The second raid on the al-Shifa hospital in late March 2024 2. The student protests across the US in April and May 2024 3. The military operation in the northern Gaza Strip in October and November 2024 (ongoing) The evidence I have seen and describe below has been sufficient for me to believe that what Israel is currently doing to the Palestinian population in Gaza is consistent with the definition of genocide as I understand it. In the document’s two appendices, I explain my reasoning for using this term and discuss my methodology. 7 Professional and ethical statement (including trigger warning) Last updated:2 November 29, 2024 The following document represents my understanding of the war in Gaza. It was compiled by me alone, except for a subsection on healthcare (marked below) which I wrote together with a colleague, Liat Kozma. I have not received any payment for writing this document and I have written it out of a sense of commitment to human rights, my profession, and my country. The vast majority of this document is written in dry unemotional language to avoid trying to sway readers’ opinion based on emotion, a known bias. I attempted to stick to the facts as I understand them. I describe my methodology in an appendix. The document includes much difficult material, particularly with regards to violence, cruelty, dehumanization and starvation. This document does not include images. Graphic descriptions are rare and brief. There is far more explicit content in the links available through the footnotes below, many of which are graphic and difficult to watch. Throughout the document I have refrained from using loaded but difficult to define terms such as Zionism, antisemitism, terror/terrorism and brutality.3 These are all boundary objects (a technical term used to describe terms that mean different things to different people, which are still used as shorthands in communication),4 that are often weaponized in discourse by different speakers as a way to legitimize or delegitimize people, institutions or actions. I do not believe the inclusion of these terms would make this document more readable or its analysis better. Antisemitism is the partial exception to this rule, but it is used primarily in discussions others had about it. This is a working document. Although new details and facts will undoubtedly emerge in the future, since I have started compiling information in this format (a year as of writing) much more information has accumulated while any previous mistakes have been minimal. Interested readers can access all previous versions of this document. The document changed its purpose over time. Originally, I used it to state my opinion publicly as a form of bearing witness to events. My motive was my commitment to human rights ideals. After the fourth version of this document in mid-March 2024 went viral on Twitter, the public support I received from readers encouraged me to rethink this goal. I now write for many others worldwide and in Israel who want to understand the circumstances over these difficult days in the present and the future. A secondary purpose is to concentrate and preserve at least some of the evidence I have come across as I have been reading about the war, making it accessible for others interested in these events. I have better organized the document over its successive versions, and I now supply footnotes to further references that could inform or be useful to readers. I hope you, the reader, find this document useful – whether to understand what happened during these days through the document or to reach more information through its footnotes. My position is based on many pieces of evidence that I have collected particularly since late December 2023. In my analysis, which is described in detail in the methodology appendix, I gave precedence to evidence provided by reputable institutions such as the United Nations and its different offices, as well as reports by several humanitarian aid and human rights organizations. These institutions are at least ostensibly independent and therefore less prone to bias. They are also 2 I thank Hanoch Sheinman for commenting on the November 2024 version of this section. 3 https://fair.org/home/brutal-is-a-word-mostly-reserved-for-palestinian-violence/ 4 Baggio, Jacopo A., Katrina Brown, and Denis Hellebrandt. “Boundary Object or Bridging Concept? A Citation Network Analysis of Resilience.” Ecology and Society 20, no. 2 (2015). http://www.jstor.org/stable/26270178. 8 equipped for evidence-based inquiry, which they have employed in many issues unrelated to Israel/Palestine. I have also made use of mainstream media outlets, both in cases of factual reporting (e.g. someone saying something) and in case of investigative reporting. I have complemented these with evidence I have collected from social media from both sides. As the war has continued, policies towards Gaza and conditions within the Gaza Strip change over time. To acknowledge this reality and facilitate a better understanding of the situation, I often note the month and year regarding specific claims and datapoints in relevant sections such as the ones on famine or the US involvement in the war. I estimate that since the beginning of the war, I have read thousands of articles – academic, those written by academics or journalists, and others. In addition, I have watched thousands of videos and images, mostly by Israelis from the Gaza Strip. Many of these include deeply disturbing content – violence, cruelty, de-humanization and their results, and I included them in the document’s footnotes to convey and clarify the scale of this event and the frequency of the horrors that I describe. To the best of my ability, I estimate that the vast majority of the information I have included is reliable. In cases where I encountered information that seemed doubtful I chose not to include it. I include in this document many footnotes to cite the sources I have used, so that the interested reader would be able to evaluate my account themselves. I welcome thoughtful critique and corrections, and thank everyone who read this document and commented on it in private or in public.5 A few words about myself and my expertise. I grew up in Israel and am a member of Israeli civil society. I have been trained as a professional historian with degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (BA) and Princeton University (PhD), and currently have a faculty position at a leading Israeli university. My relevant professional skills include conducting thorough research, evaluating written sources and their reliability, critical thinking, and synthesizing much material into a coherent narrative. My work on this document is very similar in nature to the professional work I conduct daily. Although the present war began as a new topic for me, I have invested in it far more work than I invest in an average scholarly article. My professional publications appear on my academia.edu and Google Scholar pages. The updated version of this document, alongside links to my other Gazarelated publications, can be found on a dedicated website I opened in November 2024, https://witnessing-the-gaza-war.com/. 5 This document updates and expands earlier versions of my understanding of the situation in early January, late January, mid-February, mid-March, mid-April 2024 and mid-June 2024, following ideas and suggestions I have since received, as well as additional information that has been released since. I thank here an anonymous reader who commented on all six drafts, Merle Eisenberg who has commented on the draft of the first version, and Joshua Meyrowitz (Professor Emeritus of Communication, University of New Hampshire) who carefully and thoroughly reviewed the fourth version after its publication in preparation for the fifth version and also supplied several important sources. I thank subsequent contributors for work done after June 2024 in the respective sections. All of them have provided useful feedback and suggestions, which I have incorporated in this version. The final text follows my opinion and not necessarily theirs. Similarly, any mistakes are mine alone. I thank also those readers who disagreed with my conclusions as their critique has helped improve this document. 9 Preface Last updated:6 November 29, 2024 I, Lee Mordechai, a historian and an Israeli citizen, bear witness in this document, as events are unfolding, to the horrible situation in the Gaza Strip. I write my personal opinion out of a sense of double responsibility: as a citizen whose country is committing what I consider as grave crimes, and as an academic, who believes that after having dedicated my career so far to research and teaching others I am obliged to speak up against injustice, especially when it is so close. I write also because of the long disappointing general silence on this issue among many international and Israeli academic institutions, especially those that are well-positioned to comment on it. The relatively few of my colleagues who had bravely spoken out early in the war were an inspiration.7 I do not believe this document will convince many others to change their minds. Rather, I write this publicly to bear witness to the events I observe and testify that during the war there were and remain Israeli voices who strongly dissented from Israel’s actions. I preserve the previous versions of this document to demonstrate how much was known even at early stages of the war. Beginning in November 2024, due to the amount of material I have begun to update this document in parts, starting from its beginning. I have also launched a dedicated website, https://witnessingthe-gaza-war.com/, to house both versions of the document, where readers could access its different parts and versions. The latest version of this document can also be found on my academia.edu, which has both English and Hebrew versions. I use my Twitter page to notify when new sections come out. On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other militants attacked Israel. In the assault about 1,150 people, most of whom were civilians, were killed. The vast majority of these were killed by Hamas and other militants, and the small remainder were killed by Israeli fire in the general chaos. About 250 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were taken hostage to Gaza. These atrocities, fore and foremost the indiscriminate killing and kidnapping of civilians, are war crimes and crimes against humanity (of murder and hostage-taking, among others).8 Many others have already written about these events in the international and Israeli media and I do not have much new to add on this matter for now. The horrible events of 7 October – themselves committed within the historical context of the longstanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinians – served and continue to serve as the justification for the current war that this document examines. The war and public support 6 I thank Hanoch Sheinman for commenting on the November 2024 version of this section, as well as Sonja Brentjes and another anonymous reader who commented on the June 2024 version (the anonymous reader also checked its footnotes). 7 I chose to write this open statement about what is happening in Gaza having been inspired by John Mearsheimer’s similar statement back in December 2023. https://mearsheimer.substack.com/p/death-and-destruction-in-gaza. Additionally important in composing the first version of this document is the comprehensive and important South African Application instituting proceedings and Request for the indication of provisional measures to the International Court of Justice, from which I have traced some of the sources of information in this document (https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf). Many others have since come to the same position (see below). 8 https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/17/october-7-crimes-against-humanity-war-crimes-hamas-led-groups ; https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2024/08/israel_palestine0724web.pdf ; https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/10/israel-opt-one-year-on-from-7-october-need-to-ensure-a-ceasefire-and-release-ofhostages-more-pressing-than-ever/ ; https://www.un.org/unispal/document/commission-of-inquiry-pr-hrc-19jun24/ 10 Despite Hamas’ aforementioned atrocities, I believe Israel’s response to the events of Oct. 7 over more than a year continues to be wholly disproportionate, immoral and criminal. My position on these matters represents a tiny minority in Israeli society. In polls on this issue only 1.8% (October 2023), 7% (December 2023), 3.2% (January 2024) and 4% (March-April 2024) of Jewish Israelis believed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) was using too much firepower in Gaza or that Israel’s military response has gone too far.9 In March 2024, 81% of Israelis believed that Israel was doing everything possible to minimize harm towards Gazan civilians (including 19% who thought Israel was doing too much),10 and 80% of Israeli Jews believed that Israel should not consider the suffering of Gazans as it conducted its military operation.11 An April poll found that only a third of Israeli Jews thought that Israel should accept the UN’s Security Council demand for a ceasefire during Ramadan.12 A September 2024 poll found that 83% of Israeli Jews believed that the moral conduct of the IDF during the war was good or excellent, and that 61.5% believed soldiers should not be investigated in cases of abuse against Gazan detainees.13 A different September 2024 poll found that 82% of Israeli Jews were not concerned with the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.14 As of writing, the war continues despite unclarity about its objectives and the immense destruction it has wrought.15 High-placed voices within Israel16 as well as the US17 believe that Israel’s Prime Minister wants to prolong the war for his own political survival, misleading the Israeli public into believing that a complete victory is possible.18 Over time, over half of polled Israelis were willing to reach a ceasefire deal, often associated with releasing the hostages and ending the war with an Israeli retreat from Gaza (56% in July 2024,19 54% in August,20 53% in September,21 75% in October in a question that did not refer to an Israeli retreat,22 and 66% in November23). By October 2024, however, 61% of Israelis believed the Israeli government had no plan to finish the war.24 At the same time, most Israelis came to support increased military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon in a separate front,25 with such operations taking place from September to late November 2024. The 9 https://social-sciences.tau.ac.il/sites/socsci.tau.ac.il/files/media_server/social/2023/Findings-November-2023-EN.pdf; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israelis-say-hamas-must-be-crushed-despite-gaza-casualties-un-rebuke-2023-12-13/ ; https://www.idi.org.il/articles/51742 ; https://en-social-sciences.tau.ac.il/sites/socscienglish.tau.ac.il/files/media_server/social/peaceindex/2024-01-findings.pdf ; https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2024/05/30/views-ofthe-israel-hamas-war-may-2024/ . Also on March: https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-06-13/ty-articlemagazine/.highlight/00000190-0677-d667-abf0-66fffad40000 . As most of these polls demonstrate, non-Jewish Israelis held more moderate views. 10 https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001473815 11 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/53443 12 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/world/europe/israel-weapons-sales-genocide.html 13 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/56112 . 60% of Israeli Jews believed convicted IDF soldiers should receive lower punishments in such cases. A different poll from August found that 47% of Israeli Jews did not believe Israel should obey international law and conduct itself morally during the war: https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/august-2024/ 14 https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/survey-september-2024/ (defined as “a little” or “very little” concerned). 15 https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/israels-muddled-strategy-gaza ; see also the lack of clarity in objectives below, for example in Zoom in 3. 16 https://www.mako.co.il/news-politics/2024_q1/Article-7c6a192b2cbfd81026.htm 17 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/us/politics/biden-netanyahu-israel-gaza.html ; https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/02/netanyahu-gaza-palestinians-war-israeli-society/ ; https://time.com/6984968/joe-biden-transcript2024-interview/ 18 https://www.maariv.co.il/news/military/Article-1085677 19 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/55008 20 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/55472 21 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/56112 ; the question here was general about ending the war in Gaza. 22 https://www.figma.com/deck/PebtSWAlx0RYdjaqyhoE6L/%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%9C7.10—%D7%90%D7%92%D7%9D?nodeid=49-1741&node-type=slide&viewport=222%2C16%2C0.5&t=rAWLTUo8lp5sRQp1-1&scaling=min-zoom&content-scaling=fixed&pageid=0%3A1 (p. 23) 23 https://x.com/uriweltmann/status/1861479880975634685 ; see also: https://www.idi.org.il/articles/57041 (56% of Israelis were willing to be more flexible for a hostage deal). 24 https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/survey-october-2024/ 25 71% in June: https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/swords-of-iron-june/; 61% in July: https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/july2024/; 67% in August: https://www.idi.org.il/articles/55472; https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/august-2024/ ; see also https://www.idi.org.il/articles/55806 which reaches 67% but only among Israeli Jews. 11 operations in Lebanon received high levels of support among the Israeli public at first (80% in late September), but that support dwindled over time.26 War crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide The evidence I have seen and describe below has been sufficient for me to believe that what Israel is currently doing to the Palestinian population consists of several crimes against humanity.27 Taken together, Israel’s actions during the war are consistent with the definition of genocide as I understand it.28 The formal aspect of the question of genocide came to be discussed in December 2023, when South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, filing a complaint with the International Court of Justice. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice adopted provisional measures that required Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.29 Commentators at the time widely interpreted this as if it was plausible that Israel was committing genocide.30 In October 2024, South Africa filed its claim of genocide (“Memorial”) against Israel in the ICJ. The submission amounted to over 750 pages of text and over 4,000 pages of annexes.31 The question of intent on the Israeli side – crucial for the definition of genocide – has been addressed by a 120-page public dossier of evidence presented to the UN Security Council.32 The court is expected to take years to reach a formal conclusion about the question. Many observers have commented on the question of genocide over the past year. Several institutions within the UN called to prevent genocide in November 2023.33 A UN Special Rapporteur concluded that Israel was committing genocide in her report in March 2024, and repeated that conclusion in another report in October that concluded that Israel aimed to completely remove or eradicate Palestinians.34 A UN Special Committee that issues periodic sub-annual reports on Palestinian matters concluded that Israel’s policies and practices after Oct. 7 “are consistent with the 26 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/56143 ; note that 56% of Israeli Jews in October preferred to try to reach a favorable deal with Lebanon as opposed to 44% who supported continuing the war and risking a regional war. https://www.figma.com/deck/PebtSWAlx0RYdjaqyhoE6L/%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%9C7.10—%D7%90%D7%92%D7%9D?nodeid=49-1741&node-type=slide&viewport=222%2C16%2C0.5&t=rAWLTUo8lp5sRQp1-1&scaling=min-zoom&content-scaling=fixed&pageid=0%3A1 (p. 25). A different poll from early November found that 54% of Israeli Jews preferred to continue fighting in Lebanon, https://www.idi.org.il/articles/57041 . 27 https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/definition 28 https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/definition 29 https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240126-ord-01-00-en.pdf ; https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/26/gaza-world-court-orders-israel-prevent-genocide 30 https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227078791/icj-israel-genocide-gaza-palestinians-south-africa ; https://www.newarab.com/news/icjruled-plausible-genocide-israel-gaza-what-next ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/26/world-courts-interim-ruling-ongenocide-in-gaza-key-takeaways-icj-israel ; https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-gaza-genocide-case-at-un-international-court-ofjustice-icj/ ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/key-takeaways-world-court-decision-israei-genocide-case-2024-01-26/ 31 https://www.thepresidency.gov.za/south-africa-delivers-evidence-israel-genocide-icj ; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/28/south-africas-legal-team-says-intent-is-clear-in-israels-gaza-genocide ; the result of almost 100 people working on the case for nine months. It is the first time genocide allegations are presented while the atrocities are unfolding, are benefited by real-time documentation, and implicate a state backed by the West. 32 https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/151/97/pdf/n2415197.pdf 33 https://www.un.org/unispal/document/gaza-is-running-out-of-time-un-experts-warn-demanding-a-ceasefire-to-prevent-genocide/ ; https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/gaza-un-experts-call-international-community-prevent-genocide-against 34 https://unipd-centrodirittiumani.it/en/news/United-Nations-Anatomy-of-a-genocide-Report-of-the-Special-Rapporteur-on-thesituation-of-human-rights-in-the-Palestinian-territories-occupied-since-1967-Francesca-Albanese-2024/6900; https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/279/68/pdf/n2427968.pdf (section 84); see also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/31/un-should-consider-suspending-israel-over-genocide-against-palestinians-says-specialrapporteur ; https://tribunemag.co.uk/2024/11/if-this-is-not-genocide-what-is-francesca-albanese-palestine 12 characteristics of genocide”.35 Professional analyses of academic centers for Human Rights reached the same conclusion.36 An important Mediterranean human rights organization accepted the conclusion of genocide based on a large amount of evidence.37 A federal judge in California – i.e. a representative of the federal US – ruled in January 2024 that Israel’s actions are “plausibly” genocide.38 Many scholars have framed the situation through the question of genocide, with many accepting that definition. Already a week after the beginning of the war, over 800 scholars and practitioners of international law, conflict studies and genocide studies warned of the possibility of genocide against Palestinians.39 Experts before40 and after41 the January 2024 Order have pointed out that Israel’s behavior in the war included both action and intent, necessary for the definition of genocide.42 A June 2024 poll of 758 mostly American scholars who work on the Middle East found that 34% defined the situation as genocide, with another 41% defining it as “major war crimes akin to genocide”.43 The Board of Directors of the Middle East Studies Association accused Israel of using “genocidal violence” and engaging in “cultural genocide”.44 A year into the war, several experts who hesitated whether this was a case of genocide early in the war became convinced the legal requirements for genocide have been met.45 Individual scholars spoke or wrote publicly as well.46 A few Israeli academic experts accepted that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.47 As of writing, the question has only recently entered Israeli discourse.48 I discuss my own specific reasoning for using the term genocide to describe Israel’s actions in an appendix to this document. 35 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/un-special-committee-finds-israels-warfare-methods-gaza-consistent-genocide ; https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a79363-report-special-committee-investigate-israeli-practices-affecting ; https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/271/19/pdf/n2427119.pdf (#69-70). 36 https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/genocide-in-gaza 37 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6494 38 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/01/genocide-gaza-israel-california-court. The court dismissed the case as the issue was outside its jurisdiction, since the plaintiffs were asking the court to rule on US foreign policy. 39 https://twailr.com/public-statement-scholars-warn-of-potential-genocide-in-gaza/ 40 https://time.com/6334409/is-whats-happening-gaza-genocide-experts/ ; Segal, Raz, and Luigi Daniele. 2024. “Gaza as Twilight of Israel Exceptionalism: Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Unprecedented Crisis to Unprecedented Change.” Journal of Genocide Resear ch, 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2024.2325804 ; https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/16/raz_segal_textbook_case_of_genocide ; https://www.ohchr.org/en/pressreleases/2023/11/gaza-un-experts-call-international-community-prevent-genocide-against 41 https://www.justsecurity.org/91457/top-experts-views-of-intl-court-of-justice-ruling-on-israel-gaza-operations-south-africa-v-israelgenocide-convention-case/ ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/134005/ ; also https://twitter.com/drtlaleng/status/1784503409665577016 ; https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/06/06/is-israel-committing-genocide-aryeh-neier/ 42 https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/definition 43 16% defined it as major war crimes but not akin to genocide. Only 4% thought Israel’s actions were justified under its right to selfdefense. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/ 44 https://mesana.org/advocacy/letters-from-the-board/2024/03/11/mesa-board-joint-statement-with-caf-regarding-the-ongoinggenocidal-violence-against-the-palestinian-people-and-their-cultural-heritage-in-gaza 45 https://www.vox.com/politics/378913/israel-gaza-genocide-icj 46 E.g. https://x.com/martinshawx/status/1820389008880361676. See more examples in: https://x.com/NimerSultany/status/1857404113794802128 47 Raz Segal: https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide ; Amos Goldberg: https://jacobin.com/2024/07/amos-goldberggenocide-gaza-israel ; Omer Bartov: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/a-holocaust-scholar-meets-with-israeli-reservists ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/13/israel-gaza-historian-omer-bartov ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/138983/. Daniel Baltman: https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-11-09/ty-article-opinion/.premium/00000193-06cf-d3a2-a3d7-4fcf3c7b0000 (“between a murderous ethnic cleansing and a genocide”); Itamar Mann: https://www.facebook.com/itamar.mann/posts/pfbid02oWqNNQzNKccAzy3UfSo7NxMhmkzhDGGA5iW1SJghUmQSHcgUiYwASBEwTewH upQWl ; Adam Raz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBGsDTHaM9k . Others are more reserved but appear to be leaning towards that conclusion: https://www.regthink.org/in-the-region6/ ; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623528.2024.2418670 ; https://www.regthink.org/genocidal-intentions/ ; a few Israelis have attempted to argue against the case of genocide: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-genocide-claim-against-israel-doesnt-add-up . 48 The first opinion piece in mainstream Israeli media I know of that reached a positive answer was published in November 2024: https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-11-12/ty-article-opinion/.premium/00000193-1a46-df19-a3fb-3ece00e40000 ; this was likely also the first time the allegation was made on an Israeli TV channel as part of a comedy show: https://youtu.be/0VacZWeZtE?si=abIgcojF2MdXKcTw&t=1377 13 Some international institutions that have evaluated the situation independently described Israel’s actions as war crimes or crimes against humanity. In May 2024, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has requested arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, and Yoav Gallant, its Defense Minister, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and repeated that request on multiple occasions.49 In November 2024, the ICC finally issued its warrants of arrest against both Netanyahu and Gallant, citing the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.50 An Independent International Committee of the UN Human Rights Council concluded in June 2024 that Israel’s actions consist of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination and ethnic cleansing that were conducted with intent.51 The same group repeated its conclusions in harsher language in October 2024, stating that Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination, as well as other crimes against humanity (including forced disappearance, torture and rape) and war crimes.52 A major human rights NGO examined Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and concluded that it amounted to a crime against humanity.53 In a case that began long before the war, the ICJ declared in July 2024 that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories (the West Bank and Gaza) is unlawful, noting also that Israel exercised key elements of authority over Gaza even before October 7.54 The court also decided that Israel must bring its unlawful presence to an end as rapidly as possible, cease all settlement activities, and is obliged to make reparation for the damage caused to people in the occupied Palestinian territories.55 This decision drew some attention in Israel, with some rare 49 The Prosecutor also requested arrest warrants for three Hamas officials, at least two of whom were killed subsequently. For the original request: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state . For additional requests, see: https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/0902ebd180949087.pdf and coverage at https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/skmacia3r; https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-arrest-warrant-israel ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/skdoktlsr. For Israel’s response, see: https://x.com/just_security/status/1843276793912209507 and an analysis at: https://x.com/AdHaque110/status/1843382278371848291 . For other arguments against the arrest warrants see: https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/0902ebd180920f26.pdf . Note also the general repeated and unjustified delays and procrastinations in the ICC’s dealings with Palestine as described in https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6494 (pp. 91-93). The delays have been formally criticized, see: https://www.icc-cpi.int/court-record/icc-01/18-369 50 https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges . The decision was received with widespread critique by top Israeli officials, who described it as “outrageous… no war is more just than the war Israel has been waging in Gaza”, “false and absurd”, “a dark day for justice”, “shameful”. See for examples: https://x.com/yoavgallant/status/1859656508193030496 ; https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/1859607527412904186 ; https://x.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/1859578515487592658 ; https://x.com/YairGolan1/status/1859572170419995031 (head of the Labor-Meretz union). US President Joe Biden said the same, see also: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/21/icc-issues-arrest-warrant-for-benjamin-netanyahu-israel 51 https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-12/ty-article/.premium/00000190-0a69-d0f9-a1d5-da691e1f0000 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/immense-scale-gaza-killings-amount-crime-against-humanity-un-inquiry-says-2024-06-12/ ; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl55gzp7vn9o . Note also a contemporary report by the UN Human Rights on specific Israeli operations during the war, which received a rare response by Israel (who rejected it): https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/countries/opt/20240619-ohchr-thematic-report-indiscrim-disprop-attacks-gaza-oct-dec2023.pdf ; https://embassies.gov.il/UnGeneva/NewsAndEvents/MediaStatements/Documents/Israel-Initial-Response-OHCHRBackground-Note-June2024-PUBLIC.pdf 52 https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-israel/index ; report at: https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/262/79/pdf/n2426279.pdf (#89, 94, 98, 102, 105, 108, 109, 110; note also the accusation of Hamas at #112); coverage at: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-inquiry-accuses-israel-crime-extermination-destructiongaza-health-system-2024-10-10/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-10/ty-article/.premium/00000192-76c5-d7ad-afd3- 76ef87b70000 53 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/14/israel-accused-of-crimes-against-humanity-over-forced-displacement-in-gaza ; https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/14/hopeless-starving-and-besieged/israels-forced-displacement-palestinians-gaza ; https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2024/11/gaza_displacement1124web_0.pdf 54 https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf (#88-94) 55 https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf (#285) 14 acknowledgement that war crimes were committed in the West Bank.56 A year after the beginning of the war, an NGO filed a major complaint with the ICC against 1,000 IDF soldiers (individually identified by name) for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for their actions in Gaza. The complaint was said to be supported by over 8,000 pieces of verifiable evidence.57 Formal complaints by the NGO led to tangible results.58 Key international officials have used very strong words to describe the effects of the war. The UN Security General stated that “The suffering endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza is beyond imagination”.59 The Prosecutor at the ICC and the Spokesperson for UNICEF have both described Gaza as “hell on earth”.60 Other officials have said similar things.61 Institutions like the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have stated in a report that the impacts of the war have set back development in Gaza by decades.62 Other international institutions have taken action to stop the war because of these and other infractions. Since the situation in the Gaza Strip continued to deteriorate in February and March 2024,63 the UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza in late March.64 This was followed by additional ICJ provisional measures three days later, calling upon Israel to ensure aid deliveries, basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.65 Another UN Security Council resolution in June 2024 called for a ceasefire as well.66 As of writing, Israel has not changed its policy in a substantive manner since these decisions even if the overall rate of killing has decreased due to the general slowdown of the active fighting in the war.67 The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel in September 2024 (124 in favor, 12 against).68 Several European countries, including those which have had close relations with Israel such as Germany and the United Kingdom, have begun to limit the arms they send to Israel.69 In October 2024, The editorial board of Financial Times urged the US to stop supplying Israel with offensive weapons.70 In November 2024, 52 countries (and two organizations) – including Russia and China – signed a letter calling for an arms 56 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1814790277053243765 (the passive is purposeful as it is unclear whether the speaker thought the perpetrators are settlers or Israel more broadly, i.e. the military and perhaps also the political class). 57 https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/perpetrators/archives/10-2024; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/law/2024-10-16/tyarticle/.premium/00000192-947a-d2db-ab97-ddfb40800000 58 https://x.com/HindRFoundation/status/1858485122263093445 ; https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/article/16802240 59 https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22400.doc.htm 60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvEgS8RLOBQ; https://x.com/UNGeneva/status/1847322016975552784 61 United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process called the situation a “nightmare” https://x.com/TWennesland/status/1847950734534254989 ; for quotes by the UN Human Rights, UNICEF, UNOCHA and the UN Rapporteur on Right to Food: https://x.com/AssalRad/status/1850360530730709105 ; head of the Norwegian Refugee Council described families, women and children as enduring “almost unparalleled suffering to anywhere in recent history”: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/nov/08/gaza-unparalleled-suffering-jan-egeland-norwegian-refugee-council-aid-ceasefire-hostages-peace-process 62 https://www.undp.org/press-releases/new-un-report-impacts-war-have-set-back-development-gaza-much-69-years ; https://www.undp.org/arab-states/publications/gaza-war-expected-socio-economic-impacts-state-palestine-october-2024 63 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/how-israel-defied-icj-provisional-measures ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/11/israeli-human-rights-groups-icj-gaza-aid-ruling 64 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147931 65 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148096 66 https://www.reuters.com/world/un-security-council-vote-plan-israel-hamas-ceasefire-2024-06-10/ 67 In the first three months of the war (Oct. 7 – Dec. 31, 2023) over 22,000 Palestinians were killed. In the last three months as of writing (Sept.-Nov. 2024) about 3,500 Palestinians were killed. These numbers do not include excess mortality. For mortality, see https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-26-november-2024. 68 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-09-18/ty-article/.premium/un-demands-israel-end-unlawful-presence-in-palestinian-territories-within-12-months/00000192-05bd-df16-afbe-6dfdee0d0000 69 Germany: https://www.shomrim.news/hebrew/german-embargo ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1nfq9vp0 ; the UK: https://www.npr.org/2024/09/03/nx-s1-5098300/uk-suspends-arms-israel ; the Netherlands: https://www.reuters.com/world/dutch-highest-court-advised-uphold-ruling-export-ban-f-35-components-israel-2024-11-29/ 70 https://www.ft.com/content/cbe18019-752f-4770-be40-fe4b2dc5abd7 15 embargo on Israel.71 At the same time, the pope suggested that the international community investigate whether Israel was committing genocide.72 On several key occasions, Israel has obstructed international investigations.73 This has obfuscated the reality on the ground. The fact that over a year into the war Israel has provided almost no investigations or reports of its own, even with regards to high-profile cases, suggests that the absence of precise information is in its interests (on this see also the Media section below).74 Israel has also lashed out against key international officials, going as far as to declare the UN Secretary-General as “persona non grata” and banning him from entering the country.75 Israel’s heavy-handed approach during the war also caused significant harm to human rights within its own borders. An Israeli NGO demonstrated that the Israeli government has undermined the foundations of the country’s democracy, has infringed on right of freedom of speech of its critics, has persecuted its Arab minority, distributed arms to untrained citizens, normalized citizen surveillance, accelerated the occupation in the West Bank and has violated the rights of suspects and prisoners.76 Although these are not the focus of my report, they are an important consequence of this war which I touch upon in several sections below (e.g. Media, Hostages). Israel’s conduct during the war has repeatedly and systematically destroyed existing laws and norms that aimed to regulate “civilized” warfare in recent decades.77 As discussed throughout this document, the UN Security Council has demanded an immediate ceasefire: Israel refused. The ICJ has obligated Israel to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid: Israel refused. International humanitarian law states that it is illegal to use the starvation of civilian populations as a form of warfare: Israel has been doing this for over a year. Indiscriminate bombing is similarly illegal yet practiced by Israel since the beginning of the war. Attacking hospitals is illegitimate – and yet Israel attacked every hospital in Gaza (as well as assassinated patients in a West Bank hospital and attacked Lebanese hospitals). Embassies are supposed to be off-limits, and yet Israel bombed a foreign embassy (Iran) in a different country (Syria).78 The widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure is illegal: Israel continues to do so today. The widespread use of AI is extremely controversial (has not been regulated yet)79: Israel did so matter-of-factly, while almost completely trusting the results of an automatic system for identifying targets. Norms regarding collateral damage were destroyed as Israel was willing to kill hundreds of uninvolved civilians to reach a single 71 https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/11/05/52-countries-led-by-turkiye-urge-the-un-to-call-for-an-arms-embargo-on-israel/ 72 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/world/europe/2024-11-17/ty-article/.premium/00000193-3a08-db66-aff3-7eab22680000 ; https://apnews.com/article/pope-vatican-gaza-israel-genocide-book-62907898cead13dbcfd603592263904c 73 For example: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf (section 2) 74 This is also the case for the events of Oct. 7. On the heated question of rape, for example, the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict conducted a preliminary investigation and recommended “fully-fledged investigations into all alleged violations”, https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/report/mission-report-official-visit-of-the-office-of-the-srsg-svc-to-israel-and-the-occupied-west-bank-29-january-14-february-2024/20240304-Israel-oWB-CRSV-report.pdf (e.g. sections 19-20, 88). The UN Special Representative repeated her call on Oct. 7, 2024, describing it as “of vital importance”: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/statement-special-rep-sexual-violence-07oct24/ . Israel has not released an official report regarding this issue. It has, however, bestowed its highest civil prize, the “Israel Prize”, upon an academic who was supposed to release such a report. The said report has not been published as of writing. See https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/skt8j03rt ; this case is described in more detail below. 75 This was done by Israel Katz, then Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs: https://x.com/Israel_katz/status/1841422324890812763 ; https://x.com/jeremyscahill/status/1841486527693459872 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/war-2023/2024-10-02/ty-articlelive/00000192-4a04-d07b-aff3-5fe6f4cd0000?liveBlogItemId=877119090#877119090 76 https://www.acri.org.il/post/_1128 77 Originally based on: https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1774872023098888465 78 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/02/world/middleeast/iran-israel-damascus-strike.html 79 https://www.arabnews.com/node/2488606/world ; https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/04/11/israels-use-of-aiin-gaza-is-coming-under-closer-scrutiny ; https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2024/09/04/the-risks-and-inefficacies-of-ai-systems-inmilitary-targeting-support/ 16 high value target. The lack of a forceful response by many countries to the destruction of these norms has normalized this behavior. Context The Gaza Strip is a tiny piece of land, consisting of some 365 square kilometers, less than half the size of New York City and less than a quarter the size of London. Its population is about 2.3 million,80 making it one of the most densely populated polities on the planet (over 6,000 people/square kilometer – slightly less than Hong Kong and Singapore).81 About 70% of the population descend from refugees who fled Mandatory Palestine to Gaza during the 1948 war (“Nakba”).82 Since 2007 Israel had laid siege on the Gaza Strip, severely limiting the movement and trade in/out of the Strip in a move that destroyed its economy and the livelihoods of many of its inhabitants.83 Periodic rounds of violence – with major escalations in 2008/9, 2012, 2014 and 2021 – disrupted any recovery in the Strip.84 In 2022, poverty levels in Gaza reached 65%, while unemployment was 45%.85 Israel has long controlled Gaza’s borders, communications, electricity, water and even population registry.86 Even before the war, it continuously surveilled Gazans’ movements and their communications, including all phone calls and all internet use.87 The United Nations, human rights organizations, government ministries (including in the US and the UK) and legal scholars all saw Gaza as an occupied territory under the control of Israel even before the war.88 These features as well as Gaza’s geography and demography exacerbate the crisis I outline below. Israel, already before the current war, has been described as an apartheid state by leading human rights organizations following serious and well documented reports (Human Rights Watch,89 Amnesty International,90 and B’Tselem91). As a term, apartheid is taken from a South African context and means two parallel systems of political rights. In the case of Israel, the term refers to a system that cements the supremacy or domination of Jews over Palestinians.92 Apartheid has been defined 80 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-87 81 https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/singapore ; https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/hong-kong/ 82 https://www.ochaopt.org/sites/default/files/gaza_thematic_6_0.pdf 83 https://www.unicef.org/mena/documents/gaza-strip-humanitarian-impact-15-years-blockade-june-2022 ; https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/14/gaza-israels-open-air-prison-15 84 https://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip 85 https://unctad.org/news/gaza-unprecedented-destruction-will-take-tens-billions-dollars-and-decades-reverse 86 https://features.gisha.org/gaza-up-close/ . Notably, Israel also de facto controls Gaza’s border with Egypt, as it has the right to dispute entrance from Egypt by any person and limit entrance of goods. On this see https://www.gisha.org/userfiles/File/publications/Rafah_Report_Eng.pdf (pp. 143-147); https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/15/rafah-border-crossing-could-egypt-open-it-to-fleeing-palestinians ; https://theconversation.com/egypts-rafah-crossing-is-a-lifeline-to-palestinians-living-in-gaza-but-opening-it-is-still-unresolved-215718 ; https://rsf.org/en/rsf-investigation-how-egypt-complicit-reporting-blockade-gaza 87 https://theintercept.com/2023/10/12/israel-gaza-internet-access/; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/technology/israel-facialrecognition-gaza.html ; https://www.mei.edu/publications/nowhere-hide-impact-israels-digital-surveillance-regime-palestinians ; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-can-monitor-every-telephone-call-west-bank-and-gaza-intelligence-source ; https://newlinesmag.com/argument/how-changes-in-the-israeli-military-led-to-the-failure-of-october-7/ 88 Long list of references in https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/publications/genocide-in-gaza (paragraph 20). Also: Sanger, Andrew (2011). “The Contemporary Law of Blockade and the Gaza Freedom Flotilla”. In M.N. Schmit, Louise Arimatsu; Tim McCormack (eds.). Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law 2010. Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law. Vol. 13. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 429-431. Also https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/gaza-israel-occupied-international-law/ . And more recently, as determined by the ICJ: https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf (sections 86-94). 89 https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution 90 https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/5141/2022/en/ 91 https://www.btselem.org/topic/apartheid 92 For a longer discussion of the term, see https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimesapartheid-and-persecution 17 as a crime against humanity in an International Convention in 1973.93 While the West Bank and Gaza have long been declared as areas under apartheid, the aforementioned reports found that apartheid also existed in Israeli sovereign territory (i.e. within the 1967 borders). Israelis tend to agree with this characterization of Israel. Several Israeli leaders, including former Prime Ministers and heads of security organizations, have used the term apartheid, or close descriptions, to refer to the political reality.94 A 2012 poll found that back then 58% of Israelis believed Israel was already practicing apartheid against Palestinians, 69% said that if Israel annexed the West Bank the local Palestinians should be denied the right to vote, 49% thought Jewish citizens should be treated better than Arab (i.e. Palestinian) citizens, and 47% wanted to transfer some of Israel’s Arab population to the Palestinian Authority.95 In the decade before Oct. 7, Israeli analysts and officials have referred to their strategy against Palestinians as “mowing the lawn” (or grass), i.e. periodically degrading their abilities, a de-humanizing term that percolated into the language of high Israeli officials.96 Israel’s justice system was one-sided and biased against Palestinians well before the beginning of the war as well. Between 2017-2021 for example, Israeli security forces killed 614 civilians and injured 76,340 (according to the UN).97 The military justice system received 1,260 complaints regarding Israeli soldiers’ conduct towards Palestinians, including at least 409 cases of Palestinian deaths. Of these only 248 investigations were opened, and only 11 of those investigations resulted in indictments. Only three of the indictments included the killing of Palestinians (out of 409 cases or 614 deaths), and the few soldiers found guilty received minor punishments.98 All of the above has facilitated many of the policies and actions I discuss below. 93 https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity/crimes/Doc.10_International%20Convention%20on%20the%20Suppression%20and%20Punishment%20of%20the%20Crime%20of%20Apa rtheid.pdf 94 https://palestine.beehiiv.com/p/15-former-israeli-leaders-call-apartheid 95 https://www.haaretz.com/2012-10-23/ty-article/.premium/israelis-say-no-vote-to-arabs-if-w-bank-annexed/0000017f-f55e-d460-afffff7e683c0000 96 The term appears to have been coined in an academic article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01402390.2013.830972. This approach is common in Israeli discourse, see: https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Mowing-the-grass-in-Gaza-368516 ; https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyvnkorgn; https://besacenter.org/the-end-of-mowing-the-grass-if-israel-wants-to-continue-to-exist-it-must-uproot-hamas-from-gaza/ ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/14/israel-gaza-history/ ; https://warontherocks.com/2014/08/israel-and-the-demise-of-mowing-the-grass/ . More examples here: https://x.com/BeckyCNN/status/1832069899780325818 97 https://www.mekomit.co.il/%d7%94%d7%a1%d7%99%d7%9b%d7%95%d7%99-%d7%9c%d7%9b%d7%aa%d7%91- %d7%90%d7%99%d7%a9%d7%95%d7%9d-%d7%a0%d7%92%d7%93-%d7%97%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9c- %d7%a9%d7%a4%d7%92%d7%a2-%d7%91%d7%a4%d7%9c%d7%a1%d7%98%d7%99/ 98 https://www.mekomit.co.il/%d7%94%d7%a1%d7%99%d7%9b%d7%95%d7%99-%d7%9c%d7%9b%d7%aa%d7%91- %d7%90%d7%99%d7%a9%d7%95%d7%9d-%d7%a0%d7%92%d7%93-%d7%97%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9c- %d7%a9%d7%a4%d7%92%d7%a2-%d7%91%d7%a4%d7%9c%d7%a1%d7%98%d7%99/ 18 The massacre of Palestinians Last updated: June 18, 2024 Numbers and ratios As of June 14, Israel has killed over 37,266 Gazans – over 1.5 percent of the total population of Gaza.99 This death toll is conservative and will almost certainly increase.100 The number is accepted by Israeli officials (see discussion below)101 and media.102 The number does not over ten thousand missing people, many still buried under the rubble.103 It also does not include any individuals whose death was not reported to Gaza’s overwhelmed health ministry.104 According to the available public data some 60% of the deaths in Gaza are of women, children, and the elderly. 105 As of mid May, 7,797 identified children had already been killed.106 85,102 people (over 3 percent of Gaza’s population) have been injured.107 Polls among Palestinians in southern Gaza in late March and late May found that about 60% of respondents lost a member of their family during the war.108 Israeli spokespersons themselves have estimated that two civilians have died for each Hamas militant, and stated that it is a justified ratio.109 In reality, the ratio is likely worse and civilian deaths could reach 75% and even more of the total death count.110 An NGO had estimated in January that some 92% of deaths were of civilians, while a Hamas member in Qatar claimed the organization lost 99 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-179-gaza-strip 100 https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99- %D7%94%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%94- %D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%94-%D7%92%D7%91%D7%95%D7%94%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A4%D7%99- %D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%95/ 101 https://www.politico.eu/article/israels-netanyahu-says-he-will-defy-bidens-red-line-and-invade-rafah/ (at least 26,000 Palestinians killed as of early March); https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/us/politics/netanyahu-schumer-israel.html (28,000 Palestinians in late March); https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%90-%D7%91%D7%93%D7%A7-%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%90- %D7%A9%D7%93%D7%99%D7%95%D7%95%D7%97%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%91%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%91/ ; more confirmations by the IDF in March and April: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-the-dead-779ff694 102 https://www.maariv.co.il/news/world/Article-1095370 103 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024; see also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/08/the-numbers-that-reveal-the-extent-of-the-destruction-in-gaza ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/08/relatives-anguish-tens-of-thousands-missing-in-gaza-war ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6264 104 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-the-dead-779ff694 105 https://t.me/MOHMediaGaza/5224 ; the Ministry of Health claims 72% of deaths are of women and children. It counts deaths through identifying corpses (17,624 in this report) and because connections with the North are broken, uses “reliable media sources” (unspecified) for the others (14,602 in this report). The 56% number derives from the distribution of actual deaths counted. The Ministry does not explain the discrepancy. For the 56% number see here: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-thedead-779ff694 (I divided the 8% of elderly by 2). The ratio of women and children deaths has decreased over time: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-casualties-toll-65e18f3362674245356c539e4bc0b67a 106 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 ; note the drop from an earlier estimated children mortality of some 14,500 to some 7,797 identified children deaths out of some 24,686 identified dead. 107 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-179-gaza-strip 108 60% in March: http://pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2091%20English%20press%20release%2020%20March%202024.pdf (p. 6); 61% in May: https://pcpsr.org/en/node/980 109 https://cnn.com/2023/12/05/middleeast/israel-hamas-military-civilian-ratio-killed-intl-hnk/index.html 110 This article suggests that Israel killed only 1-2,000 Hamas fighters by late November, at a time where mortality in Gaza was reported to be over 14,500. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/26/idf-messaging-suggests-gaza-truce-unlikely-to-last-much-beyondtuesday ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-47 . Also some ~60% of the dead were women, children and the elderly (see above), and it is likely that based on the high mortality among those groups, a significant number of the men who were killed were not militants. This Wall Street Journal article states that Israel estimates that more that a third of the deaths have been militants, but that US intelligence officials seem to believe the actual ratio is considerably less: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-israels-unprecedented-intelligence-sharing-draws-criticism-a85979b4. Anecdotally, the testimony of doctors returning from Gaza further indicates the majority of children among the injured (70-75% elementary school age or younger) as well as the low number of military age males (a handful according to one); both doctors believed none of the people they treated were militants: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/11/surgeons_in_gaza. The reliability of the Gaza death count is discussed in depth below. 19 some 6,000 militants in February (meaning some 80% of deaths were of civilians), although the group later rejected that claim.111 According to the key investigative report on the subject, Israel knows well the amount of civilians that will be hit by its attacks and proceeds to bomb buildings with little oversight, often through employing an artificial intelligence system (“The Gospel”). The number of acceptable civilians harmed by strikes against military targets (“collateral damage”) increased from dozens of civilians to hundreds of civilians.112 In some cases Israel assassinated a Hamas commander by bombing of a densely populated area that killed over a hundred civilians and wounded hundreds more.113 For comparison, civilian deaths in combat in other 21st century wars were far lower. In Iraq, for example, Coalition (i.e. US and allies) forces were responsible for killing 11,516 civilians over five years (2003-2008; many more were killed in local ethnic warfare, for example through suicide bombings).114 In the first four years in Iraq, the US killed 18,832 militants.115 In Afghanistan, 46,319 civilians and 52,893 Opposition fighters were killed in the war over 20 years (2001-2021).116 Here too a large number of the civilians were killed by opposition forces rather than the US.117 International responses The rate of civilian deaths is shocking, particularly as it continues in real time and visual evidence for it is readily available online. The UN Secretary General has stated that “We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict [in recent years]”.118 The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated that there is no safe space in Gaza.119 A website documenting cases of civilian harm using open source information has gathered preliminary information about 3,000 incidents (some 650 have already been published), which is more than during the entirety of the war against ISIS, and concluded that “this is a conflict that is far more deadly for civilians than pretty much any other conflict we’ve seen in modern history”.120 Although the International Court of Justice Order that called upon Israel to take “all measures in its power” to prevent the killing of Palestinians on 26 Jan., as of writing Israel has continued to kill an average of some 75 Palestinians a day.121 A panel of UN experts stated in February that arms exports to Israel 111 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6093/On-100th-day-of-Gaza-genocide:-100,000-Palestinians-killed,-missing-or-wounded ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-six-week-drive-hit-hamas-rafah-scale-back-war-2024-02-19/ ; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68387864 112 https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/01/the-gospel-how-israel-uses-ai-to-select-bombing-targets ; also https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/myth-israels-moral-army ; https://www.jurist.org/features/2024/04/12/from-zionist-dream-to-dissent-an-interview-with-a-former-idf-captain-on-israeli-military-culture-personal-transformation-and-advocacy-for-change-part-3/ ; also https://news.walla.co.il/item/3660634 113 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/28/world/middleeast/jabaliya-gaza-strike-israel.html 114 Hicks et al. “Violent Deaths of Iraqi Civilians, 2003–2008: Analysis by Perpetrator, Weapon, Time, and Location” PLOS Medicine, 2011. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000415. Another study found 14,781 deaths over 8 years, Crawford, “Civilian Death and Injury in the Iraq War, 2003-2013”. Costs of War, 2013. https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2013/Civilian%20Death%20and%20Injury%20in%20the%20Iraq%20War%2 C%202003-2013.pdf 115 https://web.archive.org/web/20200727084052/https:/www.stripes.com/news/insurgent-body-count-records-released-1.69423 116 https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures/2021/human-and-budgetary-costs-date-us-war-afghanistan-2001-2022 117 https://unama.unmissions.org/protection-of-civilians-reports ; https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2020/Rising%20Civilian%20Death%20Toll%20in%20Afghanistan_Costs%20 of%20War_Dec%207%202020.pdf 118 https://twitter.com/UN_News_Centre/status/1726609880986083685 119 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-82 120 https://airwars.org/conflict/israel-and-gaza-2023/; https://twitter.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1776263272800354451 121 On Jan. 26 the death toll was 26,083. As of writing, the death toll was 37,266. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-103; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-153 20 are illegal and must stop immediately,122 while a Dutch court ordered a halt to export F-35 jet parts to Israel.123 In March, Canada declared it will stop selling arms to Israel because of its conduction of war in Gaza,124 and the UK’s Foreign Office received legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law yet has refrained so far from making this information public to avoid acting upon it.125 In April the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip,126 and backed a call for an arms embargo on Israel.127 Those countries that still sell arms to Israel (especially the US, as well as Germany and the UK) are under pressure to stop sales as well.128 In late April, a leaked US assessment revealed that several bureaus within the US government raised “serious concern over [Israel’s] non-compliance” with international humanitarian law and asserted that Israel’s assurances were “neither credible or reliable”. Among the potential violations were repeatedly striking protected sites and civilian infrastructure and “unconscionably high levels of civilian harm to military advantage”.129 In May, the ICJ ruled that Israel was to halt its military assault on Rafah and re-open the Rafah crossing to facilitate the movement of people and humanitarian aid.130 Israel refused, and in the following 48 hours, conducted more than 60 air raids on Rafah.131 In June, the UN Secretary General decided to include Israel in a blacklist of countries that harm children in conflict areas, alongside ISIS, Russia, Syria and Somalia.132 Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks Immediately at the beginning of the war, the Minister of Defense told soldiers that he released all restraints in conducting the war,133 while the IDF spokesperson stated that the IDF was “focused on what causes maximum damage” rather than accuracy.134 Already in late October, US officials knew that Israel was regularly bombing buildings without solid intelligence that they were legitimate military targets.135 About 40-45% of the air-to-ground munitions Israel dropped on Gaza by December were unguided.136 These bombs have a wide margin of error of about 100 feet around the target.137 When targeting junior militants marked by the IDF’s AI system, the army preferred to use such “dumb” bombs rather than precision bombs because of their lower cost, despite their more significant collateral damage. One IDF source claimed to have authorized the bombing of “hundreds” of private homes in such a manner. Frequently, the target was not even home when the bombing 122 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts 123 https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/dutch-court-orders-halt-export-f-35-jet-parts-israel-2024-02-12/ 124 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-19/ty-article/0000018e-584f-d88e-a39e-7dffc4580000 125 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/30/uk-government-lawyers-say-israel-is-breaking-international-law-claims-top-tory-in-leaked-recording 126 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/05/un-human-rights-council-israel-gaza-biden-netanyahu 127 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148261 128 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/world/europe/israel-weapons-sales-genocide.html 129 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/some-us-officials-say-internal-memo-israel-may-be-violating-international-law-2024-04- 27/ 130 https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/24/middleeast/israel-icj-gaza-rafah-south-africa-ruling-intl/index.html 131 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6348/Gaza:-After-ICJ-order-to-halt-attacks-on-Rafah,-Israel-launches-over-60-air-raids-on-the-city-in-48-hours 132 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-07/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-f35c-d1a2-a5ef-f35de63f0003 ; https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/095/07/pdf/n2409507.pdf 133 https://www.timesofisrael.com/gallant-israel-moving-to-full-offense-gaza-will-never-go-back-to-what-it-once-was/ ; https://www.foxnews.com/world/israels-defense-minister-removes-every-restriction-idf-prepares-ground-assault-gaza ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryxikl7z6 134 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/10/right-now-it-is-one-day-at-a-time-life-on-israels-frontline-with-gaza 135 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/biden-israel-gaza-rafah-palestinians/ 136 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/13/politics/intelligence-assessment-dumb-bombs-israel-gaza/index.html 137 https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf, paragraph 80. 21 happened, so that entire families were killed for no reason.138 In the first week of the war, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza.139 As of December, Israel dropped 29,000 weapons on Gaza. For comparison, the US military dropped 3,678 munitions on Iraq from 2004 to 2010.140 In the first 200 days of the war, it is estimated that Israel dropped more than 70,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip.141 During the first six weeks of the war, Israel used 2,000 pound bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians in at least 208 occasions.142 Especially during the beginning of the war, Israel used irregular shipments of 155mm shells that included shells dating to the 1950s, increasing the risk of missing the target and misfiring.143 In February, Amnesty International closely investigated four attacks that killed at least 95 civilians. All took place in the southern governate that was supposed to be safe at the time, and Amnesty found no indication that the buildings were legitimate military objectives or that people in the buildings were military targets.144 A similar report by Human Rights Watch in April investigated an attack of four aerial munitions over 10 seconds without warning that killed at least 106 civilians, including 54 children (“among the deadliest single incidents for civilians” in the war). The identities of all civilians have been confirmed. The NGO found no evidence for a military target in the vicinity of the building during the attack, and Israeli authorities provided no justification for it.145 In addition, Israel has commonly used drones in Gaza – including drones that launch grenades,146 suicide drones, 147 and drones that attack in swarms.148 Drones have also made the sounds of babies crying, perhaps to lure Gazans.149 These and other quadcopters have fired on civilians, with dozens of documented cases of purposefully killing civilians, as documented by a human rights group and witnessed by doctors, among others. 150 One doctor stated that quadcopters wounded 30 people who tried to reach a hospital in a single night.151 There are some indications that Israel has used thermobaric weapons, which have been internationally banned by several Conventions and international humanitarian law.152 138 https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ ; also https://twitter.com/WarWatchs/status/1783121782557352320 139 https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip/card/israeli-air-force-says-it-has-dropped-6-000-bombs-on-gaza-QK1aSnupiGqytMVO86PU 140 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-destruction-bombing-israel-aa528542 141 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6282/200-days-ofmilitary-attack-on-Gaza%3A-A-horrific-death-toll-amid-intl.-failure-to-stopIsrael’s-genocide-of-Palestinians. 142 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.html . For an example: https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/02/23/gaza-atrocities-investigation-warehouse-attack-karadsheh-pkg-vpx.cnn 143 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-03-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-5677-dc6f-adff-df77a73d0000 144 https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/israel-opt-new-evidence-of-unlawful-israeli-attacks-in-gaza-causing-mass-civilian-casualties-amid-real-risk-of-genocide/ 145 https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/04/gaza-israeli-strike-killing-106-civilians-apparent-war-crime 146 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFMz8KYS5rg ; https://x.com/yoavzitun/status/1792840386077171729 147 https://www.calcalist.co.il/internet/articles/0,7340,L-3741063,00.html?AF=3741062 148 https://news.walla.co.il/item/3439695 149 https://twitter.com/KufiyyaPS/status/1780669019659358244 150 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-israel-systematically-uses-quadcopters-kill-palestinians-close-distanceenar; https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/12/04/how-israel-is-using-drones-in-gaza; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israeli-quadcopters-hi-tech-weapon-menacing-palestinian-civilians ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/gaza-palestinian-children-killed-idf-israel-war; For general use of quadcopters see: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3mt9tEM2db/; https://www.instagram.com/dr.ahmed.moghrabi/p/C2rPxBJgz-q/ . For a broader survey of quadcopter use in Gaza: https://zeteo.com/p/israel-gaza-quadcopter-drone-warfare ; https://idanlandau.com/2024/05/21/%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%99%d7%9e%d7%93-%d7%94%d7%90%d7%a0%d7%9b%d7%99- %d7%95%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%99%d7%9e%d7%93-%d7%94%d7%90%d7%a0%d7%95%d7%a9%d7%99- %d7%94%d7%a8%d7%97%d7%a4%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%94%d7%99%d7%a9/ ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6357 ; see also the example here: https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1802436588246286588 151 https://x.com/GhassanAbuSitt1/status/1788570484981858793 152 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6290 22 A former UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights stated that the Israeli attack on Gaza has probably the highest kill rate of any military killing anybody since the Rwandan Genocide of 1994.153 Several doctors returning from volunteering in Gaza stated that the situation there is unprecedented, for example, “As humanitarian surgeons we thought we had seen all manner of cruelty in the world, but neither one of us has ever experienced anything like what we found when we arrived in Gaza.”154 Another doctor with 20 years of experience in humanitarian relief including in Iraq said that “I’ve seen combat in war zones… this is nothing like this… the amount of children that I’d seen is unprecedented… I’ve done more amputations and seen more traumatic amputations of children than I’ve seen during my entire career in the last two weeks… this is not like a war, this is just a complete and utter destruction”.155 Israel has used artificial intelligence (AI)-based programs to generate massive kill lists for assassination. The “Lavender” system is designed to mark all suspected operatives in Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including low-ranking ones, as potential bombing targets.156 As many as 37,000 Gazans were marked as suspected militants by the automated system at the beginning of the war, including children under the age of 17.157 An IDF source claimed they would devote only “20 seconds” to each target before authorizing a bombing, despite a high rate of errors in the system (~10%). The IDF systematically attacked targets at their homes, often at night with their whole families present, after tracking them with another AI system named “Where’s Daddy?”. In the first weeks of the war, it was permissible to kill up to 15 or 20 civilians (as opposed to 0 in the past) for every junior Hamas operative. When targeting senior officials the killing of more than 100 and up to 300 civilians was authorized.158 Experts in international humanitarian law expressed alarm at these ratios.159 For comparison, the number of permissible civilians deaths to kill Saddam Hussein was 29.160 When the US assassinated Bin Laden the authorized number of civilians was 30 while the number was 0 for most low-level commanders in the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.161 This massgeneration of targets was stopped later partly due to American pressure, 162 but subsequent attacks continued to be authorized despite knowing that many uninvolved citizens would be harmed.163 Mortality and impacts on groups in Palestinian society Since the beginning of the operation, Israel has killed dozens of children on average every day. 164 This number is greater than the number of children killed in conflict zones around the world over the 153 https://twitter.com/OwenJones84/status/1760286175699272027 ; https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/14/gaza-war-israel-civiliandeaths-urban-warfare-hamas/ 154 https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/surgeons-cruelty-israel-gaza ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEBcDUYtMts ; for a nurse see: https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1790111634930737387 ; https://x.com/tparsi/status/1796984162169086156 ; https://x.com/NourNaim88/status/1798622171125952937 155 https://twitter.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1790403949230784974 156 As a result of the pervasive dehumanization of Palestinians (see below), Israel has treated the results of the AI Lavender system as orders, without any requirement to independently check whether the person was a militant. As IDF sources explained, the software analyzes information about the entire 2.3 million residents of Gaza, giving almost every individual a 1-100 rating based on how likely they are to be militants. In the beginning of the war the IDF chose to follow the machine’s statistical mechanism instead of using human decision-making. https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/; https://www.geektime.co.il/idf-fights-hamas-with-ai-anddata-science/ 157 https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ 158 https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai-databasehamas-airstrikes 159 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai-database-hamas-airstrikes 160 https://www.businessinsider.com/saddam-husseins-life-was-deemed-worth-29-civilian-lives-as-the-us-invaded-iraq-2015-3 161 https://www.defensedaily.com/pentagon-removed-non-combatant-casualty-cut-off-value-doctrine-2018/pentagon/ 162 https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ 163 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-06-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018f-d796-d5f5-ad8f-f7f797740000 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/world/europe/carnage-and-contradiction-examining-a-deadly-strike-in-rafah.html 164 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 23 past three years combined, and is far greater than the rate of children killed in other 21st century wars.165 In the first month of the war (October) alone, the number of killed Gazan children was over 10 times more than the number of children killed in the entire first year of the Russia-Ukraine war.166 As UNICEF’s Executive Director put it, Gaza is “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child”. 167 UNICEF estimated in early February that at least 17,000 children are unaccompanied or separated from their parents.168 Children deaths are prominent in videos from Gaza, often filmed by their own families.169 In late February, the head of MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) stated in front of the UN Security Council that children as young as five told members of the organization that they would prefer to die than to continue to experience the displacement, fear and witnessing of the killing of their family members.170 A Gazan journalist wrote an open letter to Israeli society in which he narrated a case of a 6 year old boy who lay down to sleep under a truck and turned blue from the cold. When a passer-by woke him up and asked him what was he doing, the boy responded that he wanted the truck to drive over him in the morning because his entire family had been killed. The boy died the same day from hypothermia.171 A doctor returning from volunteering in a Gaza hospital said that 70-75% of the people he operated on were elementary school age or younger.172 150 journalists and media workers have been killed, more than the entirety of journalists killed in World War II, and at a rate higher than any other conflict over the past century.173 The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that there was a pattern of journalists in Gaza receiving threats, and subsequently their family members being killed. One journalist, for example, said that he received multiple calls from IDF officers who demanded that he stop his coverage and leave North Gaza, as well as voice messages that disclosed his location.174 For context, the IDF has killed at least 20 journalists in the 22 years preceding the current war. Despite numerous probes of the IDF into these cases, no one has ever been charged or held responsible for these deaths.175 As of April 15, 273 UN and aid workers have been killed.176 More than 100 university professors, including several leading Palestinian academics, have been killed.177 More than 243 athletes (of which 161 are footballers) have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank.178 498 health workers have 165 https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-3195-children-killed-three-weeks-surpasses-annual-number-children-killed-conflict-zones; 166 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5903/Number-of-Gazan-children-killed-in-under-a-month-is-10-times-higher-than-that-of-Ukrainian-children-killed-in-entire-first-year-of-Russia%E2%80%99s-ongoing-war. 167 https://www.unicef.org.uk/press-releases/statement-by-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-on-the-resumption-of-fighting-ingaza/ 168 https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/stories-loss-and-grief-least-17000-children-are-estimated-be-unaccompanied-or 169 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1760724513581584472; https://twitter.com/CensoredNws/status/1761662724331774349 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1762531665958547626 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1779765891745378434 170 https://www.msf.org/msf-briefing-gaza-un-security-council 171 https://twitter.com/AGvaryahu/status/1763102777423659018/photo/1 172 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/11/surgeons_in_gaza 173 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024; https://cpj.org/2024/01/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/how-deadly-is-the-israel-gaza-war-for-journalists;; see investigative report of the killing of two journalists, casting doubt on the IDF’s explanations here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/19/gaza-journalists-killed-israel-al-jazeera-footage/ ; a somewhat lower count (but with personal details) here: https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/palestine-at-least-ninety-nine-journalists-and-media-workers-killed-in-gaza 174 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/21/israel-idf-accused-targeting-journalists-gaza ; https://cpj.org/2024/03/attacksarrests-threats-censorship-the-high-risks-of-reporting-the-israel-hamas-war/ 175 https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CPJ-Special-Report-May-2023_Deadly-Pattern.pdf 176 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 177 https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf (#90); https://twitter.com/Timesofgaza/status/1744041205938409756; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1743662116614070495 ; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1745135460270096699; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6108/Israel-kills-dozens-ofacademics,-destroys-every-university-in-the-Gaza-Strip ; list with names at https://twitter.com/sawporg/status/1755224105249333643 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760047560025317563 ; also https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/un-experts-deeplyconcerned-over-scholasticide-gaza 178 https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/07/sporting-tragedy-war-in-gaza-israel-palestine 24 been killed.179 By June, 55 specialist doctors (4% of the total in Gaza) were killed.180 Israel’s attacks on hospitals have killed hundreds of Palestinians. More have died by lack of supplies181 or forced evacuations, including four premature babies in intensive care after the IDF forced the nurse taking care of them to leave when IDF soldiers reached the hospital. The babies were left in their beds and later found during the ceasefire in late November in a state of decomposition as nobody cared for them.182 The number of Palestinian deaths has led to digging graves and mass graves everywhere, including in formerly built areas and parks.183 Massacres, rules of engagement and examples Palestinian lives are incredibly cheap. Based on sources inside the IDF, an investigative report has pointed out that dead Palestinians are defined as “[Hamas] terrorists” based not on what they did but on where they were killed.184 Palestinians who were killed in an area near IDF forces, “the combat zone”, were often de facto shot on sight even if unarmed. A considerable number of these people were likely looking for food and other supplies after months of fighting.185 A video reveals how starving Gazans who rushed to collect airdropped aid were shot by IDF soldiers, with at least one of them shot dead.186 There are several filmed cases of Palestinians walking along the coasts and getting shot.187 The UNICEF spokesperson stated that as he was attempting to deliver aid, tanks came and shot up two nearby fishermen, adding that this was not a unique event in Gaza.188 A senior official in Israel’s security apparatus as well as IDF officers pointed out that there were no fixed rules of engagement and that different commanders developed their own rules in the field.189 One IDF reserve officer stated that “parts of Gaza are ex-territory… for some commanders, in junior ranks, the laws of the IDF and international law do not exist… the senior command is unaware of this or simply doesn’t seem to care”.190 There are many examples from Gaza for the results of IDF policy. In one case, a car with six civilians was attacked, killing four. A 15 year old girl called the Palestinian Red Crescent from the car, but was apparently killed during the conversation. When the Palestinian Red Cresent called back, her cousin Hind Rajab, a 6 year old girl, answered and stayed on the line, terrified and surrounded by her dead family members, for 3 hours. The Palestinian Red Crescent sent two paramedics to retrieve her, informing the IDF of their movement and receiving permission to proceed according to an agreed upon route. All connections with Hind and the paramedics were lost, and 12 days later the decomposing corpses of the girls and their family members were found in the car, while the paramedics were killed nearby when an IDF tank destroyed their ambulance about 50 meters away 179 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 ; list with names (up to March 11) at https://twitter.com/HCWWatch/status/1767666330252009517. 180 https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/israel-palestinians-gaza-health/ 181 https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-80-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem 182 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/03/gaza-premature-babies-dead-nasr/ 183 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1759600702886748387 ; https://twitter.com/omarsuleiman504/status/1769735691808743563 ; https://twitter.com/EuroMedHR/status/1783855639006986260 184 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-9035-d9a4-a7bf-dc7d839e0000 185 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-9035-d9a4-a7bf-dc7d839e0000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-9fa0-dbea-abde-bfe55d9e0000 186 https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1775960365630624249 187 https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1800790290783248589 188 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9nY-niPcD0 189 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-9035-d9a4-a7bf-dc7d839e0000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-9fa0-dbea-abde-bfe55d9e0000 190 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-07/ty-article/.highlight/0000018f-ef13-de64-a98f-efb768400000 25 from the car that were trying to reach. 191 In another case, IDF troops entered a family home and killed the two parents in sight of their children (aged 11, 9 and 5; the youngest, with cerebral palsy, lost his eye to a grenade the soldiers threw).192 In a different case, the IDF sent a handcuffed prisoner to deliver a message to evacuate a hospital in Khan Younis, then shot him as he tried to walk outside the gate.193 The IDF subsequently bombed the hospital.194 A detained Gazan had his hands zip-tied before driven over by an Israeli tank, potentially while he was still alive. An image of his mutilated corpse was shared on an Israeli telegram channel with a post stating that “You are going to love this!!!”.195 A human rights organization documented other occasions in which Israeli soldiers have deliberately driven over dozens of Palestinian civilians while they were alive.196 In another case, an IDF soldier shot and killed a Palestinian man with special needs in front of his mother in a Gaza hospital after the man shouted in fear and did not keep quiet as the soldier commanded.197 A different soldier killed an unarmed 73-year old Palestinian who signaled to him not to shoot. In response, the soldier’s commander said “He signaled ‘no no [with his hands]’ and you took him down? Excellent”.198 In a different case, a video filmed from an IDF drone shows the IDF killing four clearly unarmed Palestinians from afar as they walked in daylight amidst the rubble in Khan Younis.199 An Israeli soldier shared a video showing the killing of five other Palestinians walking in the rubble in North Gaza.200 A different video showed IDF soldiers shooting two unarmed Palestinian men before burying them in rubble with a bulldozer.201 Many doctors returning from Gaza have asserted that IDF snipers have shot at children, causing “single bullet wounds to the head or chest” that killed some of them.202 When the IDF evacuated a Gazan family by force from their building, forcing them to leave their grandmother, a 94-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer’s and unable to walk or speak, behind. The building was burned. Her charred remains were apparently found on her bed in the burned building.203 There are many similar stories of IDF soldiers purposefully killing civilians.204 191 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/10/im-so-scared-please-come-hind-rajab-six-found-dead-in-gaza-12-days-after-cry-forhelp; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/16/gaza_hind_rajab_palestine_red_crescent; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/10/world/middleeast/hind-rajab-gaza.html; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/10/body-of-6- year-old-killed-in-deliberate-israeli-fire-found-after-12-days ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/hind-rajab-israelgaza-killing-timeline/ 192 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RDXQapOtUg 193 https://theintercept.com/2024/02/14/gaza-nasser-hospital-evacuation-israel-prisoner/ ; https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-nasser-hospital-man-shot-dead-evacuation-warning-rcna139978 194 https://twitter.com/Ahmad_tibi/status/1758038092353503495 195 https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1763469843070697726; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israelpalestinian-ran-over-tank-images-suggest ; the man was later identified: https://twitter.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1783450571250262494 196 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6202; see also driving over Palestinian corpses: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israelsoldier-boasted-running-over-dead-palestinian-man-tank ; https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1771841529868358142 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1776064706639179811 197 https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-01/he-didnt-understand-disabled-man-shot-dead-in-gaza-hospital-by-idf 198 https://twitter.com/MatanGolanPhoto/status/1766586400558739508 ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dp95bN81Ww 199 https://twitter.com/GozukaraFurkan/status/1770919234278740269 200 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1770919159800402148 201 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1773065074162213322 202 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/gaza-palestinian-children-killed-idf-israel-war ; https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-02-16/rafah-gaza-hospitals-surgery-israel-bombing-ground-offensive-children ; https://www.rsn.org/001/not-a-normal-war-doctors-say-children-have-been-targeted-by-israeli-snipers-in-gaza.html ; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/11/surgeons_in_gaza ; https://www.itv.com/news/2024-04-24/i-operated-without-anaestheticbritish-surgeons-harrowing-gaza-account 203 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1770897340364095722 ; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israeli-army-forcesfamily-leave-94-year-old-grandmother-behind ; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1777521805420269651 204 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1761163980947558806 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771589516920238241 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772925436231598415 ; https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-02-16/rafah-gazahospitals-surgery-israel-bombing-ground-offensive-children ; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1779892829231140976 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1790893499115606334 26 Cases in which the IDF kills civilians almost never make the news in Israel and the United States. 205 An exception happened in early April, when the IDF killed 7 workers of the international NGO World Central Kitchen (all foreign citizens) within their clearly marked vehicles operating in full coordination with the IDF.206 A source from the IDF stated that a drone attacked the convoy of three vehicles because a Hamas person was thought to be in it (later investigation stated this was uncertain and the person simply appeared armed).207 After the first vehicle was bombed, some NGO workers left their vehicle and evacuated to a second vehicle, immediately notifying the IDF. Despite this, the second vehicle was bombed as well, and the survivors evacuated it to a third vehicle that was also bombed, killing them all.208 The images of the bombed vehicles were geo-located and the distance between the first and third bombing was 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles).209 This exception (alongside a few others I document here) suggests that in many similar occasions the IDF killed civilians with little oversight or consequences. Later in April, a UNICEF truck bringing humanitarian aid was hit by IDF fire (directed at nearby civilians) while a water truck operated by a Canadian NGO was bombed in a targeted attack. 210 The first international UN worker was killed in May when an Israeli tank attacked his vehicle, which was marked as a UN vehicle.211 A investigative report found that back in January, five Palestinian technicians were on their way to fix a cellular operator unit in Khan Younis, following coordination with the IDF. A tank in the area shot their vehicle, killing two. The investigative report found that the IDF spokesperson’s version of events is likely false.212 In one particularly notable event, the “flour massacre”, at least 115 civilians were killed and over 700 were injured as they attempted to get food from a convoy of lorries bringing in humanitarian aid.213 Palestinians claimed that the IDF shot them,214 while the IDF claimed that most casualties died because of overcrowding and the general mayhem in which the lorries run over the civilians.215 In both cases, the IDF, according to the rules of war as an occupying power, is legally responsible for the deaths of civilians. UN experts and human rights organizations,216 as well as the media,217 largely confirmed the Palestinian version of the story, partially because the IDF did not provide evidence to support their claims (an IDF video supposedly showing the event was clearly edited several times; the IDF refused to publish the full video) and testimonials from Gazans who experienced the massacre. The director of the al-Awda hospital claimed that the vast majority of injuries who came to receive treatment after the event (142 of 176) suffered from gunshot wounds.218 A CNN investigation found inconsistencies with, and cast further doubts on, the IDF’s version and leaned 205 For example: https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1780252222279840036 ; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/16/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-vows-response-to-iran 206 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-9e1e-d764-adff-9edf9cd00000 207 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-05/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-aca8-d906-a5cf-aebcb1100000 208 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-9e1e-d764-adff-9edf9cd00000 209 https://twitter.com/marcowenjones/status/1775125251149500706 210 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI3XydVerm8 ; https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/canadian-aid-truck-bombed-watergaza-1.7179849 211 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-69013439 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-23/tyarticle/.premium/0000018f-9c76-d6da-a1cf-ff76832b0000 212 https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/134512/ 213 https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/08/middleeast/gaza-flour-massacre-idf-report-intl/index.html 214 https://twitter.com/NaksBilal/status/1763188564823576868 ; https://twitter.com/idfonline/status/1763174751042695313 ; https://twitter.com/kaneez_e_zahrah/status/1763176424012230952 ; 215 https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/08/middleeast/gaza-flour-massacre-idf-report-intl/index.html 216 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/29/dozens-killed-injured-by-israeli-fire-in-gaza-while-collecting-food-aid; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68445973 ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/29/gaza-aid-trucks-death-tollexplainer ; https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/03/09/gaza-new-accounts-of-the-flour-massacre_6601904_4.html ; https://www.972mag.com/gaza-aid-convoy-massacre-testimonies/ 217 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6200 ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6200/In-press-conference,-Euro-Med-confirmsIsrael%27s-full-involvement-in-Gaza-flour-massacre ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/05/un-experts-condemn-israelimassacre-of-palestinians-collecting-flour 218 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1763221018103996559 ; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68445973 27 towards accepting the Palestinian version.219 A sample of 200 dead and injured victims found that they were hit by bullets of the diameter used by IDF troops.220 A subsequent report by the UN Committee of Human Rights reached the conclusion that the IDF is likely responsible for the deaths of civilians by firing at them.221 According to UN experts as well as online sources and videos, Palestinians seeking food were shot on many occasions on the days before and after the “flour massacre”.222 Israel’s National Security Minister nonetheless praised the IDF soldiers for their conduct during the event.223 International law stipulates that Israel is required to supply food and water in the areas where it is an occupying power.224 Notably in this context, Israel and the United States were the only two countries who voted against declaring food as a human right in the United Nations in 2021.225 A report by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor found that between mid January and late March, Israel killed a total of 563 Palestinians and injured 1,523. All of these were waiting for aid, were in or around distribution centers, or were responsible for organizing, protecting and distributing aid. 226 An NGO documented around 130 random mass graves of Palestinians across the Gaza Strip.227 Other corpses have been interred in improvised burials within built areas,228 with additional decomposed corpses229 and skeletons on the streets.230 Reports have “documented dozens of cases of field executions carried out by the Israeli army”.231 In one such event, on 19 Dec. IDF troops are said to have executed at least 19 unarmed Palestinian men in front of their family members.232 In another, over 30 Palestinian corpses were found in black plastic bags, blindfolded and handcuffed.233 Similar events took place in al-Shifa hospital, according to several eyewitness accounts (see also Zoom-In 1 below).234 Few of these cases have even been covered in Israeli media.235 219 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/09/middleeast/gaza-food-aid-convoy-deaths-eyewitness-intl-investigation-cmd 220 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6259/New-Report:-Killing-starving-Palestinians,-targeting-aid-trucks-is-a-deliberate-Israelipolicy-to-reinforce-famine-in-the-Gaza-Strip 221 https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf, paragraphs 240-249. 222 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/un-experts-condemn-flour-massacre-urge-israel-end-campaign-starvation-gaza; https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/03/09/gaza-new-accounts-of-the-flour-massacre_6601904_4.html ; https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1763651267237216587 ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6259/New-Report:- Killing-starving-Palestinians,-targeting-aid-trucks-is-a-deliberate-Israeli-policy-to-reinforce-famine-in-the-Gaza-Strip 223 https://twitter.com/itamarbengvir/status/1763196768458604583 . For the IDF’s own investigation, see: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1dmqvd6t; for a critique, see: https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/132587/ 224 https://guide-humanitarian-law.org/content/article/3/occupied-territory/ 225 https://press.un.org/en/2021/gashc4336.doc.htm 226 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6259/New-Report:-Killing-starving-Palestinians,-targeting-aid-trucks-is-a-deliberate-Israelipolicy-to-reinforce-famine-in-the-Gaza-Strip 227 https://www.reuters.com/pictures/all-cemeteries-are-full-palestinians-buried-mass-grave-gaza-2023-11-22/ ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6264 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1782115765790867492 ; https://twitter.com/EuroMedHR/status/1783855639006986260 228 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1769304583325483266 229 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poydd3EG_-8; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761369042596647177 ; https://twitter.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1773440806411546953 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1799849647059714303 230 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1772664508210655331 ; https://x.com/KufiyyaPS/status/1795870171237646833 (appears reliable) ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1796525578499088829 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1796550174111645766 ; https://x.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1798345071722684760 231 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6058/Euro-Med-Monitor-sends-UN-rapporteurs,-ICC-Prosecutor-primary-report-documentingdozens-of-field-execution-cases-in-Gaza; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-survivors-recount-harrowing-israeli-fieldexecutions ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1745259688801816854 ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5944/Israeli-armyexecutes-an-elderly-Palestinian-after-using-him-in-propaganda-campaign-about-its-%E2%80%98safe-corridor%E2%80%99-in-Gaza 232 https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unlawful-killings-in-gaza-city-ohchr-press-release/ ; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/20/palestinians-accuse-israeli-forces-of-executing-19-civilians-in-gaza 233 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/1/palestinians-demand-international-inquiry-after-mass-grave-found-in-gaza 234 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlerY4M9kQc 235 https://www.ynet.co.il/yedioth/article/yokra13792905; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/syv8bslop 28 The IDF has refrained from accountability or responsibility in the past. Not only does the Israeli security apparatus attempt to hinder the ability of Palestinians to file claims,236 but the ratio of indictments among those complaints that had been filed even before the war has been negligible. Among 1,260 complaints regarding Israeli soldiers harming Palestinians and their property between 2017 and 2021, less than 1% resulted in an indictment.237 In a January poll, two thirds of Israelis preferred to continue the war in its current form of excessive bombardment and violence.238 In a poll from February, about three quarters of Israeli Jews supported the continuation of the military operation to Rafah.239 A poll from March-April found that only 4% of Israeli Jews believe the military campaign has gone too far.240 236 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/magazine/israel-west-bank-settler-violence-impunity.html 237 https://www.npr.org/2024/05/15/1250417719/israel-military-idf-investigations-icc 238 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/52071 239 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/53276 240 https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2024/05/30/views-of-the-israel-hamas-war-may-2024/ 29 Causing the deaths of civilian populations Last updated: June 18, 2024 Israel has placed a stranglehold on the Palestinian population of Gaza since the beginning of the war.241 The absence of supplies in Gaza – a siege – has been the stated policy of top Israeli officials since the beginning of the war.242 Israel’s military operation have destroyed much of the local infrastructure for food production in Gaza (agricultural lands, greenhouses, fishing boats and food production facilities such as bakeries and manufacturing)243 as well as severely degrading, destroying or putting out of use much of the water infrastructure (wells, reservoirs and desalination plants).244 Throughout the war, only some 100-150 full truckloads have been allowed in daily,245 out of about 300 that are necessary for humanitarian needs (supply of food and water).246 Israel has weaponized humanitarian aid to Gaza, limiting its entrance to Gaza based on political reasoning which is often opaque.247 Trucks that attempt to enter the Strip encounter multiple problems as they try to do so, including attacks by the IDF.248 The list of items that are forbidden in the Gaza strip remains unclear six months into the war, but has included chocolate croissants, animal feed, nail clippers, toys in wooden boxes, and crutches.249 In one case, it took a UN organization three months to get approval to deliver 500 tons of animal feed.250 The UN’s humanitarian coordinator explained in April some of the ways in which Israel was impeding aid. For example, Israel required then that all aid trucks enter Gaza half full, and demanded a complete separation between Egyptian truck drivers (who crossed into Gaza, then unloaded and left) and Palestinian truck drivers (who would wait for the Egyptians to leave, come with trucks, load them, and deliver aid to UN warehouses). Food convoys to the North of the Strip – where the population is undergoing famine – are three times as likely to be denied than other humanitarian convoys with other types of material.251 In late March about 7,000 trucks were waiting on the Egyptian side of the border to bring supplies into the Strip because of Israel’s inefficient process of inspections (the average wait time is 20 241 https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine/244-stopping-famine-gaza 242 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/defense-minister-announces-complete-siege-of-gaza-no-power-food-or-fuel/ ; https://twitter.com/KnessetT/status/1716502486331113922 243 E.g. https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inflicting-unprecedented-suffering-and-destruction-seven-ways-the-government-of621591/, p. 9; https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf 244 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/flash-analysis-report-over-two-months-attacks-food-security-gazadecember-2023; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-167 245 https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZTVkYmEwNmMtZWYxNy00ODhlLWI2ZjctNjIzMzQ5OGQxNzY5IiwidCI6IjI2MmY2YTQxLTIwZTktND E0MC04ZDNlLWZkZjVlZWNiNDE1NyIsImMiOjl9&pageName=ReportSection3306863add46319dc574 ; the discrepancy with the Israeli numbers is probably the result of the Israeli numbers counting trucks entering, but also demanding that these trucks be only half full. 246 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147342; https://www.wfp.org/news/famine-imminent-northern-gaza-new-report-warns . For comparison, before the war, some 500 trucks entered Gaza daily with various supplies – about 200 truckloads of gas as well as 300 truckloads of commodities and food. In 2022, an average of 73 truckloads with food entered Gaza daily (as well as 24 truckloads with products such as livestock and animal feed). https://www.ochaopt.org/data/crossings 247 For example, under political pressure Israel eased its siege in early April: https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-says-israel-approvedreopening-of-20-bakeries-water-pipeline-in-northern-gaza/ ; https://twitter.com/HossamShabat/status/1779526925980995661 248 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-175 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/remarks-media-secretary-general ; https://edition.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/tug-ofwar/episodes/0e6112dc-ae58-11ee-8bd1-6f9c6607fa1d ; https://jewishcurrents.org/israel-policy-starvation-gaza-aid ; https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/20/world/middleeast/gaza-aid-delivery.html ; https://www.wfp.org/news/famineimminent-northern-gaza-new-report-warns ; https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterraneanmena/israelpalestine/244-stopping-famine-gaza 249 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/11/israel-aid-gaza-banned-blocked/ 250 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148296 251 https://twitter.com/ChronicBabak/status/1778616402280059360 ; https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1x/k1xkc2nwph 30 days). 252 In the first two weeks of March, for example, only half of the planned humanitarian missions to northern Gaza took place. The other half were denied by the IDF or postponed.253 The numbers were similar in May.254 Some of the food on these trucks rots during the long times they wait to enter Gaza.255 Beginning in February, Israel began to weaponize also the distribution of aid. In the first months of the war, Gaza’s civilian police was responsible for the internal distribution of aid, including through tasks such as guarding warehouses, accompanying convoys, and overseeing the actual distribution of aid. Israel’s underlying policy is to not differentiate between Hamas’ armed military wing and Hamas as the non-state actor governing Gaza – both are seen by Israel as the same terrorist organization. As a IDF officer stated “Hamas police is Hamas… and we won’t allow Hamas to control the humanitarian assistance”.256 In February, Israeli attacked several police cars, then dropped flyers that showed a destroyed police car with a message stating that Israel will not allow Hamas’ security apparatus to continue working.257 In response, police withdrew from this role. Ten days later, the UN aid delivery The World Food Program stopped aid delivery because of the collapse of civil order, followed by UNRWA.258 Both the US and the UN asked Israel to stop targeting the police to avoid “a total breakdown of law and order”.259 Israel refused, and tested its own approach – to rule Gaza through prominent local families that could oversee aid. The “flour massacre” in late February (discussed above) was apparently the result of this approach of Israel to coordinate aid delivery with a Gaza City family.260 Hamas reacted by attempting to set up local emergency committees for security and aid distribution, apparently using al-Shifa Hospital for this coordination in the North.261 Israel reduced the number of trucks it let into the Strip to less than a third than what it had committed to facilitating,262 while also attacking Gazan police officers responsible for coordinating aid.263 This was the context for Israel’s second raid on al-Shifa in midMarch (discussed in Zoom-in #1 below), during which it killed several figures closely associated with aid efforts.264 By late March, Israeli strikes on the emergency committees killed more than 70 people waiting for aid, so the committees stopped working. Israel further limited the distribution of aid by 252 https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inflicting-unprecedented-suffering-and-destruction-seven-ways-the-government-of621591/ ; https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/north-sinai-governor-to-un-chief-7000-gaza-aid-trucks-waiting-israel-holding-upflow/ 253 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-140 254 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 255 https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000009486472/gaza-food-aid-trucks-rafah-egypt.html 256 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/21/gaza-police-aid-hamas/ 257 https://www.ft.com/content/8aa813fc-a87e-4002-9aaf-890c111aec35 ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/22/gazaaid-deliveries-looting-police-hamas/ 258 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/22/gaza-aid-deliveries-looting-police-hamas/ ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C- %D7%94%D7%99%D7%90-%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%90%D7%AA- %D7%94%D7%9B%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A1-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%9B%D7%A0/ ; https://twitter.com/idfonline/status/1770422130712146254 259 https://www.axios.com/2024/02/24/gaza-humanitarian-aid-israel-hamas-police-biden ; https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/18/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news 260 https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine/244-stopping-famine-gaza 261 https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine/244-stopping-famine-gaza (footnote 105). 262 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/22/gaza-aid-deliveries-looting-police-hamas/ 263 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-airstrike-in-rafah-killed-3-senior-officers-in-hamass-emergency-committee/ ; https://english.palinfo.com/news/2024/03/20/316217/ ; also this mayor: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777681986586325481 264 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/israel-hamas-gaza-shifa-issa/ 31 informing the UN that it would not allow further UNRWA convoys to North Gaza.265 Additional police officers associated with the distribution of aid were killed in April.266 An analysis of reported data found at least 80 separate attacks by Israel on aid in Gaza between January and mid May. There were at least 37 attacks on civilians seeking aid.267 Famine and starvation December to April The siege reality has resulted in severe shortages of basic necessities (food, water and energy) as well as a sharply deteriorating humanitarian situation.268 A report by the NGO International Crisis Group noted people in Rafah who queued for flour for ten hours at a time on four consecutive days in December. Some left empty-handed.269 In January, a survey among shop owners revealed a significant shortage of basic food items, with 81% indicating depletion and 19% having only limited supplies.270 The situation has been extreme in North Gaza. In the northern parts of the Gaza Strip in early February, the price of a bag of flour, 30 shekels (~$8) before the war, reached 500-1000 shekels (~$125-250), 15-30 times higher.271 In late February, the price of a plate with some raw meat and rice reached $95 (US) according to social media,272 while a nurse in Al-Shifa hospital claimed he had not eaten bread for 2 months during which he consumed animal feed.273 At the same time, the UN’s leading expert on the right to food described the circumstances as ‘a situation of genocide’, while the World Food Programme stated that “people are already dying from hunger-related causes”.274 In early March, the head of Israel’s Committee for Food Security called for a ceasefire because of the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.275 In April, the price of a kilogram of sugar reached between $19 and $30.276 As of mid-April, at least 31 people (of which 28 were children) in Gaza died of malnutrition or dehydration.277 In this context, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security 265 https://twitter.com/UNLazzarini/status/1771917857598693549 266 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamass-internal-security-chief-killed-in-northern-gaza-airstrike-idf-shin-bet/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/war-2023/2024-04-16/ty-article-live/0000018e-e3b4-daaf-afafe7f555f60000?liveBlogItemId=1978850928#1978850928 . Also https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13878899 267 https://gaza-aid-attacks.forensic-architecture.org/ ; https://twitter.com/ForensicArchi/status/1790796901123559572 268 https://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/publications/202404_manufacturing_famine_heb.pdf 269 https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine/244-stopping-famine-gaza (footnote 54). 270 https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf , p. 9. 271 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-02-07/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018d-8213-daa1-a9fd-e21b04660000 ; https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231117-give-us-our-daily-bread-gaza-faces-flour-crisis 272 https://twitter.com/HamzaAbuToha/status/1760588426103963720 273 https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1762736475957829852 274 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68349031.amp ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/un-israel-foodstarvation-palestinians-war-crime-genocide 275 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/2024-03-03/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-03c5-da4e-adbf-83fdc01f0000 276 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-04-04/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018e-a379-d315-ab9f-aff98d4b0000 ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/133730/ 277 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-160 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-192. For examples see: https://twitter.com/Sarah_Hassan94/status/1761372883278807170; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1761322640935940449 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1762518985633890640; https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1762478847277084910 ; https://twitter.com/save_children/status/1762543144061575626; https://twitter.com/alijla2021/status/1762535516774302206 ; https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/two-babies-starve-to-death-in-northern-gaza-hamas-health-ministry/; https://twitter.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1763466551968035006; https://twitter.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1764689858067358154; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1764728907578712177 ; https://twitter.com/UNICEF/status/1764296731380920490 ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6212/In-just-24-hours,-two-children-and-an-elderly-man-starve-to-death-amid-risingmalnutrition-rates-in-Gaza ; https://x.com/NourNaim88/status/1796267564953149612 ; https://x.com/AlMezanCenter/status/1801178293023994240 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1800824868453089426 32 Policy stated in front of the UN Security Council that “starvation is being used [by Israel] as a war arm”.278 Leading NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Oxfam concluded that “the Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza”.279 Israeli accounts have de facto admitted this, 280 and within a broader historical context, Israel has long used food in such a manner in Gaza.281 A report by a global authority on food security and nutrition from mid March stated that famine (their definition here282) was imminent in the northern governorates of the Strip over the next two months.283 Anecdotal evidence confirms this. In late March, the UNICEF spokesperson wrote that he saw a dozen “skeletal” children in a single hospital in Beit Lahia.284 The price of a bag of flour in northern Gaza increased to $275 (normally $8) by mid March, alongside rampant banditry.285 By late March, apparently in the same area, the price of a few dozen kilograms (estimated from video) of vegetables reached some $3,000.286 For context, the average income in Gaza before the war was $13-20/day.287 Humanitarian conditions were somewhat less dire in the south of the Gaza Strip, where a late March poll of Gazans found that only 44% have enough food for a day or two, and only 19% can access a place for assistance of food and water without great risk. 288 Individual accounts confirm these details.289 As a result, the vast majority of Gaza’s population is at risk of famine.290 Already by January virtually all households were skipping meals every day, with 50-80% of households going entire days and nights without eating.291 Some 90% of civilians in Gaza experienced “high levels of acute food insecurity”.292 In late January the World Health Organization’s Director-General noted the food shortages that result in medical staffs and patients receiving only one meal per day.293 Some 40% experience “emergency levels” and over 15% (378,000) experience catastrophic levels, namely “extreme lack of food, starvation and exhaustion of coping capacities”.294 in January, the Chief Economist of the World Food Program has stressed that “In my life, I’ve never seen anything like this in terms of severity, in terms of scale, and then in terms of speed.”295 Despite this situation, IDF officers demanded a further lowering of the humanitarian aid to Gaza.296 A prominent scholar of famine and Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation stated that he had never seen the war crime of starvation perpetrated in such scale over the 40 years of his career297 and that “The rigor, 278 https://apnews.com/video/europe-gaza-european-union-war-and-unrest-josep-borrell-63eebfe7f71f4ed881580913c51b7036 279 https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/19/israeli-forces-conduct-gaza 280 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13878899 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-warns-iran-over-gaza-israelforms-emergency-war-cabinet-2023-10-11/ 281 https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/03/30/the-road-to-famine-in-gaza/ 282 Famine is defined as a combination of all three conditions: (1) 20% or more of households suffering an extreme lack of food; (2) 30% or more + of children suffering from acute malnutrition; and (3) at least 2 adults/4 children for every 10,000 people die daily from starvation or from disease linked to malnutrition. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/world/middleeast/gaza-famine-report-starvation.html 283 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/world/middleeast/gaza-famine-report-starvation.html 284 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/22/unicef-official-utter-annihilation-gaza 285 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/22/gaza-aid-deliveries-looting-police-hamas/ 286 https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1770911921870446966 287 https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-investment-climate-statements/west-bank-and-gaza/ 288 http://pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2091%20English%20press%20release%2020%20March%202024.pdf (p. 6) 289 https://www.thenation.com/article/world/gaza-starvation-denial-aipac/ 290 For a nuanced view on starvation and a critical take on the meaning of measurements of food and caloric intake see: https://hazmanhazeh.org.il/hunger/ 291 https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Nov2023_Feb2024.pdf ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-hunger.html; https://www.972mag.com/rafah-children-hunger-aid/ 292 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-113; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-12-21/ty-article/.premium/0000018c-8908-d60e-afdf-ed0e2bb70000 293 https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-on-gaza–the-who-executive-board– trans-fats-and-leprosy 294 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-113 295 https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/gaza-is-starving 296 https://news.walla.co.il/item/3633138 297 https://youtu.be/0pGgFZovlAw?si=mone7I85_SobAivS&t=875 ; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/21/we-areabout-to-witness-the-most-intense-famine-since-world-war-ii-in-gaza ; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/5/alex_de_waal 33 scale and speed of the destruction of the structures necessary for survival, and enforcement of the siege, surpasses any other case of man-made famine in the last 75 years”.298 In February, an aid organization stated on CNN that Gaza was the fastest decline in nutritional status ever recorded in a human population.299 In late February and early March about half of the missions aimed at delivering aid to areas in the north part of the Gaza Strip were denied access by Israeli authorities.300 On more than one occasion, the IDF attacked a food convoy.301 In mid-March, The UK foreign secretary described a series of obstacles Israel was placing in the delivery of aid, de facto blaming Israel for the humanitarian crisis and Israel’s spokesperson for providing false information.302 In late March, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to allow unimpeded food aid into Gaza.303 In early April, a group of US government humanitarian experts privately warned other officials that the spread of hunger in Gaza is “unprecedented in modern history”.304 At the same time, Oxfam stated that people in northern Gaza have been forced to survive on an average of 245 calories a day since January, less than 12% of average daily calorie needs.305 Despite reports about increased aid deliveries to Gaza in early April, In mid-April a UN official said that Israel turned down more than 40% of the UN’s requests to deliver aid for Palestinians to northern Gaza the previous week, stating “We’re dealing with this dance where we do one step forward, two steps backward, or two steps forward, one step backward, which leaves us basically always at the same point”. 306 In late April a leaked US administration paper written by US experts on food security in the Department of State and USAID stated that famine in Gaza was inevitable, and that the deterioration of food security in Gaza “exponentially” outpaced the long term declines that led to the other 21st century famines in Somalia (2011) and South Sudan (2017).307 A group of aid organizations that include UNICEF stated in late February that over 90% of children under the age of 5 in Gaza were facing “severe food poverty”. A similar percentage was suffering from infectious diseases, with 70% of them having diarrhoea over two weeks in February.308 Images and videos from the strip appear to confirm these findings.309 May and June Although April saw an uptick of aid entering Gaza, partially the result of international pressure after Israel’s bombing of the World Central Kitchen’s convoy, the amount of aid entering Gaza dropped again in May, this time as a result of fighting in the North and in the South, in which Israel took control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt.310 In the rest of May, the amount of food entering Gaza 298 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/health/gaza-israel-hunger-starvation.html ; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/31/israel-gaza-starvation-international-law ; also https://jewishcurrents.org/israel-policy-starvation-gaza-aid 299 https://twitter.com/MedicalAidPal/status/1763172220900151317 300 https://twitter.com/UNRWA/status/1759993361702748380 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flashupdate-140 301 For example: https://palestine.un.org/en/259747-food-convoy-waiting-move-northern-gaza-was-hit-israeli-naval-gunfire . See also the case of the World Central Kitchen. 302 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/21/david-cameron-accuses-israel-of-blocking-key-aid-crossing-in-gaza; https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44011/documents/217998/default/ 303 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/famine-is-setting-in-icj-orders-israel-to-unblock-gaza-food-aid 304 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gaza-collapse-famine_n_660c96aae4b0328a72be47f5 305 https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/people-northern-gaza-forced-survive-245-calories-day-less-can-beans-oxfam 306 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-says-it-still-faces-obstacles-bid-fend-off-famine-gaza-2024-04-16/ 307 https://www.devex.com/news/exclusive-usaid-officials-say-israel-breached-us-directive-on-gaza-aid-107545 308 https://www.nutritioncluster.net/sites/nutritioncluster.com/files/2024-02/GAZA-Nutrition-vulnerability-and-SitAn-v7.pdf ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/feb/20/middle-east-crisis-live-israel-gaza-yemen-houthi-lebanon-hague-courtjustice?page=with:block-65d4650d8f08f68df4ca9a84&filterKeyEvents=false#liveblog-navigation 309 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1750503719806923075 ; https://twitter.com/NABEELRAJAB/status/1750017231197544706; https://twitter.com/jakeshieldsajj/status/1751580352601309591 310 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/22/gaza-famine-aid-israel-hamas/ 34 dropped by 70%311 (discrepancies with Israeli-supplied numbers derive from the different ways of counting trucks, 312 as well as the entry of commercial food sales).313 Due to the food shortages, known famine-related mortality resumed after a hiatus of several weeks. The World Food Program suspended food distribution in Rafah because of lack of supplies and insecurity.314 The muchheralded US pier, 315 that was supposed to provide additional aid (and cost $320 million), encountered problems from its beginning – including a hiatus in its operation – and was ineffective into early June, before being moved away again in mid June. 316 Israel re-opened commercial food sales in Gaza in late May, but the amount of commercial trucks that entered was far smaller than the amount of humanitarian aid (which, as aforementioned, was far from enough for the needs of the population).317 In late May, a poll of Gazans in the south of the Gaza Strip found that 64% had enough food for a day or two (44% in March) and 26% could access a place to get assistance with food and water without great risk (19% in March).318 Subsequent reports in May and June continued to indicate a serious crisis. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said that “it is possible, if not likely” that famine was underway in northern Gaza since April, and that it is possible the famine will persist in the area through July. This was the first time an organization stated the possibility that famine was already happening.319 The uncertainty derived from major difficulties since only limited information was available, a situation nonetheless similar to that in other famines. Regardless of whether the reality in northern Gaza fit the technical definition of famine, “acute malnutrition among children is extremely high and this will result in irreversible physiological impacts”.320 The World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization said that hunger is worsening, especially in northern Gaza, because of the heavy restrictions on humanitarian access and the collapse of the local food system.321 The UN’s aid chief said that “delivering aid was become almost impossible” in Gaza.322 In late May, head of USAID said that conditions in Gaza are “worse… than ever before”.323 A WHO spokesperson said in May that 85% of children “did not eat for a whole day at least once in the [past] three days” and that “children are starving”.324 A UNICEF spokesperson tried to bring medical and nutritional supplies to North Gaza in mid June. Despite receiving the necessary approvals in advance, on the ground the trucks were refused entry and sent back after a long delay.325 On the other hand, a group of Israeli scholars attempted to argue in a white paper in June that the amount of available food entering Gaza had 311 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/30/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine-rafah/ 312 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-jenin-raid-a3320a77a3a6ccff41db2a4bc63e4aa3 ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/30/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine-rafah/ 313 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-reopens-gaza-food-sales-rafah-raid-chokes-aid-2024-05-30/ 314 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-jenin-raid-a3320a77a3a6ccff41db2a4bc63e4aa3 315 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/27/world/middleeast/gaza-pier-israel-hamas-war.html 316 https://apnews.com/article/us-pier-gaza-famine-israel-1feae14dac670bb4de0467988799c5c6 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/world/middleeast/gaza-aid-pier-food.html ; https://news.usni.org/2024/05/23/u-s-soldiercritically-injured-during-gaza-pier-operation-2-other-service-members-hurt ; https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/PressRelease-View/Article/3787939/high-sea-states-impact-army-vessels/ ; https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/politics/us-gaza-pier-brokenapart/index.html ; https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3808303/us-central-command-movespier-ahead-of-high-seas/ 317 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-reopens-gaza-food-sales-rafah-raid-chokes-aid-2024-05-30/ ; for the scale of supplies between the humanitarian and private sectors see for example: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshotgaza-strip-12-june-2024 318 https://pcpsr.org/en/node/980 319 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-famine-0056ceecdb4ae3bee5f64c54ab034c7e ; https://fews.net/sites/default/files/2024-06/Gaza-Targeted-Analysis-Update-042024-Final_3.pdf 320 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-famine-0056ceecdb4ae3bee5f64c54ab034c7e ; https://fews.net/sites/default/files/2024-06/Gaza-Targeted-Analysis-Update-042024-Final_3.pdf 321 https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-hunger-un-07afb7fe4a1654f54b81b944a0dab535 ; https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000159235/download/ 322 https://x.com/UNReliefChief/status/1798118788576989489 323 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/30/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine-rafah/ 324 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150486 ; https://x.com/UNGeneva/status/1796579174204813488 325 https://x.com/blarn357857/status/1801920586677154113 35 increased between January and April, but their contribution suffers from fundamental methodological issues.326 Additional findings Evidence from the Strip reveals some of the actions that desperate Gazans are forced into because of the lack of food.327 Media coverage refers to people eating horse meat,328 grass and drinking contaminated water or sea water.329 One video shows a group of people swimming in an area flooded with sewage to procure airdropped aid that landed in that area.330 As of late March, about 18 Gazans died from circumstances associated with attempting to get aid (aid falling on Gazans, trampling, and drowning while trying to get to aid that fell in the sea).331 Others fell as a building on which an airdrop of aid landed had collapsed.332 About 60 percent of Israeli Jews oppose humanitarian aid to Gaza, a stable figure over time.333 Jewish activists have completely blocked the entrance of aid to Gaza on several occasions in recent months.334 IDF soldiers recorded themselves destroying and burning food warehouses in Gaza.335 In May, Israeli settlers/protestors blocked336 and sometimes attacked Jordanian convoys of aid to Gaza.337 Such attacks included causing massive damage to the trucks themselves, as well as throwing away the humanitarian aid onto the road.338 Some of these attacks took place near IDF blockades and local eyewitnesses noted that the Israeli soldiers and the police allowed the destruction and looting of aid to take place.339 Other road blocks took place in major cities – including Jerusalem – 326 Besides the key problem of not dealing with three of the four pillars of food security (availability, access, utilization and stability) which the scholars acknowledge, the scholars’ paper is problematic because, among others, it (1) examines the trend from January to April, which was positive because of the influx of food in April after the World Central Kitchen attack, but declined afterwards (see below); (2) does not differentiate between the north of the Gaza Strip, where all evidence suggests food security was far worse in the period of the study, to the rest of the Gaza Strip; (3) overlooks all pre-war local food production in Gaza in its comparison between the pre-war and war conditions; (4) overlooks Palestinians as humans, for example by not including any references to the massive mortality in the Strip, the destruction of infrastructure, the deaths of Palestinians trying to get aid, the deaths of Palestinians from malnutrition and dehydration. Israeli deaths are mentioned; (5) accepts without criticism the numbers by the IDF’s COGAT, which has argued for example that 98.7% of all aid trucks were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip (p. 18) – numbers that are incongruent with the vast majority of evidence coming from the UN, international countries and media outside the Strip; (6) accepts without criticism claims such as the ones associated with the US pier or the New York Times’ Screams Without Words article (the first failed and the second was widely acknowledged as severely flawed, see below for both). For the paper: https://biochem-food-nutrition.agri.huji.ac.il/sites/default/files/biochem-food-nutrition/files/preprintnutritional-assessment-of-food-aid-delivered-to-gaza-via-israel-during-the-swords-of-iron-war.pdf ; for the coverage in Israeli media: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bkojsnksa 327 https://twitter.com/amirs74/status/1771198476446998611 328 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240224-dead-horses-scraps-leaves-gaza-s-hungry-get-desperate; https://twitter.com/KhalilAsslan/status/1773732648847876569 329 https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/middleeast/famine-looms-in-gaza-israel-war-intl/index.html ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-02-07/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018d-8213-daa1-a9fd-e21b04660000; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mN1SRUx0R8 330 https://twitter.com/sarabahaa94/status/1771278625175654815 331 https://twitter.com/arixegal/status/1772657137136619838 ; https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/26/middleeast/palestinians-drown-gazaaid-drop-intl/index.html 332 https://twitter.com/stairwayto3dom/status/1787522270555996657 333 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/52967 334 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-125 ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/gaza-aid-truck-sea-airdrop/ ; https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01- 30/ty-article/.premium/a-new-low-the-israelis-advocating-to-starve-the-people-of-gaza/0000018d-5b42-d0fc-a9bd-5f5fc0740000 335 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1757406177883750809 ; also https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inflicting-unprecedentedsuffering-and-destruction-seven-ways-the-government-of-621591/ (p. 11) 336 https://twitter.com/JoshuaPHilll/status/1789407061555445951 337 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/jordan-says-israeli-settlers-attacked-jordanian-aid-convoys-way-gaza-2024-05-01/ 338 https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1787643854155321448 ; https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1787692297527693802 ; https://politicallycorret.co.il/tlv-jerus/ 339 https://twitter.com/barakravid/status/1790014518828920977 ; https://twitter.com/SuppressedNws/status/1789963866404692320 ; https://twitter.com/jose23317578/status/1790002807312957511 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-13/tyarticle/0000018f-73a1-ddbe-addf-77af249a0000 ; https://twitter.com/Sapir_SLAM/status/1790049348065055039 ; https://twitter.com/ElishaYered/status/1790815866738671858 https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/21/israeli- 36 with little to no police interference.340 In at least two occasions trucks were burned, 341 and at least in two cases settlers attacked and injured the Palestinian truck drivers who were hospitalized (including once in which the truck was not involved in bringing aid to Gaza). 342 Action against allowing humanitarian aid to Gaza extends beyond fringe groups. According to a Guardian investigation, Israeli soldiers and police tip off the groups that attack the trucks.343 The deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset claimed he blocked aid trucks with his private car.344 In mid June, the Israeli Chief of Police claimed in a letter that the Minister of National Security – a figure closely associated with settler groups – attempted to cancel the police escorts meant to accompany the trucks.345 Non-food shortages (electricity, medicine, water) As of writing, since the beginning of the war there is no electricity supply in Gaza (i.e. full electricity blackout; for comparison, in the years before the war, electricity was available on average for 12-13 hours a day).346 As of December, fuel prices had increased by over 500 percent.347 In April, the price of a liter of gasoline reached 150 shekels (~$40).348 I have not come across subsequent prices for fuel, suggesting that any sales of it are extremely limited. A study revealed that by January nighttime light across Gaza has been reduced by 84% (91% in Gaza City) compared to the pre-war reality.349 This data includes light coming from IDF troops within the Strip, and presumably light from the still functioning Palestinian hospitals that receive petrol for operating their generators. Testimonies from the Strip reveal that university library books were burned as kindling for cooking fires.350 In November, the average water supply per person in Gaza was between 1.5-1.8 liters daily (the minimum average volume of water for drinking and domestic hygiene should be 15 liters),351 but this number decreased to less than one liter on average in February.352 Even basic medical supplies are in short supply. Gauze, for example, is sterilized and reused for the next patient.353 Some have begun to die from treatable diseases such as hepatitis.354 The lack of medical supplies has resulted in the conduction of medical operations, including Csections and amputations, without anesthesia or blood supplies.355 An online video shows a Gazan soldiers-and-police-tipping-off-groups-that-attack-gaza-aid-trucks ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/26/west-bank-aidtrucks-gaza-settlers/ 340 https://x.com/nirhasson/status/1792286756395462866; https://x.com/nirhasson/status/1792293566686884266; https://x.com/nirhasson/status/1792291838310727996 ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjflyy00x0 ; on police interference: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-20/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-9268-d212-abcf-d66d978d0000 341 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-13/ty-article/0000018f-73a1-ddbe-addf-77af249a0000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/war-2023/2024-05-17/ty-article-live/0000018f-833f-dd4f-ab8f97bfba030000?liveBlogItemId=738950520#738950520 ; https://x.com/Mistaclim/status/1791402493173203356 342 https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1790799451856015791 ; https://twitter.com/JoshBreiner/status/1790802070817091935 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/war-2023/2024-05-17/ty-article-live/0000018f-833f-dd4f-ab8f97bfba030000?liveBlogItemId=738950520#738950520 343 https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/21/israeli-soldiers-and-police-tipping-off-groups-that-attack-gaza-aid-trucks 344 https://twitter.com/lirishavit/status/1790723920221311015 345 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hj6opjuba 346 https://www.ochaopt.org/page/gaza-strip-electricity-supply 347 https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000154766/download/ 348 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-04-04/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018e-a379-d315-ab9f-aff98d4b0000 349 https://www.care.org/news-and-stories/press-releases/care-warns-84-of-gazas-lights-extinguished-people-left-sick-and-starving/ 350 https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/gaza-universities-destroyed-israel-military-war/index.html 351 https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000154766/download/ 352 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/un-israel-food-starvation-palestinians-war-crime-genocide 353 https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine/244-stopping-famine-gaza 354 https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1783398458004578791 355 https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-32; https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/nightmarish-gazas-pregnant-women-endure-c-sections-without-anesthesia-15823792; 37 doctor who had to amputate his daughter’s foot on the dining table in their home without anesthesia.356 A medical student at Al-Shifa hospital recounts how he had to stitch the face of a boy who was wounded in an Israeli bombardment for 3 hours in darkness and without anesthesia.357 A British surgeon who visited al-Aqsa hospital recounted in the UN the story of a girl burned so badly that he could see her facial bones. She had no chance of surviving it, so she died in agony because there was no morphine to give her, and because there was no place for her to die in she was simply left on the floor to die. The surgeon stated there were many such cases and recounted several.358 There are many similar stories. These stories have long-term implications. For example, by January there were already over 1,000 Gazan children amputees, each of which will require 8-12 more surgical interventions as they grow up.359 As a result of the lack of supplies, women who face postpartum bleeding as they give birth have undergone hysterotomies for lack of medicine and blood supply, preventing them from giving birth in the future.360 Oxfam’s Middle East Regional Director stated that “Amongst the horror and carnage in Gaza, we are now at the abhorrent stage of babies dying because of diarrhoea and hypothermia. It is shattering that newborns are coming into the world and due to the apocalyptic conditions, stand little chance of survival.” In some cases, mothers had to give birth in classrooms full with 70 other people, which the director described as “simply inhumane”.361 Miscarriages in Gaza have increased by 300% compared to the pre-war situation.362 A doctor from Doctors Without Borders who spent a few weeks in Gaza stated the special vulnerability of breastfeeding women as well, who cannot produce enough milk because of malnutrition, and their infants, who often have neither the milk nor formula because of the lack of clean water in Gaza.363 Women in Gaza also have difficulties finding menstrual pads, with some using alternatives such as the corners of their tents to manage their periods.364 Gaza’s health system Gaza’s health system has all but collapsed. 84% of all health facilities have been damaged or destroyed.365 At times, less than a third of Gaza’s hospitals and a quarter of its primary health centers were even partially operational.366 As of writing, about half of the hospitals in the Strip are https://news.un.org/en/interview/2023/11/1143327; https://healthnews.com/news/c-sections-are-performed-without-anesthesia-ingaza/ ; https://www.juzoor.org/cached_uploads/download/2023/11/11/maternal-health-report-final-1699726911.pdf ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-05-09/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018f-5840-d348-a7bf-fee9cea00000 356 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1746887014337671410 ; a group of strangers volunteered to help her reach the US and fit a prosthetic leg: https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1797909777286090998 357 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1763960723695185934 358 https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1770677587670684039 ; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-anddisease/single-worst-top-oxford-surgeon-horrors-gaza-hospital/ 359 https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-children-who-lost-limbs-in-gaza ; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terrorand-security/gaza-conflict-is-creating-a-generation-of-child-amputees/ 360 https://www.juzoor.org/cached_uploads/download/2023/11/11/maternal-health-report-final-1699726911.pdf 361 https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/babies-dying-preventable-causes-besieged-gaza-oxfam ; also https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gazas-silent-killings-destruction-healthcare-system-rafah 362 https://jezebel.com/miscarriages-in-gaza-have-increased-300-under-israeli-1851168680 363 https://twitter.com/abierkhatib/status/1771451982500229193 364 https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/01/11/1224201620/another-layer-of-misery-women-in-gaza-struggle-to-findmenstrual-pads-running-wa 365 https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/14e309cd34e04e40b90eb19afa7b5d15-0280012024/original/Gaza-Interim-DamageAssessment-032924-Final.pdf 366 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-192 ; https://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/Sitrep_-_issue_27.pdf 38 partially operational.367 Doctors who visited the Gaza Strip during the war recount horror tales of the conditions within the overcrowded hospitals, the types and quantities of patient cases, and the recurring attacks on hospitals throughout the war.368 There are over a million reported cases of diseases in Gaza so far.369 As of mid June, there have been over 865,000 cases of acute respiratory infections.370 Over 485,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported, over 113,000 of which are among children aged 5 or less.371 In a single week in mid-December, 3,200 cases of diarrhea were reported every day (compared to some 500 per week before the war).372 On average, there is one shower in Gaza for every 4,500 people, and a toilet for every 220.373 Important public voices in Israel – such as a former general and head of Israel’s National Security Council and official wartime advisor to Israel’s Defense Minister374 – have spoken in favor of allowing diseases to decimate the civilian population in Gaza.375 A mid March report found that ~75% of Gaza’s solid waste is dumped into random sites, contaminating water sources, so that 97% of ground water was unfit for human consumption.376 Exposure to high temperatures within refugee tents has also killed Palestinians sheltering inside them.377 Israel has systematically dismantled the health system in Gaza, making it inoperable.378 In late February, the head of MSF stated that “there is no health system to speak of left in Gaza”.379 Israel justified much of this by stating that the medical facilities were used for military purposes, but the head of MSF stated in late February that his organization has “seen zero independently verified evidence of this”.380 In mid March, an Oxfam report stated that Israel continues to block aid response in seven different ways and warned that Gaza “will suffer mass death from disease and starvation far beyond the current 31,000 Palestinian war casualties”.381 A global authority on food security and nutrition released its own report in mid March, highlighting catastrophic levels (the highest level of malnutrition) of food insecurity across the Gaza Strip (55% in the north to 25% in the south).382 An MSF report from April about conditions in Rafah revealed upward trends in the number of cases of acute malnutrition and concluded that the level of exposure of the population to traumatic events “has left the mental health of Gaza’s population in tatters”. The health system in Gaza “stands shattered”, and its long and uncertain road to recovery would take years if not decades.383 367 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 368 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REnN_dLtrLA ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-05-09/ty-articlemagazine/.highlight/0000018f-5840-d348-a7bf-fee9cea00000 369 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 370 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 371 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 372 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-86 373 https://www.who.int/news/item/21-12-2023-lethal-combination-of-hunger-and-disease-to-lead-to-more-deaths-in-gaza; in early January in UNRWA shelters the ratio was 1 toilet for over 486 people. https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report59-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem ; more details and partially updated evidence here: https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf (pp. 22-23). 374 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1zlcnoga 375 https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001462900 376 https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inflicting-unprecedented-suffering-and-destruction-seven-ways-the-government-of621591/ 377 https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1783397508154052793 378 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-hospitals-medical-system.html 379 https://www.msf.org/msf-briefing-gaza-un-security-council 380 https://www.msf.org/msf-briefing-gaza-un-security-council 381 https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/israel-government-continues-block-aid-response-despite-icj-genocide-court-ruling; https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inflicting-unprecedented-suffering-and-destruction-seven-ways-the-government-of-621591/ 382 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/world/middleeast/gaza-famine-report-starvation.html ; https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf 383 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gazas-silent-killings-destruction-healthcare-system-rafah 39 As a result of the above, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh has stated in December that “the world faces the prospect of almost a quarter of Gaza’s 2 million population – close to half a million human beings – dying within a year. These would be largely deaths from preventable health causes and the collapse of the medical system”.384 Other academics reached similar and more detailed conclusions.385 384 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/29/health-organisations-disease-gaza-population-outbreaks-conflict 385 https://gaza-projections.org/gaza_projections_report.pdf 40 Israeli discourse and de-humanization of Palestinians Last updated: June 18, 2024 Dehumanization in Israeli institutions and the IDF Much of the above is made possible through the consistent de-humanization of Palestinians, first and foremost those living in Gaza, discussed in this section, as well as the language and practice that makes them distant, inaccessible or absent to the Jewish Israeli population (on this see the section on the media and propaganda below). 386 This dehumanization has proceeded from the top of the Israeli state. Israel’s Prime Minister has described the conflict as “a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle”, 387 stated that “this war is civilization against barbarism” 388 and defined the war as a battle against the Biblical Amalek in both a speech and in a letter he sent to IDF soldiers.389 The Bible directs to annihilate Amalek completely: men, women, children and livestock. 390 Israel’s President has stated that Israel did not distinguish between militants and civilians, “it’s an entire nation out there that is responsible”.391 He also personally wrote a message on an artillery shell to be shot into Gaza.392 Israel’s Minister of Defense has described the Palestinians in Gaza as “human animals”. At least five other government ministers have made similar statements as late as May. 393 Israel’s National Security minister told Border Police troops they should shoot terrorists even if the terrorists do not threaten them, against procedure.394 The minister of Social Equality and Women’s Advancement asserted that she was proud of the ruins in Gaza and that every baby there, even 80 years from now, will tell their grandchildren what the Jews did.395 In late March, she stated that Israel’s was fighting against the Amalekites “of our times” in explicit context of the religious obligation to exterminate Amalek. 396 A ruling party MP has stated on TV that he was told “it is clear that we need to destroy [or annihilate, depending on translation of להשמיד [all Gazans”.397 Other politicians have done the same.398 Israel’s Ambassador to the UK justified the destruction of Gaza because “every school, every mosque, every second house” was connected to a tunnel Hamas was using and therefore a legitimate target.399 In March, a former general described the people in three areas from which Israel retreated (Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon) as “human animals”.400 As late as mid April, Israel’s Finance Minister stated that “There are 2 million Nazis in Gaza who want to slaughter, rape and murder every Jew”.401 In early May, a Likud official stated that “there are no uninvolved [civilians] there, you have to go in 386 https://humanityjournal.org/blog/discourses-of-palestinian-disappearance/ 387 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/children-post-deleted-netanyahu/ 388 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-to-dutch-leader-this-war-is-civilization-vs-barbarism/ 389 https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1049593; https://www.npr.org/2023/11/07/1211133201/netanyahus-references-toviolent-biblical-passages-raise-alarm-among-critics 390 1 Samuel 15.2-3. 391 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israel-gaza-isaac-herzog_n_65295ee8e4b03ea0c004e2a8 392 https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-01-03/ty-article/.premium/a-munition-signed-by-israeli-president-could-hit-a-child/0000018ccbc4-d4e1-ad8f-fff5a0c70000 393 https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf, pp. 60-62. ; also https://www.politico.eu/article/ron-prosor-israel-evoy-hamas-animals-must-be-destroyed ; https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1798525376462725150 394 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bkxx1alft 395 https://twitter.com/GolanMay/status/1759675501424042329; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1760354792663142557 396 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771246005368861008 397 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxnNkQSfmQ 398 https://twitter.com/AmirHetsroni/status/1743063371551822292 (speaker is Moshe Feiglin); https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/syq0011n006 399 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQtqvSYjMIc 400 https://twitter.com/GLZRadio/status/1773260052683469178 401 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1781995666593456397 ; https://twitter.com/GLZRadio/status/1779764062433284213 41 and kill, and kill, and kill”.402 In mid June, Israel’s Foreign Ministry placed an ad that claimed that “there are no innocent civilians there [in Gaza]”.403 Institutions in Israel’s security apparatus repeatedly dehumanized Palestinians. The IDF ran a Telegram channel (“72 Virgins – Uncensored”) that propagandized Israeli audiences through explicit and uncensored “exclusive” videos and images that depicted killings and corpses in Gaza, using explicit language that also compared Gazans to cockroaches and rats.404 The IDF has published a series of eight poetry volumes that contained poems by civilians, soldiers (including the commander of the IDF Education Corps) and reservists – contained many revenge themes as well poems that treat the war as a religious war.405 Reservists have claimed that the IDF brought rabbis in uniform to speak to soldiers. At least one stated that all Gazans must be destroyed and shot.406 A similar attitude, calling for the extermination of all Gazans, including children, or alternatively ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip, has been voiced by dozens of middle-ranking officers in their social media accounts – sometimes claiming it is the moral thing to do. 407 In January, over 130 reserve generals and colonels serving in Gaza called upon the military to lay siege to the Northern Gaza Strip, block humanitarian aid and stop the operation of any hospital.408 In mid-March Israel’s security apparatus attempted to return to Gaza about 20 Gazan children and adults suffering from debilitating conditions such as cancer and receiving life-saving treatments in hospitals in East Jerusalem and Israel.409 The decision was delayed after a petition by the charity Physicians for Human Rights to Israel’s Supreme Court.410 In April, the IDF scattered fake money bills in the Strip with a portrait of the local Hamas leader depicted as a rat.411 In May, the IDF began an open campaign to blackmail Gazans through airdropped pamphlets and a dedicated website. The campaign targeted Gazans who provided information about their neighbors – including their sexual orientation or extra-marital affairs – to the Hamas security forces. The pamphlets contained the images and IDs of 130 males who were such supposed informants (some were clearly minors). It called upon other informants to reach out to the IDF, and in the meanwhile began publishing the supposed personal information of these Gazan informants. The website provided information to Gazans about whether they were the targets of such surveillance. The information itself was said to be sourced from hundreds of thousands of internal records of Hamas.412 De-humanization in the IDF 402 https://twitter.com/MacaesBruno/status/1787573947690819907 403 https://x.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1801745356289622225 404 The IDF’s involvement was denied at first. https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2023-12-12/ty-article/.premium/0000018c-3918- dc03-a9ec-3d7b95f80000; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-02-04/ty-article/.premium/0000018d-7042-dd6e-a98df462d6a00000 405 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/literature/2024-03-26/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-7ad9-d96c-af9f-7ed9e9fa0000 406 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-05-15/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018f-7c03-d808-a9bf-ff1745530000 407 Running list here (34 officers as of mid June): https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794826941209702699 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1795152167457751511 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796122820683891010 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798073737893511506 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798998289456799978 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801344353375555936 ; also https://zeteo.com/p/gaza-israel-genocide-soldier-rhetoric-instagram ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801316437794963578 408 https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver5/wcm_upload_files/2024/01/21/S1mT5hcKp/merged.pdf ; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/globalhealth/terror-and-security/israel-hamas-war-gaza-idf-aid-strike-world-central-kitchen/ 409 https://www.ynet.co.il/health/article/h17117hua6 410 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-20/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-5d54-d27e-a7af-7ffe83dc0000 ; https://twitter.com/PHR_IL/status/1770877688539988234 411 https://twitter.com/N12News/status/1780977153166688378 412 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-21/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-9b46-dce9-a1cf-ffc6dcee0000 ; https://mondoweiss.net/2024/05/israels-extortion-leaflets-and-namecheap-how-to-do-corporate-accountability-during-a-genocide/ 42 The dehumanization of Palestinians is now normative, pervasive and obvious in many hundreds413 of images and videos, almost all of which were uploaded by IDF soldiers to social media. 414 These videos and images present shooting civilians waving white flags,415 abuse of individuals,416 captives and corpses,417 gleefully damaging or destroying houses418, various structures and institutions,419 religious sites420 and looting of personal belongings,421 as well as randomly firing their weapons,422 413 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAT9NQ4WkE0 (hundreds; see below for many others) 414 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/videos-of-israeli-soldiers-acting-maliciously-emerge-amid-international-outcry-against-tacticsin-gaza ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1757920440155242710 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1761868392326148474 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1763708173905506449 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1763563991387746557 ; images at https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1764384165724598533 ; plenty of content at: https://www.wattan.net/ar/news/430229.html?fbclid=IwAR3bg9o99KfZMujG1phBlSJxDhNWlMF6hAaL8nQlaf-3b98IjZVX2BOV4k . Another collection at: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1769359560131657965 ; another collection at: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771890196805517815 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772715497890394325 ; another collection at: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772964108121313599 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1773452674802806910 ; another collection of dozens of videos and images: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1773723836254450046 ; https://twitter.com/LensVeritatis/status/1774998396501373207 ; another collection of dozens of videos and images: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1775998584506167408 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1776588809011970367 (collection) ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1776384065920217472 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1778542167612592554 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1790108960927719626 (collection) ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772964772629111095 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1791770589985640847 (collection) ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1792656511510143472 (collection) ; https://www.mako.co.il/news-n12_magazine/781730bdada5e810/Article-979e397c1ea9f81027.htm ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1795042539084345829/ ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798765503940530377 . More coverage at: https://zeteo.com/p/israel-soldier-gaza-genocide-instagram-facebook 415 https://twitter.com/middleeasteye/status/1744351540435935525 ; https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1750601287102542296; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1749971465422745729 ; see also https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf , paragraphs 208-218. 416 https://www.mistaclim.org/he/post/%D7%94%D7%92%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%A0%D7%95 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1786440756573680082 417 Long list of videos at: https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1713533460290076817, https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1744296383174025397 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1745427870216851736 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1747994879156793524 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1752258519900766489 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1755891061015064836 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1758617748383453638 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1758914324150538698 ; https://twitter.com/angeloinchina/status/1759769783409738006 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1764778057364042167 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1764759225241129162 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765447101100785887 ; https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/05/social-media-posts-show-offblindfolded-and-bound-palestinian-detainees/ ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1767223231549718862 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1768061335030444144 ; https://twitter.com/Aboujahjah/status/1769867124103598146 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1774197948487725476 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1795048143261724958 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801560741138350491 418 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiC4ApANLwg; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiolU7WwpUQ ; https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240103-israeli-soldiers-invade-damaged-house-in-gaza-and-destroy-it/; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1743665392722059344 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1748137507319939548 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1746581304999542901 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1751618405453422875 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1753158451734220834 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1756458915473105113 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1757155595877032104 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1757163079207358570 ; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1760434485957390399 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1761849659671085212; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761723209760608272 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765297033093538206 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771330290629157277 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771541779453546829 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772404140502630573 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1778766344256737443 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1787814577033375768 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794648644920238114 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1795114456936063484 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796840765189988723 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796999248841453615 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798325368023384423 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798685435356393524 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801743066497212733 419 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1742346460559995063; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1743626241104543942 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760038133872095300 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772713480140865594 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1780594979230109978 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1793934222341611526 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794012735228825939 ; https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1798056593218760839 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1800455049296191612 420 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if_Z2ZeqrN8 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1754458148276990180 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1757054593656103198 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1777799671647191117 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1789978344311648368 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798393141021553018 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1799879016436093021 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1800841913349894346 421 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/amid-ongoing-genocide-gaza-systematic-israeli-theft-occurring-palestiniancivilian-homes-enar; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-gaza-singer-helpless-israeli-soldier-filmed-tiktok-hisguitar ; https://twitter.com/BChutzpah19416/status/1750186862579269867; written report that includes a soldier confessing to looting homes before demolishing them: https://medium.com/@dillontelem/gaza-warzone-musings-a-soldiers-reflections-on-demolition-and- 43 shooting local animals,423 destroying private property, 424 burning books within libraries,425 defacing Palestinian426 and Islamic symbols427 (including burning Qurans428 and turning mosques into dining spaces429) and declaring a new Nakba.430 More videos are covered by The New York Times431 and CNN. 432 One video, for example, shows tens of Palestinian captives from Gaza sitting in a bus tied up and with their eyes covered. An Israeli solider then demands that they praise his family and state that they want to become slaves to his family “forever and ever”.433 Another testimony of a Gazan doctor states that the detained director of Al-Shifa medical complex was made to crawl like an animal, had a chain placed around his neck and was told to eat from a bowl like a dog.434 A Gazan detainee said that IDF soldiers placed women detainees from Gaza in the men’s section while being completely naked, and cut the hair of some of the women detainees.435 A detained Gazan woman recounted her story about the abuse and humiliation she suffered during her own detainment, during which she was separated from her little children and IDF soldiers beat her on multiple occasions as well as threatened to bury her alive.436 A Palestinian woman claimed that IDF soldiers carved a Star of David on her husband’s back during his time in detention.437 One soldier filmed a dog eating the corpse of a Gazan, exclaiming that it “took [the corpse of] the terrorist apart”, then moved his camera to discuss the beauty of the view and the sunset.438 Looting has become normalized439 to the extent that one case was featured approvingly in a popular Friday evening news segment,440 while a prominent Israeli journalist’s Telegram channel shared an image of a table full of money with the caption “The [IDF] paratroopers hit the jackpot in Khan humanity-7ddeae313c00 ; https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1756791144111816917 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1757157210356936804 ; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1760426342753935765 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761463006720926062 ; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1761815084081246331; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1762221066372485260 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772399473018192372 422 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1769705371935912186 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1769359560131657965 ; https://twitter.com/abierkhatib/status/1776475339595628838 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1789265125720920243 ; https://x.com/arixegal/status/1793722854346990066 423 https://twitter.com/Sarah_Hassan94/status/1754620276271149451 424 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1748130778737729911 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761472312908320798 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1764773062908547579 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765035342032142672 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772398568621346898 ; https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1772903912867016869 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1776955769553867178 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1788192609900380361 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1786848576674443715 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1789325679525249441 ; https://x.com/_NicoleNonya/status/1793681516846788943 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796232276818424251 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796239229779062919 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801555895878361567 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801747288328479222 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801740747453940209 425 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1793628894245118205 ; https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/israeli-soldier-burning-books/ 426 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1742273606699106542; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1743712184725594564 ; https://twitter.com/AlonLeeGreen/status/1787892635186712737 427 https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1769378368431047090 428 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1793032057649512671 ; also https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1793756431881294035 429 https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1801193479470534674 430 https://x.com/YousefMunayyer/status/1791807669797347571 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1793047312115040450 431 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/world/middleeast/israel-idf-soldiers-war-social-media-video.html 432 https://twitter.com/amanpour/status/1758204651927744784 433 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1752433175320478060 434 https://twitter.com/adham922/status/1756068057779245412 435 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1756605167946899965 436 https://snd.ps/post/117484/%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AD- %D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84- %D8%AF%D9%81%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B6%D8%B9%D9%87%D8%A7- %D9%88%D8%A3%D8%B7%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84- %D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A ; https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1773318803075531136 437 https://www.instagram.com/landpalestine/p/C4qQ6pltu5N/?img_index=1 438 https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1766132416899420637 439 https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/132092/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-05-15/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018f7c03-d808-a9bf-ff1745530000 440 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1756438313899024862 44 Younis”.441 Soldiers shared an image of themselves with tens of thousands of shekels (thousands of dollars). 442 A military doctor noted disapprovingly that looting had become “almost institutionalized”.443 An IDF soldier attempted to sell online a Gazan passport and other items he had looted while serving in Gaza.444 Another filmed himself sifting what appears to be flour originally delivered to Gaza by humanitarian aid organizations, and cynically thanking them as well as the UN and UNRWA.445 Revenge is a common theme in this content.446 Some IDF soldiers shared social media content that explicitly compared Gazans to the biblical Amalek (see above), 447 as well as stating that they have fulfilled the religious commandment to annihilate the memory of Amalek.448 Other IDF soldiers opened a “Hamas Hunting Club”, complete with a patch and logo, and filmed themselves holding it with Palestinian detainees in the background.449 Other soldiers upload much revenge content and relate it to the destruction of the Gaza Strip, including the destruction they themselves caused.450 A collection of brief interviews with IDF soldiers, uploaded by an IDF soldier, reveals that many of them speak of destroying the Strip and exacting revenge. The creator asserts that “It’s us or them. There is no proportionality and no symmetry”.451 High ranking officers have said similar things.452 In January alone, the IDF burned hundreds of houses and apartments in Gaza which Israeli soldiers temporarily occupied, without legal approval in a procedure that became normative.453 During the Jewish Purim celebration, IDF soldiers filmed themselves reading the Scroll of Esther while indiscriminately firing a mortar found each time the name “Haman” was mentioned (in Jewish tradition, the mentioning of the name “Haman” during reading the Scroll is supposed to be accompanied by loud noise).454 Soldiers preparing to enter Rafah in early May called for “let’s take Rafah apart” as their battle cry.455 Many soldiers release videos that portray their experience and destruction in Gaza as fun and humorous,456 treating their experience like a video game,457 or content that ignores the war, such as 441 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1760599708857237838 442 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772972625532207265 ; also https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796637726835446048 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1802082633679090163 443 https://www.ynet.co.il/yedioth/article/yokra13792905 444 https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/rjytktkra 445 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796133135400210700 446 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1750219568428036237 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1756652152607457781 447 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1762185882994425961 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772965195683336261 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1792891418370781395 448 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1779808804751757387 449 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1765386577855791185 450 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1767900767313182897 451 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772304727457317039 452 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqEj3DzadiM 453 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-01-31/ty-article/.premium/0000018d-5fea-d9df-a9cd-7ffe4e820000 ; https://twitter.com/OmerArvili/status/1753754952155934999 ; see also this undated video of an IDF Major apparently torching a house: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1769761897358750158 ; also https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772698517145796872 454 https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1771197890829898017 455 https://twitter.com/ofercass/status/1787791098095534223 456 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1745063720080793681; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1745491460525375587; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1748075046294163757 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1746696846817325288 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1746685595366125951; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1745973511301026092; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1749272544975229438; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1749593678861984045 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1750782757326795020 ; https://twitter.com/NABEELRAJAB/status/1750228266193969448; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1750627849948532763 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1750540763413287350 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1749795644532035602 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1750197302579343870 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1753422534555427299 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1753536164085010674 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1754091912040968444 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1754553057696784519 ; a long list of additional videos here: https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1755973157515669708 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1757094979460067773 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760040514915553463 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1759307381169701366 ; https://twitter.com/NaksBilal/status/1761825956950421858; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761363322182516924 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761360983174316281 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1762212629576069120 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1762543392997703956; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1766193632661447085 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1766178422361821416 ; 45 conducting a yoga class in an abandoned home in Gaza,458 or a soldier holding up a sign advertising a barber shop in Israel with corpses of dead Palestinians around him.459 A group of armed soldiers in uniform held signs with the message “We, soldiers of the Jewish People’s Army from the [political] Right and Left will not disarm until we erase and annihilate Gaza”.460 One soldier expressed his will to poison the flour on the trucks bringing humanitarian aid to Gazans. 461 Other photos include soldiers posing near election banners for local (Israeli) politicians and restaurant chains “coming soon” to Gaza.462 Recurring types of content include humorously presenting the lingerie of Gazan women463 or posing with items (often toys) from abandoned Gazan houses.464 Ha’aretz, the leftleaning Israel newspaper, covered without irony the good food that IDF soldiers were eating in abandoned homes in Gaza at the same time as their displaced owners were starving.465 N12 has featured a story about the graffiti Israeli soldiers leave in Gazan homes, presenting it positively and even comparing one soldier to the artist Banksy.466 The IDF has even brought influencers to mockingly “review” a “hotel” in Gaza.467 An IDF soldier reflected that other soldiers went into the Gaza Strip as a form of tourism to see the destruction.468 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1766491956090155333 ; more videos and images here: https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1766912143444656544 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1767985211747270834 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1769374467732767049 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1769865723843588124 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771544787264409759 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1773452109532323868 ; https://twitter.com/LensVeritatis/status/1774471148430111088 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1776049466656579639 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1764936131718635713 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1779619958126784854 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1782212698953990238 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1785074198844453223 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1789942261209325757 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1789587485955072233 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1791167455731048886 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1792923935824048336 ; https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1792940664193470525 ; https://x.com/Partisangirl/status/1793446435935211536 ; https://x.com/_NicoleNonya/status/1793684246512746500 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794346305571184910 ; https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1794102771026723277 ; https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1795879315155910854 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796228939251343652 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798801765845897336 ; https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1800979476961984982 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801359465419055210 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801379681423245664 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801700803251695684 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801966059886399640 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801973888529678428 ; https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1802266606564675886 457 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1800822593777545634 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1802060863731319253 458 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1749956154975744455 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1753536576791970148 ; https://twitter.com/EmilioMorenatti/status/1759669676810904020 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1766582097404137482 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1779481518580125800 459 https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1755129771825000637 460 https://twitter.com/ozleisraelaza/status/1780525230064058757 461 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1780159773981220987 462 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760407071747719357 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761039679212671105 463 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760359033095991623 ; https://twitter.com/OwenJones84/status/1760640827720638639 ; https://twitter.com/wattheactualfuq/status/1760775215418634685; https://twitter.com/bernstein_ariel/status/1761809205147717664 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1762207301920776365 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1762201439785410805 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1763708246227865971 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1763708570514657704 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1764883823857218031 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765392369531187549 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1766016416371630284 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772748840388419826 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772964108121313599/ ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-soldiers-play-with-gazawomens-underwear-online-posts-2024-03-28/ ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1775564585329729787 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1776717745045803169 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794433825591738491 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798797098801824165 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801978091654279226 464 https://twitter.com/grapesofwhat/status/1761332020402118799; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1762556002711289987 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1763682787054211217 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1782216567431872723 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1784575504667890128 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1797962472399532407 465 https://www.haaretz.co.il/food/2024-02-13/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018d-82c5-d6dc-ab9f-cffd1ebc0000 466 https://www.mako.co.il/news-n12_magazine/781730bdada5e810/Article-979e397c1ea9f81027.htm 467 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1743296706576269446; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1739728935779234254 ; also the similar https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1801625890633159060 468 https://twitter.com/WarWatchs/status/1783121782557352320 46 In late February, the top IDF lawyer acknowledged that the actions of some soldiers have crossed the criminal threshold, and said that action must be taken against them.469 I have seen almost no reporting on such disciplinary processes within the IDF since the beginning of the war, and in the few cases where such process took place the impact on the IDF soldiers committing the acts was negligible.470 In mid May during another round of ICJ hearings, for example, the IDF moved one soldier whose destruction videos went viral on social media away from the Gaza Strip.471 In late May, Israel’s chief military advocate stated that since the beginning of the war the Military Advocate General had opened 70 investigations on cases that included the deaths of Palestinian detainees (on this see below) and looting.472 As the evidence in this document indicates, this is a miniscule number of investigations compared to the evidence for committed crimes. Dehumanization in Israeli society In the first month of the war, some 18,000 calls to flatten, erase or destroy Gaza were mentioned on Hebrew Twitter (compared to 16 in the month and a half before the war).473 Similar calls appear in public space, for example in graffiti.474 In October, an adviser to Israel’s Prime Minister called for torturing Hamas militants in a graphic way.475 In November, 90 Israeli doctors signed a letter calling to bomb hospitals in Gaza, 476 while the president of Israel’s largest university compared Hamas to Amalek.477 A popular singer used a long series of expletives against Gaza during a show for Israeli soldiers.478 In early January, a long list of rabbis, academics and ten MPs have called for the cessation of all humanitarian aid to Gaza.479 In February, a former senior Mossad figure and an important journalist agreed that children aged 5 and up in Gaza are not uninvolved in the conflict and therefore do not deserve humanitarian aid.480 The Rabbi of Tzefat compared the Gazans to Amalek and claimed that they should be eradicated.481 In April, 42% of Israeli Jews claimed that Israel should not follow international humanitarian law.482 An Israeli media outlet has also noted with glee that the number of deaths of “Arabs” in Gaza in the current war is higher than all previous wars.483 Another prominent Israeli journalist stated on live TV: “there are no innocent people in the Gaza Strip, there are none… and the fact that they are now enjoying themselves on the beach instead of being starved, instead of being jerked around, instead of being severely tormented, instead of hiding from bombing… We should have seen there a lot more revenge, a lot more rivers of Gazans’ blood”.484 Similar sentiments appear on Israel’s main TV 469 https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/21/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news#the-israeli-militarys-top-lawyer-reports-some-troopconduct-that-crosses-the-criminal-threshold ; https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-21/ty-article/.premium/top-idf-lawyersome-israeli-soldiers-have-engaged-in-criminal-behavior-during-war/0000018d-cbb5-d6e9-a38d-fbbdc0610000 470 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-11/ty-article/0000018e-2c36-d682-a9df-edbe2df50000 ; https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/rjytktkra 471 https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/defense/750891/ 472 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkrbsjbvc 473 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-war-rhetoric.html 474 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1790031034408394798 475 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-sara-netanyahu-advisor-torture-gazans-rant 476 https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/israeli-doctors-urge-the-bombing-of-gaza-hospitals/ 477 https://www.hidabroot.org/article/1188125 478 https://www.ice.co.il/social/news/article/988380 “Gaza, you daughter of a bitch, Gaza, you Black, you garbage can, Gaza, you whore…” 479 https://twitter.com/shilofreid/status/1742919348401135788 480 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1757837275830907052 481 https://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/52638 482 https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/swords-of-iron-15/ 483 https://twitter.com/itamar_green/status/1741504115874627765 484 https://twitter.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1782029404916285857 ; https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%94_%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%96%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%A8 ; also: https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1795012044699079164 47 channels.485 Similar messages are directed at Arabs/Palestinians in general. An Israeli model/influencer stated that all Palestinians with Israeli citizenships should be annihilated, 486 a sentiment followed by a cameraman for the Israeli Channel 14.487 When three members of a family of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship died in a car accident, large numbers of Israelis voiced their joy on social media.488 An Israeli DJ played the melody of the racist chant “May your village burn”, directed at Palestinians. The crowd at the party began chanting and dancing to the tune.489 An Israeli Telegram channel with 127,000 followers shared the image of a Gazan child with cerebral palsy who starved to death as the sequel to the film E.T.490 A rabbi at the head of a yeshiva for premilitary age men stated that according to Jewish law, all Gazans must be killed, including babies.491 A popular Israeli stand-up comedian mocked Gazans who were killed from faulty airdropped humanitarian aid, declaring that they were “such morons”.492 Israeli TV promoted a genocidal song in which a choir of Israeli children sang lines such as “In a year, there will be nothing there [in Gaza] and we will safely return to our homes. Within a year, we will annihilate everyone and then we will return to plow our fields” (the original song was removed).493 Several Israeli hip hop hits have been released as well, garnering millions of views on YouTube. These songs call for repeated attacks on Gaza, dehumanize Gazans (“All your Fatmas look like whores”) and express glee for Gazans not having food, water and homes (e.g. “You don’t have bread or water. Ah and you don’t have a home either”).494 A senior journalist asserted that Gazans “have earned that hell fairly, and I don’t have a milligram of empathy”.495 A senior commentator stated that “to destroy Hamas… you have to bring Gaza to a humanitarian disaster”.496 Many other media workers and artists have said similar things.497 Voices on the street speak openly and positively about the killing of civilians in Gaza in interviews.498 One t-shirt in Israel features the text “May your [i.e. Arab] village burn”.499 After the IDF bombed and killed 7 workers of an international NGO (discussed above), a popular Israeli telegram channel expressed joy for the deaths for the foreign citizens while discussing them in a humiliating manner.500 When the IDF killed three sons and four grandchildren of Ismail Haniyeh, one of Hamas’s leaders,501 an Israeli journalist cited the religious commandment to erase the memory of Amalek.502 Another Israeli journalist attached to an image of the Israeli bombing of civilians in Rafah in late May, which killed dozens, the text “the central lighting [i.e. of bonfires for Lag BaOmer, which took place that day] this year in Rafah”.503 Some Israeli police officers apparently believe that there are no innocents in Gaza, including a fetus in his mother’s womb.504 485 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1790909070708285910 486 https://x.com/z_00pIz/status/1791336664666603703 487 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1794698212206653773 488 https://x.com/Ahmad_tibi/status/1801934557723419012; https://x.com/z_00pIz/status/1802321259188920411 489 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1794351306028839298 490 https://twitter.com/CensoredMen/status/1765773664325075354 491 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sy3bfhu6p ; also https://olam-katan.co.il/archives/12261 492 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1769159335299485732 ; also https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1784224046562816158 493 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV0pEUXMz6M 494 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1768989430084227090 ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rk3n9V-aQs ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfZOJYA7EOg 495 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/media/2023-12-19/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-7d09-de44-a9be-7d9d47790000 496 https://twitter.com/freyisrael1/status/1769996721591877793 497 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1768045698350465445 ; https://twitter.com/bokeralmog/status/1782777513678196933 ; see also https://x.com/IsraelGaley/status/1799689832257749110 498 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5YJhcgIsyz/ 499 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1780222143445205191 500 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1775162156792631334 501 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-sons-hamas-leader-haniyeh-killed-israeli-airstrike-2024-04-10/ 502 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1778072422530400755 503 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794826941209702699 ; also https://x.com/idanlandau/status/1794956280504930630 504 https://twitter.com/AlissaShira/status/1787096840216654241 48 Israeli demonstrators have repeatedly attempted to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, including holding a rave/protest just outside the border wall.505 After the “flour massacre” on 29 February, Israel’s Minister of National Security called to “completely support” all IDF troops while also calling for stopping all humanitarian aid to Gazans.506 Some IDF soldiers have also called to stop all humanitarian aid.507 When the IDF transferred about 70 Gazan orphans to the West Bank as a gesture of good will to Germany, it was harshly criticized by both politicians and the government.508 In early May, an Israeli crowd attempted twice to set fire to UNRWA’s main building in Jerusalem, calling “let your UN burn” as well.509 When a teacher was suspended for participating in a Nakba commemoration, the children of her school demonstrated against her, repeatedly shouting “may your village burn”.510 The de-humanization of Palestinians is closely associated with a sharp increase in Israeli militarism. Israeli dating practices attest to both these changes.511 It became extremely common for soldiers and reservists during the war to upload to their social media accounts, including accounts on dating apps, content related to the war – such as images of themselves in uniform brandishing guns, standing in front of destroyed buildings, sitting in abandoned homes, or filming themselves with Gazan detainees.512 One Tinder bio, for example, stated that “We are not only here to fuck Hamas”.513 Both men and women, both within straight and LGBT communities and dating apps, have reported that these images have increased the “stock value” of those that upload them (a similar effect was reported for soldiers in uniform who frequented bars).514 All of the above legitimizes as well as incentivizes violent behavior in the war within the Gaza Strip. Effects of de-humanization on detained and arrested Palestinians Thousands of Palestinians have been detained and moved to camps within Israel.515 Many of these Palestinians (as much as 85-90% according to Israeli media) are detained without any concrete 505 https://twitter.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1757326323712774650 ; https://twitter.com/loffredojeremy/status/1762480372963508266 ; https://twitter.com/mekomit/status/1768220704833446359 506 https://twitter.com/itamarbengvir/status/1763196768458604583 507 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1785410517823046018 508 https://www.inn.co.il/flashes/981582; https://www.mako.co.il/news-diplomatic/2024_q1/Article-ad64e47a0ed2e81026.htm; https://www.zman.co.il/newsletter/2024-03-12/; https://www.jdn.co.il/news/2157725/; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024- 03-12/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-3344-d5ad-addf-7f5518fc0000; https://chabad.info/news/war/1063572/; https://news.walla.co.il/item/3649971 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/on-the-line/2024-03-13/ty-article/.highlight/0000018e-32dfd897-a58f-b7dfad0b0000 509 https://twitter.com/UNLazzarini/status/1788643951945150790 510 https://x.com/AlonLeeGreen/status/1791788316943106366 511 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/were-not-only-here-to-fuck-hamas-how-israelimilitarism-took-over-online-dating/0000018e-60aa-d27e-a7af-7aeec5b00000 512 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/were-not-only-here-to-fuck-hamas-how-israelimilitarism-took-over-online-dating/0000018e-60aa-d27e-a7af-7aeec5b00000 513 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/were-not-only-here-to-fuck-hamas-how-israelimilitarism-took-over-online-dating/0000018e-60aa-d27e-a7af-7aeec5b00000 514 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/were-not-only-here-to-fuck-hamas-how-israelimilitarism-took-over-online-dating/0000018e-60aa-d27e-a7af-7aeec5b00000 515 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/09/gaza-civilians-detained-israel/ ; https://twitter.com/YinonMagal/status/1754505872753979498 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1755342772670804416 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/world/middleeast/unrwa-gaza-detention-israel.html ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1772380808327618560 ; an UNRWA report mentioned 1,506 detainees released through a single crossing point by April 4: https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/summary_on_detention_and_alleged_illtreatmentupdated.pdf ; https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1793359108147728835 . In late May the number was supposedly 4,000, with more than 1,500 released, which seems like an undercount in light of the UNRWA number above: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-27/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-ba6b-dfb0-a7af-fb7b4c150000. Gaza’s Government Media Office estimates that at least 5,000 citizens were detained: https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6342/Hostages-of-Israelirevenge-in-the-Gaza-Strip:-Testimonies-of-100-released-Palestinian-detainees-reveal-crimes-of-torture,-cruel-treatment 49 connection to Hamas.516 The conditions throughout the process of arrest and detainment are appalling, as a released Gazan poet has narrated in detail in The New Yorker in January.517 Many others have shared similar stories, including on the torture they experienced.518 One NGO wrote a report based on interviews with 100 released Palestinian detainees, revealing various kinds of torture and abuse and concluding that “the Israeli army routinely and widely commits crimes of arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, willful killing, torture, inhumane treatment, sexual violence, and denial of a fair trial.”519 For example, several Palestinians claimed that the IDF brought groups of 10-20 Israeli civilians to watch the torture they underwent when they were detained. 520 Online videos provide more evidence for the torture. 521 In one, a Gazan doctor who was detained by Israel said that he was held for 45 days, throughout which he was blindfolded and handcuffed, with his legs tied in clamps in what amounts to torture. He was subsequently released.522 The official position of Israel’s medical directorate recommends such blindfolding and handcuffs.523 At least 8 Palestinian prisoners and captives have died in Israeli jails since the beginning of the war,524 where conditions are appalling as well.525 The IDF has admitted that additional detained Palestinians from Gaza have died but refused to supply additional details,526 until in early March Ha’aretz revealed that 27 Gazans died in IDF detention.527 By late May, the number increased to 35 including two who died en route to the detention facility after soldiers beat them, and two who died because of poor medical treatment.528 By early June, the number of Palestinians who died in potentially criminal circumstances according to the IDF increased further to 48.529 For comparison, in the notorious American Guantánamo prison, 9 prisoners died over more than 20 years of operation.530 The IDF refused to answer whether it opened Military Police investigations for the deaths of these Gazans. 531 In late March, Physicians for Human Rights Israel examined 10 cases of 516 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-12-10/ty-article/.premium/0000018c-542b-df2f-adac-fe2f4bf80000 ; but see also the numbers here: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-27/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-ba6b-dfb0-a7af-fb7b4c150000 517 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/01/01/a-palestinian-poets-perilous-journey-out-of-gaza 518 https://www.mekomit.co.il/20-%d7%a9%d7%a2%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%a2%d7%9c- %d7%94%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%9b%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%9e%d7%99-%d7%a9%d7%96%d7%96- %d7%9e%d7%95%d6%bc%d7%9b%d6%b6%d6%bc%d7%94-%d7%90%d7%96%d7%a8%d7%97%d7%99%d7%9d/ ; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1747273886264443173 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1756754492790349978 ; https://twitter.com/marwasf/status/1762590590737207562 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-10-23/tyarticle/.premium/0000018b-5be6-d473-a5fb-7fefd68c0000 ; https://twitter.com/Kahlissee/status/1783737956026454347 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1785941575157067916 ; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1786857586098155534 ; https://x.com/EuroMedHR/status/1794349445498421495 ; https://x.com/ihcentoo/status/1797391918172659737. Many accounts here: https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6342/Hostages-of-Israeli-revenge-in-the-Gaza-Strip:-Testimonies-of-100-released-Palestiniandetainees-reveal-crimes-of-torture,-cruel-treatment ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6367/Killing,-torture,-and-injections-ofunknown-substances:-Intl.-community-must-act-on-Israeli-violations-of-Gaza-detainees 519 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6342/Hostages-of-Israeli-revenge-in-the-Gaza-Strip:-Testimonies-of-100-released-Palestiniandetainees-reveal-crimes-of-torture,-cruel-treatment 520 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6153/ 521 https://twitter.com/brown_johnbrown/status/1743021596682371453 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1753512387322474545 ; https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1753044873974849578 ; https://twitter.com/arixegal/status/1759978751524212926 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1780281723424547297 522 https://twitter.com/ReneeLevant/status/1754269959927079245 523 https://img.mako.co.il/2023/12/20/MEDIC.pdf 524 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-12-06/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-3b9b-d11b-a3bf-ffbb16d80000; https://twitter.com/KhalilAsslan/status/1741926482463633866 ; https://twitter.com/MustafaBarghou1/status/1761325667252092984 525 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1759571535637954816 526 https://www.mekomit.co.il/20-%D7%A9%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A2%D7%9C- %D7%94%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%96%D7%96- %D7%9E%D7%95%D6%BC%D7%9B%D6%B6%D6%BC%D7%94-%D7%90%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9D/ 527 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-07/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-1240-df16-a58e-1ffedcf70000 ;also 2 more here: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1781018819961454697 ; and one more here: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1789930610783408368 528 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-28/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-bbb6-dc1f-abef-ffbf9de50000 ; for examples see: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1781018819961454697 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1789930610783408368 529 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-03/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-dab1-db0d-a98f-def9186a0000 530 https://reprieve.org/uk/campaign/guantanamo/faq/ 531 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-01-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018c-c6e1-d6c4-ab8d-e7f5fd670000 50 Palestinians who died in detention facilities, and participated in the autopsies of five. In two cases, the autopsies found severe signs of violence and assault, four people suffered from medical issues, and in one case the specific cause of death was medical neglect.532 According to a law amendment that was passed after the beginning of the war, Israel can now hold “illegal fighters” as detainees for up to 45 days without a warrant or notifying their families, and putting a detainee in contact with their lawyer can be delayed for up to 75 days (or half a year, if a judge approves).533 The same law was used, for example, to detain and imprison an 82-year old woman with Alzheimer disease for almost two months.534 Israel has declared that families of detainees can receive no information about them for the first 90 days of their detention, after which they can send an email to a generic email address to attempt to schedule an appointment between the detainee and a lawyer.535 As a result of these policies, for example, a Gazan who was detained with his wife said that she was separated from their children (a 4 year old boy and a half year old baby), and that since his release he has not found her or them.536 Early details from an UNRWA report based on over a hundred interviews with released detainees contained many gruesome details, such as a Gazan law student who was beaten so badly that his genitals turned blue and his urine continued to contain blood for weeks. He was forced to sleep naked in the open air, next to a fan blowing cold air, and was played music so loudly that his ears bled.537 The released UNRWA report added details, referring for example to some detainees being forced into cages and attacked by dogs (several released detainees, including a child, had dog bite marks).538 Detainees were threatened with prolonged detention, injury or the killing of their family members if they did not provide information.539 One detainee stated that the soldiers shot nails on his knee, and that those nails were kept there for about 24 hours. Other forms of abuse include drinking from toilets, keeping at least one group of detainees naked, and sticking an electric probe up the anus of male detainees (one person is said to have died after such treatment).540 An ABC report interviewed one Palestinian who described how Israeli forces would bring dogs on a leash to pee on the detainees and feed detainees rotten food and salted water.541 Another detainee recounted he lost 37 kilograms during his period in detention and described experiencing electric shocks as a form of torture.542 One released detainee recounted that he could use the restroom for only four minutes, after which he would be electrocuted.543 One British doctor returning from Gaza recounted the case of a Gazan who had to use a wheelchair and had been detained for a few weeks during which he was handcuffed and developed pressure sores on both sides. When he was released, his hip bones were visible on both sides.544 A BBC investigative report in mid-March found that the IDF beat, humiliated and detained for days dozens of Gaza medical staff from Nasser hospital. The UK foreign secretary said that the report was “very disturbing”, 545 while the UNICEF 532 https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Death-in-Israeli-Prisons-28.03.24-Ver.pdf 533 https://www.mekomit.co.il/20-%d7%a9%d7%a2%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%a2%d7%9c- %d7%94%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%9b%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%9e%d7%99-%d7%a9%d7%96%d7%96- %d7%9e%d7%95%d6%bc%d7%9b%d6%b6%d6%bc%d7%94-%d7%90%d7%96%d7%a8%d7%97%d7%99%d7%9d/ 534 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-02-01/ty-article/.premium/0000018d-5f18-d0af-a3af-7fbcea840000 535 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-3945-d516-afbf-ffc73dd00000 536 https://twitter.com/Hanine09/status/1769258663837827582 537 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/world/middleeast/unrwa-gaza-detention-israel.html 538 https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/summary_on_detention_and_alleged_ill-treatmentupdated.pdf 539 https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/summary_on_detention_and_alleged_ill-treatmentupdated.pdf 540 https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/summary_on_detention_and_alleged_ill-treatmentupdated.pdf 541 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-19/allegations-of-gaza-abuse/103692464 542 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-19/allegations-of-gaza-abuse/103692464 543 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6367/Killing,-torture,-and-injections-of-unknown-substances:-Intl.-community-must-act-onIsraeli-violations-of-Gaza-detainees 544 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEBcDUYtMts 545 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68513408; https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68546268 51 spokesperson revealed the extent of destruction in the then-empty hospital.546 As of June, according to one NGO, international press reports documented at least 7 cases of rape against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.547 In early April, an Israeli doctor in the hospital in the detainment facility Sde Teiman described in a letter the harsh conditions in which the detained Gazans are held. His letter stated that in the week of his writing, two patients’ legs were amputated because of injuries they sustained because of the way in which their legs were restrained during their detainment (“this is a regular event”). All patients in the hospital are straw-fed, wear diapers, are blindfolded and their hands and feet are all handcuffed548 (even before the war, 95% of prisoners were restrained when they received medical treatment)549 . Another doctor reported the same and added that the detainees are naked except for the diapers. He believed that “even the medical treatment at the base amounted to torture”.550 A medical source described the situation as “it’s like a different world or a black hole. There’s a disease incubator there”.551 In mid-April Physicians for Human Rights Israel called to “Shut down the Sde Teiman Facility Now”, stating that it reflects “a moral and professional low point”.552 A further investigation by CNN in May confirmed the aforementioned findings based on three Israeli whistleblowers who worked at the camp. It also added descriptions such as that “the air is filled with the smell of neglected wounds left to rot”. Gazas were regularly beaten “out of revenge”, while the Gazans were “stripped down of anything that resembles human beings”. 553 A New York Times report in June provided additional similar evidence, adding details about the rape of male Gazan detainees. 554 An Israeli medic said that he was ordered to perform medical procedures outside his area of expertise, and that he was ordered to perform these medical procedures without anesthesia.555 For weeks the facility’s hospital lacked medicine for treating chronic illnesses. In early April the facility held some 600-800 Gazans (and 849 others were arrested in Israeli prisons), 556 but Israel began phasing out the camp in early June.557 The number of women detained in Gaza (and the West Bank) since Oct. 7 has been in the hundreds (140 in Gaza in mid-December558). In mid-February, a panel of experts appointed by the UN’s Human Rights Council found evidence for egregious human rights violations, including keeping Gazan women in a cage in the rain and cold, without food, sexual assault against detained women including rape in two cases, and threats of rape and sexual violence, as well as uploading pictures of female detainees in degrading circumstances.559 One Palestinian detained woman stated that “For the most of the interrogations, I and the majority of the detainees were repeatedly threatened with rape”.560 Another Palestinian woman has spoken about the sexual, emotional and physical abuse she has 546 https://twitter.com/1james_elder/status/1770440852717912117 547 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6367/Killing,-torture,-and-injections-of-unknown-substances:-Intl.-community-must-act-onIsraeli-violations-of-Gaza-detainees ; see also below. 548 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-04/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-9ac3-dd2b-ad9f-dadb900f0000 549 https://www.israelhayom.co.il/health/article/14391915 550 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-19/allegations-of-gaza-abuse/103692464 551 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-28/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-bbb6-dc1f-abef-ffbf9de50000 552 https://www.phr.org.il/en/shut-down-the-sde-teiman-facility-now/ 553 https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/10/middleeast/israel-sde-teiman-detention-whistleblowers-intl-cmd/index.html 554 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-detention-base.html 555 https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/10/middleeast/israel-sde-teiman-detention-whistleblowers-intl-cmd/index.html ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-10/ty-article/0000018f-622a-d9a0-a38f-ee2f1f8e0000 556 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-04/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-9ac3-dd2b-ad9f-dadb900f0000 557 https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/05/middleeast/israel-top-court-sde-teiman-hearing-intl/index.html ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-05/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-e1b1-db29-a3ef-edbb381c0000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-11/ty-article/00000190-0719-da02-a1dc-ff5b23460000 558 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/un-human-rights-office-opt-disturbing-reports-north-gaza-mass-detentionsill-treatment-and-enforced-disappearances-possibly-thousands-palestinians 559 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/israelopt-un-experts-appalled-reported-human-rights-violations-against 560 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6342/Hostages-of-Israeli-revenge-in-the-Gaza-Strip:-Testimonies-of-100-released-Palestiniandetainees-reveal-crimes-of-torture,-cruel-treatment (p. 45). 52 experienced for over a month in which she was detained.561 Other women have said similar things.562 In late March, an Israeli former general claimed that a US official accused the IDF of “systematically” abusing Palestinian women.563 In late May, an NGO report described that women detainees were sometimes kept nude in front of male soldiers and were threatened with rape, as well as undergoing the same forms of torture that men detainees underwent.564 561 https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1762502752184467495 562 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1772749440027074609 ; https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1773318803075531136. In late March, a woman claimed (almost certainly falsely) that IDF soldiers had raped Palestinians in context of a raid into al-Shifa hospital but the account was removed and both a former editor at al-Jazeera (that published it) and the woman’s brother stated it was false. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mN1SRUx0R8 ; https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240324-women-in-gaza-are-being-rapedand-this-is-not-being-investigated-or-reported/ ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1771585576963092757 ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/by115igc0a ; https://www.timesofisrael.com/al-jazeera-report-alleging-idf-rapes-in-shifa-hospital-retracted/ 563 https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-793420 564 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6342/Hostages-of-Israeli-revenge-in-the-Gaza-Strip:-Testimonies-of-100-released-Palestiniandetainees-reveal-crimes-of-torture,-cruel-treatment 53 Ethnic cleansing Last updated: June 18, 2024 Ethnic cleansing is openly discussed in Israeli discourse, including by ministers in the ruling government. This includes the ministers of Finance,565 National Security (who also stated he would like to live in Gaza), 566 Heritage (who also called to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza), 567 Agriculture (who claimed that another Nakba was ongoing),568 the former Minister of Information569 and a former Minister of Justice.570 Israel MPs have also participated in the discussion.571 Other state officials have said similar things. The head of a local council, for example, proposed to send all Gazans to Lebanon, flatten the whole Strip so “it becomes an empty museum like Auschwitz”.572 Some IDF officers and soldiers fighting in Gaza support the same idea.573 A Israeli government plan proposal to repopulate all Gazans to the Sinai Peninsula (part of Egypt) has been leaked.574 Israel has also attempted to get the US to pressure Egypt into accepting Gazan refugees,575 and has attempted to convince several countries including Congo to accept Palestinian refugees.576 Other locations members of Israel government suggested as potential resettlement locations include Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the European Union and Chile.577 According to Israeli media, Chad and Rwanda have expressed interest to accept tens of thousands of Palestinians in exchange for generous financial support that included military support.578 In early February a coalition MP stated that the removal of Gazans from the North of the Strip is “the only achievement we have in the war”.579 In mid-February a local human rights organization revealed that Egypt was building a high-security area for the reception of Palestinian refugees,580 and in late March an Egyptian source claimed Egypt was preparing for the entrance of 150,000 Palestinians during an Israeli invasion of Rafah.581 Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, suggested in mid March that Israel should remove civilians from Gaza and added that “waterfront property [in Gaza] could be very valuable”.582 According to 565 https://www.timesofisrael.com/ministers-call-for-resettling-gazas-palestinians-building-settlements-in-strip/ ; https://x.com/N12News/status/1798769743119167566 566 https://www.timesofisrael.com/ministers-call-for-resettling-gazas-palestinians-building-settlements-in-strip/ ; https://www.kikar.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%90%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA/sdtng3 ; https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1798729352412319874 567 https://twitter.com/Eliyahu_a/status/1772645094295830643 ; https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/politic/596470/ 568 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-12/ty-article/israeli-security-cabinet-member-calls-north-gaza-evacuation-nakba2023/0000018b-c2be-dea2-a9bf-d2be7b670000 569 https://www.hidabroot.org/article/1187840 570 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEu-dQWOlL4 571 https://twitter.com/tzvisuccot/status/1754822778950148138 ; see also https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf, paragraphs 138- 141. 572 https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-778367 573 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794113236708573451 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1794826941209702699 574 https://www.mekomit.co.il/%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%a1%d7%9e%d7%9a-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%9c%d7%90-%d7%a9%d7%9c- %d7%9e%d7%a9%d7%a8%d7%93-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%93%d7%99%d7%a2%d7%99%d7%9f- %d7%9b%d7%99%d7%91%d7%95%d7%a9-%d7%a2%d7%96%d7%94-%d7%95/ ; https://www.972mag.com/intelligence-ministry-gazapopulation-transfer/ 575 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/21/biden-netanyahu-dispute-palestinian-state/ 576 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-officials-said-in-talks-with-congo-others-on-taking-in-gaza-emigrants/ 577 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/04/gaza-displaced-civilians-resettlement-israel/ 578 https://www.zman.co.il/453910/popup/ 579 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/war-2023/2024-02-05/ty-article-live/0000018d-762a-dd6e-a98df62a9c200000?liveBlogItemId=310435701#310435701 580 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-egypt-building-buffer-zone-palestinian-refugees 581 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkl1144rkc ; https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1- %D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA- %D9%88%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%86- %D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7-%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9- %D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AD 582 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/19/jared-kushner-gaza-waterfront-property-israel-negev 54 estimates, the number of Palestinians who left to Egypt by April was 30-50 thousand.583 In early April, a coalition MP said that several government offices were working on an operational program to resettle the Gaza Strip with a Jewish population “behind the scenes”.584 In late April, Israel’s Minister of Finance described the upcoming battle in the southern Gaza Strip as against Amalek, and called for absolute destruction of the cities there.585 The absence of clear war plans,586 war goals or a clear end game to the war has allowed many Israelis to support the resettling of Gaza with Jewish settlements after the war.587 Over 30 right-wing organizations have supported this goal in a late January conference.588 A total of 11 ministers and 15 MPs (of a total of 120) participated in the conference.589 Several IDF soldiers have stated their will to resettle Gaza while uniformed and within Gaza.590 In March, the commander of an armored battalion did the same during an interview with Israeli TV.591 A poll from December found that 58% of Israelis (likely Jews) believe that the entire population of Gaza should be transferred away from the Gaza Strip.592 Other polls from January, February, March and April reveal that some 20-25% of Israeli Jews believe that Israel should resettle Gaza.593 A poll from March-April revealed that 50% of Israeli Jews thought that Israel should govern the Gaza Strip after the war. 594 Anecdotal evidence from Gaza and Israeli society provides more indications: A video from late February presents an Israeli civilian tractor sowing fields within the Gaza Strip as a “victory photo”.595 In early March, Jewish activists were able to briefly enter the Gaza Strip in an attempt to build a settlement there.596 A video of a military convoy driving in a major road in the Strip reveals a very large number of Israeli flags placed along it.597 A prominent settler leader declared in an interview on CNN that removing the local population of Gaza is necessary, while also claiming that she had a list of 500 Jewish families that were ready and willing to resettle Gaza.598 A former MP claimed on TV in June that “we [Israeli Jews] could not live in this land if even one such Islamo-Nazi remains in Gaza, and not before we return to Gaza and turn it into Hebrew Gaza”.599 583 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-04-04/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018e-a379-d315-ab9f-aff98d4b0000 584 https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1777360030380986803 585 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1785075803870404644 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-30/tyarticle/.premium/0000018f-2e6c-d502-a5bf-eeeeebb50000 586 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/biden-israel-gaza-rafah-palestinians/ 587 https://www.mako.co.il/news-politics/2023_q4/Article-9f47fed9563eb81027.htm ; https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article794770 588 https://twitter.com/AlonLeeGreen/status/1746855797328433438 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/world/middleeast/israelgaza-settlers.html 589 https://www.mako.co.il/news-politics/2024_q1/Article-7ce65d03aa05d81027.htm 590 https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1746854844818681861; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1745907053426565605 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1781809245312180237 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1788897079642689855 ; https://x.com/abierkhatib/status/1793720981607071831 ; several images in this thread: https://x.com/YehudaShaul/status/1737112308672016760 591 https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/defense/727102/ ; he was reprimanded as a result. 592 https://www.now14.co.il/%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A8- %D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9A-%D7%91%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%99- %D7%94%D7%A8%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%94-%D7%92%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%99/ ; a similar question in the same poll had higher support. Also: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryals5f00p 593 https://www.inss.org.il/he/publication/swords-of-iron-14/ ; https://jppi.org.il/en/%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%A8- %D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%95%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%90%D7%99- %D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%A1 ; https://en.idi.org.il/articles/53666 594 https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2024/05/30/israeli-views-of-the-israel-hamas-war/ 595 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760758994350588388 596 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r11oner3a; https://www.972mag.com/israeli-settlers-gaza-outpost-erez-crossing/ 597 https://twitter.com/VerminusM/status/1774080556701245486 598 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkXJwErm8DM ; also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqRzfb2oMaM ; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68650815 ; also https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-26/tyarticle/.premium/0000018f-15e8-da70-a7bf-7deb81b40000 599 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1802435990251848148 55 Inside the Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers appear to have constructed “the first synagogue in Khan Younis”,600 another synagogue there,601 as well as inaugurated a Torah scroll in at least four occasions (Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City, the Islamic University in Gaza, Khan Younis, and the Netzarim Corridor).602 One soldier filmed himself spray painting the Temple in Jerusalem on the ruins of a destroyed mosque in Gaza.603 An IDF military “pizzeria” has allegedly opened in Khan Younis, and soldiers placed a sign of a fast food restaurant that might soon open in Gaza.604 Other soldiers hold a commercial sign of an American construction company from New Jersey (and an American flag) with the destroyed buildings of Gaza in the background.605 Donna Italia (an international pizzeria chain) appears to have opened a pizzeria in a displaced family’s home in Khan Younis to support IDF troops.606 Many of these initiatives, it seems, were relatively short-lived. In late March, it appears that soldiers recorded themselves reading the Scroll of Esther in al-Shifa hospital.607 Videos from April show that soldiers took over the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, turned it into a barracks and celebrated a large Passover feast (seder?) in it. 608 A different unit took over a Gazan school, transforming it into its base.609 In May, a journalist showcased the first military synagogue in the area of Rafah, 610 while soldiers from an IDF unit prepared a makeshift sign declaring a new settlement in the Gaza Strip.611 All the evidence I have seen indicates that Israel is systematically destroying Gaza to make it unlivable in the future. In the first week of fighting, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza – over the annual total used by the US in Afghanistan.612 In the first three months of fighting Israel had destroyed over 10,000 buildings in the Strip – compared to some 4,700 buildings in Aleppo after three years of fighting. A coalition of aid groups stated in December that rebuilding the housing destroyed to that point will take 7 to 10 years if financing is available and will cost some $3.5 billion.613 According to a joint report by the World Bank and the UN, the cost of damage to physical structures alone was around $18.5 billion at the end of January (the cost during the 2014 Protective Edge was $1.4 billion).614 In mid May a UN official stated that rebuilding could cost around $50 billion over two decades.615 The amount of debris created by the destruction of residential areas (estimates ranged between 26 and 37 million tons in April) will take many years to remove.616 A top UN demining official claimed that simply clearing the debris could take as much as 14 years.617 An expert 600 https://twitter.com/yanivkub/status/1742189448006127715 601 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1745979741931282775 602 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1743588216630919271 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1750793042850664750 ; https://twitter.com/KhalilAsslan/status/1753364384800252200 ; https://x.com/moshebs11/status/1766830282219372906 603 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1756666882331988140 604 https://twitter.com/arixegal/status/1747704367145201666 605 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1759534834710352030 606 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1753547113638604865 ; also https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765450350549487672 607 https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1771974813491360211 608 https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1778864079995568598 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1784694240921989320 609 https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1785413134011838765 610 https://twitter.com/YakiAdamker/status/1787846143096828303 611 https://twitter.com/T_Nachala/status/1786806755374084274 612 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-04/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/amid-israeli-destruction-in-gaza-a-new-crimeagainst-humanity-emerges-domicide/0000018c-d585-d751-ad8d-ffa5965e0000 613 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-destruction-bombing-israel-aa528542 ; https://twitter.com/NRC_MiddleEast/status/1741341343111110950 614 https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/14e309cd34e04e40b90eb19afa7b5d15-0280012024/original/Gaza-Interim-DamageAssessment-032924-Final.pdf ; also the estimate of $20 billion in mid-February: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-postwar-reconstruction-estimated-20-billion-un-trade-body-2024-02-15/ 615 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-02/rebuilding-gaza-to-cost-50-billion-over-two-decades-un-says 616 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-150; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/26/gazas-37m-tonnes-of-bomb-filled-debris-could-take-14-years-to-clear-says-expert ; Earlier estimates stated that removing 8 million tons would take about three years: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gazastrip-and-israel-flash-update-104 617 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/26/gazas-37m-tonnes-of-bomb-filled-debris-could-take-14-years-to-clear-says-expert ; https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1149051 56 on the warfare-related destruction pointed out that the case of Gaza fits the term ‘domicide’, a massive violation of the right to housing and basic infrastructure in residential areas by making them inhabitable, which is itself a crime against humanity.618 Israel is said to have dropped over 500 2,000-pound bombs within the densely populated urban area, despite the massive collateral damage these bombs cause (causing death or injury in a radius of up to 365 meters around the target). These bombs are four times heavier than the largest bombs the United States used when fighting ISIS in Mosul; the US dropped a single such 2,000-pound bomb throughout its fight with ISIS.619 After two months of fighting, Israel had already caused more destruction in Gaza than Syria in Aleppo (2012-2016), Russia in Mariupol in 2022, or (proportionally) the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II,620 as well as the fights against ISIS in Mosul (2016-7) and Raqqa (2017).621 Over 60 percent of Gaza’s housing units have been destroyed or damaged.622 As of mid-January experts estimate based on satellite imagery that between 142,900 to 176,900 buildings have been damaged.623 By early March, 54.8% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip were likely damaged or destroyed (~70% in the North, ~50% in Khan Younis).624 By early June, the amount increased to 58.5%.625 Drone videos reveal the extent of the destruction.626 By late March, some between a quarter and a third of greenhouses were completely destroyed, some 40-48% of tree crops in Gaza have been damaged; some 48% of tree cover has been lost or damaged; and some 38% of farmland (roughly half the Strip’s total land area) was destroyed by Israeli military activity.627 Some of the destruction is purposeful, as indicated in videos by IDF troops.628 As a result of the war and destruction, 89% of Gazan workers lost their jobs by December.629 As of April, all staff of at least one hospital have not been paid since October 7.630 According to estimates, the GDP of Gaza has decreased by some 80%.631 Israel has destroyed not only buildings whose connection to Hamas militants is weak or nonexistent, 632 but also a long list of cultural institutions,633 historical and archaeological sites,634 dozens of governmental buildings (including the parliament635 and the main courthouse)636, religious 618 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-04/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/amid-israeli-destruction-in-gaza-a-new-crimeagainst-humanity-emerges-domicide/0000018c-d585-d751-ad8d-ffa5965e0000 619 https://www.cnn.com/gaza-israel-big-bombs/index.html; https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/israel-opt-us-mademunitions-killed-43-civilians-in-two-documented-israeli-air-strikes-in-gaza-new-investigation/ 620 https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796 621 https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/14/gaza-war-israel-civilian-deaths-urban-warfare-hamas/ 622 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 623 https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2024/jan/30/how-war-destroyed-gazas-neighbourhoods-visual-investigation 624 https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf (p. 6). See also alternatives: https://unosat.org/products/3804 (35% till late February); https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gazadestruction-bombing-israel-aa528542 (50% till late December). 625 https://www.conflict-damage.org/, accessed June 17 (the number is updated to June 1). 626 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777786701768708193 627 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/29/gaza-israel-palestinian-war-ecocide-environmental-destruction-pollutionrome-statute-war-crimes-aoe ; https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/ecocide-in-gaza 628 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1796232276818424251 629 https://gisha.org/almost-89-of-gaza-residents-have-lost-their-jobs-heb/ ; according to another report from late March, 74% of Gazas were unemployed: https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/14e309cd34e04e40b90eb19afa7b5d15-0280012024/original/Gaza-InterimDamage-Assessment-032924-Final.pdf 630 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/11/surgeons_in_gaza 631 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148296 632 https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/ ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1790901748346867875 ; https://x.com/JalalAK_jojo/status/1797296916763418747 633 E.g. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-says-it-struck-islamic-university-of-gaza/3015542 634 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-26/ty-article-magazine/.premium/bombing-historical-sites-in-gaza-israel-is-destroyingeverything-beautiful/0000018c-a565-df1f-a7bf-b7e53e8e0000; https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/12/22/gaza-city-archivesamong-heritage-sites-destroyed-in-israel-hamas-war ; https://www.unesco.org/en/gaza/assessment ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1766458940118769799 635 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-destruction-bombing-israel-aa528542 57 buildings (over 233 mosques and 3 churches637), universities (most or all universities in Gaza have been destroyed according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor; at least 5 of 7 major universities were destroyed or partially damaged according to NBC; 12 of 12 were damaged or destroyed according to Le Monde),638 hospitals,639 educational facilities (88% of school buildings sustained some level of damage; 13 public libraries were destroyed or damaged),640 archives,641 and UN offices.642 Already in early December, Israeli attacks destroyed or damaged more than 100 heritage sites, including buildings from Gaza’s medieval, Byzantine and Roman periods 643 (by mid April the number rose to 195 such sites). 644 Soldiers have been filmed within a warehouse filled with antiquities, and there appears to have been a post by the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority that claimed that some of those antiquities were taken to Israel and presented in the Knesset (the post was later deleted).645 An investigative report by an NGO followed a single unit’s path within Gaza, raising serious concerns regarding the justification of the many explosions it was responsible for.646 Certain areas have been completely cleared of Palestinian buildings. For example, one IDF soldier claims his unit received orders to destroy the village of Khuzaʽa and uploaded a video showing that they accomplished the mission over two weeks.647 In this reality, even a simple shelter such as a tent is sold for more than $800. Those who cannot afford such an expense improvise a shelter from simple materials.648 An alternative is to rent half destroyed and burnt apartments. One such apartment in Khan Younis cost $330/month.649 The civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip necessary to the functioning of a society has been severely damaged. Most of Gaza’s 980 registered NGOs have ceased operations.650 Some 88% of all school buildings have sustained damage.651 As of late March, Israel has destroyed 91% (51 of 56) of bank branches and 92% (84 of 91) of the ATMs in the Gaza Strip. All surviving branches and ATMs are in the Strip’s south.652 Using an ATM or attempting to get access to one’s money through money changers have high commissions (e.g. 17%).653 At least 16 cemeteries have been desecrated by the 636 https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-destroys-gaza-courthouse-dozens-govt-buildings 637 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-192 638 https://twitter.com/PeruginiNic/status/1747730495482310771 ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6108/Israel-kills-dozens-ofacademics,-destroys-every-university-in-the-Gaza-Strip ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6163/Israel%E2%80%99s-demolition-ofeducational-institutions,-cultural-objects-in-Gaza-is-additional-manifestation-of-genocide ; https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/gazauniversities-destroyed-israel-military-war/index.html ; https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/03/07/all-12-universitiesin-gaza-have-been-the-target-of-israeli-attacks-it-s-a-war-against-education_6592965_4.html ; example: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1786005107986841626 639 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760766861279391872 640 https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-12-12/gaza-library-bombing; https://lithub.com/gazas-main-public-library-has-beendestroyed/ ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1759474743189660011 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impactsnapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 641 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCNftkL7cx4 642 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1771195504883339683 643 https://www.npr.org/2023/12/03/1216200754/gaza-heritage-sites-destroyed-israel, https://www.heritageforpeace.org/wpcontent/uploads/2023/11/Report-of-the-effects-of-the-last-war-of-2023-on-the-cultural-heritage-in-Gaza-Strip-Palestine-english.pdf 644 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/un-experts-deeply-concerned-over-scholasticide-gaza 645 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240122-israel-army-displays-artefacts-stolen-from-gaza-in-the-knesset/ ; https://twitter.com/EmekShavehHeb/status/1749030636529008651 646 https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/29/weve-become-addicted-to-explosions-the-idf-unit-responsible-for-demolishing-homesacross-gaza 647 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1744195835577921772 ; also https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/29/weve-becomeaddicted-to-explosions-the-idf-unit-responsible-for-demolishing-homes-across-gaza ; and an interview with an IDF soldier who fought there: https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1798462630736396472 648 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-economy.html 649 https://x.com/IamIbrahim21/status/1797521016702550496 650 https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/14e309cd34e04e40b90eb19afa7b5d15-0280012024/original/Gaza-Interim-DamageAssessment-032924-Final.pdf 651 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024 652 https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1774422433736393207 653 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-economy.html 58 IDF, often by bulldozing.654 One video shows a bulldozer driving within a cemetery,655 while another shows the results of such an operation, with corpses left scattered across the landscape.656 The IDF has also bulldozed burial sites at Nasser hospital.657 The IDF further bulldozed broad areas in the Gaza Strip.658 An online video depicts the torching of the Shujjaiya neighborhood in a military operation.659 Satellite images reveal the massive extent of destruction of Khan Younis.660 In late March, a UNICEF spokesperson described “utter annihilation” in Khan Younis, stating that “the depth of the horror surpasses our ability to describe it”.661 Evidence supports the conclusion that Israel is attempting to destroy all buildings inside the Gaza Strip within a kilometer of the Israel-Gaza fence to create a “buffer zone”.662 This buffer zone will take over 16% of the territory of the Gaza Strip.663 Such destruction has been described by the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights as a “grave breach of the Fourth Geneva convention and a war crime”.664 In mid-February, Israeli media announced that the IDF was constructing a road to bisect the Gaza Strip, suggesting its plans for a long occupation.665 In early March, its construction was completed,666 and it enables rapid movement and will be held by Israel for “at least another year” according to the IDF.667 At least 750 buildings have been destroyed to create a buffer zone on both sides of the road.668 In subsequent months, Israel built bases within the Gaza Strip by taking over civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools, as well as watchtowers and outposts. 669 The destruction in Gaza has resulted in the displacement of some 75 percent of Gaza’s population.670 An investigation of Israel’s evacuation orders to Gazans revealed numerous unclarities and inconsistencies within the IDF’s official orders.671 This included, for example, five different geographical definitions of the al-Mawasi “safe zone”, which was itself bombed and invaded by IDF ground troops.672 Other supposed “safe zones” were not safe. An NBC investigation examined seven airstrikes that took place in areas the IDF declared as safe, killing civilians.673 Some of the evacuation 654 https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/20/middleeast/israel-gaza-cemeteries-desecrated-investigation-intl-cmd/index.html ; https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1749145986595713498 ; also: https://twitter.com/HossamShabat/status/1779565112300302634 655 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1771125186370101561 656 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1743386378606412188 657 https://news.sky.com/story/israel-bulldozed-mass-graves-at-gaza-hospital-sky-news-analysis-shows-13121638 658 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1750443193575886945 659 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1767698980127838474 660 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-03-14/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-3bab-db12-a9ef-fbfb627d0000 661 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/22/unicef-official-utter-annihilation-gaza 662 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1758376261628436523 663 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-03-28/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018d-9cc9-df62-a3fd-9ecdb8420000 ; https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-hamas-war-buffer-zone-explained-2a7347af ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/135417/ 664 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/widespread-destruction-israeli-defence-forces-civilian-infrastructure-gaza 665 https://twitter.com/YairWallach/status/1759572148559962424 666 https://news.sky.com/story/israel-completes-construction-of-road-which-cuts-across-gaza-strip-13089556 667 https://twitter.com/Doron_Kadosh/status/1762434310831796618 ; https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-is-building-a-roadbisecting-gaza-in-next-phase-of-war-c73503ff 668 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/17/gaza-israel-netzarim-corridor-war-hamas/ 669 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/17/gaza-israel-netzarim-corridor-war-hamas/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-04-18/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-f03c-d240-a19f-f43f6da50000 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1795129920902873557 ; https://inews.co.uk/news/world/israel-gaza-superhighway-watchtower-post-warplans-3090909 670 https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1742863747683668418; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshotgaza-strip-12-june-2024 671 For example: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/26/middleeast/hala-khreis-white-flag-shooting-gaza-cmd-intl/index.html ; https://x.com/marcowenjones/status/1795063041513402446 672 https://gaza.forensic-architecture.org/displacement ; https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/03/Humanitarian-Violence_Report_FA.pdf ; https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/05/Inhumane-Zones-Report-Forensic-Architecture_WEBSITE.pdf ; also https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-4.pdf, paragraph 96. 673 https://twitter.com/NBCNightlyNews/status/1784001112124932600 59 orders were given online during periods of full communication outages.674 Already by early February, 67% of the Gaza Strip’s area was under evacuation orders.675 As a result of these repeated orders and the general overcrowdedness of the Strip, many Palestinians have been displaced several times.676 674 https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Humanitarian-Violence_Report_FA.pdf (e.g. p. 28) 675 https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/israel-s-evacuation-covers-67-of-gaza-leaves-palestinians-crammed124020600748_1.html 676 https://gaza.forensic-architecture.org/displacement ; https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/03/Humanitarian-Violence_Report_FA.pdf ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%91- %D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%97-%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%A8- %D7%95%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%9B/ ; examples at https://palestine.beehiiv.com/p/surviving-genocide-people ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK7oytWs7vQ ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/133730/ ; https://palestine.beehiiv.com/p/israeltried-starve-gaza-palestine ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/135043/ ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/135923/ 60 Hostages Last updated: June 18, 2024 Within this context, the Israeli government has refrained from making serious moves to release the 120+ Israeli hostages that remain in Gaza.677 To date, seven hostages out of some 250 taken on October 7 have been released by military operations.678 The military operation that released two of them in February also killed 74 Gazans (or about 100), mostly civilians.679 Another military operation that freed four hostages in June also killed 274 Gazans, many of which were women and children, and wounded hundreds. 680 Three other Israeli hostages were killed by IDF forces within Gaza despite waving white flags and calling for help.681 Another was killed during an attempted rescue operation.682 Three others were supposedly killed by gas that the IDF flooded the tunnels with.683 In late February an Israeli report found that at least 10 hostages were killed by the IDF’s actions, including a case where the IDF bombed a building that it suspected had a Israeli hostage.684 In late March a senior journalist specializing in military intelligence shared an estimate that only 60-70 of the hostages are still alive.685 US intelligence assessments seem to suggest a similar number.686 The number appears to have decreased as of late May.687 On the other hand, a temporary ceasefire has resulted in the release of 105 hostages.688 Instead of negotiating additional hostage releases, the Israeli government prefers to continue its military operation, despite the obvious risk to the hostages. Those hostages who have been released in the previous exchange have repeatedly stated that Israeli bombardments they experienced were among the most terrifying things they experienced during their captivity.689 The spokesperson for the Likud, the largest party in the Israeli parliament, met the families of the hostages and warned them against pushing for an early election because “it will be bad for the hostages” and “in such a period [i.e. elections] a lot of filth will surface”.690 There is additional evidence that families of the hostages fear that if they speak up too loudly their family members might be pushed to the end of the list of hostages to be released.691 In mid-March, the chief of staff of the IDF unit responsible for the hostages resigned as he felt that Israel’s political leadership was not interested in moving towards a deal.692 Similar feelings have been expressed within Israel’s security apparatus.693 Several 677 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-113 678 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-30/ty-article/.premium/israel-rescues-woman-soldier-kidnapped-to-gaza-byhamas/0000018b-81cc-df47-a3df-ffcdbcdc0000 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/11/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-hostagesrescued.html 679 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-rafah-refugee-camp-22-killed-local-health-officials-say-2024-02-12/; https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/12/middleeast/israel-airstrikes-rafah-ground-offensive-looms-intl-hnk/index.html 680 https://x.com/ofercass/status/1799425838397395195 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-rescues-four-hostagesgaza-palestinians-say-50-dead-israeli-assault-2024-06-08/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-06-08/ty-article/0000018f-f7e1- d084-abef-f7e94fff0000 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-pounds-central-gaza-palestinian-death-toll-hostage-rescueraid-rises-274-2024-06-09/ ; also https://www.972mag.com/nuseirat-camp-israeli-hostages-massacre-gaza/ 681 https://www.ft.com/content/2e299603-2fed-4855-9694-9801008c48dc 682 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rjzpo117da 683 https://twitter.com/tomashinyu3/status/1747651031737979233 ; https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-said-their-sonswere-murdered-by-hamas-these-mothers-werent-convinced-15461312 684 https://www.ha-makom.co.il/post/revital-host-idf ; with a high degree of probability also these four hostages: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1e4mwjea . See also: https://ynet.co.il/news/article/ry7qkbjbc 685 https://www.haaretz.co.il/blogs/yossimelman/2024-03-26/ty-article/0000018e-7564-d787-a5de-75e616c60000 686 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-may-not-have-enough-living-hostages-for-cease-fire-deal-61606c66 687 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-26/ty-article/.premium/rafah-operation-advances-as-israel-faces-added-pressure-byicj-ruling-to-end-the-war/0000018f-b179-dfc6-a3ef-b57daa210000 (less than 64 hostages remain alive) 688 https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/12/world/hostage-israel-hamas-deal-dg/ 689 https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/Article-1061467 690 https://twitter.com/Bar_ShemUr/status/1757852992215056477 691 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bjkutcon6 692 https://13tv.co.il/item/news/politics/security/sqpwy-903972705/ 61 government members scorned the hostages’ family members.694 In late March some of the family members of the hostages publicly blamed Israel’s Prime Minister for continuously postponing a deal to release them.695 In mid-April, two members of Israel negotiations team, at least one of whom was involved in it for six months, said explicitly that the government and especially Israel’s prime minister are trying to delay and even prevent a deal to release the hostages.696 A former spokesperson for the families of the hostages agreed that Israel’s Prime Minister was preventing a deal for personal political reasons.697 Several domestic and foreign sources – including from Qatar – said similar things.698 In May, coalition MPs ramped up their explicit attacks against the families of hostages,699 while police and government supporters used violence against them in the streets.700 In late May, an aide to the Israeli Prime Minister said that Israel will not end the war for a deal to free all hostages, and verbally attacked family members of the hostages who visited him.701 In June, a senior Israeli politician and former member of the war cabinet stated that the Prime Minister rejected a deal for political reasons.702 693 https://www.haaretz.co.il/blogs/yossimelman/2024-03-26/ty-article/0000018e-7564-d787-a5de-75e616c60000 694 https://13tv.co.il/item/news/politics/politics/hostages-903992721/ ; for similar sentiment towards family members of civilians killed during Oct. 7, see https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1085268 695 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bjebbohyc 696 https://twitter.com/Uvda_tweet/status/1778496650798833931 697 https://www.zman.co.il/481871/ 698 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-14/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-de16-deb6-afee-ded71d110000 ; https://twitter.com/_selftitled_/status/1784272179817041951 ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13937291 ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hyw3njjr0 699 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hko00u9uma 700 https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/local/article/15767757 ; https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/local/article/15775483 701 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-wont-end-war-for-deal-to-free-all-hostages-pms-aide-said-to-tell-families/ ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sj118wnin0 ; https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1103425 702 https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/politic/760712/ 62 The West Bank Last updated: June 18, 2024 The West Bank has received less attention in media and public discourse. Israel has long failed to enforce the law on its Jewish settlers. For example, out of more than 1,600 cases of settler violence between 2005 and 2023, only 3% ended in a conviction.703 The situation there has deteriorated rapidly since the beginning of the war. At least 18 herding/Bedouin Palestinian settlements there have been abandoned after attacks by Israeli Jewish settlers (968 recorded since October 7).704 About 4,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank in 2023, 705 and 2,155 have been displaced since October 7 because of the destruction of their homes. 706 Jewish settlers have killed several Palestinians, and have wounded, terrorized and abused others.707 Settlers conducted periodic larger rampages against Palestinian villages as well.708 When a 72 year old Jewish Israeli media photographer was caught by these settlers during such a pogrom they beat him up, stole his belongings and burned some of them, and broke his elbow and a finger. The photographer stated that IDF soldiers accompanied the settlers and refrained from helping him despite his pleas.709 Many of the settlers recruited for wartime territorial defense units now operate in uniform with IDF backing, and attack and abuse Palestinians in this context.710 In late May the IDF announced it would provide rifles to settlers who are not part of the territorial defense units.711 A total of 521 Palestinians have been killed between October 7 and the time of writing. 712 Half the fatalities in the West Bank since the beginning of 2023 (four times higher than in 2022) were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes. The deputy mayor of Jerusalem stated that Israeli police in Jerusalem used live ammunition and shot-to-kill Palestinian rioters, killing five in early-mid October.713 Since October 7, 5,200 Palestinians have been injured in the West Bank.714 A Wall Street Journal investigative report found that after Oct. 7 Israeli settlers have rapidly built both illegal roads and settlements in the West Bank. The Israeli government refused to review the evidence the newspaper supplied.715 In late March the IDF was still blocking the entrances to West Bank villages, forcing residents to make long detours to enter or leave.716 As of the same time, Israel 703 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/magazine/israel-west-bank-settler-violence-impunity.html 704 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-178-west-bank ; https://twitter.com/YehudaShaul/status/1758122975386014057 ; also https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1770753310686917108 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1770743445969064360 ; https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%A7%D7%94%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%94- %D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%94-10- %D7%99%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%97%D7%A8-%D7%A9%D7%A7%D7%9D-%D7%9C%D7%99/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-30/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018f-1068-d97f-abcf-fce987090000 (18) 705 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/about-4000-palestinians-displaced-west-bank-2023 706 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-178-west-bank 707 For example: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/01/09/israel-settler-violence-qusra-west-bank/ ; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/04/israel-west-bank-settlers-attacks-palestinians ; https://twitter.com/masafering/status/1786353369658839199 ; https://x.com/Issaamro/status/1796595059259044284 ; https://x.com/masafering/status/1802412746572435879 708 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-west-bank-war-f85997a95d5579159ffe83d2c0cb988e ; https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-west-bank-7e75e1ef8f5307946d24f8b9a190fd66 ; https://twitter.com/AlonLeeGreen/status/1779136328480805197 709 https://www.ynet.co.il/yedioth/article/yokra13889978 710 https://x.com/btselem/status/1793384580046565608 ; https://x.com/nurityohanan/status/1798226333186871622 ; https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1801295354840629385 711 https://x.com/tzvisuccot/status/1796110479816818955 712 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-178-west-bank 713 https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1754079208643420204 714 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-178-west-bank 715 https://www.wsj.com/video/series/in-depth-features/visual-evidence-shows-illegal-settler-construction-in-west-banksurging/BF11225B-45A7-430A-A39C-48336B5B8286 716 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-19/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-50c4-dca4-ad8e-f4fe5f020000 63 has prevented Palestinians from the West Bank from entering Israel for work, resulting in a loss of their income and a deteriorating economic condition.717 In some cases, Israel has also prevented Palestinians from working their agricultural lands for many months.718 In the first three months of 2024, Israel declared a record amount of land in the West Bank (almost 11,000 dunam, equal to 2,743 acres) as state-owned, 719 including the single largest land seizure since at least 1993.720 A New York Times investigative report revealed a document in which the most senior general in command of the West Bank admitted in March that there was a sharp increase in illegal Jewish settlement building, and that in parallel that was de facto no regulation on this illegal building. Both sharply contrasted with Palestinian building, which was heavily regulated.721 In May, Israel’s Minister of Defense cancelled a law that was originally part of the 2005 disengagement plan and that prohibited settlements in four locations.722 Evidence for the killing of Palestinians Several videos depict the killing of unarmed and unthreatening Palestinians.723 When an Israeli police officer shot and killed a 12 year old boy who launched a firework, Israel’s National Security minister commended him and said he should receive a medal.724 Israeli troops disguised as medical workers and Muslim women have entered a hospital in the West Bank and killed three unarmed militants there in their beds as they slept, including one who was paralyzed for three months.725 In a different case, an IDF soldier killed a Palestinian who had converted to Judaism after finding a knife in his belongings. Two videos reveal that the man was shot as his hands were raised.726 Two Palestinian herders were killed by settlers when IDF soldiers were present but did not get involved.727 Abuse, humiliation and detainment of Palestinians Multiple videos present Israeli troops abusing and humiliating Palestinians,728 hitting or firing at them,729 parading them half-naked in the streets,730 destroying their property731 or public 717 https://news.sky.com/story/the-war-may-be-in-gaza-but-its-effects-can-mean-starvation-in-the-west-bank-13101929 718 https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2024-05-25/ty-article/.premium/distance-requirements-and-barriers-howpalestinians-are-being-expelled-from-their-land/0000018f-acf8-df13-a3af-bcfea1270000 719 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-11/ty-article/.premium/israel-has-declared-record-amount-of-west-bank-land-as-stateowned-in-2024/0000018e-c7a2-dd23-a3cf-e7a713c90000 720 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/22/israel-largest-west-bank-settlement-blinken-visit/ 721 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/magazine/israel-west-bank-settler-violence-impunity.html; https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/16/magazine/fox-document-march-24-redacted.html ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/byxkztxxc 722 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bkfau7iq0 (immediate implications were symbolic as a different directive temporarily prevented civilian access to the area). For one of the laws: https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/legalinfo/disengagementplan/he/%D7%A6%D7%95%20%D7%9E%D7%A1’%202137%20– %20%D7%A6%D7%95%20%D7%91%D7%93%D7%91%D7%A8%20%D7%91%D7%99%D7%98%D7%95%D7%9C%20%D7%97%D7%95%D7% A7%20%D7%94%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%A0%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%AA%20%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%91%20%D7%9 7%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A9.pdf 723 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1746987605034447294 ; https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1781371375623536907 ; also https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/twilight-zone/2024-04-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/a-palestinian-is-shot-dead-by-an-israelisniper-for-daring-to-go-up-on-his-roof/0000018e-f9a5-d6a0-a9ef-f9bd171b0000 724 https://twitter.com/Kahlissee/status/1767976353532383504 ; https://twitter.com/itamarbengvir/status/1767860298432528673 ; https://twitter.com/origivati/status/1767806214254002619 725 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-forces-kill-3-gunmen-west-bank-hospital-army-says-2024-01-30/ 726 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hym4dpy0t ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hk9p5nact ; https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1773557971831632078 727 https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/133998/ 728 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1741445118333222937 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1748100280560845092; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1747358396519493874 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1751689800254476390 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1760462497943839127 ; https://twitter.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1765200009580925182 ; 64 infrastructure,732 blocking roads,733 defacing Palestinian symbols, 734 and calling for another Nakba.735 One soldier shared an image in which he claimed to have stolen a bag full of money notes.736 Another shows a soldier celebrating his birthday(?) with balloons while a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian is lying on the ground behind him.737 One video showed Israeli forces kidnap or detain a Palestinian, dressed him in uniform, cuffed his hands and feet, and apparently used him as a human shield.738 As in Gaza, here too there are video clips humiliating and de-humanizing Palestinians, 739 describing them as Amalek,740 as well as images of soldiers posing with lingerie inside Palestinian houses they raid.741 There are several video clips of settler youths confronting and attacking Palestinians, 742 as well as settlers dressed up as soldiers who detain Palestinians, including on their own lands.743 Yet other videos show settlers stealing Palestinian property, 744 or soldiers who do not intervene when settlers harm Palestinian civilians and their property.745 A deputy mayor of the large Israeli city of Be’er Sheva uploaded content of his own reserve military service, complete with blindfolded and handcuffed Palestinians and revenge content.746 More Palestinians, including children,747 are being arrested in the West Bank. In the first month of fighting, over 2,200 Palestinians were arrested. Over 2,000 Palestinians were held in administrative detention, without charge or trial. These detained Palestinians have been subjected to torture and degrading treatment, according to Amnesty International.748 Until late May, almost 5,000 people were arrested in the West Bank (the number does not include people arrested and released before they were brought in front of a judge).749 At that moment, Israel held under arrest or detention (i.e. https://twitter.com/masafering/status/1770529772885483666 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1770320641826169263 ; https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1771990979333026009 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1780354741882474980 ; https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1781214747104252184 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1781397024417448055 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1783507450643063185 ; https://twitter.com/ofercass/status/1785416217152344434 ; https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1791485421903401141 ; https://x.com/brown_johnbrown/status/1792560897732341961 ; https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1793287354372825172 ; https://x.com/LensVeritatis/status/1793454169741033661 729 https://twitter.com/AdameMedia/status/1761508331598848224 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1781945504240214016 ; 730 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1787112612880105776 731 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1743038305581593033 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1756688401233817855 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1776551587885801759 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1781677858953285846 ; https://x.com/Mistaclim/status/1801853273114116104 732 https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1751125745701671025 733 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1782135295204262065 734 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1768010284860416327 735 https://x.com/btselem/status/1793384580046565608 736 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1756695309239939117 737 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1758619734809928130 738 https://twitter.com/TameeOliveFern/status/1752615765092815206 739 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1756696385510883830 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1756697908907233406 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765313264324333905 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765436458108653778 ; https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1765673191521874004 ; 740 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1790921496421937522 741 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1782837821432082700 742 https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1769277315941339483 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1769435760392900855 ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1769300216719515931 ; https://twitter.com/masafering/status/1769723591480742007 ; https://twitter.com/masafering/status/1775593225278939147 (probably settlers?) ; https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1785895596198400359 ; https://twitter.com/Issaamro/status/1790820035201466412 743 https://twitter.com/masafering/status/1769453241929011501 744 https://twitter.com/Mistaclim/status/1753732272816029757 ; https://x.com/Mistaclim/status/1794071598372172056 745 https://twitter.com/Yesh_Din/status/1779501559379849229 746 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-05-20/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-9268-d212-abcf-d66d978d0000 747 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1775555921151693151 748 https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/11/israel-opt-horrifying-cases-of-torture-and-degrading-treatment-of-palestiniandetainees-amid-spike-in-arbitrary-arrests/ 749 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-05-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018f-beff-d0b7-abdf-feff4aa90000 ; according to the Palestinian government, the number was close to 9,000: https://cda.gov.ps/index.php/en/51-slider-en/17065-on-the-233rd-day-ofgenocide-brief-on-detention-campaigns-carried-out-in-the-west-bank-since-october-7-until-may-26-2025 65 before their conviction) 7,016 people, of which 4,299 (over 60%) were held without a trial or an indictment (the numbers do not include Gazans).750 Many descriptions of released detainees refer to constant abuse by their prison staff.751 One said that daily, since Oct. 7 their guards required them to crawl while draped in an Israeli flag and kiss the Israeli flag, beating them if they refuse to do so. Food was thrown to the floor and stepped on.752 Another prisoner from Betlehem narrated at length the violence, abuse and degrading humiliation that he suffered while in Israeli prison for three months as part of his “administrative detention”, a status that was sufficient to hold him without charges or evidence.753 Online social media content includes more evidence. 754 A senior Palestinian politician, the Speaker of the Legislative Council, was arrested in October. When he was released in June, he recounted some of his experiences – including a prisoner that was allegedly killed because he asked whether there was a ceasefire in Gaza, and another who was killed because he asked the Israeli prison staff not to insult his parents.755 750 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-05-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018f-beff-d0b7-abdf-feff4aa90000 751 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/law/2023-12-30/ty-article/0000018c-b51e-d45c-a98e-bf5e7a340000 ; https://twitter.com/RZabaneh/status/1784223150156181904 752 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-01-02/ty-article/.premium/0000018c-c6e5-d6c4-ab8d-e7f561840000 753 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/twilightzone/2024-03-22/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-62b4-d541-a78e-ffff79470000 754 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1761463527489900685 ; https://x.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1801267126956618150 755 https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1801743540436771252 ; https://x.com/Palestinecapti1/status/1801781895413555571 66 The media, propaganda and the war (disclaimer)756 Last updated: June 18, 2024 To focus the discussion this section will examine Israeli and American media as well as other actions of the Israeli state to limit public discourse. Introduction: propaganda, sometimes known as public diplomacy, aims to disseminate information to influence public perception. Such propaganda may convey facts, lies or anything in between. States and other actors in the 21st century commonly employ propaganda. The propaganda of the Israeli state is often called hasbara (lit. “explaining”).757 Context: Scholars have argued for decades that despite the large quantities of information to which we are exposed, most individuals extract only a little of this information, and even less knowledge and understanding.758 The result of this process has been labeled already in the 1990s as “the destruction of political intelligence” due to the manipulations of modern media.759 This section assumes that the information conveyed by state, non-state and media actors is biased, but is also not completely reliable or unreliable by definition. Rather, these actors author and disseminate information that fits within their different interests (e.g. political, economical or ideological). The main problem is not “fake news” – but rather the fact that much of the information conveyed is used out of context and weaponized to further these interests, leading to misinformation and disinformation.760To better evaluate the reliability of the information that different voices disseminate one must employ critical reading and thinking, alongside a careful consideration of the source of information. Part of Israel’s propaganda is institutionalized through the state apparatus.761 Israel is unique among self-defined western democracies in that it has a military censorship (see also below), which requires by law that any article about security issues must be first submitted to it.762 When the censor intervenes in an article, the media outlet cannot convey that information to readers (for example by blacklining excised content).763 Israel’s Prime Minister has pressured the chief censor of the IDF to intervene in additional cases, including cases without a security justification.764 In a similar case, a website without formal affiliation that was created by the Israeli Ministry of Hasbara and aimed at international consumption had been blocked from access within Israel.765 The state of Israel has been buying positive coverage in international media since 2018, claiming that many other countries have been doing the same.766 A long list of local politicians and government 756 Because of the nature of the evidence, this section includes discourse to a greater extent than the rest of this document. The truth is also considerably less clear. I nonetheless did my best to present the evidence in a critical manner. Feedback would be welcome. 757 https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%94_%D7%94%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90 %D7%9C%D7%99%D7%AA ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/272146 758 https://lib.civics.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=9260&kwd=2079 759 https://lib.civics.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=9260&kwd=2079 760 https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/understanding-information-disorder/ 761 https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ 762 See for example: https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2022-07-26/ty-article-opinion/00000182-39f9-d145-a3df-7dfb21db0000 763 https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/134881/ ; but see also: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-05-29/ty-articleopinion/.premium/reason-for-detention/0000018f-c0d3-dade-adef-ecfb884f0000 764 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-11-29/ty-article/.highlight/0000018c-1adf-d4e4-a1df-3edf52340000 765 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-04-02/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018e-9ef0-d9c2-afbe-bef6abb00000 ; https://saturday-october-seven.com/ 766 https://www.the7eye.org.il/281581 67 offices have been doing the same in national media.767 Government offices have sometimes used contracts that allow them to veto the content of the positive coverage that they had bought.768 Already in 2017, the Israeli government had invested tens and perhaps hundreds of millions of shekels (likely tens of millions of dollars) to create a network of organizations through which it could relay its propaganda messaging, originally directed against the de-legitimization of Israel and the BDS movement.769 Unlike traditional and direct propaganda, this propaganda is conducted through civic organizations rather than governmental ones, and the association with the state is hidden from the consumers (and sometimes also the civic organization itself).770 The Israeli government had worked with hundreds of these organizations and likely maintains these connections.771 Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, for example, oversees several firms that are supposed to carry out such operations to avoid entangling Israel in a diplomatic crisis.772 In January 2024, Israel acquired a technological system for mass influence that can create content suitable for online influence operations and began using it.773 In additional to state-led efforts, several start-up companies have attempted to influence discourse on their own both before and during the war.774 Outside Israel, many established media outlets whitewash Israel using different means and methods. A former media worker in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recounted how any reporting on Palestine faced major difficulties, including the cancellation of interviews, allowing the repetition of verifiably false pro-Israel claims on air, refusing to have discussions about difficult issues from Israel’s perspective (e.g. whether a genocide might be happening), not providing key context to current events (e.g. the situation pre-Oct. 7), editing out controversial material (e.g. references to genocide and starvation), adding disclaimers about the un-verifiable nature of even personal statements (e.g. the deaths of interviewees’ extended family members), removal of names and contact information of Palestinian speakers from internal databases, and ignoring genocidal statements by Israeli officials. 775 This was at least partially related to complaint campaigns by rightwing lobby groups, which produced a chilling effect.776 Some of the influence on media comes from powerful business elites. A group of these elites discussed a plan to spend some $50 million on a media campaign that was supposed to frame Hamas as a terrorist organization among Americans.777 *** Following a pattern from earlier wars in Gaza,778 the current war has been enabled and facilitated by massive media efforts779 to shape discourse in Israel as well as in the West – in countries such as the 767 https://www.the7eye.org.il/281581 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/268428 ; many examples in https://shakuf.co.il/books/criticalreading.html 768 https://www.the7eye.org.il/281581 769 https://cdn.the7eye.org.il/uploads/2017/11/mizam201217.pdf ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/272146 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/269874 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/262318 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/276553 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/444078 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/399982 ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/443586 ; https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-713678 ; https://forward.com/israel/453286/us-pro-israel-groups-failed-to-disclose-grantsfrom-israeli-government/ 770 https://www.the7eye.org.il/272146 771 https://www.the7eye.org.il/272146 ; https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://fs.knesset.gov.il/20/Committees/20_ptv_348357.doc& ved=2ahUKEwjE5r24_ZCFAxVhElkFHcatCNwQFnoECBEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2FYnze1NfDxOLulPUg-2rX (p. 8). 772 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-06-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israel-secretly-targeted-americanlawmakers-with-gaza-war-influence-campaign/0000018f-e7c8-d11f-a5cf-e7cb62af0000 773 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-01-16/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-e8c1-d765-ab9d-f8fd29800000 774 https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/can-ai-help-hasbara/ ; https://wordsofiron.com/; https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkrug57na 775 https://breachmedia.ca/cbc-whitewashed-israels-crimes-gaza-firsthand/ 776 https://breachmedia.ca/cbc-whitewashed-israels-crimes-gaza-firsthand/ 777 https://www.semafor.com/article/11/09/2023/billionaires-discuss-50-million-anti-hamas-media-blitz 778 Amer, “War Reporting in the International Press: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Gaza War of 2008-2009”, Ph.D Dissertation (Hamburg, 2015). 779 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/israel-social-media-twitter-messaging-david-saranga-1234874381/ 68 United States, Canada,780 the United Kingdom and Germany781 . Israel maintains a powerful hold over media attention, particularly in the US. The Intercept, for example, has highlighted how Israel repeatedly “chooses an issue and demands global attention to its agenda at the expense of any other matter”.782 Israel’s information warfare strategy has focused on four efforts: (1) emphasize the horrors of the Oct. 7 events; (2) discredit critical voices; (3) limit the flow of information about the conflict coming out of Gaza; and (4) rally the Israeli public by advertising its military prowess and the destruction of Gaza.783 The chief aim of this campaign was to legitimize the massive Israeli attacks against Gaza. The following four sections of this document expand on each of these four efforts. Emphasizing the horrors of the Oct. 7 attacks Immediately after Oct. 7 Israel began a massive advertisement campaign to emphasize the horrors of the Hamas massacre.784 One examination of the evidence found that in the first ten days, Israel “flood[ed]” social media with at least 70 ads, including graphic videos, to millions. About 30 ads were completely removed from Google’s public library because of the violent images they contained.785 A different review found that in less than two weeks, Israel targeted audiences in Western Europe in particular with some 88 ads, spending $7.1 million to reach nearly a billion impressions.786 In at least six European countries, pro-Israel ads including disturbing content were used in advertisements in family-oriented video games, where they were watched by children.787 In the first month of the war, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ digital team estimated they had reached 2 billion people.788 On Facebook and Instagram alone, US pro-Israel organizations spent over $2.2 million on online ads by December, spending 100 times more than pro-Palestinian groups.789 An Israeli NGO revealed in a report that Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ran a $2M pro-Israel covert campaign that included three new media outlets and hundreds of Twitter profiles to target Democrat congressmen/women and senators from the US (predominantly Black) in attempt to a sway their opinion on Hamas crimes on Oct. 7 (especially sexual crimes) as well as UNRWA (see below for a detailed discussion of the UNRWA discourse).790 Despite the real horrors of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, Israeli officials repeatedly shared content that was soon disproved as unreliable or outright fake.791 Most Israeli media chose not to inform the public that these stories had been refuted.792 In a conversation with US President Joe Biden, the Israeli Prime Minister himself has stated falsehoods such as that Hamas “took dozens of children, bound them up, burned them and executed them.”793 His wife wrote to Jill Biden a story about a hostage held by Hamas who gave birth in Gaza, a story supported by the Israeli state and media that 780 https://breachmedia.ca/cbc-whitewashed-israels-crimes-gaza-firsthand/ 781 https://adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-271-reasons-of-state-memory 782 https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ ; also https://newyorkwarcrimes.com/acontinuous-series-of-insults-to-our-understanding 783 https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/03/11/israel-gaza-hamas-netanyahu-warfare-misinformation/ 784 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/israel-social-media-twitter-messaging-david-saranga-1234874381/ 785 https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-social-media-opinion-hamas-war/ 786 https://www.lalibre.be/international/moyen-orient/2023/10/23/israel-a-concentre-sa-campagne-publicitaire-youtube-anti-hamas-surla-france-de-la-propagande-4MECZ54CHFFWRPWBVU5BVPIB6U/ 787 https://www.eurogamer.net/rovio-blocks-disturbing-pro-israel-ad-found-in-angry-birds-and-other-games 788 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/israel-social-media-twitter-messaging-david-saranga-1234874381/ 789 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/06/israel-palestinian-advocacy-groups-social-media-spending-00130118 790 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-03-19/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-4cd5-d26a-afbf-ecd552de0000; https://fakereporter.net/pdf/pro-israel_influence_network_report-0324.pdf?v=2 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/technology/israel-campaign-gaza-social-media.html 791 https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-sexual-violence-zaka-ca7905bf9520b1e646f86d72cdf03244 792 For two exceptions to this rule: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-12-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-2036- d21c-abae-76be08fe0000 ; https://twitter.com/moshe_aryeh/status/1750418165736100294 793 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq5hTirpL9s 69 was subsequently proved as fake.794 The IDF accepted and claimed to have verified evidence of beheaded babies, later found out to be false.795 Other stories such as putting a baby in the oven or cutting a baby out of his mother’s belly and stabbing it, were all promoted by the media and/or the IDF, yet found out to be fake as well.796 Israeli officials such as Israel’s Minister of Economy continued to repeat these falsified stories in international interviews at least as late as April.797 A university researcher that was tasked with investigating rapes on Oct. 7 by Israel was chosen to receive the prestigious Israel Prize for her work, even though she never published the report for which she received the prize, featured fake evidence in her messaging, and was strongly criticized by Israeli state employees who cast serious doubts on her methodology and refused to collaborate with her.798 Other stories during the war, such as the Israeli claim that the central Hamas bunker is located under al-Shifa hospital, were found to be false (see also the discussion of the flour massacre above).799 Discrediting critical voices outside Israel Israel also discredited critical voices. One tactic to do so was by claims of antisemitism, a tactic Israel has used for many years.800 When Amnesty International claimed war crimes were conducted by both sides in late October, Israel attacked it as antisemitic.801 Israel and its media attacked climate activist Greta Thunberg who called for a ceasefire in Gaza in late October, while an IDF spokesperson stated that “whoever identifies with Greta in any way in the future, in my view, is a terror supporter” (he later apologized).802 Greta was subsequently removed from the Ministry of Education’s materials in Israel.803 Supporters of a ceasefire in Gaza in November were smeared as “pro-Hamas” or “pro-Palestinians” in both Israel and the US.804 Israeli officials accused photographers who worked for foreign outlets on Oct. 7 of working for Hamas, describing them as terrorists – even as no evidence was produced to support the claims and the media watchdog who made the allegations walked 794 https://news.walla.co.il/item/3623538 ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LScqOF48h34; https://www.maariv.co.il/news/health/Article-1067610 ; investigation here: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/hamas-committed-documented-atrocities-but-a-few-false-stories-feed-the-deniers/0000018c-34f3-da74-afce-b5fbe24f0000 795 https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1MYGNorgjgLJw ; https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-liespalestinians/ 796 https://twitter.com/Israel/status/1717553687025815817 ; https://www.mako.co.il/culture-articles/Article-cdbeed08ded1b81027.htm; https://www.news1.co.il/Archive/001-D-475197-00.html; https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/Article-1043930; https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1716462311370633484 . The story about the baby cut from its mother’s belly remained in public discourse into March, when it was cited during a discussion of one of the Israeli Parliament’s Committees, https://twitter.com/KnessetT/status/1769687691669430716 (0:38). 797 https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1775934807165272158 798 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/skt8j03rt; https://13tv.co.il/item/news/domestic/internal/r16up-903990418/. The researcher is the niece of a journalist closely associated with Israel’s Prime Minister. https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/hjnoxpf0a . For a good critical take of the state of the evidence regarding the rape cases from Oct. 7 see: https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-04- 18/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018e-edb5-dbb3-a3bf-fdfd6e0d0000 and https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/the-timesmagazine/article/israel-hamas-rape-investigation-evidence-october-7-6kzphszsj . On antisemitism see also: https://www.972mag.com/ihra-antisemitism-israel-inversion-projection/ 799 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/us/politics/israel-al-shifa-hospital-hamas-evidence.html ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas-israel/ ; see also the evidence-less: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/03/hamas-gaza-israel-alshifa-tunnels/ ; and the recognition of the false claims at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/01/gaza-al-shifa-hospital-israel/ 800 https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1649970 ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0TFxpp7pco ; https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2024/04/10/jewish-faculty-reject-the-weaponization-of-antisemitism/ 801 https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-calls-amnesty-international-antisemitic-and-biased-after-it-criticized-war-crimes-by-all-parties/ 802 https://www.dw.com/en/greta-thunberg-faces-backlash-for-pro-palestinian-post/a-67172344 803 https://www.ynet.co.il/environment-science/article/b1uzeagf6 804 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/skttx811ba; https://theintercept.com/2023/11/09/republican-debate-hamas-gaza-ceasefire/ 70 them back.805 A Human Rights Watch report found more than a thousand cases of the removal or censorship of pro-Palestinian content written in 60 countries on Facebook and Instagram. In a systematic examination of all this content, all but one contained content defined as “peaceful”. In parallel, only a single case of removal of pro-Israeli content was found (according to HRW, the ratio is not necessarily representative). One of the four cited reasons for the removal of content was a direct request by the Israeli state.806 When the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan decided to announce his intention to seek arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister and Secretary of Defense in May, Israel’s Prime Minister described Khan as taking his place “among the great antisemites in modern times” and compared him to judges in Nazi Germany who denied Jews basic rights and enabled the Holocaust, while his decision was “a moral outrage of historic proportions”.807 To place this harsh criticism in context, Khan was Israel’s preferred candidate for the position back in 2021.808 Israel’s Prime Minister also described the issue of warrants as “an antisemitic hate crime”.809 A joint investigative report by the Guardian and +972 Magazine/Local Call found that Israel conducted a long covert operation against the ICC in attempt to sway its officials and Khan’s predecessor from investigating Israel’s war crimes and issuing arrest warrants to Israeli officials. 810 Some of the details were known to an Israeli journalist in 2022, but as he worked on the story he was threatened by two senior officials in Israel’s military apparatus, and did not proceed with publishing those details.811 Limiting information flow from Gaza Israel attempts to control media reporting on Israel in support of its own propaganda. To date, Israel has not allowed international reporters to enter the Gaza Strip independently, limiting the world’s ability to witness the true cost of the war, 812 and hindering investigations of atrocities within the Strip such as the “flour massacre”. 813 As discussed above, Israel attempts to prevent Gazan journalists from reporting on events from Gaza, including by threatening their lives and the lives of their families. In another example, the IDF’s censor declared early in the war a ban on reporting on 8 subjects without approving them first. This censorship applies to Israeli journalists and their foreign counterparts, who have to sign a document that they will comply with the censor to get a visa as a journalist in the country.814 CNN, for example, has admitted that it runs all its Gaza coverage through 805 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2023/11/11/photojournalists-embedded-with-hamas-on-october-7-heavy-butunsubstantiated-israeli-accusations_6247085_8.html ; https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-photographers-attack200be1ba47361f1c1fc113cdaeb65d04 806 https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/21/metas-broken-promises/systemic-censorship-palestine-content-instagram-and; and for context: https://www.972mag.com/meta-arabic-palestine-censorship/ . For more on Meta’s internal censorship of any support for or solidarity with Palestinians: https://theintercept.com/2024/05/22/whatsapp-security-vulnerability-meta-israel-palestine/ . On Israel’s Cyber Unit’s work with social media companies to censor content see: https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/10292 ; on the Biden admin working with social media companies see also: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/biden-admin-working-with-social-media 807 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O2i0G9qQUM; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw4490z75v3o; also https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-absurd-icc-bid-to-arrest-israeli-leaders-is-the-new-antisemitism/ 808 https://www.timesofisrael.com/uks-karim-khan-elected-next-icc-prosecutor-will-replace-controversial-bensouda/ 809 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-30/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-icc-arrest-warrants-against-israeli-leaders-wouldbe-antisemitic-hate-crime/0000018f-3037-d0b5-a59f-31f78a070000 810 https://www.mekomit.co.il/%d7%97%d7%a9%d7%99%d7%a4%d7%94-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%9c%d7%97%d7%9e%d7%94- %d7%94%d7%9e%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%9b%d7%9c%d7%9b%d7%aa-%d7%a9%d7%9c-%d7%99%d7%a9%d7%a8%d7%90%d7%9c- %d7%a0%d7%92%d7%93-%d7%91%d7%99%d7%aa/ ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/28/israeli-spy-chief-iccprosecutor-war-crimes-inquiry 811 https://www.mako.co.il/news-columns/2024_q2/Article-6736c6e7f3ebf81027.htm 812 https://twitter.com/FPAIsPal/status/1777599364568875206 ; https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-08/tyarticle/.premium/foreign-press-association-calls-on-israel-to-lift-ban-on-independent-press-in-gaza/0000018e-be21-d92b-adaffe6513ea0000 813 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/opinion/gaza-journalists-censorship-israel.html 814 https://theintercept.com/2023/12/23/israel-military-idf-media-censor/ 71 its Jerusalem bureau, itself monitored by the censor.815 Israeli media, especially during the beginning of the war, stressed repeatedly that their coverage had passed military censorship, thus creating an atmosphere that strongly promoted self-censorship as well.816 Already in December, Israeli researchers declared that the media was becoming a propaganda arm of the government.817 In 2023, the Israeli censors prevented the publication of 613 articles (almost four times as many as in 2022) and intervened in the text of 2,703 articles (almost three times as many in 2022).818 In total, the censors intervened in 31% of the articles sent to it.819 In late May, Israel seized the equipment of the Associated Press that was putting out a live video feed of Gaza, and returned it only as a result of American pressure.820 In June, after the successful IDF operation to release four Israeli hostages, an anchor on Israeli TV acknowledged that they “cannot show” a video clip of the results of the operation in the Nuseriat refugee camp, in which the IDF killed some 274 Gazans and injured hundreds more.821 Rallying the Israeli public around the war To rally the Israeli public around the war, Israel strongly limits the boundaries of acceptable public discourse. Israeli police has been repressing anti-war protests since the beginning of the war, often with excessive violence.822 In late March, the police entered the house of an anti-government activist who was suspected of coloring a fountain’s water red, trashing her place,823 while also using excessive force to disperse a demonstration that claimed that “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza”, claiming that such statements “disturb the public peace”.824 In another demonstration the police prohibited reading the names of dead Gazans and confiscated both the microphone and the pages with the list of their names.825 In April, the police showed up in a 75 year-old protestor’s home and beat him to prevent him from using a cardboard tank in an anti-government protest.826 The Minister for National Security established a police team to track and remove human rights activists from the West Bank.827 The police has repeatedly seized and shredded signs with anti-war messages held in “a long list of demonstrations and vigils”.828 The Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not allow the father of one of the Israelis killed on Oct. 7 to say a short prayer in a memorial ceremony associated with the state based on an earlier op-ed he wrote that was critical against the Prime Minister.829 The Israeli Channel 12 decided to minimize attention to protests by the families of the 815 https://www.salon.com/2024/01/05/cnn-admits-it-runs-all-gaza-coverage-through-bureau-monitored-by-israeli-militarycensor_partner/ ; https://theintercept.com/2024/01/04/cnn-israel-gaza-idf-reporting/ 816 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-israeli-media-became-a-wartime-governmentpropaganda-arm/0000018c-a0d3-d957-a98f-aed3ea560000 817 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-israeli-media-became-a-wartime-governmentpropaganda-arm/0000018c-a0d3-d957-a98f-aed3ea560000 818 https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/134881/ 819 https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/134881/ 820 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-21/ty-article/israeli-officials-seize-ap-equipment-halt-gaza-live-broadcast-citing-aljazeera-law/0000018f-9b4e-dce9-a1cf-ffce461c0000 821 https://x.com/Morpheus1099/status/1799407973791645979 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-pounds-centralgaza-palestinian-death-toll-hostage-rescue-raid-rises-274-2024-06-09/ ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/09/likethe-horrors-of-judgment-day-palestinians-on-israels-hostage-rescue 822 https://www.972mag.com/israel-police-repression-protests-gaza/ 823 https://twitter.com/JoshBreiner/status/1772662679225635054 824 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1pqgh4yr 825 https://twitter.com/OmerArvili/status/1776192429709812033 826 https://twitter.com/RedRevDanny/status/1779844167226609787 827 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13887273 828 https://www.acri.org.il/post/_1084 ; also https://twitter.com/ofercass/status/1783896320933036133 829 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkj7dmdv0 72 Israeli hostages in Gaza against the government.830 In June it was revealed that an elite police unit was tasked with disrupting anti-government or pro-hostage release protests in Jerusalem.831 Palestinian citizens of Israel were not allowed to protest early during the war with the support of Israel’s Supreme Court,832 a situation that has only partially improved subsequently.833 Freedom of speech, particularly among Palestinian citizens of Israel, has been curtailed significantly.834 A poll found that 76% of Palestinian Israelis stopped publishing content on social media in the first two months of the war, and 63% of Palestinian Israelis did not express their opinions at all in mixed Jewish-Palestinian groups on social media.835 Israel has attempted to pressure Palestinian journalists from the West Bank from publishing about the war.836 In early April Israel passed a law to shut down the operations of the critical channel Al-Jazeera in the country.837 After some deliberation, the government decided to shut down the channel in early May, sending police to immediately raid some of its local offices.838 Also in May, an Israeli teacher who attended “a pro Palestinian demonstration” with “Palestinian flags” in Israel (a Nakba commemoration) she was immediately suspended from teaching in her school.839 In the same month, the University of Haifa forbade a student demonstration against the war in its area, 840 and when a Palestinian citizen of Israel who owns a beauty salon expressed her sadness and solidarity with Rafah victims, she was arrested, ziptied and blindfolded.841 A Palestinian-Israeli TV host who wrote a social media post critiquing the release of one of the Israeli hostages in June at the price of so many dead Gazan civilians was immediately fired from her job.842 In addition, Israeli media has revealed that the IDF has conducted a covert campaign aimed at influencing Israeli citizens during the beginning of the war. As part of this campaign, the military opened and operated a Telegram channel that shared exclusive explicit content from IDF sources that showed the abuse and dehumanization of Palestinians, mostly within a Gaza context.843 In a more subtle case of media manipulation, the IDF edited out the thanks a released hostage’s father expressed to US President Biden, leaving only his gratitude towards the IDF.844 The deeper discussion of Israeli media and discourse in the next two sections highlights the success of Israel’s attempts to rally the Israeli public. Israeli media and discourse 830 https://www.themarker.com/blogs/2024-06-06/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-ecfe-dcb4-a38ffdffdf470000?gift=4cc430b6ec7c45b3adaf05ab9b10ba52 831 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rk0tbkyba 832 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/law/2023-11-16/ty-article/.premium/0000018b-d84e-dffa-adef-fe4e97f50000; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/law/2023-11-08/ty-article/.premium/0000018b-af66-dedf-adab-ef76b2400000 ; https://13tv.co.il/item/news/domestic/crime-and-justice/war-protest-903791798/ 833 For example: https://x.com/nirhasson/status/1796567421412938129 834 https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/ryzhcr0g0 835 https://www.the7eye.org.il/521195 836 https://twitter.com/ytirawi/status/1774836624280473643 837 https://apnews.com/article/israel-al-jazeera-qatar-hamas-war-gaza-49c2aa4afb3c3b0ee6ac314b63d80716; https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/r1l7bidy0 838 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rkdg311hfc#autoplay ; https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/rj8nuc4fa#autoplay 839 https://ononews.co.il/news-ganei-tikva/%D7%92%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%95%D7%94- %D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%9C%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%94- %D7%91%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%92%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%A2%D7%9D-%D7%93/ ; https://www.mako.co.il/newseducation/2024_q2/Article-cd8e2891d687f81026.htm 840 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/2024-05-20/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-91a1-d17a-a9df-91f1247f0000 841 https://x.com/rafaelshimunov/status/1795813951940202938 ; https://www.ha-makom.co.il/rasha-kraiem 842 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/gallery-news/2024-06-08/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-f899-df2e-a5df-fefd24c30000 843 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-01-16/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-e8c1-d765-ab9d-f8fd29800000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-02-04/ty-article/.premium/0000018d-7042-dd6e-a98d-f462d6a00000 ; 844 https://www.ha-makom.co.il/idf-pr 73 Following the above, Israeli journalists cannot get independent access to the Gaza Strip or to Gazans. The entire connection between Israeli journalists and the war is moderated through the IDF. One journalist summarized things as such: “if there is something that the military does not want us [journalists] to see and hear – we will not see it and not hear it. The IDF prevents us, Israeli journalists, any contact with Palestinians in the Strip… all the articles and images coming out of the Strip with journalists undergo a careful examination of the military censorship. This article was also changed by it. Most entrances of journalists to the Strip are very short… about half an hour on the ground… Sometimes it seems that the IDF stages scenes with more military action for those journalists it wishes to reward”.845 Israeli discourse almost uniformly ignores Palestinian voices. Even before the war, only 4% of interviews or screen time featured Palestinian-Israelis (about 20% of the population), a number that dropped after the beginning of the war.846 Instead, the dominant perspective provided to the Israeli public is the official account of the IDF’s spokesperson which is rarely challenged despite many examples of falsehoods and misrepresentations of reality by the IDF in the war.847 For example, despite Israeli claims to have killed large amounts of Hamas militants (10,000-13,000 as of late February-early March),848 the number has not been challenged in Israeli media, while a BBC examination found almost no evidence for this in hundreds of IDF videos, and little support for the number in the IDF’s own reporting.849 For several months, the IDF spokesperson presented the IDF’s perspective on prime time every day on all Israeli TV channels with little criticism.850 There is almost no attention in Israeli media to the experiences of civilians in Gaza or the horrors of war.851 Destruction, when showed, is sanitized through images of buildings destroyed from far away.852 Nonetheless, in April a poll found that two thirds of Israeli Jews saw few or no pictures or videos about the widespread destruction in Gaza.853 For example, the dozens of civilians deaths caused by the military operation that released two hostages in February were barely covered in Israeli media.854 Most Israeli media has not covered the atrocities and war crimes conducted by Israeli soldiers in Gaza, and the ones that have done so did it only months after the beginning of the war.855 The main challenges to dominant Israeli narrative in Hebrew language discourse come from independent media such as +972 Magazine/Local Call and The Seventh Eye, which nonetheless have 845 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2023-12-28/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018c-aaf0-d22d-a3dd-bff9c4ad0000 846 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/inside-israel-its-a-very-different-war-628097b2 847 https://www.the7eye.org.il/501228 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/television/tv-review/2024-01-16/tyarticle/.highlight/0000018d-10f6-d71c-ad9f-53f6b2c90000 848 https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/defense/article/15395367; https://www.ynet.co.il/blogs/118daysofwar/article/sksjxiy9a ; https://www.politico.eu/article/israels-netanyahu-says-he-will-defy-bidens-red-line-and-invade-rafah/ 849 The BBC found that only one of the 280 videos that the IDF uploaded to its website until 27 February showed what appeared as dead bodies of Hamas militants. The IDF referred in 160 posts to specified numbers of Hamas militants killed, reaching a total of 714. Other references were vague and therefore difficult to count. See https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68387864 850 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-israeli-media-became-a-wartime-governmentpropaganda-arm/0000018c-a0d3-d957-a98f-aed3ea560000 851 https://hazmanhazeh.org.il/dehumanization-by-disregard/; https://www.the7eye.org.il/503665 ; https://www.kikar.co.il/journalism/s6bo7x ; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/1/17/gideon_levy_israel_gaza ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myby8-55uwc ; this has been the case also in the previous Gaza war: https://www.the7eye.org.il/128234 ; https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/inside-israel-its-a-very-different-war-628097b2 ; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/17/amira_hass_israel_palestine_gaza ; https://x.com/the7i/status/1799724456958706071 852 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-israeli-media-became-a-wartime-governmentpropaganda-arm/0000018c-a0d3-d957-a98f-aed3ea560000 853 https://en.idi.org.il/articles/53666 854 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-03/ty-article/.highlight/0000018e-a04c-ded0-a18f-e2fc22fc0000 855 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-israeli-media-became-a-wartime-governmentpropaganda-arm/0000018c-a0d3-d957-a98f-aed3ea560000 ; while I am unaware of such an analysis being done with Israeli respondents, Gazans who watched videos of Hamas’ atrocities on Oct. 7 are 15 times more likely to believe that Hamas committed atrocities in the attack, see: https://pcpsr.org/en/node/980 74 very limited reach and resources856 and are themselves under military censorship857 as well as NGOs such as B’Tselem and Gisha.858 Israeli media also minimizes the coverage of reports by international institutions, as the common assumption that the media promotes is that these institutions are inherently biased against Israel. For example, 60% of Jewish Israelis believed that the ICC was planning to issue warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defense because of the “continued anti-Israeli bias of the ICC”.859 In this context, Israel has obstructed external official investigations into the Oct. 7 atrocities, for example one led by the UN Human Rights Council,860 and another that aimed to investigate sexual violence on Oct. 7.861 When these reports were published, they received little attention in Israeli media, which often focused on discrediting them. Israeli’s media’s uncritical pro-war position Israeli media’s pro-war position is rationalized, justified and widely accepted. Already before the war, many Israeli journalists intentionally shifted their coverage to the right or self-censored in recent years.862 The new CEO of Channel 13 told his employees in mid-March that they should unite the nation by providing entertainment and Israeli hasbara (i.e. public diplomacy/propaganda).863 An important Israeli journalist has stated that he believes that journalism should be used to bolster Israeli morale during the war.864 Accordingly, Israeli media amplifies pro-war voices – seen to support the state’s goals – while silencing others. Especially early in the war, Israeli journalists avoided reporting on friendly fire casualties in the IDF.865 The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz (considered to be leftist by Israeli standards), for example, waited for five months until it called for a ceasefire,866 despite overwhelming evidence for the humanitarian costs of the war, widespread acknowledgement that the Israeli Prime Minister was prolonging the war for his own personal interests, and the apparent inability of the IDF to reach its military objectives. Similarly, it waited for almost half a year before speaking against the real possibility of ethnic cleansing in Gaza,867 and published only in late March a piece covering a report that estimates excess mortality in Gaza because of famine and disease, which had been published originally in mid February.868 An important journalist in the newspaper flipped his own position without any admission of his earlier mistake.869 In another example, when an Israeli director won a prize for a film and discussed Israeli apartheid in his victory speech, the Israeli Channel 11 described it as 856 https://www.972mag.com/ ; https://www.the7eye.org.il/ 857 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/1/israel_gaza_war_gospel_artificial_intelligence 858 https://www.btselem.org/hebrew/press_releases/20231010_revenge_policy_in_motion_israel_committing_war_crimes_in_gaza ; https://gisha.org/targeting-civilians-is-a-war-crime/ 859 https://www.idi.org.il/articles/54307 860 https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-forbids-doctors-from-speaking-to-un-group-investigating-oct-7-atrocities/ 861 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231206-un-seeks-israel-access-for-hamas-sexual-violence-investigation ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/accounts-sexual-violence-hamas-attack-mount-justice-is-remote-israels-victims-2023-12-05/ 862 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/inside-israel-its-a-very-different-war-628097b2 863 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/media/2024-03-13/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-38a2-d21d-a3ef-3be6160f0000 864 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-01-14/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018d-0361-d832-a59d-17f7e2e50000 ; also https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/media/2023-12-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-a5c7-d97c-a9ec-bfcf6d6d0000 865 https://www.the7eye.org.il/503392 866 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/editorial-articles/2024-03-01/ty-article-opinion/0000018d-f607-da4e-adbf-f6bf17c30000 ; compare to the newspaper’s position during the 2014 war in Gaza: https://www.the7eye.org.il/128234 867 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/editorial-articles/2024-03-27/ty-article-opinion/0000018e-7bc4-d680-a1cf-ffc775940000 868 https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2024-03-27/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018e-8062-d49b-a3bf-f47f49810000; https://gaza-projections.org/gaza_projections_report.pdf ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/editorial-articles/2024-03-31/ty-articleopinion/0000018e-907e-d9a4-a7bf-dc7f1b1f0000 869 https://twitter.com/idanlandau/status/1777753047789117499 75 antisemitic870 while Ha’aretz featured no less than four pieces against him.871 A Palestinian citizen of Israel who wrote an op-ed in the newspaper was not allowed to use the term ‘Palestinian’ to refer to Israeli citizens – and the editorial staff changed it to the socially acceptable ‘Arabs’.872 Israeli media continued to disseminate claims that had already been debunked. A serious investigative program on Channel 12 broadcasted an interview with a senior IDF general who claimed to have seen atrocities that did not happen.873 The Israeli Channel 14 has presented especially egregious examples of promoting fake news and reiterating false claims. In one case, for example, a popular anchor discussed in depth a supposed The Atlantic piece about the events of Oct. 7, aiming to absolve the Israeli Prime Minister from responsibility. A brief subsequent investigation revealed that the Atlantic piece never existed.874 In a different case the channel televised an interview with an IDF officer who openly lied about atrocities in the Gaza envelope well after those atrocities had been shown to be false in Israeli media.875 On other occasions, Israeli media casts doubts on evidence that weaken Israel’s legitimacy. For example, in late March Channel 11 broadcasted a segment under the title “Is there a famine in Gaza?”,876 while the popular news website Ynet uncritically conveyed an official response that “there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza” and blamed the UN for any problems in the distribution of food in Gaza.877 American media In American media, several studies and experts have pointed out that there has been a pervasive bias against Palestinians for a century.878 For example, a survey of the American media’s coverage of Palestinians found that only a tiny minority (less than 2%) of editorials, columns and guest opinion pieces that discussed Palestine in the New York Times and Washington Post (between 1970-2019) were written by Palestinians.879 The media coverage of the beginning of the war remained strongly pro-Israeli.880 A Newsweek editor, for example, called for large parts of Gaza to be flattened to resemble a parking lot.881 The New York Times supplied direct quotes from Israeli government and military officials four times as much as the equivalent Palestinian quotes.882 In another example, an investigation by The Guardian demonstrated that CNN’s coverage is heavily biased towards Israel,883 a critique that surfaced within the channel as well.884 Similarly, a study by The Intercept found that already early in the war, the coverage of Palestinians in top newspapers in the United States decreased as the number of Palestinian deaths increased. Strong emotional words were 870 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/media/2024-02-26/ty-article/.premium/0000018d-e6ee-d7f4-a3dd-e6ee92270000 871 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/opinion/2024-02-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018d-ef8e-d1e0-a1dd-ffffe46f0000; https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-02-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018d-eedc-d7f4-a3dd-eedcb0040000; https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-03-05/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018e-0b2c-d9cb-afdf-0bbc88e20000; https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/opinion/2024-03-04/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-0a17-d9cb-afdf-0a9f2b770000 872 Discussion of her speaking in another podcast at: https://youtu.be/WHCMVqNOre0?si=PlZXwSpzeJ4boVyR&t=2430 873 https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/6361323ddea5a810/Article-831cb8cdf6d6b81026.htm, https://twitter.com/brown_johnbrown/status/1768222848361881615 874 https://twitter.com/FakeReporter/status/1761696937256853788 875 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-01-21/ty-article/.premium/0000018d-2bb4-daf5-a1bf-aff41ac80000 876 https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1770492431990956343 877 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sys5qltaa ; for context: https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf 878 Many references here: https://palestine.beehiiv.com/p/new-york-times-complicit-plausible-genocide ; https://newrepublic.com/article/171286/new-york-times-israel-coverage-history-netanyahu 879 https://www.972mag.com/us-media-palestinians. The Nation included a higher ratio (10.5%); the New Republic had no pieces authored by Palestinians. 880 https://www.columnblog.com/p/massacred-vs-left-to-die-documenting 881 https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1711185635229282605 882 https://newyorkwarcrimes.com/the-times-quotes-israeli-and-american-sources-more-than-3-times-as-much-as-palestinians 883 https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/04/cnn-staff-pro-israel-bias 884 https://theintercept.com/2024/03/01/cnn-christiane-amanpour-israel-gaza-coverage/ 76 disproportionally used to describe Israeli deaths and not Palestinian ones.885 A different investigation found a similar effect continuing throughout February in The New York Times. 886 A third investigation found that until March the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal used the term ‘brutal’ far more often to refer to Palestinians and their actions (77% of cases) than Israel despite the lopsided death toll between both sides. 887 An internal memo at The New York Times told journalists to avoid terms such as “genocide”, “ethnic cleansing”, “occupied territories”, “refugee camps” or “Palestine” in its coverage of the war.888 Similar editorial guidelines at the global news syndicate AFP were similarly pro-Israeli.889 While Israeli casualties are individuated in reporting, the far greater number of Palestinian casualties is frequently described collectively and in passive terms.890 An examination of 5 leading media outlets reveals how Palestinians are dehumanized and often reduced to numbers, which are then doubted.891 The selection of language to blur Israeli responsibility, for example to the killing of Palestinians, and preserve its image has been long documented and continues throughout the war.892 As a result, for example, a February poll found that half of Americans do not know whether Israelis or Palestinians have had a higher death toll, despite the massive discrepancy in reality between both sides (about 20 Palestinians had been killed for each Israeli).893 The New York Times published an editorial in which it recognized that military aid to Israel cannot be unconditional only after more than half a year of war.894 American media has also largely avoided investigations of events that could make Israel appear negatively. As at least some of these investigations, especially those concerning the events on Oct. 7, have been covered in Israeli media, it appears that this is an explicit pattern that corresponds with the decisions of the political class in the US. The media watchdog group FAIR pointed out that US media shields its audience from reports of Israeli friendly fire incidents in the Oct. 7 attacks – reports that had been widely in Israeli media.895 Notably, Ronen Bergman, a journalist working for both the Israeli Yediot Ahronot and The New York Times, has investigated these incidents in his Yediot Ahronot publications but not in his New York Times ones.896 The New York Times has briefly or not covered other negative stories on Israel such as Israel’s targeting policy, its responsibility in starving Palestinians, or its torturing of detainees.897 Instead, a major story covering Hamas’ mass rape during Oct. 7 in The New York Times received inordinate resources – including the funding to conduct 150 interviews898 – and was solicited by the paper itself. Inexplicably, the story was given to a former Israeli intelligence officer with no former reporting experience, who also liked a tweet that called 885 https://theintercept.com/2024/01/09/newspapers-israel-palestine-bias-new-york-times/ 886 https://newyorkwarcrimes.com/the-times-quotes-israeli-and-american-sources-more-than-3-times-as-much-as-palestinians 887 https://fair.org/home/brutal-is-a-word-mostly-reserved-for-palestinian-violence/ 888 https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/nyt-israel-gaza-genocide-palestine-coverage/ 889 https://www.declassifieduk.org/analysis-how-the-uk-and-us-media-dehumanise-palestinians/ 890 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/11/a-new-abyss-gaza-and-the-hundred-years-war-on-palestine ; https://newyorkwarcrimes.com/the-times-quotes-israeli-and-american-sources-more-than-3-times-as-much-as-palestinians 891 https://www.declassifieduk.org/analysis-how-the-uk-and-us-media-dehumanise-palestinians/ . For an exception: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/18/world/middleeast/gaza-university-class.html 892 https://palestine.beehiiv.com/p/new-york-times-complicit-plausible-genocide ; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1763453379811098672; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1764012307385053635; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1764815517548994866; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1764752005673984066; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1763254348942037335; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1762992473067130934; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1761979317779824767 ; https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1767686506939068845; the author of these tweets includes many other examples. See also: https://x.com/AssalRad/status/1799543857539108962 893 https://www.pewresearch.org/2024/03/21/emotions-news-and-knowledge-about-the-israel-hamas-war/ 894 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/opinion/israel-military-aid.html 895 https://fair.org/home/shielding-us-public-from-israeli-reports-of-friendly-fire-on-october-7/ ; also https://theintercept.com/2024/02/27/zaka-october-7-israel-hamas-new-york-times/ 896 https://fair.org/home/shielding-us-public-from-israeli-reports-of-friendly-fire-on-october-7/ 897 https://palestine.beehiiv.com/p/new-york-times-complicit-plausible-genocide 898 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/world/middleeast/oct-7-attacks-hamas-israel-sexual-violence.html 77 upon Israel to “turn the [Gaza] strip into a slaughterhouse”.899 After its release, independent media as well as The Intercept found a long list of fundamental problems with the account.900 The New York Times itself had to admit that some of the information it had published was false,901 and later cut its ties with the reporter.902 The Nation described the piece as “the biggest failure of journalism” at the Times in the past two decades,903 while Ha’aretz compared the collapse of the Times’ piece to its October 7.904 In late April, 59 journalism and news media professors from top universities called upon the New York Times to address open questions about the piece.905 Despite all these questions, in early May the New York Times received a Pulitzer in international reporting for its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.906 The treatment of UNRWA as a case of media misrepresentation One example of the actions of Israel’s media strategy is the treatment of UNRWA, the UN body responsible for the support of Palestinian refugees. The same day after the ICJ found that it was plausible that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza (Jan. 26), Israel asserted that 12 UNRWA employees (out of c. 13,000 in the Strip) participated in the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel.907 Almost immediately, 16 of UNRWA’s donors – western countries – declared they would suspend their funding of UNRWA.908 Israeli and Western media followed the UNRWA story with coverage and discussions, burying the much more substantial ICJ story. Although Israel has not released any publicly available evidence to support these claims to date,909 a story in the British Channel 4 revealed the document Israel supposedly sent UNRWA’s donor countries. The document itself was extremely brief. Containing no actual evidence, it includes a single line about each of the 12 UNRWA employees that were supposed perpetrators.910 A different intelligence dossier released by Israel contains no evidence either.911 To date, the head of UNRWA has stated that despite multiple requests Israel has not shared any details of the allegation with him or his organization.912 Other claims made by Israel were never made to UNRWA but directly to the media.913 An assessment by the US’ national intelligence council assessed the involvement of a handful of UNRWA workers in the 899 https://theintercept.com/2024/02/28/new-york-times-anat-schwartz-october-7 . Her partner’s nephew worked with her, as well as a veteran reporter who was responsible for the framing. 900 https://theintercept.com/2024/02/28/new-york-times-anat-schwartz-october-7; https://theintercept.com/2024/03/04/nyt-october-7- sexual-violence-kibbutz-beeri/; https://www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1236130609/new-york-times-hamas-attacks-israel-palestine ; https://jacobin.com/2024/02/new-york-times-anti-palestinian-bias 901 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/world/middleeast/video-sexual-assault-israel-kibbutz-hamas.html 902 https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/rkoh8h8ya 903 https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/new-york-times-intercept-hamas-rape/ 904 https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/galleryfriday/2024-03-28/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018e-7ab6-de80-a78f-7bf747280000 905 https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/04/29/new-york-times-oct-7-journalism-professors-letter/ ; https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/bk8ntgcw0 ; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/8/nyt_investigation ; the letter is at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/adc3143c-ecc7-477f-8a38-a76308b18cca.pdf 906 https://twitter.com/PulitzerPrizes/status/1787561713291645419 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/business/pulitzer-prizewinners.html 907 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/world/middleeast/un-aid-israel-oct-7-attacks.html . As of late May, allegations have been made against 19 UNRWA staff members. The investigation is being conducted by the top investigative body in the UN (the Office of Internal Oversight Services). One case was closed because there was no evidence, 4 cases were suspended because of insufficient evidence, and another 14 cases remain under investigation, see https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/opinion/israel-gaza-un-unrwa.html . 908 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/01/unrwa-funding-pause-employees-october-7-hamas-attack-claims-no-evidence-un 909 But see this video (originally reported on by The Washington Post) that allegedly shows an UNRWA worker taking the body of an Israeli on Oct. 7: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-presents-video-allegedly-showing-un-aid-worker-taking-body-israeli-oct-7- 2024-02-17/ 910 https://twitter.com/DrSakriKaia/status/1754685268454785074 911 https://www.scribd.com/document/702738861/Swords-of-Iron-UNRWA-Hamas-Relations ; survey of how the media has treated Israel’s claims here: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/unwra-hamas-israel/ 912 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/unrwa-chief-waiting-for-israels-evidence-on-hamasinfiltration-of-gaza-employees/0000018d-c5fc-db3b-a9cf-cdfdfd5a0000 ; https://twitter.com/UNLazzarini/status/1760764594644013287 913 https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unrwa-claims-versus-facts-press-release-26feb2024/ 78 Oct. 7 events “with low confidence”.914 The weak evidence supporting the Israeli claim has led to several of the countries that stopped funding to resume it in March and April. 915 Other countries did so subsequently or expressed plans to do so, and some even increased their humanitarian support for Gaza.916 In mid-March, the EU’s top humanitarian aid officer said that he had seen no evidence from Israel that supported Israel’s accusations against UNRWA.917 According to UNRWA’s own leaked report, Israel pressured Gazan employees of UNRWA to falsely state that UNRWA has links to Hamas and that its staff took part in the Oct. 7 attacks. The employees were severely beaten, tortured and were threatened that their family members would be harmed.918 In late March an Israeli organization released a report that revealed a pro-Israeli influence operation that targeted US Black Democrat legislators, in attempt to sway their opinion against UNRWA and the Palestinians. 919 A few months later it was revealed that the operation was orchestrated by Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry and run by a political campaigning firm.920 In late April, an independent review by a former French foreign minister and three research institutions mentioned again that the Israeli government has not yet substantiated its claims that UNRWA’s staff has had links to Hamas or Islamic Jihad. It added that UNRWA regularly supplied Israel and other countries with lists of its employees for vetting, and that the Israeli government has not informed UNRWA of any concerns regarding its staff since 2011.921 Israeli officials have long stated that they want to shut UNRWA down.922 Israel has recently stated again this aim,923 and has acted upon it,924 going as far as proposing a bill that designated UNRWA as a terrorist organization in late May.925 These indicate that Israel has been weaponizing its allegations against UNRWA for this purpose.926 In the recent war Israel and Israeli media state or insinuate there is a connection between UNRWA and Hamas, but Israeli media fails to independently evaluate the claims by the IDF, or mention facts such as that UNRWA is very frequently audited within the UN,927 or notify its audience that all UNRWA employees had been approved by Israel and re-approved 914 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-finds-claims-that-u-n-aid-agency-staff-took-part-in-hamas-attack-credible-957b747e 915 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68518468 ; https://twitter.com/Kahlissee/status/1763587426163798282 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/unrwa-donors-likely-resume-funding-soon-norway-says-2024-03-06/; https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-holds-back-part-unrwa-payment-boosts-palestinian-aid-2024-03-01/ ; https://www.timesofisrael.com/france-to-resume-unrwa-funding-while-ensuring-right-conditions-are-met/ ; https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/3/29/japan-to-resume-funding-to-unrwa-following-sweden-finland-and-canada ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/24/germany-to-resume-funding-of-unrwa-aid-operations-in-gaza 916 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-uk-unrwa-plan-place-resume-funding; https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240228_10/ ; https://apnews.com/article/australia-unrwa-hamas-israel-gaza-funding1b4bcb81251cf7eeed0904da9fe4144b 917 https://www.reuters.com/world/no-evidence-israel-back-unrwa-accusations-says-eu-humanitarian-chief-2024-03-14/ 918 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/unrwa-report-says-israel-coerced-some-agency-employees-to-falsely-admit-hamaslinks/ 919 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-03-19/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018e-4cd5-d26a-afbf-ecd552de0000; https://fakereporter.net/pdf/pro-israel_influence_network_report-0324.pdf?v=2 920 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-06-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israel-secretly-targeted-americanlawmakers-with-gaza-war-influence-campaign/0000018f-e7c8-d11f-a5cf-e7cb62af0000; https://fakereporter.net/pdf/proIsraeli_influence_network-new_findings-0624.pdf 921 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/22/israel-unrwa-staff-terrorist-links-yet-to-provide-evidence-colonna-report ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/22/unrwa-israel-hamas-report-palestinians/ ; https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/unrwa_independent_review_on_neutrality.pdf . See also on this the report by the three research institutions and a following analysis twitter thread: https://www.passblue.com/wpcontent/uploads/2024/04/2024_04_20_UNRWA-final-technical_report.pdf ; https://twitter.com/MartinKonecny/status/1783445318329147400 922 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0bMANfC0BQ ; https://jewishcurrents.org/the-campaign-to-abolish-unrwa 923 https://www.kikar.co.il/israel-news/sa71dg ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-03-11/ty-article/.premium/0000018e-2dbcd468-a9ff-2fbdbafa0000 924 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/31/israel-plan-un-dismantle-palestinian-relief-agency-unwra; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/israel-unrwa-palestine 925 https://www.msf.org/israeli-proposal-designate-unrwa-terrorist-organisation-outrageous 926 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-04-24/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-1017-d361-a3ef-52f798500000 927 https://www.unrwa.org/who-we-are/frequently-asked-questions [under oversight of UNRWA spending]; https://youtu.be/LA_xtBh3eLw?si=DXUkq3gct46VbE9O&t=445 79 every year, and that UNRWA screens all its employees against the UN Security Council sanctions list twice a year.928 UNRWA also fired several employees who were found to be linked to Hamas in the past.929 Moreover, the closure of UNRWA would massively exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while discussions in Israeli media include no clear plan for providing alternative aid to Gazans (polls in late March and late May found that UNRWA oversaw the provision of assistance for 62% and 53%, respectively, of respondents in shelters in south Gaza, in parallel to complaints for discrimination in those shelters930). Another case of successful propaganda: doubting the Palestinian death toll931 Early during the war, Israel had publicly disputed the Palestinian death toll, claiming that it was exaggerated and unrealistic. Here too the media played a major role in propagating this claim, planting the seeds of doubt in the minds of many. Until today, the media retains these doubts, often by mentioning that Palestinian casualties are reported by, e.g. the “Hamas-led Ministry of Health in Gaza” (emphasis mine). The doubts reached as high as US President Joe Biden, who publicly doubted the number of casualties in a well-covered speech on Oct. 25 in which he stated he had “no confidence” in these numbers.932 The relatively large number of Hebrew-speaking comments responding to an earlier version of this document (released on Twitter/X on 15 March) reveals that these doubts remain in the minds of many in Israel. Superficial doubts of the death count continue to appear periodically in Israeli Hebrew-speaking media as well as strongly pro-Israel think tanks groups. 933 Nonetheless, this is an untenable position. Disregarding the obvious interests of Israel to minimize the Palestinian death count, a few days after Biden doubted the Palestinian death count, the health authorities in Gaza released a list of the 6,747 dead Palestinians who had died until Biden’s statement on Oct. 26, including their names, sex, age and IDs.934 To the best of my knowledge, nobody, including Israel who holds the population registry for Gaza, has doubted the veracity of this list.935 Subsequently, Biden himself apologized for casting public doubt on the Palestinian death toll.936 To the best of my knowledge, there have been no explicit doubts of the Palestinian death toll in major international media outlets since that point (despite the repeated insinuations discussed above). The single attempt to do so, a March piece in the conservative Jewish Tablet Magazine, used cherry-picked and partial data to make a statistical argument.937 Although several experts and 928 https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unrwa-claims-versus-facts-press-release-26feb2024/ ; https://jewishcurrents.org/thecampaign-to-abolish-unrwa 929 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/10/world/middleeast/unrwa-hamas-gaza.html 930 http://pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2091%20English%20press%20release%2020%20March%202024.pdf (pp. 7-8); https://pcpsr.org/en/node/980 931 I have added this content here because of public interest, particularly in the responses to my publishing of the Hebrew version of this document on March 15. I hope that it sheds some more light on both my methodology while also presenting another case of media bias, propaganda and their lingering effects throughout the war. 932 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-says-he-has-no-confidence-palestinian-death-count-2023-10-26/ ; https://www.npr.org/2023/10/25/1208577490/biden-says-hes-worried-about-civilian-deaths-in-gaza-but-questions-death-toll-st ; https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-palestinians-news/card/biden-says-he-doubts-accuracy-of-palestinians-death-tollreports-WXQUdN2EwX9EZO3Jhziq 933 https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/04/09/hamas-run-gaza-health-ministry-admits-to-flaws-in-casualty-data/ ; https://twitter.com/petersavodnik/status/1778620648551829969 ; for the FDD: https://web.archive.org/web/20191116031839/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/11/anti-iran-advocacy-group-fddregisters-to-lobby.html ; Seliktar, Ofira, and Farhad Rezaei. Iran, Israel, and the United States: The Politics of Counter-Proliferation Intelligence. Rowman & Littlefield, 2018, pp. 162, 168. 934 https://mondoweiss.net/2023/10/this-is-a-list-of-the-names-of-more-than-6000-palestinians-that-israel-has-killed-in-gaza/ 935 https://theintercept.com/2023/10/31/gaza-death-palestine-health-ministry/ 936 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/27/biden-israel-palestine-muslim-americans-war/ ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/us/politics/biden-aide-israel-regret.html 937 https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/how-gaza-health-ministry-fakes-casualty-numbers/ 80 observers quickly refuted it as a case of shoddy statistics,938 a series of Israeli media outlets (as well as AIPAC) attempted to boost this message without any criticism to sow doubt.939 Another attempt to cast doubt on the Gaza Health Ministry took place in mid May, after the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs, which publishes summary reports every few days, changed the source of data it used for reporting on the composition of deaths (moving from over 9,500 women deaths and over 14,500 children deaths according to vague estimates by the Gaza Media Office, to more concrete 4,959 identified women, 7,797 identified children, and some 10,000 unidentified deaths according to data by the Gaza Ministry of Health).940 Although the total number of reported casualties did not change, and the identification of individuals by their name and full demographic information represented a step forward in the granularity and reliability of the data coming from Gaza, the media reporting on the issue – which began only several days after the publication of the numbers – mainly served to cast doubt on the reported data as well as the UN (and again this was led by openly pro-Israel media outlets).941 Although the “halving” narrative was soon refuted by the Deputy Spokesperson for the UN’s Secretary-General as well as several media outlets, 942 the information warfare damage has been done.943 The Gaza Health Ministry reported mortality does contain some methodological challenges. The most serious problem is the division of the death count into three separate categories. The first includes reports of mortality through hospitals (20,976, or 61% of the total in the report from May 3). The second includes Gazans own reporting of deaths they know of (3,715, or 11% of the total). Both categories include full demographic information, and people listed in them appear on the Ministry’s lists of mortality (last published on April 30). The third category is currently listed as deaths about which only ‘partial information’ is known (9,963, or 29% of the total). According to earlier reports by the Ministry, these were collected from “reliable media sources” (unclear which) in areas where the Health Ministry has no communications or where the health system has broken down.944 Several serious media outlets have accepted the Gaza death count945 and declared that “the figure is widely viewed as the most reliable one available”.946 In December, a peer-reviewed scholarly 938 Most obviously as the piece was published 5 months after the beginning of the war but examined a subset of only 15 days at the beginning of the war. Others have refuted this account, e.g. https://twitter.com/joftius/status/1766199967364890949 ; https://twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1769476779234721915 939 https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-791838; https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/world-news/middleeast/article/15388434 ; https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-expert-claims-hamas-s-gaza-death-toll-exaggerated-or-faked ; https://www.jns.org/hamas-fakes-casualty-figures-the-numbers-are-not-real/ ; https://twitter.com/AIPAC/status/1769387362289655835 940 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-213; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-215 941 https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-800772; https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/05/13/un-cutsestimates-women-children-deaths-gaza/73669560007/ ; https://www.foxnews.com/world/un-revises-gaza-death-toll-50-less-womenchildren-killed-previously-reported . Also https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/13/gaza-ministry-revises-figures-forwomen-and-children-killed ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-says-gaza-death-toll-still-over-35000-not-all-bodiesidentified-2024-05-13/ 942 https://x.com/marcowenjones/status/1790086787764715922 ; https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-un-halve-gaza-death-toll1900325 943 For example: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/05/gaza-death-count/678400/ 944 This is hardly ideal, but considering the challenges to get a decent count in real time is acceptable. Notably, death counts are notoriously difficult to count even in less disrupted environments. At the aftermath of hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, the government claimed for half a year that less than a hundred people died, then revised its assessment to 2,975. I have studied this controversy as a scholar as events unfolded in 2017-2018. The best summary I know of is this Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Maria_death_toll_controversy . As of early April, the Ministry also opened a website in which people could report their dead family members: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-the-dead779ff694 (according to the Ministry of Health, the form opened in January and is accessible here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScndnMojIJoflfSPTD25uqkZSzUH–G05AMwcbbyJB42bNQcw/viewform) 945 https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/ 946 https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234159514/gaza-death-toll-30000-palestinians-israel-hamas-war 81 analysis in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet has argued that there was “no evidence of inflated mortality” in the reports from Gaza.947 The Gaza Health Ministry has provided reports of deaths to several media outlets, for example to al-Jazeera (a list of several thousand children who were identified as killed, published)948 and to NPR (a report on the death count, unpublished).949 In mid March, an expert epidemiologist with 30 years of experience in field measurement of mortality in crises accepted the number, adding that “In fact, there may have never been a major conflict where real-time surveillance data about deaths was more complete than is unfolding in Gaza today.”950 In late April, both a UN official and IDF military officials agreed that the number is reliable.951 Notably, the recent war has been the first major Gaza operation in which Israel does not keep its own estimates of the Palestinian death count. To the best of my knowledge, there is no other source for mortality in Gaza as of writing.952 An Israeli investigative journalist report revealed that the IDF itself is using the official Gaza death count, updating it daily in its own internal briefings.953 This has been confirmed by the Wall Street Journal. 954 Israel’s Prime Minister himself has claimed in an interview that Israel has killed 13,000 Hamas militants (see below on this number) and that 1-1.5 civilians died for each militant, indicating a total Palestinian death count of 26,000-32,500 as of March 10. 955 This range includes the Palestinian death count the next day, 31,112. 956 In late March, in a closed briefing to Senate Republicans, Israel’s Prime Minister reiterated his position, stating that he estimated the death toll to be some 28,000 (about 14% lower than the official Gaza Health Ministry estimate on the next day, 32,623).957 In late April, IDF officials estimated that the death toll was around 36,000 (the Ministry estimate was more than 34,000).958 In early May, Israel’s Prime Minister estimated a total death toll of about 30,000 (again about 14% less than the Ministry’s estimate, 35,091).959 Additional evidence supporting the Palestinian death count claims include the fact that in previous wars, the gap between the Israeli and Palestinian versions of the Palestinian death tolls have been negligible. Thus for example, for the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, Israel officially estimated 2,125 Palestinian deaths960 whereas the Palestinian Ministry of Health counted 2,310 Palestinian deaths961 (the UN Human Rights Committee’s count reached 2,251962). The reported number of Palestinian deaths is probably an undercount as it is likely that many deaths have not been found or have not been reported to the health ministry.963 The death toll does not include more than 10,000 people 947 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02713-7/fulltext 948 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlCzT9_YE9Y 949 https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234159514/gaza-death-toll-30000-palestinians-israel-hamas-war 950 https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/ 951 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-the-dead-779ff694 952 https://www.npr.org/2023/10/25/1208577490/biden-says-hes-worried-about-civilian-deaths-in-gaza-but-questions-death-toll-st 953 https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%90-%D7%91%D7%93%D7%A7-%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%90- %D7%A9%D7%93%D7%99%D7%95%D7%95%D7%97%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%91%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%91/ 954 https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-israels-unprecedented-intelligence-sharing-draws-criticism-a85979b4 955 https://www.politico.eu/article/israels-netanyahu-says-he-will-defy-bidens-red-line-and-invade-rafah/ 956 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-136 957 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/us/politics/netanyahu-schumer-israel.html ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilitiesgaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-175 958 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-the-dead-779ff694. The estimates were that 11,000-13,000 Hamas militants were killed, and that the ratio of militants to civilians is roughly 1 to 2. 959 https://www.barrons.com/news/netanyahu-hamas-fighters-comprise-almost-half-gaza-s-death-toll-42cfe029 960 https://mfa.gov.il/ProtectiveEdge/Documents/PalestinianFatalities.pdf 961 https://web.archive.org/web/20150111023729/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=751290 962 http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIGaza/A_HRC_CRP_4.doc 963 https://twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1743019663913537943 82 missing under the rubble.964 Gaza’s own electronic system for counting the dead was disrupted already on Nov. 12.965 By April there were clear indications that the Ministry was unable to reach many of the dead.966 Estimates of Hamas militant deaths by Israelis are often exaggerated, as is natural and unsurprising in military engagements on both sides.967 On other occasions, Israeli officials have long produced wild exaggerations with regards to the number of killed Hamas militants. On November 5, for example, “a senior security official” (perhaps the Minister of Defense), stated that the IDF has already killed 20,000 Gazans, “mostly terrorists”.968 The overall Palestinian count back then was only 9,770.969 The exaggerations on the Israeli side have been strongly suggested, for example, by a BBC fact checking analysis of all IDF videos.970 Altogether, all the evidence strongly suggests that the Palestinian death counts are as precise as might be expected during a war, even more so considering the serious and sustained damage to the Gaza health system and its reports. The fact that a significant amount of interested commentators continues to doubt the reports and is willing to do so publicly highlights both the effectiveness of the propaganda campaign during the beginning of the war, and the tenacity of Israel’s information war that continues to be waged as of writing. 964 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-june-2024; See also: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/25/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news#missing-people-under-gazas-rubble-make-for-a-shadowdeath-toll ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/08/relatives-anguish-tens-of-thousands-missing-in-gaza-war 965 https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234159514/gaza-death-toll-30000-palestinians-israel-hamas-war 966 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-gaza-authorities-lose-count-of-the-dead-779ff694 967 The same is true for Hamas estimates of IDF casualties in their official communications channel. These estimates are often exaggerated or massaged, for example by Hamas claiming they have “targeted” a tank which implies (but does not actually state) that the tank sustained any damage, or by showing a video of Hamas militants firing a projectile at a tank and often an explosion but not showing actual damage done. 968 https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/thpk0egl5 969 https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-death-toll-numbers-injured-5c9dc40bec95a8408c83f3c2fb759da0 970 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68387864 83 US involvement in the war Last updated: June 18, 2024 The US has played a crucial role in the Israel-Gaza war since its beginning by providing support for Israel. This support took several forms: military aid (actual weapons) and funding to purchase such weapons from the US; protecting Israel by deploying US military assets defensively and offensively; diplomatic support; and largely freeing Israel from American oversight and accountability. Each form is discussed in a separate subsection below. The fifth subsection examines the significant changes in American rhetoric over the war which became more critical as the war continued. The overall trend is clear – the US overwhelmingly supported Israel through its actions. Its more critical remarks towards Israel led to almost no changes in its policy towards Israel. The final section briefly deals with notable cases of visible internal dissent in the US – in both the administration and in broader society. A later section, “Zoom-in 2”, examines the campus protests in the US over April and May. US military aid to Israel The US has been supporting Israel for long before the war, to the extent that “Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II”, with a total of $158 billion provided until 2023 (more than $260 billion and up to $317.9 billion if adjusted for inflation).971 In 2016, the US and Israeli governments agreed that over the ten years between 2019 and 2028 the US would provide Israel with a total of $38 billion in military aid (in the previous two decades, the US had provided Israel with a total of $30 and $21.3 billion in military aid).972 Over the decade before the war (2013-2022), 68% of Israel’s weapon imports came from the US.973 The US began providing military support to Israel with hours of the Oct. 7 attack. In the next ten days, the US sent five shipments of military aid to Israel.974 In the first two months of the war, the US may have sent some 200 planes carrying a total of some 10,000 tons of military equipment.975 In the first three months of the war, the US provided Israel with at least 15,000 bombs, including more than 5,000 unguided bombs and more than 5,400 two-thousand pound bombs, as well as over 57,000 155mm artillery shells976 (Israel used over 100,000 artillery shells in less than two months of fighting).977 Additional munitions requested include kamikaze drones, dive-bombing drones, missiles, rockets and mortar rounds.978 Subsequent months saw more sales of the same and similar items.979 In early March it was revealed that the US approved more than 100 separate military sales to Israel since the beginning of the war, as the Biden administration bypassed Congress to approve the 971 https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf ; https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel/ ; https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-10-10/how-much-aid-does-the-u-s-give-to-israel 972 https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf 973 https://theconversation.com/where-do-israel-and-hamas-get-their-weapons-220762 974 https://web.archive.org/web/20231110173047/https://time.com/6325247/us-military-assistance-israel/ ; for example: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-10/boeing-sped-1-000-smart-bombs-to-israel-after-the-hamas-attacks 975 https://www.now14.co.il/%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%AA-%D7%90%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA- %D7%9C%D7%A6%D7%94%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%98%D7%95%D7%A1-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A9-%D7%94- 200-%D7%A0%D7%97%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%99/ ; this piece refers to 140 US airplanes landing in Israel in the first five months of the war: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-03-07/ty-article/0000018e-1947-d7d3-abce-79ef48310000 976 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-sends-israel-2-000-pound-bunker-buster-bombs-for-gaza-war-82898638 ; some of the artillery shells were supposed to be sent to Ukraine: https://www.axios.com/2023/10/19/us-israel-artillery-shells-ukraine-weapons-gaza 977 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-775523 978 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-11-16/ty-article/.premium/shells-laser-guided-missiles-and-bunkerbusters-the-munitions-the-u-s-supplied-israel/0000018b-d3b9-dffa-adef-f7b990750000 979 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-plans-to-send-weapons-to-israel-amid-biden-push-for-cease-fire-deal-184e75bc 84 packages, avoiding reporting on them by drawing from existing US stockpiles, accelerating previously approved deliveries and sending the weapons in smaller batches that fall below the minimum dollar threshold that requires the administration to notify Congress.980 Only two approved sales to Israel had been made public by that point.981 At the same time, officials claimed there were 600 active cases of potential military transfer or sales to Israel, worth more than $23 billion.982 In subsequent weeks and months the US continued to sign off on more military sales to Israel. In late March, for example, it authorized the transfer of another 1,800 two-thousand pound bombs as well as another 500 five-hundred-pound bombs, and authorized the transfer of 25 fighter jets and engines.983 In early April, the US administration authorized the transfer of over 2,000 smaller bombs (five-hundred pounds or smaller) to Israel.984 Although the US provided an enormous amount of military aid to Israel throughout the war, the flow of munitions slowed down after a few months as the US began running short on munitions it could quickly provide to Israel while also meeting Ukraine’s needs and maintaining’s the US’s own supplies.985 The US continued selling weapons to Israel during April, considering a deal of more than $18 billion to sell up to 50 fighter jets.986 In April, the US House of Representatives approved $26.3 billion of aid to Israel (direct military aid, but also funding to replenish US stockpiles, support for US operations in the region and humanitarian aid).987 In early May, the US admitted that it delayed sending one shipment of weapons to Israel (6,500 JDAMs, kits that turn “dumb” bombs into precision bombs).988 Almost in parallel, however, it continued to push existing deals – including one worth over $1 billion – through the pipeline.989 All of the above demonstrate the US’ continued strong support of Israel militarily. Active deployment of US military The US has also supported Israel through the active deployment of US military assets in the Middle East region since the beginning of the war. In the first few days after October 7, the US sent two aircraft carrier groups to the area. Subsequently more aircraft were sent to the region.990 Other assets, such as some of the US’ most powerful missile defense systems were also deployed to the Middle East.991 In mid October, the US prepared about 2,000 US troops for possible deployment to Israel.992 All of these signaled its commitment to support Israel and to deter any widening of the war. In case the war escalated out of control, the US military also had plans to evacuate all US citizens from Israel (more than 600,000 people).993 In addition, the US sent a general and several other officers to help advise Israel’s military leadership in the war.994 980 https://www.wsj.com/world/how-the-u-s-arms-pipeline-to-israel-avoids-public-disclosure-e238de75 981 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/06/us-weapons-israel-gaza/ 982 https://www.wsj.com/world/how-the-u-s-arms-pipeline-to-israel-avoids-public-disclosure-e238de75 983 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/29/us-weapons-israel-gaza-war/ . These sales had been approved years before. 984 https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/04/politics/us-israel-bombs-transfer/index.html 985 https://www.wsj.com/world/how-the-u-s-arms-pipeline-to-israel-avoids-public-disclosure-e238de75 986 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/01/politics/biden-administration-f15-fighter-jets-israel/index.html 987 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-vote-long-awaited-95-billion-ukraine-israel-aid-package-2024-04-20/ 988 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-delays-sending-precision-weapons-to-israel-253f12f0 989 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1wdjobma ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/us/politics/biden-arms-sale-israel.html 990 https://web.archive.org/web/20231110173047/https://time.com/6325247/us-military-assistance-israel/ 991 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/22/world/middleeast/patriot-israel-hamas-iran-gaza-eisenhower-pentagon.html 992 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/16/politics/us-marines-pentagon-israel/index.html 993 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/10/23/us-evacuation-plans-israel-lebanon-hamas-war/ 994 https://www.axios.com/2023/10/23/israel-gaza-war-marine-general-ground-operation 85 Some US forces operated within Israel. At least two US bases are known within Israel.995 Media coverage revealed that the US was using contractors in “multiple military bases” in Israel, ostensibly to support US Special Operation forces within the country. 996 There were also Delta Force troops in Israel early in the war.997 According to the Pentagon, these troops provided intelligence and planning as well as advice to the IDF on hostage recovery efforts, and they participated at least in these manners in the Israeli operation that ended up releasing four hostages in June. 998 Other personnel involved in the war and in Israel include CIA officers, FBI agents, and DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) personnel.999 Biden’s National Security Adviser said the intelligence the US was passing to Israel was not limited and that the US is “not holding anything back. We are providing every asset, every tool, every capability”.1000 As the war continued, the US was drawn more closely into actual combat, often in the form of bombing targets that were aggressive or critical toward Israel and the role the US played in the war. In the Red Sea in particular, US ships shot down many missiles sent by the Houthis in Yemen, beginning in mid-October.1001 When the Houthis began attacking Israeli-affiliated ships and ships sailing to Israel,1002 the US began to bomb them as well, with strikes beginning in mid January and continuing as of the writing of this document. 1003 American support for Israel during the war led to over 170 attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria.1004 After three US service members were killed in an attack on a base in or near Jordan in late January, 1005 the US proceeded with a widespread campaign of air attacks and assassinations on targets in the region (attacking in Yemen, Iraq and Syria) that continued in subsequent months.1006 The US briefly became directly involved in the broader Middle East conflict when it participated in shooting down drones and missiles that Iran fired towards Israel in mid April in response to the Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria (which Israel did not inform the US about).1007 After allegedly shooting down more than half of the Iranian missiles and drones of what was one of the largest drone strikes in history, 1008 the US quickly declared that it would not join Israel in counterattacking Iran.1009 As such, it likely played an important role in deescalating the subsequent immediate tensions between Israel and Iran. Diplomatic support 995 https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-us-establishes-permanent-military-base-in-israel/; https://theintercept.com/2023/10/27/secret-military-base-israel-gaza-site-512/ 996 https://theintercept.com/2023/12/11/tiktok-military-contractor-recruiting-israel/ 997 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2023/10/20/white-house-shares-identities-secret-special-ops-israel/ 998 https://web.archive.org/web/20231110173047/https://time.com/6325247/us-military-assistance-israel/ ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/world/middleeast/gaza-hostage-rescues-israel.html 999 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/06/14/us-israel-intelligence-cia-hostages/ 1000 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/06/14/us-israel-intelligence-cia-hostages/ 1001 https://abcnews.go.com/International/security-incident-involving-us-navy-destroyer-red-sea/story?id=104147141 1002 For example https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houthi-missile-drone-attack-red-sea-shipping-vessels-uss-gravely-dwight-eisenhower/ 1003 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-uk-strike-yemen-to-retaliate-houthi-attacks/ ; https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESSRELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3776858/may-15-us-central-command-update/ 1004 https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-28-2024 1005 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/us/politics/us-troops-drone-attack-jordan-iran.html 1006 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/us/politics/us-strike-iraq-milita.html 1007 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/11/israel-damascus-strike-iran/ ; or informed just before the attack, according to: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/world/middleeast/iran-israel-attack.html 1008 https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/iran-attack-israel-drones-missiles/ ; https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-military-shoots-downdozens-iranian-drones-fired-israel-jewish-state-air-defense-system-excels; https://mwi.westpoint.edu/what-irans-drone-attack-portendsfor-the-future-of-warfare/ 1009 https://www.axios.com/2024/04/14/biden-netanyahu-iran-israel-us-wont-support 86 Throughout the war, the US provided Israel with strong diplomatic support which became indispensable for Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza. The clearest indication of this diplomatic support was a series of US vetoes in the UN Security Council, the only UN body with executive power. Other indications include the use of US leverage to influence international institutions such as the International Criminal Court. The US reinforced its diplomatic support by attempting to prevent de-escalation talk already at the beginning of the war. An internal memo in mid October discouraged diplomats from making public statements that the US wants to see less violence, stating that high-level officials do not want press materials to use specific phases: “de-escalation/ceasefire”, “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm”.1010 A few days earlier, the US Secretary of State used such a phrase on Twitter/X, then deleted his tweet and replaced it with a more militaristic version.1011 This move removed pressure from Israel at the beginning of the war, which was its bloodiest stage as of writing, and allowed it more freedom to act as it willed. The US reinforced its diplomatic support for Israel in the United Nations. In mid October, it vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting (12 countries voted in favor, the US voted against, 2 other countries abstained).1012 In late October, it rejected a General Assembly non-binding resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire (which passed by 121 to 14, with 44 abstentions). 1013 In early December the US vetoed a second Security Council resolution that called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” (13 countries voted in favor, the US voted against, one other country abstained).1014 In late February, the US vetoed a third resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire (13 countries voted in favor, the US voted against, one other country abstained). 1015 In a fourth Security Council vote in late March calling for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan the US chose to abstain (14 other countries voted in favor), causing those present at the Security Council to applause in hope that the war was about to end. 1016 Nonetheless, the US quickly declared that the resolution was not binding.1017 This resolution had no impact. The US was also involved in stopping other motions from moving forward.1018 Therefore, for example, it vetoed the Palestinian request for full UN membership in mid April (12 countries in favor, the US against, 2 abstentions).1019 According to the executive director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, the US Secretary of State threatened that if Palestine would become a state, the US will defund the UN, which would lead to famine (“the world would have to starve as the Gazans are”). 1020 The US’s own attempt to propose a temporary ceasefire – incidentally the first time it used the term “ceasefire” – was vetoed by Russia and China in March. 1021 In June the US made more serious efforts to reach a ceasefire, but as of writing was unable to get Israel or Hamas to accept its proposal publicly. Israel itself implied that the US had some kind of clout with the International Criminal Court (ICC). In April, amidst rumors that the ICC will issue warrants for Israeli leaders including its Prime Minister, 1010 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/state-department-internal-emails-gaza-israel_n_65296395e4b0a304ff6ff95d 1011 https://twitter.com/RobbieGramer/status/1711366571665342603 1012 https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142507 1013 https://www.reuters.com/world/un-overwhelmingly-calls-aid-truce-between-israel-hamas-2023-10-27/ 1014 https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-12-08-23/h_a7ad699a7e1acbc51205feb2276cdf29 1015 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/20/us-vetoes-un-resolution-ceasefire-israel-gaza 1016 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147951; https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1772281999358648553 1017 https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1772315270880866802 ; https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-says-ceasefireresolution-non-binding-less-influential-security-council-members-object/ ; 1018 https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-blocks-security-council-motion-blaming-israel-for-deadly-gaza-aid-convoy-incident/ 1019 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/18/us-veto-palestine-membership-request-united-nations-council 1020 https://x.com/halalflow/status/1792944530389393422 1021 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/world/middleeast/us-cease-fire-resolution-vetoes.html 87 Israel announced to the US that it will punish the Palestinian Authority, potentially causing its collapse.1022 The move was a signal to the Americans to pressure the ICC and try to prevent the issue of warrants. In parallel, 12 Republican senators wrote a letter to the ICC Prosecutor threatening him personally as well as his employees and associates and their families if he issued a warrant for Israel’s leaders (“Target Israel and we will target you… You have been warned.”).1023 When the ICC did, in fact, begin the process of putting out arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, Biden rejected the ICC’s application and stated that “What’s happening is not genocide”.1024 The US administration followed by signaling that it will censure the ICC with sanctions, 1025 and the US House passed a sanctions bill that would apply economic sanctions and visa restrictions to individuals and judges associated with the ICC as well as their family members.1026 US oversight and Israeli accountability In parallel to its strong support of Israel, the US state apparatus minimized its oversight of Israeli actions in what was almost certainly a political decision by the US administration. De facto, the US state apparatus preferred not to know or to feign ignorance of clear evidence coming out from Gaza. At the same time, the US did not seriously hold Israeli accountable for past and present misconduct. As a result, Israel was not accountable for its actions even within the US’ own frameworks and mechanisms for overseeing aid and its use. In the first three months of the war the US had not formally assessed whether Israel’s actions in Gaza violated human rights, despite many indications that raised that possibility. 1027 Its Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that South Africa’s genocide charge against Israel – deemed to be plausible by the ICJ at the time – was “meritless”.1028 The outright rejection of such allegations prevented a more serious assessment of Israel’s conduct, which could have had more serious consequences for the US support of Israel. There are clear indications that the top officials in the US preferred to stall any such assessments. 1029 According to the 1997 “Leahy laws” (named after the senator who sponsored them) in the US, the US is required to cut off assistance to any foreign military or law enforcement units that are credibly accused of flagrant human right violations. This credible information standard is intentionally low and does not require proof or clear and convincing evidence. 1030 Israel, however, has long been treated leniently on this issue.1031 A review by the Guardian found that special mechanisms were used to shield Israel from the Leahy laws, and that no similar special arrangements exist for any other US ally (as one former state department official stated “everyone knew the rules were different for Israel”). 1032 A former director of the State Department office responsible for Leahy laws 1022 https://www.axios.com/2024/05/01/us-israel-palestinian-authority-icc-arrest-warrant 1023 https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1787503022299332951. The prosecutor also noted that “a senior leader” told him that the ICC was “built for Africa and for thugs like Putin” and not for the West or its allies: https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1792748783996207206 1024 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/may/20/biden-trump-democrats-immigration-latest 1025 https://www.ft.com/content/6700a246-e0cd-49d8-b5ef-d2379e86290f 1026 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/04/us-house-icc-sanctions-netanyahu-? 1027 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/01/04/us-hasnt-formally-assessed-if-israel-violatinghuman-rights-00133799 1028 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/blinken-says-daily-toll-gaza-too-high-israel-genocide-charge-meritless-2024-01-09 1029 https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-blinken-leahy-sanctions-human-rights-violations?taid=662030f9d453a400011f6bcc 1030 https://www.justsecurity.org/96522/israel-leahy-law/ 1031 https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-blinken-leahy-sanctions-human-rights-violations?taid=662030f9d453a400011f6bcc 1032 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/18/us-supply-weapons-israel-alleged-abuses-human-rights 88 vetting said the same.1033 Despite several letters by Leahy himself that refer to gross violations of human rights by the IDF, no unit had been punished for that reason. 1034 A similar case has to do with intelligence sharing. According to US laws, the recipient of the intelligence is supposed to be compliant with international law. In the case of Israel, internal reviews found evidence that its assurances of compliance with international law were insufficient and that there was little independent oversight to confirm that the intelligence that the US supplied was not contributing to civilian deaths.1035 Some officials and lawmakers expressed the same concerns.1036 As noted above, there were no indications that the US limited its intelligence sharing with Israel in response.1037 In late April, a week-long media story reflected the Biden administration’s approach to Israeli accountability. The so-called “Leahy laws” were central in this case as well. On April 18, ProPublica published a story about Blinken ignoring a special State Department panel’s recommendation to disqualify some Israeli units from US military aid for abuses such as extrajudicial killings and an allegation that interrogators tortured and raped a Palestinian teenager accused of throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.1038 On April 20 (the same day the US House voted to pass $26 billion in Emergency Israel Aid),1039 the website Axios published a scoop according to which the US was expected to sanction a specific IDF unit for its human rights violations in the West Bank. Most of these violations took place well before the current war,1040 and include, for example, a case in which soldiers from the said unit captured a 78 year old Palestinian-American, handcuffed and gagged him and left him on the ground. He was found dead a few hours later (no criminal charges were pressed in the case).1041 Two other military units and two civilian units were accused of “human rights violations” but the US administration was content to resolve the issue with those four units through Israeli “remediation” efforts.1042 The same day that the Axios scoop was released, the Israeli Prime Minister responded with outrage to the idea of sanctions on an IDF unit (“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF – I will fight it with all my strength”; he also called it “the height of absurdity and a moral low”).1043 The story drew much attention for a few days,1044 after which Blinken wrote in an internal letter that was leaked to ABC that Israel has presented new information about the unit and that he opted for a process of “effective remediation” as the way forward rather than sanctions.1045 A former director of the State Department office responsible for Leahy vetting later said this approach was unprecedentedly lenient.1046 1033 https://www.justsecurity.org/96522/israel-leahy-law/ 1034 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/18/us-supply-weapons-israel-alleged-abuses-human-rights ; https://www.justsecurity.org/96522/israel-leahy-law/ 1035 https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-israels-unprecedented-intelligence-sharing-draws-criticism-a85979b4 1036 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/06/14/us-israel-intelligence-cia-hostages/ 1037 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/06/14/us-israel-intelligence-cia-hostages/ 1038 https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-blinken-leahy-sanctions-human-rights-violations 1039 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-overwhelmingly-passes-26-billion-aid-israel-gaza-tensions-iran-escalate 1040 https://www.justsecurity.org/96522/israel-leahy-law/ 1041 https://www.axios.com/2024/04/20/us-israel-sanctions-idf-west-bank ; https://news.walla.co.il/item/3659530 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/what-is-israeli-netzah-yehuda-battalion-accused-2024-04-22/ ; https://www.justsecurity.org/96522/israel-leahy-law/ 1042 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-sanctions-idf-unit-netzah-yehuda-west-bank-human-rights-abuses-rcna149549 ; https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-sanction-israeli-military-units-accused-human-rights/story?id=109651562 1043 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-20/ty-article/.premium/u-s-set-to-sanction-ultra-orthodox-israeli-army-battalionbased-in-the-west-bank/0000018e-fd0b-d140-a3ee-fddf9a1c0000 ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/21/us-poised-imposesanctions-israel-defense-force-netzah-yehuda-battalion 1044 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/what-is-israeli-netzah-yehuda-battalion-accused-2024-04-22/ ; https://theconversation.com/netzah-yehuda-the-violent-and-aggressive-idf-unit-the-us-is-thinking-of-sanctioning-228436 1045 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-sanction-israeli-military-units-accused-human-rights/story?id=109651562 1046 https://www.justsecurity.org/96522/israel-leahy-law/ 89 The same day (April 26), a leaked confidential US paper revealed that in an internal document sent to Blinken, according to USAID (10 USAID officials cleared the paper) Israel was violating international humanitarian law, partially by blocking US-funded humanitarian support to Gaza.1047 As was revealed the next day, the document also included four State Department bureaus that assessed that Israel’s assurances were “neither credible nor reliable” and that Israel repeatedly attacked protected sites and civilian infrastructure, took little action to investigate violations, killed humanitarian workers and journalists at an unprecedented rate, and arbitrarily restricted humanitarian aid.1048 A few weeks later in mid-May, the State Department released its official report in response to the NSM-20 memorandum that required that the administration report to the US Congress on whether there were credible reports or allegations that undercut Israel’s assurances that it was complying with humanitarian law.1049 The report concluded that Israel likely used US weapons in “incidents that raise concerns” about its legal compliance, but also concluded that Israel was not currently blocking humanitarian aid, that there was no direct indication of Israel intentionally targeting civilians, and pointed out that Israel was overall committed to international law.1050 An independent task force published a detailed account that strongly disputed the conclusions of the report. 1051 Shortly after the report was published, a 20-year veteran of the US State Department, who was one of the subject matter experts that drafted the report (until taken off of it in late April), resigned in protest and said that the report’s conclusion went against the overwhelming view of experts consulted on the report, and that it was clear that Israel was playing a role in limiting the amount of food and medical supplies crossing into Gaza.1052 As the war continued, the US eventually placed sanctions on representatives of extreme right-wing movements within Israel but these were generally symbolic. In February, the US targeted four individuals accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank. The four were blocked from using the US financial system and barred US citizens from dealing with them.1053 This took place as Biden visited Michigan, a key state for the upcoming election that had a large Arab-American population critical of his support of Israel.1054 The sanctions were a sign that Biden was attempting to placate his critics. In mid-March, the US announced new sanctions against two illegal outposts which served as a base for attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians, as well as three other settlers.1055 Although at first Israeli banks blocked the seven settlers from using their personal and business bank accounts, 1056 Israeli media reported that the US eased the sanctions after a threat by Israel’s Finance Minister to cause the collapse of the Palestinian economy (the US claimed the ease of sanctions was consistent across other sanctions programs).1057 A third round of sanctions in mid April targeted an ally of Israel’s National Security Minister as well as two entities 1047 https://www.devex.com/news/exclusive-usaid-officials-say-israel-breached-us-directive-on-gaza-aid-107545 1048 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/some-us-officials-say-internal-memo-israel-may-be-violating-international-law-2024-04- 27/ 1049 https://theintercept.com/2024/05/10/israel-human-rights-gaza-report/ 1050 https://theintercept.com/2024/05/10/israel-human-rights-gaza-report/ ; for the unclassified version of the report: https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Report-to-Congress-under-Section-2-of-the-National-Security-Memorandumon-Safeguards-and-Accountability-with-Respect-to-Transferred-Defense.pdf 1051 https://www.justsecurity.org/94980/task-force-national-security-memorandum-20/ ; https://www.justsecurity.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/04/NSM20-TF-Report-_-Final.pdf 1052 https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/30/stacy-gilbert-us-state-department-israel-gaza-aid ; https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/31/stacy_gilbert_state_dept_resignation_gaza 1053 https://apnews.com/article/biden-west-bank-israeli-settlers-palestinians-80f9e6be6f6a7bb75dc86360ac2fa6ce 1054 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68173904 1055 https://www.axios.com/2024/03/14/us-settler-sanctions-west-bank 1056 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-banks-heed-us-anti-settler-sanctions-far-right-ministers-object-2024-02-05/ 1057 https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/article/15507010 ; https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/article/15425756 ; https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240329-us-pushes-back-against-claims-it-eased-west-bank-settler-sanctions 90 that had raised funds for settlers targeted in earlier rounds of sanctions.1058 A fourth round of sanctions in mid June was directed at a settler organization that attacked humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza.1059 The sanctions themselves, especially in their moderated version, remain limited in scale and ineffective.1060 The settlers themselves, as well as local rights groups and Palestinians in the West Bank, described the sanctions as having minimal impact.1061 The few individuals involved so far suggests that the US administration used the sanctions in attempt to signal displeasure – more to domestic US voters than to Israeli or international audiences – but refrained from meaningfully doing something to change the situation during the war. US-Israeli relations Although the US continued to support Israel throughout the war, it also reprimanded it verbally for its conduct of the war in increasingly serious terms. Some of this approach likely aimed at limiting the significant hit to the US’s international reputation because of its support of Israel as well as appease domestic voters in the upcoming elections. At the same time, US has set certain limitations on Israel’s conduct since the beginning of the war. Some of these limitations have been successful in preventing Israel from opening an extra front in Lebanon, or slowing down and reducing the scale of the Israeli invasion into Rafah. At the same time, however, the US government refrained from taking serious action following its statements and declarations. This section of the document touches upon the relations on a monthly basis, generally with a paragraph for every month after October and focusing on what high US officials such as President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The US administration’s messaging in early and mid-October emphasized the US’s complete support of Israel. Already on Oct. 7, Biden stated that the “the United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back”. The president promised coordination with Israel, material, military and diplomatic support, which he described as “rock solid”.1062 In mid-October, Biden visited Israel, stating that “I come to Israel with a single message: You’re not alone,” Biden said. “As long as the United States stands — and we will stand forever — we will not let you ever be alone.”1063 Beginning in late October, however, the rising Palestinian death toll led the US administration to shift its message to include Palestinian civilians. Both Biden and Blinken spoke explicitly about humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the need to protect them during Israel’s ground invasion. 1064 Biden expressed confidence that “Israel is going to act under the measure… the rules of war” and that “the innocents in Gaza [would] be able to have access to medicine and food and water”,1065 and pressed Netanyahu to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.1066 Blinken stated that Palestinian civilians were victims of Hamas and that “the lives of Palestinian civilians must be protected”, among 1058 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-slaps-sanctions-entities-that-raised-funds-west-bank-settlers-2024-04-19/ ; for the fundraising see also: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-sanctions-settlers-biden-west-bank-85cee76d68c17091d9b4d3e14f3eeb74 1059 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-impose-sanctions-israeli-group-that-attacked-gaza-aid-2024-06-14/ 1060 https://jacobin.com/2024/03/biden-sanctions-israeli-settlers-palestine 1061 https://apnews.com/article/us-sanctions-israeli-settlers-west-bank-palestinians-354f8b0a44b70c25bf013614b4775900 ; also https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-06-13/ty-article/.premium/israel-finances-west-bank-outpost-owned-by-settlers-placedunder-u-s-u-k-eu-sanctions/00000190-1105-db28-a995-559d87720000 1062 https://www.c-span.org/video/?530992-1/president-biden-remarks-situation-israel 1063 https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-israel-hamas-gaza-palestinians-a85cb682fdc61b80285cf4ab354354ce ; https://www.npr.org/2023/10/19/1206997120/biden-israel-politics-democrat-republican-middle-east-hamas 1064 https://www.reuters.com/world/behind-bidens-shift-israel-hamas-war-gaza-deaths-international-pressure-2023-10-27/ 1065 https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/15/politics/biden-60-minutes-interview-gaza-israel/index.html 1066 https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/30/politics/biden-netanyahu-aid-gaza/index.html 91 others through allowing essential humanitarian aid into Gaza.1067 The Biden administration also urged its Israeli counterparts to think about an exit strategy before launching its ground invasion, and to exercise caution in its conduct of the war.1068 As discussed above US support has not changed in a meaningful way despite the Israeli conduct that has generally ignored these prescient early warnings, which remain relevant until the present time of writing. In November, the US continued to urge Israel to restrain its military response, at the same time that Israeli officials – sometimes giving speeches in the same time and place – rejected the idea.1069 Biden and his top advisers warned Israel that international backlash would soon erode support for Israel with dire consequences to the IDF and Israel.1070 The US President reiterated that the two-state solution was the only way to resolve the broader conflict,1071 said that al-Shifa hospital “must be protected” in the context of the first Israeli raid on it in November, 1072 and also noted that extremist settlers in the West Bank must be held accountable for their violent acts.1073 Blinken criticized Israel for not doing enough to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza, stating that “far too many” Palestinians have died and suffered.1074 He even compared the Palestinian children he saw pulled from the wreckage to his own children, because “how can we not?”.1075 More than 500 appointees and staff members criticized Biden’s unwavering support for Israel in a letter and demanded a ceasefire, and over 1,000 staffers at USAID called upon the administration to make better use of its leverage to limit the civilian death toll in Gaza.1076 Despite these warnings, the US did not establish any red lines for Israel.1077 In December, Biden warned that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, and suggested that Netanyahu had “to change his government”.1078 Blinken reiterated the need for Israel to protect civilians and sustain humanitarian assistance, 1079 and pointed out the gap between Israel’s “declared intentions to protect civilians [sic] and the mounting casualties seen on the ground”.1080 He added that “there must be no enduring internal displacement” in the Strip.1081 At meetings in one of his visits to Israel, Blinken clarified that Israel would have until early January to finish its ground operation,1082 although Israel’s army chief stated that the war will continue for “many more months”.1083 Blinken also said that bringing the war to an end “as quickly as possible” was a top priority for the US administration.1084 1067 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/31/antony-blinken-biden-aid-ukraine-israel-gazans/ . Blinken also said that Israel’s leaders supported the US’ provision of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. 1068 https://www.reuters.com/world/behind-bidens-shift-israel-hamas-war-gaza-deaths-international-pressure-2023-10-27/ 1069 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-03/blinken-shifts-israel-message-as-backlash-grows-over-gaza-deaths 1070 https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/politics/biden-administration-warning-israel-gaza-civilians/index.html 1071 https://apnews.com/article/biden-revitalized-palestinian-authority-israel-hamas-war-bf8defe81079d6e6371f228157f9be10 1072 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-al-shifa-hospital-in-gaza-must-be-protected-biden-says 1073 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/11/06/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-prime-ministernetanyahu-of-israel-8/ 1074 https://apnews.com/article/blinken-israel-gaza-hamas-850cf28c13d8df087f75c0536462b604 1075 https://x.com/Channel4News/status/1720452839435038986 1076 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/14/biden-letter-israel-gaza-war-ceasefire 1077 https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/politics/biden-administration-warning-israel-gaza-civilians/index.html 1078 https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-oct-7-44c4229d4c1270d9cfa484b664a22071 1079 https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-remarks-to-the-press-18/ ; https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-andunited-kingdom-foreign-secretary-david-cameron-at-a-joint-press-availability/ ; https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-withjake-tapper-of-cnn-state-of-the-union-3/ 1080 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/08/us-israel-hamas-war-gaza-civilian-protection-anthony-blinken 1081 https://www.timesofisrael.com/blinken-said-to-warn-war-cabinet-it-may-not-have-months-to-topple-hamas/ 1082 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/us-pressures-israel-to-end-war-against-hamas-in-a-month-3vvb52wf9 1083 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67824421 1084 https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-presses-netanyahu-on-protecting-gaza-civilians-discusses-phasing-of-war/ 92 In January, both Biden and Blinken attempted to discuss regional peace within the framework of the two state solution,1085 and even reviewed the options for the US to recognize a Palestinian state after the war.1086 Although Netanyahu stated that he would not allow the creation of a Palestinian state, Biden said it could still move forward with Netanyahu in office. 1087 US officials claimed that Biden was “running out” of patience with Netanyahu, that there were deep frustrations on the US side, and that Biden told Netanyahu that he did not want a year of war in Gaza.1088 Blinken stated that Palestinians must be allowed to return to their homes in Gaza and must not be displaced from the Gaza Strip.1089 On a different occasion he described the conflict as “gutwrenching” and that “the suffering breaks my heart”.1090 In February, Biden described Israel’s military campaign as “over the top” and claimed he was ”pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage cease-fire”.1091 The White House spokesman said that an operation in Rafah in the current circumstances “would be a disaster for those people [i.e. Palestinians] and we would not support it.”1092 A few days later, Biden told Netanyahu in a phone call that a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a “credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there”.1093 At the same time, three US officials admitted that the US will not punish Israel if it launches such a military campaign into Rafah.1094 Blinken stated that “Israel must ensure that the delivery of life-saving assistance to Gaza is not blocked for any reason, by anyone” and urged Israel “to do more to help civilians”.1095 Although both Biden and Blinken pushed for a ceasefire plan (with Biden hoping for a ceasefire within a week), Netanyahu openly stated that the war will continue until Israel was completely victorious.1096 Perhaps in response, Blinken stated that Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank was “inconsistent with international law”, returning to US policy before the Trump administration.1097 Early March saw the continuation of the ceasefire narrative, when Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris called for an “immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks” in Gaza because of “the immense scale of suffering in Gaza”.1098 To date no such ceasefire has materialized. As the US admitted that the entire population of Gaza was experiencing “severe levels of acute food insecurity”, 1099 the US began airdropping aid into Gaza and began work on a temporary pier (see above for both).1100 In mid March, the US Senate Majority Leader criticized Netanyahu, declaring 1085 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/19/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-call-with-primeminister-netanyahu-of-israel-2/ ; https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/blinken-discuss-way-forward-gaza-he-meets-israelileaders-2024-01-09/ 1086 https://www.axios.com/2024/01/31/palestine-statehood-biden-israel-gaza-war 1087 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/19/israels-war-on-gaza-live-us-support-for-israel-ironclad-despiterebuff?update=2635028 1088 https://www.axios.com/2024/01/14/biden-netanyahu-israel-gaza-war-tensions ; https://www.axios.com/2024/01/26/bidennetanyahu-israel-hamas-war-gaza-timetable 1089 https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/09/politics/blinken-israel-gaza-war-talks/index.html 1090 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/blinken-says-us-demand-he-mourns-gutwrenching-scenes-gaza-2024-01-17/ 1091 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/08/biden-israel-gaza-speech-netanyahu/ 1092 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/08/biden-israel-gaza-speech-netanyahu/ 1093 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-leaders-warn-of-catastrophe-if-rafahinvaded?update=2700975 1094 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/02/13/us-wont-punish-israel-for-rafah-op-that-doesnt-protectcivilians-00141013 1095 https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-press-availability-46/ 1096 https://apnews.com/article/blinken-netanyahu-israel-hamas-gaza-saudi-arabia-qatar-palestinians48ff7a3bbab5d92841df2949c29d9e72 ; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68410226 ; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-walks-back-prediction-monday-ceasefire-deal-gaza-hopeful-probabl-rcna141161 1097 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/23/blinken-oppose-new-israeli-settlements 1098 https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1764409522553082344 1099 https://www.timesofisrael.com/blinken-says-all-of-gaza-facing-unprecedented-food-insecurity/ 1100 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-announces-us-will-airdrop-food-aid-gaza-rcna141436 ; https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/ 93 that he was “a major obstacle to peace” that “lost his way”.1101 Biden later praised the “good” speech.1102 Biden himself said that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel”,1103 and asserted that “Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip… Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority”.1104 The US administration also focused on the future Rafah campaign. The month also marked Biden’s first use of the idea of a red line with regards to an invasion of Rafah (“It is a red line, but I’m never going to leave Israel”), although many chose to interpret it in a limited manner that did not completely reject all Israeli military operations in Rafah.1105 Blinken declared that “a major military ground operation [i.e. in Rafah] is not the way to do it. It risks killing many more civilians… it risks further isolation of Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing”.1106 Biden’s Vice President Harris said that the US did not rule out any action against Israel in case it would attack Rafah.1107 Netanyahu, however, declared that if the US will not support an attack on Rafah, “we’ll do it by ourselves”.1108 In early April Biden stated that Israel “has not done enough to protect aid workers” or civilians in Gaza and said he was “outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers.1109 He reiterated that Israel had to take specific and concrete steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and aid worker safety, and claimed that US policy on Gaza was contingent on Israel following those steps.1110 Biden also said that Netanyahu was making a “mistake” in his approach to Gaza.1111 Blinken warned that Israel risked becoming indistinguishable from Hamas if it didn’t protect Gazan civilians.1112 The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, however, maintained that the US did not have “any evidence” that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza (but did not completely reject the idea).1113 The Iranian attack in mid-April – in which the US took a major role in the defense of Israel – disrupted the trend of critical US statements. By the end of the month, the US administration reverted to merely calling upon Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza (for context – April was the month that saw the most supplies entering Gaza as of writing).1114 The US administration also began calling for a ceasefire deal that Israel supposedly accepted, despite no indications that Israel was actually supporting such a deal.1115 In early May, Biden conditioned aid for the first time, specifically saying that he would stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if it launched a major invasion of Gaza: “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem.”1116 The Rafah invasion did take place, and not only did Biden not openly halt shipments of weapons to Israel according to what US media described as an “ultimatum” to Israel (an anonymous 1101 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-schumer-speech-netanyahu-gaza/ 1102 https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/joe-biden-netanyahu-phone-call/index.html 1103 https://apnews.com/article/biden-netanyahu-red-line-frustration-gaza-0f23fa8d02288c1b9d862ddc4035872e 1104 https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/ 1105 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-avoided-bidens-red-line-ad715144 1106 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/22/israels-war-on-gaza-live-the-choice-is-clear-a-2-state-solution?update=2790517 ; https://www.axios.com/2024/03/22/israel-gaza-netanyahu-blinken-insurgency-warning 1107 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harris-us-ruled-consequences-israel-invades-rafah/story?id=108431225 1108 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/22/israel-blinken-hamas-doha-negotiations/ 1109 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/02/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-death-ofworld-central-kitchen-workers-in-gaza/ 1110 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/04/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-call-with-primeminister-netanyahu-of-israel-3/ ; https://apnews.com/article/biden-netanyahu-3591fb5f82b22cf8e5d1060fccaef115 ; https://www.axios.com/2024/04/05/biden-netanyahu-us-support-israel 1111 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68766592 1112 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/blinken-warns-israel-risks-becoming-indistinguishable-from-hamas-if-it-doesnt-protectgaza-civilians/ 1113 https://www.axios.com/2024/04/09/israel-genocide-gaza-us-austin-palestinians 1114 https://apnews.com/article/blinken-israel-hamas-war-gaza-saudi-arabia-c0425791dc59e745021d3dd726dc8f09 1115 https://apnews.com/article/blinken-israel-hamas-war-gaza-saudi-arabia-c0425791dc59e745021d3dd726dc8f09 1116 https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/08/politics/joe-biden-interview-cnntv/index.html 94 official claimed one shipment was held), 1117 but a few days later his administration pushed forward a $1 billion arms sale to Israel.1118 In late May, the US administration clarified that it will not change its Israel policy, 1119 as the Israeli operation in Rafah expanded.1120 Furthermore, the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and Senate invited Netanyahu to address a Joint Meeting of Congress.1121 At the same time, Biden called for a permanent ceasefire, making public an earlier proposal and urging both Israel and Hamas to agree.1122 In parallel to this inconsistent messaging, the US nonetheless ramped up its critique of Israel. Biden admitted that Israeli forced used US bombs to kill Palestinian civilians,1123 and anonymous top officials described Israel’s strategy in Gaza as “self-defeating”.1124 In response, some Israeli voices attempted to draw links between the US and Hamas based on some of their shared interests,1125 while Israel’s Minister of National Security declared that “Hamas Biden” in a tweet.1126 In June, Biden stated in an interview that “there is every reason for people to draw [the] conclusion” that Netanyahu was prolonging the war for his own political gain.1127 His statement fitted a CIA assessment that concluded that Netanyahu would defy pressure to define an “end state” for Gaza.1128 At the same time, the Biden administration concluded that Israel had not “crossed a red line on Rafah”, presenting the Israeli operation as “an uptick”.1129 For context, a Palestinian poll found that 51% of the respondents in the Gaza Strip claimed that the Rafah attack specifically displaced them.1130 Dissent in the US administration and society Over the course of the war many American officials chose to voice their dissent, some under their own name and others anonymously. Some eight or nine officials resigned publicly until late May.1131 In early May, officials who resigned said they identified an uptick in non-public resignations.1132 According to one of those who resigned publicly, over 24 people may have resigned privately.1133 Others used different channels. In one letter in February, over 800 civil servants from the EU and the US dissented from their government’s support for the war in Gaza.1134 In April, 90 lawyers in the US 1117 https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/08/politics/joe-biden-interview-cnntv/index.html# ; https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/09/politics/inside-bidens-public-ultimatum/index.html ; for the held aid, see: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjnzepogr , also https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/war-2023/2024-05-07/ty-articlelive/0000018f-4fbc-d17f-adcf-ffffc4fa0000?liveBlogItemId=1873160451#1873160451 ; https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/politics/warisrael-palestine-gaza-biden-weapons/index.html 1118 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/us/politics/biden-arms-sale-israel.html 1119 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-vp-harris-says-israels-deadly-strike-rafah-was-beyond-tragic-2024-05-28/ 1120 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/30/headlines/israel_seizes_entire_gaza_egypt_border_continues_deadly_invasion_of_rafah 1121 https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1796628344269623520 1122 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/us/politics/biden-israel-remarks-speech.html 1123 https://theintercept.com/2024/05/10/israel-human-rights-gaza-report/ 1124 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/21/biden-admin-hammering-israel-military-strategy-gaza-00159262 1125 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-05-09/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018f-5d88-d1d4-afcf-fd8aae1d0000 1126 https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/1788458123436433783 ; https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-800531 1127 https://time.com/6984968/joe-biden-transcript-2024-interview/ 1128 https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/07/politics/cia-netanyahu-assessment/index.html 1129 https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/biden-administration-israel-crossed-red-line-rafah-110739181 1130 https://pcpsr.org/en/node/980 1131 https://x.com/SanaSaeed/status/1796202013044138221. For examples: https://twitter.com/amanpour/status/1773415507732947348 ; https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ampr/date/2023-12-04/segment/01 1132 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/05/07/more-resignations-over-israel-and-a-failed-policy00156536 ; for 9: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/30/two-more-us-officials-resign-over-biden-administrationsposition-on-gaza-war 1133 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/30/two-more-us-officials-resign-over-biden-administrations-position-ongaza-war 1134 https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTbqPLjpzDpGdamN2LWL1a-lLCkgs0nDOmgBN3MT-U-3- t5D1gIgrc5KORsHfO9nEIuOBdCnD-5tDKX/pub 95 and abroad – including 20 that work in the Biden administration – called upon the president to stop military aid to Israel (by May the number increased to 130 in total).1135 Several senior US officials noted in an internal memo that they doubted the credibility of Israel’s assurances on its use of US weapons.1136 Others anonymously described Biden’s policy on Israel as “a blatantly horrific and stupid mistake”.1137 The war has polarized Americans. While support for Israel remained stronger among Republican voters, a large number of polls indicates that Biden’s policy towards the war found little support among Democrat voters, who voiced their displeasure through different means as the war progressed. While 50% of Americans approved Israel’s military action in November, in March the number dropped to 36%.1138 Already in January, 35% of Americans thought that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza (49% Democrats, 18% of Republicans).1139 The ratio increased in May to 39% (56% Democrats, 23% Republicans).1140 In March, 52% of Americans (62% of Biden voters, 30% Trump voters) agreed that the US government should stop weapon shipments to Israel until Israel stops its attack on Gaza.1141 When the question was framed as sending military aid to Israel to help in its war against Hamas, 36% of Americans supported the policy, and 35% opposed it.1142 In May, 51% of American Jews supported Biden’s decision to withhold arms shipments to Israel if it continued its Rafah offensive (see above).1143 In May, 70% of likely voters supported a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.1144 The most visible public form of dissent to date was a series of campus protests in American universities that peaked over April and May. These are described in more detail in the Zoom-in 2 section below. 1135 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/29/lawyers-israel-arm-sales-biden-00154958 ; https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/05/01/does-israel-dissent-matter-to-biden-00155488 1136 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/some-us-officials-say-internal-memo-israel-may-be-violating-international-law-2024-04- 27/ 1137 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/biden-israel-strike-aid-workers-gaza-00150356 1138 https://news.gallup.com/poll/642695/majority-disapprove-israeli-action-gaza.aspx 1139 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/24/americans-believe-israel-committing-genocide-poll 1140 https://zeteo.com/p/gaza-israel-genocide-poll-ceasefire-us-voters 1141 https://cepr.net/press-release/poll-majority-of-americans-say-biden-should-halt-weapons-shipments-to-israel/ 1142 https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/02/younger-americans-stand-out-in-their-views-of-the-israel-hamas-war/ 1143 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-804548 1144 https://zeteo.com/p/gaza-israel-genocide-poll-ceasefire-us-voters 96 Zoom-in 1: The Second Israeli invasion of al-Shifa hospital (18 March-1 April)1145 Last updated: June 18, 2024 The second Israeli invasion of al-Shifa hospital in mid-late March stands out as a major yet distinct operation that fits into several of the sections in this document. The following section zooms into this particular event to highlight how this operation reflects the themes discussed above. In mid-late March, the IDF conducted another military operation in the al-Shifa hospital.1146 Early reports from within the Strip asserted that the IDF had killed or executed some 150 young men.1147 An NGO received testimonies of systematic crimes conducted that included deliberate killings and extrajudicial executions, as well as arbitrary detentions of some 400 individuals and torturing of local residents and patients.1148 After the IDF released an collage image with images of 358 allegedly detained terrorists from al-Shifa hospital, an NGO found that the number of images was smaller (248), that the collage included 52 duplicates, and identified 11 portraits in the collage by name as healthcare workers.1149 Several doctors and other health practitioners have been killed or executed,1150 including a pharmacist who was among those executed in front of patients.1151 People who escaped provide similar testimonies,1152 such as a young man who recounts IDF soldiers shooting at detainees around him, as well as killing several as well as his father and brother.1153 Footage of released detainees shows them in their underwear.1154 Some of the released detainees were in wheelchairs.1155 An adjacent hospital to al-Shifa (al-Helu) was bombed in the operation, hitting patient rooms as well.1156 An eyewitness claimed to see about four times groups of three to ten detainees brought to hospital buildings. Gunshots were then heard, and the soldiers then left to bring another group of detainees; other eyewitnesses recounted similar events and execution-style killings.1157 People who did not evacuate when ordered were regarded as suspects and killed.1158 Other eyewitnesses stated that they were not able to move and get food and water for days.1159 An NGO’s initial research found evidence for the execution of 13 children,1160 as well as that over 25,000 civilians were forced to evacuate their homes in the vicinity of al-Shifa, and estimated that the IDF 1145 The raid is the topic of a documentary which documents the testimonies of survivors and touches upon many of the issues below, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlerY4M9kQc 1146 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/world/middleeast/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-israel.html 1147 https://twitter.com/HossamShabat/status/1770813640251195394 ; the IDF claimed these were “terrorists”, https://twitter.com/ClubReel/status/1770822632725700746 1148 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6236 1149 https://twitter.com/HCWWatch/status/1771307184145502250 1150 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1772039795662889006 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777339018453058024 ; https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/come-out-you-animals-how-the-massacre-at-al-shifa-hospital-happened 1151 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1771370478906822877 1152 Several testimonies of people who escaped or were released in this tweet chain: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1772039795662889006 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777365780172026029 1153 https://twitter.com/trhxianl/status/1771648909753864280 1154 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1771565663535960309 1155 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1771565663535960309 1156 https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1771495855587000429 1157 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6232/International-community-must-act-immediately-to-stop-Israeli-army%E2%80%99smassacre-of-Palestinians-at-Al-Shifa-Hospital ; https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/3/25/palestinian-testimonies-ofisraeli-executions-at-al-shifa-hospital ; https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/come-out-you-animals-how-the-massacre-at-al-shifa-hospitalhappened 1158 https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/come-out-you-animals-how-the-massacre-at-al-shifa-hospital-happened 1159 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/world/middleeast/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-israel.html ; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/1/as-those-fleeing-al-shifa-get-to-south-gaza-they-recount-israeli-torture 1160 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6246/In-a-week,-Israeli-army-executes-13-children-in-and-near-Al-Shifa-Hospital 97 demolished and torched over 1,200 housing units in the area.1161 Several consistent testimonies also reveal that the IDF used civilians as human shields.1162 Israeli footage from al-Shifa revealed that the IDF has made the hospital into a makeshift center of operations, with widespread destruction and tied and blindfolded detained Palestinians placed along its corridors.1163 Civilians living in the vicinity of al-Shifa hospital were left without food and water for days. According to one eyewitness, she was among 65 families that the IDF forced out of their building. The IDF then burned their clothes as well as the building in which they lived; other buildings and civilians were allegedly burned as well.1164 The IDF’s actions trapped over 240 sick and injured patients in the hospital without access to food, medication or treatment for about a week.1165 Doctors who were in al-Shifa during the siege reported on their extreme experiences.1166 At least 22 patients died due to lack of oxygen, food and water.1167 After the IDF finally left al-Shifa, hundreds of corpses were found amidst widespread destruction of and in the hospital.1168 Dozens or even hundreds of corpses were found decomposing in the ground in makeshift and mass graves, some of them handcuffed in what suggests execution.1169 An independent research agency based in academia found evidence that the bodies of those killed during this invasion were bulldozed.1170 An NGO claimed that based on preliminary reports, over 1,500 Palestinians were killed, injured, or are reported missing. Women and children made up half of the casualties. Hundreds of corpses were found, including some burned and others with heads and limbs severed.1171 The directors and doctors of the hospital declared that the destruction put the hospital out of service while also naming many of their colleagues who were killed, detained and displaced.1172 Despite the large amount of contrary evidence, the IDF Chief of the General Staff claimed that not a single medical personnel or local patients were harmed.1173 Israel’s former Prime Minister also claimed that not a single civilian was killed, “unprecedented in urban warfare”.1174 An IDF’s spokesperson claimed on the IDF’s official Twitter account that “200 terrorists [were] eliminated” and that more than 500 Palestinians were detained.1175 Yet when the IDF brought 1161 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6254/Al-Shifa-Medical-Complex-Witnesses-One-of-the-Largest-Massacres-in-PalestinianHistory 1162 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-israeli-army-uses-palestinian-civilians-human-shields-its-operationshifa-medical-complex-and-its-vicinity-enar 1163 https://twitter.com/NourNaim88/status/1772757426887926144 1164 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mN1SRUx0R8 1165 https://twitter.com/PHRIsrael/status/1771499307478229244 ; also https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1771276290315653372 1166 https://twitter.com/DrMadsGilbert/status/1774371251881984169 1167 https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/4/1/israel-leaves-al-shifa-hospital-in-ruins-and-littered-with-human-remains ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6254/Al-Shifa-Medical-Complex-Witnesses-One-of-the-Largest-Massacres-in-Palestinian-History 1168 A few here, and see also the next footnote: https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777321386991612112 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777299876885241930 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1777306768802038012 ; https://twitter.com/HossamShabat/status/1777726280084963393 1169 https://www.thenation.com/article/world/israel-al-shifa-massacre-denialism/ ; https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/4/1/israel-leaves-al-shifa-hospital-in-ruins-and-littered-with-human-remains ; https://jacobin.com/2024/04/al-shifa-hospital-siege-gaza-massacre ; many images and videos at the following: https://twitter.com/HossamShabat/status/1774741588226273379 ; https://twitter.com/KufiyyaPS/status/1774751378377773162 ; https://twitter.com/DrMadsGilbert/status/1774704992445731264 ; https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1774936027360297304 ; https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1776958103109664881 ; https://twitter.com/RamAbdu/status/1779859676827431399 ; this indicates 30 corpses in the relevant mass grave: https://twitter.com/EuroMedHR/status/1783855639006986260 1170 https://twitter.com/ForensicArchi/status/1778106742737375471 1171 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6254/Al-Shifa-Medical-Complex-Witnesses-One-of-the-Largest-Massacres-in-PalestinianHistory ; https://twitter.com/EuroMedHR/status/1777652447474749720 1172 https://twitter.com/DrMadsGilbert/status/1775300379967729675 1173 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hymd23pka 1174 https://twitter.com/naftalibennett/status/1774663364314091870 1175 https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1774816428916412574 ; the number was “over 200” in Israeli media: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hymd23pka 98 international journalists to see the hospital just before it left, the local IDF spokesperson estimated the number of Palestinian fighters killed over two weeks of fighting at 40, while a commando leader said that the number was “a few dozens”.1176 A investigative report found that most of the people who were killed and arrested were workers in the government’s civil branch – people working in Civil Defense, the police, the interior ministry and so on, who all came to al-Shifa to collect their salaries.1177 1176 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/01/gaza-al-shifa-hospital-israel/ 1177 https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/come-out-you-animals-how-the-massacre-at-al-shifa-hospital-happened 99 Zoom-in 2: Campus Protests in the US (April 17-May 2024) Last updated: June 18, 2024 Perhaps the most noticeable form of dissent towards American policy on the Israel-Gaza war to date was a series of Gaza solidarity encampments and protests on university campuses that peaked over April and May. Over 150 universities worldwide had encampments, more than 100 of which were in the United States.1178 The Guardian described these protests as “perhaps the most significant student movement since the anti-Vietnam campus protests of the late 1960s”.1179 The protestors themselves alluded and sometimes explicitly referred to the 1968 protests. Although students had protested in solidarity with Gaza on campuses from early on, few of these demonstrations drew public attention in the first months of the war.1180 The campus protests began drawing far more attention in the context of the Columbia encampment and the university’s forceful attempts to remove it in mid and late April. In response, students erected encampments on many other campuses. These encampments often took the form of students putting up tents on campus and holding a position with signs and flags for days or weeks, periodically holding events such as talks or classes, demonstrating and chanting. On some occasions students also took over buildings. As a decentralized movement, encampments in different universities had different demands but most shared sharp criticism towards Israel, especially in context of the war in Gaza. One common student demand was that their university divest from companies that profited from Israel’s occupation, or Israeli companies. Other demands included breaking ties with Israeli institutions of higher education, stopping research that supports the military, supporting Palestinian students or universities, calling for ending military support to Israel, or calling for ceasefire.1181 The protests were mainly an elite college phenomenon,1182 at least partially because those universities had larger endowments that could be invested and were more likely to have international connections that included those with Israeli universities, but also perhaps because poorer students at other institutions had other concerns.1183 The elite universities and in particular Columbia University also drew more national attention and had an outsized influence on the perception of the campus protests. The media coverage surrounding these protests was often politicized (see section on media above). An analysis of 553 protests found that 97% of them did not cause serious interpersonal violence (physical violence above pushing or shoving) or property damage (breaking a window or worse). Nearly half of the 3% of protests categorized as violent became so because demonstrators fought with police forces that were sent to clear encampments. Property damage was found in two cases.1184 Serious clashes between protestors on both sides took place only in UCLA, where video evidence showed pro-Israeli counterprotestors attacking the 1178 These two websites include references and links to the different encampments: https://students4gaza.directory/ ; https://www.palestineiseverywhere.com/ . This analysis found 123 campuses with encampments and 318 campus with protests: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/05/24/are-gaza-protests-happening-mostly-at-elite-colleges/ 1179 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/28/us-student-protests-gaza-israel 1180 Graph at: https://theconversation.com/media-coverage-of-campus-protests-tends-to-focus-on-the-spectacle-rather-than-thesubstance-229172 1181 For student demands, organized per university, see https://students4gaza.directory/ 1182 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/05/24/are-gaza-protests-happening-mostly-at-elite-colleges/ 1183 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/05/24/are-gaza-protests-happening-mostly-at-elite-colleges/ 1184 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/10/peaceful-pro-palestinian-campus-protests; data and original analysis here: https://acleddata.com/2024/05/10/us-student-pro-palestine-demonstrations-remain-overwhelmingly-peaceful-acled-brief/ 100 encampment.1185 Police waited for a few hours before separating both sides, resulting in dozens of injuries among protestors in the Gaza encampment. 1186 Most university administrations opposed the encampments, being pressured by both politicians and their donors. Political pressure was most obvious in a series of hearings in which elite university presidents were brought to Capitol Hill and forced to answer questions about their university policies, mostly surrounding antisemitism and protecting their students. 1187 At least two university presidents later lost their jobs as a result.1188 Prominent donors used their donations to apply pressure to universities, publicly or privately threatening and sometimes actually pulling their support.1189 The protests also fed into local politics. At least in the case of New York, a group of dozens of business elites attempted to influence the city’s mayor to use the police to deal with protesters in Columbia.1190 Such pressure was likely felt within university as well. As a result of this pressure, many university administrations actively tried to repress student protests in different ways, commonly by using police and campus security who were overwhelmingly associated with using violence on campus. Viral videos from campuses showed heavily armed police forces using rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters.1191 Physical violence was also prevalent, with students and faculty getting beaten up by the police, sometimes on camera. 1192 As a result, over a month of protests at least 3,025 people were arrested in 61 colleges and universities. 1193 Many others were suspended or expelled from their universities. Faculty members were among those arrested as well, sometimes using excessive force.1194 On many other occasions, university administrations chose less explicit means to deal with the protestors and their voices. These 1185 https://x.com/BenzionSanders/status/1785681768349118750; https://x.com/FilmThePoliceLA/status/1785654963915588036; https://forward.com/news/608215/campus-violence-erupts-at-ucla-as-pro-israel-protesters-tries-to-dismantle-encampment/. For the pro-Israel counterprotestors identity see: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/us/ucla-student-protests-counterprotesters-invs/index.html; https://x.com/KyungLahCNN/status/1790908711898165639. UCLA was otherwise tense as well but violence between protestors was concentrated in the single aforementioned night: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/29/palestinian-israeli-protestersclash-university-california. It appears that a single pro-Israeli counter-protester was arrested, https://forward.com/fastforward/617536/arrest-in-ucla-encampment-violence-edan-on/ 1186 https://forward.com/opinion/608479/ucla-violence-campus-protests/; https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/police-clear-outpro-palestinian-encampment-at-ucla/ ; https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-01/la-me-ucla-camp-police ; https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-30/ucla-moves-to-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-as-unlawful 1187 The first hearing in early December included the presidents of Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and MIT: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/business/university-leaders-testimony-nightcap/index.html. The second hearing in mid-April included the president of Columbia: https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/columbia-antisemitism-house-testimony/index.html. The third hearing was for the presidents of Northwestern, Rutgers and UCLA in late May, see: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/23/us/college-antisemitism-hearing. Unlike the former two hearings, it had no immediate impact. 1188 U Penn: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/09/penn-president-resigns-00130961; Harvard: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-president-gay-resigns-harvard-crimson-student-newspaper-2024-01-02/ . To date, the president of Columbia has kept her job, but: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/16/columbia-university-faculty-pass-vote-of-noconfidence-in-president-00158393 1189 https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/columbias-billionaire-donors-mull-giving-anti-israel-protests ; https://www.thedp.com/article/2024/05/penn-donors-react-encampment-university-response 1190 https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/16/business-leaders-chat-group-eric-adams-columbia-protesters/ 1191 https://twitter.com/JoshuaPHilll/status/1785443970237317351 ; https://x.com/Kahlissee/status/1783538202705285206 ; for heavily armed police forces see: https://x.com/RyanChandlerTV/status/1783197539824468403 ; https://x.com/balagonline/status/1783185444085117425 1192 https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1783565419305136271 ; https://x.com/JoshuaPHilll/status/1783518484137226284 ; https://x.com/AkbarSAhmed/status/1785856063226490986 ; https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6MpTOhP5uS/ 1193 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-campus-protests-50d754675b710c9b983faf9ec9164d81 1194 https://x.com/PatrickQuinnTV/status/1783532600637681964 ; https://x.com/RobertMackey/status/1783684235938894086 ; https://www.newsweek.com/65-year-old-man-lucky-alive-after-arrest-campus-protest-1895846 ; https://x.com/TylerKatzen/status/1785698828420608183 ; https://x.com/meznaqato/status/1785452260324979121 ; https://x.com/probablyreadit/status/1782569732538843267 ; https://x.com/rafaelshimunov/status/1786332708379017607 101 included, for example, moving to online teaching,1195 keeping police on campus,1196 moving ceremonies out of campus, or canceling valedictorian speeches.1197 Some university administrations eventually negotiated with students, sometimes reaching an agreement that fulfilled some student demands.1198 In many other cases, however, universities did not change their policies towards Israel/Gaza. Some universities preferred to resolve the issue by declaring that they would no longer comment on political issues not central to university functions.1199 The end of the academic year and the departure of many students from campuses for the summer ended almost all active protests, although in many cases students protested in various end-of-year activities such as staging walkouts of their own graduation ceremonies, 1200 raising Palestinian flags or symbols or associated signs, 1201 or demanding the cancellation of graduation ceremony speakers.1202 Coverage and reactions Instead of dealing with the protestors’ demands and grievances, media coverage was sensationalized.1203 Public attention was drawn to a few examples of incendiary language or signs, as well as to a more general discomfort or lack of personal safety a minority of students felt on campus. Much of the public debate surrounded allegations of antisemitism, often neglecting the fact that a significant portion of the students organizing and participating in the encampments, as well as supportive faculty, were Jewish themselves.1204 In the US, the protests led to a bill that aimed to define antisemitism with a broad definition that included criticism of Israel (the bill passed in the House in May).1205 Israeli voices weaponized the antisemitism in both international and domestic discourse. Internationally, Israel’s Prime Minister put out a widely covered video address in English in which he described the protests as “antisemitic” and “horrific”, comparing them to rallies in German universities in the 1930s (i.e. as the Nazi party rose to power): “Antisemitic mobs have taken over leading universities… They call for the annihilation of Israel. They attack Jewish students. They attack Jewish faculty”.1206 Netanyahu subsequently described students who chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a relatively common call in protests – as “supporting genocide” and linked it to the “sorry state of American education… there’s a deep rot and bankruptcy there”.1207 In 1195 https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/22/business/columbia-tensions-passover-virtual-classes/index.html 1196 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/nyregion/columbia-shafik-protests-police.html 1197 https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/valedictorian-will-not-speak-at-class-of-2024-commencement/ 1198 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/us/brown-divestment-deal.html ; https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-05-06/tyarticle/.premium/rutgers-faces-backlash-over-shameful-capitulation-to-pro-palestinian-student-demands/0000018f-4e92-dcda-abcf6e9711670000 ; https://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2024-05/AGREEMENT_05072024.pdf 1199 https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/28/harvard-policy-issues-institutional-neutrality 1200 https://x.com/JalalAK_jojo/status/1793672275809718459 ; https://twitter.com/iamschvitzing/status/1789666643141914965 1201 https://twitter.com/brainnotonyet/status/1789796916022157770 1202 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/10/us/xavier-vermont-cancel-linda-thomas-greenfield.html 1203 https://theconversation.com/media-coverage-of-campus-protests-tends-to-focus-on-the-spectacle-rather-than-the-substance-229172 ; https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/06/13/acts-of-language-isabella-hammad/ 1204 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/24/not-like-other-passovers-hundreds-of-jewish-demonstrators-arrested-after-newyork-protest-seder ; https://x.com/rafaelshimunov/status/1786332708379017607 ; https://x.com/ofercass/status/1783246682626400722 1205 https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-05-07/explainer-the-controversy-surrounding-the-antisemitism-bill . The proposed definition for antisemitism is the one defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which has often been used to interpret criticism of Israel as antisemitism, see: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/apr/24/un-ihra-antisemitism-definitionisrael-criticism 1206 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/24/us-campus-protests-benjamin-netanyahu-ceasefire. Some US lawmakers publicly refuted these claims, e.g. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1247670359 1207 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-says-college-protesters-chanting-from-the-river-to-the-sea-are-supportinggenocide/ 102 Israel, the campus protests were framed as a form of antisemitism and covered far more superficially.1208 Israel Today, the most widely circulating newspaper in Israel, dedicated its front page on April 25 to “Antisemitism Around the Globe” with a dark photo of a demonstration of people waving Palestinian flags covering most of the page. The subtitle read “[Jews] fearing to speak Hebrew, incitement in the media, and police incompetence… a terrifying reality”.1209 A lead to the next page presented readers with a solution (“Despite everything, there is only one place to Jews in the world [today]”, i.e. Israel).1210 Beyond a debate on antisemitism, US media outlets were concerned with the presence of nonstudents within the protests and their organization, although little evidence was presented to support these claims. A similar question concerned who was “behind” the protests, which appears to have been asked more commonly in conservative-leaning media. A Wall Street Journal opinion piece, for example, claimed with no evidence that the protestors were “groomed” by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houtis.1211 Other right-wing commentators blamed George Soros for them.1212 Israeli media had similar concerns, decrying for example the “billions of dollars” with which Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar bought influence in American universities.1213 A third theme of Israeli coverage, aimed primarily at domestic Israeli audiences and almost completely absent from US media coverage, presented American student protestors as ignorant about the real situation in Israel/Palestine and naïve towards Hamas in particular.1214 This talking point was amplified by the work of an initiative heavily promoted by pro-Israel elites.1215 The public discussion touched upon Israeli academia as well. The Association of University Heads in Israel (VERA) put out a statement in which they voiced their “deep concern” regarding “the serious cases of violence, antisemitism and anti-Israeli washing through the campuses of many leading American universities, with the support of Palestinian organizations including terrorist organizations”. They proceeded by stating that they would help Jewish and Israeli scholars and students who desired to come to Israeli universities “and find here a personal and academic home”.1216 In May, Israel launched a well-funded program to bring Israeli ex-pat and Jewish scholars to the country because of “an unprecedented wave of antisemitism” by offering them generous grants.1217 1208 https://www.the7eye.org.il/517399 1209 https://www.pressreader.com/newspapers/n/israel-hayom/20240425 1210 https://www.pressreader.com/newspapers/n/israel-hayom/20240425 1211 https://www.wsj.com/articles/whos-behind-the-anti-israel-protests-hamas-gaza-hezbollah-talking-points-d2f538ca 1212 https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-anti-israel-protesters-are-paid-soros-rockefeller-funding-activism-hamas-fba26c20 ; on Soros see also: https://www.thedailybeast.com/theres-been-a-george-soros-for-every-era-of-antisemitic-panic 1213 E.g. https://www.ynet.co.il/economy/article/yokra13903697 ; https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1095319 ; https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/article/15711685 1214 E.g. https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1095319 1215 For examples aimed at a US domestic audience, but with less traction, see: https://x.com/Facts_For_Peace/status/1794093433818096072 ; https://x.com/Facts_For_Peace/status/1801653974648410448 . For the connection to the group of elites, see the discussion here: https://www.semafor.com/article/11/09/2023/billionaires-discuss-50-millionanti-hamas-media-blitz; https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/16/business-leaders-chat-group-eric-adams-columbiaprotesters/ 1216 https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/Article-1094819 1217 https://www.themarker.com/news/education/2024-05-26/ty-article/.premium/0000018f-b5b6-d390-ab8f-f5bee80a0000; https://www.facebook.com/Bezazelsmotrich/photos/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%95- %D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A8-%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%93-%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%95- %D7%90%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D- %D7%91%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%98%D7%90%D7%95%D7%AA- %D7%94%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9D- %D7%91%D7%95%D7%90/988484582838144/?paipv=0&eav=Afbn2KFToO1qrHWpcUKB5K_G0uVHfC0qdzwc_QxQih_5pjL23tHM_3585Pm FbxxIxek&_rdr 103 Zoom-in 3: The ethnic cleansing campaign in northern Gaza, October-December 2024 Last updated:1218 December 5, 2024 In October 2024, Israel began another operation in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Almost immediately, it became clear that this operation was qualitatively different from those that preceded it. Israel de facto began a complete siege of northern Gaza, directly attacked civilians and hospitals, and attempted to remove the local population from the area in what was quickly recognized as ethnic cleansing. This section focuses on this operation, beginning with its framing and purpose in Israeli and international discourse, and thus providing evidence that the events were well evident from early on. The section proceeds to examine the siege itself, Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon, and the attacks on the civilian population in northern Gaza, all of which supported the ethnic cleansing campaign. It also focuses on the attacks on healthcare facilities and workers in the area. Plans, voices and media coverage The blueprint for this operation had long been discussed in Israel as the so-called “Generals’ Plan”. The strongest and most vocal supporter was the former general and former head of the National Security Council, Giora Eiland. The plan itself proposes that Israel warn all residents in North Gaza that they would have one week to evacuate. Those who would choose to evacuate would be supplied food and water in a designated area. The IDF would then tighten the siege and stop the entry of all food, water and humanitarian aid to the evacuated area, forcing the remaining residents to surrender or starve to death (for more details, see the section Ethnic Cleansing/Prominent voices and plans in this document).1219 Israeli investigations revealed that the plan was designed by other organizations such as “Tzav 9”,1220 which was responsible for blocking aid from entering Gaza over the spring and summer of 2024 (and was sanctioned by the US in response).1221 Within Israeli discourse, the plan received considerable media attention, which was generally supportive. The plan was published by an NGO that claimed more than 1,500 IDF officers as members.1222 Already in mid-September, Israeli media noted that IDF generals were considering the Generals’ Plan (also described as Eiland’s Plan),1223 while a letter signed by 27 ministers and MKs (Members of the Israeli Knesset) called upon Israel’s prime minister to formally accept it.1224 The plan received some support in Israeli academia as well.1225 In late September, the prime minister stated that the plan “made sense and was under consideration”.1226 An MK stated in early October 1218 I would like to thank an anonymous reader who commented on the Nov. 2024 version of this document. 1219 https://x.com/bokeralmog/status/1831247052828786708 ; see also https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/h1psjosnc for additional supporters 1220 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=430705303386981 ; https://x.com/omrimaniv/status/1847700434716160328 1221 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-30/ty-article/.premium/a-new-low-the-israelis-advocating-to-starve-the-people-ofgaza/0000018d-5b42-d0fc-a9bd-5f5fc0740000 ; sanctions: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1gdos7da ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/14/us-imposes-sanctions-on-extremist-israeli-group-for-blocking-gaza-aid 1222 https://hamefakdim-bemiluim.org/%d7%aa%d7%95%d7%9b%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%aa- %d7%94%d7%90%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%a4%d7%99%d7%9d/ ; https://hamefakdimbemiluim.org/%d7%90%d7%95%d7%93%d7%95%d7%aa/ 1223 https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/defense/799622/ ; also: https://x.com/yuval_ganor/status/1848406512609231172 ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjcq4s11rr ; https://www.972mag.com/northern-gaza-liquidation-scenario-eiland-rabi/ 1224 https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/politics/article/16463062 1225 https://x.com/radio103fm/status/1835207918087483732?s=48 1226 https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/politic/803098/ 104 that the plan was being executed.1227 In late October, an Israeli settler NGO held a major event in preparation of Jewish settlements in Gaza. The event was attended by 19 Israeli ministers and MKs.1228 Soon after the military operation in North Gaza began (see below), it became clear that the Generals’ Plan, or a version of it, was being executed de facto. Israeli journalists stated it already on Oct. 6. 1229 More Israeli media recognized this by mid-October,1230 with indications that it was neither discussed in detail nor formally decided upon politically.1231 Many international voices also became aware of the plan at this point.1232 In response, Eiland himself claimed that what was being implemented was not his plan because the IDF began the military operation before evacuating the civilians, which would increase casualties.1233 Some voices in Israeli discourse – including the Ha’aretz editorial in late October – called for IDF soldiers to refuse to serve and implement the plan.1234 These voices had no obvious immediate effect on soldiers. Other Israeli voices called for widespread action by international institutions – including sanctions – to stop Israel. Among these was a petition signed by a few thousand Israelis who called for “every possible sanction” on Israel to stop its attack on Gaza.1235 This, too, had little effect. However, soon after, Israel’s Minister of Justice called for a 20-year prison sentence for Israeli citizens promoting sanctions against Israel.1236 By mid-late October there were clear indications that the operation was following a formal plan. This was supported by Israel’s prime minister himself, who declined US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s request to state publicly that Israel was not planning to remove or starve the population in northern Gaza. Blinken warned that not reversing Israel’s action could risk US military support.1237 In late October, IDF generals admitted that despite reaching their military objectives in the area, IDF 1227 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1842878570307219842 1228 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-16/ty-article/.premium/00000192-94aa-d9c2-a7f3-9cae337a0000 ; https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBZR6anA-q4/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-21/ty-articlemagazine/.premium/00000192-af02-d049-a3db-bf76397e0000 ; for the list of attendees: https://x.com/nitayp/status/1848282311281766869 1229 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1842898570673852729 1230 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1848469118363582692 ; https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainers/israel-gaza-palestine-whatgenerals-plan 1231 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-13/ty-article/.premium/00000192-8282-de72-afba-b2d79d410000 ; https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2024-10-29/ty-article-opinion/if-it-looks-like-ethnic-cleansing-it-probably-is/00000192-da04- d91e-a9df-dbad3f940000 ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/byuiwjajje ; 1232 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-21/ty-article/.premium/00000192-aeaf-da5c-a9b7-febf25980000 ; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y5zy1vvmlo 1233 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1850011191281652154 . Eiland said he would have accepted a deal for the hostages. See also: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra14124023 . He also defended his plan: https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-10-31/tyarticle-opinion/.premium/00000192-e2a6-dd31-a9be-fbaf597b0000 ; and in this interview he threatened to maintain control of northern Gaza, and potentially occupy it: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1857291886014206402 1234 https://x.com/eranetzion/status/1848635092463132779 ; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24ngy9g70o ; https://x.com/TomerPersico/status/1848610983670899017 (and more emphatically a couple of weeks later: https://x.com/TomerPersico/status/1854403910305505520; https://x.com/TomerPersico/status/1855858123602309152 ; https://x.com/TomerPersico/status/1858035974783009228) ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/editorial-articles/2024-10-23/ty-articleopinion/00000192-b4d9-d006-a5b3-fed91a400000 ; https://x.com/PeaceNowIL/status/1853430263423910399 ; https://x.com/_selftitled_/status/1851698751733404138 ; https://x.com/eliavl/status/1845476781576380672 . See also https://news.walla.co.il/item/3703552; https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-11-17/ty-article-opinion/.premium/00000193-35e5- d19b-afbb-37f5b2080000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2024-11-16/ty-article-opinion/.premium/00000193-2b85-d506-a5d3- 2f97180e0000 1235 https://x.com/btselem/status/1848770778462060744 ; https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-10-31/tyarticle/.premium/haaretz-publisher-clarifies-hamas-remarks-as-netanyahu-govt-threatens-sanctions/00000192-e326-df50-a1bffbeef3fc0000 ; see also: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32171 ; https://www.newarab.com/news/3000-israelis-call-every-possible-sanctionisrael 1236 https://mondoweiss.net/2024/11/israeli-justice-minister-calls-for-20-year-prison-sentence-for-citizens-promoting-sanctions-againstthe-state/ 1237 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/22/blinken-israel-netanyahu-gaza-aid/, specifically: https://x.com/eranetzion/status/1848817655115092252 105 forces were preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes.1238 International voices were similarly alarmed. A UN relief official stated that “the entire population of North Gaza is at risk of dying”.1239 By early November, an IDF general explicitly stated that Palestinians would not be able to return to their homes in Jabaliya after the end of the military operation.1240 The Ha’aretz editorial stated that the IDF was ethnically cleansing the northern part of the Gaza Strip.1241 International voices used harsher words to voice their alarm. In a joint message, the leaders of 15 United Nations and humanitarian organizations stated that “the situation unfolding in North Gaza is apocalyptic” and reiterated that the entire population in North Gaza “is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence”.1242 By mid-November, Israel’s Finance Minister said Israel should remain in northern Gaza indefinitely to pressure Hamas to release its hostages.1243 A major Israeli TV channel aired an interview with an Israeli professor who called for resettling Gaza and explicitly agreed to ethnically cleanse up to two million Palestinians, killing hundreds of thousands who would not leave.1244 By late November, Oxfam stated that Israel was in the late stages of ethnically cleansing the North Gaza governorate. 1245 A few days later Moshe Ya’alon, a former Israeli Chief of Staff and defense minister, accused Israel of ethnically cleansing Palestinians from northern Gaza.1246 Many politicians – including the leaders of the two Jewish center-left parties – and media outlets, as well as the IDF attacked Ya’alon for his statements.1247 Siege and ethnic cleansing The siege On the ground, the first step in the operation was the implementation of three nested sieges. The overall siege on the Gaza Strip, originating in 2007 but beginning in its current form at the beginning of the war, was tightened. During October 2024, Israel shut down almost all humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The average entrance of 58 trucks/day in this month was the lowest since November 2023 (the previous minimum was 113 trucks/day in Dec. 2023).1248 The amount of supplies (food, water, medical equipment) entering was one quarter of the average of the nine preceding months of 1238 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-30/ty-article/.premium/00000192-dc99-dbce-a7be-ff99f45a0000 1239 https://www.commondreams.org/news/northern-gaza-risk-dying 1240 https://archive.md/0TJKW (the tweet was later deleted); https://x.com/Doron_Kadosh/status/1853844668535955848 ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/06/palestinians-will-not-be-allowed-to-return-to-homes-in-northern-gaza-says-idf; https://x.com/idanlandau/status/1854412734168772892 . Note that the next day the IDF distanced itself from the remarks about not letting Gazans return: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/07/idf-israel-military-no-return-remarks-north-gaza , see also https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-11-08/ty-article/.premium/00000193-0bb2-de12-adbb-8bf721150000 1241 https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/editorial-articles/2024-11-10/ty-article-opinion/00000193-11b9-d3a2-a3d7-5bf956bf0000 1242 https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committeestop-assault-palestinians-gaza-and-those-trying 1243 https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-israel-must-vow-to-stay-in-northern-gaza-forever-unless-hostages-returned/ ; see also: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/h1takgiz1g 1244 https://www.kan.org.il/content/dig/digital/p-11685/s2024/825913/ 1245 https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/no-aid-or-access-israel-intensifies-its-ethnic-cleansing-north-gaza-governorate-says 1246 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/02/middleeast/israel-idf-gaza-moshe-yaalon-palestinians-ethnic-cleansing-intl/index.html 1247 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1xbixj71g 1248 Numbers are based on COGAT’s counting: https://gaza-aid-data.gov.il/main/#AidData. According to OCHA the number was 37 truckloads/day over October: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-november-2024 ; the trend began already in the beginning of the month: https://www.npr.org/2024/10/18/nx-s1-5156064/north-gaza-is-starving-as-humanitarianaid-declines . The amount of aid entering Gaza increased in November (OCHA: 65 truckloads/day: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-3-december-2024; COGAT: 89 trucks/day by Nov. 26: https://gaza-aid-data.gov.il/main/#AidData) 106 2024 (26.4 thousand tons in October 2024 compared to 103.4).1249 These numbers correspond to the entire Gaza Strip. They began to be reported in the Israeli media in late October.1250 Compounding the overall siege, a stricter siege was placed on the northern part of the Strip, i.e. the area north of the Netzarim Corridor, which included Gaza City and North Gaza. The amount of supplies and humanitarian aid that entered this area was one fraction of the meagre amount that entered the southern part of the Strip.1251 The third and tightest siege was placed on North Gaza – the northern-most governorate of the Strip’s five governorates, north of Gaza City – specifically on Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya. These were also the areas where the most military force was used, as evident by many daily attacks, commonly by airstrikes (see below). As many observers noted already in mid and late October, no food or water entered this area for weeks.1252 The IDF soon established another East-West corridor, separating North Gaza from Gaza City.1253 Evidence from witnesses indicates the absence of food.1254 Video footage showed an IDF tractor destroying humanitarian aid supplies in a warehouse in Jabaliya.1255 Both the UN and 39 humanitarian organizations raised the alarm regarding the situation in North Gaza. The UN reported in early November that all attempts by humanitarian organizations to deliver food to the besieged areas of North Gaza in October were blocked by Israel.1256 Israel falsely claimed that there was “no population” left in places like Beit Lahiya, where it continued to bomb civilians for many more days.1257 Only 11 percent of coordinated aid movements to provide humanitarian assistance to the northern Gaza Strip were facilitated by Israel.1258 One mission supplying humanitarian assistance was finally allowed in on November 11, but delays in movement authorization and crowded routes led to the convoy’s reducing its size from 14 trucks to only three.1259 One aid truck reached a school in Beit Hanoun, which was raided soon after, reportedly 1249 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-31/ty-article/.premium/00000192-de68-d6c4-adfe-feee52230000 1250 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-31/ty-article/.premium/00000192-de68-d6c4-adfe-feee52230000 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 ; https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-military-funding-11bdf4ffd22e0f4c68b2b7b0e24bda77 1251 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-5-november-2024 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-12-november-2024 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-19-november-2024 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-26-november-2024 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-3-december-2024 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-241-gaza-strip ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitariansituation-update-243-gaza-strip 1252 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1848819280730853559 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1848810576828305645 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1851452023117660582 (a journalist on the ground in northern Gaza); https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1846626226951409921 (another journalist from northern Gaza); https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1850583598782353415 (he was outside Gaza but his family remained in northern Gaza; many died during the military operation); https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/22/blinken-israel-netanyahu-gaza-aid/ (the first two weeks of October). See also https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-15/ty-article/.premium/00000192-8c88-d953-afbe9fd9be790000 1253 https://x.com/ForensicArchi/status/1860005331897622954 ; https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8x324vr0mo 1254 https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-hunger-israel-restricts-aid (see the testimony about Jabaliya); for an exceptional distribution of aid, see: https://x.com/Stevesosebee/status/1857817939698659796 (the partner, Anera, is one of the organizations that signed on the mid-November scorecard referred to below: https://x.com/AneraOrg/status/1856374235335123234); little of the aid was in the North: https://x.com/AneraOrg/status/1858986152197583225 1255 https://x.com/tamerqdh/status/1856423763010584856 1256 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-235-gaza-strip 1257 https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-military-funding-11bdf4ffd22e0f4c68b2b7b0e24bda77 1258 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-235-gaza-strip (this refers to movements from the southern part of the Strip; it seems that eight of these missions evacuated patients to hospitals outside northern Gaza). 1259 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-237-gaza-strip ; https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-newsoccupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-haiti-philippines-ukraine 107 killing over 20 civilians.1260 The tight siege continued in mid-November, with humanitarian assistance to northern Gaza largely denied.1261 None of the attempts to reach these besieged areas with aid in November were fully facilitated. Only 5 of 53 missions in November were initially approved but were “severely impeded” on the ground, limiting their impact.1262 Winter weather in late November exacerbated the poor conditions displaced people experienced.1263 Following earlier precedents during the war, it was widely assumed that any changes in the distribution of aid would require US approval. Already in mid-October, a few weeks before the US elections, the US secretaries of state and defense issued a letter that delineated 19 measures that required Israel’s compliance. The most notable of these measures was allowing far more humanitarian aid into Gaza, with the letter stating that 350 trucks should enter Gaza every day. The US threatened to stop supplying Israel with weapons if it would not comply with these measures within 30 days. However, Israel did not comply, 1264 despite a Famine Review Committee report from Nov. 8 that stated that there was a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas in the northern Gaza Strip.1265 At the US letter’s deadline a month later, a group of eight aid organizations noted that there was “non-compliance, significant delays, or backtracking” on 15 of the 19 measures outlined in the letter, and concluded that the situation in Northern Gaza was “in an even more dire state today than a month ago”.1266 The aid entering Gaza – the item that drew the most public attention on the list – was less than one-third of the required amount (see above for more details).1267 Already before the deadline, the US signaled that it would not follow through on its threats.1268 The top US official involved in the humanitarian situation in Gaza had told aid groups that the US would not consider suspending military aid if Israel blocked food and medicine from entering Gaza since Israel is too close an ally.1269 Following these early indications, when the deadline did arrive, the US refrained from action.1270 By late November, very few supplies remained in North Gaza. The Oxfam staff member responsible for aid distribution in the area said he was able to have one daily meal consisting of one item.1271 1260 https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1856798704939761937 ; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-army-torches-school-gazasnorth-after-entry-aid-trucks ; https://x.com/ajplus/status/1857192669543268699 ; https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-newsoccupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-haiti-philippines-ukraine 1261 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-239-gaza-strip ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitariansituation-update-243-gaza-strip 1262 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-241-gaza-strip ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitariansituation-update-243-gaza-strip 1263 For example: https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1860991599427100897 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-11-25/tyarticle/.premium/00000193-5f68-d68e-a1db-ff6c45430000 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/world/middleeast/gaza-displacedwinter-tents.html . Across Gaza, as of late November, about half the population required winterization support, and about a quarter resided in flood-prone areas, see: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-26-november-2024 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-241-gaza-strip 1264 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1848819280730853559; note that some Israeli reports stated that the prime minister ordered the IDF to allow more aid in, but that the IDF was unable to do so: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-11-05/tyarticle/.highlight/00000192-fd09-de0c-a7db-ff4d78930000. Israel conducted some token moves, see for example: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-16/ty-article/.premium/00000192-94ff-d8fa-a9df-fdfff7c60000 1265 https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_FRC_Alert_Gaza_Nov2024.pdf 1266 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/israel-gaza-humanitarian-situation-report ; https://x.com/JeremyKonyndyk/status/1856324289886130192 ; https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/scorecard-israelfails-to-comply-with-u-s-humanitarian-access-demands-in-gaza/ 1267 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-11-12/ty-article/.premium/00000193-1f8e-d76d-a7db-5fcf88ea0000 1268 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1854626313195438140 1269 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/16/biden-israel-arms-aid-00184028 1270 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/israel-gaza-humanitarian-situation-report ; https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/1856402306628989103 ; https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1856729271470813497 ; see details of the evasions here: https://x.com/AssalRad/status/1856421706505900405 ; https://x.com/AssalRad/status/1856409244016509192 1271 https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/no-aid-or-access-israel-intensifies-its-ethnic-cleansing-north-gaza-governorate-says 108 The military operation Israel’s military operation into northern Gaza began on October 5, with airstrikes killing dozens of Gazans as Israeli tanks moved in.1272 Israel continued by planting and detonating explosive barrels in residential areas, which destroyed dozens of homes, many uninhabited.1273 After a few days of siege, Israel began to call upon the local civilian population to evacuate.1274 In parallel, orders were issued to evacuate the three remaining hospitals in northern Gaza.1275 While some Gazans moved south,1276 many of them chose to stay.1277 At the same time, multiple testimonies revealed that people who tried to evacuate were bombed or shot at – including large families carrying white flags.1278 On some occasions, the IDF detained people seeking to evacuate.1279 The IDF used some detained Palestinians as human shields, forcing them to knock on people’s doors and tell other Palestinians to evacuate.1280 By mid-October, the UN condemned the “large number of civilian casualties” in Israel’s operation.1281 As part of its attack, Israel attempted to shut down various means of support to the Gazan population. Already on Oct. 9, the last warehouse for flour in North Gaza was burned in an Israeli attack.1282 The last two bakeries in the north closed in mid-late October.1283 The local Civil Defense units – groups of people whose role was to dig people out of the rubble and evacuate them to hospitals – were ordered to stop working. Israel subsequently detained some members of these units and killed others. By October 23 the local units declared that they had “completely stopped” their operations and that civilians were left “without humanitarian services”.1284 As a result, in many subsequent attacks, the local population was without support to clear rubble after bombings or to evacuate the injured to hospitals, or even to remove the dead.1285 For several days, Israel prevented the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), from accessing collapsed buildings, until eventually pointing out that there was no point in providing access anymore because the people under the rubble would have died.1286 In mid-October Israel also barred six medical NGOs 1272 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/several-killed-israeli-air-strike-gaza-mosque-2024-10-05/ 1273 https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1846483876014703073 1274 https://x.com/MSF_canada/status/1844751751624413541 1275 https://mondoweiss.net/2024/10/inside-israels-ongoing-invasion-of-jabalia-in-northern-gaza/ 1276 E.g. https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/nakba-survivor-forced-to-flee-jabaliya ; https://www.kan.org.il/content/kannews/defense/live-814626/liveid-814719/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-22/ty-article/.premium/00000192-b047- daee-a9fb-fedfab970000; according to the IDF, more than 5,000 Palestinians were evacuated by Oct. 20. According to the UN, the number of displaced people was 50 thousand by Oct. 15 (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-229-gaza-strip); 60 thousand by Oct. 22 (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-231-gaza-strip); 71 thousand by Oct. 29 (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-233-gaza-strip); 100 thousand by Nov. 4 (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-235-gaza-strip); and 100-130 thousand by Nov. 9 (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-237-gaza-strip). 1277 https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1852689928695492648 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-articlemagazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854585378122133633 ; for an example of the conditions of those who stayed, see: https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1854253562190090316 . On Nov. 16, the UN estimated that 65-75 thousand Palestinians remained in North Gaza: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/population-and-internaldisplacement-7-october-2023-gaza-strip ; Oxfam estimated 50-75 thousand Palestinians in North Gaza on Nov. 27: https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/no-aid-or-access-israel-intensifies-its-ethnic-cleansing-north-gaza-governorate-says 1278 https://x.com/MSF_canada/status/1844751751624413541 ; https://mondoweiss.net/2024/10/inside-israels-ongoing-invasion-ofjabalia-in-northern-gaza/ ; https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/northern-gaza-kamal-adwan-hospital-director-defies-israeli-order ; https://x.com/MintPressNews/status/1844015334908703014 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1848333440761872705 ; https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1848449955871994319 1279 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/24/israel-northern-gaza-humanitarian-collapse/ 1280 https://mondoweiss.net/2024/10/inside-israels-ongoing-invasion-of-jabalia-in-northern-gaza/ 1281 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y5zy1vvmlo 1282 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkhYMbN17tU&t=2s 1283 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 1284 https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1849182435994427434; 1285 For example: https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1858558987513344059 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1863059618705916244 1286 https://x.com/ochaopt/status/1848098727669682447 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-articlemagazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 109 that had operated in Gaza from entering the Strip entirely, providing no explanation.1287 By late November, local Civil Defense noted that all their fire, rescue and ambulance vehicles in Gaza governorate stopped working as well because of the lack of fuel.1288 Israel also limited or removed other means of support to North Gaza. This included attempts to shut down the water supply by not allowing fuel for the local pumping stations and desalination plant.1289 Evidence from mid-November indicated that the IDF took over the local desalination plant and was using it as a makeshift base.1290 The humanitarian campaign led by the WHO to vaccinate some 120,000 children against polio was temporarily stopped.1291 Israel also attempted to reduce the amount of information emerging from North Gaza, killing some of the remaining journalists and declaring that others were affiliated with Hamas, a move widely understood as rendering them targets.1292 At the same time, the area experienced “severe disruptions of communications, including internet”.1293 The daily bombings of northern Gaza continued throughout the operation, killing at least hundreds of civilians. Already by late October there were daily mass casualty events – with attacks hitting dozens to hundreds of civilians at a time – which continued at least until early December. 1294 On dozens of occasions, the IDF did not claim that people hit during the attacks were affiliated with Hamas.1295 The consequences of many attacks were filmed. However, due to the conditions of the healthcare system, the limitations on cellular internet service, and the absence of external journalists, the international media is dependent on the numbers published by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and local journalists. Estimates of the number of dead in northern Gaza have 1287 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/18/israel-gaza-war-aid-hospitals-doctors/ 1288 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-241-gaza-strip 1289 https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1849476686674280529 1290 https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-water-desalination-plant-israeli-base ; https://x.com/tamerqdh/status/1859543941068038214 1291 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/24/israel-gaza-strikes-jabalia-polio-vaccine-campaign-postponed ; https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1156466 1292 https://x.com/IDF/status/1849088691450339461 ; one of these journalists was later injured in an airstrike: https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1859286304854327323 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1859050248632471990 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1859034111714750788 1293 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-235-gaza-strip 1294 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1851832529411588266 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-articlemagazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 ; https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/07/middleeast/jabalya-gaza-israel-strikeintl/index.html (with some specific details). For specific footage and reporting from this period, see the following very partial list: airstrikes against several family houses on Oct. 20 (https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1847767278894608653); Jabalia Preparatory School on Oct. 21 (https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1848351885901611428; https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/150633); results of an attack on the Halawa family house on Oct. 23 (https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1848843265883128050); attacks on five homes in Beit Lahiya on Oct. 26 (https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1850243630575030506; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1850256376112594991; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1850268042082877891; https://x.com/mustafabarghou1/status/1850265469481087145?s=46); airstrikes on houses in Jabalia and a school sheltering displaced families on Oct. 27 (https://x.com/idanlandau/status/1850589992994718195); an airstrike west of Gaza City on Oct. 29 (https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1851738959149187466); a four-story building with many displaced families inside on Nov. 1 (https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1852238516471648480); airstrikes on residential buildings on Nov. 2 (https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1852547862036455896; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1852677911553450486; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1853160426877722843); an attack near a water sanitation station on Nov. 3 (https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1853087728398725338); airstrikes on residential buildings in Beit Lahiya on Nov. 4 (https://x.com/DmodosCutter/status/1853435319384727784; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1853550375673930088); more attacks on houses in Beit Lahiya on Nov. 5 (https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1853752172485218305; https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1853847622236418257); an attack on a family home near a mosque on Nov. 6 (https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1854100119735431538); bombing of a school shelter and a residence on Nov. 7 (https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1854531145062642158; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1854547876300361769 ; https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/07/middleeast/jabalya-gaza-israel-strike-intl/index.html); airstrike on a residential house in Gaza City on Nov. 20 (https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1859352121579274713); attacks on residential housing in Beit Lahiya on Nov. 27-29 (https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1862005651968254040; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1862527959640277095; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1862512152793194918; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1862517626246779011) ; an attack on a Beit Lahiya house on Dec. 1 (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-243-gaza-strip) 1295 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 110 varied, yet almost all have exceeded 1,000 in the first month.1296 By early December, Palestinian Civil Defense estimated that over 2,700 people were killed in North Gaza, half of whom were not retrieved, and more than 10,000 were injured.1297 The personal tragic stories of several Palestinians demonstrate the impacts of the attacks on the local population.1298 Video evidence reveals improvised graveyards in the middle of urban areas such as the Beit Lahiya market.1299 One of the largest attacks was on Jabalia, where over 150 civilians were killed when the IDF bombed 11 residential apartments on the same street on Oct. 24.1300 Details of the attack were lacking as the IDF did not allow health professionals and civil defense teams to reach the area.1301 Another large attack took place on October 29, when the IDF attacked a five-story building where over 200 Palestinians were sheltering. The IDF claimed the building was attacked because a Hamas lookout was identified on top of the building on the previous day.1302 Eventually about 137 were identified as dead.1303 According to a Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson, 255 people died, many of whom remained 1296 More than 1,200 on Oct. 31: (https://archive.md/bt9pa); over 1,500 on Nov. 8 (https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/over-1500- palestinians-killed-in-israeli-onslaught-in-northern-gaza-health-ministry-3694089). The IDF numbers were not far: “900 terror operatives” on Nov. 2 (https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-soldiers-killed-in-north-gaza-idf-says-900-terror-operatives-dead-in-jabalia-op/); “1,000 terrorists killed” on Nov. 5 (https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/defense/article/16727495); “1,300 terror operatives” as of Nov. 22 (https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-it-killed-five-hamas-terrorists-who-led-mefalsim-area-massacres-on-oct-7/). According to the OCHA, the death toll was in the hundreds, possibly over 1,000. About 1,300 deaths were estimated by the Palestinian Civil Defense by Nov. 5: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-235-gaza-strip. The Government Media Office claimed that more than 2,000 Gazans died by Nov. 12: (https://www.arab48.com/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D 8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9- 2023/2024/11/12/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84- %D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A- %D9%85%D8%AF%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9- %D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-38-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7) 1297 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-243-gaza-strip 1298 For the personal story of a poet whose family remained in Beit Lahiya, see for example: https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1851015506716770323 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1847276685215101146 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1847484071938519257 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1847164574648201352; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1846914259986391468 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1850246439261147276 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1852677911553450486; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1854538625733800116 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1854566739939635375 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1854656474410369538 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1850891173298106456 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1851260276001148957; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1853105080708501626 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1855275734614327683 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1856751977767600605 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1858260298408534252 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1858299701562388914 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1862419644855812188 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1862901576207077844 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1862932392081608967 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1864314281384198597 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1864284704867856422 . For a journalist’s personal tragedy: https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854595897042083944; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854598342333944270 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854550843686531440 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854658153087914106 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1855751832796274885 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1856157430503145907 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1856506570705678625 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1859676703938970109 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1862168815045394848. For the story of another journalist’s family: https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1854403068655292467 . For more civilian casualties, see: https://x.com/Abu_Salah9/status/1852144588053451216 . See also these anecdotal stories: https://x.com/OmarHamadD/status/1855705318598078864 ; https://x.com/AyaHassoun30/status/1857523402518434160 ; https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1857909049532010610 ; https://x.com/OmarHamadD/status/1857858474152980830 1299 https://x.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1858951043029106973 1300 https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1849523823093109172 ; https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1849531836092842341 ; https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1849517984823304699 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1849769737686859852 ; https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1849732808333287510 ; https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/150807 ; https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6522/Urgent-int%E2%80%99l-intervention-needed-to-send-rescue-teams-to-residential-blockbombed-by-Israeli-army-in-Jabalia ; https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-deadly-24-hours-underscores-urgentneed-global-intervention-yet-more-children-killed-save-children 1301 https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1849732808333287510 1302 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-30/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-de9d-d7b5-af97-ff9d2d0d0000 1303 The numbers changed over time. They quickly reached 93 on Oct. 29, when most reporting took place: https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1851179601390670299; https://x.com/alonleegreen/status/1851183558653550958?s=46; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1851226593319875036; https://x.com/ShovrimShtika/status/1851935062545064116; https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-official-deadly-gaza-strike-targeted-spotter-wasnt-aimed-at-felling-structure/ ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-10-30/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-de9d-d7b5-af97-ff9d2d0d0000. The 111 under the rubble as there was no way to rescue them.1304 Anecdotal visual evidence from northern Gaza shows many individuals crushed under buildings, 1305 as well as other explicit imagery.1306 Another attack on 17 November targeted a five-story building in Beit Lahiya, reportedly killing at least 50 or 72 Palestinians.1307 An attack near Kamal Adwan hospital on 20 November reportedly killed 66 Palestinians.1308 Some smaller attacks also drew public attention. One video shows a child injured in an attack – probably a rocket – lying on the street (“in pieces”, according to the person filming from afar). Several bystanders came to help him and were hit by a subsequent attack.1309 Other large attacks drew less public attention, such as an attack on a Beit Lahiya building that killed 87 Palestinians that took place during a communications blackout on 19 October.1310 Attacks on schools – as centers in which hundreds of displaced Palestinians were sheltering after their houses had been destroyed – were common.1311 A UNICEF report in early November found that at least 64 of 226 attacks against schools since the beginning of the war had taken place in October 2024, and that most of these attacks took place in the North.1312 An NGO found dozens of attacks on schools in northern Gaza in October 2024.1313 A substantial amount of evidence from November indicates that the pattern continued.1314 One local journalist noted that he witnessed a new school bombing almost every day.1315 These attacks were also covered in Israeli media.1316 In parallel to the above, field executions of Palestinians were reported,1317 including of Palestinians who were detained.1318 Some civilians were killed after lining up to get water.1319 Others died of number rose to 126 identified by Nov. 2 (113: https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1852479561709093263; 125: https://x.com/OnePathNetwork/status/1852676152361623595; 126: https://x.com/gazanotice/status/1852519949987668134). Another list from Nov. 1 included 137 people: https://x.com/IhabHassane/status/1852461589229642081 1304 https://x.com/gazanotice/status/1852805823157723314 1305 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1859704352124043709 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1859440967381569931 1306 https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1862908453913555096 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1864382818396057979 1307 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/at-least-96-palestinians-killed-in-israeli-airstrikes-on-northern-central-gaza/3395886 ; https://x.com/KhalilAsslan/status/1858035093589152245 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1858041776675668015 https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1858082971430818072 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1858042251806416971 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1858038134434345306 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-239- gaza-strip 1308 https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/66-killed-attack-near-kamal-adwan-hospital ; https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/11/21/beit-lahia-gaza/ ; https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1859663484700508233 ; https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1859513065697374658 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-241-gaza-strip 1309 https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1847352625974399346; https://x.com/Nadav_Eyal/status/1849135512373592563 . Coverage at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/21/gaza-israel-strike-jabalya-video/ ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rknemalejg . For another incident, see: https://x.com/YousefHammash/status/1848685041833885972 1310 https://www.qna.org.qa/en/News-Area/News/2024-10/19/0042-73-palestinians-martyred-following-israeli-massacre-in%C2%A0beitlahia-in-northern-gaza-strip ; https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1858819672201691574 ; https://x.com/PalinfoAr/status/1847955843234373719 1311 For examples: https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1857812218475163850; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1857822501830598710 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1857799491266449519 ; 1312 https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/regular-attacks-put-gaza-schools-turned-shelters-frontlines-war 1313 https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/less-month-israeli-army-attacks-shelter-centres-39-times-displacepalestinians-and-empty-gaza-enar 1314 See for example these cases, all from mid November: https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1857468010480427383; https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/11/12/dozens-killed-others-displaced-as-israel-continues-attacks-on-gaza ; https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1856250030912344560 ; https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2024/11/16/health-ministryin-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-43-799- ; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/11/14/live-israel-bombs-gaza-camps-6-israelisoldiers-killed-in-south-lebanon?update=3324274 ; https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israeli-strike-on-ngaza-kills-14-as-aidremains-distant-lifeline ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1857046066815779196 ; https://www.palestinechronicle.com/massacre-in-shatiisrael-bombs-school-sheltering-displaced-palestinians/ . For later attacks see for example: https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1861431831444226331; https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1861686736474050797 1315 https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1857838004619919468 1316 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000193-4db6-d68e-a1db-edb69fbb0000 1317 https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1849373431801753885 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1847600787901337728 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854229496401932557 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1856287070907502972. 1318 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1853882898744553879 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1854229496401932557 1319 https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1853760310743531716 112 exposure or exhaustion as they were evacuating.1320 Survivors expressed their despair towards their reality, amidst airstrikes, destruction and lack of supplies.1321 According to a UN humanitarian coordinator who visited a school in northern Gaza, the conditions of the families that sought shelter there were “unbearable”. He reported that sewage was running everywhere and that waste was ubiquitous, asserting, “This is not a place for humans to survive. This is beyond imagination”.1322 Already in mid-October, many IDF soldiers uploaded photos showing their burning of various buildings in Jabalia.1323 At least twice over two days in mid-November, soldiers set afire UN schools that housed displaced Palestinians.1324 Other IDF soldiers spoke about establishing Jewish settlements.1325 Anecdotal evidence starting from late October – for example of soldiers placing a mezuza on a door in a building they resided in1326 or printing a Jewish philosophical book1327 – suggests that some were planning to stay in northern Gaza. Satellite imagery from mid-November indicated that Israel was destroying buildings to create another East-West route, this time cutting North Gaza (Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahyia and Jabaliya) from Gaza City.1328 By late November, satellite imagery revealed Jabaliya was “almost completely destroyed”.1329 Most Israeli media paid little attention to the events on the ground.1330 One exception is an Israeli journalist, embedded with the IDF in Gaza, who interviewed displaced Gazans. He asked them who was responsible for their condition and expressed approval when they blamed Hamas.1331 The responses could be expected, as they were surrounded by IDF soldiers. On other occasions, Israeli media focused attention on negligible stories, such as a group of soldiers who discovered a pelican in petrol and saved its life.1332 The combination of attacks, the dismantling of what remained of civil society and the use of forced displacement led many Palestinians to leave northern Gaza. Images of Palestinians leaving northern Gaza en masse circulated in the media and social media. In one, over 200 Palestinians were ordered by the IDF to strip, and were then held for hours outdoors in the cold while being subjected to verbal abuse.1333 Locations where Palestinian refugees were sheltering, such as schools, were burned, while the refugees sheltering in them were displaced again.1334 Anecdotal evidence shows the destitution of the refugees.1335 By mid November, the UN estimated that about 100,000-131,000 people were displaced from northern Gaza to Gaza City, and some 65-75 thousand people remained.1336 The 1320 https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1853876427902640403 1321 https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1857096991961985095 1322 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-235-gaza-strip 1323 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1847980759262384246 1324 https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1856798704939761937; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1857046066815779196; see also another school that was burning after a strike: https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1857078038858531087 . For earlier examples: https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1848119454980288647 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1848442788620234971 1325 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1854641685961326597 1326 https://x.com/adinitay/status/1852721404082360614 1327 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1859318914620010722 . This was the Tanya, a book written by the founder of the Chabad movement. The movement aspires to print the Tanya “in every place which has a Jewish population”, see: https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/2515469/jewish/The-Printing-of-Tanya.htm 1328 https://x.com/BenTzionMacales/status/1857875008602636546 ; for an example of destruction, see: https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1859332541913637040 1329 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-11-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000193-3eab-d5cd-a3bf-7eff92f00000 1330 See for example: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6FuOTRlFTylP5Ew0YJqf86 1331 https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1857172750940447136; https://x.com/ireallyhateyou/status/1857208151507976566 1332 https://www.ynet.co.il/environment-science/article/r1s9f11qfkl 1333 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/29/middleeast/gaza-jabalya-palestinians-strip-photo-intl/index.html 1334 https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1856413482129748306 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1856405376079421656 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1856287070907502972 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1856324650180968737 1335 https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1856280401074888779 1336 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-239-gaza-strip also: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-237-gaza-strip; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitariansituation-update-235-gaza-strip . The UN continued to estimate the same amount of Palestinians remained in North Gaza in early 113 number of Palestinians who left to the southern part of the Strip, beyond the Netzarim Corridor, has been negligible as of writing. By late November, eyewitness accounts referred to corpses on the ground everywhere, as well as wounded people “drowning in their own blood with no one to help them”. 1337 In early December, both Israeli and Palestinian sources reported that Gazan civilians were displaced from the last school shelters in North Gaza, specifically Beit Lahia and Jabaliya. 1338 There were also indications of an Israeli private company operating bulldozers in Jabaliya, as well as reports of non-military individuals entering the area.1339 The healthcare system Three hospitals remained in northern Gaza at the beginning of this period: Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda, and the Indonesian Hospital. Their struggle to remain operational drew some public attention. Early on in the operation, local doctors had to perform surgeries in the street to save lives.1340 In mid-late October, humanitarian attempts to bring in food, fuel, blood and medicine were denied.1341 The IDF called upon doctors to evacuate hospitals because their lives were in danger, as the IDF was planning to blow up the hospitals.1342 Soon after the warnings, the IDF surrounded the hospitals,1343 and then raided them.1344 The IDF detained 57 medical staff of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and later released 14, shooting and injuring some as they tried to reenter the hospital.1345 At least one unidentified individual was buried just outside the hospital’s walls (where they were supposed to be identified, presumably because it was too dangerous to bring the corpse in) 1346. The raid at this hospital also damaged the oxygen station, causing the deaths of at least two infants.1347 In this context, the WHO noted that accessing hospitals across Gaza “is getting unbelievably harder” and that it lost connection with Kamal Adwan. 1348 Subsequent videos show the destruction in the area of the hospital.1349 December (https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-243-gaza-strip), but based on the evidence I have seen this was an overestimate. 1337 https://www.972mag.com/beit-lahiya-gaza-rubble-corpses/ 1338 https://x.com/TomerPersico/status/1864346370406039591 ; https://x.com/DmodosCutter/status/1862988412803862631 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1863921104726712731 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1864317910711173368 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1864282791900229727 ; https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1864290451139735677 . 1339 https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1863201179041218608; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1864038176987201623 1340 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/22/blinken-israel-netanyahu-gaza-aid/ 1341 https://x.com/UNOCHA/status/1849072683725525242 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-articlemagazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 ; for a testimony of the conditions see https://x.com/AMokhallalati/status/1849082736402632878 1342 https://x.com/Ahmad_tibi/status/1848647941617057834 1343 https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1ohgghxjg ; https://x.com/SMohyeddin/status/1849491903034572923 (longer version at: https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1849484027478044985) ; https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1849567005633884650 1344 https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1849682158387974236 1345 https://x.com/DrTedros/status/1849903588732256534 ; https://www.commondreams.org/news/northern-gaza-risk-dying ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1849663271378297014 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1849803852201046070 ; https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1852472357635432745; regarding the count of 57, see https://www.972mag.com/kamal-adwan-hospitalhussam-abu-safia/; for firing at those released: https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-innorthern-gaza-come-under-attack-again-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000. One of the detained doctors was involved with Doctors Without Borders, see: https://x.com/AMokhallalati/status/1849082736402632878 ; https://msf.lu/en/articles/msf-alarmee-par-ladetention-du-dr-obeid-par-les-forces-israeliennes 1346 https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1853130631250669814 1347 https://x.com/EuroMedHR/status/1850132619066855815 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1849793452768125336 ; https://www.972mag.com/kamal-adwan-hospital-hussam-abu-safia/ 1348 https://x.com/DrTedros/status/1849765533559746576 1349 https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1850159665188835814 114 The key voice narrating the deterioration of the healthcare system in northern Gaza was Kamal Adwan’s Director, Dr. Hossam Abu Safieh.1350 Already in early October, Abu Safieh declared that he would not leave the hospital as long as there were patients in it, 1351 and in a later interview noted that another country offered to evacuate him and his family, but he refused out of commitment to his patients.1352 Abu Safieh reported on conditions within the hospital during its siege and invasion, and was shortly detained with other staff members during the raid in late October. Although he was soon released, his 15-year-old son was killed the same day.1353 Abu Safieh stated that he and another doctor were the only ones remaining in the hospital then, together with over 145 patients who needed surgery, some of whom were dying due to lack of treatment, and had no supplies with which to treat the patients.1354 For much of October and November, Abu Safieh continued to relay daily updates about the conditions and the operating of his hospital. He implored the international community to provide humanitarian aid and supplies; and to send rescue teams to dig people out of the rubble, and doctors to help treat the many patients. Notably, Abu Safieh and the only other doctor remaining in the hospital after the raid were pediatricians, with no expertise in surgery.1355 Abu Safieh asserted that “the healthcare system is now completely collapsed”, although the hospital continued to operate at a reduced level.1356 Video evidence suggested that there were no rescue services or ambulances to remove people from the rubble or to evacuate injured people, or shrouds to cover the dead.1357 By early November, only one surgeon remained among the three hospitals in northern Gaza.1358 Again, on multiple occasions in early November, the IDF attacked Kamal Adwan, causing direct injuries to pediatric patients.1359 One attack caused a fire that destroyed the hospital’s water tanks, obliterating the water supply.1360 The hospitals were partially evacuated in early November, as some severely injured patients were transferred to hospitals in southern Gaza.1361 Patients requiring ventilators could not be evacuated because no ambulances with ventilators remained in the Strip. 1350 See this coverage of Abu Safieh: https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1856926494812987823 ; https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2024-11-26/ty-article/.premium/00000193-64ec-d610-add3-7fecf8c50000 ; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/opinion/gaza-hospital-kamal-adwan.html 1351 https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/northern-gaza-kamal-adwan-hospital-director-defies-israeli-order 1352 https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1862595635129528515 1353 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1850110968249930157 ; https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBlfCUmN2H3/ ; https://www.972mag.com/kamal-adwan-hospital-hussam-abu-safia/ ; https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/sondirector-besieged-north-gaza-hospital-killed-israeli-forces . A family member of the other doctor who remained in the hospital was killed a few weeks later: https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1856405028816466139 1354 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1850561278948884816 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1850891173298106456 1355 https://x.com/gazanotice/status/1851262527893622978 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1854506337528365403 ; https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1855212378335391870 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1856359137212240103 ; for a description of the survival of 11 of 13 patients, despite doctors working outside their fields of specialty: https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857523662435287545. 1356 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1851212348448784503 ; also https://x.com/gazanotice/status/1851262527893622978 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857523662435287545 1357 https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1851260276001148957 ; https://x.com/gazanotice/status/1851262527893622978 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857523662435287545 1358 https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1852434690600235131 1359 https://uk.news.yahoo.com/israel-tells-un-cutting-ties-093606959.html ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1852018347073818847 ; https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1853682654345875956 ; https://www.972mag.com/kamal-adwan-hospital-hussam-abu-safia/ ; https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1853465675659898905 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1853420267965468995 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1853119264066351514 ; https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1853830231259263091 1360 https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1854479721876074814 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1852018347073818847 ; https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1853830231259263091 1361 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/gaza-humanitarian-response-update-27-october-9-november-2024 115 Those patients’ lives were thus dependent on the remaining fuel in Kamal Adwan.1362 Other attempts to deliver supplies failed.1363 Abu Safieh’s subsequent updates referred to the deaths of injured patients due to the lack of supplies,1364 the death of people trapped under the rubble as there was no way to dig them out without the Civil Defense units,1365 and the deaths of more doctors in North Gaza.1366 On several occasions he noted that those who could reach the hospital may survive, and those that could not were left to die.1367 Abu Safieh also spoke about attacks on the hospital itself, which injured staff members, and recounted how quadcopters would drop “sound bombs” and other bombs on the hospital courtyards.1368 Several attempts to bring specialist doctors to the hospital were denied.1369 By mid-November, Abu Safieh began reporting on Gazans with malnutrition who arrived at the hospital.1370 A few days later, in the course of 24 hours the hospital received 17 cases of malnutrition and dehydration among children while an elderly died of dehydration.1371 During another raid on the hospital dozens of Palestinians, including patients, were stripped (during cold weather) and detained, and some were subsequently taken to unknown locations.1372 Very few resources remained, so that the hospital called local Gazans with access to any medications to bring them to the hospital.1373 Anecdotal evidence, reportedly from the hospital, affirms the absence of doctors and resources, as well as the suffering of patients.1374 Doctors had to cope with the loss of their family members. Two of the doctors who worked in Kamal Adwan lost 17 and 19 family members on consecutive days in mid November.1375 A humanitarian mission on 17 November delivered fuel and evacuated more patients and caregivers, but was not allowed to deliver food and was able to deliver only some of the planned medical supplies.1376 The hospital continued to be attacked – including injured people right outside the gate or Abu Safieh’s office.1377 Late November attacks injured several medical staff, disabled the hospital’s power and oxygen supply, and targeted its water supply.1378 The Director of the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit was killed in one of these attacks.1379 1362 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/magazine/2024-11-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/00000192-f14c-dec7-affa-f1dd75c60000 1363 For example: https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-haiti-philippines-ukraine ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857850411601858948 1364 https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1855611844456501489 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1856007165791580237 1365 https://x.com/KhaledYousry22/status/1855611844456501489 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1855860121982615882 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1856359137212240103 ; see also: https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1855905476795306453 (6:00) ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857523662435287545 1366 https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1856359137212240103 1367 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1855860121982615882 1368 https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1856007165791580237 1369 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857850411601858948 1370 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857523662435287545 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857850411601858948 . See also: https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857825220653994421 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1858528590297706553 . 1371 https://x.com/ytirawi/status/1859179872297382300 ; https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/status/1859190079702405379 1372 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1858944607624835210 ; geolocation: https://x.com/AbuLocation/status/1858843252469772678 1373 https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1857175646641762675 1374 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857803828101361766 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1857624250414182465 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1858995226855309622 1375 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1858905688652570662 ; https://x.com/AbubakerAbedW/status/1858502758946455815 ; https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1858599026511540389 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1858548788476137917 1376 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-239-gaza-strip 1377 https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1857175646641762675 ; https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1858905688652570662; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1858787051639820359 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1858548788476137917 1378 https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1859716133093507365 ; https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1859718365360656672 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1859730966820028489 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1859985594039849426 ; https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1859845890212503727 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1860165191184384398 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1860165388526346423 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1861495746391859469 ; https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-241-gaza-strip ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1862935483950551249 1379 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1862459637301174377 ; https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1862458598909002041 . The hospital’s chef was killed as well in an unclear location: https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1862838797961924646 116 Abu Safieh himself was seriously injured together with his two daughters in another.1380 Abu Safieh and other staff members held a makeshift protest in one of the hospital rooms, stating that 20 staff members have been hit within the hospital. 1381 Attacks on the hospital, sometimes as often as five times a day, continued into early December.1382 An international Emergency Medical Team was deployed to the hospital for the first time in 60 days on Dec. 1.1383 Information from the other two hospitals in northern Gaza was far less accessible, but evidence collected by an early November 2024 AP investigation that spent months gathering accounts of the raids on the three hospitals in northern Gaza suggests similar experiences.1384 A humanitarian mission to al-Awda hospital in mid-November delivered fuel and medical supplies to the hospital, and evacuated patients, but was not allowed to deliver food and water. Due to the lack of supplies, the hospital operated for only 4 hours a day.1385 The hospital was attacked again in late November.1386 Hospitals in Gaza City experienced many shortages as well. 1387 The aforementioned AP team interviewed many witnesses but “found that Israel presented little or even no evidence for a significant Hamas presence” in the northern hospitals. 1388 In al-Awda hospital, Israel never even claimed a Hamas presence. In the Indonesian Hospital, the IDF claimed to have identified a tunnel entrance in the yard using aerial photography, but after its raid showed no evidence for it and did not reply to a question about whether any tunnels were found in its raid. The IDF stated that Hamas used Kamal Adwan as a command center, but produced no evidence for this, and showed footage of a single pistol allegedly found in the facility.1389 From all the hospitals the IDF raided since the beginning of the war until the AP report, the IDF showed only a single tunnel shaft (the one on al-Shifa’s grounds, see above).1390 1380 https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1860458131286790339 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1860727752267063532 ; https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1861063612640420287 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1861113833542332843 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1860662455287885919 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1860616353297690877 ; https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1860457388169363911 ; https://x.com/translatingpal/status/1863944304466563475 1381 https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1861063612640420287 ; https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/1860719715242398140 ; https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1860773982770716878 1382 https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1864042273261977890 1383 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-243-gaza-strip 1384 AP combined information from a round of attacks on these hospitals in late 2023, with findings of events as of early November 2024. For example, the accounts include a nurse who said he was so dehydrated that he began to hallucinate: https://apnews.com/worldnews/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000 1385 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-239-gaza-strip . 1386 https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1859730966820028489 1387 https://x.com/Dr_Muneer1/status/1863059825745109229 ; this doctor appears to have been working in a hospital in Gaza City: https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1862231344329498677 ; https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1861854116114485655 ; https://x.com/ezzingaza/status/1853541420017046013 1388 https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000 1389 See https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000 1390 According to AP: https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attackagain-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000 117 As I hope to have demonstrated through the evidence above, the situation in Gaza is a horrible catastrophe that continues to unfold daily in front of our eyes. The least I can do is to gather the evidence and speak up now. Do not go gentle into that good night \ Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 118 Appendix 1 – The reasons underlying my definition of Israel’s actions in the war as genocide Last updated: June 18, 2024 Disclaimer: Unlike other sections in this document which summarize the evidence about the war, this one explains my position about understanding Israel’s actions in it as genocide. My definition of genocide builds upon my understanding of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This Convention defined genocide as “any of the [specified] acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.” It requires two interconnected elements: 1. The commission of one or more specific acts against a group: a. Killing members of the group b. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group c. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part d. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group e. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group 2. The intent behind the commission of one or more of the aforementioned acts. I believe that both these conditions have been met during the war. Israel has committed acts 1a, 1b, and 1c above. The killing of almost 2% of the population of the Gaza Strip (not including the thousands of missing Gazans) that I describe in the section above on massacring Palestinians fits act 1a. As I describe in the same section, the wounding of over 3% of the population of the Gaza Strip, as well as the collective trauma resulting from the repeated attacks on the tiny and densely populated Gaza Strip fit act 1b. The starvation of Gaza, which I describe under the section on causing the deaths of civilian populations, fits act 1c. The ‘deliberate’ aspect of act 1c is clear from the descriptions of Israeli officials and IDF members that I quote in the section about Israeli discourse and de-humanization of Palestinians. With regards to intent, I believe that a series of statements by top Israeli officials including the Prime Minister and President that took place mostly during the beginning of the war, but continued with subsequent statements by somewhat lower-ranking officials until the recent past, imply a general intention that both presented the “commander’s spirit” and legitimized disproportionate violence against Palestinians in subsequent months. Many testimonies from IDF troops – particularly middleand low-ranking officers – as well as other parts of Israeli civil society ranging from rabbis to entertainers demonstrate that themes of genocide, for example through repeated reference to biblical Amalek, and ethnic cleansing, for example through repeated references to resettling the Gaza Strip, are common in discourse. The fact that nobody, to the best of my knowledge, has been indicted or even openly censured for such extreme messages indicates the legitimacy of these messages among Israeli state officials and broader society. Based on the available evidence as of writing, I believe that Israel has attempted to do some combination of: (1) remove Gazans from the Strip, especially its northern parts; (2) make large parts of the Strip uninhabitable, hoping that this would contribute to the former objective; and (3) kill Gazans through direct violence, starvation, or prevention of aid or support, at least partially as part of the de facto policy of revenge, and at least partially as a way to facilitate the removal of Gazans 119 from the Strip. I interpret the policy of using starvation as a weapon of war – acknowledged at least since December by some NGOs1391 and now widely by international officials and lawyers1392 – as an attempt to bring about the physical destruction of Gaza as a political entity and population group, particularly to further the objective of cleansing Gaza from its inhabitants. The wholescale destruction of targets with no military value such as archives, libraries, universities, mosques and heritage sites – as well as the broader destruction of the civilian infrastructure as well as over half the buildings throughout the Gaza Strip – all contribute to the objective of making Gaza uninhabitable. I do not believe this policy was meticulously planned or put in writing. Rather, high officials in the state and military have defined the war as explicitly lenient towards exacting inordinate revenge immediately at the beginning of the war, allowing local commanders (middle and lower-ranking officers and NCOs) to act as they see fit. The same high officials both put some policies in place, such as the starvation or approval of systematic attacks on hospitals, while purposefully maintaining some level of deniability and attempting to diffuse their responsibility, at least to the public. At the same time, the high officials are unwilling1393 (and likely unable) to prevent serious acts of killing and destruction on the ground, as well as the use of genocidal language among some cultural and religious public voices, resulting in the persistence of these acts. Orders by commanders on the ground are often to just shoot every man of fighting age, as a senior Israeli journalist said on CNN.1394 Other Israeli journalists pointed out the same policy in which “everyone in Gaza sets the rules for themselves” in their own reporting based on speaking to commanders and soldiers in the field. This purposeful vagueness – with the additional backdrop of strong language supporting genocide and/or ethnic cleansing by some political, cultural and religious elites – absolves the Israeli higher command from accountability, while diffusing responsibility among lower commanders on the field. As one reserve officer put it: “the standing orders don’t matter in the field… Just about any battalion commander can decide that whoever moves in his sector is a terrorist”.1395 A sapper added “the only limit to the number of buildings we blew up was the time we had inside Gaza”.1396 Together with the absence of almost any attempt to restrain commanders or soldiers at the ground level, this results in a reality in which atrocities that are conducted at the ground level can nonetheless be superficially portrayed as “against procedures” by the high command. The key to all of this is the pervasive dehumanization of Palestinians. Palestinians are widely seen as less than human, based on discourse, behavior and opinions supporting the use of more force in Gaza. Therefore, violent actions against Palestinians are condoned and are often encouraged publicly, especially by key individuals such as the Minister for National Security, who is particularly popular among younger audiences and soldiers.1397 1391 https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza 1392 See ICC’s expert panel report, paragraphs 28-33: https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/2024-05/240520-panel-report-eng.pdf 1393 The general public support that the IDF must maintain plays a significant role – reining in commanders and soldiers would easily lose this support. 1394 https://twitter.com/justfp/status/1775613111711465554 1395 https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/04/11/the-idf-is-accused-of-military-and-moral-failures-in-gaza ; for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa-VDAjL8vM 1396 https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/04/11/the-idf-is-accused-of-military-and-moral-failures-in-gaza 1397 https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/politic/250473/ ; https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/s1lxz6uvs ; https://www.ynet.co.il/news/election2022/article/s1ar9pebi 120 Appendix 2 – Methodology Last updated:1398 November 29, 2024 Note: this is my attempt to clarify my methodology in evaluating the sources of information I have been using in this document while facing the uncertain reality in Gaza. Overview As discussed in depth in the Media section of this document, the war in Gaza features purposeful obfuscation, falsification and silencing of information by various actors involved in it. Since the veracity of most information available to the public is not absolute, attempts to make sense of the war such as this document must resolve a tension. An overly naive attitude to the evidence would result in the inclusion of much false content. On the other hand, an overly sceptical attitude to the evidence would result in knowing very little – which in turn serves the purpose of some of the actors in the war. The challenge is to minimize the false information while maximizing the true information. This often boils down to the contrast between what is desirable to what is realistic within the existing constraints. Key within this war is the absence of external reporting – Israel has kept international journalists out of the Gaza Strip for over a year as of writing, significantly reducing the amount of information coming out of Gaza. The clearest voices coming out of Gaza are those of Palestinian journalists, who have been killed – sometimes purposefully so – and intimidated by Israel (I cover both topics in length in the Massacres and Media sections of the document). My personal approach has been to speak up to the best of my ability and share the truth as I understand it because of the urgency of the matter. I am aware that others may have purposefully or mistakenly misled me so that some of the content I have shared might be imprecise (if you know of any such content please inform me!). Nonetheless, I do not believe we have the privilege to wait for the fog of war to dissipate before taking action. As below, I assume very little and continuously and critically reflect on my sources, drawing on the skills I have been using in my professional work as a historian. I measure the results of my efforts – this document – by the standard of other institutions who participate in the same discourse. These include official institutions such as the United Nations, as well as reputable NGOs such as Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International. Some of the products of these institutions include a section describing their methodology (such as this one), and some of their products do not contain footnotes that allow one to trace the evidence they used (and reconstruct, to some extent, their methodology). The standards of countries or the media tend to be far lower. While I believe everyone discussing the war (myself included) is biased to some extent, the more reputable sources at least make an effort towards mitigating some of these biases, while countries and the media are often quite obviously biased toward some political position. Within the current discourse, I believe this document is more robust than most other summaries, reports and analyses I have encountered. It is not perfect – its development can be traced through its earlier versions, which I keep available online – and it is not final. Nonetheless, the additional information that has surfaced over time has reinforced almost all of my earlier estimates. 1398 I would like to thank an anonymous reader and Hanoch Sheinman who commented on the Nov. 2024 version of this section. 121 Furthermore, some of this new evidence has demonstrated that some of those earlier estimates have been too conservative. Below, I lay out how I examine and assess the sources of information I have used in this document, which I divide into primary and secondary sources. I follow up with a few examples of types of evidence and how I evaluate them. Primary sources By primary sources I refer to several types of evidence: 1. Evidence recorded or transmitted directly by people who experienced some aspect of the war themselves. This category would include social media posts by Israeli soldiers or testimonies by Gaza civilians. This is generally the most problematic type of primary source evidence for the purposes of this document as there is sometimes no way to verify the content and even identity of the people speaking. My tendency is to believe people who narrate their experiences in a detailed manner – whether a released Israeli hostage or a civilian in Gaza. The political opinion or affiliation of these sources may bias their accounts but it does not make them inherently unreliable. I consider these accounts more reliable if one of the following two conditions takes place. a. The person providing their testimony does it against or at least without concern to the broader interests of their side. b. The content shared corresponds to enough other testimonies, reports or stories that I have encountered, which I can cross-reference. The more independent sources say something in a detailed manner, the more I consider the information reliable. It is always possible to cast doubt on such evidence and claim that it is part of a much broader influence operation meant to convince readers of some falsity. Based on my experience participating in this discourse for over a year, these attacks tend to be attempts to discredit voices of individuals or whole groups for political purposes rather than a pursuit of the truth per se. In those cases that have been exposed as influence operations (such as this1399 or this1400) – the content is often crude and lacks detail, making such cases easier to identify as false. While crude and undetailed information could be true, I prefer to wait until more information accumulates before incorporating it in my understanding of the war. In those very rare cases where I used it in earlier versions of this document because of the relative absence of evidence early in the war, I qualified my statements accordingly and actively searched for additional information, which I incorporate in more recent versions of the document. I have been following the war carefully for over a year. Sources that continuously provide information that I can verify elsewhere become more reliable to me over time. If I discover that a source is purposefully lying or substantially wrong, I consider that source unreliable and refrain from using it. Sources that inadvertently make a mistake, discover it and admit they were wrong are exempt from this rule – I believe that such admissions make them more reliable (see point 1 above). I 1399 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/technology/israel-campaign-gaza-social-media.html 1400 https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/ 122 also do not include here minor mistakes such as using outdated material – these are ubiquitous and there is no point in dwelling on them now because they are less important in the present. 2. Facts reported by journalists in the war. I generally trust fact-based reporting, but I read these critically and attempt to cross-reference them with other sources if possible. This kind of reporting can also be considered a secondary source (see #1 in that section below). 3. Statements, which I often cite because the people who make them hold some official position or have some social influence, or participate in the war in some function. I use these statements as evidence for the intentions or goals of the individual or the government they represent. These statements are not necessarily true. Because of the temporary nature of much of this material, I often end up referring in my footnotes to a random twitter account that happened to record and upload this particular type of content, which would otherwise be inaccessible to me. In these cases I clarify here that I cite the original content shared rather than the twitter account of the person sharing it, with whom I might vehemently disagree. I also accept as factual statements in media pieces about some official saying something using a direct quote. I will evaluate the statement of course, but I do not doubt that he or she said it if a journalist says so. Media reports using indirect quotes can be purposefully misleading, for example in the case of the Israeli media’s treatment of the former hostage Noa Argamani (for example here1401). 4. Official documents by an institution referring to policy, procedure and the like. These documents are also not necessarily true, but they are official and thus represent reality or what that institution wants others to believe is reality. I use such documents for their factual claims after carefully evaluating them, and can also use such documents for the purpose or intent of the issuing institution. Secondary sources 1. Media reports. Traditional media includes a wide variety of sources of different quality. Much of this media is quite clearly biased toward one or the other side and I employ the rationale I discussed above (under Primary Sources – 1). Detailed investigations that include specific bits of verifiable/falsifiable information are often more reliable. No media outlet is perfect and even the most reputable traditional media can make major errors, as demonstrated in the case of the New York Times’ Screams Without Words story or in its pro-US government / pro-Israel biased representation of the war (both cases are discussed in the Media section). 1401 https://www.mako.co.il/press_and_marketing-news_press/Article-fc827fb13af7191027.htm 123 I also take into consideration the individual journalists responsible for a story or report in my evaluation. Journalists who “got things right” in the past, have access to valuable sources and whose accounts were not refuted become more reliable over time. Journalists who act as de facto mouthpieces of a state or institution (i.e. repeat their narratives while applying little to no criticism) are far less reliable even if they are sometimes used to leak information that I cite. I refrain as much as possible from using analyses or opinion pieces that appear in the media as I believe that their value for understanding the present is limited and it is better for one to make up their own mind based on evaluating the evidence themselves. 2. NGO reports. There is no hard rule here, but in general, I consider NGOs that allow access to the sources they used through their footnotes or by quoting them directly with identifiable details as more reliable than those that do not. Within this category one should try to balance this with what is realistic. I consider NGOs that are more obviously focused on partisan politics on Israel/Palestine/Gaza as more biased and less reliable than others. My impression is that NGOs with wider interests (e.g. human rights in general) are often less biased and more reliable. I end up using NGOs that transmit more information from the ground in Gaza even when their methodology is unclear when this is the highest quality of information I can find. As above, I consider as untrustworthy NGOs that I have discovered purposefully falsify information or lie. *** Examples: • The images and videos Israeli soldiers upload in which they present their experience in Gaza and in which they act immorally or enjoy such behavior. This is a primary source. I consider this content generally authentic since the soldiers present information that is politically harmful for their own side. There have been a few cases in which such material was found to be inauthentic, but these are negligible compared to the quantity of information wilfully shared. • ZAKA accounts of the horrors of Oct. 7. This was a primary source that drew much attention early in the war. As an NGO, I believed the ZAKA accounts at first, but a few months after the beginning of the war investigative reports revealed that some of the worst atrocities they reported, which also drew the most attention, were fake. Furthermore, ZAKA did not admit that this information was fake. As a result, ZAKA lost its credibility in my eyes. • Accounts of food prices within Gaza. 124 Some of the food prices are anecdotally mentioned by individuals in Gaza; other food prices are mentioned in media articles; and some food prices are mentioned in NGO reports. All three independent sources tend to point to similar fluctuations over time, and these fluctuations are correlated with the availability of food within the Gaza Strip (or specific parts of it) as measured by other indicators, such as the number of trucks getting into Gaza. Therefore, I consider these reliable in general. • Accounts of massacres and deaths in Gaza. Throughout the war there has been a very large number of videos and images that claim to show the survivors or victims of Israeli attacks. These are often bloodied and sometimes include gory details. They are shared by individuals from Gaza and outside of Gaza, some NGO members and some media outlets such as al-Jazeera. There have been only a few cases in which this kind of material has been claimed to be fake, false or misleading. The massacres and deaths corroborate written and statistical information about the results of Israeli attacks, for example in investigative reports and NGO publications. While one cannot be completely certain that all this material is reliable, there has been enough of it coming from independent sources for me to judge most of it as reliable. *** The experience of trying to determine the truth in the process of writing this document has been illuminating for me, often revealing the wide gaps between existing evidence and the lack of reporting on that evidence, or between sometimes wild claims that are accepted as truth and the absence of evidence for those claims. I am aware that some would disagree with my methodology. I appreciate any non-partisan suggestions to make it more robust for the sake of all who would rather unravel the truth, even if that truth is deeply uncomfortable.
When: December 10–11, 2024.
Where: Tel Aviv University.
Register now: https://deftech-summit.com/
By
Haim Bresheeth, right, at a national demonstration in London, U.K., in October 2024.Yosefa Loshitky
Palestinians queue for bread at the only open bakery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 24, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Displaced Palestinians line up at gunpoint in the ruins of Jabalia refugee camp.
Palestinians displaced from Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun shelter in tents at Al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, November 1, 2024. (Omar Al-Qataa)
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