2023-2024 Israel-Hamas War/Israeli invasion of Gaza

 "War"
2023-2024 Israel-Hamas War/Israeli invasion of Gaza (Israeli–Palestinian conflict,  invasion,  bombing,  shooting,  war crime,  genocide?)

Date	27 October 2023 - Present
Location	Gaza Strip
Participants	Hamas, Al-Quds, Shin Bet, Mossad, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iran
Perpetrators	Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Herzl Halevi, Tomer Bar, Ronen Bar, Yaron Finkelman
Deaths	30000
Injured (non-fatal)	115000
Description	After October 7, Israel invaded Gaza with widespread international support. The IDF went on a widely reported revenge killing spree. Even by Israel's own account, they killed 19,500 Palestinian civilians after half a year of bombing hospitals, schools and civilian towers, utilising numerous condemned tactics.

The Israeli invasion of Gaza began on 27 October 2023 when Israel invaded the Gaza Strip with the stated goals of destroying Hamas, which led an attack on Israel earlier in the month, and of freeing Israeli hostages taken by the Palestinians. Before the invasion, dubbed Operation Iron Sword, Israel had declared war, tightened its blockade, and ordered the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip.

Even though the UN warned there was "no safe place in Gaza" months after the invasion started, the IDF started torture en masse of the Palestinian people by shutting down the internet, cutting off water, food, electricity and medical supplies while violating numerous Geneva Conventions, seemingly committing many war crimes.

Israeli tactics

Shutting down the Internet

By November 2023, Israel had started a tactic of shutting down the internet in the entirety of Gaza for hours before a large scale attack to curb social media outrage.

Blockade

Israel announced a total blockade of the already besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said they would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel as part of "a complete siege" on Hamas-run Gaza, where about 2.3 million people live in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Israel controls Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters, as well as two of the three border crossing points; the third is controlled by Egypt. Independent United Nations experts condemned the Israel Defense Forces' actions in Gaza, saying Israel had resorted to "indiscriminate military attacks" and "collective punishment".

Starvation

Israeli protesters block aid to Gaza as starvation looms

The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip, which is a war crime, resulting in condemnation from Human Rights Watch. Israeli forces are deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food, and fuel, while willfully impeding humanitarian assistance, apparently razing agricultural areas, and depriving the civilian population of objects indispensable to their survival.

"Emphasis is on damage, not on accuracy"

In the first week of the war, the IDF carried out 6,000 airstrikes across Gaza, killing over 3,300 civilians and injuring over 12,000.

The strikes hit hospitals, markets, refugee camps, mosques and schools. A group of UN special rapporteurs asserted that Israel's airstrikes were "absolutely prohibited under international law and amounts to a war crime". Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that "the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy".

Other examples included targeting multiple refugee camps, ambulances, mosques, churches, foreign consulates, hundreds of UN relief workers, and even flown-in chefs in specifically marked vehicles and journalists.

Deliberately hitting homes=

A +972 Magazine investigation found the IDF instructed their soldiers to hit civilian targets on purpose. Research conducted by Dr. Yagil Levy at the Open University of Israel said Israel was "deliberately targeting residential blocks to cause mass civilian casualties".

Directing civilians to targeted areas

Reports by CNN and Sky News all found that Israel had bombed areas it had previously and recently told civilians to evacuate to. Multiple times, Israel dropped 2000-pound bombs on those people.

Looting and desecrating graveyards

Israeli soldiers filmed setting fire to scarce water and food supplies

During the war, soldiers looted Palestinian homes in Gaza, taking belongings, violating the 1949 Geneva Convention on looting in wartime. On 21 February 2024, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the IDF's Military Advocate General, admitted in 2024 that the actions had "crossed the criminal threshold".

Executions

Multiple executions appear to be filmed by or with the IDF present.

In video footage dated 8 December 2023, the Israeli military is seen shooting one person hiding under a car. British network ITV released footage of an Israeli sniper shooting in 2024 where the sniper shot a man carrying a white flag whom the journalist had interviewed only moments before his death. The IDF responded with the sentence "There are mistakes, it is war".

In March 2024, in Zeitoun a Palestinian civilian was "run over" by an Israeli tank, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor:

"Israeli soldiers restrained the victim’s hands before they crushed him, and tramped on his body from the legs up, confirming that he was alive during the incident. To guarantee thorough and complete crushing, the victim was placed on asphalt rather than in an adjacent sandy area."

Killing Israeli hostages

In December 2023, the IDF admitted they killed 3 Israelis hostages they found as a mistake. Although the three were "shirtless and waving a white flag", one solider "opened fire and called them terrorists, which resulted other soldiers shooting bullets at the three. Although even the Mossad came forward explaining this was a mistake, the IDF report into the ....incident found soldiers were told to kill all fighting age (not adult) men that approached them.

Perfidy

In January 2024, the IDF entered the Ibn Sina hospital disguised as medics, shooting three Arab fighters, one of whom was a patient. The attack was condemned by dozens of organizations. The IDF initially said the raid had been a "joint IDF, ISA, and Israel Police counterterrorism activity", but later said that none of their soldiers were physically present during the raid, causing the incident to be added to a massive list of war crime investigations by UN-councils.

Rape?

According to UN investigators, multiple arrested boys, men, girls and women were raped in custody by soldiers and Shin Bet police forces.

UN reaction

UNRWA statement

UN Security Council holds open debate on Israel-Hamas conflict - 24 October

Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings, on the hostilities between Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip and Israel:

Jerusalem, 10 October 2023

Palestinian armed groups infiltrated Israel on 7 October, killing and capturing hundreds of Israeli civilians and members of the Israeli forces while indiscriminately firing thousands of rockets into Israel.

On 8 October, the Government of Israel declared war, launching intensive air strikes into the densely populated Gaza Strip over the past three days. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and over two thousand now injured. The magnitude of the ongoing hostilities has led to grave humanitarian consequences. Homes, schools, medical facilities, and other infrastructure have been damaged and destroyed.

In Gaza, at least 200,000 of the 2.2 million residents, have been displaced after fleeing for fear of their lives or their houses were destroyed by airstrikes. Most of them are taking shelter in UNRWA’s schools, at least two of which have already been damaged by airstrikes in the area. The numbers of those affected by the hostilities are only expected to increase.

Israeli authorities have cut their water supply to Gaza, reducing an already scarce availability of potable water. And in accordance with the complete siege ordered by the Israeli Government on Gaza, access to electricity, food, and fuel have also been severed, inevitably worsening the already dire humanitarian situation. Palestinians in Gaza now only have electricity to 3-4 hours per day. This hinders the ability of health facilities to function and treat those injured.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are working to meet acute needs, in particular shelter, in dangerous circumstances. However, access for humanitarian staff and supplies into Gaza has also been cut and the intensity of the hostilities is limiting the ability of staff to deliver aid.

As the security and humanitarian situations continue to escalate, all parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

All military and armed groups must abide by the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution when conducting their operations.

Civilians, especially children, medical facilities, humanitarian personnel health workers, and journalists must be protected.

Captured civilians must be released immediately and unconditionally. Anyone captured or detained, including combatants, must be treated humanely and with dignity.

All relevant actors must allow humanitarian teams and goods to immediately and safely reach the hundreds of thousands of people in need.

UNSCR 2702

US and Russia abstain, 13 votes in favour

Instead of calling for an immediate ceasefire, UNSCR 2702 of 2023 was watered down by the United States to allowing Israel to continue controlling the amount and distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to continue its bombardment unhindered:

The Security Council reaffirmed the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law, especially regarding the protection of civilians and civilian objects, safety of humanitarian personnel, and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The UNSC resolution demanded that the parties “allow, facilitate and enable” the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.

It also requested the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator with responsibility for “facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying” in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature of all relief consignments to the enclave provided through States that are not party to the conflict.

It also called for the “expeditious” establishment of a UN mechanism to accelerate aid consignments to Gaza through States that are not party to the conflict, to expedite, streamline and accelerate assistance while continuing to help ensure that aid reaches its civilian destination.

UNWRA and UN Watch

On the 27th of January 2024, UNWRA funding was cut after accusations of their personnel working or supporting Hamas operations in Gaza.

Funding cuts

Hillel Neuer appeared on ABC News with Linsey Davis to discuss the UN workers accused of helping Hamas in the October 7th attacks on Israel, and evidence he presented in the US Congress on 30 January 2024.

After the cutting of funds for the IGO, some critics from the UN themselves gave interviews arguing accusations against UNWRA already were known, even in the UN. A recent example resulted in UNWRA suspending up to 120 teachers working for UNWRA for teaching Gazan children to violently act against Israeli targets.

Hillel Neuer, A director of UN Watch, a Geneva based NGO whose mission is to monitor the United Nations, UN Watch increasingly warned the UN since 2015 about UNWRA. Neuer called for an absolute end to UNWRA as he accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of purposely only allowing UNWRA to work alongside western countries keeping the strategy of tension alive in the Gaza-Israel conflict by quickly giving UNWRA dozens of monthly payments in advance. Even though UNWRA was accused to be infiltrated by Hamas employees.

“UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said after a key Hamas operations center was discovered right beneath his headquarters that he had no idea. That's absurd. There was a very advanced tunnel with electrical cables, which supplied a Hamas server center with power. That came directly from UNRWA's electricity grid. Moreover, a few years ago, UNRWA staff noticed that an entire parking lot above it was starting to subside. So what do you mean, we couldn't have known anything?”
Hillel Neuer (2024) 

Canada cut funding without seeing evidence

On 7 February 2024, CBC News reported that the Trudeau government cut funding without seeing evidence to back Israel's claims of UNRWA-Hamas collusion. Government sources told CBC that Israel still hadn't shared evidence with Canada to substantiate its claim that 12 employees of UNRWA were involved in some capacity in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and the affiliated group Islamic Jihad.

Earlier in February, Britain's Channel 4 News obtained a copy of a dossier that the government of Israel shared with the UK government, which also cut funding to UNRWA. Channel Four reported that the dossier was only six pages long. The news service said it rehashes long-standing Israeli government complaints about UNRWA and alleges the involvement of UNRWA staff in the Oct 7 attack, but "provides no evidence" to back up Israel's explosive allegations against the agency.

Britain's Sky News also reviewed the dossier and reached a similar conclusion:

"The Israeli intelligence documents make several claims that Sky News has not seen proof of and many of the claims, even if true, do not directly implicate UNRWA," the news channel reported.

French public broadcaster France 24 also had access to the Israeli report, which it compared to the notorious "dodgy dossier" of intelligence claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that led the UK government to join the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

An April 2024 UN report into UNRWA concluded it must do more to improve its neutrality, staff vetting and transparency. But the independent review also said that Israel had failed to back up a claim that many of the agency's staff belonged to terror groups.

UN Finds way less Children and Women died

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revised its child fatality figure from the Gaza war sharply downward, reporting more than 14,500 deaths on May 6 but then 7,797 on May 8 2024. OCHA also revised downward its figure for women fatalities from more than 9,500 deaths to 4,959 deaths.

Hamas Bases

Hamas Hospitals

Hamas hospital base revealed as IDF video shows lair filled with guns, grenades and rockets - The Sun

During the Israeli revenge operation dubbed a removal of Hamas, the IDF released footage of Hamas bases according to them, apparently hidden in WHO hospitals and others in children bedrooms. A French doctor acknowledged claims by Italian journalist that they've seen the same hospital procedures.

“When I was first asked to work there [at Shifa], I was told there was a part of the hospital I was not to go near, and if I did, I’d be in danger of being shot. No, but implicit was that it was being used for non-medical purposes. I stayed away, but I saw a few dodgy-looking non-medical characters going in and out all the time. It was a ward leading to a basement. As I said, I didn’t go there; so I behaved myself. I was welcome everywhere else, and as I say the doctors and nurses there were very welcoming and very kind and the hushed tones under which this was said was very consistent with all the other hushed tones with which Hamas was discussed. You know people were genuinely fearful. I cannot emphasise too much, the air of collective paranoia that existed there. If hospital staff were 10 per cent frightened of possible Israeli airstrikes, they were 90 per cent frightened of being persecuted by Hamas.’”
Nick Pisa,  Daily Mail (2023) 

Journalists who have reported from al-Shifa throughout the years have also backed Israel’s claim that Hamas operates in the hospital. In 2008, a New York Times journalist watched armed Hamas members inside the hospital wearing civilian clothes. The journalist also witnessed Hamas execute a Palestinian man accused of collaborating with Israel. In 2015 Amnesty International issued a report, also stating that Hamas interrogated and tortured Palestinians accused of working with the IDF or Shin Bet.

Underground tunnel system

The IDF had an initial plan to destroy the tunnel system under Gaza, but found out in the process that it is much larger and possibly can not be destroyed or rendered unusable as originally intended.

Genocide

Is Israel Guilty Of Genocide?

"The intent that we have observed is extensive and it comes from all quarters of the Israeli state," said Anisha Patel, a legal researcher with the group Law for Palestine — which provides legal analysis on international law as it relates to Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately following the Oct. 7 massacre, described Gaza as "the city of evil.", exclaiming "We will turn all the places in which Hamas deploys and hides into ruins. I am telling the people of Gaza — get out of there now. We will act everywhere and with full power," in a televised statement. Israel denied the threats, even though the UN, the World Health Organization, the International Red Cross and have stated that Palestinians in Gaza have nowhere safe to go, partly due to ther other Arab countries not accepting Gaza civillians, fearing civil unrest, with Egypt leading the way.

One of the few bakeries that had still been standing in the Gaza Strip was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in December, and Gazans were reported to be searching through the rubble of bombed bakeries attempting to find bags of flour. Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Defense, said on the 7th of October "We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly". Avi Dichter, Israeli Minister of Agriculture, called for a "Gaza’s Al Nakba" on Israeli TV with Amihai Eliyahu, Israeli Minister of Heritage calling for an nuclear bomb with Major General Ghassan Alian, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories promising that "There will be no electricity and no water (in Gaza), there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell". Within 3 months. more than 21,000 Palestinians, including over 8,000 children, 6,200 women and 61 journalists had been killed already

ICJ

South Africa sued Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging that Israel was guilty of committing a genocide, not winning outright, but getting Israel to having to document their actions.

 

Known Participants

5 of the 6 of the participants already have pages here:

Participant	Description
Hamas	"Terrorists" according to the West, largely founded, financed and brought to power by Israel, Hamas has led Palestine into becoming an enemy image to the western world since 2006.
Iran	Iran possesses the 4th largest oil reserves of any nation state.
Jerusalem	Bombed to the ground 2 times, besieged 23 times, captured by force 44 times and attacked 6 other times as well, Jerusalem surely proves there's no accounting for taste.
Mossad	"Mossad" (Hebrew for Institute) is an abbreviation for ha-Mossad le-Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim (Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks). It is the Israeli State Agency with overall responsible for external intelligence and covert operations.
Shin Bet	Police agency of Israel. Is also private security force of El Al. Former agents appear in "terrorism" incidents as possible handlers or false flag organisers.

 

Related Documents

Title	Type	Publication date	Author(s)	Description
Document:The Israel-US game plan for Gaza is staring us in the face	Article	30 April 2024	Jonathan Cook	"The western media is pretending the West’s efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza are serious. But a different script has clearly been written in advance by Israel and the United States. Our job is to do everything in our power to stop them making their plan a reality."
Document:US says Israel may have breached international law with American weapons in Gaza	commentary	11 May 2024	Jonathan Cook	"If that sounds like extreme linguistic, legal and moral gymnastics in defence of continuing US complicity in genocide, it's because that is exactly what it is."

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.