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By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan on Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military occupation of Gaza City. The plan involves displacing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including many who had already been forced to flee northern Gaza, to camps in central Gaza.

Netanyahu had earlier said Israel intended to take over all of the Gaza Strip, but the plan only mentions Gaza City.

“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Israel’s military claimed.

Reports in Israeli media say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, displacing its one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza.

The Israeli security cabinet’s approval of an expansion of the war would includes more than one phase, according to CNN, citing an Israeli source.

The deadline for the first phase is October 7, according to the source. October 7, 2025, is the second anniversary of Israel’s war in Gaza.

A second source said that the plan calls for no aid distribution within Gaza City as a means of forcing Palestinians to flee.

The UN has warned that a complete military takeover would risk “catastrophic consequences” for Palestinian civilians and Israeli captives held in Gaza. The UK’s ambassador to Israel has said it would be “a huge mistake”.

The Israeli military currently takes control of about three-quarters of Gaza, and almost all of its 2.1 million citizens are now in the quarter of the territory that the military does not control.

The UN estimates some 87% of Gaza is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.

There are areas in central Gaza and along the Mediterranean coast that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN.

These include refugee camps, where much of Gaza’s population is now living after their homes were destroyed by Israel. The vast majority of Gaza’s population has already been displaced by the war, many people several times over.

Top UN official Miroslav Jenča told the UN Security Council earlier this week that a plan to occupy Gaza would be against international law and was a “deeply alarming” prospect.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that taking over Gaza was “really up to Israel”.

“Where Should We Go? We’re Already Starving and Displaced”

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza have voiced outrage and fear in response to the announced plan.

Mohamed Shabaan, who was already displaced from his home in the Tuffah neighborhood, which was completely destroyed in Israeli airstrikes, called the plan a “disaster.”

“We’re already living in a disaster. We are starving and displaced. Where should we go next?” he told Quds News Network.

Shabaan added that people simply cannot endure being forcibly displaced over and over again.

“People have no money. They’re starving, their children are starving. Bombing is everywhere. We are tired and exhausted.”

Aya Naim, a displaced widow and mother of a two-year-old boy, said she has nowhere to go if the plan is implemented.”

“I have no money to buy a tent or flee with the little I have. My child is starving, and the situation is already deteriorating.”

She added, “We were displaced to the south last year. This is insane. I have no family except my child. I’m afraid for him. There is no safe place. No food. No water. No life.”

“Haven’t they had enough of killing and destroying?” she continued.

“There is nothing left to occupy. There is no Gaza left. Israel has already destroyed all of Gaza and squeezed all of it into the western part of Gaza City, and that’s all that’s left,” Houssam al-Kahlout said.

Global Outrage Erupts as Israel Announces Plan to Occupy Gaza City

On Thursday, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military occupation of Gaza City, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation. The plan involves displacing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including many who had already been forced to flee northern Gaza, to camps in central Gaza.

Netanyahu had earlier said Israel intended to take over all of the Gaza Strip, but the plan only mentions Gaza City.

“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Israel’s military claimed.

Reports in Israeli media say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, displacing its one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza.

The Israeli security cabinet’s approval of an expansion of the war would include more than one phase, according to CNN, citing an Israeli source.

The deadline for the first phase is October 7, according to the source. October 7, 2025, is the second anniversary of Israel’s war in Gaza.

A second source said that the plan calls for no aid distribution within Gaza City as a means of forcing Palestinians to flee.

The Israeli military currently takes control of about three-quarters of Gaza, and almost all of its 2.1 million citizens are now in the quarter of the territory that the military does not control.

The UN estimates some 87% of Gaza is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.

There are areas in central Gaza and along the Mediterranean coast that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN.

These include refugee camps, where much of Gaza’s population is now living after their homes were destroyed by Israel. The vast majority of Gaza’s population has already been displaced by the war, many people several times over.

Here’s some reactions to the announced Gaza occupation plan:

Palestine

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Friday that Israel’s decision to occupy the Gaza Strip reveals the true nature of its war, “an unjustified campaign against Palestinian civilians.”

In a statement, the ministry condemned the Israeli Security Cabinet’s newly approved plan as a “dangerous and illegal escalation.”

“This decision reveals that the Israeli war was never defensive; it has always been a war of extermination and forced displacement against the people of Gaza,” the ministry said, warning of the “certain death” of civilians remaining in the strip.

“This development cannot be ignored,” the ministry said.

Hamas slammed the plan, saying “Netanyahu’s remarks represent a blatant reversal of the negotiation process and clearly expose the real reasons behind his withdrawal from the latest round of talks, despite us being close to reaching a final agreement.”

The Netanyahu plan “leaves no doubt that he aims to sacrifice the captives to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda.”

Palestinians in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza have voiced outrage and fear in response to the announced plan.

Mohamed Shabaan, who was already displaced from his home in the Tuffah neighborhood, which was completely destroyed in Israeli airstrikes, called the plan a “disaster.”

“We’re already living in a disaster. We are starving and displaced. Where should we go next?” he told Quds News Network.

Shabaan added that people simply cannot endure being forcibly displaced over and over again.

“People have no money. They’re starving, their children are starving. Bombing is everywhere. We are tired and exhausted.”

Aya Naim, a displaced widow and mother of a two-year-old boy, said she has nowhere to go if the plan is implemented.”

“I have no money to buy a tent or flee with the little I have. My child is starving, and the situation is already deteriorating.”

She added, “We were displaced to the south last year. This is insane. I have no family except my child. I’m afraid for him. There is no safe place. No food. No water. No life.”

“Haven’t they had enough of killing and destroying?” she continued.

“There is nothing left to occupy. There is no Gaza left. Israel has already destroyed all of Gaza and squeezed all of it into the western part of Gaza City, and that’s all that’s left,” Houssam al-Kahlout said.

Turkey

Turkey has condemned “in strongest terms Israel’s decision to expand military operation in Gaza, which constitutes a new phase of expansionist and genocidal policy.”

“Every step taken by the fundamentalist Netanyahu government to continue the genocide against the Palestinians and to expand the occupation deals a heavy blow to international peace and security, increases regional instability, and deepens the humanitarian crisis,” said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.

UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged Netanyahu to reconsider his plans to take over Gaza City and said the move would only bring more bloodshed.

“Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution,” Starmer said.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, said it was increasingly clear that Netanyahu’s goal was “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. He urged Starmer to cease all arms exports to Israel and sanction Netanyahu and his cabinet.

The energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh told Sky News the Israeli decision to take over Gaza City was wrong. “We think that it will risk escalating an already intolerable situation, and the consequence will be more bloodshed,” she said. “There’s no one that can see what is happening and unfolding in Gaza that isn’t horrified by it.

China

China expressed “serious concerns” on Friday over Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, urging it to “immediately cease its dangerous actions”.

“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in a message.

UN

Israel’s “plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza strip must be immediately halted. It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volket Türk said in a statement.

“On all evidence to date, this further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes.”

Instead of intensifying this war, he said, Israel “should put all its efforts into saving the lives of Gaza’s civilians by allowing the full, unfettered flow of humanitarian aid. The hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released by Palestinian armed groups. Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel must also be immediately and unconditionally released.”

EU

Israel’s decision to extend its military operation in Gaza “must be reconsidered”, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

“Humanitarian aid must be given immediate and unhindered access to Gaza to deliver what is urgently needed on the ground.”

“A ceasefire is needed now,” she added.

Australia

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Israel “not to go down this path”, saying it will “only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.

She said permanent forced displacement was a violation of international law and repeated calls for a ceasefire and aid to flow unimpeded.

Australia’s Environment Minister Murray Watt had earlier also voiced his criticism, saying the government “strongly opposed the forced occupation of Gaza”.

Germany

Germany will suspend its arms exports to Israel which could be used in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in reaction to Israel’s plans.

“Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.”

Historically, Germany has been one of the largest arms suppliers to Israel.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US was Israel’s largest supplier of military imports in the period between 2020-2024, with Germany the second largest.

Denmark

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called on Israel to “immediately reverse its decision to take control of Gaza.”

8 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Justice Markandey Katju

When I was a Judge in Allahabad High Court ( 1991-2004 ) I heard dozens of cases of Pakistanis who had come to India who on a short term ( usually one month ) visa, and were served deportation orders for deporting them to Pakistan, when their visas expired but they did not go back. They filed writ petitions against these orders, which came up before me. In all such cases I passed this order “ Until further orders the petitioner will not be deported from India “.

These Pakistanis were old people who had migrated from UP in India to Pakistan after Partition of 1947. When they migrated they were young people, who left India either because of religious feelings, or because of a sense of insecurity. They had left behind many relatives and friends in India, and now that they were old and passions had subsided they wanted to spend the evening of their lives in the place they had grown up in, and with their relatives and friends in India. The graves of their forefathers were here, and they wanted to be buried next to these graves when they died.

In view of the hostile relations between India and Pakistan it is difficult for Pakistanis to get an Indian visa ( after the recent Indo-Pak hostilities they have been stopped altogether ). And even when granted, it was usually for a very short term of about one month, and with all kinds of restrictions e.g. that one can visit only one city, report to the nearest police station every week, etc.

So these petitioners who appeared before me had come on one month visas for visiting some city in UP like Allahabad, Kanpur, Agra, Benares, etc. When that one month period was over, and still they did not leave, they were served deportation orders, which they challenged.

As I mentioned above, I stayed all such deportation notices till further orders.

Now the Allahabad High Court has a heavy pendency of cases ( about 10 lacs or 1 million ). Consequently, a case heard on a certain day usually comes up for the next hearing after 4-5 years. So the result of my orders in these cases was that by judicial orders I converted one month visas into 4-5 years visas. Why did I do this ? Now that the matter is old I can reveal the real reason.

I regard, and have always regarded, India and Pakistan as one country. I regard Partition of 1947 as a a British swindle, and I believe that one day Pakistan will reunite with India, from which it has only been temporarily and artificially separated. We share the same culture, look like each other, and were one since Mughal times.

So I regard all Pakistanis as Indians. And therefore I regarded these petitioners as Indians. So how can an Indian be deported from India ?

Of course I did not say this in my orders, but this was the real reason.

The great Urdu poet Munawwar Rana has written a long poem called ‘Muhajirnama’ about the anguish and nostalgia of many muhajirs who had migrated from India to Pakistan at the time of partition, and who remember the land where they were born and grew up. In particular, I remember the lines in that poem relating to my home town Allahabad ( where I lived for 58 out of my 77 years ) :

“ Gale milti hui nadiyaan, gale milte hue mausam

  Allahabad ka kaisa nazaara chhod aaye hain

  Kal ek amrood waale se kehna pad gaya mujhko

  Jahaan se aaye hain is phal ki bagiya chhod aaye hain

  Kuch der tak to woh takta raha mujhe, phir bola

  Woh sangam ka ilaaqa chhut gaya, ya chhod aaye hain ?

  Abhi hum sonch mein gum the ki usse kya kaha jaaye

  Hamaare aansuon ne raaz khola chhod aaye hain “

I also remember the lines relating to Lucknow, where I was born :

“ Moharram mein hamaara Lucknow Iran lagta tha

  Madad maula Husainabad rota chhod aaye hain “

Or these lines :

 “ Bhateejee ab saleeqe se dupatta odhti hogi

   Wahi jisko jhoole mein humakta chhod aaye hain “

It must have been these feelings which made these petitioners stay over after expiry of their one month visa.

Why do I say that India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) are really one country ?  Because we share the same culture. Why do I say that we share the same culture  ? 

Because culture is largely based on language, not on religion. In large parts of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh a common language Hindustani ( called Hindi in India, and Urdu in Pakistan ) is spoken, if not as a first language then as a second language. That is what unites us. I speak to many Pakistani friends on whatsapp in Hindustani.

We were one for 500 years since the time of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, whom I call the real Father of the Indian subcontinent, not Gandhi and Jinnah, who were really British agents

What is Pakistan  ? It is Punjab, Sind, Balochistan and KP. These were all part of India since the time of Moghul Emperor Akbar. 

Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis living abroad socialise and intermingle as if no Partition ever took place, 

Partition in 1947 was a British swindle, based on the bogus two nation theory, using Gandhi and Jinnah as their main agents. It was the biggest tragedy of India in our 5000 year old known history. 

It is high time Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis know the truth. Unless we reunite we will never be able transform our subcontinent into a modern industrial giant ( for which we have all the potential with our huge pool of bright engineers, scientists and immense natural resources ), which transformation alone can abolish the curses which have plagued us for centuries–massive poverty, massive unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second child in our subcontinent is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for ourmasses, etc but will waste our precious resources in hostility with each other.

Of late, a great change has come about in the mindsets of a large number of Pakistanis. Let me explain.

I am a well wisher of Pakistanis, and want them to have decent and prosperous lives. I have often said that 95% Pakistanis are good people, just as 95% Indians are good people, 95% Hindus are good people, just as 95% Muslims are good people.

At the same time, I have consistently and repeatedly said that Partition of 1947 was a British swindle on the basis of the bogus two nation theory, and its purpose was to keep our people backward and semi-feudal, so that united India does not emerge as a modern industrial giant, like China ( for which it has all the potential ) and thus become a big rival to Western industry. I regard Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) as part of India, with which it will inevitably reunite one day under a secular government, though that will take time.

Earlier when I used to say this, almost every Pakistani would respond by hurling the choicest abuses, invectives, vituperations, fulmination, and insults on me.

Today that is no longer so. I now see a sea change among a large number of Pakistanis, who do not feel offended when I say this. I talk with a lot of Pakistanis on whatsapp, and many now agree with me. How has this metamorphosis come about ?

I attribute it to three reasons.

(1) Truth has great power ( satya mein badi shakti hoti hai ). As Victor Hugo said ” There is one thing more powerful than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come ”. The idea that India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) are really one nation and are bound to reunite one day under a secular government, is an idea whose time has come.

When I first mooted the idea of reunification, many people scoffed at me, and said I was day dreaming. But the same was said of Mazzini when he put forward the idea of Italian unification ( Risorgimento ) something which was later achieved by Garibaldi and Cavour in 1861. German unification was achieved under Bismarck in 1871. 

Some people object that much water has flown after 1947, and hence reunification of India now is not feasible. But German reunification was achieved in 1990 after a separation of 45 years. Vietnam was reunited in 1975 after 30 years. China has still not given up its claim over Taiwan.

Others object that there is too much religious fanaticism, and so we cannot unite. But as I have pointed out in my article “The Truth about Pakistan” ( see online ), there was no communal fanaticism or bigotry before 1857 ( see also online ‘History in the service of Imperialism’ by BN Pande ). Before 1857 Hindus and Muslims used to live amicably like brothers and sisters, help each other, and participate in each others festivals. It was only after 1857 that the seeds of communalism were artificially injected into our body politic by the British policy of divide and rule, which led to Partition. So communalism is an artificially-created phenomenon, and can easily be suppressed by a strong secular government.

Of course, reunification will not be achieved easily or immediately. It will take time, maybe 15-20 years. The Western powers who divided us will not allow us to reunite easily, for they do not want another modern industrial giant like China as an industrial rival (one China has created enough headaches for them). But reunite we must if we wish to escape from poverty, hunger, etc.

The main problems of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the same — massive poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, lack of healthcare and good education, etc. If we reunite, we can pool in our resources and overcome these problems in 15-20 years. We can save much of the billions of dollars we spend annually on purchasing arms abroad, and use it for our people’s welfare.
We were befooled by the British into thinking we are enemies, but how much longer must we remain befooled? How much longer must blood flow between us ?

After reunification, which in my opinion is bound to happen since we are really one nation, we must rapidly industrialise on a gigantic scale. That alone can solve our country’s huge socio-economic problems, and give our people a high standard of living and decent lives.

As stated above, when I expressed the above ideas many years ago, many people ( both in India and Pakistan ) ridiculed me and sneered and jeered at me, saying that I was the only one in the world holding such views. I replied that they should examine whether my ideas are correct or not, and not go by the fact that no one till now has ever expressed them. It often happens that one man alone is correct, and the rest of the world is wrong. 

I gave the example of Copernicus who in 1543 said that it is the earth which goes around the sun ( the heliocentric theory ) and not the sun which goes around the earth ( the geocentric theory ) of the Bible and the ancient Greek thinker Ptolemy ) which was believed by the whole world at that time. Today everyone agrees with Copernicus.

If there were no new ideas in the world there would be no progress. So the charge against me that I express novel ideas is  specious

(2) Abraham Lincoln said ” You can fool some people all the time, and all people for some time, but you cannot fool all people all the time ”.  We have been fooled enough for too long a time

(3) Historical experience shows that wisdom dawns on most people only when life becomes unbearable to them in the prevailing situation. 

Life for most Indians and Pakistanis has become unbearable because of the terrible socio-economic conditions now prevailing, with massive unemployment, skyrocketing prices of food and other essential commodities, highly inflated electricity bills, water shortage, etc. Without this situation, truth would never have dawned on Indians and Pakistanis. 

A great change has now come about in Pakistan. Pakistanis, who were earlier hostile to me, and pooh poohed and ridiculed my idea of Indian reunification, now realise I am their well wisher, and stand for the truth. I want them to have good lives, but they will never have them until and unless we undo the fraudulent Partition, and reunite under a secular government led by modern minded leaders determined to rapidly industrialize the country and raise the standard of living of the people, and give them decent lives. 

We have been befooled for 78 years since 1947. For how much longer must we remain befooled ? It is high time now to reunite. 

Some people ask what will be the practical steps for Indian reunification ? My answer  is : presently we have only to spread the idea that we must reunite, and for that I have created an organization called the Indian Reunification Association or IRA ( see online ). Later, when the idea of reunification is widespread ( as it is bound to be, since it is based on truth ), people will use their creativity and find out ways and means of peaceful and voluntary reunification.

Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge of Indian Supreme Court

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak

The combined tariff of fifty percent on Indian exports to the United States imposed by President Donald Trump should not come as a surprise, despite India’s undefined and directionless strategic partnership with the U.S. Indian liberals and their right-wing counterparts had celebrated this so-called strategic partnership with the United States. However, from technological embargoes to trade barriers, this steep tariff reflects a historical continuity of anti-India foreign policy pursued by the U.S. America was never, is not, and likely will never be a true friend to a developed and sovereign India. It has consistently pursued various forms of strategic foreign policy aimed at undermining India’s strength and independence. American racial capitalism and its ruling elites are fundamentally opposed to the idea of an independent and developed India.

Even the much-touted food aid under U.S. Public Law 480 (PL-480)—ironically referred to as “American 420 food supply” by some—while it helped alleviate food shortages in India during the 1950s, was also strategically designed to undermine India’s food sovereignty. By initially dumping surplus American agricultural products, it aimed to create a dependency and eventually open up India as a market for U.S. food exports. India’s response, however, came through the establishment of a universal and integrated Public Distribution System (PDS). This system not only laid the foundation for the Green Revolution but also strengthened the country’s food sovereignty, particularly with the rise of Food Corporation of India (FCI) storehouses. It played a major role for the production, storage and consistent supply for food to poor and ensuring food security for all.  The PDS ensured a minimum support price for producers, incentivised foodgrain production, and guaranteed a steady food supply to consumers, thereby promoting long-term food security. This state-led intervention ultimately countered the U.S. strategy that sought to make India dependent on American agriculture and food corporations.

The 1991 New Economic Reform programs initiated by the Congress Party were further deepened by the BJP, weakening both agriculture and food security in India by revamping and targeting the Public Distribution System (PDS). The rural agrarian crisis that India is experiencing today is a direct outcome of these reform measures implemented by both the Congress and the BJP. The fifty percent tariff on Indian exports is a bullying tactic by the American ruling class, intended to pressure India into further liberalising its agricultural sector. This would open up the internal food market to American food corporations, thereby strengthening U.S. agriculture at the expense of India’s agrarian economy and the livelihoods of its farmers and agricultural workers. So, the opposition to this American strategy is therefore essential to safeguarding the interests of the Indian working people.

America ruling classes have consistently supported illiberal and reactionary forces in Asia to undermine anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist movements, ultimately weakening the foundations of democracy in the region. It has formed alliances with authoritarian and undemocratic regimes to protect and advance its own strategic interests. The current strategy of weakening India is not new; the United States has pursued similar policies since Indian independence. American foreign policy has long aimed to destabilise Asia by promoting conflicts between nations—India and Pakistan, India and China, and even India and Bangladesh. From manufacturing terrorism and destabilising Afghanistan to backing the Pakistani military—which has repeatedly dismantled democracy within Pakistan and fuelled terrorism and hostilities with India—these actions are rooted in American imperialism. The recent imposition of tariffs reflects America’s broader intent to contain the rise of India, China, and a peaceful, cooperative, and harmonious Asia.

The American alibi of justifying the imposition of higher tariff and criticising India’s friendship with Russia—particularly its purchase of Russian oil and military equipment—is a strategic move aimed at weakening India. This is despite the fact that the U.S. itself imported goods worth approximately US$3.27 billion from Russia in 2024. While preaching that India and other nations should stop purchasing Russian goods in the name of not funding the war in Ukraine, the U.S. continues to engage in trade with Russia when it suits its own interests.

In reality, India has opposed the conflict in uncertain terms and has consistently called for a diplomatic and peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine. However, the Yankee imperialists in Europe, led by the United States, seem intent on prolonging the war—not to defend Ukraine, but to weaken Russia and suppress civil liberties across Europe by invoking a perpetual “extraordinary situation” caused by the conflict. Ironically, President Donald Trump, who once promised to end the war during his election campaign, is now fuelling it further to revive America’s defence industry. The American ruling elite is dragging India into this project by pressuring it to purchase U.S. defence equipments. The imposition of higher tariffs on Indian exports is part of this arm-twisting strategy, aimed at disrupting the historic and time-tested Indo-Russian partnership, which Washington views as a threat to its global dominance.

Similarly, the United States is attempting to escalate the limited border conflict between India and China by promoting the idea of an “Asian NATO” under the guise of advancing the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD). While presented as a strategy to contain China, this framework ultimately aims to control and constrain India as well. It is crucial to expose such American imperialist strategies, in which U.S. interests remain paramount in all strategic engagements and partnerships, often at the expense of regional peace, autonomy and sovereignty. India must recognize these tactics and consider bold steps—including reducing dependency on American trade and mobilising its own internal resources and diversifying its international trade—to safeguard its economic and military sovereignty, which is increasingly under threat from American geopolitical manoeuvring.

The fall of Soviet Union and weakening of Non Allied Movement (NAM) are two defining events that allows American imperialism to continue its unchecked hegemony which has destroyed stable countries, secular societies and viable economic systems in Middle East, Africa, Asia, Americas and Europe to protect US interests. The worldwide failure of capitalism and weakening of American imperialism makes American ruling elites to fall on their time tested strategy of fuelling global crisis by promoting regional conflicts, terrorism and economic warfare to reestablish itself as unchallenged global police. African, Asian, and Latin American countries are increasingly challenging American hegemony. In response, the United States is resorting to aggressive trade policies and tariff barriers to contain their economic rise. India must recognise and expose these regional strategies pursued by the U.S. while working to build anti-imperialist global alliances. Such alliances are essential not only to protect India’s own people and national interests but also to support freedom-loving, peace-seeking democratic populations across the world.

From agriculture, industry to technology, India has the capacity to mobilise its own internal resources, strengthen regional partnerships, and diversify its international business, trade and economic relations to recover from the strategic missteps and costs of aligning too closely with Yankee imperialism under the guise of a “strategic partnership.” Any compromise or surrender to American pressure will not only undermine India’s sovereignty and development but also weaken the broader global movement toward democratisation and multipolarity of world politics and economy. Therefore, India must stand firm and uphold its historic anti-imperialist legacy to protect and promote universal peace, justice, and harmony.

Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a political commentator

7 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Jack Gilroy

Editor’s note: Gilroy and other activists spent weeks consulting with attorneys, finding plaintiffs for the suit and organizing demonstrations at the county jail before the flag came down.

The flag of Israel represents the greatest human rights disaster in modern history, yet has flown proudly at the Broome County Correctional Facility by order of Sheriff Akshar. His dedication to Trump’s unconstitutional actions has also made Broome County one of the leading penal camps for immigrants in New York State. 

For over 600 days the Israeli flag flew over our county jail. It was a flagrant display of a Sheriff knowingly engaging in a divisive, illegal act in violation of New York State Public Building Law.  

New York State Law forbids a foreign flag from flying over public property. The actual wording of the law states, “It shall not be lawful to display the flag or emblem of any foreign country upon any state, county or municipal building; provided, however, that whenever any foreigner shall become the guest of the United States, the state or any city, upon public proclamation by the governor or mayor of such city, the flag of the country of which such public guest shall be a citizen may be displayed upon such public buildings.”

Veterans For Peace notified Sheriff Akshar on July 29 that it would file a lawsuit if the Israeli flag was not taken down within 10 days. After 6 days he relented.

Now that the flag is down, Sheriff Akshar and county officials need to apologize to the general public. The leader of the institution that is supposed to uphold the law and claim their jail is a “correctional facility” has demonstrated the opposite by making a mockery of the law and  betraying the public trust. Sheriff Akshar, with the permission of the Broome County Legislature, has turned citizens’ property into a shameful display of acceptance of an Israeli-United States genocide in Gaza. 

The Sheriff, with Broome County officials standing by, has also made the Broome County jail a gulag, a black hole for immigrant workers wanting to be part of the “American Dream”.

Sheriff Akshar, the leading law enforcer in the county, has lost credibility by knowingly engaging in divisive, illegal conduct.  Given his partnership with ICE, an agency that willfully violates US Constitutional rights, Akshar has demonstrated his personal politics are more important than public service. He should be ashamed of his conduct and admonished for his actions. 

The first words of Sheriff Akshar in his media release following the removal of the Israeli flag showed the depth of his ignorance. 

The Sheriff said the attack of October 7, 2023 was “unprovoked”. He seems unaware that the people of Palestine have been murdered by the Israelis by the thousands for 77 years prior to October 7th, 2023. Palestinian homes have been bulldozed, their olive trees cut down, their land given to Israeli immigrant settlers, their children sent to prison for years for throwing rocks at Israeli tanks. Israe’s system of apartheid has tormented the people of Palestine for decades.  The “unprovoked” lie has been repeated over and over in the Western media. The Sheriff has been taught to believe as true the blatant lie of Israeli Zionists–and spread by “Christian” Zionists.

Sheriff Fred Akshar needs to apologize to the people of Broome for 600 plus days of flying the flag of unspeakable human rights violations, the slaughter of tens of thousands of people–all celebrated with the flag of Israel. 

Might does not make right.  Right makes might–the people of Broome County are right.

Jack Gilroy is a member of the Veterans For Peace Stu Naismith Chapter 90 and a Field Representative of VFP

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- A Palestinian child was tragically killed on Thursday when an airdropped aid box fell directly on him in southern Gaza. Several aid organizations have warned that airdrops in Gaza are inefficient and can kill starving civilians.

Saed Abu Younis was killed while trying to retrieve airdropped aid in Khan Younis, medical sources at the Nasser Hospital confirmed.

Days ago, a nurse was also killed after an aid box fell on him directly.

Aid groups criticise the strategy as inefficient and incapable of providing the level of food and other resources needed by Palestinians in Gaza.

The falling crates also present a risk of death or injury for Palestinians who cannot move out of their way in time.

In October 2024, Sami Mahmoud Ayyad, aged three, was killed when a parachute on an aid crate malfunctioned and fell on his tent in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza.

The World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain on Wednesday said the world cannot just continue to carry out food airdrops into Gaza given the scale of hunger because of Israel’s siege.

“We can’t airdrop our way out of an unfolding famine. Not in Gaza,” she wrote on X.

“500,000 people are starving TODAY. The only way to get food to them, at scale, is by land,” she added.

“We’re grateful for the support, but we can’t afford to wait—Gaza is out of food and out of time”.

7 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By John LaForge

This August 6 and 9 are the 80^th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The killing of 140,000 civilians at Hiroshima[1] was the effect of jolting the city with a 60-million-degree (Celsius) explosion (ten thousand degrees hotter than the surface of the sun)[2]. Richard Rhodes, in The Making of the Atomic Bomb, explained, “People exposed within half a mile of the Little Boy fireball were seared to bundles of smoking black char in a fraction of a second as their internal organs boiled away….”[3]

The use of the atomic bombs against population centers without warning was rationalized after-the-fact using expert propaganda in the February 1947 Harper’s magazine, which transformed the burning of vast numbers of children[4] into a positive good that “ended the war” and “saved lives, and which has since become gospel truth to generations. This in spite of the front-page New York Times story about Secretary of State James Byrnes August 29, 1945, with the headline: “Japan Beaten Before Atom Bomb, Byrnes Says, Citing Peace Bids.”[5]

The pretext of “saving lives” is now known to have been fabricated. Gen. (and later President) Dwight Eisenhower, who had been Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, told Secretary of War Henry Stimson before the July 17, 1945 Potsdam Conference he opposed using the bomb because it “was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives,” according to his memoir Mandate for Change.[6] The general told Stimson, “…Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary….”

Broad declassification of wartime documents and personal diaries has made it possible to learn the facts. In one key example, Gar Alperovitz reports in The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb that the April 30, 1946 report by the Intelligence Group of the War Department’s Military Intelligence Division (“Use of Atomic Bomb on Japan”), first discovered in 1989, found “almost certainly that the Japanese would have capitulated upon the entry of Russia into the war…”[7] which occurred on August 8. Japan surrendered a week later.

Likewise, the authoritative U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey concluded in its official 1946 report “Japan’s Struggle to End the War”: “Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts…it is the Survey’s opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.”[8]

Because the formerly secret documents show that the United States knew by the summer of 1945 that Japan was already defeated, the historian of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission J. Samuel Walker could report in the winter 1990 edition of the journal Diplomatic History, “The consensus among scholars is that the bomb was not needed to avoid an invasion of Japan and to end the war within a relatively short time.”[9]

Many of the leaders who conducted the war have said the atomic bombings were needless. Winston Churchill wrote in his history of WWII, “It would be a mistake to suppose that the fate of Japan was settled by the atomic bomb. Her defeat was certain before the first bomb fell.”[10]

Adm. William Leahy, the wartime Chief of Staff to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, wrote in I Was There, “The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender. The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children.”[11]

Gen. George Kenny, a commander in the Pacific theater, said in 1969, “I think we had the Japs licked anyhow. I think they would have quit probably within a week or so of when they did quit.”

Gen. “Hap” Arnold, commander of the Army Air Force, wrote in Global Mission (1949), “It always appeared to us that atomic bomb or no atomic bomb the Japanese were already on the verge of collapse.”

Adm. Noel Gayler, a commander-in-chief of U.S. forces in the Pacific, speaking in 1987 about the atomic bombings said, “The Japanese were essentially defeated.”[12]

Likewise, Brig. Gen. Bonner Fellers wrote in Reader’s Digest, “Obviously …  the atomic bomb neither induced the emperor’s decision to surrender nor had any effect on the ultimate outcome of the war.”[13] And the renown Gen. Douglas MacArthur, said, “he saw no military justification for the dropping of the bomb.”[14]

Even more emphatic was Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay who, as head of the 21st Bomber Command, directed the devastating incendiary destruction of Japan’s 67 largest cities prior to August 1945.[15] LeMay said at a Sept. 20, 1945 press conference, “The war would have been over in two weeks without the Russians entering and without the atomic bomb.” Asked, “Had they not surrendered because of the atomic bomb?” Gen. LeMay answered, “The atomic bomb had nothing to do with the end of the war at all.”[16]

Religious, political, and cultural leaders also spoke out contemporaneously against the massacres. On March 5, 1946, the Federal Council of Churches issued a statement signed by 22 prominent Protestant religious leaders titled “Atomic Warfare and the Christian Faith,” which said in part, “We are agreed that … the surprise bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are morally indefensible. They repeated in a ghastly form the indiscriminate slaughter of noncombatants that has become familiar during World War II. … Both bombings, moreover, must be judged to have been unnecessary for winning the war. ”[17]

James Martin Gillis, editor of the journal Catholic World also condemned the attacks, writing: “I here and now declare that I think the use of the atomic bomb, in the circumstances, was atrocious and abominable, and that civilized peoples should reprobate and anathematize the horrible deed.”[18]

Nuclear weapons are still protected by lies like “limited nuclear war,” “deterrence,” and “low-yield warhead.” This month’s anniversaries remind us to rebel against the lies, to demand that the United States apologize to Japanese and Korean survivors and their descendants for the war crimes; to push the U.S. to abandon its nuclear attack plans and preparations; and to finally stands-down and eliminate the crown jewels and poisoned foundation of all government waste, fraud, and abuse ⸺ nuclear weapons.

John LaForge, is Co-director of Nukewatch, a peace and environmental justice group in Wisconsin, and is co-editor with Arianne Peterson of Nuclear Heartland, Revised: A Guide to the 450 Land-Based Missiles of the United States.

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Kevin Reed

As murderous military assaults as well as death from starvation intensify, details of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for the total conquest and annexation of Gaza are coming to light.

On Tuesday, one day after Netanyahu’s official announcement, a high-level strategy meeting was convened in Tel Aviv to finalize Israel’s military operations. According to a detailed report in the Washington Post, the meeting brought together Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Eyal Zamir, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Major General Itzik Cohen, head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Operations Directorate.

The central topic discussed was the practical implementation of the directive to occupy the remaining parts of Gaza not currently under Israeli control. Several military options were laid on the table, including the full encirclement of major refugee camps, followed by enhanced air strikes, drone operations and special forces raids to “liquidate remaining Hamas elements.”

Unnamed Washington Post sources present in the meeting emphasized that the Palestinian refugee camps in Gaza, still home to hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians, would now be considered combat zones.

The report said Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Zamir expressed strong reservations. He warned of the risk of mass civilian casualties, further unrest in the occupied West Bank, regional spillover and the immediate endangerment of the more than 50 Israeli hostages still believed to be held in Gaza.

The sources said Zamir told Netanyahu, “We are paving the road to chaos, not security,” a statement that was reportedly met with indifference. Netanyahu, determined to press forward, told attendees, “Political leadership makes the call. The military executes the call.” Katz backed him, saying, “There will be no more hesitation. The time to neutralize Gaza entirely has come.”

While elements within the Israeli government and military remain deeply divided on this course of action, the fascist Netanyahu government has made clear it will force compliance from the IDF leadership or remove those who resist.

As one senior official told Israel’s Channel 12: “The army must fall into line. This is a matter of survival for the State of Israel.” After 22 months of Israeli genocide in Gaza, the Zionist regime is now stating openly what it has refused to admit publicly all along.

The objective is a total restructuring of the Strip under Israeli rule. It is an open-ended occupation with no exit strategy, no plan for Palestinian self-rule and a prerequisite for ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

Such a blatantly criminal undertaking would be impossible without the support of the US. Speaking on Army Radio, Israeli national security analyst Ehud Etzion made it plain: “The United States has given Netanyahu carte blanche to occupy Gaza. This is not simply diplomatic cover, this is active endorsement.”

On Tuesday, while declining to directly endorse Israel’s occupation plan, President Trump told reporters, “So Israel is going to have to make a decision… It’s going to be pretty much up to Israel.”

Also on Tuesday, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, addressed Israeli hostage families in Tel Aviv. He declared, “There won’t be a ceasefire just for a few returns. President Trump believes there needs to be an all-or-nothing agreement.”

Witkoff declared, “President Trump now believes that everybody ought to come home at once—no piecemeal deals. That doesn’t work.” He confirmed that the Trump administration had been working with Netanyahu on a new plan centered on “military resolution and political reordering.”

The Washington Post described this policy as “a maximalist stance to achieve finality,” effectively discarding the last semblances of diplomacy and civilian protection.

After Netanyahu’s declaration, the UN released a statement calling Israel’s plan to completely occupy and annex Gaza “deeply alarming.” UN human rights experts warned of “an escalated policy of population transfer, mass displacement, and permanent occupation,” clear violations of international treaties including the Fourth Geneva Convention.

“The devastation, death, hunger, and displacement of the Palestinian population—especially children—is exceptional in the face of modern law,” the statement read. The UN called for immediate cessation of offensive operations and unrestricted humanitarian access.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Gaza is facing a humanitarian collapse with over 2 million deprived of basic food, water, shelter, fuel and medicine. An occupation will not restore peace—it will sustain violence.” However, these declarations and others are being ignored by both Tel Aviv and Washington.

Meanwhile, scenes from within Gaza continue to show a horror beyond description. In the last 24 hours alone, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed at least 80 Palestinians, per reports from Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Local doctors reported mass casualties from fresh air strikes near Deir al-Balah and Rafah, including the deaths of at least a dozen aid workers and over 20 children.

Civilian populations are being intentionally targeted under the banner of rooting out “terrorist infrastructure,” with refugee camps around Khan Younis and Jabaliya shelled repeatedly in a span of just six hours.

Gaza’s Health Ministry now reports 189 deaths directly linked to malnutrition, including at least 93 children under the age of 10. These figures are believed to underrepresent the real toll, as many deaths in isolated or leveled communities go unregistered.

The core of Gaza’s hunger crisis is the Israeli government’s near-total control over the distribution of aid. Since March, all entry of humanitarian convoys has been routed through Israeli-secured corridors and processed by Israeli contractors, many of them subsidiaries of companies working under US security contracts.

The UN reports that over 1.2 million Gazans are now at immediate risk of famine. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri told the Guardian:

Israel has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine. So, while it’s always shocking to see people being starved, no one should act surprised. All the information has been out in the open since early 2024.

Israel is starving Gaza. It’s genocide. It’s a crime against humanity. It’s a war crime. I have been repeating it and repeating it and repeating it, I feel like Cassandra.

Visual evidence of the catastrophe in Gaza continues to be circulated globally. Over the weekend, the Guardian published an extensive collection of images taken from drones and satellites operated by Human Rights Watch and local NGOs. They show Gaza transformed into arid wasteland.

Entire neighborhoods have been flattened into pale dust, interrupted only by blackened skeletal outlines of what were once apartment blocks, hospitals, mosques, or schools. Central Gaza City resembles Aleppo at the height of the Syrian war, though in just 22 months as opposed to years.

Images show children climbing over collapsed stairwells searching f or relatives, streets submerged in rubble and United Nations shelters leveled to the foundations. According to UNRWA, 79 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, rendering more than 1.5 million Palestinians functionally homeless.

International law forbids collective punishment, starvation and forced displacement, but what Netanyahu defines as a “complete military victory” is, in practice, the coordinated destruction of an entire society through war, deprivation and occupation. With US backing, the Israeli government is not only permitted to commit these acts, but being encouraged.

Washington has vetoed multiple Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. European powers have confined themselves to statements of “deep concern” while arms continue to be exported to Israel. Arab governments have shifted policy quietly since early 2025, choosing to privately engage with Israel on border control and refugee management.

Protests have reemerged in Tel Aviv, led this week by the families of hostages still held by Hamas. Images of emaciated hostages released over the weekend by Hamas have ignited a wave of public anger. Thousands took to the streets demanding action by Netanyahu to end the assault on Gaza.

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- According to the United Nations, Israel kills about 28 Palestinian children daily in Gaza, the equivalent of an entire classroom, amid intensive bombardment and a blockade on aid.

“Death by bombardments. Death by malnutrition and starvation. Death by lack of aid and vital services,” the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a post on X on Tuesday.

“In Gaza, an average of 28 children a day – the size of a classroom – have been killed.”

The agency stressed that children in Gaza are in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine and protection, adding: “More than anything, they need a ceasefire, NOW.”

[https://twitter.com/UNICEF/status/1952399722586538085]

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry on Monday, Israel has killed more than 18,430 children, one child every hour, since the start of the genocide in Gaza. At least 60,933 Palestinians have been killed and 150,027 others wounded since October 7, 2023.

“Gaza is a graveyard for children today and for their dreams,” Ahmad Alhendawi, regional director of the NGO Save the Children, said. “This is an inescapable living nightmare for every child in Gaza … This is a generation that is growing up thinking that the world has abandoned them, that the world has turned its back on them.”

According to the Ministry, at least 188 people have died from malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, including 94 children and infants, as Israel continues to block aid from entering the enclave, including food and medicine.

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor 

Palestinian Territory – Any escalation in Israeli military attacks, especially ground operations in the Gaza Strip, would cause unprecedented civilian slaughter and collapse the already failing humanitarian response.

The planned escalation, if carried out, would mark an unprecedented chapter in Israel’s ongoing genocide, committed openly before an international community that continues to provide political, financial, and military cover to the perpetrators. These forthcoming crimes would be premeditated, arising not from sudden developments on the ground but from a deliberate and public policy. The international community bears full responsibility through its silence and inaction, alongside the direct complicity of numerous states.

Strong indications suggest that the Israeli government intends to escalate its genocidal campaign, culminating in the full military occupation of the Gaza Strip. Over the past week, political and military actions led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have intensified, including discussions in closed-door meetings explicitly raising the option of a full-scale invasion and occupation. The cabinet has also begun deliberating executive measures to prepare for the operation.

Available data indicate that Prime Minister Netanyahu has approved the general framework of a plan aimed at seizing control of the entire Gaza Strip by force.

The planned military escalation violates international law, including international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention. It follows months of forcibly confining over two million Palestinians to less than 15 per cent of the Gaza Strip, the systematic destruction of housing, the elimination of approximately 84 per cent of hospitals and health facilities, the collapse of over 95 per cent of water and sanitation systems, and the closure of all schools. This reflects a deliberate strategy of imposing coercive living conditions intended to destroy the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, a protected national group, within a pattern of acts that constitute the crime of genocide.

Euro-Med Monitor’s field assessment indicates that the Gaza Strip is currently undergoing the worst phase of humanitarian collapse since the onset of the genocide in October 2023. Over 90 per cent of the population has been forcibly displaced across devastated areas in repeated waves driven by relentless bombing and destruction.

Famine has escalated to the point of claiming hundreds of lives, with the entire population now facing severe food insecurity. Meanwhile, the health system has nearly collapsed due to overwhelming pressure and the depletion of medicines and essential supplies.

Israel’s plan to further escalate military operations reflects a dangerous level of brutality and underscores the impunity it continues to enjoy. Over the past 22 months, Israeli forces have committed some of the gravest crimes against Palestinian civilians, systematically stripping them of their humanity. The Gaza Strip now faces unprecedented destruction, sustained by unconditional US political and military support and widespread international complicity that has enabled these crimes to continue without accountability.

The Gaza Strip is now the most densely populated area on Earth, with nearly 2.3 million people forced into no more than 55 square kilometres, lacking infrastructure or any form of protection.

Any ground assault would inevitably result in unprecedented human casualties, particularly among women and children, who often make up over 70 per cent of the victims of Israeli attacks. This would amount to mass killing in a confined space from which civilians have no means of escape.

Since 26 July, Israel has pursued a deceptive scheme, falsely claiming improvements in the humanitarian situation in Gaza while in reality maintaining the blockade and starving the population.

Incoming aid meets less than 15 per cent of basic needs. This superficial increase is intended to appease global public opinion and reduce pressure over the unfolding famine. The greater danger lies in using this as a cover to escalate the genocide and consolidate military control over the Strip. This includes forcing civilians into detention and deportation camps in preparation for their displacement, while reshaping Gaza’s geography and demography to serve the Israeli colonial-settler project in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The involvement of several states in pro forma measures, such as increasing aid airdrops without addressing the root causes of starvation and blockade, risks providing false political or humanitarian cover for policies aimed at the destruction of the Gaza Strip and its population. An immediate review of these states’ responsibilities is essential, along with concrete measures to ensure their contributions are not used to legitimise or conceal genocidal policies. They must take urgent action to halt ongoing crimes and uphold their obligations under international law.

States must urgently push for the restoration of humanitarian access and the lifting of the illegal blockade, as this is the only way to stop the accelerating humanitarian deterioration and ensure the entry of aid, given the imminent threat of famine.

The establishment of safe humanitarian corridors under UN supervision is vital to ensure the delivery of food, medicine, and fuel to all areas of the Gaza Strip, with the deployment of independent international monitors to verify compliance and ensure the rapid rehabilitation of the agricultural and livestock sectors as part of both emergency relief efforts and long-term recovery.

All states, individually and collectively, must urgently fulfil their legal obligations to halt the genocide in the Gaza Strip in all its forms. This includes taking concrete measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the enclave, ensure Israel’s compliance with international law and the International Court of Justice rulings, and guarantee full accountability for crimes committed against Palestinians. Euro-Med Monitor also calls for the enforcement of the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued for the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defence Minister, and for their swift surrender to international justice without regard to immunity.

The international community is urged to impose economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions on Israel and its more powerful allies, particularly the United States, for their grave and systematic breaches of international law; these sanctions should include comprehensive arms embargoes and the suspension of all forms of political, financial, military, and intelligence cooperation. In addition, Euro-Med Monitor calls for freezing the assets of responsible Israeli, US, and any complicit EU officials, banning their travel, halting their military and security companies’ access to international markets, and suspending trade privileges and bilateral agreements that facilitate Israel’s ongoing Western-backed crimes against the Palestinian people.

Countries with universal jurisdiction courts must issue arrest warrants for Israeli political and military leaders involved in the ongoing genocide and initiate legal proceedings to fulfil their international legal obligation to prosecute serious crimes and combat impunity. They must also hold accountable their citizens found to have committed violations against Palestinians, in line with their national and international legal obligations and within their territorial or personal jurisdiction.

Furthermore, the International Criminal Court (ICC) must expedite its investigation into crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, broaden its scope to include genocide and forced displacement, and issue additional arrest warrants for Israeli officials involved in these crimes. States Parties to the Rome Statute must fulfil their legal obligations by executing ICC arrest warrants without delay, thereby upholding international justice and ensuring accountability for grave crimes against victims.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is a Geneva-based independent organization with regional offices across the MENA region and Europe

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- At least 96 Palestinian children and infants have died from malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, as Israel continues to block aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, from entering the enclave for five months. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the total number of hunger-related deaths is approaching 200.

In a statement, the Ministry said at least 193 have died from malnutrition and hunger since the start of the Israeli genocide in October 2023. Among them are 96 children and infants.

What We Know

Last week, UNICEF warned that Gaza faces a grave risk of famine, with one in three people going days without food.

Over 100 humanitarian organizations, including Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and Oxfam, warned that “mass starvation” is spreading across Gaza, with their colleagues in the enclave wasting away from hunger.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Gaza City has been the area “worst-hit” by malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, with nearly one in five children under five there now acutely malnourished.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are “on the verge of catastrophic hunger,” with one in three people in the enclave going days without food.

Health officials in Gaza issued a stark warning lately: Hundreds of severely emaciated Palestinians are on the verge of death, their bodies too weak to resist any longer.

The Director of Al-Shifa Hospital said hospitals are dealing with hundreds suffering from severe hunger and malnutrition. “We don’t have enough beds or medicine,” he said. “We’re seeing symptoms like memory loss, exhaustion, and collapse from extreme hunger.” He added: “We have 17,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition. This is a generation being starved to death.”

According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, over 650,000 children under the age of five face an imminent and severe risk of acute malnutrition in the coming weeks, out of a total of 1.1 million children in the Gaza Strip.

Currently, around 1.25 million people in Gaza are living under catastrophic hunger conditions, while 96% of the population is suffering from severe levels of food insecurity, including more than one million children, according to the Office.

UNRWA warned, “The Israeli Authorities are starving civilians in Gaza. Among them are 1 million children.”

Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said Palestinians in Gaza face “an acute risk of famine”.

“No one should have to risk their life to get basic humanitarian assistance,” he said.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) last week, two out of three famine thresholds for food consumption have been breached across most of Gaza, with acute malnutrition levels in Gaza City confirming aid agencies’ repeated warnings.

“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,” the IPC assessment maintained.

“The worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip.”

“It’s clearly a disaster unfolding in front of our eyes, in front of our television screens,” said Ross Smith, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Director of Emergencies.

“This is not a warning, this is a call to action. This is unlike anything we have seen in this century,” he told journalists in Geneva.

The last IPC analysis on Gaza, issued on May 12, forecast that the entire population would likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of September, with 469,500 people projected to likely hit “catastrophic” levels.

Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said: “Israel has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine. So while it’s always shocking to see people being starved, no one should act surprised. All the information has been out in the open since early 2024.”

“Israel is starving Gaza. It’s genocide. It’s a crime against humanity. It’s a war crime. I have been repeating it and repeating it and repeating it.”

Is Humanitarian Aid Reaching Gaza?

On March 2, Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s main crossings, cutting off food, medical and humanitarian supplies, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians, with human rights organizations accusing it of using starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinians.

After more than 80 days of total blockade, starvation, and growing international outrage, limited aid has allegedly been distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a scandal-plagued organization backed by the US and Israel, created to bypass the UN’s established aid delivery infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

Most humanitarian organisations, including the UN, have distanced themselves from GHF, arguing that the group violates humanitarian principles by restricting aid to south and central Gaza, requiring Palestinians to walk long distances to collect aid, and only providing limited aid, among other critiques. They have also said the model would increase forced displacement in Gaza.

Moreover, mass killings of aid seekers near and at GHF aid sites have become a grim daily reality amid chaotic scenes, as desperate Palestinians are given only a narrow window to rush for food and are targeted by Israeli forces and American mercenaries. Testimonies and evidence from US mercenaries working with GHF, as well as from Gaza civilians, reveal that aid seekers are being directly and deliberately targeted, despite posing no threat.

Palestinians in Gaza and the UN described these sites as “mass death traps” and “slaughterhouses”.

According to the UN human rights office, at least 859 people have been killed while seeking food near or at the GHF sites since the GHF began operating in late May. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said: “Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military.”

More than 514 were also killed by Israeli forces along the routes of food convoys, OHCHR added.

Human Rights Watch stated last week that Israel’s killing of aid seekers at GHF sites amounts to war crimes.

With starvation across the Strip spreading, international outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza, the Israeli military announced a “tactical pause” in military activity in some areas of Gaza which it claimed would make it easier to send in UN convoys. However, attacks and killings have been reported across most of the Strip.

A UN worker said the “last minute” aid windows may not be enough to treat malnourished children.

The UN confirmed that Israel is still blocking food from reaching starving Palestinians with only a few trucks of aid having reached Gaza.

Last week, the WFP said it is not getting the necessary volumes of humanitarian assistance into Gaza despite Israel claiming it issued new measures to enable more supplies to enter the enclave.

“We have not gotten the authorisation, the permission to move in the volumes that we’ve requested,” Smith said.

Smith said the disaster unfolding in Gaza is “unlike anything we have seen in this century”, adding that it was reminiscent of famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra, Nigeria, in the 20th century.

On Monday, the Gaza Government Media Office and aid groups confirmed that only 674 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since Israel announced on July 27 that it would allow the entry of aid, an average of just 84 trucks per day. This represents just 14% of the estimated 4,800 trucks required to meet minimum humanitarian needs.

It added that Gaza requires at least 600 aid and fuel trucks daily to provide for the essential needs of its health, public service, and food sectors.

The Office noted: “We confirm that there are more than 22,000 humanitarian aid trucks currently parked at the Gaza Strip crossing gates, most of which belong to UN and international organizations and various entities.”

“Engineering Starvation” in Gaza

Israel has deliberately engineered famine and chaos in Gaza, the Gaza Government Media Office said, as most of the aid trucks that entered Gaza were looted in a “systematic disorder fostered by the Israeli occupation”.

“What is happening in Gaza is a clear and deliberate model of how the Israeli occupation is consciously fostering chaos and engineering starvation,” the Media Office said, adding that aid is being intentionally prevented from reaching warehouses or intended recipients.

Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security has also accused Israel of pursuing a policy of targeting its staff “carrying out their duty of securing aid trucks distributed by international organisations, preventing them from reaching those in need safely”.

It also accused Israeli forces of sponsoring “networks of thieves and thugs to seize control of aid trucks, depriving more than two million citizens of safe access and perpetuating famine in the Strip”.

“This is a blatant attempt by the occupation to absolve itself of legal responsibility for using starvation as a weapon in times of war,” the Ministry said in a statement.

This strategy forces Palestinians to travel long distances for aid, putting themselves at great risk, the statement read, adding that this has led to the “destruction of some of the aid supplies due to stampede and overcrowding”.

“Meanwhile, the occupation directly targets them and commits massacres, killing dozens daily near the routes leading to the entry of aid.”

6 August 2025

Source: countercurrents.org