No remedy for patients after destruction of Gaza hospital

Al-Wafa Hospital was Gaza City’s only medical center where medical equipment that used to be scarce in other Gaza Strip hospitals could be found until Israeli warplanes struck the hospital

Source: worldbulletin.net

The only way Palestinian man Abdel-Aziz Abu Mandil can soothe his stomach pains is to keep caressing the bandage he placed around this stomach in a desperate bid to keep the lid on his agony.

Israel’s deadly ceasefire game

Israel purposefully protracted the ceasefire negotiations to inflict more destruction on Gaza.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com

By: Hanine Hassan

On August 25 Israel hit a 13-storey residential tower that housed at least 70 families, striking with five missiles over an hour. Israel could have destroyed the entire building with one missile in a few minutes, if it wanted to; after all it wiped out an entire neighbourhood in less than one hour on July 29.  Israel’s deliberate choice to slowly decompose the tower was psychological torture to its residents, to punish them and submit them. It is this same strategy of protraction that Israel used during the uncountable ceasefires and humanitarian lulls it declared during its war on Gaza.

Israel bars Amnesty, Human Rights Watch workers from Gaza

Israel has been refusing to allow employees of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to enter the Gaza Strip in order to conduct their own independent investigations into the fighting, using various bureaucratic excuses.

By: Amira Hass

Source: http://www.haaretz.com

Both human rights organizations have been trying to obtain permission from the Civil Administration to enter Gaza since July 7. Two different reasons have been cited for the refusals: The first is that the Erez border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip is closed and no entry permits are being granted until further notice; the second is neither group is registered with the Social Affairs Ministry as a humanitarian aid organization.

In fact, Erez was open throughout most of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, which began on July 8. Among others, journalists, United Nations employees and Palestinians needing medical care or returning from abroad (with special permits), were allowed to pass through.

Gazans pray in destroyed mosques

Israel’s assault on Gaza resulted in the demolition of 63 mosques, including the Grand Mosque in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp

By: Mohammed Asad

Source: http://www.middleeasteye.net

While Israel says that Hamas used mosques to stockpile weapons and rocket launchers, Gaza’s Hamas rulers deny the accusation, saying the destruction of 63 mosques in Operation Protective Edge showed Israel has been waging a war against Islam.

On August 14, the Palestinian Authority Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said the destruction of mosques was a war crime, reported Reuters.

PA Tourism and Antiquities Minister Rula Ma’ayah called on the United Nations, particularly the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its World Heritage Committee to condemn the military targeting of cultural, religious and natural heritage sites as a war crime and a violation of human rights. His ministry said that some of the destroyed and damaged sites were to be on the PA’s list that it wants to see inscribed on the World Heritage List.

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Gaza death toll surpasses that of Cast Lead as count hits 1,437

Source: http://www.maannews.net/

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Palestinian death toll in the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza surpassed that of Operation Cast Lead on Thursday as the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks hit 1,437.

In the most recent lethal Israeli attack, an airstrike hit the al-Bayoumi family home in al-Nusairat refugee camp, killing at least 11 Palestinians and injuring at least 45.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 1,417 Palestinians were killed during Israel’s infamous three-week offensive on Gaza in 2008-2009.

Some 5,303 people were injured during Cast Lead, while at least 8,265 have been injured throughout Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s name for its current offensive.

Busting the Israeli occupation one-liners

By: Sara Saleh

Source: https://newmatilda.com/

Israel’s war on Gaza is as much about oppression as it is about public relations, and winning the propaganda battle. Sara Saleh unravels the spin.

Two weeks into the current Israeli assault on Gaza, known as Operation Protective Edge, and it seems much of Israel’s rationale has been recycled.