Israel-Palestine live: Week three ends with over 7,000 Palestinians killed

Leading voices among Palestinian citizens of Israel denounced on Thursday what they called "punitive policies" by authorities enforced against them in the aftermath of the war in Gaza,

In a press conference held in Haifa, MPs and members of the High Follow-Up Committee - an umbrella group representing Israel's Palestinian citizens - accused police of silencing dissenting voices against Israel's bombing of Gaza.

Aida Touma-Suleiman, a lawmaker, called the Israeli minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a “fascist” who is “exploiting the war and what is happening in Gaza, to crack down on our Palestinian communities".

“ He is trying to dehumanise us and take away our feelings of belonging to our land. We reject all of these Israeli policies, whether it's from arrests or the prohibition of protests,” she said.

The press conference comes in the wake of Israeli police threatening officials attending a meeting with Jewish representatives and activists in Haifa, addressing the ongoing war.

Sami Abu Shahada, leader of the Balad party, condemned Israel’s stifling of Palestinians since the start of the war erupted on 7 October.

“This is not the first meeting which Israeli forces have banned and stopped since the start of the war…Israeli police are stopping us from expressing any opinion and calling for the end to the spilling of blood,” he said.

“The Israeli police, through its policies, are shooting itself. This is a joint scream, where we are calling for our rights and are defending our futures and the future of our children. Young people and anyone who is calling for an end to the bombing is being targeted. To any Palestinians living in Israel, should come to us if they experience any form of harassment from Israeli police simply for voicing their opinions, and we have established an emergency department for this,” he said.

The chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee, Mohammed Baraka, said: “We have established this emergency department to provide services for people in 13 different areas, from legal help, to arbitrary arrests, or detained protesters, etc…we have specific things we address and I call on people to not be afraid, and come to us as we are united in our efforts".

Israeli air strikes have killed around 50 hostages being held in Gaza by Palestinian groups, according to a statement from Hamas's armed wing. 

"Al-Qassam Brigades estimates that the number of Zionist prisoners killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Zionist bombing and massacres reached approximately 50 people," said spokesperson Abu Ubaida on Telegram. 

Doctors in northern Gaza are sounding the alarm about a humanitarian "catastrophe" as Israel continues its ferocious air strikes and siege on the coastal enclave for a third week. 

Since Israel cut off all electricity, fuel and water to Gaza on 9 October, hospitals have been overwhelmed, with a lack of life-saving resources and a high volume of critically wounded patients. 

Patients who have been wounded in air strikes, pregnant women, children and people with kidney failure are some of the worst affected. The hospitals that are still working are running on generators, which health officials say won't last long. 

The most traumatising situation faced by Amr and his colleagues is the fact that they have to prioritise some cases over others.

"We are left in a situation where we have to make the difficult decision to risk the life of one patient in order to save the life of another," he told MEE.

For the full story, click on the link below. 
 

Read more: Gaza's doctors refuse to abandon patients as Israel pounds hospitals 
 

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said it urgently needed fuel to maintain life-saving humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip. 

"If fuel is not received into Gaza, Unrwa will be forced to significantly reduce and in some cases bring its humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip to a halt. The coming 24 hours are very critical," it said.

"In the last 24 hours another three Unrwa staff members have been killed, bringing the total to 38 staff killed," Unrwa added. 
 

Lynn Hastings, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine, says Israel’s system of notifying Gaza residents before airstrikes makes “no difference” as they have nowhere safe to go.

Israel has frequently demanded the eviction of Palestinians from the north of Gaza to the south but also continues to bomb the southern half of the territory and has even attacked convoys of displaced people trying to comply with its orders.

“For people who can’t evacuate – because they have nowhere to go or are unable to move – advance warnings make no difference.”

“When the evacuation routes are bombed, when people north as well as south are caught up in hostilities, when the essentials for survival are lacking, and when there are no assurances for return, people are left with nothing but impossible choices. Nowhere is safe in Gaza." She added.

For people who can’t evacuate, advance warnings make no difference. The United Nations intends to deliver aid wherever people in need are located. #NotATarget

Read my full statement about evacuation notifications to #Gaza residents here: https://t.co/MkGUg3LaIC pic.twitter.com/tqe4rXAMNz

— Lynn Hastings (@LynnHastings) October 26, 2023

The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco have published a joint statement condemning the targeting of civilians in Gaza, and Israel’s violations of international human law. 

In the statement, the countries condemned the forced displacement and collective punishment in Gaza. 
 

Mahmoud al-Dahdouh was proud of his father’s work, and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

The son of Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's chief correspondent in Gaza, was inspired by his father’s coverage, which had earned him the title of “the voice of Palestinians in Gaza”.

Mahmoud was in his final year of high school and working hard to become a journalist. 

However, the dreams of the teenager were cut short when he was killed on Wednesday evening in an Israeli bombing in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, which had been designated a safe zone by the Israeli army.

Mahmoud, along with his sister, mother and nephew, were killed despite Wael’s efforts to separate them in case of a bombing, so he wouldn’t lose them all in one go if the worst was to happen - a tactic employed by many Palestinians during times of war. 

Click on the link below to read the full story.

Read more: Al Jazeera reporter's son dreamed to be a journalist. The Israeli army killed him 

Motaz Azaiza, a prominent Palestinian journalist from Gaza, who has been at the forefront of covering the war on Gaza, has published a statement calling on international protection for journalists.

In a post on Instagram, he writes: “If something happens to me I will never forgive anyone who is able to stop this madness war and he didn’t.”

He also called on TV channels to treat him as a person and not “content,” and asked them to stop texting and calling him for interviews. “There is no more to say or to clarify for the people than what I witnessed and captured,” he says. 
Many of his videos show the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as the impact of Israel’s heavy bombing on children. 

“Yesterday, I saw the correspondent of Al-Jazeera when he lost his whole family and believe it or not I was going to delete everything here, I don’t want to lose more for just showing the world,” he added.

“This is  not a surrender post but just to be clear, I’m an independent photographer who is covering what is going on in the Gaza Strip, I’m not related to any media, militant groups or anything else.”

Typically, Azaiza posts travel and cultural content, however, since the start of the war he has been documenting atrocities carried out in Gaza. He has amassed 8.9 million followers, and has become a vital news source for anyone following developments. 
 

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK has condemned Jordan for allowing the US to establish an air-bridge which allows for the transport of weapons into Israel. 

According to the organisation, 15 aircrafts have been used to transport the weapons, and Jordan has also allowed for the transport of special forces on board the planes.

“In addition to giving the green light to the Israeli occupation to commit genocide, these countries defend it, wash away its crimes, twist the truth about its crimes, and provide it with all kinds of lethal weapons,” AOHR UK said in a statement on Thursday.

The USA created an air bridge that made 62 US-Israeli flights to transport ammunition, missiles, vehicles and spare parts, it explained. 
 

A spokesperson for Palestine’s health ministry has called on the world to take urgent action, as the death toll in Gaza exceeds 7,000.

“The Ministry of Interior is undertaking its role to support our people, where nothing is sacred to Israel, and people, trees, homes, are being destroyed, hundreds are being killed over the past few hours.

"Entire neighbourhoods have been wiped out in central Gaza, with even civil defence crews being targeted,” he said in a live press conference broadcast on Al Jazeera Arabic.

“The occupation is carrying out massacres non-stop, and the bombings are increasing overnight. With the cutting off of electricity, it is making treating patients more difficult,” he added. 

“Israel, with the cover of the US, is targeting civilians. On the 20th day of attacks on Gaza, we call on people all around the world to take urgent action and to break your silence. The United Nations must take action as we are suffocating with no water, fuel, food or electricity.”

The secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council has said that Israel is now using “a sledgehammer on Gaza”.

“They are trying to crush, as they say Hamas, but in such a densely populated place, it means massive loss of civilian life, including many dead children. Their response has been beyond belief,” he added.

Ashraf al Qudra, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health has slammed those doubting the death count published by the ministry since the start of the war on 7 October. 

“To those who are questioning the validity of the numbers, we say to them, enough of your insolence. It would be better for you to stand up for the truth and prosecute the perpetrators of the massacres, and stop supporting them,” he said in a statement.

“We call on all institutions to come and observe the work and operations of the Ministry of Health, so the world can see that behind every number is a story and a person with a name and identity. Our people and our sons are not nobodies that can be forgotten,” he added. 

“We reaffirm that we will publish a detailed review in front of the entire world, about the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation against our people, which has taken place in front of the world this October.”
 

In his second speech in two days, Turkey's president Erdogan said that “Israel’s attacks on Gaza are barbaric.”

In his speech made at the presidential palace, Erdogan blamed Western countries for providing unconditional support for Israeli attacks instead of calling for restraint.

He said that western countries were not adhering to international law in Gaza “because the blood spilled is Muslims’ blood.”

“What more needs to happen in Gaza for the west to call for a ceasefire,” he asked. He also said that “nobody should expect Turkey to remain silent against the violence in Gaza.”
 

Israeli forces have shot and killed a 17-year-old teenager in the Jalazone refugee camp north of the city of Ramallah in the occupied-West Bank

Asid Hamdi Hamidat is the 105th Palestinian to die in the territory since 7 October and the 313th to die in the occupied West Bank this year.

At least 7,028 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its bombing campaign after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health's latest figures, of those killed 2,913 are children and another 1,709 are women.

The ministry adds that at least 18,484 people are wounded.

Significantly, there are also 1,650 resident missing, including 940 children. The vast majority of these people are presumed dead and there bodies are believed to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

The figures were accurate at the time of publication.