A nation behind bars: Why has Israel imprisoned 10,000 Palestinians? ... For every Palestinian Israel freed in the ceasefire deal, it apprehended 15 more. The number of political prisoners in its jails has doubled since the war began.

By Mohamed A. Hussein and Mohammed Haddad

Published On 17 Apr 202517 Apr 2025

 

 On April 17 every year, Palestinian Prisoner’s Day is commemorated to highlight the plight of those held in Israeli jails and their struggle for freedom against Israel’s continued occupation of their land.

The day marks the 1974 release of Mahmoud Bakr Hijazi, the first Palestinian freed in a prisoner swap with Israel. It was later designated to honour all Palestinian prisoners and highlight Israel’s ongoing detention of Palestinians and violation of their rights.

There are currently nearly 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails in Israel and the occupied territory, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer. To Palestinians, they are political prisoners who must be freed.

Of those in detention:

• 3,498 are held without charge or trial
• 400 are children
• 27 are women
• 299 are serving life sentences

Administrative detainees, including women and children, can be held by the military for renewable six-month periods based on “secret evidence” that neither the detainee nor their lawyer is allowed to see.

400 child prisoners – Ahmad Manasra’s case

Israel is the only country in the world that tries children in military courts, often denying them their basic rights.

According to Defense for Children Palestine, about 500 to 700 Palestinian children are detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system each year – some as young as 12.

The most common charge is throwing stones, a crime punishable under military law by up to 20 years in prison.

Currently, 400 Palestinian children remain in Israeli prisons, most are in pre-trial detention and have not been convicted of any offence.

One of the most harrowing child prisoner cases is that of Ahmad Manasra, who was arrested at the age of 13, brutally interrogated and then sentenced.... READ MORE  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/17/a-nation-behind-bars-why-has-israel-imprisoned-10000-palestinians

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“Maybe my photos will live longer than I do and that’s what makes me feel at peace” Fatima Hassouna, a well-known Palestinian photographer from Gaza, was killed alongside ten members of her family when the Israeli army targeted her home in Gaza City April 16th, 2025

Fatima Hassouna of Palestine, a well known young Photojournalist who had been documenting on the ground in Gaza for 18 months

Fatima Hassouna had documented Israel’s genocide from its outset, often working under relentless bombardment. 

Her work was internationally recognized, featured by outlets like The Guardian, and shared widely on social media.  

 

“I’m happy that my photos are still going around to many places and being sold, and that… maybe my photos will live longer than I do, and that’s what makes me feel at peace,” she once wrote on Instagram.

“If I die, I want a resounding death. I do not want me in urgent news, nor in a number with a group. I want a death that the world hears, an effect that remains for the extent of the ages, and immortal images that neither time nor space buries." ~ Fatima Hassouna

Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting war in Gaza for 18 months and was subject of new documentary, killed along with 10 members of her family

As a young photojournalist living in Gaza, Fatima Hassouna knew that death was always at her doorstep. As she spent the past 18 months of war documenting airstrikes, the demolition of her home, the endless displacement and the killing of 11 family members, all she demanded was that she not be allowed to go quietly.

“If I die, I want a loud death,” Hassouna wrote on social media. “I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group, I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place.”

On Wednesday, just days before her wedding, 25-year-old Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit her home in northern Gaza. Ten members of her family, including her pregnant sister, were also killed.

Twenty-four hours before she was killed, it was announced that a documentary focusing on Hassouna’s life in Gaza since the Israeli offensive began would be debuted at a French independent film festival that runs parallel to Cannes.

Made by the Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, the film, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, tells the story of Gaza’s ordeal and the daily life of Palestinians through filmed video conversations between Hassouna and Farsi. As Farsi described it, Hassouna became “my eyes in Gaza … fiery and full of life. I filmed her laughs, her tears, her hopes and... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/18/gaza-photojournalist-killed-by-israeli-airstrike-fatima-hassouna?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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A martyr is a person who is killed or made to suffer because of their religious or other beliefs ... Talented artist Deem Zurub [Dina Khaled Mohammed Zaarab] drew pictures of people who died in Gaza- MARTYRs who died in Israel's war against the indigenous people of Palestine. Deem Zurub, a Palestinian refugee living in a tent, was killed by Israeli airstrike April 14th, 2025

Deem holding a drawing she did of a child killed by Israeli forces

Deem Zurub, Palestinian artist - She didn’t just sketch martyrs — she became one

Dina Khaled Mohammed Zaarab was killed in an Israeli strike on Rafah southern Gaza Strip, April 14th 2025.

Dina Zaarab—only 22 years old. 

Dina—the talented painter whose brush captured the unspeakable pain of genocide.

 

Dina—the girl who brought color to children’s faces while the world around them was gray with ash and fear.

 

Dina—the dreamer who wanted nothing more than to help her people, to bring water, food, smiles… hope.  

Israel kills 22-year-old Palestinian artist Dina Zaurub in airstrike on her displaced tent

Israeli forces have killed Palestinian artist Dina Khaled Zaurub in an airstrike west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The strike hit the tent where she and her family had taken shelter near the Sand Beach resort, Quds News Network reported.

The 22-year-old gained recognition for painting portraits of victims killed by Israel, honoring the lives lost during the ongoing genocide... READ MORE  https://maktoobmedia.com/world/israel-kills-22-year-old-palestinian-artist-dina-zaurub-in-airstrike-on-her-displaced-tent/

Zaurub received several honors throughout her life. In 2015, she won the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights Award for the best drawing on children’s rights in armed conflict. She was later recognized by the Ministry of Education and UNRWA for her work. She specialized in portraiture and used her art to document and honor the martyrs of Gaza.

"At an exhibition in Amsterdam, a long poster lists the names of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza. Standing before it is heartbreaking. Every loss hurts deeply." Samar Abu Elouf

Samar Abu Elouf

@samarabuelouf

At an exhibition in Amsterdam, a long poster lists the names of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza.

 

 Standing before it is heartbreaking. 

 

Every loss hurts deeply. 

 

May God have mercy on them, heal the wounded, and spare us further grief.

 Samar Abu Elouf

Photographer Freelance photojournalist based in Gaza James Foley Award 2021. contributor to @nytimes Member @womenphotograph Member @MarieColvinNet

"What is the image you’re waiting to see in order to understand what’s happening inside Gaza? Mahmoud is just a part of what’s happening there — to the children, the massive and terrifying amputations.“Stop the war, enough is enough.”"

Seder Plate [2006] poem by Susan Eisenberg

Seder Plate poem from Susan Eisenberg's 2006 book of Poetry BLIND SPOT

"For many Palestinians, especially Palestinian Christians, Maundy Thursday is not just a memory of faith but a reminder of their enduring connection to the land where Jesus walked... "

Sliman Mansour's The last supper (العشاء الأخير), oil on canvas, 1994

 

Daoud Kuttab داود كُتّاب

@daoudkuttab

 

Maundy Thursday, the night of the Last Supper, marks a profound moment when Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples in Jerusalem, breaking bread and offering wine as symbols of his body and blood—a gesture of love, sacrifice, and unity. This sacred event, rooted deeply in the land of Palestine, took place among olive trees, stone streets, and communities that still exist today.

 

For many Palestinians, especially Palestinian Christians, Maundy Thursday is not just a memory of faith but a reminder of their enduring connection to the land where Jesus walked. 

 

In a time when access to holy sites is often restricted and daily life is marked by struggle, the Last Supper becomes a symbol of resilience, hospitality, and hope—a sacred moment echoing through centuries of steadfast faith under occupation.

More than 2.1 million people are trapped in Gaza, they are starved and bombed and starved and bombed and bombed again and again and again. Men, women and children are starving and dying, while at crossing points food, medicine, fuel, and shelter supplies are piling up .... The siege must be lifted, crossings must re-open for a steady flow of aid, and the #ceasefire must be renewed.

UNRWA

@UNRWA

It has been nearly seven weeks since the State of Israel banned the entry of humanitarian aid, medical and commercial supplies, food, vaccines for children and fuel into the #Gaza Strip. 

 

The siege must be lifted, crossings must re-open for a steady flow of aid, and the #ceasefire must be renewed.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna: "One cannot be a Christian and a Zionist at the same time. To conflate the faith of love and peace with a racist political movement is a deliberate offense against Christianity"

Gaza has the most child amputees in history... An estimated ten children are amputated every hour in Gaza, most without anaesthesia, sedation or ven pain medication.

 

2024 The Children Who Lost Limbs in Gaza

2025 Gaza's child amputees struggle with recovery, especially after Israel's cutoff of aid

&  Gaza's amputees face life in war zone with little treatment, less hope

This photo released by World Press Photo shows Palestinian child Mahmoud Ajjour (9), who was hit by a missile from an Israeli warplane during the Gaza war and lost both arms. Mahmoud is one of the seriously wounded people from the Gaza Strip who made it to Qatar for medical treatment. The picture was taken by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times and was named World Press Photo 2025. Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/World Press Photo/dpa

Aid Blockade Leaves Children In Gaza At Grave Risk 

No food, fuel, medicine or other essentials have been allowed into the Gaza Strip since March 2, 2025, and supplies are rapidly running out — putting 1 million children in serious danger.

Easter celebrations have been canceled in the birthplace of Christ - an act of solidarity... "We lift up prayers to the Risen Christ, the Lord of peace, that this Feast of the Glorious Resurrection may be an occasion for peace and healing for our wounded hearts and for this sorrowful city. We also extend our warmest congratulations to our Christian brothers and sisters on this blessed feast, and we ask the Risen Christ to lift the oppression from this Holy Land, and to grant everyone safety, peace, stability, and a just and lasting peace."

 Statement from the Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: 

“In light of the tragic circumstances, and in the shadow of the brutality of war and the dire situation affecting our Palestinian people in the homeland, it has been decided to cancel all celebrations and traditional festive appearances for this holy occasion, and to limit the observance to prayers and strictly religious rituals only. 

On Holy Saturday, the Holy Fire will be received at the Church of the Nativity and delivered to His Excellency the American Consul General, Mr. Gregory Thome, in accordance with the protocol followed inside the church. 

We also affirm that we have no connection to any unofficial festive appearances that take place outside the church’s jurisdiction. These are not part of the church’s official program for this holy season. 

We lift up prayers to the Risen Christ, the Lord of peace, that this Feast of the Glorious Resurrection may be an occasion for peace and healing for our wounded hearts and for this sorrowful city. 

We also extend our warmest congratulations to our Christian brothers and sisters on this blessed feast, and we ask the Risen Christ to lift the oppression from this Holy Land, and to grant everyone safety, peace, stability, and a just and lasting peace.” 

Dear America- Please do not let this tragic situation became a reason for more people to be treated more unequally, with more Palestinians and Palestinian Americans being doxed, destroyed, and displaced.

United Nations Headquarters NYC sculpture Knotted Gun, by Fredrik Reuterswärd, titled 'Non Violence' no explanation necessary

Dear America,

So very shocking to see the pictures and hear the news about our Pennsylvania Governor's Mansion being attacked and set on fire. That must have been a terrifying time for Gov. Shapiro and his family.

I suspect it was attempted murder, and thank heavens he and his family are safe.

I don't think racist hate was the motive.  I think it was mental illness... Please do not let this tragic situation became a reason for more people to be treated more unequally, with more Palestinians and Palestinian Americans being doxed, destroyed, and displaced.

Racist hate is evil and wrong.  Universally wrong. Doesn't matter who or where racist hate happens: Israeli, Palestinian, American- we are all born equal, although we don't all grown up in a world that treats us as equals.

Violence and war only make the world more insecure and dangerous. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was carefully written and adopted in 1948 in response to the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.  It is the basis for international law and enlightenment.  

Did you know that between 1947 and 1949, Zionist military forces attacked major Palestinian cities and destroyed 530 Palestinian villages. Many Palestinians were killed in a series of mass atrocities, and many many more were forcibly displaced. We did not have cell phones and social media then but we do now, and we know that Israel continues to violently destroy Palestinian homes and lives.

Please don't add fuel to that fire.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

Let's use the best tool we have: EDUCATION against ignorance, prejudice, hatred, genocide

More journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza than in most major wars combined.

Gaza’s endangered heritage: 5,000 years of history at risk amid conflict

"This is what life is like in Gaza. The children aren’t being raised to hate. They’re being raised to be afraid. Afraid of being seen. Afraid of being heard. Not because of anything they or their families did, but because of the constant fear and violence brought by the Israeli military. This fear is shaping their lives. It’s leaving deep, invisible wounds that will take years—if not generations—to heal." Hani Almadhoun

Red Cross chief says Gaza is 'hell on earth' as Israeli assault continues... "No state, no party to a conflict... can be exempt from the obligation not to commit war crimes, not to commit genocide, not to commit ethnic cleansing,"

“If Mahmoud can be targeted in this way, simply for speaking out for Palestinians and exercising his constitutionally protected right to free speech, this can happen to anyone over any issue the Trump administration dislikes. We will continue working tirelessly until Mahmoud is free and rightfully returned home to his family and community.”

"“Peace needs bridges, not walls and military checkpoints.” But what we see today is more military barriers, more oppression in the West Bank, and the movement between cities and governorates has become a journey fraught with danger. Remove the military checkpoints. Tear down the apartheid walls that separate one human being from another" Atallah Hanna Archbishop of Sebastia Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem

Israel’s war on Palestinian political life in Jerusalem- by Daoud Kuttab: If Israel truly seeks peace and coexistence, it must begin by recognizing the rights of Palestinians to exist, organize and thrive. That includes respect for international law, the protection of educational and religious institutions, and allowing Palestinians the freedom to engage in normal political and civil life. The international community, in particular Israel’s allies, must also take note: Silence in the face of these violations is complicity. As Israel continues to claim the mantle of democracy, its actions in East Jerusalem tell another story, one of exclusion, repression and systematic erasure.

What is happening is, quite simply, annihilation. Yet our politicians keep funding it and media outlets normalize it. Gaza is a ‘killing field’ where people are being starved. How long will the world tolerate this? Arwa Mahdawi in The Guardian ... "If the western media did cover every public incitement to genocide made by Israeli politicians and thought leaders, then there would be no space to cover anything else."

"Not only is Palestine on the cross but so too are its inhabitants. The people of Palestine have been occupied, crushed, and oppressed by one empire after the other... It is tough to see one's country as a perpetual battlefield, to see it divided and torn apart. It is enervating to feel that one's country and people are occupied not by an equal but by an empire. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, Pastor in Bethlehem, Palestine

Palm Sunday in Gaza: Israel bombs Episcopal Hospital: Anglican Ahli Arab Hospital. One previously injured Palestinian child with a head injury dies during rushed evacuation process.

"These are not birds - they are the scattered remains of our brothers, flying through the skies of their occupied land." This is how Egyptian artist Abdullah Wagih described his artwork, in reference to the scene.

"The skies of Gaza tonight. Those aren’t streetlights. Those aren’t stars. Those are bombs carrying death and destruction." Dr. Omar Suleiman

Before & After

Buying Time for Genocide ...

This is what genocide looks like: Israel has dropped almost 80,000 tons of explosives - this means that Israel has dropped ~36 kilograms of explosives on Gaza for every man, woman, and child. Each red dot shows a bombed place in Gaza.

"If your God demands you shred kids & execute people trying to rescue them, then maybe you should seek a new God!"

9th Station of the Cross JERUSALEM – Jesus falls the third time

No War Please 

"We urge you to reconsider your stance and retract this endorsement. We need the Church’s voice to stand with justice and truth, not with narratives that conceal suffering and excuse oppression.

We need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world

For over 75 years Palestine Refugees have endured loss and hardship- UNWRA- Until there is a just solution to their plight, a world where Palestine refugees thrive: Families newly displaced by the escalation in northern Gaza, including Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, are facing dire conditions. With limited food and water, some of them now live in makeshift tents on the main street near the UNRWA Gaza main compound. #CeasefireNow

Don’t just blame Trump [and Republicans] – Democrats paved the way for this campus crackdow. Both parties are responsible for the mess facing Columbia and other institutions

Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac  2025 book tour USA 'Christ In The Rubble' ... Now more than ever, we need to talk about the American Church's role in what is happening in your country and ours, as we all are waking up to terrible news day after day.

Jewish Yale faculty sign letter denouncing attacks on pro-Palestine dissenters: The statement, which rejected “cynical” claims of antisemitism, urged universities across the U.S. to resist federal actions like the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil and to protect university members’ right to free speech.

"Hossam Shabat and Mohammad Mansour were the latest Palestinian journalists to be assassinated in Gaza. Responsibility for their killings rests in part on their Western colleagues who have failed to accurately cover Israel's genocidal assault. "

Sands of Sorrow. 1950 Dorothy Thompson speaks out about the people of Palestine... Palestine Diary "In spit of the efforts made in the documentary to bring attention to the humanitarian issues, it falls short of representing what these refugees needed most, their unquestionable right of return to their homes and towns, not a temporarily humanitarian relief while the Zionist settlers were colonizing and taking over the refugees' towns, farms and homes, and changing the geography and history books."

Dorothy Thompson: The journalist who warned us about Hitler... "There is a great quote, which she makes at the end of her life," says Walther. "She says, 'I had to speak out about this' — meaning attacks on Palestinian civilians — 'for the same reason I had to speak out about Hitler. But my Zionist friends do not seem to understand the universality of simple moral principles.' "

"The Holocaust did not start with gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes, and prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanisation and escalatin violence" Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau

"I have always believed that my duty is not only to liberate myself from the oppressor, but also to liberate my oppressors from their hatred and fear." ... I Am a Political Prisoner. A letter dictated by Mahmoud Khalil over the phone from ICE detention in Louisiana. Mahmoud Khalil March 18, 2025

From USS Liberty to Rachel Corrie: Israel’s Attacks on U.S. You Probably Didn’t Know About - Israel’s violent history with US citizens reveals a shocking pattern of attacks and impunity.

Dear America- Life is not a video game. These are real human beings and American made weaponry has been creating a Holocaust with The Rule of Lawlessness in the Holy Land.

Taxpayers' money should not be shoring up greed, corporate corruption, injustice, and war.

Please, let Golden Rule thinking and the rule of fair and just laws guide US all towards a better way forward.

State sponsored violence is not the way to convince vulnerable people to veer away from arming religious tyranny and terrorism.

Hate crimes are escalating here in America with people primed by to think, say and do horrible things...

Slavery, Segregation and Forced Displacement are wrong. Wrong then and wrong now

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

“Far too many states are enabling the genocide of the Palestinians, while turning also repressive toward their own citizens. This is both revolting and scary. We must stop it now.” —UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese

Gaza’s endangered heritage: 5,000 years of history at risk amid conflict

Remains of Anthedon, also referred to as Al Balakhiyya, was a Hellenistic city near Gaza (Photo courtesy of EBAF)

 By Saeb Rawashdeh - Apr 14,2025

JORDAN TIMES

AMMAN — The international community does not know how long will last the most recent of Zionist's offensives on Gaza, nor it can predict how much damage will be inflicted on the Arab and non-Jewish cultural heritage in the Gaza Strip. 

Because of that, relevant institutions, both local and international, should keep the record on artefacts, historical sites and cultural heritage that is under the constant threat.

In the early 12th century BC, groups probably originating in the Aegean established trading posts on the coastal plaine. They were known in historiography as "Sea people" and information on their ethnic origin varies. 

Sea people seem to be heterogeneous conglomeration of different ethnic groups from the Asia Minor, Greece and northern Mediterranen. However, our focus this time won't be on them.

"Conquered by the Assyrians in 734 BC, Gaza pledged allegiance to Nineveh. Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Gaza became a Babylonian outpost on the empire's Western frontier. In 539 BC, the Persian Cyrus seized Babylon and founded the Achaemenid Empire. During the Persian period, Gaza was the pearl of the Mediteranean," said British-affiliated archaeologist Claudine Dauphin. 

The archaeologist noted that all these historical periods have left their mark on an exceptional discovery in 1995: The ancient port and city of Anthedon at Tel Blakhiyyah, next to Shatteh refugee camp. 

Founded in the early 8th century BC as one of the Neo-Assyrian citadels of the buffer zone against Egypt, it was founded anew by Greek immigrants, probably from Anthedon in Beotia who took advantage of the 6th century BC boom in seaborn trade and established the new trading port of Anthedon of Palestine around 520 BC, Dauphin continued.

She added that it was active until the 12th century AD. The defensive site has been silted in, but parts of the city wall are still standing.  

The port structures used for fishing and shipbuilding and an aristocratic quarter with walls painted in Pompeii style (200 BC) were excavated by Franco-Palestinian expedition directed by Fr J.-B. Humbert, OP of EBAF, between 1995 and 2005, Dauphin underlined, adding that a Hellenistic city, Anthedon had an agora and temples. 

It was governed by a council (boule) of 500 members and had its own army commanded by a strategos, according to the Jewish Roman historian, Flavius Josephus.

In the course of his conquest of Syria, Alexander the great besieged Gaza in 332 BC, perpetrating massacres, looting and destruction. Rebuilt, Gaza regained its importance under his successors, the Ptolemaic Lagids in Egypt (323-30 BC) and the Seleucids (323-64 BC) ruling from Anatolia to the Indus.  

"In 97 BC, Gaza and Anthedon were conquered and devastated by the Jewish Hasmonean ruler, Alexander Janneus, and left deserted - a taste of what was intended but not fully achieved some 2000 years later, giving us as 21st century archaeologist hope for the renaissance of Gaza, since Anthedon was again important enough in the Byzantine province of Palaestina Prima (395–636) to become a suffragan bishopric of the metropolitan archbishopric of Caesarea Palaestinae," Dauphin underlined.

In the 4th century AD, the city became an episcopal see, though the worship of Venus and Astarte survived there until the 5th century according to Sozomenon. The first known bishop of Anthedon was Paul, who took part in the Councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451). 

Bishop Eustathius took part in the Council of Jerusalem (518), and Bishop Dorotheus in the Council of Jerusalem (536). 

Roman and Byzantine Gaza... READ MORE   https://jordantimes.com/news/local/gazas-endangered-heritage-5000-years-history-risk-amid-conflict

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"“Peace needs bridges, not walls and military checkpoints.” But what we see today is more military barriers, more oppression in the West Bank, and the movement between cities and governorates has become a journey fraught with danger. Remove the military checkpoints. Tear down the apartheid walls that separate one human being from another" Atallah Hanna Archbishop of Sebastia Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem

Archbishop Atallah Hanna on Palm Sunday

Faith Under Israeli Seige 

Archbishop Atallah Hanna 

Holy Monday, April 14, 2025 

 “The checkpoints and military walls stand in the way of our people. Many Christians have been unable to reach Jerusalem, and those who have were only able to do so after obtaining a permit through an exhausting and humiliating process—this is a violation of freedom of religion and the right to access holy places. 

 We call on all human rights and humanitarian organizations to pay attention to this extremely serious issue. Every Palestinian—Christian or Muslim—must enjoy the right to access the city of Jerusalem. No one should be denied access for any reason whatsoever. 

We recall the well-known saying, “Peace needs bridges, not walls and military checkpoints.” But what we see today is more military barriers, more oppression in the West Bank, and the movement between cities and governorates has become a journey fraught with danger. 

Remove the military checkpoints. Tear down the apartheid walls that separate one human being from another—for no mighty power will ever succeed in uprooting Jerusalem from the Christian and Islamic Palestinian soul.” 

 + Atallah Hanna Archbishop of Sebastia Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem - translated - Arabic source: https://facebook.com/story.php?stor

Years after it was deemed illegal by a UN court, the wall continues to cut through and divide Palestinian communities.  In Pictures.

What is happening is, quite simply, annihilation. Yet our politicians keep funding it and media outlets normalize it. Gaza is a ‘killing field’ where people are being starved. How long will the world tolerate this? Arwa Mahdawi in The Guardian ... "If the western media did cover every public incitement to genocide made by Israeli politicians and thought leaders, then there would be no space to cover anything else."

‘Palestinians aren’t just being exterminated with US-supplied bombs. The more insidious killer now is disease and starvation.’ Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Where do I even start? In recent weeks I’ve sat down to try and write about Gaza and, every time I steel myself to write about one atrocity, another atrocity is committed. Palestinian journalists have been burned alive, babies have frozen to death, medics have been executed and buried in mass graves, kids are being killed in their sleep. Meanwhile, in the US and Germany, speaking out about dead Palestinian babies can land you on a deportation list. Arguing that international human rights law should be respected can put you at risk of being snatched off the street and stuck in a detention centre.

I don’t know where to start and I don’t know what is really left to say at this point. After 18 months of endless carnage, it should be clear to everyone that this is not a war. That this is not self-defence. What is happening in Gaza is, quite simply, annihilation. A litany of genocide experts have stated this. Respected international organizations like Amnesty International have concluded that Israel is committing genocide – and yet our politicians are still funding this.

Palestinians aren’t just being exterminated with US-supplied bombs. The more insidious killer now is disease and starvation. On 2 March – more than a month ago – Israel cut off supplies to Gaza in an attempt to change the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Calling this an “aid blockade”, as headlines tend to do, doesn’t do justice to the horror of what is happening: this is not an “aid blockade” so much as it is a starvation campaign.

Gaza, after all, has been reduced to rubble; it’s not like there is food growing in the strip that people can rely on. An analysis of satellite imagery by the UN in November found that more than 90% of cattle had died and about 70% of land for crops in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged since the beginning of this iteration of the war in the territory.

Water is also being used as a weapon of war...  READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/13/gaza-killing-starved

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