Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Entering the 28th day, Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have entered high intensity. The outbreak of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas has even spread to surrounding countries.
The following is another update regarding the war raging in the Middle East, as quoted by CNBC Indonesia from various sources on Friday (3/11/2023).
Death toll reaches 9,000 people
The death toll among Palestinians killed as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza has now exceeded 9,000 since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. This data was provided by the Gaza-based Ministry of Health as of Thursday evening.
Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra told a news conference that the death toll rose to 9,061, including 3,760 children and 2,326 women. Meanwhile, the number of injured victims exceeded 32,000 people.
He said Israeli forces carried out 15 attacks in the last 24 hours while killing 256 people and wounding hundreds more. On the other hand, 135 Palestinians have now been killed in the West Bank since October 7.
As many as 37 journalists were also reported to have died while covering Israel’s war. A total of 32 from Palestine, four Israeli journalists and one Lebanese journalist.
4 Gaza Refugee Camps Damaged in the Last 24 Hours
Commissioner general of the UN agency for refugees in Palestine, UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini said the Israeli attack damaged four refugee camps in Gaza.
Starting from a school in the Jabalia refugee camp – which killed at least 20 people and injured five – to another school in the Beach refugee camp in northern Gaza, with one child reportedly killed.
The attack also badly damaged two schools in the Al Bureij refugee camp. Where two people were reported killed and 31 injured.
“Since the start of the war on 7 October, nearly 50 UNRWA buildings and assets have been affected, some of them directly,” he said.
“As is currently happening, this includes UNRWA buildings which are used as shelters where UNRWA currently accommodates around 700,000 people,” he stressed.
“A total of 25 of these shelters are in northern Gaza, housing 112,000 people.”
It should be noted that the schools that were turned into shelters that were attacked housed almost 20,000 people. A total of 72 UNRWA staff have died in the war so far.
102 Aid Trucks Enter Gaza But…
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said 102 trucks containing humanitarian aid had entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border. But unfortunately no fuel was imported.
“The items contained supplies such as food, water, relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment,” PRCS said in a post on X.
“However, there is no permit to bring fuel,” he explained, adding that this energy source was also important for hospitals.
Political Leaders ‘Dehumanize’ Palestinian Citizens
The UN expert on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, said there had been “a lot of dehumanization” involved in the Palestinian conflict. His statement referred to an “unprecedented” increase in Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, a region other than Gaza.
“In my opinion, these actions … were encouraged by Israel’s political and military leaders, and then … trickled down to the individual level,” he said.
He said dehumanization of Palestinians also appeared to be prevalent in Europe and America. Anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia are on the rise
“I have seen myself doxing students, threats and a climate full of violence. Anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia is on the rise. And, this is often condoned by local political leaders,” he stressed.
Massive Protests in the US Demand a Ceasefire
Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza are endemic in the US. IfNotNow, a progressive Jewish-American advocacy group, said activists had closed a highway in the North Carolina city of Durham to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
“What is happening to the people of Gaza cannot be allowed to continue,” the group wrote in X, urging Biden to “stop the bombs.”
The group also said a sit-in was taking place at the largest train station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The violence, he stressed, must end.
“The violence against the people of Gaza must end, the hostages must be freed, and we need a political solution. More deaths will solve nothing,” IfNotNow said in a separate social media post.
Meanwhile, a Democrat in the US Senate, Dick Durbin, asked for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to him, this must be done immediately.
“I think so,” Durbin said, adding that the release of prisoners held in Gaza should be part of a potential ceasefire agreement, as per an interview with CNN International.
“I admit, this has been going on for decades. Whatever the initial reasons, it has now reached intolerable levels,” said the US politician regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We need to have a resolution in the Middle East that gives hope for the future.”
As the bombing of Gaza intensifies, pressure is mounting for Washington to call for an end to the war. But instead of that, US President Joe Biden’s government called for a “humanitarian pause”.
“The war must end. It is not just a humanitarian pause,” he concluded.
US Gives IDR 221 T to Israel
The Republican-led US House of Representatives passed a bill that would give Israel US$14 billion or around IDR 221 trillion. However, this will cut the tax agency’s budget.
Amnesty International Condemns Israel
Amnesty International’s Donatella Rovera said that investigations into four incidents on October 10, 11, 16 and 17 in Gaza and Lebanon showed that Israel used white phosphorus. These weapons are only used in civilian areas.
“The incident that occurred raises concerns because white phosphorus has been used by Israeli forces in the past and has had a negative impact on the civilian population,” Rovera said.
“This is something that should not be used in areas where there are civilians. It is not a prohibited weapon – it can be used on the battlefield and troops do use it legally – but it should not be used where there are civilians,” he said.
“We have seen that this has been used in Gaza and Lebanon and this must not happen again.”
Hamas Bombards Israel
A number of attacks bombarded Israel, Thursday evening local time. Several missiles were reported to have been fired from Lebanese territory into the Jewish land.
“Israel is suffering damage,” he wrote Al Jazeera in his report early Friday morning.
“Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ Lebanese wing claims responsibility”.
Video footage also shows how a number of fires occurred. Rockets appeared to hit cars and buildings in Israel.
The fire also stopped a number of vehicles. However, no officers were seen extinguishing the fire. It is written that the area is Qiyat Shemona. However, there has been no official statement from Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah “Goes Down the Mountain”
The Lebanon-based group said they attacked military positions along the border simultaneously at 15:30 local time. It said it targeted the positions with “missiles, artillery fire” and other weapons.
Cross-border gunfire has increased ahead of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah’s speech this Friday. Previous attacks from Lebanon also hit Israeli military positions and a town in the north of the country.
Israel Claims to Be Siege of Gaza
The Israeli military said it had surrounded Gaza, Thursday evening local time. This was confirmed by Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari after days of expanding ground operations.
“The Israeli army has completed the siege of Gaza city, the center of the Hamas terror organization,” Hagari was quoted as telling reporters AFP.
“The concept of a ceasefire is currently not at all discussed,” he added.
The same thing was also published in the Al-Jazeera report. Hagari said Israeli forces “attacked outposts, Hamas headquarters, launched positions and launched infrastructure”.
“We are involved in face-to-face combat,” he was quoted as saying by the Qatari media.
In the observation of local journalists, it was also mentioned how Israeli tanks entered the city. One of them is at Al-Shifa and Jalan Eldeen.
“Heavy firefights took place between the battle groups and Israeli tanks trying to enter the city center,” the report added.
From the same report, the situation in Gaza is reported to be increasingly tense. Friday morning, the sound of ambulances reportedly roared through the area.
Apart from ground operations, Israel continues to bombard the area. The buzz of Israeli military drones can also be heard in Gaza. Even though the UN says around 300,000 Palestinian refugees are still in northern Gaza.
UN Screams Genocide
UN experts say it is difficult to “prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. He criticized Israel for refusing to “stop plans to annihilate” the bombarded Palestinian territories.
“We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” said the experts, including several UN special rapporteurs on the right to food, safe drinking water and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Their statement is also in line with the UN Human Rights Office. The agency said that Israel’s recent attack on the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza’s largest, was a “blatant violation of international law and a war crime”.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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Hamas vs Israel war getting crazier, death toll reaches 3,565
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