Israel’s war on Gaza: 34 Palestinians killed in Gaza since dawn
- At least 34 Palestinians have been killed in unrelenting Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, medical sources tell Al Jazeera, as fighting rages in the south.
- At least 13 Palestinians, including three children, are killed in Israeli air strikes on two homes in the Mesbah area of southern Gaza’s Rafah city.
‘This is an ethnic cleansing campaign’ in Gaza
Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute, says American officials are not working as hard as they suggest at securing a lasting truce deal in Gaza.
“If they were really adamant about a ceasefire, then they would exert pressure on Israel,” Elmasry told Al Jazeera, adding the United States holds “all of the leverage over Israel”.
“Those who are waiting for the US to finally apply pressure are in for a rude awakening,” he added.
Elmasry said Washington has been funding “Israel’s genocide” and consistently shielded its government at the United Nations.
“The plan all along was to destroy Gaza … This is an ethnic cleansing campaign,” Elmasry said.
While Israel has failed to achieve all of its “objectives”, the war on Gaza will likely continue, he said.
Can Israel destroy Hamas?
Hamas is able to keep fighting the Israeli army despite its losses, say senior leaders, after Israel announced the group no longer existed as a military force in Gaza.
Hamas says it’s recruiting a new generation. So can Israel destroy Hamas?
US wants Israel to explain ‘abhorrent behaviour’ as troops push bodies off roof
Videos appearing to show Israeli forces throwing Palestinian bodies off a roof in the occupied West Bank are “deeply disturbing”, the White House says.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said if the footage is corroborated “it clearly would depict abhorrent and egregious behaviour by professional soldiers”.
“We reached out immediately to our Israeli counterparts about it, and we pressed them for more details. They have assured us that they’re going to investigate this and that there will be proper accountability if it’s warranted,” said Kirby.
“We’re going to be very eager to see what the [Israeli army] investigation finds and, as always, we expect that investigation be done thoroughly and transparently.”
Video of the incident, circulated widely on social media, shows Israeli troops tossing bodies off a roof of a multi-story house in the city of Qabatiya after a deadly raid.
Israeli strategy always to control region and ‘neutralise’ opposition
Israel’s “consistent strategy” for the past few decades has been to “dominate Palestine and the surrounding area to the point it neutralises any opposition to it,” Rami Khoury, a professor at the American University of Beirut, said.
“But it just doesn’t work … human beings who are subjugated will resist,” Khoury told Al Jazeera.
Israel’s violent policies have pushed groups to become “more proficient at resistance”, both politically and militarily, he said.
Some 80 percent of the world is supporting the Palestinians because “they understand that what’s going on now is the last colonial uprising and colonial struggle for independence in the entire world”.
‘Netanyahu knows the Americans cannot stop him’
Israeli political analyst Akiva Eldar says most of the Israeli public supports Netanyahu as he and his “radical right” ministers continue to pound the Gaza Strip.
“Domestically, he’s leaning on a solid coalition in parliament. The Israeli public is tired, there is a fatigue and the army is exhausted. So I’m not sure how long it will last,” Eldar told Al Jazeera.
But he added: “Netanyahu is obsessively looking at the polls and it looks like in the last few weeks – since Israel was able to target leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas – his position is improving in the polls. So he’ll keep doing this.
“What we need here to put an end to this is a responsible adult. Right now, the American administration and the American people are busy with their own elections. And Netanyahu takes advantage of this, and he knows the Americans cannot stop him and he can keep doing what he’s been doing for the last year.”
UNRWA sprays pesticides to protect displaced people from insects
The UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) says displaced families in Khan Younis are sheltering in open spaces without a sewage network or a rainwater drainage system, making them prone to health issues.
Its teams have sprayed pesticides and removed waste “as reptiles, rodents, and insects spread”, the agency said.
One of the displaced people there, a mother who fled from Gaza City, said the presence of insects and rodents “poses a huge risk to my children’s health”.
As Israeli attacks surge, President Biden says Gaza truce ‘realistic’
Reaching a Gaza ceasefire is still realistic, US President Joe Biden says at the White House, telling reporters: “We have to keep at it until we get it done, but we’ve got a way to go.”
Asked if getting an agreement may be slipping out of reach in the final months of his presidency, Biden said he still had hope and his national security team continues its efforts.
“If I ever said it wasn’t realistic, we might as well leave,” Biden said. “A lot of things don’t look realistic until we get them done.”
The Biden administration has been accused of not doing enough to rein in Israel, including halting weapons transfers. after nearly a year of war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.
