Gaza’s plight: A reminder of the fragile peace this holiday season
Gaza’s plight: A reminder of the fragile peace this holiday season/node/2430616/middle-east
Gaza’s plight: A reminder of the fragile peace this holiday season
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Despite Cafod’s ongoing efforts, the demand for aid was escalating, including the need for the local currency Gazans need to buy essential items. (Catholic Church agency/@cnalive)
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Palestinians wave their identity cards as they gather to receive flour rations for their families outside a warehouse of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafah. (File/AFP)
Gaza’s plight: A reminder of the fragile peace this holiday season
Christmas lights dim in shadow of escalating conflict, as Christian charities push to get more aid into war-torn region
Updated 24 December 2023
Alex Whiteman
LONDON: As Christmas dawns, a somber mood overshadows the Holy Land on one of the Catholic calendar’s most important dates. Since the start of Israel’s military campaign, 20,000 lives have been lost in the Gaza Strip. It is a grim statistic that casts a long shadow over what should be a time of joy and celebration.
For Cafod, the Catholic Church’s official aid agency in England and Wales, the growing death toll figures have made for grim reading. Elizabeth Funnell is the agency’s representative for its Middle East country programs, a role that brings her face to face with the harsh realities of the conflict.
“Christmas is one of the most important times of year, with many Catholics and Christians around the world making pilgrimages,” she told Arab News.
“These pilgrims make this trip looking for light, looking for hope as they enter the new year. But for many in the Holy Land, this year will be a Christmas marked by pain. Whether in Gaza or the West Bank, the region as a whole is suffering. What it needs is a ceasefire.”
Funnell was speaking just days after a mother and daughter were killed while walking in the grounds of Gaza’s only Catholic church.
The patriarchate of the Holy Family Church described the killings of Nahida Anton and her young daughter, Samar, as “cold-blooded” and laid the blame on an Israeli sniper.
The incident sent ripples of outrage and sorrow through communities worldwide, further emphasizing the dire situation in the region.
Even Pope Francis was vocal in his response to the events. In a public address, he lamented the deaths and criticized the targeting of “unarmed civilians” in Gaza.
“I continue receiving very serious and sad news about Gaza,” he said at the end of the Angelus prayer.
“Some are saying this is terrorism and war. Yes, it is war, it is terrorism … let us pray to the Lord for peace in these troubled times.”
Funnell said there was now a critical need for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
“Before Oct. 7, an average of 500 aid trucks would pass daily through the Rafah border into Gaza,” she said. “Yesterday, however, we saw a drastic reduction, with only 104 trucks managing to cross.”
Despite Cafod’s ongoing efforts, Funnell said the demand for aid was escalating, including the need for the local currency Gazans need to buy essential items.
“We work with local partners who’ve done a huge amount to procure supplies from local markets and we’ve got some aid in, eight trucks and another 13 waiting in the last 24 hours,” she said.
It was now vital that commercial crossings were reopened, she said.
“If we can get those opened, that will add to the supplies that NGOs and charities can supply via aid crossings. We are pushing the UK government to in turn push the Israelis to open these crossings.”
Funnell called for global solidarity with the Pope’s appeal for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and encouraged supporters to engage with their political representatives.
“We’ve been asking supporters to write to their MPs. It’s so important that we raise our voices, joining the pope, who has been very outspoken on the need for a political solution.”
She also highlighted the underlying causes of the conflict and their impact on the people of Gaza, notably the young who face bleak employment prospects.
“I think this is something we really want to stress,” she said. “Gaza is full of so many with high levels of education and yet they lack for opportunities despite having shown great ingenuity in creating work for themselves, whether through marking, online coding or translation work.
“But the conditions of the occupation, including electricity and internet outages (even before the war) have tested the resolve of even the Strip’s most resilient.”
Funnell said international and Israeli leaders needed to understand how the occupation restricted Palestinians.
“As Pope Francis said, what we need is a solution that brings peace and security for everyone.
“It’s a political problem that demands a political solution, which is the only path to true and lasting peace.”
Head of Tunisia olive oil giant held on corruption suspicion: media
Mosaique FM reported that a total of 15 people, including a former agriculture minister, are being prosecuted in the case
Updated 11 sec ago
AFP
TUNIS: The head of Tunisia’s leading olive oil exporter, CHO group, has been detained on suspicion of corruption, local media reported on Monday.
Tunisian website Business News, citing a source familiar with the case, said the detention of Abdelaziz Makhloufi, CHO’s president, had been extended until Tuesday.
The company is known abroad for its Terra Delyssa brand olive oil.
Makhloufi is also known in Tunisia for being the president of football team CS Sfaxien.
He was initially questioned on November 2 as part of an investigation into suspected corruption in the management of the Henchir Chaal state-owned lands which include 360,000 olive plants, local media said.
Mosaique FM reported that a total of 15 people, including a former agriculture minister, are being prosecuted in the case.
President Kais Saied, whose critics accuse of ushering in a new authoritarian regime, has made fighting corruption a priority.
Along with dates, olive oil is one of Tunisia’s main agricultural exports.
Official figures foresee production of about 340,000 tons in the 2024-25 season, putting Tunisia alongside Turkiye and just ahead of Greece and Italy, but far behind Spain’s 1.3 million tons.
Tunisian authorities expect a 50-percent increase in olive oil exports this year, at about 300,000 tons.
Jordan condemns Israeli minister’s comments on West Bank sovereignty
Smotrich adamant about rejecting establishment of Palestinian state in West Bank and Gaza Strip
Updated 52 min 52 sec ago
Arab News
LONDON: Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Monday condemned statements by Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich instructing government staff to work on applying Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich wrote on X on Monday that “2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” two biblical names Israeli government officials use to refer to Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
Earlier, he told a meeting of the Religious Zionism political faction, which is part of the coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that he had instructed Israeli authorities “to begin professional and comprehensive staff work” to apply sovereignty over the West Bank, Ynet reported.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Smotrich’s statements were a “flagrant violation of international law and the Palestinian right to an independent, sovereign state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Palestinians have long sought the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as the territories for their future state, a demand recognized by Arab states and the majority of UN members.
Sufian Qudah, a spokesperson for the ministry, confirmed Amman’s “firm rejection of these provocative statements, emphasizing that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territories,” the Jordan News Agency reported.
He called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank and to ensure the protection of the Palestinian people.
Smotrich, who also has a supervisory role within Israel’s Defense Ministry, has been adamant about rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, supported the expansion of illegal settlements and called for annexing the Jordan Valley, an agriculturally rich region that borders Jordan.
On Monday, he said that Donald Trump’s election victory “brings with it an important opportunity for Israel,” a possible reference to the president-elect recognizing Israel’s push for sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that Smotrich’s comments signal that Israel intends to fulfil its plans to control the West Bank in 2025, in disregard of international law.
“These statements are an Israeli confirmation to the entire world that the occupation’s new plan will focus on the West Bank in order to implement the racist annexation and expansion and to consolidate the occupation,” Abu Rudeineh said.
“We also hold the American administration responsible for its continued support for the [Israeli] occupation to continue its crimes,” he added.
The spokesman said that 2025 will be the year in which an independent Palestinian state will be established with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Hezbollah says ties with Lebanese army remain ‘strong and solid’
Media officer says group has not received Israeli proposal for ceasefire
Israel ‘will never win the war’ by killing women, children, spokesperson says
Updated 11 November 2024
NAJIA HOUSSARI
BEIRUT: Hezbollah has not received any proposals on a truce for Lebanon, a spokesperson for the group said on Monday.
Mohammed Afif, a media relations officer, was speaking at a press conference amid the rubble in southern Beirut after 45 days of aerial bombardment.
“So far, nothing official or specific proposals have reached Lebanon or us regarding a settlement that we hear much talk about,” he said.
“We hear about a related, significant political movement between Tehran, Washington and Moscow, but I do not expect anything specific soon.”
Afif said Hezbollah’s relationship with the Lebanese army was “strong and solid and will remain so. We appreciate the army’s role in protecting the national territory and security.”
His comments came after Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem last week questioned the role of the military in confronting Israeli commandos’ violation of territorial waters and the kidnapping of a sea captain from Batroun.
It also comes after Israel leaked a draft settlement that includes a provision for the Lebanese army to dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure south of the Litani River as part of the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.
The draft, which was leaked to the Israeli media, said Hezbollah “will withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and will not renew its military presence in the area between the Litani and the border with Israel.”
It continued: “The Israeli army will withdraw from the current first line of Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and return to the international border. The Lebanese army will dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure in the area between the border and the Litani River within 60 days of signing the agreement, which will include international guarantees from the US and Russia to prevent Hezbollah from rearming in Lebanon.”
The draft said that Syria would be responsible for stopping any transfer of weapons from its territory to Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement by rearming or conducting military operations against Israel or Israelis, the Israeli army will have the right to respond while seeking international support for such actions,” it said.
During the press conference, Afif reiterated Hezbollah’s position that “the reality of the battlefield will have the final say in politics and decisions.”
He said the Israelis “will never win the war with aerial superiority, destruction or the killing of civilians, including women and children.”
“If you cannot advance on the ground and take actual control, you will never achieve your political goals and northern residents will never return to the north,” he said.
Responding to claims by Israeli officials that Hezbollah’s missile stockpile had dwindled to 20 percent of its original size, Afif said: “Last week, Hezbollah’s missiles reached the suburbs of Tel Aviv and Haifa. Centers and camps were shelled for the first time in the Golan and Haifa and the Fateh 110 missile was used, and we have more.
“The fighters on the front line have enough weapons, ammunition and supplies for a long war that we are preparing for at all levels.”
A security source told Arab News that aside from Hezbollah’s narrative regarding the course of the conflict, the Israeli army had “adopted a scorched earth strategy in the south to avoid the mistakes made during the 2006 war.”
“The army has altered its combat system, opting to advance with infantry forces instead of tanks, which have become targets for Hezbollah,” the person said.
“The tanks are now utilized as fire support in the second echelon. The Israeli forces are destroying everything in their line of sight before advancing, effectively neutralizing the traps set by Hezbollah operatives.”
The source said the Israeli army “relies on drones to reveal the front sector of infantry units and to identify targets for artillery or airstrikes, which has contributed to the success of its advance in many areas. This is happening in the absence of anti-drone missiles, as their use by Hezbollah would expose the launch sites, presenting the party with an unexpected new challenge.”
Using these tactics, Israel was able to penetrate most of the border villages despite resistance from the fighters, the source said.
“It also destroyed the tunnels adjacent to the border. Israel may be inclined to delay its operations and negotiations to cut off the supply routes to Hezbollah and shift the situation in its favor.”
A significant decrease in hostilities was reported on Monday as Lebanon issued a fresh complaint to the UN Security Council in response to Israel’s “repeated aggressions on UNIFIL forces and its further violation of the Blue Line by removing two barrels that signify the withdrawal line.”
The Foreign Ministry submitted the complaint through Lebanon’s permanent mission to the UN in New York.
Also on Monday, the Israeli army reiterated its warning to Lebanese people living in 21 towns along the border area to evacuate. It also blew up several houses on the outskirts of the border town of Aita Al-Shaab.
Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of three individuals in the town of Sarifa. The attacks also affected an area close to Batoulieh near the Rashidiya Palestinian refugee camp in Tyre, as well as towns in Marjeyoun and Nabatieh districts.
Baalbek-Hermel Gov. Bashir Khadr said that a survey of the Baalbek archaeological site had been finalized and that there were no people or objects there that could justify Israel’s attack on the site.
He was speaking after the castle surrounding the site and an ancient building nearby were hit by several airstrikes over the past week.
The strikes resumed on Monday in Shmustar and Taraya, coinciding with the funerals of victims from the deadly and destructive attacks that took place in the region on Sunday.
The death toll reached 18, with the majority of victims women and the elderly.
Since the start of the Israeli onslaught in the Baalbek-Hermel region and extending into central Bekaa, 796 people have been killed and more than 1,350 injured. In that time there have been 1,157 airstrikes.
Hezbollah said it targeted two military gatherings on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Maroun Al-Ras, as well as Al-Abad in Israel, the occupied city of Safed and the settlements of Ma’a lot-Tarshiha and Avivim.
The Israeli side said 13 people were injured as a result of a missile barrage targeting Upper Galilee and Western Galilee.
How a Lebanese researcher is using visual data to map Israeli military’s use of white phosphorus
White phosphorus is used to create smokescreens on battlefields, but its misuse has many public health implications
Ahmad Baydoun maps Israel’s use of the chemical compound in southern Lebanon to document its environmental impact
Updated 11 November 2024
Nadia Al-Faour
DUBAI: When Ahmad Baydoun left Lebanon in 2022 to pursue a PhD on weaponized environments in Amsterdam, he did not anticipate his research would soon become essential in documenting devastation in his homeland.
His work has gained significance in the wake of escalating violence in Lebanon’s south, where reports allege Israeli forces have used white phosphorus in populated areas with severe consequences for the environment and public health.
White phosphorus is an incendiary substance known for emitting bright light, intense burning and thick smoke.
A view of M825 and M825A1 artillery shells labeled D528, the US Department of Defense Identification Code for "white phosphorus-based munitions" in Sderot, Israel on October 09, 2023. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Although it is permissible under international law to use phosphorus to obscure military movements, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons prohibits deploying it near civilians.
Using geolocated visual data to trace the environmental impact of military tactics, Baydoun has been documenting Israel’s use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, both to bear witness and to demand accountability.
“Geolocation humanizes those affected and gives precision,” Baydoun told Arab News. “It’s hard to look away when you see the impact on people’s homes and landscapes.”
FASTFACTS
• White phosphorus is a chemical substance that ignites upon exposure to oxygen, creating intense, long-lasting flames and thick smoke.
• It is used militarily to obscure movement, mark targets and create smokescreens on battlefields.
• Contact with white phosphorus causes severe burns, respiratory damage and eye irritation, and it can be fatal if inhaled or absorbed.
• Residual chemicals seep into soil and water, contaminating crops and harming biodiversity, with lasting ecological damage.
• International law restricts white phosphorus use in civilian areas under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Geneva Protocol.
Baydoun’s journey from academia to advocacy was unexpected. His fascination with architectural policies and conflict initially revolved around how built environments could be manipulated for control and exclusion during wartime.
However, when cross-border exchanges between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia began on Oct. 8, 2023, the situation demanded a response.
Wounded Lebanese child Haidar Hijazi, 5, rests at hospital in Sidon on September 27, 2024, after he was injured following an Israeli airstrike that targeted his home village of al-Sharkiyah in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
Hezbollah began firing rockets into populated areas of northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas, prompting Israel to retaliate.
In northern Israel, the conflict has forced some 96,000 people to leave their homes. To date, 68 Israeli security personnel and 43 civilians have been killed, according to official tallies.
Israel’s campaign of airstrikes and “limited” ground operations have displaced more than a million Lebanese from their homes, while the death toll has surpassed 3,000, according to health officials.
Members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the southern Lebanese Marjayoun district, near the border with Israel, on October 16, 2024. (AFP)
Baydoun shifted from theoretical work to real-time monitoring, using satellite imagery, social media, and data verification to map alleged phosphorus attacks on Lebanese villages.
The Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research estimates that 117 phosphoric bombs have been fired into southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, since October 2023. Many of these have reportedly sparked fires, engulfing fields, forests and villages.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Environment has previously said some 462 hectares of forests and farmland were destroyed between October and November 2023. The Ministry of Health has also called on the international community to condemn the use of white phosphorus and to intervene.
The devastation and destruction of many villages along the Blue Line, and even beyond, is shocking, says Andrea Tenenti, UNIFIL spokesperson
Despite Israel’s insistence that its use of phosphorus serves only as a smokescreen to shield its soldiers’ movements, local Lebanese officials say the weapons are part of a larger strategy to render the area uninhabitable, pushing residents to evacuate en masse.
The use of white phosphorus in populated areas is not just a violation of international law, but a public health threat. When it comes into contact with the skin, it causes extreme, often fatal, burns. It also produces thick fumes that irritate the eyes and respiratory system.
Wounds caused by phosphorus burns can continue to inflict damage days after exposure, requiring extensive medical care — often unavailable in the midst of conflict.
Ahmad Baydoun. (Supplied)
Mental health issues also proliferate among survivors, with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and insomnia becoming prevalent. The persistent psychological impact, especially for children, is immense and underreported.
The environmental damage is equally far-reaching. When the chemical compound seeps into the soil, it contaminates vegetation and crops, potentially rendering large areas of farmland unusable.
Additionally, chemicals can leach into rivers and water systems, destroying biodiversity and threatening communities reliant on these resources.
People watch as a smoke cloud erupts after a rocket fired by an Israeli war plane hit a building in Beirut's southern suburb of Shayah on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
“We’re not just talking about Lebanon,” said Baydoun. “If these areas aren’t detoxified, we’ll see consequences across the region. Lebanese agricultural exports could carry these toxins, affecting ecosystems and markets beyond our borders.”
Agriculture makes up a significant part of Lebanon’s economy. The contamination of farmland in Lebanon’s south — an area once responsible for much of the country’s crop production — could deal a severe blow to the local economy and food security.
Farmers in southern Lebanon, many already impoverished, face the loss of homes and livelihoods. The destruction of olive groves, citrus orchards and wheat fields reduces local sustenance and regional exports, deepening Lebanon’s economic crisis.
Fire sweep over the Marjayoun plain in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel after being hit by Israeli shelling on August 16, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
While Baydoun works from Amsterdam, his research methods allow him to follow developments closely.
He employs techniques such as geolocation, where he uses digital imagery and coordinates to pinpoint attacks, and chronolocation, a process of using environmental cues like shadow lengths to estimate times.
These tools help him cross-verify incidents with reliable satellite data, providing accurate, real-time assessments.
A farmer collects his dead livestock which was killed by Israeli bombardment that hit a farm along the hills of the village of Jezzine in southern Lebanon early on July 8, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
“Verifying attacks can be complex given how rife misinformation and AI manipulation have become,” said Baydoun. “But every precise verification adds to a larger story — one that’s too compelling to ignore.”
He is not alone in his commitment to these methods. Collaborating with digital investigative platforms, Baydoun joins a global community of researchers dedicated to documenting environmental violence.
Together, they expose patterns of harm that may otherwise remain concealed.
Medical staff care for victims after the Israeli military struck a Beirut's southern suburb, on July 30, 2024, at Bahman hospital. (AFP)
Baydoun also works closely with Lebanese journalist-activists, who help him obtain localized information from remote areas that journalists can no longer access due to safety concerns.
“No one is there to report on what is happening in the south anymore,” said Baydoun. “There is only the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and satellite imagery as sources of information.
“I have previously worked on a map showing how close Israel was bombing near the UN peacekeepers in the area. The peacekeeping forces suffered from gastrointestinal complications, and skin irritations; both are unique effects of exposure to white phosphorus.”
UNIFIL is a UN peacekeeping mission established in 1978 to administer the Blue Line demarking the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Despite spokesperson Andrea Tenenti previously saying that an investigation had found “possible traces of the use of white phosphorus” in close proximity to a UNIFIL base, a confidential report recently published by the Financial Times has been more damning.
The report mentions various incidents where Israeli forces have mounted attacks on or near UNIFIL bases in Lebanon. In one incident, the Israel Defense Forces reportedly used white phosphorus at close range, injuring 15 UN peacekeepers in the process.
The report details the attack of Oct. 13, in which two Israeli tanks breached the main gate of a UNIFIL base and remained inside for 45 minutes. Shortly after, the IDF fired shells approximately 100 meters north of the base, emitting “suspected white phosphorus smoke,” which injured UNIFIL personnel.
“Despite putting on protective masks, 15 peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions after the smoke entered the camp,” the report said.
Israel denied directly striking the compound and said the IDF was using the smokescreen for cover as it attempted to evacuate soldiers.
Israel had previously demanded the withdrawal of the UNIFIL peacekeepers from 31 of their bases along the Israeli-Lebanese border, as the areas had become “active combat zones.”
The international community has faced criticism for its muted response to Israel’s use of white phosphorus in Lebanon.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned the use of white phosphorus in densely populated regions in previous conflicts, but statements from world leaders have yet to directly address the allegations in Lebanon.
For Baydoun, his work on the subject serves as both documentation and advocacy. His research could prove critical, providing an account of Lebanon’s suffering that would otherwise go unseen. But the toll is personal, too.
“I’ve had my share of sleepless nights,” he said. “Emotions run high when attacks happen close to loved ones. You’re working for your country, and it’s hard to stop.”
Gaza mother struggling to feed children says only death can end their suffering
Updated 11 November 2024
Reuters
GAZA: Itimad Al-Qanou, a Palestinian mother struggling to feed her seven children, feels abandoned by everyone.
She sometimes feels that death is the best way to end her family’s suffering after a year of war that has turned Gaza into a bombed-out wasteland gripped by hunger.
“Let them drop a nuclear bomb and end it. We don’t want this life we’re living; we are dying slowly. Have mercy on us. Look at these children,” said the mother of three boys and four girls aged between eight and 18.
Children in their town of Deir Al-Balah crowd at a charity site with empty pots, desperate for nourishment. Aid workers distribute lentil soup from a pot. But it is never enough to stave off hunger and ease widespread panic.
Qanou says her family faces the Israeli airstrikes that have killed tens of thousands of people and flattened much of Gaza on the one side, and hunger on the other.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid were allowed through the Erez crossing into northern Gaza on Monday.
The US will decide this week on whether Israel has made progress toward improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and how Washington will respond.
Global food security experts said there is a “strong likelihood” that famine is imminent in parts of northern Gaza as Israel pursues a military offensive against Hamas militants there.
In response to the famine warning, the head of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon.
Aside from the hunger, Gazans say they have no place to go that is safe after repeated evacuations left them living in tent encampments until they need to move again to escape more strikes.
Some say their plight is even worse than the 1948 “Nakba” or “Catastrophe” when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were dispossessed of their homes.
With the war in Gaza now in its 14th month, Israel is focusing its operations in the north and centre in what it says is a campaign to stop Hamas militants waging attacks and to prevent them from regrouping.
