Rwanda, Mali Ink 19 Cooperation Agreements

By Al Mayadeen English

28 May 2024 

Rwanda and Mali held the first Joint Permanent Commission meeting on Monday, leading to the first substantial cooperation deals between the two countries.

Rwanda and Mali signed a total of 19 agreements in various sectors, including defense, security, justice, health, mining, energy, agriculture, fishing, environment, and climate change on Monday. 

The two African nations inked the deals following discussions of a Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) that convened earlier, chaired by Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Biruta and his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop. 

Diop made an official visit to the country, where he also met with President Paul Kagame, in which he conveyed a message from the head of the Malian government, Colonel Assimi Goita. 

The JPC focused on discussing avenues for trade and cooperation, boosting bilateral ties between the two countries. 

As a result of the meeting, additional agreements were reached on matters such as citizenship, culture, tourism, higher education, transport, national reconciliation, and the free movement of persons and goods. 

Intentions to boost cooperation were first made news after an agreement was reached between government representatives during a sideline meeting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, in September 2023. The agreement established the Grand Mixed Commission of Cooperation. 

Diop: Africa is in a stage of mutual learning

Mali first opened its embassy in Rwanda in 2017, however, the two countries had not established substantial bilateral agreements up until Monday. It is worth noting that Diop is serving under Colonel Goita's government, which has worked on establishing strong ties with its neighbors and regional states. 

In a statement, Diop said that African governments are in phases of "mutual learning," stressing that African nations must "understand that what binds us together is extremely important," in comparison to what binds them to partners outside the continent.

On the other hand, Rwanda's Biruta said that the two countries share many common goals regarding economic development, continental solidarity, and a shared vision of inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative development based on mutual respect and trade. 

"We also have other draft agreements that we need to finalize, including an agreement on non-taxation, an agreement to prevent tax evasion, a memorandum of understanding to accelerate the implementation of the agreement on the African continental free trade area, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of sports," Biruta added.

BRICS Plus Bank Mulls Funding for Non-member States Projects

TUESDAY MAY 28 2024

The New Development Bank, which is owned by the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) intergovernmental organisation, may soon be sending money to finance projects across the region, even as it lobbies for more African countries, including Kenya, to join the bloc. 

By VINCENT OWINO

A multilateral infrastructural projects financier owned by the Brics countries is mulling over funding projects in countries outside the bloc’s 11 members, unlocking additional finance for infrastructure upgrades in African nations like Kenya.

The New Development Bank (NDB), which is owned by the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) intergovernmental organisation, may soon be sending money to finance projects across the region, even as it lobbies for more African countries, including Kenya, to join the bloc.

South Africa is seeking to have the financier fund projects across Africa to ease trade and as an investment opportunity for Brics companies.

If successful, this bid could unlock access for African private and public institutions to the over $50 billion capital of the NDB, which was previously accessible only to companies domesticated within the Brics countries.

“We would like the NDB, where there is sponsorship by a member country and there’s intra-regional connectivity opportunity, to consider that as a fundable opportunity,” said Busi Mabuza, the Brics Business Council South African chapter chairperson.

Ms Mabuza said South Africa has launched the campaign to rally the Brics member states behind the plan in a bid to boost investment opportunities for member countries.

Besides the 11-founding Brics members, others admitted into the bloc last year include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Ms Mabuza spoke to The EastAfrican on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group’s annual meetings in Nairobi on Monday, after a session organised by the Brics Business Council on the opportunities for trade and investments between Africa and the Brics member countries.

According to Monale Ratsoma, the director-general of NDB’s Africa Regional Centre, there is already a framework for the financier to fund projects in non-member countries, if there is support for it from a member country.

vogweno@ke.nationmedia.com

East Africa's Devastating Floods Linked to Climate Change and Urban Growth

WEDNESDAY MAY 29 2024

Officials from the Kenya Red Cross evacuate families marooned by flooding in Longewan village in Baringo South on May 4, 2024. Florah Koech | Nation Media Group

Summary

The long rains season turned into a disaster that claimed hundreds of lives.

Thousands were also displaced and vital infrastructure was destroyed

By LILYS NJERU

Countries in the East Africa region are reeling from devastating floods that swept through during this March-May rain season.

The season, commonly known as the long rains season because it typically brings the region's highest annual rainfall, turned into a disaster with torrential downpours that claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands, and destroyed vital infrastructure and crops.

A recent study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international collaboration that analyses and communicates the possible influence of climate change on extreme weather events, shows that human-induced climate change and rapid urbanisation intensified the impact of relentless rain.

The study was conducted by 13 researchers in the WWA group, including scientists from universities, research organisations and meteorological agencies in Kenya, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To assess the influence of human-induced warming during the March-May season, scientists employed peer-reviewed methods.

Their analysis compared weather data and climate models, contrasting how these extreme events behave in today's climate— roughly 1.2 degrees Celsius of global warming – against the cooler pre-industrial era.  

The pre-industrial era refers to the period before the Industrial Revolution, generally dated between 1750 and 1850 and before the widespread use of machines and fossil fuels like coal and oil for large-scale production.

Targeting the region most impacted by the floods, the study examined the maximum 30-day rainfall totals during the MAM season across southern Kenya, most of Tanzania, and the areas around Lake Tanganyika and Burundi. Scientists say these areas were impacted by a series of heavy rainfall events rather than a single heavy downpour.

The report shows that the amount of rainfall during the long rains decreased between the mid-1900s and 2008.  In the last 15 years, the MAM period has become wetter again, with an increasing trend in rainfall.

The analysis projects a worrying trend: rainfall is likely to increase further as global warming intensifies.  Climate models, with greater certainty compared to current conditions, overwhelmingly predict a rise in both the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events at 2°C of warming.

A string of unrelated reports indicates that warming to this would be moving to a long-term situation where the climate crisis would be difficult to reverse.

Dr Joyce Kimutai, Researcher at the Grantham Institute- Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London, said: "Historically, long rains in East Africa have been challenging to study, with weather observations showing a drying trend in the region and climate models projecting more rains with climate change.

But this has appeared to be changing in recent years, and new climate models seem to better reflect how long rains have been behaving with global warming.

"The most recent weather observations and the latest climate models are more in agreement and show that the long rains are bringing more and more rain every year and that they will become even more intense and dangerous with further warming. We must be prepared for this new reality and stop burning fossil fuels to avoid worsening what is already a dire situation."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 Sixth Assessment Report aligns with these findings, highlighting increased heavy rainfall projections for Eastern Africa. However, the report acknowledges significant variability between seasons and across different climate models.

This report comes on the heels of the recent weather forecast by the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) which shows that rainfall is expected to continue for the next two days over Highlands West, East of the Rift Valley, Nairobi, Lake Victoria Basin, and Rift Valley.

Other parts of the country that are likely to experience rainfall include parts of the Northwest and the Coastal region.

Isolated heavy rainfall is expected over the Lake Victoria Basin, Highlands West and East of the Rift Valley, Nairobi and the Rift Valley.

DR Congo Announces Long-awaited Government

WEDNESDAY MAY 29 2024

Judith Suminwa is the DR Congo first female Prime Minister. COURTESY

By PATRICK ILUNGA

The Democratic Republic of Congo has finally formed a government, some six months after President Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in for a second term.

The country conducted its general election on December 20, 2023. It was followed by bitter negotiations between various coalition partners that had helped Tshisekedi cross the finish line.

In a dispatch publicised early on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, who resigned in February, was formally replaced by Judith Suminwa.  Ms Suminwa had been appointed on April 1 but had not taken up the task yet.

Now she will have to present her programme, including budgetary proposals, to the National Assembly. The National Assembly is also expected to formally approve the new Cabinet which comprises 54 ministers.

Tshisekedi expects that the endorsement for his Cabinet will go as planned especially since he enjoys a majority, with 406 MPs out of the 500 on his side.

There have been major changes in the new government, notably in the security dockets. Just over a week after the failed coup d’état, and the persistent war and armed groups, the Tshisekedi government has changed the ministers of defence and security.

Former Vice-President and ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba is no longer leading the Ministry of Defence. He will now be Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Transport. Bemba will be replaced at the defence ministry by Guy Mwadiamvita, a close associate of President Tshisekedi and a member of the President’s UDPS party.

The Ministry of the Interior and Security is now occupied by Jacquemain Shabani, also close to the Congolese head of state, who replaces another close friend, Peter Kazadi. Tshisekedi has entrusted the Ministry of Justice to Constant Mutamba, 35, who comes from the “moderate opposition” and was an unsuccessful candidate in the December 2023 presidential election.

Christophe Lutundula leaves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will be replaced by Thérèse Kayiwamba. Patrick Muyaya, the Minister for Communication and Government Spokesman, has been reappointed. 

The new government should set about implementing President Tshisekedi’s programme for his second term in office.

According to the Congolese head of State’s communications director, Eric Nyindu, the new government is “a mission team” which should work to “consolidate the achievements of Tshisekedi’s first term in office.”

That mission is also about job creation: The Congolese president has promised to create 6.4 million jobs during his second term.

“The other mission of Judith Suminwa’s government is to diversify the Congolese economy; the government will have to give the Congolese people more purchasing power; guarantee greater security for citizens; facilitate access to basic services and speed up reforms in the civil service, in particular,” added Nyindu.

Why Haitians Do Not Want a UN Mission in Their Country

TUESDAY MAY 28 2024

A boy walks past a group of armed police officers during protests to demand the resignation of Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince in February. 

Summary

It is also emerging that Haitians see the gangs that are operating in their country as heroes.

Recent seizures of illegal weapons in Haiti exposed how easy it is for gun-runners to operate.

Haitians are very vocal about their objection to the peace-keeping mission authorised by the United Nations Security Council that is set to begin later this month.

Hounded by political turmoil, instability, wars and gang infestations, the UN has often sent in troops to calm the restive nation.

But diseases brought in by the visiting troops, cases of human rights violations and feelings that their sovereignty is being trampled on have made Haitians wary of such missions.

In 2010, Haiti was hit by a cholera outbreak during a similar UN peace mission leading to the deaths of 30,000 people. A total of 820,000 cases were recorded. Haiti was in February 2022 declared cholera free and, to date, is seeking justice for the epidemic.

A study conducted by French epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux established that UN troops from Nepal, rather than environmental factors, had caused the epidemic as waste from outhouses at their base flowed into and contaminated RiverArtibonite.

Also at the time, many women and men claimed they were sexually abused by the UN peace keeping officers.

With the latest planned UN mission, civil rights groups in Haiti have accused the US of using Kenya to meddle in the Caribbean country’s internal affairs.

“Why is the US so much interested in the affairs of Haiti? Why are they using the Kenyan government to interfere with our issues yet we have not invited them,” said Mr Eliphete Joseph, the leader of the Movement Unforgettable Dessalines Jean Jacques.

'Hero' gangs

It is also emerging that Haitians see the gangs that are operating in their country as heroes. Mr Wethzer Piercin, a crime and investigations journalist based in Haiti, told the Nation that the gangs portray themselves as freedom fighters.

“Most people in Haiti tend to see that the gangs are fighting for their freedom and now that they have joined hands then the situation is complicated,” he said.

Haitians do not want any sort of assistance from the US because most of the firearms being used by gang members originate from there. Recent seizures of illegal weapons exposed how easy it is for gun-runners to operate.

With only 294 officers, the country’s national police border patrol has 181 personnel, and a single vessel for its coast guard. The Caribbean nation is greatly underfunded.

Illegal firearms

Haiti has 1,770km of coastline and a 392km land border with the Dominican Republic. This has made it easy for the proliferation of illegal firearms.

History between the US and Haiti has also been fraught with tension. In 1915, the then-US President Woodrow Wilson sent marines to Haiti to restore order and maintain political and economic stability in a mission that lasted until 1934. This occupation was furiously fought by Haitians who rebelled and waged guerilla warfare against the occupiers.

For the Haitians, efforts by the US to bring peace to their country have only resulted in them losing their autonomy. Haiti expert Jeffery Somers says as much in his article: ‘The US Power Elite and the Political Economy Occupation: Investment, Race and World Order’ published by the Journal on Haitian Studies in 2015.

“The US had a hemispheric hegemonic agenda that drove it to promote an investment agenda targeted in Haiti. It justified its violation of Haiti’s sovereignty through longstanding deeply entrenched racial stereotypes and civilisation taxonomies,” he said.

Haiti’s New Prime Minister Vows to Seek Unity After He is Selected by Transitional Council

BY DÁNICA COTO

4:16 PM EDT, May 29, 2024

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Haiti’s newly chosen Prime Minister Garry Conille vowed to seek unity Wednesday in his first statement since a transitional council selected him to head the government in the troubled Caribbean country under siege by criminal gangs.

Conille thanked the civil society groups, political parties and members of the Haitian diaspora who proposed him as a candidate, saying he was “very honored” to have been chosen.

“Together, we will work for a better tomorrow for all the children of our nation,” he wrote on X, the social media platform, in Haitian Creole.

Conille submitted his resignation Tuesday as UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, a post he has held since January 2023. He previously served as prime minister of Haiti from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly and was former chief of staff to Bill Clinton in the ex-president’s role as U.N. special envoy to Haiti.

Conille studied medicine and public health and helped develop health care in impoverished communities in Haiti, where he helped coordinate reconstruction efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake. He also served as a U.N. development specialist before becoming a regional director with UNICEF.

He now faces a monumental task, with Haiti under siege by gangs that control at least 80% of the Port-au-Prince capital as the country awaits the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from Kenya and other countries supporting the mission.

The prime minister shares executive power with the presidency, which has been vacant in Haiti since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. whose death left a power vacuum that criminal gangs began to take advantage of later that year.

In addition to choosing the prime minister, the transitional council is tasked with arranging presidential elections before early 2026.

Council members told The Associated Press late Tuesday that six of seven members with voting powers had selected Conille for the prime minister role. Laurent St. Cyr, the seventh member, is not in Haiti currently and as a result did not vote.

On Wednesday, they issued a statement noting that Conille was one of five prequalified candidates that they interviewed for one hour each on Tuesday, and that they are now working with him to choose a new Cabinet.

“The transitional presidential council renews its firm determination to do everything possible to stem the phenomenon of insecurity and lead the country on the path to free, fair, democratic and inclusive elections,” it said.

Conille will replace interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who has been helping lead the country since former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned via letter in April following a surge in gang violence. Gunmen launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, seizing control of police stations, opening fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months and storming Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. The wave of violence continues.

Boivert issued a statement Wednesday congratulating Conille, adding that he “hopes the new prime minister will be able to face the challenges and issues of the moment.”

Also congratulating Conille was Kenyan President William Ruto, who wrote on X Wednesday that “this significant step is not lost on the world.” He added that Kenya was looking forward to working with Conille and his government “to restore Haiti to a path of sustainable development.”

It was not immediately clear if there would be a formal swearing-in ceremony for Conille.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement that she wished Conille “every success in bringing much-needed peace, stability and hope to the children of Haiti.”

Conille was not the first choice for some council members.

In late April, a four-member coalition within the council made an unexpected announcement that they had chosen former sports minister Fritz Bélizaire as prime minister. The move threatened to fracture the council, with dissenting members insisting that proper procedure be followed.

As a result, the council announced it would accept nominations for prime minister, and it received dozens of names. However, none of them was made public, and the council has been criticized for its lack of transparency, including not sharing what criteria it was applying when choosing a leader.

The council also is tasked with choosing a new Cabinet and appointing a provisional electoral commission, a requirement before elections can take place. The council’s non-renewable mandate expires Feb. 7, 2026, when a new president is scheduled to be sworn in.

Polish Man Sentenced to Life in Congo on Espionage Charges Has Been Released and Returned to Europe

8:26 AM EDT, May 28, 2024

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Congolese authorities have released a Polish man who was sentenced there to life in prison on espionage charges, Poland’s top diplomat said Tuesday.

Mariusz Majewski is back in Europe, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said on X. Sikorski posted a brief video of himself apparently talking to Majewski over the phone to welcome him back. He didn’t say where exactly Majewski was.

The 52-year-old Majewski was detained in Congo in February and later faced a military court in the Central African nation, accused of spying. Last week, he received a life sentence in prison. No details were released as to where he was held.

The allegations against him said that he had “approached the front line with Mobondo militiamen,” moved along the front line without authorization and “took photos of sensitive and strategic places and secretly observed military activities.”

The Mobondo is a militia group that has been involved in intercommunal violence in southwestern Congo since 2022.

Poland’s Foreign Ministry says that Majewski was innocent. President Andrzej Duda spoke on the phone last week with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi seeking to obtain Majewski’s release.

Poland doesn’t have a diplomatic mission in Congo.

Last week, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński said without elaborating that Majewski “is not a spy, he is a member of a travelers club” and was just following his “passion in life.” Wroński said his “behavior was the result of a lack of knowledge of local customs.”

Earlier this month, the Congolese army said it had foiled a coup attempt and arrested the perpetrators, including some foreigners. Several U.S. citizens are among those arrested.

Uganda Tackles Yellow Fever with New Travel Requirement, Vaccination Campaign for Millions

BY RISDEL KASASIRA

1:05 AM EDT, May 28, 2024

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda has rolled out a nationwide yellow fever vaccination campaign to help safeguard its population against the mosquito-borne disease that has long posed a threat.

By the end of April, Ugandan authorities had vaccinated 12.2 million of the 14 million people targeted, said Dr. Michael Baganizi, an official in charge of immunization at the health ministry.

Uganda will now require everyone traveling to and from the country to have a yellow fever vaccination card as an international health regulation, Baganizi said.

Ugandan authorities hope the requirement will compel more people to get the yellow fever shot amid a general atmosphere of vaccine hesitancy that worries healthcare providers in the East African nation.

The single-dose vaccine has been offered free of charge to Ugandans between the ages of 1 and 60. Vaccination centers in the capital, Kampala, and elsewhere included schools, universities, hospitals and local government units.

Before this, Ugandans usually paid to get the yellow fever shot at private clinics, for the equivalent of $27.

Uganda, with 45 million people, is one of 27 countries on the African continent classified as at high risk for yellow fever outbreaks. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 200,000 cases and 30,000 deaths globally each year from the disease.

Uganda’s most recent outbreak was reported earlier this year in the central districts of Buikwe and Buvuma.

Yellow fever is caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. The majority of infections are asymptomatic. Symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, headache, loss of appetite and nausea or vomiting, according to the WHO.

Uganda’s vaccination initiative is part of a global strategy launched in 2017 by the WHO and partners such as the U.N. children’s agency to eliminate yellow fever by 2026. The goal is to protect almost one billion people in Africa and the Americas.

A midterm evaluation of that strategy, whose results were published last year, found that 185 million people in high-risk African countries had been vaccinated by August 2022.

In Uganda, most people get the yellow fever shot when they are traveling to countries such as South Africa that demand proof of vaccination on arrival.

James Odite, a nurse working at a private hospital which has been designated as a vaccination center in a suburb of the capital, Kampala, told the AP that hundreds of doses remained unused after the yellow fever vaccination campaign closed. They will be used in a future mass campaign.

Among the issues raised by vaccine-hesitant people was the question of whether “the government wants to give them expired vaccines,” Odite said.

Baganizi, the immunization official, said Uganda’s government has invested in community “sensitization” sessions during which officials tell people that vaccines save lives.

Iraqi Resistance Targets Eilat with Drones, Vows More in Gaza Support

By Al Mayadeen English

The group confirms that the operation comes in response to the Israeli massacres against civilians in Gaza.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced on Tuesday the carrying out of an attack targeting a vital Israeli target in occupied Umm al-Rashash (Eilat) in southern occupied Palestine.

In a statement, the group said one-way drones were used in the operation, which took place on Monday.

The Resistance emphasized that the operation came in response to the Israeli massacres against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, affirming that its fighters would continue to strike enemy strongholds.

The Iraqi group had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack on a vital site in the Port of Eilat on Friday evening. It had also launched on the same day a one-way drone toward the Israeli-occupied Haifa Port, an essential site that oversees the majority of the occupation's trade.

A statement published then by the Resistance's military media explained that the operation came in line with the second phase of operations, which sought to hinder the passage of goods to the Israeli regime.

The Iraqi Resistance's attacks on Israeli sites have increased in frequency in the past few weeks, in concurrence with the Israeli invasion of Rafah. 

Rough Day for 'Israel' as Hezbollah Bombards North

By Al Mayadeen English

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon is having a field day in northern occupied Palestine as it bombards northern Israeli settlements and positions all day long.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon carried out a series of operations against the Israeli occupation forces' positions in northern occupied Palestine and occupied southern Lebanon, inflicting severe damages upon the IOF's military infrastructure.

Early in the morning, Hezbollah's fighters targeted a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Margaliot settlement, reporting confirmed strikes, which they underlined were a direct response to Israeli aggressions on steadfast southern Lebanese villages and residential homes.

The Resistance also bombarded the Malikiyah site, first launching a devastating barrage of rockets and artillery shells before sending in drones to carry out precision airstrikes on numerous targets within the military site.

Later in the day, Hezbollah struck newly erected surveillance equipment at the Misgav Am site, which was quickly followed by another drone strike on a military base in Beit Hillel, home to the 769th Brigade, also attacking an Iron Dome battery at the location.

Hours later, Hezbollah launched a huge salvo of Grad rockets targeting the settlements of Meron, Safsoufa, and Tziv'on, causing paramount destruction, underlining that this was in retaliation for the Israeli attack on the Martyr Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil, which injured several civilians.

Israeli media said this strike included no less than 50 rockets, revealing that settlers were asked to remain in fortified locations "until further notice" and adding that the attack caused a power outage in the area. The rockets that hit Safsoufa caused a fire to break out in the area.

After monitoring a group of Israeli soldiers entering a building northeast of the Metula settlement, Hezbollah fighters attacked the building using precision missiles.

Moreover, Hezbollah bombarded the Kiryat Shmona settlement with dozens of Grad and Falaq rockets before simultaneously attacking the Summaqah military site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Chouba hills and the Zibdine barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms.

This comes as the Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on southern Lebanon, with the bombardment affecting the Lebanese towns of Kfar Kila, Odeissah, and Bint Jbeil. 

'Israel' lost al-Jalil

The former General Director of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's office, Shimon Sheves, said that "Israel" has clearly lost occupied al-Jalil, adding that "The simple truth must be said: Israel's security belt with Lebanon now passes through the Amiad-Acre line."

The political analyst and former Israeli official referred to the area evacuated of Israeli settlers in northern occupied Palestine, which reaches the borders of Kibbutz Am'ad near Lake Tiberias to the east and Akka to the west. 

Sheves believes that the performance of the Israeli government and security establishment over the past eight months up until now has been a miserable failure, noting that 80,000 Israeli settlers have been expelled from the occupied land and have been "refugees" for eight months. 

He stressed that without a serious security belt, the Israeli settlers of the North will not go back there, considering that "Israel's" withdrawal in 2000 is what led to the second war with Lebanon and the growth of Hezbollah's strength.

Operations overview

- At 08:25, the Islamic Resistance's fighters attacked a building used by the Israeli occupation forces for military purposes in the settlement of Margaliot.

- At 08:30, the Islamic Resistance's fighters launched an intense barrage of missiles and artillery shells at the Malikiyah military site.

- At 08:30, the Islamic Resistance's fighters launched drone strikes on several targets within the Malikiyah military site.

- At 12:25, the Islamic Resistance's fighters attacked Israeli espionage equipment at the Misgav Am military site.

- At 12:40, the Islamic Resistance's fighters launched suicide drone strikes on the headquarters of an Israeli unit and an Iron Dome battery in Beit Hillel.

- At 17:00, the Islamic Resistance's fighters attacked an Israeli assembly point northwest of the settlement of Metula.

- At 16:50, the Islamic Resistance's fighters attacked Meron, Safsoufa, and Tziv'on using dozens of Grad rockets.

- At 18:30, the Islamic Resistance's fighters attacked the settlement of Kiryat Shmona with dozens of Grad rockets.

- At 18:15, the Islamic Resistance's fighters attacked the Israeli Summaqah military site.

- At 18:15, the Islamic Resistance's fighters bombarded the Zebdine barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms.

- At 21:30, the Islamic Resistance's fighters launched a drone strike on an Israeli military site east of Nahariya.

Graeme Wood in The Atlantic: A Rulebook on Legally Killing Gazan Kids

By Tala Alayli

Source: Al Mayadeen English

27 May 2024 20:40

A recent op-ed published by Graeme Wood for The Atlantic garners a flood of backlash for justifying the murder of Gazan children by "Israel".

Amid a flood of statements trying to justify "Israel's" gruesome genocide in Gaza, The Atlantic's Graeme Wood is at the forefront of backlash for claiming "It is possible to kill children legally", referring to the tens of thousands of children murdered by Israeli occupation forces invading the Gaza Strip. 

Wood's remark came in an op-ed published on May 17, titled "The UN’s Gaza Statistics Make No Sense". 

Initially, Wood kickstarted his article by painting a discrepancy in the death toll presented by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), specifically the reviewed numbers of deaths of children and women. 

Between May 6 and May 8, the UNOCHA revisited its previously declared death toll [of women and children in Gaza], initially standing at 24,000. However, the Office then clarified that 12,756 identified women and children had been killed by "Israel" in Gaza.

Despite clearly noting that the newly declared death toll was of those "identified", the author and the magazine failed to consider the shadow death toll in Gaza, which includes martyrs who are trapped beneath the rubble and those who are missing and presumed dead. 

What is Wood's argument? 

Wood argues that the UN is misleading the global populace by releasing inaccurate numbers or figures that rely on Hamas' estimations. 

However, it has been universally acknowledged and established that "Israel" did kill over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were women and children.

But it does seem ironic - when Wood reports, without calling to question the Israeli military's statistics, that 16,000 martyrs of the 30,000 were Resistance fighters. It does seem like Wood is trying to question or instill doubt that the Israeli occupation was not actually genociding Palestinians in Gaza, and trying to paint the horrific death toll as "Hamas propaganda" which the "UN is relaying". 

However, according to Feroze Sidhwa, an American doctor who volunteered in a Gazan hospital during the genocide, the reason why the UN was relying on the Gazan Media Office's numbers was extensively reported. He affirmed that the figures came from accurate reports provided by hospitals partially operating across Gaza and estimates from media reports to assess deaths in the north of Gaza. 

'Reality tainted by the absence of journalists'

Wood's argument is then cut short when he decides to show the difference in the conduction of war between Hamas and "Israel". He claims Hamas, since October 7, has disregarded the law of war and any moral values. "Israel" on the other hand, deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt. 

Reportedly, "Israel has conducted its war opaquely", he wrote, noting that the global public watching the genocide unfold trusts that the occupation that has killed over 30,000 Palestinians dropped every bomb and drew every weapon while adhering to international law. 

He also says the reports of journalists must paint the reality of the IOF's conduct in Gaza, but "Israel" does not allow journalists in. Again, Wood and The Atlantic then fail to account for all the journalists "Israel" deliberately killed in an attempt to conceal its crimes in Gaza. 

The Government Media Office in Gaza revealed on May 17 that "Israel" killed 147 journalists in Gaza. Under international law, journalists are a protected entity, and killing them would be considered a war crime. 

The Main Event

The statement that garnered the most backlash came when Wood wrote that even if journalists were allowed into Gaza to disprove Hamas' descriptions of the crimes "Israel" has been committing against Palestinian civilians, women, and children, it would not necessarily prove anything because "it is possible to kill children legally". 

With that, Wood justifies the genocide that has consistently targeted children in Gaza by pulling the "Hamas uses civilians and children as human shields" card. It does not matter to Wood that children have been killed, it is how they were killed, that determines whether the death of a child is legal or not. 

If Wood had done his research before publishing an article that would display his apathy to genocide without any bias, he would have found that there are no verified instances that prove that Hamas had used children as human shields. He would have found that "Israel's" indiscriminate carpet bombing of the Gaza Strip, however, does kill children who have nowhere else to go. 

He would have also found reports published on May 13, 2024, of IOF soldiers using three children in the West Bank as human shields while conducting raids, and the testimonies of Palestinian children from years earlier detailing their experiences when the IOF used them as shields to their tanks and their personnel. 

A columnist for The Atlantic

Author Graeme Wood is a professor of Media and Conflict at Yale University and has been the target of online backlash since his blatantly biased article was published. 

While he has been coined a genocide apologist and exposed for his disregard of facts, social media users began questioning how such a piece was approved and published by The Atlantic. 

User Louis Allday found that a former IOF prison guard runs the magazine itself, Jeffrey Goldberg, who assaulted Palestinian political prisoners. 

Goldberg publically admitted to his crimes in a 2006 book titled "Prisoners", describing scenes from the Ktzi'ot prison where he covered up his friend's crime after the latter beat up a Palestinian detainee with a sharp army radio against his head. Goldberg does not stop the other guard but instead assumes that the prisoner likely provoked him to garner such a beating. He later says he delivered the beaten prisoner to a third guard, claiming he "fell".

He also admitted to physically assaulting and beating up Palestinian prisoners, before ending his term as a prison guard. Right after, Goldberg published an article for the Jerusalem Post titled "More Tear Gas, Please?" in which he identifies as an Israeli "participating in the armed administration of Palestinians in occupied territories." 

In the same article, he proudly acknowledges the average Israeli crime in Gaza, by saying: "Arab women ... compete in 'Miss Gaza Refugee Camp' and 'Miss Mother Who Sends Her Children into the Street to Catch Israeli Bullets with Their Heads' contests."

Rafah Witnesses Most Violent Israeli Bombings Since War on Gaza Began

By Al Mayadeen English

Israeli occupation forces launch large-scale attacks across Gaza resulting the martyrdom and wounding of dozens of Palestinians.

Gaza experienced violent Israeli strikes throughout Monday night, with the small city of Rafah witnessing the heaviest bombardment since the genocidal war on the Strip began last October.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli forces concentrated their attacks on the western part of Rafah, unleashing relentless airstrikes and shelling that persisted for hours without pause, resulting in dozens of martyrs and wounded.

Forcibly displaced families were also entrapped due to the nonstop bombing preventing rescue teams and medics from reaching them.

The vicinity of the Emirati Hospital in western Rafah was heavily targeted by Israeli artillery, while quadcopters roamed around the facility opening fire at civilians and journalists trying to flee the area.

Israeli military vehicles stormed the area covered by intense shelling, which directly hit several homes.

Occupation forces also stormed the cemetery of the Zaarib family and exhumed a number of graves.

Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted the Tell al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah with dozens of shells, two of which hit houses in the Saudi neighborhood.

The occupation forces shelled the Indonesian field hospital, while aircraft simultaneously targeted ambulances and civil defense crews near the Tell al-Sultan police station.

Forces fired shells and opened fire at the Tell al-Sultan clinic, trapping the medical staff and over 70 displaced persons inside.

Several people were martyred as a result of Israeli attacks on tents sheltering forcibly displaced families in Tell al-Sultan. Meanwhile, due to artillery shelling, a fire broke out in the Abu Marqa residential building and nearby agricultural greenhouses.

Palestinian families sheltered in the targeted areas were unable to flee due to the nonstop Israeli strikes.

Additionally, helicopters directed heavy machine gunfire at the eastern and southeastern areas of Rafah.

The Israeli forces launched fire belts targeting the Brazil neighborhood in eastern Rafah, causing fires in the area. They also targeted the Yebna and Shaboura refugee camps in the city center.

Heavy confrontations

Amid the violent Israeli attacks on western Rafah, Palestinian Resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces engaged in fierce confrontations near the Zaarib roundabout.

Central Rafah City also witnessed intense battles, particularly around the al-Awda Mosque, the southern outskirts of the Yebna refugee camp, and the al-Geneina neighborhood in the eastern part of Rafah.

The Israeli bombardment extended to central Gaza, targeting a house belonging to the Ghanem family in al-Bureij camp multiple times, resulting in several injuries. Al-Nuseirat camp and al-Maghazi camp were also heavily bombed while quadcopters roamed the areas.

Eastern Khan Younis Governorate was also targeted by Israeli attacks.

In the al-Daraj neighborhood, the occupation targeted a house belonging to the Al-Ghosein family, resulting in the martyrdom and wounding of several people, while others remain missing under the rubble.

The occupation also conducted strikes on the al-Zawaida town and shelled eastern Deir al-Balah and eastern al-Zaytoun neighborhoods.

Violent airstrikes and demolitions were also reported across northern Gaza.

In Jabalia, Israeli forces demolished residential buildings in the al-Falouja area, while war jets conducted strikes at the Abu Sharekh roundabout accompanied by heavy gunfire from quadcopters.

A number of Palestinians were martyred and wounded in Beit Hanoun due to Israeli artiliary attacks near Al-Sikka Street in the western part of the city.

Germany Says ICJ Ruling Against Rafah Offensive Must be Implemented

By Al Mayadeen English

27 May 2024 16:56

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has stated that the ICJ's order to halt the military onslaught in Rafah is binding and should be adhered to.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday that the International Court of Justice's ruling, ordering the halt of "Israel's" military invasion of Rafah, was binding and should be implemented. 

Speaking to reporters before the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Baerbock said "These temporary measures voiced by the UN International Court of Justice are binding and should, of course, be implemented."

On Friday, in a momentous emergency verdict on South Africa's complaint accusing "Israel" of genocide, judges at the United Nation's highest court, the ICJ, ordered "Israel" to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah in southern Gaza.

Nawaf Salam, president of the ICJ, read out the verdict, stating that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated since the court's last injunction to "Israel" to remedy it.

Salam stated that the occupation shall "immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part."

"Israel had not provided sufficient information about the safety of the population during the evacuation process, or the availability of food, water, sanitation, and medicine for the 800,000 Palestinians that had already fled Rafah so far," Salam said, adding, "Consequently, the court is of the view that Israel has not sufficiently addressed and dispelled the concerns raised by its military offensive in Rafah."

US, UK to back 'Israel' despite noncommitment, binding ICJ ruling

In an unsurprising turn of events, the US and UK will reject the International Court of Justice judgment requiring "Israel" to cease its attack in Rafah after retracting from their previously touted "red lines" on an offensive in Rafah.

On Monday, the deputy foreign secretary, Andrew Mitchell, told MPs that "the UK could only support a constructive plan for Rafah that complies with international humanitarian law on all counts," stating on Tuesday that a "significant" operation had yet to begin, despite "Israel" driving out 800,000 Palestinians and conducting numerous strikes in the city.

Liam Byrne, the select committee chair, stated that if 800,000 people being driven out is not "significant, then what is?" to which Mitchell responded that the 800,000 had left of their own volition, casting doubt on whether a serious breach of IHL took place.

On the US side, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan delusionally reported that Israeli officials briefed him they would conduct their Rafah operation while considering civilian harm, yet the toll continues to increase significantly by the day, with most of the victims targeted in Rafah. 

He also blatantly lied by alleging that Israeli aggression in the area has "been more targeted and limited," without targeting heavily populated areas and that the US would be watching what happens and monitoring the situation.

Yemen Hits Cargo Vessels, Warships in Red Sea and Indian Ocean

Monday, 27 May 2024 5:48 PM

Press TV

Photo: Spokesman of Yemen’s armed forces General Yahya Saree

Yemen has launched fresh attacks on Israeli and US-linked ships sailing in regional waters as part of a campaign to support Palestinians in their struggle against Israel’s aggression on Gaza.

Spokesman of Yemen’s armed forces General Yahya Saree said on Monday that five ships, including two US destoyers, had been targeted in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean earlier in the day.

Two US and Israeli cargo ships, respectively identified as Larego Desert and the MSC Mechela, were hit in the Indian Ocean, said Saree.

He added that another Israeli ship, identified as the Minerva Lisa, had come under attack by the Yemenis in the Red Sea because of violating a ban issued by the country on shipping to and from the Israeli-occupied ports.

The military spokesman added that Yemeni forces had also launched attacks on two US warships sailing in the Red Sea.

“... the Air Force carried out two specific operations (and) targeted two American military destroyers in the Red Sea, and the operations have successfully achieved their goals,” said the spokesman in a statement, but did not name the destroyers.

Yemen started targeting Israeli-linked ships in November last year, a month after the regime launched a brutal invasion on Gaza.

More than 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s aerial and ground bombardments on the Palestinian territory.

Attacks by Yemen later expanded to cover ships linked to the United States and Britain after the two launched airstrikes on the Arab country to force it to halt its anti-Israeli operations.

Yemenis have insisted that maritime operations and drone and missile attacks on Israeli-occupied ports will continue until the regime completely stops its attacks on Gaza.

Yemeni attacks are part of a larger campaign by resistance groups in Arab countries to attack the interests of Israel and the US in the region to force an end to the invasion of Gaza.

UN Security Council to Address Brutal Israeli Strikes on Rafah

Tuesday, 28 May 2024 2:28 AM

Press TV

The UN Security Council holds an emergency meeting to discuss the Israel regime's months-long atrocities against Palestinians trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip at UN headquarters in New York on April 5, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The United Nations Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting to address earlier hugely deadly airstrikes by the Israeli regime against the refugee-packed city of Rafah in southern Gaza Strip.

“The closed-door meeting was requested by Algeria, which is currently a non-permanent member of the Council,” AFP reported, citing diplomats.

A Security Council diplomatic source confirmed the pending meeting, speaking to Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency.

Earlier, Israeli warplanes fired eight missiles towards makeshift shelters housing internally-displaced persons in Rafah’s northwest, killing at least 50 Palestinians. 

Many world leaders and international organizations have vehemently condemned the attack, citing the already desperate situation of the victims.  

“There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on social media.

ActionAid UK, the British chapter of an international relief organization, noted that the shelters struck during the assault “were supposed to be safe havens for innocent civilians, yet they became targets of brutal violence.”

“Children, women, and men are being burned alive under their tents and shelters,” it noted.

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes against displaced people’s tents in the refugee-packed city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip rises to at least 50 people.

Reacting to the massacre, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas called it an “egregious affront” to a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice, which ordered the Israeli regime to “immediately” halt its offensive against Rafah.

The airstrikes came amid an October-present genocidal war that the regime has been waging against Gaza in response to a retaliatory operation by the territory’s resistance movements.

The war has so far claimed the lives of more than 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, throughout the coastal sliver.

Hamas Warns Israel: Your Captives May Return to You as Corpses

Monday, 27 May 2024 9:24 PM 

Press TV

Osama Hamdan, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas’ representative in Lebanon

Hamas has warned the Israeli regime that the longer the latter sustains its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, the more likely it is for the regime’s captives to die as a result of the aggression.

"The longer [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his supporters delay committing to this (cessation of the aggression)…, the more of their prisoners will lose their lives at the hands of their army with Zionist bombing and American missiles,” Osama Hamdan, the Palestinian resistance movement’s representative in Lebanon, told a news conference in Beirut on Monday.

“The continued procrastination and airstrikes mean that their hostages may not return but as corpses, and perhaps they will never return," he added.

Around 250 people were taken captive on October 7 last year during Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation by Gaza’s resistance groups.

Hamas released 105 of the captives during a week-long truce in late November.

Earlier in May, Khalil al-Hayya, deputy chief of Hamas’ Political Bureau, said the regime’s bombing of Gaza had killed 70 percent of the Zionist captives.

Hamas says Israeli aggression has killed 70 percent of the Zionist captives, who have been held by the resistance movement since an October operation.

The movement has conditioned releasing the rest of the captives on complete cessation of the war, withdrawal of the aggressors, conclusion of a proper captive exchange deal, and transfer of humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

It recently agreed to another truce proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, which was rejected by the Israeli regime.

Hamdan reasserted that "the Zionist occupation will not get back their prisoners held by the resistance except according to its conditions, which were presented to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar through a real and serious deal."

More than 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died in the Israeli war that was launched following Al-Aqsa Storm.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Hamas representative blasted the regime for killing at least 50 Palestinians during earlier airstrikes against a designated safe zone for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes against displaced people’s tents in the refugee-packed city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip rises to at least 50 people.

The Hamas’ official said, "The occupation’s claim of the presence of armed men at the site of the massacre during its (the airstrikes’) implementation is shameless and false.”

The claim “is refuted by pictures of the bodies of the martyred civilians, including children and women. In addition, the area is located west of Rafah and is far from the area of the occupation’s operations and its focus in Rafah and its clash with the resistance,” he concluded.

World Horrified by Israel’s Attack That Set Ablaze Rafah Tent Camp

Monday, 27 May 2024 5:11 PM

Press TV

The Israeli military has carried out yet another heinous attack on the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In an overnight airstrike on a tent camp in a designated safe zone in Rafah, the military killed dozens of people.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the dead included women and children, with many “burned alive” inside their tents.

Gaza's civil defense agency said the airstrike set off a fire that tore through a displacement center in northwestern Rafah.

"We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs ... We also saw cases of amputations, wounded children, women and the elderly," said agency official Mohammad al-Mughayyir.

The horrifying news sent shock waves through the globe, prompting world leaders to call for the immediate implementation of a World Court ruling to halt the regime’s invasion of the last refuge of Palestinians in Gaza.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani condemned the brutal massacre of the displaced Palestinians, calling for a practical response and strong condemnation from the international community.

"It is not surprising that the terrorist regime of Israel, which one day bombs the lines of refugees waiting for humanitarian aid and another day turns hospitals into blood and dust, has this time carried out a massive massacre of civilians, mostly women and children, by attacking the tents of Palestinian refugees in Rafah" he said in a message on X.

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said in a message on X that the images from Rafah are yet another testament that Gaza is “hell on earth.”

The Palestinian Authority condemned the regime’s military for “deliberately targeting civilians.”

“The perpetration of this heinous massacre by the Israeli occupation forces is a challenge to all international legitimacy resolutions,” the presidency said in a Monday statement.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri called the attack a “massacre” saying the United States is responsible for aiding the regime.

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes against displaced people’s tents in the refugee-packed city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip rises to at least 50 people.

Qatar said the attack is a grave violation of international laws that will aggravate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The attack could hinder mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, has been engaged in months of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would do “everything possible” to hold “barbaric” head of the regime, Benjamin Netanyahu, to account over the deadly strikes.

“We will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable who have nothing to do with humanity.”

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined the chorus of condemnations, calling on the international community to intervene immediately.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is completely unacceptable.

Jordan also condemned the “ongoing war crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza.”

“This act defies the rulings of the International Court of Justice and constitutes a severe violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” the foreign ministry said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was outraged over the regime’s strikes against displaced Palestinians.

"These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians," Macron said on X in English.

He called “for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire."

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was "horrified" by deadly strikes on the tented camp.

"Horrified by news coming out of Rafah on Israeli strikes killing dozens of displaced persons, including small children. I condemn this in the strongest terms.”

He said Tel Aviv must abide by the ICJ ruling to stop its offensive in Rafah.

Egypt also condemned the “deliberate bombardment” of the camp, calling on Israel to “implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the bombing of Rafah was “one more day with innocent Palestinian civilians being killed.”

The International Court of Justice, the top United Nations court, has ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

The gravity of the attack, he said “is even larger” because it comes after the ICJ order directing the regime to halt attacks on Rafah.

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin described the attack as “barbaric.”

And his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide described the attacks as a “material breach of the decision of the highest court of the world.”

“It is compulsory. It’s binding,” he said referring to the ICJ order to halt the attacks on Rafah.

The African Union chair Moussa Faki Mahamat also condemned the attack in a message on X. "Israel continues to violate international law with impunity and in contempt of an ICJ ruling two days ago ordering an end to its military action in Rafah."

The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.

The Jewish advocacy group Voice for Peace has also demanded an end to the genocide in Gaza.

“We will never forget the images emerging from Rafah tonight. Human beings, including babies, were burned alive and torn apart. This genocide must end, it must end now.”

The US-based group said it holds the administration of US President Joe Biden, in attention to Israel, “responsible for the slaughter of over 36,000 Palestinians.”

Palestinian Resistance Captures Israeli Spy Drone, Operations Continue

By Al Mayadeen English

27 May 2024 23:30

The Palestinian Resistance factions continue targeting Israeli occupation forces across all confrontation axes for the 234th day of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The Palestinian Resistance remains steadfast in the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood for the 234th day, confronting Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and carrying out complex operations and ambushes that engage the Israeli occupation forces across all axes of confrontation.

In this context, Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its fighters engaged a special Israeli force stationed inside a house in north Jabalia with a 107 rocket. 

Al-Qassam fighters were also able to engage an Israeli soldier gathering at the civil administration center in north Jbalia using mortar shells, alongside capturing an Israeli reconnaissance drone.

Earlier today, the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, published a video of its fighters engaging a special Israeli force inside a building located to the north of the Jabalia camp. 

Meanwhile, the al-Mujahideen Brigades targeted an Israeli tank where Israeli forces were advancing in the Jbalia camp using an RPG, achieving a direct hit, documented on video. 

The Brigades also targeted, for the second time today, Israeli occupation forces stationed on the Netzarim Axis in southern Gaza City with short-range missiles. 

Also in the Jabalia camp, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades published a video of its fighters sniping an Israeli occupation soldier.

The Martyr Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades also heavily clashed with the IOF, using various weapons, and targeted an Israeli force stationed in a building in the al-Qasasib neighborhood in north Gaza. 

The al-Qassam Brigades further announced earlier today that it had engaged occupation forces advancing east of the al-Maghazi camp in the center of Gaza with mortar shells.

The al-Quds Brigades then published a video of its fighters showering advancing occupation soldiers and vehicles with 60 mm mortar shells in southernmost Rafah, in the vicinity of the Salah al-Din Gate. Its fighters.

IOF acknowledge death of soldiers amid Gaza invasion

In the wake of the Resistance's operations, Israeli media reported that a reserve soldier was seriously injured in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip last night.  

The Israeli occupation forces acknowledged, on Sunday, the death of a sergeant during confrontations with the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media.

Under the "permitted to be published" clause, the Israeli forces revealed that the dead soldier was a Sergeant from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade, indicating that he died from severe wounds he had sustained last Wednesday in a battle North of the Gaza strip.

With this, the death toll of the occupation forces has risen to 636 since the onset of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, with 283 of them killed since the start of the ground invasion of the Strip.

World Calls for Action After Israeli Massacre in Rafah

By Al Mayadeen English

27 May 2024 12:48

"Israel" challenges international decisions and laws by committing the massacre in Rafah, sending a clear message to the ICJ that nothing will stop the massacres.

On Sunday evening, the Israeli occupation forces committed a new massacre against dozens of displaced persons by bombing their tents set up in UNRWA warehouses in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, an alleged safe zone.

State officials and international institutions were quick to condemn the massacre, calling on "Israel" to halt its aggressive and monstrous attacks against the Palestinians. 

Palestinian Authority slams 'Israel’s' 'heinous massacre' in Tal as-Sultan

According to the Wafa news agency, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has denounced the Israeli assault on Tal as-Sultan as a "massacre that exceeds all boundaries."

Nabil Abu Rudeineh "stressed the urgent need for an intervention to stop the crimes committed against the Palestinian people immediately" and called the "heinous massacre" a challenge to international orders, including "the lucid and candid ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to cease its military offensive against the city of Rafah and provide protection to the Palestinian people."

Abu Rudeineh held the Biden administration accountable for Israeli crimes, urging Washington to "force Israel to halt the madness and genocide it is perpetrating in Gaza."

MSF condemns Israeli attack on displaced Palestinians

MSF expressed horror at "Israel's" attack on the camp for displaced Palestinians in Tal as-Sultan, stating that the "deadly event" underscores once again that nowhere is safe in Gaza.

The medical charity reported that more than 15 martyred Palestinians and dozens of wounded were transported to a trauma stabilization point in Gaza.

Amnesty calls for war crimes probe into three Israeli attacks on Gaza

Amnesty International is calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate three Israeli attacks that resulted in the martyrdom of 44 Palestinian civilians, including 32 children, in the Gaza Strip in April.

The attacks include one that killed children playing football at the al-Maghazi refugee camp on April 16, as well as two strikes on residential buildings in Rafah on April 19 and 20, according to the rights group.

The rights group stated that there was no evidence of military targets in or around the affected locations and no indication of prior warning.

"Our findings offer crucial evidence of unlawful attacks by the Israeli military as the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court applies for arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As the Israeli military continues to escalate its ground incursion in Rafah, these cases also illustrate the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns.

"The cases documented here illustrate a clear pattern of attacks over the past seven months in which the Israeli military has flouted international law, killing Palestinian civilians with total impunity and displaying a callous disregard for human lives."

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to housing, has urged action against "Israel" following its recent attack on displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

"Attacking women and children while they cower in their shelters in Rafah is a monstrous atrocity. We need concerted global action to stop Israel’s actions now," he said in a post on X.

Following "Israel's" recent attack on Rafah, US Congressman Ro Khanna urged the Israeli prime minister to halt the aggression on the southern Gaza city.

"Netanyahu must immediately halt the military offensive into Rafah," Khanna said in a post on X.

"The horrific loss of innocent lives today with the bombing of a refugee camp underscores the moral urgency of stopping the Rafah campaign," said Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territory, characterized "Israel’s" attack on the tent camp in Rafah as "further horror."

"This cruelty, along with blatant defiance of the int’l law and system, is unacceptable," she said in a post on X. "The #GazaGenocide‌ will not easily end without external pressure: Israel must face sanctions, justice, suspension of agreements, trade, partnership and investments, as well as participation in int’l forums."

Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland, wrote, "Days after the ICJ orders Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, the Israeli Government bombs displaced people living in tents. Innocent men, women & children were dismembered and burnt alive. Bear witness to the images and ask yourself, are you on the right side of history?" 

Jagmeet Singh, a Canadian legislator and leader of the New Democratic Party, wrote, "Images of the IDFs airstrike hitting a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah are horrifying. Images so terrible I won’t share them. The world is failing the people of Gaza. Canada is failing the people of Gaza."

The foreign ministers of Spain, Norway, and Ireland—the three countries set to formally recognize Palestine as a state on Tuesday— addressed a gathering at the Spanish embassy in Brussels on Monday.

Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, "I think all three of us have for months have been saying that we’re worried that the Israeli style of warfare in Gaza has been in breach of international humanitarian law. Now we know".

"We’ve had a compulsory order from the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to stop its attack in Rafa," adding that "It is compulsory. It’s binding, which means that continuing… in Rafah is in material breach of the decision of the highest court of the world."

Ireland’s FM condemns Rafah camp attack

Ireland’s foreign minister condemned last night’s attack on a tent camp in Rafah as "barbaric." "Gaza is a very small enclave, densely populated," he said, emphasizing, "One cannot bomb an area like that without shocking consequences in terms of innocent children and civilians."

"We would urge Israel to stop, to stop now, in terms of the military operation in Rafah."

We have to raise our voice: Spanish FM

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, speaking at a press conference in Spain with his Irish and Norwegian counterparts said, "Yesterday’s bombing [on Rafah] is one more day with innocent Palestinian civilians being killed."

"This stresses what… the three of our three counties have been calling for for a long time.. an immediate ceasefire."

"But the gravity is even larger because it comes after a decision taken by the International Court of Justice that, once again, I want to recall that are binding and compulsory for all parties."

The foreign minister emphasized the importance of not only an immediate ceasefire but also supporting international law and the United Nations.

EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell's statement

"And then there is the, still more important, still more important, is the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which is the core of international justice. In order to act above the national level, it's at the core of the United Nations Charter," EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said.

Borrell highlighted that there should be respect for the implementation of the Court's decision, which "Israel" did not do. "Israel" proceeded in its attacks after being asked to stop. 

French Officials condemn Rafah massacre

French politicians called on the government to take action following "Israel's" bombing of a displaced people's camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday.

After the strikes, images from the camp rapidly circulated on social media, prompting opposition politicians to voice their outrage on their social media platforms, condemning the actions of the Israeli government.

A former deputy of the French National Assembly, Jean-Luc Melenchon, described the events in Rafah as "horrifying". "The abominable massacre of (people in) tents in the refugee camp in Gaza epitomizes the actions of the war criminals and their leader," said Melenchon.

He called for all possible forms of pressure on "Israel" to halt this "horror," urging France to cease collaboration with the Israeli government, impose an embargo on arms exports, and recognize the Palestinian state. Melenchon accused French President Emmanuel Macron of "doing nothing" regarding the events in the region.

'Burned Palestinian refugees alive'

Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the opposition Defiant France Party, wrote on X, "This so-called ‘incident’ is the assassination of dozens of civilians, some of whom were burned alive following the fire in the refugee camp tents."

"Tomorrow, the international community must raise the question of the future of the IDF as a military force," he said.

"The images coming from Rafah are unbearable. They are the result of the cowardice of governments that refuse to act," adding that "Those in France who continue to refuse to sanction Israel and impose an arms embargo tonight have blood on their hands," he emphasized.

Two Egyptian Soldiers Martyred in Clashes with Israelis: Reports

By Al Mayadeen English

A cross-border confrontation at the Egyptian-Palestinian border between Egyptian and Israeli soldiers martyred two Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah border crossing

The Israeli Channel 13 reported an extremely unusual incident between the Israeli occupation forces and the Egyptian Army on the border in the Rafah border crossing area, adding that the incident comes at the peak of tensions and noting that the incident may have significant political consequences.

In turn, Israeli Channel 14 stated that Egyptian soldiers fired shots on their own accord at Israeli soldiers along the Rafah crossing and claimed that there were no injuries reported.

Moreover, Israeli media claimed that the Israeli occupation forces responded by firing warning shots, and it was confirmed that the military censorship of the Israeli occupation forces retracted all news about the incident between the Egyptian and Israeli occupation forces at the Rafah crossing.

However, the Israeli KodKod news site said there were no injuries among the Israeli occupation forces but two Egyptian soldiers had been killed in the incident.

The Israeli Ynet newspaper, meanwhile, claimed that only one Egyptian soldier was killed and several others were wounded in the cross-border confrontation.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that an agreement was reached to form a committee to investigate the incident between the Egyptian army and the Israeli occupation at the Rafah crossing.

The spokesperson of the Israeli occupation forces said an investigation was ongoing regarding the cross-border incident amid contacts with the Egyptian side.

'Israel' denies Egypt account on Rafah cross-border skirmish

On May 21st, Egypt may employ all available alternatives to protect national security while also preserving the Palestinian people's historical rights, according to Egyptian television Al Qahera News, quoting an anonymous high-ranking official.

Egypt's adherence to its duties and treaties does not restrict it from doing so, the official stated.

Furthermore, Egypt warned "Israel" of the repercussions of a further escalation in the Gaza Strip after Israeli soldiers took control of the Rafah border post and refused to engage in any coordination efforts, the broadcaster said.

Egypt has rejected an Israeli proposal for joint coordination to reopen the Rafah crossing between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, along with managing its future operation, Reuters reported, citing Egyptian security sources.

Israeli officials from the Shin Bet security service introduced the plan during a visit to Cairo on Wednesday amid heightened tensions between the two sides following the recent Israeli aggression on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and the occupation of the main Rafah crossing with Egypt.

The crossing has historically served as a vital conduit for humanitarian aid entering Gaza and as an exit point for medical evacuees. Egypt insists that the crossing should be managed solely by Palestinians.

Throughout the week, Cairo and Tel Aviv have exchanged accusations regarding the closure of the border crossing and the consequent hindrance of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Egypt stressed that the closure of Rafah is solely due to the Israeli military operation, repeatedly cautioning that the Israeli offensive seeks to empty Gaza and forcibly displace Palestinians into the North African country.