A Region on Fire - Issue 45
A Region on Fire
Issue 45 - November 10, 2024
Netanyahu: "It’s Harvest Time. Will the World Allow Impunity and Give In to Anti-Semitism Accusations?"
Netanyahu’s government appears ready to claim what it sees as victories—military gains in Gaza and Lebanon, plus further strikes in Syria and Iran. Politically, he has gained strong international support for these actions, allowing him to dismiss pressures from the United Nations.
Gaza: Starvation is used as Weapon of War
The UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that famine could worsen in northern Gaza. He stated on Platform X that “the amount of aid allowed into Gaza is insufficient, with an average of 30 trucks entering daily,” which covers just over 6% of the population's daily needs.
UNRWA stressed that immediate humanitarian access and a ceasefire are urgently needed to prevent a worsening crisis in Gaza. The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating, and famine appears imminent in northern Gaza.
Doctors Without Borders also warned that Israel's destruction of Gaza’s health system denies hundreds of thousands of people medical care. The organization reported that the Israeli army has targeted the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital complex in Deir Al-Balah eight times since March, serving a population of 750,000. This hospital is one of only three partially functioning in the area.
On the 401st day of the war, over 49 people, half of them children, were killed in Israeli strikes on two homes in Gaza City and Jabalia. For the 19th day, the Israeli army has prevented civil defense teams from reaching targeted areas, obstructing rescue operations.
A health disaster in the Negev prison.
The health situation in the Negev prison is very concerning. The "Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees" and the "Palestinian Prisoner’s Society" reported that many prisoners have scabies, a contagious skin disease.
Prison authorities are not providing enough personal hygiene supplies or medical care for the infected prisoners. This lack of care has made prisoners’ health much worse. The authorities seem to be denying medical treatment as a way to punish the prisoners physically and mentally.
Additionally, many sick prisoners have been moved to Negev prison, which already has a history of poor conditions, mistreatment, and the spread of diseases like scabies.
Battlefield Developments in Lebanon
The situation in Lebanon is worsening due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Strikes targeted areas in southern Lebanon, including the Tyre district, and towns in the Bekaa Valley. These attacks led to deadly massacres in the villages of Al-Hadath and Al-Kniseh near Baalbek. Israeli warplanes carried out three strikes near the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Bekaa Valley and also struck Almat in the Jbeil district for the first time, where initial reports indicate 24 displaced people from Baalbek were killed. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that 33 people were killed and dozens more injured in the southern and eastern regions of the country.
Hezbollah announced retaliatory rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions near the Hassan Gate in Shebaa and an Israeli gathering in the HaGoshrim settlement. Hezbollah claimed 27 operations, including significant attacks on the Ein HaHozelet base south of Lake Tiberias and the Malam military factory near Tel Aviv, approximately 132 km from Lebanon. The group also targeted three bases in Haifa, and various military sites in northern Israel. Further, Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on the Meron and Zevulon bases near Haifa and targeted areas in Safed and the settlements of Baram and Kiryat Shmona.
Israeli Channel 13 reported that the Israeli army is nearing the end of its ground operations in southern Lebanon, which have lasted for more than a month, with an estimated 90% of ground operations completed.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health's Public Health Emergency Operations Center, Israeli airstrikes on Saturday, November 9, 2024, led to 53 additional deaths and 99 injuries. This brings the total since the assault began to 3,189 deaths and 14,078 injured.
Humanitarian Response in Lebanon.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that 33,138 refugees have arrived in Iraq from Lebanon since the escalation of hostilities. On average, 700 Lebanese refugees are arriving in Iraq every day. Most of the refugees are being hosted in Karbala and Najaf, while others are spread across different provinces in central and southern Iraq, including Babil, Baghdad, and Diyala. Smaller groups have arrived in Ninawa, Hamdaniya, Salah al-Din, and Al-Muthanna.
Health Minister Firas Abyad stated that there are approximately 230,000 to 240,000 displaced people in shelters, with around 45,000 of them needing medication for chronic diseases, as 20% of Lebanon's population already suffers from chronic illnesses
Syria
Israeli media sources have revealed that Israel sent threatening messages to the Syrian president, warning that if he does not cooperate in preventing the shipment of weapons from Syria to Lebanon, he will face the same fate as the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah.
The Israeli military also detonated mines in the Syrian Golan Heights and assassinated Hezbollah's operations head for the Golan in an airstrike that targeted him in the Sayyida Zaynab district of Damascus, according to Israeli public broadcasting. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the building targeted in Sayyida Zaynab was home to Lebanese families and Hezbollah members.
Syrian state television reported that seven civilians, including women and children, were martyred, and 20 others were injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting a residential building in Sayyida Zaynab, in the Damascus countryside.
Media reports also mentioned the killing of Hezbollah leader Salim Ayyash in an airstrike on the border town of Qusayr on Saturday. Israeli website "Walla" reported that Ayyash was killed in an Israeli attack on the Sayyida Zaynab area south of Damascus. Ayyash was convicted of the assassination of Lebanese President Rafik Hariri, along with three other Hezbollah members, in a verdict handed down in absentia by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in December 2020.
International Developments
Arab foreign ministers finished their meeting in Riyadh and prepared a statement for an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Gaza and Lebanon, set for tomorrow, before the new U.S. administration takes over on January 20.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he spoke with U.S. President-elect Trump three times recently to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations. He emphasized Israel’s readiness to defend itself, especially against Iranian threats.
In Amsterdam, hundreds of people supporting Palestine held a protest after a ban was imposed due to clashes with Israeli soccer fans. The protesters called for an end to violence in Gaza and the liberation of Palestine. Police dispersed the crowd and arrested some.
Hamas leader Osama Hamdan urged Arab and Islamic leaders to pressure Israel to stop its attacks. He also called for expelling Israeli ambassadors and blamed the U.S. for supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israel is considering a ceasefire with Lebanon to avoid UN action against it. The Biden administration is pressuring Israel to end the fighting in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom quoted an official saying there’s progress in talks about the northern front with Lebanon, and the agreement is beneficial for Israel.
However, Israeli public broadcasting later reported that Israel’s Chief of Staff, Herzl Halevi, approved expanding operations in Lebanon to target Hezbollah areas.
Israeli military radio said Hezbollah’s plan to invade the Galilee has been removed, but the group may still launch rockets.
Israeli public broadcasting reported that Netanyahu took responsibility for the attacks on call-up devices in Lebanon, admitting that the operation continued despite warnings from Washington and opposition from Israeli security officials.
Sudan
Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok warned that Sudan's state institutions could collapse completely, and the country might fall into chaos worse than the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He also feared Sudan could split into different regions, becoming a place for extremist groups.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan called for all sides to ensure humanitarian aid can reach all areas.
The head of Sudan's forensic office, Aqil Suwar Al-Dahab, reported that more than 300 people have died from an unknown poisoning in the Hilelia area of Al-Jazeera state in central Sudan.
He asked international organizations like WHO, the Red Cross, and UNICEF to help the victims and investigate the cause of the deaths.
Suwar Al-Dahab ruled out cholera as the cause of the deaths, based on medical criteria.
A Sudanese medical union also reported that over 200 people have died due to crimes by the Rapid Support Forces, along with poisoning and hunger in Hilelia, eastern Al-Jazeera.
