Israel & Hamas War - Not a political thread - Reports of hundreds dead on day one - October 7, 2023 - Moving beyond to Lebanon? Sept. 17, 2024 - Now Iran too, October 1, 2024 - Syria & Russia, October 3, 2024

[Mary Wilson]

Russia ready to help end Middle East crisis, Putin tells Netanyahu

Reuters / Oct 16, 2023, 23:23

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered assistance to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Putin emphasized the need to prevent further violence and a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

He also held discussions with leaders from Iran, Egypt, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority, condemning violence against civilians. ...

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/russia-ready-to-help-end-middle-east-crisis-putin-tells-netanyahu/articleshow/104476681.cms?from=mdr

[sharon sanders]

Again - not an endorsement of anything - this is news.


About 2,000 U.S. troops told to prepare for deployment in response to Israel-Hamas war
Oct. 16, 2023, 5:06 PM EDT / Updated Oct. 16, 2023, 6:29 PM EDT

The troops wouldn't necessarily go to Israel or Gaza but would likely arrive in a nearby country, a defense official told NBC News.

more... https://www.nbcnews.com/news/militar...war-rcna120694

[sharon sanders]

Secretary Antony Blinken


@SecBlinken
Today, at our request, the United States and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza, including the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way.

[sharon sanders]

There are reports that there are 200-300 deaths caused by a rocket that hit a hospital in Gaza city today. It is not verified who launched the rocket.

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-news-hamas-war-10-17-23/index.html

It is really important to use more than one source for your news. Early news reports are generally lacking in many details.


FACT:

The mounting loss of life in this confllict is beginning to outpace any disease that we are following.

For instance, in the US there were approximately 1,295 COVID-19 deaths for the last week reported by the CDC - out of a population of approximately 330 million. link The population of Israel + Gaza = approximately 11 million.

[Mary Wilson]

Death toll in Gaza hospital blast greatly exaggerated - independent intel
Local Hamas-run Gazan sources allege that 471 people were killed at the hospital; foreign independent intelligence sources claimed instead that the number was closer to 10-50.
By MAYA ZANGER-NADIS
OCTOBER 19, 2023 19:32
Updated: OCTOBER 19, 2023 21:47

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-769273

[Pathfinder]

WHO statement on attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital and reported large-scale casualties

17 October 2023 Statement Reading time: Less than a minute (130 words)

WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip. The hospital was operational, with patients, health and care givers, and internally displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries.

The hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced.

WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and health care. Evacuation orders must be reversed. International humanitarian law must be abided by, which means health care must be actively protected and never targeted.

https://www.who.int/news/item/17-10-2023-who-statement-on-attack-on-al-ahli-arab-hospital-and-reported-large-scale-casualties

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Translation Google

The population of Gaza under threat of infectious diseases including cholera

October 17, 2023

Food, water, energy are almost exhausted. Oxfam partners begin small-scale distribution. But the scale of the needs and the logistical chaos pose enormous challenges to the humanitarian response.

Gaza is facing an unprecedented health crisis that risks an outbreak of deadly infectious diseases, such as cholera, as water and sanitation services have completely broken down.

Gaza's five sewage treatment plants and most of its 65 sewage pumping stations were forced to close. Untreated sewage is now dumped into the sea, and in some areas solid waste accumulates in the streets.

Drinking water is now practically exhausted. Some people are forced to drink from farm wells. The United Nations Water and Sanitation group, of which Oxfam is a member, says only three liters of water per day are now available per person in Gaza. The World Health Organization recommends that a person should have access to 50 to 100 liters of water every day to meet basic health needs.

Private sellers who operate small water desalination or purification plants are now the largest water suppliers. Oxfam staff say the cost of purchasing water has increased fivefold.

“The call for a ceasefire must be heard to urgently provide relief. We are deeply saddened and outraged by the loss of hundreds of lives following the bombing of the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza today.

More than 2 million people endure enormous deprivation of water, food and live in deplorable hygienic conditions, in addition to suffering indiscriminate bombings. Families are experiencing an unacceptable situation and are at risk of an unprecedented health crisis. We can act with our partners as soon as conditions permit. Let the humanitarians do their job! »
Béatrice Vaugrante
Executive Director of Oxfam-Québec

“There is no electricity, no food and now no water in Gaza. It risks becoming a breeding ground for cholera and other diseases. The situation of civilian populations is already intolerable. Our staff tells us that in some cases there are up to 70 people crammed into one room. Humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza now. »
Amitabh Behar
Acting Executive Director of Oxfam International
...

https://oxfam.qc.ca/gaza-risque-cholera/

[sharon sanders]

SECURITY ALERT – U.S. EMBASSY BEIRUT, LEBANON (OCTOBER 19, 2023) By U.S. EMBASSY BEIRUT
3 MINUTE READ
OCTOBER 19, 2023



Location: Lebanon

Event: Contacting U.S. Embassy Beirut in an Emergency

The U.S. Embassy is closely monitoring the security situation in Lebanon. On October 17, the State Department issued a Travel Advisory advising U.S. citizens to not travel to Lebanon due to the unpredictable security situation. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to make plans to depart as soon as possible while commercial options are still available. We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations.

U.S. citizens in Lebanon who need emergency assistance should contact the Department of State using thiscrisis intake form . Family members can also submit a crisis intake form on behalf of a U.S. citizen family member. Please only fill out one form per person, as multiple requests will delay processing.

The Department of State reminds citizens to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests as some of these have turned violent.

Actions To Take:

Have plans to depart that do not rely on the U.S. government.

Ensure you and your family have your travel documents in order and are prepared to travel.

Review your personal security plans.

Keep your cell phone charged in case of emergency.

Exercise caution, monitor the news closely for breaking developments that could affect internal security, and factor updated information into your travel plans and activities.

Have a contingency plan for emergencies and review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy in Beirut – Lebanon

Awkar – Facing the Municipality

Main Street Beirut, Lebanon

961-4- 543 600



State Department – Consular Affairs

1-833-890-9595 (U.S. toll free) and 1-606-641-0131 (U.S.)

https://lb.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-beirut-lebanon-october-19-2023/

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

EMERGENCY

Israel-Palestine: children pay the price of war

POSTED ON OCTOBER 18, 2023

On October 7, 2023, the endless conflict between Israel and the State of Palestine took a dramatic turn. The escalation of appalling violence has had devastating consequences on thousands of families. The number of victims is staggering on both sides. Among them, an incredible number of children.

A heavy toll

As of October 18, the death toll was at least 1,300 Israelis dead and more than 3,842 wounded . In the State of Palestine, at least 3,000 people, including 853 children, died and more than 12,500 others were injured . The recent attack on Al Ahli hospital illustrates the deadly impact of this war on families. The images and stories are unequivocal: many children are suffering and traumatized. There is no justification for the killing, mutilation or kidnapping of children.

In Israel , displaced children and families seek refuge in schools or in emergency shelters set up.

In the Gaza Strip , homes and essential infrastructure are in ruins and more than 600,000 people have already fled their homes. The majority seek refuge in one of the 102 schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA ) . The region's only power plant exhausted its last energy reserves on October 11. Now water, electricity and wastewater treatment are cut off . These conditions endanger the lives of children. In accordance with international humanitarian law , it is imperative that essential services are protected and accessible at all times.

“Attacks against populations and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals are unacceptable and must stop immediately. UNICEF reiterates its urgent call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, ensuring the protection of children and facilitating rapid and safe access to humanitarian assistance.”
Catherine Russell
general director of UNICEF France

Unconditionally protect every child

Through the declaration of its Executive Director , UNICEF calls for the release and immediate protection of any kidnapped child. We also recall the obligation to grant special protection to each child while respecting human rights and international humanitarian law.

We also call for an immediate ceasefire , an important step in the search for a lasting solution in the interest of every child.

As the conflict escalates, it is crucial to remember that children, whatever their origin, are the most vulnerable and likely to be the most traumatized. Palestinians or Israelis, they are above all children who deserve to be protected, to be taken care of and to live in peace.

Our teams are on the ground providing immediate humanitarian assistance, including medical supplies, fuel, and mental health and psychosocial support. While UNICEF staff continue to respond to the critical needs of children in the Gaza Strip, access is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous. Humanitarian actors have also been urged to leave Gaza City, but UNICEF will remain present in the southern part of the enclave to help children in need. The UNICEF-supported desalination plant provides water to more than 75,000 people. Medical equipment and medicines have also been provided to hospitals, but given the number of injured, beds and essential medicines, particularly anesthetics, are already running out.

In this war, as in all wars, it is first and foremost children who pay the price of the conflict. UNICEF is calling for an immediate humanitarian pause and safe access to establish and ensure continuity of vital services for children.

https://www.unicef.fr/article/israel-palestine-les-enfants-paient-le-prix-de-la-guerre/

[Emily]

https://twitter.com/OsaidesserMD/status/1715843043541291063

Osaid Alser, MD, MSc(Oxon)@OsaidesserMD

I’ve received several pics from doctors from #Gaza of full thickness (3rd/4th degree) burn. Doctors report that they’ve never seen such unusual burn pattern where it involves mainly extremities without any other visceral injuries .1 #MedTwitter

4:30 PM · Oct 21, 2023
489.6K
Views

Osaid Alser, MD, MSc(Oxon) @OsaidesserMD

Those go down to muscles and bone, those victims were coming from buildings that were targeted via #IOF airstrikes but none of these have evidence of blast/visceral injuries (I.e. isolated burn injury) which is again unusual .2

4:32 PM · Oct 21, 2023
37.9K
Views

Osaid Alser, MD, MSc(Oxon) @OsaidesserMD

I cannot share those pictures here. They’re awful + do not have permission to share

4:33 PM · Oct 21, 2023
30.6K
Views

[JJackson]

White phosphorus?
"Exposure to white phosphorus can cause severe burns. The burns are extremely painful and result from a combination of thermal and chemical injuries. The affected areas of exposed skin may appear yellowish and may show necrotic, full-thickness burns surrounded by sloughed tissue.

White phosphorus is highly soluble in lipids; therefore, it can penetrate underlying tissues resulting in deep burns that are slow to heal."

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/white-phosphorus

[sharon sanders]

This is a statement from the director of WHO which makes it news. Posting this is not a political endorsement of anything.




Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

@DrTedros
We have lost touch with our staff in Gaza, with health facilities, health workers and the rest of our humanitarian partners on the ground. This siege makes me gravely concerned for their safety and the immediate health risks of vulnerable patients. We urge immediate protection of all civilians and full humanitarian access.
3:41 PM · Oct 27, 2023
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[sharon sanders]

This is posted for news value only and is not a political post. MSF is one of the largest international medical charities in the world.


MSF International
@MSF
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1h
We are deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza. We have lost contact with some of our Palestinian colleagues on the ground. We are particularly worried for the patients, medical staff and thousands of families taking shelter at Al Shifa hospital and other health facilities.
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@MSF
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We call for the unequivocal protection of all medical facilities, staff and civilians across the Gaza Strip.
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[Pathfinder]

WHO: civilians, patients, and health workers in Gaza spend night in darkness and fear

28 October 2023
Statement

Reading time: 1 min (302 words)
العربية
Français
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During a night of intense bombardment and ground incursions in Gaza, with reports of hostilities still continuing, health workers, patients and civilians have been subject to a total communication and electrical blackout.

WHO reiterates its calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and reminds all parties to the conflict to take all precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. This includes health workers, patients, health facilities and ambulances, and civilians who are sheltering in these facilities. Active measures must be taken to ensure they are not harmed and safe passage provided for the movement of desperately needed medical supplies, fuel, water and food into and across Gaza.


Reports of bombardment near the Indonesia and Al Shifa hospitals are gravely concerning. WHO reiterates that it is impossible to evacuate patients without endangering their lives. Hospitals across Gaza are already operating at maximum capacity due to the injuries sustained in weeks of unrelenting bombardment, and are unable to absorb a dramatic rise in the number of patients, while sheltering thousands of civilians.


Health workers who have stayed by their patients’ sides face dwindling supplies, with no place to put new patients, and no means to alleviate their patients’ pain. There are more wounded every hour. But ambulances cannot reach them in the communications blackout. Morgues are full. More than half of the dead are women and children.


WHO has not been able to communicate with its staff in Gaza, nor have other agencies. Furthermore, WHO is trying to gather information on the overall impact on civilians and health care.

WHO appeals to the humanity in all those who have the power to do so to end the fighting now, in line with the UN resolution adopted yesterday, calling for a humanitarian truce, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held captive.

https://www.who.int/news/item/28-10-2023-who-civilians-patients-and-health-workers-in-gaza-spend-night-in-darkness-and-fear

[sharon sanders]

Not a political post. A public health news story.


Israel strikes Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp

By Kareem Khadder and Abeer Salman, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 2:54 PM EDT, Tue October 31, 2023

An Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander in the densely populated Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza has left catastrophic damage and killed a large number of people, according to eyewitnesses and medics in the enclave.

“I was waiting in line to buy bread when suddenly and without any prior warning seven to eight missiles fell,” an eyewitness, Mohammad Ibrahim, told CNN.

“There were seven to eight huge holes in the ground, full of killed people, body parts all over the place,” he said. “It felt like the end of the world.”

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that the airstrike was targeting a Hamas commander, whom he accused of “hiding, as they do, behind civilians.” Civilian deaths, Hecht also said, are “the tragedy of war.”

more... https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/middleeast/jabalya-blast-gaza-intl/index.html?utm_term=link&utm_content=2023-10-31T18%3A09%3A15&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twcnn brk


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MSF International
@MSF
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We are horrified by news coming from Jabalia camp where high numbers of people have reportedly been killed by an Israeli airstrike. After the attack, many wounded people arrived to Al Shifa hospital where our teams helped to provide emergency medical care...
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MSF International
@MSF
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"Young children arrived at the hospital with deep wounds and severe burns. They came without their families. Many were screaming and asking for their parents. I stayed with them until we could find a place, as the hospital was full with patients." - Mohammed Hawajreh, MSF nurse.
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MSF International
@MSF
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We condemn this latest episode of senseless violence and reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire to prevent more deaths across the Strip. Enough is enough!
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[sharon sanders]

A field hospital and the transfer of injured people from Gaza to Egypt... and foreigners begin to leave the Strip

Qatari mediation in an agreement between Egypt, Hamas, and Israel to evacuate foreigners

November 1, 2023

Dozens of foreigners and Palestinians with foreign nationalities left the Gaza Strip for Egypt on Wednesday, with the Rafah crossing opened to people for the first time since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, while Egyptian ambulances entered the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing to transport a number of those injured in the Israeli bombing to receive treatment. Treatment was carried out in Egyptian hospitals, while a field hospital was established to treat injured Palestinians in the city of Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai.

On Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Health announced the allocation of 40 ambulances to line up at the Rafah crossing, and the Egyptian Minister of Health, Khal Abdel Ghaffar, directed that the capacity of hospitals in Ismailia be raised to receive the injured and sick “in a way that ensures their rational distribution among hospitals to ensure the provision of the necessary diagnostic and therapeutic services to them at all times.


more... https://asharq.com/politics/71195/%D...1%D9%81%D8%AD/

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

MSF international staff were able to leave the Gaza Strip

PRESS RELEASE

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 - UPDATED NOVEMBER 2, 2023


[Update November 2]

All international staff members of Médecins Sans Frontières, who had not been able to leave Gaza since October 7, reached Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.

The 22 Médecins Sans Frontières employees were part of a larger group of foreign passport holders and international aid workers. Seriously injured patients were also allowed to cross today. However, more than 20,000 injured people remain in Gaza,according to figures provided by local health authorities, with limited access to health care due to the siege and constant bombing.

A new international MSF team, including a specialized medical team, is ready to enter Gaza as soon as the situation allows, to support the humanitarian and medical response.

Many of our Palestinian colleagues continue to work in hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip, although minimum security guarantees for hospitals and medical staff are not ensured. Around two million Palestinians are still trapped in Gaza under bombardment, including 300 Palestinian MSF staff and their families. People who wish to leave Gaza must be allowed to do so without further delay and without prejudice to their right to return to Gaza at a later date.

We reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire. Much-needed medical supplies and humanitarian personnel must be allowed into Gaza, where hospitals are overwhelmed and the health system faces total collapse.

https://www.msf.fr/communiques-presse/le-personnel-international-de-msf-a-pu-quitter-la-bande-de-gaza

[Pathfinder]

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 2 November 2023

2 November 2023 Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,

We are running out of words to describe the horror unfolding in Gaza.

Since Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel on the 7^th of October, more than 10 thousand people have been killed, including more than 8,500 in Gaza and 1,400 in Israel. In both Israel and Gaza, 70% of those killed are women and children.

More than 21 thousand are injured and more than 1.4 million people in Gaza have been displaced.

The situation on the ground is indescribable.

Hospitals crammed with the injured, lying in corridors;

Morgues overflowing;

Doctors performing surgery without anaesthesia;

Thousands of people seeking shelter from the bombardment;

Families crammed into overcrowded schools, desperate for food and water;

Toilets overflowing and the risk of disease outbreaks spreading;

And everywhere, fear, death, destruction, loss.

So far, WHO has verified 237 attacks on health care, including 218 in the occupied Palestinian territory and 19 in Israel.

Attacks on health care are a violation of international humanitarian law.

14 out of 36 hospitals in the Gaza strip are non-functional. However, functionality is affected by lack of food and clean water, and the lack of fuel to power generators.

As health needs soar, our ability to meet those needs is plummeting.

23 hospitals have been ordered to evacuate in Gaza city and North Gaza. Forced evacuation in these circumstances would put the lives of hundreds of patients in a life-threatening situation.

Moving a baby on life support would be hazardous in a high-income country.

Doing so in Gaza would gravely endanger a child whose life has only just begun, and who knows nothing of this conflict, nor is responsible for it.

Demanding these patients move puts them and the health workers in an impossible situation.

And in most cases, they have nowhere to go.

I send my appreciation to health workers in both Gaza and Israel who are dealing with the consequences of this conflict.

The best way to support those health workers and the people they serve is to strengthen the existing health system – by resupplying the hospitals, and ensuring their security.

In the past two weeks, WHO has been able to deliver 54 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

But this does not even begin to address the scale of need. Far more is needed than can be delivered with a drip-feed of aid.

Before the 7th of October, an average of 500 trucks a day were crossing into Gaza with essential supplies.

Since the 7th of October, only 217 trucks have entered in total.

To sustain the humanitarian response on the scale needed, we need hundreds of trucks to enter Gaza every day.

We thank Egypt for opening the Rafah border crossing to allow the evacuation of severely injured patients and foreign nationals.

It is too late to help the dead now. But we can help the living.

We can help those who live every moment in fear. We can help injured civilians. We can help the almost 200 women who are expected to deliver babies every day. We can help children and older people. We can help those with life-threatening diseases who need urgent medical care.

WHO will do everything we can to ensure that all people in Gaza have access to life saving health and humanitarian services. In the current situation this is almost impossible.

At the very least, we need a humanitarian pause in the fighting, and ideally an end to the conflict.

We need unfettered access and safe passage agreed by both parties to ensure the security of access routes.

Let me be clear: there can be no justification for Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel.

I understand the grief, the anger and the fear of the Israeli people.

I also understand the grief, the anger, and the fear of the Palestinian people.

WHO continues to call on Hamas to release the hostages it took, many of whom need urgent medical attention.

We continue to call on Israel to restore supplies of electricity, water and fuel.

We continue to call on both sides to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.

And we call on all who can to de-escalate this conflict, rather than inflame it.


===

https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---2-november-2023