Israel orders mass 'evacuation' from Northern Gaza, humanitarian crisis certain to ensue

[Soontir C'boath]

SEEK. LOCATE. EXTERMINATE.

[Broomstick]

On that unhappy note...

The media is now talking about an AI called "lavender" which is supposedly being used by the IDF to target people. Tens of thousands of people. Israel, of course, is denying a lot around the story. This seems to be the original source material for the current snippets making the rounds. It's a long article so I'm not going to quote the entire thing.

A bit of background: +972 and Local Call are both Israel-based independent/leftist/progressive new agencies. (972 is the international calling code for Israel and written mostly in English for an international audience. Local call is in Hebrew for a domestic audience. There is considerable overlap between them.)

Lavender AI in the Hamas-Israeli War

Such a machine, it turns out, actually exists. A new investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call reveals that the Israeli army has developed an artificial intelligence-based program known as “Lavender,” unveiled here for the first time. According to six Israeli intelligence officers, who have all served in the army during the current war on the Gaza Strip and had first-hand involvement with the use of AI to generate targets for assassination, Lavender has played a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians, especially during the early stages of the war. In fact, according to the sources, its influence on the military’s operations was such that they essentially treated the outputs of the AI machine “as if it were a human decision.”

Formally, the Lavender system is designed to mark all suspected operatives in the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), including low-ranking ones, as potential bombing targets. The sources told +972 and Local Call that, during the first weeks of the war, the army almost completely relied on Lavender, which clocked as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants — and their homes — for possible air strikes.
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During the early stages of the war, the army gave sweeping approval for officers to adopt Lavender’s kill lists, with no requirement to thoroughly check why the machine made those choices or to examine the raw intelligence data on which they were based. One source stated that human personnel often served only as a “rubber stamp” for the machine’s decisions, adding that, normally, they would personally devote only about “20 seconds” to each target before authorizing a bombing — just to make sure the Lavender-marked target is male. This was despite knowing that the system makes what are regarded as “errors” in approximately 10 percent of cases, and is known to occasionally mark individuals who have merely a loose connection to militant groups, or no connection at all.

Moreover, the Israeli army systematically attacked the targeted individuals while they were in their homes — usually at night while their whole families were present — rather than during the course of military activity. According to the sources, this was because, from what they regarded as an intelligence standpoint, it was easier to locate the individuals in their private houses. Additional automated systems, including one called “Where’s Daddy?” also revealed here for the first time, were used specifically to track the targeted individuals and carry out bombings when they had entered their family’s residences.

“We were not interested in killing [Hamas] operatives only when they were in a military building or engaged in a military activity,” A., an intelligence officer, told +972 and Local Call. “On the contrary, the IDF bombed them in homes without hesitation, as a first option. It’s much easier to bomb a family’s home. The system is built to look for them in these situations.”

The Lavender machine joins another AI system, “The Gospel,” about which information was revealed in a previous investigation by +972 and Local Call in November 2023, as well as in the Israeli military’s own publications. A fundamental difference between the two systems is in the definition of the target: whereas The Gospel marks buildings and structures that the army claims militants operate from, Lavender marks people — and puts them on a kill list.

In addition, according to the sources, when it came to targeting alleged junior militants marked by Lavender, the army preferred to only use unguided missiles, commonly known as “dumb” bombs (in contrast to “smart” precision bombs), which can destroy entire buildings on top of their occupants and cause significant casualties. “You don’t want to waste expensive bombs on unimportant people — it’s very expensive for the country and there’s a shortage [of those bombs],” said C., one of the intelligence officers. Another source said that they had personally authorized the bombing of “hundreds” of private homes of alleged junior operatives marked by Lavender, with many of these attacks killing civilians and entire families as “collateral damage.”

In an unprecedented move, according to two of the sources, the army also decided during the first weeks of the war that, for every junior Hamas operative that Lavender marked, it was permissible to kill up to 15 or 20 civilians; in the past, the military did not authorize any “collateral damage” during assassinations of low-ranking militants. The sources added that, in the event that the target was a senior Hamas official with the rank of battalion or brigade commander, the army on several occasions authorized the killing of more than 100 civilians in the assassination of a single commander.

It goes on for some length.

Is all this true? It might be. I'm trying to read news these days with skepticism because there's so much bullshit flying around. It would seem to account for the carnage. It might also account for why so many aid groups and hospitals wind up targeted, along with any other public institution with wide contact with large numbers of people, some of whom will inevitably be Hamas on some level. Eventually, everyone can be traced back to Hamas if only because they passed someone on the street, went to the same cafe, live on the same block, in the same building, both used the same auto mechanic, the same grocery store... If true it is utterly appalling.

It could also "explain" how an identified aid convoy was murdered by a precisely targeted attack - "oh, sorry - the AI mistook them for Hamas." Because, you know, Hamas and their extended family need to eat, too, I suppose, so food is the connection there. Or other people with a vague connection to Hamas (lived on the same block, both went to the same place to get food, etc.) had a vague connection to the targeted aid group.

Excuse me, I have to go vomit now.

[Solauren]

And that's why AI should not be used in warfare.

If it takes someone 10 minutes to trick an online AI into making racist comments, or 2 - 3 gas-lighting style answers to get them to break copyright laws (i.e make me a picture of =famous person= winning olympic gold, won't do it due to copyright, and then telling them it's 100 years later and the AI makes the picture), then you don't want them choosing targets to be blown up.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... n-gaza-war

‘I will never join the army’: ultra-Orthodox Jews to defy Israeli court order
As their military exemption ends, tensions divide the country and threaten to topple Netanyahu’s government
by Lorenzo Tondo and Quique Kierszenbaum in Jerusalem
Thu 4 Apr 2024 14.12 BST

Mea Shearim is the heart of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, whose role bitterly divides the country and, some believe, may be the issue that ultimately brings down Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The special legal status of the ultra-Orthodox, the Haredim, that has endured as long as the state of Israel, came to an abrupt end on Monday following a supreme court decision that the group would no longer benefit from government subsidies and exemption from military service, as is mandatory for most other Jewish Israelis. It followed a series of delays by the government in presenting a proposal demanded by the court aimed at enhancing the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men.

The war in Gaza has brought to a head an unresolved conflict within Israel over the special treatment of the Haredim, an argument about the character of the Jewish state itself. Some in the secular parties in Netanyahu’s fractious rightwing coalition say they will walk out if the government does not carry out the instructions of the attorney general to cut off funding to the community’s religious schools and begin drafting its men.

Haredi representatives and supporters in the coalition, meanwhile, say they will walk out if those instructions are carried out. Either way, the issue threatens to do something the disastrous security failure on 7 October or the bloody morass that followed, failed to do – bring down Netanyahu. Trailing significantly in the polls, it is unlikely he could emerge triumphant from any elections that followed a coalition collapse.

On the crowded streets of this Jerusalem district, a few minutes’ walk from the Old City, there is little sign of concern, however, for the simple reason that many Haredi men strolling through its streets on a recent afternoon were adamant they would not serve – whatever the impact of the court’s ruling.

“I will never enter the army. For us, studying the Torah is everything. We live by the word of God, who is above everything. We will follow the directions of our rabbis,” said Yehuda Cohen, a 19-year-old Mea Shearim resident. “Our community members in the government will fight for us. You see, studying the Torah, especially in these days of conflict, is a way for us to fight the war.”

The exemption policy dates back to shortly after the founding of the state of Israel, when 400 students at yeshivas, Jewish institutions for religious study, were permitted to avoid conscription. But as Haredi populations have increased – to about 12% of the country’s 9m citizens – tens of thousands avoid the military and live on government stipends for religious study. Furthermore, certain groups within the ultra-Orthodox community do not recognise the state of Israel, asserting that the establishment of a nation is contingent upon the arrival of the Messiah.

“The army can come here and say whatever they want,” says Ari, 19. “But we only answer to God. We will not enlist because studying the Torah has always been our only objective. They can fine us or do whatever they want. We will pay the fines, but we will not enter the army.”

Ultra-Orthodox Jews live their life according to religious commandments and distance themselves from modern society. Posters as you enter the district urge women to wear modest clothing and another declares: “If you take your smartphone out in this holy place, it will be confiscated. There are guards everywhere!’’.

Young children roam the streets unaccompanied. Haredi families are large, many with five or six children whom the parents teach from a very young age to be independent.

“There were several attempts over the years to force the Haredim to join the army, and they all failed,” said Yitzik Crombie, a Haredi tech entrepreneur and author. “After 7 October, there is a real need for manpower in the military, but the Haredim will never join the army if they are forced to. I believe this draft law is a mistake and Israeli society will never accept it. If the law passes, people will take the streets. And I’ll be the first one to join them.”

Israeli flags have been set on fire in protests in Mea Shearim in recent years, along with military uniforms.

The Israeli attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Sunday wrote to the defence and education ministries to say that the “process of drafting members of the ultra-Orthodox community into the army must begin”, as the court had ordered, and warned “against any attempt to continue funding yeshivahs that harbour students who dodge their army service, against court orders”.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) puts the number of ultra-Orthodox males eligible for military conscription each year at approximately 13,000. Other sources inside the army put it much higher. There are a reported 60,000 yeshiva students between the ages of 18 and 26.

No enlistment has yet begun. An IDF spokesperson said: “The IDF is currently conducting preparations regarding the recruitment of yeshiva members, decisions on this matter will be made in accordance with the law and the guidance of the government.

“The IDF is the army of the nation and works in a professional manner in order to recruit the populations liable for conscription, in accordance with the security service law.”

The war in Gaza has inflamed the long-simmering resentment of the Haredim among other Israelis who have to serve in the IDF. Scores of demonstrators associated with the Brothers in Arms movement, formed of IDF reservists, rallied in Mea Shearim on Sunday demanding the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men.

“I believe, I believe, I believe in enlisting in the military,” the protesters chanted, while some Haredi residents threw eggs, water and bottles at the demonstrators.

“They just want to provoke us,” said Ari.

The two ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, have denounced the court’s ruling on removing government subsidies as a “mark of Cain”. Aryeh Deri, the head of Shas, called it “unprecedented bullying of Torah students in the Jewish state”.

Benny Gantz, a political rival of Netanyahu who has declared his willingness to resign from the emergency unity government over the issue, praised the court’s decision and said it recognised “the need for soldiers during a difficult war, and the need for everyone in our society to take part in the right to serve the country”.

Anshel Pfeffer, a political columnist on Haaretz newspaper, argued that threats from the ultra-Orthodox parties to walk out were empty and they were “in no rush to leave this governing coalition” as a centrist alternative would be worse for them.

Other political analysts and politicians, however, believe the issue could be the one that brings down Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. Naama Lazimi, a Knesset member for the centre-left Labor party, said the row could be “a gamechanger”.

Menahem Elison, 19, said he was confident that ultra-Orthodox parties representing his community would find a solution. “I trust our Haredi politicians,” he said. “They know we are not going to enlist in the army. They understand the importance of studying the Torah.”

Emphasis mine.

I didn't think this was really going to happen; but it seemingly has. The Haredim politicians face a tough choice; their basic beliefs vs their seat at the top table.

As for Netanyahu, it makes me wonder what's really driving this. If the two Haredim parties mentioned above walk out (18 seats in total), then he drops from 72 seats to 54 out of 120, forcing an election; while Benny Gantz's National Unity party (8 seats) would only drop his coalition from 72 to 64.

It could be that his other allies are pushing this. Mafdal-Religious Zionism (7 seats) has backed conscripting Haredim in the past, while Otzma Yehudit (6 seats) doesn't appear to have a clear stance, but is very pro-military. Losing either along with National Unity, or both, would force an election.

[Elfdart]

Which fits with Israel's goal of depopulating Gaza.

How long have they been repeating that 32,000 dead number anyway? Seems like the count has been stuck there for awhile.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor put their latest estimate out yesterday:



If the numbers above are right, the Gaza genocide is proportionally worse than the genocides in Guatemala and El Salvador during the early 1980s combined.

[LadyTevar]

I trust an outsider's numbers to what we're hearing from Israeli sources.

The damaged schools, religious sites, and especially the damaged hospitals are what makes my blood boil. Aren't those covered by Geneva? Aren't those supposed to be UnTouchable, and yet they've been #1 targets from the first, with claims that HAMAS is using them for bases.
This whole thing disgusts me, and I wish there was a way to end it right now.

[Zaune]

This whole thing disgusts me, and I wish there was a way to end it right now.

Unfortunately, the only way I can think of involves a lot of Israeli noncombatants getting bombed to death as well as Palestinian ones, at least this side of their next election.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

'Grave mistake': IDF releases findings of report into deadly attack on seven aid workers

The strike on World Central Kitchen vehicles which led to the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza was "a grave mistake", the Israeli Defence Force's report into the incident has concluded.

A preliminary report into the attack by the IDF found the killings to be "in serious violation" of military procedure and confirmed several high-ranking officials have been dismissed as a result.

"The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures," the report said.

Three vehicles were attacked on Monday, killing three Britons alongside an American-Canadian dual citizen, and workers from Poland, Palestine and Australia.

The attacks were condemned by global leaders.

President Joe Biden said he was "outraged and heartbroken" and later warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that continued US support for Israel's war against Hamas would be dependent on protection measures for civilians and aid workers.

UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, meanwhile, said he welcomed the "suspension of two officers as a first step", but added: "These findings must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability."

Officers thought they were attacking 'Hamas terrorists'

The IDF said its investigation found the forces "identified a gunman" on one of the aid trucks, and then a second gunman.

It says a commander then "mistakenly assumed" the gunmen were located "inside the accompanying vehicles" after the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded.

The commander assumed those gunmen "were Hamas terrorists", according to the report.

The IDF says the forces "did not identify the vehicles in question as being associated with WCK".

"Following a misidentification by the forces, the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers," the report added.

The investigation concluded "the incident should not have occurred".

Those who approved the strike were "convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees", the report said.

Military spokespeople said that under the Israeli army's rules of engagement, officers must have more than one reason for identifying someone as a target before they can be hit, but this investigation determined that a colonel had authorised the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one major's observation.

The observation that someone in the convoy was armed was made through grainy drone-camera footage and proved to be untrue, military officials said.

Formal dismissals of those involved

The IDF's chief of general staff has decided the brigade fire support commander - an officer with the rank of major - will be dismissed from his position, along with the brigade chief of staff - an officer with the rank of colonel in reserve.

The brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander will also "be formally reprimanded", as will the commander of the Southern Command "for his overall responsibility for the incident", the report said.

The speed of the IDF's investigation and the punishment of senior officers is highly unusual.

Human rights activists have long complained that Israeli forces operate in a climate of impunity, an allegation the military rejects.

The IDF said it takes "seriously the grave incident that claimed the lives of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers" and sent their condolences to the families of those killed, as well as WCK.

The organisation also used the statement to "emphasise its commitment" to fighting Hamas, "while upholding the values of the IDF, the laws of war, and avoiding harming civilians".

The IDF said "the vital humanitarian activity of international aid organisations" is "of utmost importance" and that it "will continue to work to coordinate and assist their activities, while ensuring their safety and safeguarding their lives."

"The IDF will learn the lessons of the incident and will incorporate them into the IDF's ongoing operations."

The number of people killed in Gaza in the last six months has now surpassed 33,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the region. Another 75,600 people are thought to have been wounded.

World Central Kitchen demands independent investigation

It is an "important step" the IDF has claimed responsibility for the attacks and the "fatal errors" it made, World Central Kitchen has said in response to the report, but it reiterated its demands for an independent investigation into the deaths.

"We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza," the charity said in a statement.

"It is also clear from their preliminary investigation the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement."

The report also makes clear that WCK did everything it should have in order to ensure that its workers were safe from attack.

"The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDF's own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat," the statement said.

“It's not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200," WCK founder José Andrés said.

"All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released."

The three British nationals killed in the attack were John Chapman, 57, James "Jim" Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.

They died alongside American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, 43, who was the leader of the relief team, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25.

[Solauren]

Until i see a list of names that were dismissed, and the legal consequences they are facing, I call 'bullshit not even scape-goating'

[aerius]

Nazis: We were just following orders!
Israelis: We were just following AI!

Hang them for war crimes. Assuming there's anything left of Israel when it's all over.

[Broomstick]

They found two scapegoats. "Hooray". What bullshit. It doesn't solve the problem(s) that led to this.

[LadyTevar]

They found two scapegoats. "Hooray". What bullshit. It doesn't solve the problem(s) that led to this.

Poland called the Israeli Ambassador in, so I guess they needed to finger someone quick to take the blame. Probably not going to help much, because I doubt they'll release the scapegoats to foreign judiciaries.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

They found two scapegoats. "Hooray". What bullshit. It doesn't solve the problem(s) that led to this.

Poland called the Israeli Ambassador in, so I guess they needed to finger someone quick to take the blame. Probably not going to help much, because I doubt they'll release the scapegoats to foreign judiciaries.

UK did the same and echoed calls for an independent investigation, the speed at which the official one took place is surprising, to say the least.

[Solauren]

They found two scapegoats. "Hooray". What bullshit. It doesn't solve the problem(s) that led to this.

Poland called the Israeli Ambassador in, so I guess they needed to finger someone quick to take the blame. Probably not going to help much, because I doubt they'll release the scapegoats to foreign judiciaries.

IF they did that, I'd believe Israel is sorry about the incident.

Right now, they're sorry they 'got caught' so to speak.

[bilateralrope]

They found two scapegoats. "Hooray". What bullshit. It doesn't solve the problem(s) that led to this.

Poland called the Israeli Ambassador in, so I guess they needed to finger someone quick to take the blame. Probably not going to help much, because I doubt they'll release the scapegoats to foreign judiciaries.

They don't want the scapegoats to tell everyone who gave them the order.

[Ralin]

They don't want the scapegoats to tell everyone who gave them the order.

They don't want to discourage anyone from doing it again next week, you mean.

[Broomstick]

They don't want the scapegoats to tell everyone who gave them the order.

Actually, I suspect they don't want the scapegoats to tell everyone WHAT gave them the order.

Until their version of SkyNet starts targeting them, that is, Israelis that the government actually gives a damn about (as opposed to the hostages still in Gaza, if any are still alive, or other "little people") the people running the shit-show will just keep doing what they're doing.

[Edi]

The IDF statement on the WCK attack: https://www.idf.il/190614

It's obvious that that's just sacrificing a few scapegoats on the altar of public relations. According to that, the IDF had determined that there had been two gunmen in the aid trucks the convoy had been unloading and they had assumed they were in the convoy when it left. No elaboration on that, so until they lay out exactly what happened, it's a lie.

Furthermore, even if there had been Hamas operatives helping unload food, that does not justify targeting an aid convoy. Then again, Israel has never cared how many and how atrocious war crimes they commit. Only now that the entire world is turning against them they have started to realize they may end up in deep shit over this.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Six months later, war in Gaza has stalled with the Israelis yet to achieve their primary goals

Six months after sadistic Hamas terrorists made October 7th the deadliest day in Israel’s history, the Gaza war has stalled with the Israelis yet to achieve their primary goals.

As Israel’s massive military response to Hamas’ monstrous assault got underway, government ministers outlined the country’s objectives: the destruction of Hamas, the return of all the hostages, and finally, total disconnection from Gaza.

They wanted to wash their hands of the place.

Today, Hamas remains unbeaten, around 130 hostages remain captive and Israel has been forced to take more responsibility for the care and sustenance of Gaza’s entire population.

A high death toll among civilians and an impending famine in northern Gaza has strained Israel’s relations with the United States almost to breaking point.

Last week’s horrendous killing of six foreign aid workers in an Israeli drone attack has further convinced much of the watching world that the IDF is all too frequently too trigger happy, in breach of its own rules of engagement.

The Biden Administration has given the Netanyahu government an ultimatum - change your policies or we will change ours.

The Prime Minister here is boxed in and finding it difficult to satisfy the Americans and keep his coalition partners on side.

He repeatedly promises that what he calls "total victory" is the aim, and has openly insisted that Israeli forces will at some stage attack Hamas’ last redoubt in Gaza, the southern city of Rafah.

Rafah is also currently home to around one and a half million Palestinians, most of them displaced from other parts of Gaza. The Americans say that without a credible plan to move them out of harm’s way, they won’t support a Rafah offensive.

Benjamin Netanyahu may be personally unpopular at home, but his policies have the approval of most Israelis.

Despite a growing clamour for fresh elections here, Mr Netanyahu is likely to stick to his guns and keep on planning further military action, not least because that’s what his coalition partners and most Israelis want.

It’s also the best option for his own political future. He knows that if “the day after” doesn’t dawn, then neither will he have to face accountability for his failings six months ago.

It’s also why post-war Gaza is something Mr Netanyahu won’t discuss. Gaza’s political and practical future isn’t even on the horizon yet.

In the meantime, six months into a seemingly endless war, Israel’s begrudging attitude towards famine prevention is burning through whatever international legitimacy its campaign has left.

'Half a year of hell': Protesters march in Israel amid famine warnings in Gaza

It has been six months since Hamas' October 7 attacks in Israel, in which they killed more than 1,100 people and kidnapped around 250 people - many of whom a presumed to still be in Gaza.

The attack was the trigger for Israel’s ongoing military action in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health authority, as well as mass displacement of the population and an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

On Saturday night, thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv to mark the anniversary, calling for immediate elections and the hostages' release.

Earlier, the police reported a small group of "troublemakers" had started lighting bonfires after the demonstrations ended.

A Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo on Sunday for ceasefire talks.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron warned the “prospect of famine is real” in Gaza as he announced that a Royal Navy ship will be deployed to help get more aid into the territory.

Alongside the vessel, which is not being named for operational security, the Government announced a £9.7 million package for aid deliveries, logistical expertise and equipment support for a humanitarian corridor in the eastern Mediterranean.

The foreign secretary said the UK and its allies needed to “explore all options” including sea and air deliveries to “ease the desperate plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people”.

Lord Cameron said: “The situation in Gaza is dire and the prospect of famine is real. We remain committed to getting aid to those who so desperately need it.

“Along with the US, Cyprus and other partners, we are setting up a new temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to get aid in as quickly and securely as possible.

“Land access remains crucial to deliver aid at the scale now required. The opening of Erez and the Port of Ashdod is hugely welcome and something the UK has long been calling for.

It is also nearly a week since an Israel Defence Forces air strike killed three British aid workers in Gaza, in an attack the IDF later admitted was a “grave mistake”.

Rishi Sunak said the UK continues to stand by Israel’s right to defend its security, but urged the Israelis to ensure aid gets into Gaza more swiftly, and said the UK remains “appalled” by the airstrike.

The Prime Minister said: “Today marks six months since the terrorist outrage of October 7 – the most appalling attack in Israel’s history, the worst loss of Jewish life since the Second World War.

“Six months later, Israeli wounds are still unhealed. Families still mourn and hostages are still held by Hamas.”

Mr Sunak added: “We continue to stand by Israel’s right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security.

“But the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed, and appalled by the killing of brave British heroes who were bringing food to those in need.”

John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, were the three Britons who died in air strikes carried out by the IDF on their aid convoy on April 1.

The Prime Minister highlighted the growing toll on Palestinian civilians, and said the UK had been “straining every sinew” to get aid into Gaza, while emphasising the need for Hamas to release its captives.

He called for an immediate humanitarian pause in the fighting, “leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire”.

The British armed forces have dropped 40 tonnes of aid into Gaza in recent weeks to tackle the bottleneck in supplies reaching Palestinians.

The five air drops have seen supplies including water, flour and baby formula parachuted into the territory.

[madd0c0t0r2]

The IDF statement on the WCK attack: https://www.idf.il/190614

It's obvious that that's just sacrificing a few scapegoats on the altar of public relations. According to that, the IDF had determined that there had been two gunmen in the aid trucks the convoy had been unloading and they had assumed they were in the convoy when it left. No elaboration on that, so until they lay out exactly what happened, it's a lie.

Furthermore, even if there had been Hamas operatives helping unload food, that does not justify targeting an aid convoy. Then again, Israel has never cared how many and how atrocious war crimes they commit. Only now that the entire world is turning against them they have started to realize they may end up in deep shit over this.

The 'gunmen' have been identified as aid workers now I think. Some British ex military ones (pretty common transistion).


Today a UNICEF car was attacked.
Some people are speculating it's intentional IDF strategy to keep starvation pressure on Gaza until Egypt opens border. I'm starting to think it's the AI system they have collating intelligence and identifying targets. Aid workers communicating with connected Palestinians to setup access routes and distribution points might get flagged like any group of Gazans showing organisation.

Add in a couple of ai image detectors for weapons on grainy drone footage and 30seconds of human review and boom. Warcrimes.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Biden issues warning as Iran ‘prepares to launch missile strike’ on Israel

Joe Biden has warned Iran not to launch an attack on Israel, amid reports of an “imminent” missile strike targeting the country.

The US president said his commitment to Israel’s security was “ironclad” and that Washington would do “all we can” to protect it from an attack by Tehran in retaliation for a strike in Syria that killed senior Iranian generals.

On Wednesday evening, Bloomberg reported that US intelligence officials believed an attack on Israeli soil was imminent and could involve “high-precision missiles”.

Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Mr Biden said: “We also want to address the Iranian threat … they’re threatening to launch a significant attack in Israel.

“As I told Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again, ironclad … all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
A Pentagon official on Wednesday night declined to comment on reports that the US was preparing to intercept Iranian missiles, and to join retaliatory strikes by Israel.

The official told The Telegraph the US government was “aware of Iran’s rhetoric” and that “both Israel and the US take it seriously”.

Iran offers not to attack Israel if Gaza ceasefire works; victory near, claims Netanyahu

Foreign embassies have reportedly already begun evacuations in anticipation of an attack in the coming days, after Iran’s supreme leader said Israel “must be punished” for an air strike on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike, which killed two generals and five military advisers on April 1. The most high-profile victim was Mohamed Reza Zahedi, who led the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon and Syria until 2016.

In a speech to mark the end of Ramadan on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei vowed to take revenge on Israel.

“When they attack the consulate, it is as if they have attacked our soil,” he said. “The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and it shall be.”

Two days after the attack, he said “the Zionist regime” would “receive a slap in the face” in retaliation.

Military targets
US officials reportedly believe any Iranian strike would likely be on military and government buildings, not civilian targets. One source told Bloomberg that an attack was considered a matter of when, not if.

Any strike could escalate the conflict in the Middle East to a direct war between two of the region’s biggest powers.

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, has said Israel would respond to an attack with its own strike on Iranian soil.

Speaking to troops in northern Israel, Mr Gallant said Iran would face a “powerful response in its territory”.

“In this war, we are being attacked from more than one front … from different directions,” he said.

“Any enemy that tries to attack us will first of all be met with a strong defence. But we will know how to react very quickly with a decisive offensive action against the territory of whoever attacks our territory, no matter where it is, in the entire Middle East.”

Iran has been accused of supporting Hamas in its war against Israel and of stoking the conflict through its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

The attack on Israel could come from Lebanon, where Hezbollah is located, although intelligence officials reportedly believe it could also be launched from elsewhere in the region.

Tehran has long avoided attacking Israel directly but Khamenei said that “our fighters” would be involved in Iran’s revenge.

Israeli officials have said they will wait for the Iranian attack before launching a planned assault on Rafah, in the south of Gaza, where the Israeli government has vowed to root out remaining Hamas fighters.

Iran has also blamed Britain and the US for its role in the air strike on April 1, and argues that Israel’s Western backers are complicit in the deaths of its troops.

While the US has publicly warned Israel against attacking Rafah because of expected civilian casualties, Washington has remained supportive of the war against Hamas and committed to Israeli security.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said the UK was “absolutely clear about the threat that Iran poses to the region” and pointed to British participation in strikes against the Yemeni Houthis, another Iranian proxy group.

“Britain stands with our allies, crucially, including the United States, we stand up for Israel’s right to self-defence,” he told Fox News.

The UK Government has retained diplomatic ties with Iran throughout the conflict, despite Lord Cameron’s declaration that the country is “a thoroughly malign influence in the region and in the world”.

On Wednesday evening, Lufthansa, the German flight operator, announced it was suspending flights to Tehran “due to the current situation in the Middle East”.

A spokesman said the company was “constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities”.

Separately on Wednesday, three sons of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed by an Israeli strike in central Gaza.

The IDF said they were operatives of Hamas’s military wing. Haniyeh said several of his grandchildren had also been killed.

[Broomstick]

Why the fuck does Netanyahu's government think they can attack Iran and NOT have consequences? Oh, right - Israel has a right to defend its interests but no one else does. Motherfuckers.

[Solauren]

Why the fuck does Netanyahu's government think they can attack Iran and NOT have consequences? Oh, right - Israel has a right to defend its interests but no one else does. Motherfuckers.

I think this is more 'Iran, don't attack based on rumor'.

Until Israel actually attacks Iran, Iran has no direct reason to attack Israel.

[3-Body Problem]

Why the fuck does Netanyahu's government think they can attack Iran and NOT have consequences? Oh, right - Israel has a right to defend its interests but no one else does. Motherfuckers.

I think this is more 'Iran, don't attack based on rumor'.

Until Israel actually attacks Iran, Iran has no direct reason to attack Israel.

It would be nice if the US and its allies played by those rules.

[Gandalf]

Why the fuck does Netanyahu's government think they can attack Iran and NOT have consequences? Oh, right - Israel has a right to defend its interests but no one else does. Motherfuckers.

They know that the US will ultimately fall in line behind Israel, even for sheer electoral reasons before anything practical.