Auteursarchief: astrid

Yemen’s Houthi fighters have given Israel a four-day deadline to lift its blockade on food, medicine and aid into Gaza, threatening to resume “naval operations” against the country otherwise.

The ultimatum, issued late on Friday, signals a possible escalation from the rebel group after their assaults tailed off in January following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“We give the entire world notice: We are granting a four-day deadline,” the group’s leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said in a video statement.

“This deadline is to allow for mediators to continue their efforts. If, after these four days, the Israeli enemy persists in preventing the entry of aid into Gaza, maintains the complete closure of crossings, and continues to block the entry of food and medicine into Gaza, we will resume our naval operations against the Israeli enemy,” he said.

The Iran-aligned Houthis launched more than 100 attacks targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden following Israel’s war on Gaza, saying the raids were in solidarity with Palestinians in the enclave.

During that period, the fighters sank two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa.

The Houthis also launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on Israel, killing at least one person and causing damage to buildings, including a school in Tel Aviv.

The United States, under President Donald Trump, re-designated the Houthis as a “terrorist” organisation earlier this week.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the Houthi threat.

Hamas meanwhile welcomed the announcement.

“The brave decision … is an extension of the positions of support and assistance that they [the Houthis] provided over the course of 15 months of war … in Gaza,” the Palestinian group said.

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, also said in February that they will take military action if the US and Israel try to displace Palestinians from Gaza forcibly.

Their ultimatum comes as Israel’s blockade on all aid into Gaza entered a seventh day.

The siege began on March 2 after Israel reneged on the ceasefire deal and sought to extend the first stage of the three-phased agreement that expired last week, without committing to ending the war on Gaza.

The United Nations, rights groups and countries around the world say the Israeli blockade could constitute a war crime.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in a statement on Friday, said the Israeli action has caused prices to soar in Gaza and resulted in anxiety over a return to bombardment and starvation.

It noted that the blockade also comes as health authorities reported that at least eight babies, whose families have been sheltering in flimsy makeshift tents, have died from the cold in the past two weeks.

“As the occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure the provision of the necessities of life for Palestinians living under its control,” the OHCHR said. “Any denial of the entry of the necessities of life for civilians may amount to collective punishment. The use of hunger and starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime.”

Palestinians say the blockade has also resulted in shortages of medical supplies and left hospitals struggling to care for those wounded in the war.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said healthcare workers were trying to do everything possible in order to continue to provide essential medical services.

“We’re talking about more than 100,000 wounded people who have injuries from Israel’s military attacks on Gaza. And now, this ban has triggered huge concerns regarding two important issues: fuel and medical supplies,” he said.

“Hospitals and medical centres are in desperate need of fuel in order to help medical teams continue to provide services. The vast majority of hospitals rely on emergency generators and now, with the ban on fuel trucks entering, the situation is getting much worse,” he added.

“And it’s expected to get even worse within the coming days if there isn’t any serious intervention.”

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 48,440 Palestinians and wounded 111,845 others. Authorities in the enclave say the death toll is likely to be at least 61,709, as thousands of Palestinians missing under the rubble are presumed dead.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[126]

REACTION OF ASTRID ESSED ON QUORA/

ABOUT THE DISSOLVING OF ZIONIST ISRAEL

AND CREATING ONE PALESTINIAN STATE!

ASTRID ESSED

2 MAY 2025

https://www.astridessed.nl/reaction-of-astrid-essed-on-quora-about-the-dissolving-of-zionist-israel-and-creating-of-one-palestinian-state/

”QUORA

SEE ALSO

https://astridessed.weebly.com/blog/reaction-of-astrid-essedabout-the-dissolving-of-zionist-israel-and-the-creation-of-a-new-palestinian-state-with-equal-rights-for-all

Israel must immediately end its devastating siege on the occupied Gaza Strip which constitutes a genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, said Amnesty International, marking two months since Israel reimposed a ban on the entry of aid and commercial goods into the Strip on 2 March 2025.

By blocking the entry of supplies critical for the survival of the population, Israel continues its policy of deliberately imposing conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their physical destruction; this constitutes an act of genocide.

Harrowing new testimonies gathered by Amnesty International throughout April reveal the catastrophic human cost of Israel’s two-month long total siege, where starvation and denial of life-saving essentials are being used as weapons of war in flagrant violation of international law.

Israel has relentlessly and mercilessly turned Gaza into an inferno of death and destruction.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International. 

“The extent of human suffering in Gaza for the past 19 months has been unimaginable, and it is a direct consequence of Israel’s ongoing genocide. Apart from a brief respite during the temporary truce, Israel has relentlessly and mercilessly turned Gaza into an inferno of death and destruction,” Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

“For the past two months, Israel has completely cut off the supply of humanitarian aid and other items indispensable to the survival of civilians in a clear and calculated effort to collectively punish over two million civilians and to make Gaza unlivable. This is genocide in action.

“The international community must not continue to stand by as Israel perpetrates these atrocities with impunity. States, especially Israel’s allies, must act now and take concrete measures to pressure Israel into immediately lifting its total siege and allowing the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid and its safe distribution across all of Gaza. A sustained ceasefire is essential to ensure that can happen.”

This week in the Hague, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is holding public hearings to examine Israel’s obligations in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including the provision of humanitarian assistance. Amnesty International reiterates the critical urgency of allowing UNRWA, other UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, to carry out their life-saving work across the OPT without obstructions.

Israel’s refusal to allow aid into Gaza also flouts repeated ICJ orders to ensure Palestinians have access to sufficient humanitarian assistance and basic services.

‘I don’t want my child to die hungry’

Amnesty International conducted interviews with 35 internally displaced individuals seeking shelter in Gaza City and six residents of Beit Lahia, which paint a grim picture of a population teetering on the brink of survival.

In addition to blocking entry of all aid, Israel’s decision to cut power to Gaza’s main desalination plant on 9 March has further crippled access to clean water. The plant was the only facility in Gaza reconnected to Israel’s electricity grid in November 2024, after a full electricity blackout had been imposed since 11 October 2023.

The collapse of the truce with Israel’s resumption of attacks on 18 March, which have killed at least 2,325 people, including 820 children, shattered any semblance of hope for Palestinians in Gaza.

“We thought we would finally have a chance to mourn our dead in peace, to bury those we couldn’t bury and to start life,” one resident told Amnesty International.

“Conditions were very tough, but at least we could start planning for something other than death.”

Expansive “evacuation” orders and no-go zones now engulf nearly 70% of the Gaza Strip, forcing people to abandon what is left of the scarce sources of sustenance and access to livelihoods for farmers and fishermen.

The consequences are irreversible damage to the Palestinian population. Basic food items -including fish and meat- have become prohibitively expensive, pushing countless families into hunger.

One fisherman described the deadly gamble he is forced to take due to the risk of being shot at by the Israeli military while at sea:

“When I go fishing, I know that the danger of not returning home to my family is great… but we have no other option. My family’s survival depends on the money we can get out of selling the fish in the market – and it may cost you your life.”

The severe food scarcity is being exploited and exacerbated by individuals hoarding or looting supplies, selling them at extortionate prices. Amidst a severe cash liquidity crisis, commissions to withdraw money may reach 30%. Most Palestinians in Gaza now can only rely on overcrowded community kitchens, where displaced people endure hours-long waits for minimal sustenance, often just a single meal per day.

“We don’t ask if food is nutritious or not, if it’s fresh or good; that’s a luxury, we just want to fill the stomachs of our children. I don’t want my child to die hungry,” one displaced parent said.

Throughout the conflict, including during the truce, local authorities in Gaza have failed to take any meaningful steps to stop such exploitation and profiteering. Their apparent disregard for civilians has prompted hundreds of protesters in Gaza, particularly in Beit Lahia, to take to the streets demanding the downfall of Hamas in recent weeks.

The crisis has had a particularly devastating impact on infants and breastfeeding and pregnant mothers. According to OCHA, 92% of infants aged 6-23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are not meeting their nutrient requirements.

Water scarcity, an endemic problem in Gaza due to Israel’s 17 year-long blockade, has now become critical, with some resorting to drinking seawater. Damaged infrastructure and fuel shortages have severely limited access to clean water. Residents in Beit Lahia said they had no water for domestic use for five consecutive days.

“I woke up thirsty, not even able to speak,” one resident said. “If we wanted to get just a few bottles of drinking water, I had to send my son to queue for water for hours and he had to walk long distances. With the relentless bombardment and danger lurking everywhere, you don’t know. You may send your child to bring water only for him to return in a body bag. Every day is like this here.”

The lack of cooking gas and the scarcity and unaffordability of wood are forcing people to burn hazardous materials like waste and nylon for cooking and heating, leading to widespread respiratory illnesses, particularly among women, who often are the ones making fire for cooking.

Gaza’s healthcare system has largely collapsed under Israel’s military attacks and denial of humanitarian aid access. Doctors at the Al-Rantissi pediatric hospital in Gaza City, which only managed to reopen during the truce, report critical shortages of essential medical supplies and equipment.

“We are the only hospital in Gaza dedicated to providing dialysis for children… following the siege, we’ve been having shortages, including in AV fistulas which doctors need to prepare patients for dialysis treatment,” one doctor stated.

“We also notice the impact of the hunger on the children who come here to receive treatment: they are fading… you recommend that the parent give the child specific attention, specific food, and you know that what you are recommending is an impossibility.”

Another doctor highlighted the growing number of severely malnourished children, including infants lacking baby formula, and a critical shortage of life-saving medications like insulin.

Amnesty International opposes any attempts to weaponize aid, use it for forced displacement, or create discriminatory aid distribution zones, all of which would violate international law.

States must take action to render Israel’s violations against Palestinians politically, diplomatically and economically unsustainable – the siege on Gaza must end now.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International. 

“Third states’ contemptible failure to live up to their legal responsibilities to prevent and bring an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as well as their obligation to ensure respect for international humanitarian law throughout the OPT, is deplorable. These states’ decades of inaction helped establish pervasive impunity for Israel’s persistent violations and it is now exacting an unprecedent toll of death, destruction and suffering on Palestinians,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

“States must take action to render Israel’s violations against Palestinians politically, diplomatically and economically unsustainable – the siege on Gaza must end now. They must impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and fully support and cooperate with the International Criminal Court.”

Background

Since June 2007, Israeli authorities have imposed an illegal land, sea and air blockade on Gaza, effectively controlling the entire strip and depriving residents of their most basic rights. This blockade has isolated Palestinians in Gaza from the rest of the OPT, and helped maintain Israel’s system of apartheid. Immediately following the Hamas-led 7 October attacks, Israel imposed a full siege on Gaza for almost two weeks, but even after Israel was pressured into lifting the total siege, it has maintained suffocating restrictions on the delivery of aid into and inside Gaza.

Latin American and Caribbean (13 countries):

Western European and Others (8 countries):

Eastern European (5 countries):

African (2 countries):

•  Liberia
•  South Africa

Asia-Pacific (3 countries)

•  Australia
•  New Zealand
•  Philippines

North America (2 countries)

•  Canada
•  United States

Asia-Pacific (9 countries, primarily Middle East sub-area):

Western European and Others (2 countries):

•  Greece
•  Turkey

African (1 country):

•  Egypt

Latin American and Caribbean (1 country):

•  Cuba

Latin American and Caribbean (6 countries):

Asia-Pacific (1 country):

•  China

African (1 country):

•  Ethiopia

Western European and Others (1 country):

•  United Kingdom

Eastern European (1 country):

•  Yugoslavia

Asia-Pacific (1 country):

•  Thailand”

a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!”