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An ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas began on 7 October 2023, with a coordinated surprise offensive on Israel, which Hamas named Al-Aqsa Flood. The attack began with a barrage of at least 3,000 rockets launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip against Israel. In parallel, some 2,500 Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking military bases and massacring civilians in neighboring Israeli communities. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed, including 260 people who were massacred at a music festival. Unarmed civilian hostages and captured Israeli soldiers were taken to the Gaza Strip, including women and children. Israel began conducting retaliatory strikes before formally declaring war on Hamas a day later.
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- Israel is committing the holocaust of our time, and it is doing it in full view of a seemingly indifferent world.
- Susan Abulhawa, as stated in "I Went to Gaza. What I Saw Was a Holocaust" (18 October 2024), Novara Media
- We've always grew up to hear the stories of the Nakba, we've never imagined that we would grow up to live it. It happened in 1948 because it wasn't televised, the world didn't know what's going on in Palestine. But now it's quite disgraceful that it's televised carnage and the world is literally watching.
- Ahmed Abofoul, as quoted in Gazan Attorney Who Has Lost 60 Relatives in Israeli Attacks Says U.S. Is “Complicit in Genocide” (December 22, 2023), Democracy Now!
- The message the Arab world is hearing is loud and clear. Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones. Our lives matter less than other lives. The application of international law is optional, and human rights have boundaries — they stop at borders, they stop at races and they stop at religions.
- Abdullah II of Jordan, as quoted in Yee, Vivian; Stevis-Gridneff, Matina (21 October 2023). "Peace Summit in Egypt Shows a Shift in Rhetoric but no Consensus". The New York Times.
- The @PalestineRCS report of evacuation threats to Al-Quds hospital in Gaza is deeply concerning. We reiterate - it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives. Under International Humanitarian Law, healthcare must always be protected.
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a X post. Quoted in "WHO concerned by report of evacuation warning to Gaza al-Quds hospital". Reuters. October 29, 2023.
- This organization was established to foster peace in our world. If you, as Member States of the United Nations, will not or cannot stop this bloodshed, then we must ask: what is the United Nations for?
- Residents of Gaza, join the many who are heading to the south of Wadi Gaza at this hour. I would like to inform you that although Hamas continues to undermine the ongoing humanitarian efforts on your behalf and uses you as human shields, today the IDF will once again allow passage on the Salah al-Din Road between 10am and 2pm. For your safety, take this next opportunity to move south beyond Wadi Gaza. Many of you are doing this at this hour, as you can see in the attached photos that were taken a short while ago. If you care about yourself and your loved ones, head south according to our instructions. Rest assured that Hamas leaders have already taken care of defending themselves.
- Avichay Adraee, as quoted in Sullivan, Helen; Chao-Fong, Léonie; Belam, Martin; Livingstone, Helen (8 November 2023). "Israel-Hamas war: convoy of five trucks hit by fire – as it happened". The Guardian.
- When the genocide began, I started having nightmares — no, to describe them as nightmares isn't accurate. My soul would be transported in my sleep; I was in Gaza, ghouls tearing at me, violating me, and the world was red. I jolted awake several nights a week, sobbing. Panic engulfed me when my mind failed to rationalize that I'd woken up.
- Laura Albast, as stated in Albast, Laura (22 October 2024). "The Genocide Lives in My Body". Institute for Palestine Studies.
- As someone who was heavily involved in the Afghan Evacuation in 2021 after Taliban took over Afghanistan, I must say this. For months, my colleagues & I were receiving tens of calls every single day from officials, parliamentarians, congressional members, athletes, artists, trade unions, from every continent asking us to save lives! I swear that I personally spent days convincing a group in the US that we don’t have to evacuate dogs since Taliban were not into eating dogs! How do you think we should feel right now as we see your reaction to #Gaza_Geniocide ? Where did your humanity go? Principles? Women’s rights? Seriously how do you justify this to yourselves? Hospitals are being targeted and you provide a justification for that? Is there another bottom that you still have not reached.
- Lolwah Al-Khater, stated in X post by Lolwah Alkwater
- There is a degree to which people in the Arab world and the Global South are drawing a line between Gaza destruction and the presidential embrace of Prime Minister Netanyahu. There’s a way that the United States is hitched to what the Israelis want to do, whether the United States wants to do it or not.
- Jon Alterman, as quoted in Birnbaum, Michael (13 November 2023). "U.S. is warned about its global standing as Gaza suffering persists". Washington Post.
- If the Zionist aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger.
- Hossein Amirabdollahian, as quoted in "Iran tells Israel: 'hands of all regional parties on trigger if aggression do not stop'". Reuters. October 15, 2023.
- As Israeli forces continue to intensify their cataclysmic assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International has documented unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks, which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes.
- Amnesty International, Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza (20 October 2023).
- So if you both cast doubt on Palestinian numbers but support no investigations — not even foreign journalists entering Gaza — what you’re really saying is: The death count does not matter because we’re going to support this regardless. We’re going to find ways to justify it.
- Yara Asi, as quoted in Harb, Ali (26 October 2023). "‘Appalling’: Why has Biden cast doubt on the Palestinian death count?". Al Jazeera.
- You can reduce Hamas. You can kill as many soldiers as you can find, I suppose. The question always is, at what price? And no, you can’t you can’t kill off Hamas because Hamas is more of an ideology. It’s not only a military force. [...] It’s theatre. I would say the primary audience is domestic, here in the United States. We know obviously that President Biden faces reelection next year and that his opponent may be Donald Trump. So what Biden is attempting to do is to show that Israel has no better friend than Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
- William J. Astore, as quoted in Harb, Ali (20 October 2023). "Biden’s Israel trip displays ‘performative’ approach to Gaza war: analysts". Al Jazeera.
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- My fear – and this is something I’ve been saying for four weeks now – knowing Netanyahu and the way he thinks, he will not stop before he restores his pride by restoring the ratio of one to 10 [Israeli deaths to Palestinian deaths]. So we’re in for more, and only until it reaches 14,000 will he probably start talking sense to the main diplomats that are now visiting the region. They’re all coming here to try to talk to him. He’s not heeding anyone.
- Sultan Barakat, as quoted in Stepansky, Joseph (6 November 2023). "Israel-Hamas war live updates: Gaza hospital on brink of shutting down". Al Jazeera.
- What the finance minister of Israel said reveals the real plan of the Israeli government, total ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip. It is not surprising, but unfortunately, the world is not paying sufficient attention to this terrible plan and to the fact that Israel is conducting ethnic cleansing with bombardment and airstrikes against the civilian population of Gaza.
- Mustafa Barghouti, as quoted in Asif, Yusra (14 November 2023). "Palestinian politician slams Israeli minister's remarks on Gaza ‘voluntary migration’". Al Arabiya English.
- Israeli military operations have created an untenable humanitarian crisis, which will only worsen over time. But are Israel’s actions — as the nation’s opponents argue — verging on ethnic cleansing or, most explosively, genocide? As a historian of genocide, I believe that there is no proof that genocide is currently taking place in Gaza, although it is very likely that war crimes, and even crimes against humanity, are happening. That means two important things: First, we need to define what it is that we are seeing, and second, we have the chance to stop the situation before it gets worse. We know from history that it is crucial to warn of the potential for genocide before it occurs, rather than belatedly condemn it after it has taken place. I think we still have that time.
- Omer Bartov, What I Believe as a Historian of Genocide. The New York Times (10 November 2023).
- It is clear that the daily violence being unleashed on Gaza is both unbearable and untenable. Since the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas — itself a war crime and a crime against humanity — Israel’s military air and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 10,500 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, a number that includes thousands of children. That’s well over five times as many people as the more than 1,400 people in Israel murdered by Hamas. In justifying the assault, Israeli leaders and generals have made terrifying pronouncements that indicate a genocidal intent. Still, the collective horror of what we are watching does not mean that a genocide, according to the international legal definition of the term, is already underway. Because genocide, sometimes called “the crime of all crimes,” is perceived by many to be the most extreme of all crimes, there is often an impulse to describe any instance of mass murder and massacre as genocide. But this urge to label all atrocious events as genocide tends to obfuscate reality rather than explain it.
- Omer Bartov, What I Believe as a Historian of Genocide. The New York Times (10 November 2023).
- My greatest concern watching the Israel-Gaza war unfold is that there is genocidal intent, which can easily tip into genocidal action.
- Omer Bartov, What I Believe as a Historian of Genocide. The New York Times (10 November 2023).
- While we cannot say that the military is explicitly targeting Palestinian civilians, functionally and rhetorically we may be watching an ethnic cleansing operation that could quickly devolve into genocide, as has happened more than once in the past.
- Omer Bartov, What I Believe as a Historian of Genocide. The New York Times (10 November 2023).
- If we truly believe that the Holocaust taught us a lesson about the need — or really, the duty — to preserve our own humanity and dignity by protecting those of others, this is the time to stand up and raise our voices, before Israel’s leadership plunges it and its neighbors into the abyss. There is still time to stop Israel from letting its actions become a genocide. We cannot wait a moment longer.
- Omer Bartov, What I Believe as a Historian of Genocide. The New York Times (10 November 2023).
- The children in Gaza brought it upon themselves.
- Meirav Ben-Ari, as quoted in "Israel-Palestine: More than 1,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza air strikes, NGO reveals". Middle East Eye. 17 October 2023. and Shakir, Omar; Ahmed, Yasmine; Kumar, Akshaya (20 October 2023). "We Are Seeing Urgent Signs of More Mutual Mass Atrocities to Come in Israel and Gaza". Human Rights Watch.
- What’s needed here is an occupation. When you have presence out on the ground, you have intelligence and control; you’re the landlord.
- Itamar Ben-Gvir, as quoted in Gadzo, Mersiha; Pietromarchi, Virginia; Shankar, Priyanka; Rowlands, Lyndal; Power, John (12 November 2023). "Sniper fire targets those trapped in Al-Shifa Hospital". Al Jazeera.
- Any visit that did not include a public call for a ceasefire essentially amounts to an endorsement of the continuing Israeli attacks on Gaza [...] I think US policy is to support at the moment whatever Israel is trying to accomplish, however realistic or unrealistic that may be.
- Phyllis Bennis, as quoted in Harb, Ali (20 October 2023). "Biden’s Israel trip displays ‘performative’ approach to Gaza war: analysts". Al Jazeera.
- You are a Jewish state. You are a Jewish state, but you’re also a democracy. And like the United States, you don’t live by the rules of terrorists. You live by the rule of law. And when conflicts flare, you live by the ru- — law of wars. What sets us apart from the terrorists is we believe in the fundamental dignity of every human life — Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Jew, Muslim, Christian — everyone. You can’t give up what makes you who you are. If you give that up, then the terrorists win. And we can never let them win.
- Joe Biden, President Biden’s statement during his visit to Tel Aviv, 19 October, 2023
- We are all human beings created in the image of God with dignity, humanity, and purpose. In the darkness, to be the light unto the world is what we’re about. You inspire hope and light for so many around the world. That’s what the terrorists seek to destroy. That’s what they seek to destroy but — because they live in darkness — but not you, not Israel. Nations of conscience like the United States and Israel are not measured solely by the example of their power. We’re measured by the power of our example. That’s why, as hard as it is, we must keep pursuing peace. We must keep pursuing a path so that Israel and the Palestinian people can both live safely, in security, in dignity, and in peace. For me, that means a two-state solution. We must keep working for Israel’s greater integration with its neighbors. These attacks have only strengthened my commitment and determination and my will to get that done. I’m here to tell you that terrorists will not win. Freedom will win. So, let me end where I began. Israel, you are not alone. The United States stands with you.
- Joe Biden, President Biden’s statement during his visit to Tel Aviv, 19 October, 2023
- Well, today, I say to all of Israel: The United States isn’t going anywhere either. We’re going to stand with you. We’ll walk beside you in those dark days, and we’ll walk beside you in the good days to come. And they will come. As you say in Hebrew, which I’m not going to attempt to do because I’m such a terrible linguist, I’ll say it in English, “The people of Israel live.” “The people of Israel live.” Israel will be a safe, secure, Jewish, and Democratic state today, tomorrow, and forever. May God protect all those who work for peace. God save those who are still in harm’s way.
- Joe Biden, President Biden’s statement during his visit to Tel Aviv, 19 October, 2023
- Nobody, nobody, nobody on God’s green Earth can justify what Hamas did. They’re a brutal, ugly, inhumane people, and they have to be eliminated.
- I grieve with the families of those killed or wounded in the tragedy at the hospital in Gaza. We’re working with our partners in the region to get life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza as quickly as we can.
- Joe Biden, quoted in X post by POTUS
- Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust. And-- so I think Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They're hiding behind the civilians. They put their of—their—their—their headquarters where civilians are and buildings and the like. But to the extent they can separate out and avoi—I'm conf-- the Israelis are gonna do everything in their power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians.
- Joe Biden, as quoted in Pelley, Scott (15 October 2023). "President Joe Biden: The 2023 60 Minutes interview transcript". CBS News.
- My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared. It has nothing to do with Israel.
- Joe Biden, as quoted in Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia in Joint Press Conference. White House (October 25, 2023).
- Biden and Blinken are still giving cover to Israel, diplomatic and otherwise – and the promises of peace – in order for Israel to continue with this genocide.
- This marks the last day of what’s now been a nine-day trip of intensive diplomacy throughout the Middle East and now here in the Indo-Pacific. And along the way and at each stop, in different ways, we’ve sought to advance a number of critical objectives: minimizing harm to Palestinian civilians and maximizing the humanitarian assistance that reaches them; working to prevent the spread of the conflict; focusing on getting hostages home as well as getting American citizens and other foreign nationals out of Gaza; and working to set sustainable, durable conditions for genuinely lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. To that end, I’ve had conversations starting a week ago with the Israeli Government about steps that can be taken to advance each of these objectives. And among those steps that we talked about more than a week ago were humanitarian pauses. These can advance all of the objectives that I just mentioned. We appreciate the fact that, yesterday, Israel announced four-hour pauses with three-hour notice in specific areas, as well as two humanitarian corridors that will allow people to move more safely and freely to get out of harm’s way and also to access assistance. These steps will save lives and will enable more assistance to get to Palestinians in need.
- Antony Blinken, Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press. United States Department of State (November 10, 2023).
- At the same time, much more needs to be done to protect civilians and to make sure that humanitarian assistance reaches them. Far too many Palestinians have been killed; far too many have suffered these past weeks. And we want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them. To that end, we’ll be continuing to discuss with Israel concrete steps that can be taken to advance these objectives. We’ll continue to focus relentlessly on getting our hostages home. We’ll continue to focus on expanding humanitarian assistance that gets into Gaza and reaches people in effective ways. And we’ll continue to focus on the steps that can be taken now to try to start to set the foundation for durable and lasting peace, which, as we’ve said repeatedly and believe, has to include two states for two peoples.
- Antony Blinken, Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press. United States Department of State (November 10, 2023).
- These Hamas attacks are without justification – they deserve global condemnation. But the response by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government also deserves our clearest condemnation. There’s no doubt we can say the response has been disproportionate and is violating international humanitarian law. The right of a state to defend itself has limits, and those limits imply respecting the lives of innocent civilians, especially children, and respecting civil humanitarian law.
- The destruction of buildings in Gaza… is more or less or even greater than the destruction suffered by the German cities during the Second World War.
- Josep Borrell, quoted in "‘Apocalyptic’: EU official compares Gaza destruction to WWII Germany" (11 December 2023), Al Jazeera
- I can’t write about poetry amidst the ‘reasonable’ tones of those who aim to acclimatize us to this unreasonable suffering. No more ghoulish euphemisms. No more verbally sanitized hellscapes. No more warmongering lies
- We should all be standing up and objecting and calling for an end to genocide. Until Palestine is free… we will continue to see violence. We will continue to see this structural violence producing this kind of resistance.
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- We currently have people being operated on without having morphine. It just happened to two kids. We have a lot of kids that are unfortunately among the wounded, and I was discussing with one of our surgeons, who received a 10-year-old yesterday, burnt on 60% of the body surface, and he didn’t end up having painkillers. There is no justification at all to block these essential medicines to reach the population.
- Some forms of protest are being permitted and some are not.
- Right now, in Gaza, the situation is horrific and catastrophic. Those hospitals and clinics that have not been evacuated are overwhelmed and are barely functioning. No electricity, no medical supplies. Surgeons in Al-Shifa hospital are now operating without painkillers.
- Christos Christou, stated in X Post by Christos Christou
- Nothing can be gained from the continued bombing of civilians.
- Christos Christou, quoted in "Nothing can be gained from the continued bombing of civilians" (17 December 2023), Al Jazeera
- At the end of this war, not only will Hamas no longer be in Gaza, the territory of Gaza will also decrease.
- War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.
- Forty-six thousand Israeli businesses have been forced to shut as a result of the ongoing war and its devastating effect on the economy, Hebrew newspaper Maariv reported on 10 July, referring to Israel as a “country in collapse.” “This is a very high number that encompasses many sectors. About 77 percent of the businesses that have been closed since the beginning of the war, which make up about 35,000 businesses, are small businesses with up to five employees, and are the most vulnerable in the economy,” Yoel Amir, CEO of Israeli information services and credit risk management firm, CofaceBdi, told Maariv.
- The Cradle, ‘Israel in collapse’: 46,000 businesses forced to close since 7 Oct, 11 July 2024
- I’ve addressed my concerns about the fact that violence has started again and I’ve again repeated what I said at the Rafah gate: no more civilian killings.
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- You are against occupation in Ukraine — can you deny that the Palestinians are under occupation? Nobody is asking you to go and declare war on the Israelis because they are occupying the Palestinians; people are asking you to be rational, wise and convince your allies — push them to their senses.
- After a week of horror in Gaza and the EU diving in headfirst, draping our Parliament in the Israeli flag, aiding and abetting in war crimes, including the bombing of a hospital and still we find it impossible to say that Palestinian lives matter. We’re still privileging one category of victims over another. We talk about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but why is there a humanitarian crisis? Is it a natural disaster? Who cut off the water, fuel and electricity? Are we not sure? Who is bombing Palestinian civilians? Do we not know? Do you think we couldn’t mention it? There is a crime unfolding in Gaza now, such as we have not seen since the 1940s, and we are in it up to our necks. We are watching Israel murder Palestinian civilians and preparing to drive millions of them into the Sinai Desert to annex and colonise their land. it is another Nakba. it is a crime against humanity. It is not a humanitarian crisis. The EU will never live down this shame. Long live Palestine! Long live Gaza!
- Clare Daly, quoted in Verbatim report of proceedings
- Palestine is a moral litmus test for the world.
- France is very concerned by the humanitarian tragedy taking place in Gaza. And it’s for this reason that France voted in favour of this resolution. And it’s for that reason that we plead for a new, immediate and lasting humanitarian truce that should lead to a sustainable ceasefire.
- Nicolas de Rivière, quoted in "‘Once again, this council has failed,’ says French UN envoy" (8 December 2023), Al Jazeera
- We're Rolling Out Nakba 2023.
- Erasing all of Gaza from the face of the earth. That the Gazan monsters will fly to the southern fence and try to enter Egyptian territory. or they will die. And their death is evil. Gaza should be erased. And fire and smoke on the heads of the Nazis in Judea and Samaria. Haron is also a Jew who will shake the earth of the world. A vengeful and cruel IDF is needed here. Anything less is immoral. Just unethical.
- As Israeli forces enter Al Shifa hospital, we call once again for the protection of medical staff, patients and displaced civilians sheltered inside the hospital. We are extremely worried for their lives.
- It is time to choose whether the Council will continue issuing half-hearted calls for the respect of international law and the protection of civilians, or will fulfil its international peace and security mandate and exercise its full diplomatic leverage to convince the State of Israel that the death sentence it has handed the people of Gaza is inhumane, indefensible, and cannot continue to be carried out.
- Doctors Without Borders, quoted in "Gaza: “It must all stop now.” Letter to UN Security Council" (4 December 2023), Doctors Without Borders
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- There are hundreds of thousands of people fleeing for their life—[that is] not something that should be called an evacuation. It is a forcible transfer of people from all of northern Gaza, which according to the Geneva convention is a war crime.
- Our humanitarian workers in Gaza currently have zero possibility to deliver aid to the desperate civilian population. Israel is forcing Palestinian civilians to move from one killing field to the next.
- Jan Egeland, quoted in "‘One killing field to the next’ for Gaza people: NGO" (3 December 2023), Al Jazeera
- Creating a severe humanitarian crisis is a necessary means to achieve the goal. Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist.
- The State of Israel has no choice but to turn Gaza into a place that is temporarily or permanently impossible to live in. Creating a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a necessary means to achieve the goal. Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist.
- Giora Eiland, quoted in "The U.S. Should Think Twice About Israel’s Plans for Gaza" (15 October 2023), The New York Times
- The Security Council has not been able to implement its own resolutions because the five permanent members – instead of being a policeman – unfortunately what we’ve seen over the years, they’ve sort of turned into gangsters. This is the reality.
- What we are seeing today is one of the darkest hours of our times. We’re watching genocide live – the crime of crimes. Israel doesn’t have to justify – Israel is above the law. Israel is above the moral compass. It’s been permitted to carry out the worst crimes against humanity without any sense of accountability to anyone. As long as Washington is on its side, as long as the Europeans are giving it the license to kill, as long as Arabs also aren’t taking any steps that could make Israel think again about its plan – I don’t think we’ll be seeing anything else.
- Aicha Elbasri, quoted in ‘We’re watching genocide live,’ former UN officials says
- This is my local hospital. Inside are my friends, my neighbors. This is my community. Today has been one of the most difficult days in my career. I have seen things I can never unsee.
- Adnan Elbursh, quoted in It’s becoming impossible to report from Gaza
- When they get the daily message from the spokesperson of the [Israeli army] and the analysts, panelists are sitting around and discussing this as the only fact in town, there’s no question in the public opinion that Israel is the only victim in this story. There is a complete dehumanisation of the other side. If you dare to say something – that there are innocent people on both sides who are devastated and babies on both sides are being killed – you may even get an invitation to the police station to be asked if you are a real Israeli patriot.
- They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves.
- Israel is not at war with human beings, we are at war with monsters.
- Israeli attacks [are] devoid of the most basic human values.
- We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal, we are making preparations for this. The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West. The West owes you, but Turkey does not owe you.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan, quoted in Main culprit behind Gaza massacre is the West: Erdogan
- Those shedding crocodile tears for civilians killed in the Ukraine-Russia war are silently watching the deaths of thousands of innocent children in Gaza.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan, quoted in Türkiye to introduce Israel to world as war criminal: Turkish President Erdogan
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- Now we will be taking a very strong message – that message is the international security structure is currently under evaluation. If the international community cannot hold Israel to account then this will sow significant doubt among many of us as to whether or not the parameters of the international order are actually functional.
- We are at a turning point in history. Either we reach a lasting peace or a world war will break out. We call on all parties, regional and international stakeholders, to listen to the voice of reason. And those who are encouraging Israel to continue its crimes are also liable. If we don’t act fast, we will have darker days to come.
- We totally recognize the right of Israel to defend itself. And on the other hand, protecting civilians, granting humanitarian access, calling for the full respect of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions – there is absolutely no contradiction. This is basically what this resolution was doing.
- Sérgio França Danese, quoted in US vetoes Security Council call for ‘humanitarian pause’ in Israel-Hamas war
- Right now, what we are seeing is an onslaught on civilians, the breakdown of humanitarian systems and profound disrespect for both international law and international humanitarian law. The carnage must stop.
- Dennis Francis, quoted in "General Assembly Adopts Resolution Demanding Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire in Gaza, Parties' Compliance with International Law, Release of All Hostages" (13 December 2023), ReliefWeb
- This is not war. This is terrorism.
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- We are fighting against human animals.
- I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.
- Yoav Galant, Cited in Defense minister announces ‘complete siege’ of Gaza: No power, food or fuel, The Times of Israel (9 October 2023).
- The Americans insisted and we are not in a place where we can refuse them. We rely on them for planes and military equipment. What are we supposed to do? Tell them no?
- Yoav Gallant, quoted in Gallant: We can’t say ‘no’ to the US on humanitarian aid given how much they do for us
- If [Hezbollah] makes this kind of mistake here, the ones who will pay the price will be first and foremost Lebanese citizens. What we’re doing in Gaza, we can also do in Beirut.
- Yoav Gallant, quoted in ‘What we’re doing in Gaza, we can also do in Beirut,’ says Israeli defense minister
- Those terrorists who are staying in the basements underneath Shifa tonight can hear the thundering sound of tank chains, the bulldozers that pound the ground. They hear it and tremble with fear.
- Yoav Gallant, quoted in Thousands of civilians flee northern Gaza hospitals as Israeli troops close in
- Journalists found to have known about the massacre, and still chose to stand as idle bystanders while children were slaughtered - are no different than terrorists and should be treated as such.
- Benny Gantz, stated in X post by Benny Gantz
- I know the Al-Quds Hospital from the time it was built. There is a new medical block in al Shifa Hospital under international surveillance. During all these years having worked in these hospitals, I have never ever seen any sign of any military or political command center. And if the Israelis … cannot provide any evidence or any proof, how can we look at this as anything else but lies, intimidating and scaring people, and excuses to bomb the hospitals.
- I am very puzzled by the constant concern which the world is showing for the Palestinian people and is actually showing for these horrible inhuman animals who have done the worst atrocities that this century has seen.
- Let them erase Gaza and not leave not even one person alive.
- Eyal Golan, quoted in X post by Quds News Network
- Yesterday, I canceled a big job with the New York Times Sunday magazine — a cover shoot of a musician I admire — because of the NYT’s reporting on the war on Gaza, which shows complicity with Israel. For what they report and don’t report, and how they question the veracity of anything Palestinians say.
- Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.
- We have a chance to reset the world here, defeat Putin in the Ukraine, dismantle Hamas now, and tell the Iranians, 'If you escalate any more attacks coming from Iran, we are coming after you.' Anything short of that is going to lead to an invasion of Taiwan by China. We live in very dangerous times. The Biden administration’s approach to Iran is about as successful as their border policy. We are exposed to a major terrorist attack by an open border, we're exposed to escalation if we don’t tell the Iranians [to] quickly stand down
- It is critical that aid reaches people in need wherever they are across Gaza, and at the right scale. The people of Gaza have endured decades of suffering. The international community cannot continue to fail them.
- Hospitals have become places of war, not of curing. No, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before.
- Martin Griffiths, quoted in "UN calls for ceasefire but would welcome shorter pause to get more aid into Gaza, relief chief says" (21 November 2023), CNN
- Gaza is being transformed as we speak from what a former British Prime Minister once called the world’s largest open-air prison into the world’s largest open-air death camp.
- Whether or not UNRWA is being targeted, I can’t answer that, but the fact is UNRWA staff are being killed, [and] UNRWA facilities are being hit. They [the Israeli military] know the GPS coordinates. Draw your own conclusions.
- Chris Gunness, quoted in Israel might be targeting UNRWA facilities, former UN official says
- Just as America provides Israel with $4bn of military support per annum, it’s also – as we’ve seen tonight – providing Israel with diplomatic and political cover to continue with a genocide which is marked by the wholesale and industrial ignoring of international humanitarian law.
- Chris Gunness, quoted in UNSC resolution ‘greenlighting genocide’: Former UNRWA official
- ... I likewise urge Hamas and other militant groups to stop the indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars from highly populated civilian neighbourhoods into civilian population centres in Israel, also in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
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- In this dramatic moment, as we are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East, it is my duty as Secretary-General of the United Nations to make two strong humanitarian appeals.Hamas is to immediately release the hostages without conditions. And Israel should grant rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza.
- The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements, plagued by violence, their economy stifled, their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing.
- Antonio Guterres, quoted in More from the UN’s Guterres
- I was encouraged by what seemed to be a growing consensus for the need of at least a humanitarian pause in the Middle East. Regrettably, instead I was surprised by an unprecedented escalation of bombardments, undermining humanitarian objectives. This situation must be reversed.
- Antonio Guterres, quoted in Israeli offensive ‘advancing’ in Gaza after overnight fighting
- This [is] one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Palestinian people. I am horrified by the death and destruction that have engulfed the region, which is overwhelmed with pain, anguish and heartache.
- Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day. Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and U.N. facilities – including shelters. No one is safe.
- Antonio Guterres, quoted in "UN chief says Gaza becoming a 'graveyard for children'" (11 November 2023), Reuters
- We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region
- Antonio Guterres, quoted in "Humanitarian system in Gaza on verge of collapse, says UN chief" (6 December 2023), Financial Times
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- Iran is willing to expend every Arab life, if necessary, to accomplish its objectives of pushing the United States, the United Kingdom and our allies out of the region as the first step in establishing hegemonic power in the region and destroying Israel.
- There is no law or doctrine that justifies the systemic killing of a population that lives in an open-air prison for more than a half a century.
- I have just left the Gaza Strip, where I met with the troops in the northern part of the Strip. I witnessed up close the forces fighting, operating, and achieving the objectives we set for them. The IDF is close to completing the dismantling of Hamas' battalions in the northern Gaza Strip. We have killed many terrorists and Hamas commanders, some surrendered to our forces and hundreds were taken prisoner. We have destroyed underground infrastructure and large quantities of weapons. In this dense, urban area, where terrorists dress as civilians, it cannot be said that we killed them all. It seems likely that we will still encounter fighters in this area. We will continue to strike them and pursue them in various ways.
- Herzi Halevi, Statement by the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi. Israel Defence Forces (December 26, 2023).
- Currently, we are concentrating our efforts in the southern Gaza Strip – Khan Yunis, the central camps, and further. We will continue to both preserve and intensify our achievements in northern Gaza. We will not allow the return to the pre-October 7th reality, and we will not allow such an event to be repeated. The IAF is striking continuously. A building is struck if it is an enemy target, a building is struck if a threat is posed to our forces from inside. The IDF is focused and precise in its actions. Everywhere our forces operate, they are accompanied by heavy fire from the air, sea, and land. In every action where the forces require fire support, they receive the necessary and optimal support. The ground forces’ operations allow the destruction of terror infrastructures that cannot be achieved from the air. These operations lead to close-quarter combat with many terrorists, and their elimination. We use our resources in a professional, sophisticated, and calculated way, and are prepared for the continuation of the fighting in all sectors.
- Herzi Halevi, Statement by the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi. Israel Defence Forces (December 26, 2023).
- This war’s objectives are essential and not simple to achieve. It is taking place in a complex area. Therefore, the war will continue for many more months, and we will operate in various ways – so that the achievement will be preserved over time. There are no magic solutions or shortcuts in the fundamental dismantling of a terrorist organization, except persistent and determined fighting, and we are very, very determined. We will also get to the Hamas leadership, whether it takes a week or months. Thanks to spirit and professionalism, we will get there. We are constantly learning and changing our way of warfare. We adapt our warfare to each area in the Gaza Strip, to the territory, the enemy, and our forces. The forces are getting operational breaks according to the situational assessments, including the reserve forces. We will take care of them and acknowledge their contribution and the support of their families, families who are full partners of this war effort. We are increasing the military pressure in different ways with intensity and creativity.
- Herzi Halevi, Statement by the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi. Israel Defence Forces (December 26, 2023).
- Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating. So we all want this conflict to end as soon as possible, and to ensure Israel's security and ensure security for the Palestinian people. We must accelerate efforts to build an enduring peace.
- Kamala Harris, quoted in "US Vice President Harris urges Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians" (2 December 2023), Reuters
- Israel’s distorted, settler colonial visage is our own. We pretend otherwise. We ascribe to ourselves virtues and civilizing qualities that are, as in Israel, flimsy justifications for stripping an occupied and besieged people of their rights, seizing their land and using prolonged imprisonment, torture, humiliation, enforced poverty and murder to keep them subjugated.
- Chris Hedges, "Exterminate All the Brutes." Scheerpost (29 October 2023).
- The goal is a “pure” Israel, cleansed of Palestinian contaminants. Gaza is to become a wasteland. The Palestinians in Gaza will be killed or forced into refugee camps over the border in Egypt. Messianic redemption will take place once the Palestinians are expelled. Jewish extremists call for the Al-Aqsa mosque – the third holiest shrine for Muslims, built on the ruins of the Jewish Second Temple, which was destroyed in 70 CE by the Roman army – to be demolished. The mosque is to be replaced by a “Third” Jewish temple, a move that would set the Muslim world alight. The West Bank, which the zealots call “Judea and Samaria,” will be formally annexed by Israel. Israel, governed by the religious laws imposed by the ultra-orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, will be a Jewish version of Iran.
- Chris Hedges, "Israel’s Final Solution for the Palestinians." Scheerpost (November 5, 2023).
- It is an entire nation out there that is responsible.
- Yemen’s armed forces don’t represent any threat to any country, we only target Israeli ships or ships heading toward Israeli ports. We affirm our steadfast position in supporting the Palestinian people until Israel’s aggression ends, and siege on the Gaza strip is lifted.
- What the Americans are doing now, this policy, is damaging them. At least 1.3 billion people in the world are going to hate them. And it’s not just about Muslims anymore. There are people demonstrating all over the world.”
- Those attacks cannot in turn justify the limitless destruction of Gaza. The parties must not neglect their legal obligations regarding the methods and means used to wage war. The instructions issued by the Israeli authorities for the population of Gaza City to immediately leave their homes, coupled with the complete siege explicitly denying them food, water, and electricity, are not compatible with international humanitarian law.
- It’s very tough seeing children and babies dying every day. It’s heartbreaking. I have decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians. I can’t be happy with this win.
- I’ve seen some of those [calls for a ceasefire] this weekend, and we’re going to continue to be very clear. We believe they are wrong, we believe they’re repugnant, and we believe they’re disgraceful.
- The horrors and atrocities starting October 7th are indescribable. Thousands of civilians, Israelis and Palestinians, are paying the price of apartheid. We are calling you to intervene immediately to stop the war crimes that are still happening.
- Gaza has been an open-air prison for nearly two decades and is fast becoming a mass grave. 40 percent of those killed are innocent children. Whole families are being murdered.
- The number of missiles fired or the percentage of the missiles having hit the targets, on which the other side has concentrated, is a “secondary and peripheral subject” while the main topic is the display of the Iranian nation and armed forces’.
- Khanenei Al Mayadeen
- They say something like, “Why are you doing this?” But in practice, there is absolutely no sign of action [against Israel’s crimes] from these governments.
- Khanenei April 2024
- Right now, one goal: Nakba! A Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48. Nakba in Gaza and Nakba to anyone who dares to join! their Nakba, because like then in 1948, the alternative is clear.
- In one more year / There won’t be anything left there, / And we’ll return safely to our home. / In one more year / We’ll eliminate them all and go back to plowing our fields.
- What we’re seeing now is that all rules have broken down and there are no norms because this is a war on a whole society. There are really no rules at all. What we need to happen, therefore, is a rescue from outside.
- David added a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge for plugging the wells with dirt. Our fighters, who went to war for the house and to take revenge for the terrible massacre carried out by the Nazi terrorists, will cover them in their tunnels with dirt, and will return to peace with the abductees in AZ, only after they have cut off all these cursed foreskins.
- Shlomo Karhi, stated in X post by Shlomo Karhi
- They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world
- The more Israel oppresses Palestinians and destroys their basic freedoms, the more resistance it will face as many more Palestinians will continue to seek the realisation of their collective and individual rights.
- This is war. It is combat. It is bloody, ugly and it's going to be messy and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward.
- [the goals of Hamas] can only be to mobilize the Arab world against Israel and to get off the track of peaceful negotiations
- If Gaza is destroyed and two million inhabitants are expelled, as some politicians in Israel and abroad propose, this will create a catastrophe for many decades, if not centuries.
- In fact, Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity. If we look at the issue of water — we all know water is life — Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life.
- To equal Gaza with Hamas is very dangerous and misleading. It is an equation aimed at dehumanising people, aimed at making the unjustifiable justifiable. Keeping our humanity means showing that the people in Gaza deserve our empathy and compassion. No one can claim, ‘I did not know’ as images, footage and voices of unspeakable suffering continue to come out by the hour from Gaza. We cannot any more turn a blind eye to this human tragedy. Millions of people especially in Gaza are asking, why the world does not have the will to act and put an end to this hell on Earth? They deserve an answer. Delaying it will deepen the polarisation in this region and increase the risk of spillover.
- Philippe Lazzarini, quoted in Equating Gaza with Hamas ‘very dangerous and misleading’
- Many of us saw in these trucks a glimmer of hope. This is, however, becoming a distraction. These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will not make a difference for two million people in the streets We should avoid conveying the message that a few trucks a day means the siege is lifted for humanitarian aid; this is not true. The current system in place is geared to fail. What is needed is meaningful and uninterrupted aid flow and to succeed we need a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure this reaches those in need. This should not be too much to ask for.
- Philippe Lazzarini, quoted in Trucks entering Gaza through Rafah ‘nothing more than crumbs’: UNRWA chief
- Most of the facilities hit had families in them – including older people, parents, and children. They were all clearly marked as UN buildings carrying a blue flag. UNRWA shares the coordinates of these buildings on a regular basis with parties to the conflict.
- Philippe Lazzarini, quoted in Hitting shelters a ‘total disregard for humanity’: UNRWA chief
- With constant bombardment, low and irregular flow of food and other humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip compared to the immense needs of displaced people in our overcrowded shelters and outside, UNRWA’s ability to assist and protect people is reducing fast.
- Philippe Lazzarini, quoted in "‘On the brink of full-blown collapse’: Fuel and aid are scarce as relief efforts falter in southern Gaza." (8 December 2023), The New York Times
- By any description, it is definitely the worst situation I have ever seen.
- Philippe Lazzarini, quoted in "Israel steps up southern Gaza offensive as U.S. approves arms sales" (10 December 2023), NBC News
- You can tell by the legitimisation of this discourse that Israel is deteriorating horribly. The most important thing, and you mentioned it, is how unanimous it is. It’s not only the right-wingers. You cannot even show some empathy to Gaza, to the suffering of Gaza, which Israel doesn’t see at all. The average Israeli saw nothing [of what has unfolded in] Gaza, only the soldiers there see it. The bravery, the sacrifice, the hostages and families, this is shown non-stop, but not a single image of the suffering of two million people in Gaza. I think it’s the darkest time of Israel, maybe ever.
- We are past the time to excuse the horror in Gaza. Biden has to press Netanyahu hard to stop the indiscriminate killing. That starts with a call for a cease-fire.
- Los Angeles Times editorial board, stated in Cease-fire now. The killing in Gaza must stop
- This is a long time coming. Myself and my predecessors have pointed out the increasingly entrenched nature of the occupation – the growth of the settlements, the expanding land appropriation, the increased violence. Those dark moments are preludes to what we’re seeing now. You cannot continually put a cork on a volcano and expect it to hold back the explosion. The killing and kidnapping of Israelis civilians – those are clearly war crimes. But war crimes committed by one side do not allow war crimes committed by the other. There is a narrative about Israel that it is a law-abiding democracy that shares values with the West – and that sometimes is a blind spot when it comes to the Palestinians. It doesn’t take into account the many violations of international law – the settlements, the annexations, the penning in of people. There is a longstanding sense that Israel is the West’s compensation for what it did and what it allowed with respect to European Jewry during the second world war: the promise that Jews deserve their own homeland where they can be safe and secure. What never is factored in is the process where a Jewish state was meant to replace an Arab state – and the suffering that occurred from that.
- There is no lasting security for Israel in the region if its security is achieved at the cost of Palestinian lives.
- Israel if it stays silent it would most definitely die out, and it cannot win if tries to fight resistance forces.
- The attack on the civil defence crew … in addition to the elimination of social services since the beginning of the war, the educational institutions, the healthcare system – it’s all part of a long process of eventually making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.
- Hani Mahmoud, quoted in A shattered sense of safety
- The ongoing massacres being deliberately and systematically and savagely perpetrated by Israel, the occupying power, against the Palestinian civilian population under illegal occupation must be stopped. It is our collective human duty to stop them.
- I appeal to all of you to vote to stop the killing. Vote for humanitarian aid to reach those whose very survival depends on it. Vote to stop this madness.
- If they were humans, we would have sent them humanitarian aid... but this is about animals.
- Rabbi Meir Maroz, quoted in X post by Quds News Network
- I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians. I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent Nazi civilians.
- Israel doesn’t care about international law. Why? Because Israel is never held to account.
- I covered the Rwandan genocide as a reporter. The language spilling out of Israel after the butchery of the Hamas attacks is eerily familiar.
- The current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonial ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs … leaves no room for doubt or debate … Across the land, Apartheid rules.
- I feel quite confident as a human rights lawyer in saying that what I see unfolding in Gaza and beyond is genocide.
- Craig Mokhiber, quoted in ‘What I see unfolding in Gaza and beyond is genocide’
- What we’re seeing in Gaza now is much worse because the United States and the United Kingdom and some other Western powers have actually been complicit in the genocide. That’s a separate crime under the Genocide Convention, the crime of complicity. And that’s because the United States, as you know, during this genocide, has been actively providing economic, military intelligence, diplomatic support. It’s been using its veto at the Security Council to stop a ceasefire. And after each veto, we’ve seen thousands and thousands of more Palestinians lose their lives in the genocide.
- Craig Mokhiber, "US and UK also Committing Genocide Crimes in Gaza: Former UN Official" Interview with Chris Hedges for The Real News Network (26 January 2024).
- Islamic ummah will kill every last zionist if Israel invades Gaza.
- 1800 Palestinian kids in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli Military. On an American scale, that is 270,000 children.
- Yousef Munayyer, quoted in X post by Yousef Munayyer
- Khamenei's official position is clearly the obliteration of Israel, and not just support for the Palestinians.
- Elon Musk, stated in
- If we die, know that we are content and steadfast, and convey on our behalf that we are people of truth.
- Hiba Kamal Abu Nada, quoted in X post by Abdalhadi Alijla
- Save their tongues for last, so we can enjoy his screams, his ears so he can hear his own screams, and his eyes so he can see us smiling.
- Hamas is coming at gunpoint and stealing the food.
- Humanitarian deaths and starvation is, for us, it’s a tragedy. For them, it’s a strategy. They think that this will help them place more pressure on Israel to stop the war, leave them in place so they can repeat the October 7 massacre
- Netanyahu when asked why more aid isn’t reaching Gaza by land according to Netanyahu denies Palestinians are starving (MARCH 10, 2024) Politico
- This is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle.
- We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war.
- We will take mighty vengeance for this wicked day.
- This is Israel's second War of Independence, a war for our very survival that will be long and tough, and we shall prevail.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted in X post by i24 News
- I am the only one who will prevent a Palestinian state in Gaza and [the West Bank] after the war.
- You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 'Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'
- I want to make a few points absolutely clear, Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population. Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law. Our goal is to rid Gaza of Hamas terrorists and free our hostages. Once this is achieved, Gaza can be demilitarized and deradicalized, thereby creating a possibility for a better future for Israel and Palestinians alike.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, as quoted in Sokol, Sam; Staff, ToI (10 January 2024). "Netanyahu: Let me be clear — Israel has no intention of displacing Gaza’s population". The Times of Israel.
- Now is the time to take revenge... We are in a tough war, but we will win a complete victory over the low-lifes who harmed us - and settle accounts with them.
- Cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered. I do not know how such an act can be defended. The United States has historically denounced this practice.
- The value of human rights is really the path to peace here...That’s a central thing that we need to make sure that we value the safety and the human rights of Israelis and we value the safety and human rights of Palestinians in that process that is similar on equal footing... Just like here in the United States, I don’t believe that children should be detained. I think that starting on those basic principles of human rights, we can build a path to peace together... We really need to make sure that we are valuing a process where all parties are respected, and have a lot of equal opportunity to really make sure that we are negotiating in good faith.
- AOC (response to the question "What actions do you think can be taken to support movements towards peace) AOC says human rights is central to peace between Israel and the Palestinians, by Jacob Kornbluh (April 5, 2021)
- it should not be hard to shut down hatred and antisemitism where we see it
- AOC in AOC decries 'bigotry and callousness' of pro-Palestinian rally in New York (October 10, 2023)
- The situation in Gaza is horrific. At least 34,000 people have been killed, most of them women and children, many Israelis are also protesting their government's actions which have, for all the bloodshed they've caused, failed the secure the freedom of the remaining hostages. And yet the U.S. continues to supply Israel with funding and arms for all of this, even as Gaza sinks into famine. If that's not worth protesting, I'm not sure what is!
- John Oliver, commenting on the Israel–Hamas war protests in the United States during a broadcast of Last Week Tonight (21 April 2024)
- How do you look at one atrocity and say, 'This is wrong,' but you watch as bodies pile up as neighborhoods are leveled? Israel has dropped more bombs in the last 10 days than we dropped in a whole year in Afghanistan. Where is your humanity? Where is your outrage? Where is your care for people?
- I am here today to endorse Nikki Haley as president of Israel. I think she's earned that. I think Bibi Netanyahu is going through a very bad time right now. Support for Israel has virtually collapsed socially, if you're paying attention to the trends, if you're paying attention to what people are watching, if you're paying attention to the protests. And the one person that I think is capable of getting it back is Nikki Haley, with enough money from foreign interest lobbies. So there it is, guys, I'm endorsing Nikki Haley for president of Israel.
- Dresden, Hamburg, Cologne — some of the world’s heaviest-ever bombings are remembered by their place names. Gaza will also go down as a place name denoting one of history’s heaviest conventional bombing campaigns.
- I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people.
- I decided to resign for three reasons, the first and most pressing of which is the very, I believe, uncontroversial fact that U.S.-provided arms should not be used to massacre civilians, should not be used to result in massive civilian casualties.
- Hitler is knocking on the doors of the homes of the European and North American middle class and many have already let him in. The [climate] exodus will be responded to with a lot of violence, with barbarism itself, what we see in Gaza is the test of the future. Why have large carbon-consuming countries allowed the systematic murder of thousands of children in Gaza? Because Hitler already entered their homes.
- Gustavo Petro, quoted in “Hitler is knocking on the doors”
- Israel has been at war many times. It has experienced many terrorist atrocities and many thousands of rocket attacks. This was something different. Barbarism and depravity against Jews on this scale hasn't been experienced since the Holocaust.
In a country that arose from the ashes of that genocide, the spectacle of Jews being dragged from their homes to be slaughtered, raped or captured, with desperate parents throwing themselves on their children to protect them, was unspeakable. This wasn't simply terrorism. This was a pogrom.- Melanie Phillips "Hamas barbarism is the worst since the Holocaust", The Times (9 October 2023)
- I unequivocally condemn the invasion of Israel by Hamas terrorists and the sadistic violence they have subsequently carried out against innocent civilians. Israel has the right to defend itself against these attacks and respond against the attackers. Canadians pledge their solidarity with all the victims.
- I think that many people will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of United States policy in the Middle East.
- Everybody here and around the world can see and look at the special military operation and at what is happening in Gaza and feel the difference.
- The terrifying events happening right now in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of totally innocent people are being killed without differentiation, unable to flee, cannot be justified in any way.
- Vladimir Putin, "What antisemitic attacks in Dagestan say about Vladimir Putin’s Russia", Financial Times (30 October 2023)
- Let’s go back to their officially declared goals and statements right from the beginning of this war: Israel has made it clear it wants – at least at this stage – to have full control of the north of Gaza. As we talk now, this is happening slowly, of course, it’s not an easy war for Israel, it’s not a picnic, Hamas is resisting but civilians are paying the utter price of this genocidal war.
- Tamer Qarmout, quoted in Time to start ‘questioning’ Israeli intelligence
- The peace camps in both Palestine and Israel were already marginalised, before Hamas’s attack on Israel. Now... even some Israelis participating in intercommunity dialogue relapse into talk of “wiping out Gaza”.
- We are deeply concerned about the atrocities that are unfolding in the Middle East and we have passed our condolences to the people of Israel as we are passing our condolences to the people of Palestine. We have a full understanding of how the people of Palestine have been under occupation for almost 75 years and have been waging a struggle against an oppressive government that has in recent times been dubbed an apartheid State.
- The people all around the Middle East, including in Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world's reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a glaring double standard in the world. When October 7 happened, the world immediately and unequivocally stood by Israel and its right to defend itself and condemned the attack. But what we're seeing in the last couple of weeks, we're seeing silence in the world.
- The Zionist regime lacks the knowledge of popular struggles and has entered a vast quagmire, possibly taking action to expand the war in the region to conceal it.
- We as Elders are asking that countries that provide military aid, notably the United States to Israel, now have to urgently review military assistance and put in place conditions for any future provision. I think it's really necessary. I'll tell you why — if this doesn't happen, then the United States owns the problem. And that is not good for the United States, that the United States would be identified with so much killing.
- Conservatives need to create a strong association between Hamas, BLM, DSA, and academic ‘decolonization’ in the public mind.
- The catastrophe will have painful consequences in coming periods. The decision to end the war is not with us, it's with Israel and we must exert all efforts to end it.
- The whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come . The U.S. has a leading role to play in these efforts. And on it and on all of us fall the very heavy responsibility of ending this catastrophe.”
- Ayman Safadi, quoted in U.S. is warned about its global standing as Gaza suffering persists
- Israel has created this amount of hatred that will haunt this region. [It] will define generations to come and, therefore, it’s hurting its own people as much as it’s hurting everybody else in the region. This is a war that cannot be won. Israel has already suffered a strategic defeat.
- Ayman Safadi, quoted in Israel suffered a ‘strategic defeat’: Jordan FM
- This is phase one of collapse of Israel suffered not only defeat but it was humiliation too.
- Now in the shadow of Martyrdom soul we are witnessing birth of new Palestine that has put fear into the house of Zionists , they are running.
- Hossein Salami, quoted in IRNA
- Now we see internal confusion and national frustration in occupied lands, American cure is tot doomed to failure.
- Hossein Salami, quoted in IRNA
- Zionism in near Mediterranean is a foreign object a blade in the side of Islam.
- Hossein Salami, quoted in IRNA
- In this land machines, military and men live together, war and life are inseparable. They had the impression that insecurity could never be brought to their border.
- Hossein Salami, translated from ION News
- Israelis can no longer trust their security apparatus, the army and even the United States, which is always late. They were lucky this time, but it may not be the case next time,..They put many tanks behind the borders of Gaza, but they do not take a step forward, because the war is not fought with weapons, and it needs men of faith and confident hearts, not anxious hearts and troubled hearts .There is no way for the infidels to overcome the Muslims. They are doomed to failure.
- There is no reason in existence of Zionist race.
- Hossein Salami, translated from فرمانده سپاه: وجود قوم صهیونیست هیچ منطقی ندارد
- Borders of Islamic Revolution are expanding because of compatibility with mens substance.
- Americans never were this isolated.
- Confusion and ambiguity is visible on face of Americans authorities they face destruction that is without logic, they are acting like they don't know what they are doing.
- The kingdom considers targeting civilians in Gaza a heinous crime and a brutal attack, stressing the necessity of working to provide protection for them.
- All of them.
- For too long the international community has looked the other way... it has thought that without resolving this conflict we could live in peace and stability. What has happened during these eight months has opened the eyes of the world.
- Israel suffered a barbaric attack and is well within its rights to defend itself in keeping with international law, including the protection of civilians. As a response, Israel is contemplating a large-scale ground invasion targeting Hamas. Reports indicate Israeli ground forces are already active in Gaza. We note recent reports that senior U.S. officials – including Secretary of Defense Austin – have conveyed to the Israeli government their serious concerns about the risks associated with this course. We share many of these concerns, not just relating to the timing and difficulty of such an operation and its likely humanitarian toll, but also regarding the difficult questions about the political reality it will leave in its wake.
- Bernie Sanders, in a press release posted on his web site at NEWS: Sanders, Warren, Welch, Merkley Send Urgent Letter to President Biden Amid Israel’s Invasion and Potential Occupation of Gaza (November 1, 2023)
- For those of us who want not only to bring this war to an end, but to avoid a future one, we must first be cleareyed about facts. On Oct. 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, unleashed a barbaric attack against Israel, killing about 1,200 innocent men, women and children and taking more than 200 hostage. On a per-capita basis, if Israel had the same population as the United States, that attack would have been the equivalent of nearly 40,000 deaths, more than 10 times the fatalities that we suffered on 9/11.
Israel, in response, under the leadership of its right-wing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under indictment for corruption and whose cabinet includes outright racists, unleashed what amounts to total war against the Palestinian people. In Gaza, over 1.6 million Palestinians were forced out of their homes. Food, water, medical supplies and fuel were cut off. The United Nations estimates that 45 percent of the housing units in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 12,000 Palestinians, about half of whom are children, have been killed and many more wounded. And the situation becomes more dire every day.- Bernie Sanders, “Bernie Sanders: Justice for the Palestinians and Security for Israel”, New York Times, (Nov. 22, 2023)
- To start, we must demand an immediate end to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing, which is causing an enormous number of civilian casualties and is in violation of international law. Israel is at war with Hamas, not innocent Palestinian men, women and children. Israel cannot bomb an entire neighborhood to take out one Hamas target. We don’t know if this campaign has been effective in degrading Hamas’s military capabilities. But we do know that a reported 70 percent of the casualties are women and children, and that 104 U.N. aid workers and 53 journalists have been killed. That’s not acceptable.
- Bernie Sanders, “Bernie Sanders: Justice for the Palestinians and Security for Israel”, New York Times, (Nov. 22, 2023)
- Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party was explicitly formed on the premise that “between the Sea and the Jordan [River] there will only be Israeli sovereignty,” and the current coalition agreement reinforces that goal. This is not just ideology. The Israeli government has systematically pursued this goal. The last year saw record Israeli settlement growth in the West Bank, where more than 700,000 Israelis now live in areas that the United Nations and the United States agree are occupied territories. They have used state violence to back up this de facto annexation. Since Oct. 7, the United Nations reports that at least 208 Palestinians, including 53 children, have been killed by Israeli security forces and settlers. This cannot be allowed to continue.
- Bernie Sanders, “Bernie Sanders: Justice for the Palestinians and Security for Israel”, New York Times, (Nov. 22, 2023)
- There must also be a significant, extended humanitarian pause so that badly needed aid — food, water, medicine and fuel — can get into Gaza and save lives. If Wednesday morning’s deal — in which 50 Israeli hostages are to be freed in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting — is honored, it is a promising first step that we can build upon, and hopefully work to extend the pause. Meanwhile, the United Nations must be given time to safely set up the distribution network needed to prevent thirst, starvation and disease, to build shelters and evacuate those who need critical care. This window will also allow for talks to free as many hostages as possible. This extended pause must not precede a resumption of indiscriminate bombing. Israel will continue to go after Hamas, but it must dramatically change its tactics to minimize civilian harm.
- Bernie Sanders, “Bernie Sanders: Justice for the Palestinians and Security for Israel” (22 November 2023), The New York Times
- The assault on Gaza can also be understood in other terms: as a textbook case of genocide unfolding in front of our eyes. I say this as a scholar of genocide.
- Raz Segal, quoted in A Textbook Case of Genocide
- If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids? It wasn’t enough.
- Stuart Seldowitz, quoted in Ex-Obama Adviser Fired Over Rant at Halal Vendor: ‘If We Killed 4,000 Palestinian Kids? It Wasn’t Enough’
- For decades, Israeli and Western leaders have dehumanised Palestinians, but the response cannot now be to dehumanise Israelis. Explaining the political context of the Hamas attacks and the principles of strategic armed struggle is a world away from endorsing an indiscriminate massacre. For if you think that war crimes from Hamas last Saturday are acceptable, how are you going to argue that war crimes from Israel today are not? To lose moral consistency weakens the moral core of the Palestinian cause. To see these indiscriminate Hamas attacks as an acceptable outcome of Palestinian suffering is not a sign of solidarity; it is a form of moral relativism. To cast oppressed Palestinians as having special clearance for brutality is not a liberation struggle; it is specifically intertwining the cause with violence against civilians. And to say that all Israeli citizens are fair game (as I have seen repeatedly online) is a level of permissibility that is extraordinary. It is the same logic applied now to Palestinians in Gaza by the extremist Israeli government and its cheerleaders.
- Rachel Shabi, "To lose moral consistency weakens the Palestinian cause", i (14 October 2023)
- How many more deaths will it take for this assault to be brought to an end – 50,000, 100,000? As we witness our homes, hospitals and schools turned to rubble, we are crying out for a shred of humanity from world leaders.
- Even in Vietnam, there was a whole elaborate explanation that people gave, and they didn’t quite admit that they just were slaughtering the innocent.
- Yes, it is true what happened over the past nine days was very difficult and too much, and we unequivocally condemn it. But we need to understand that this is the result of accumulated fury and hatred over four decades, where the Palestinians had no hope to find a solution.
- Eventually justice will catch up with these individuals, if not in five years, 10 years, when they’re 80 years old – whenever the balance of power in the world allows for justice for Palestinians.
- I think right now you can’t overstate how raw people feel on all sides of this conflict. We have over 300,000 Arabs and Muslims, we have 70,000 Jews. The emotions are running very high.
- Elissa Slotkin a Michigan Democrat according to Tensions boil over as Democrats’ Israel divide deepens] (November 8, 2023)
- It is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza amid the massive bombardments, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible. This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate.
- Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, quoted in "‘Shocked by the intolerable level of human suffering’: ICRC" (28 October 2023), Al Jazeera
- Their atrocities do not justify your atrocities. The brutality of their war crimes does not lessen the brutality of your war crimes. Their inhumanity drives your inhumanity which drives their inhumanity further, on and on until the world around you burns to the ground and beyond.
- Andrew Stroehlein, quoted in "On the Escalation in Israel-Palestine", in Human Rights Watch (7 October 2024).
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- All hostages must be released without further delay.
- Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, together with President Biden according to Toddler among US hostages in Gaza - White House (13 November 2023 By Jessica Murphy BBC News)
- We are saying enough is enough. It is untenable for Israel to be given an unconditional green light and free licence to kill, nor it is tenable to continue ignoring the reality of occupation, siege and settlement.
- I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the state of our union is rather terrified that this brutal war between Israel and Hamas is about to get much bigger and much worse, more desperation in the Middle East this morning.
- This was the scene after an Israeli strike in Gaza just hours ago, as people rushed to save survivors stuck under the rubble. Now the Israeli government says, after eight days of a brutal air campaign, it is now preparing -- quote -- "significant ground operations," a reminder that Hamas embeds itself within the Palestinian population, in response to the devastating terrorist attacks in which 1,000 Israelis were slaughtered, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
- And that was, of course, accompanied by the kidnapping of more than 100 innocent people from Israel.
- Jake Tapper, Transcripts State of the Union (October 15, 2023)
- It’s different. And yes, I have worked in conflict zones. And they’re always very nasty. But this is a particularly brutal thing because of the huge number of civilian casualties. And they can’t escape it. They can’t move. They’re told to displace down south. But are we talking about just reducing the area from forty-five kilometres to twenty kilometres in length and trying to put two million people in there, which is . . . It’s just an extraordinary situation. And no, I haven’t seen it. They haven’t stopped bombing. They’re still bombing. They’ve got troops in there with tanks. And it’s just consistent. It’s well documented. We are seeing it all over the world in all the newspapers and television. So it’s like people know exactly what’s happening. And yet it doesn’t stop. I haven’t seen that before.
- Anne Taylor, quoted in The Trauma of Gaza’s Doctors
- Hamas' own actions have brought this on.
- Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.
- Greta Thunberg, quoted in X post by Greta Thunberg
- I can’t believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable. We are human beings just like anyone else. My Sity, my grandmother, like all Palestinians, just wants to live her life with freedom and human dignity we all deserve. Speaking up to save lives, Mr. Chair, no matter of faith, no matter ethnicity, should not be controversial in this chamber. The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me. What I don’t understand is why the cries of Palestinians sound different to you all. We cannot lose our shared humanity, Mr. Chair.
- U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, quoted in Tlaib Speaks on Censure Resolution
- Joe Biden's total ineptitude, weakness, and incompetence has led to this horrible attack on on Israel; and it will only get worse,It's only going to get worse. This guy cannot put two sentences together. He has no idea what's happening.
- We aren't bringing in anyone from Gaza.
- Donald Trump, quoted in Trump Vows to Reject Gazan Refugees After Israel Attack
- Yeah, I mean, Gaza, what’s happening to Gaza? It’s just unbelievable.
- Donald Trump, quoted in Trump says US should let Israel-Hamas war ‘play out’
- My humanitarian colleagues have described the situation as apocalyptic. In these circumstances, there is a heightened risk of atrocity crimes.
- Volker Türk, quoted in "UN rights chief warns of heightened risk of 'atrocity crimes' in Gaza" (6 December 2023), Reuters
- In Rafah I was at the gates to what is a living nightmare in Gaza. I feel, at my core, the pain and immense suffering of every person whose loved one has been killed. We must all feel this shared pain and end this nightmare.
- Volker Türk, quoted in "‘We have fallen off a precipice’, UN human rights chief says"(8 November 2023), Al Jazeera
- The complete siege of Gaza coupled with unfeasible evacuation orders and forcible population transfers, is a violation of international humanitarian and criminal law. It is also unspeakably cruel.
- Experts from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Press Release, quoted in Gaza: UN experts decry bombing of hospitals and schools as crimes against humanity, call for prevention of genocide, (19 October 2023)
- What I’m seeing unfolding at the moment isn’t just self defence. It looks, resembles something more approaching revenge. That’s not where we should be.
- "IDF says it carried out airstrike on Gaza ambulance". Can there be a stronger invitation to the International Criminal Court to charge them with war crimes? Even if the ambulance was carrying a Hamas overlord, bombing it violates the Geneva Convention.
- Burn Gaza now.
- Americans statements are reminding of crusades. We are an unseparable part of resistance. We will continue to fight until enemies defeat.
- I am sure that the shame Benjamin Netanyahu feels for not foreseeing the October 7 attacks is deep, especially for someone who presented himself as a security hawk and tough guy. But perhaps that shame is driving him to lose sight of the long term. If he thinks a killing rage will rectify matters, then he is very wrong. His methods will not solve the problem. In fact, I believe his tactics will fuel the conflict for another 50 years. His actions are radicalising Muslim youth across the globe.
- Attacks on hospitals and ambulances must end. They are sanctuaries for the wounded, places where lives are saved and suffering is alleviated. If even hospitals are not protected, then there truly is no safe place anywhere in Gaza.
- Melanie Ward, quoted in ‘If hospitals are not protected, then there truly is no safe place in Gaza’
- I fear that we are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if not of the Middle East as a whole.
- Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink. Limited steps by Israel… are positive, but fall far short of what is needed to address the human catastrophe on the ground.
- Tor Wennesland, quoted in "Israel’s steps to allow aid into Gaza ‘fall far short’: UN official" (19 December 2023), Al Jazeera
- Bomb the savages who did this back to the Stone Age. There are no grey areas. Kill them all. Every Hamas savage and every Hamas supporter on earth. Bury them with the entrails of pigs.
- James Woods, quoted in X post by Middle East Monitor
- There are verified reports of deaths of health care workers and destruction of health facilities, which denies civilians the basic human right of life-saving health care and is prohibited under International Humanitarian Law.
- I urge the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterate the call for a ceasefire.
- Those Palestinians, they’re very dramatic. ‘Ah, Israel is killing us,’ but they never die. I mean, they always come back. They’re very difficult to kill, very difficult people to kill. I know, because I’m married to one. I tried many times. I try to get to her every time, but she uses our kids as human shields.
- … Hamas was established with one goal to to build an Islamic State on the rubble of the state of Israel
- … they are Freedom Fighters and uh hence uh we support this minority against uh uh capitalists zionists
- Mosab Hassan Youself, 'Son of Hamas' Gives Unbelievable Interview on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Exposes Hamas (Dec 1, 2023) a youtube 1.5 hour interview BY Jordan Syatt accompanied by a transcript
- There’s no time to lose to protect civilians. An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire must be a priority. Without a ceasefire, any humanitarian aid would be a drop in the bucket. The Security Council has no excuse to remain silent.
- Yuval Noah Harari & Rosemary Barton - Israel's war with Hamas (268,087 views Oct 24, 2023) CBC’s Rosemary Barton Youtube interview with Transcript
Encyclopedic article on 2023 Israel–Hamas war on Wikipedia
Media related to 2023 Israel–Hamas war on Wikimedia Commons- Congresswoman Bush urges a Ceasefire Now in Israel and occupied Palestine on youtube (VIDEO)
- JUST IN: Tempers Flare During Explosive Debate To Censure Rashida Tlaib Forbes Breaking News on youtube (VIDEO)
- Moment Hamas spokesperson ends BBC interview abruptly after being challenged (Oct 27, 2023 #hamasattack #israel #gaza) on the The Telegraph youtube channel VIDEO
- Hamas suspends hostage talks over Al Shifa Hospital - official(NOVEMBER 12, 2023) AUDIO
- PLACEHOLDER: CBCNN LIVE white house briefing with Jake Sullivan (Nov 13, 2023)
- Calls for truce extension and more hostage releasesーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS (Nov 27, 2023) VIDEO
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