Tag Archives: Gaza Strip

International, Politics

Militants in Gaza publicly execute alleged spies

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As fighting commences in Gaza following the week-long truce and funeral processions for the family of a Hamas military leader, Hamas militants have publicly executed 18 Palestinians for allegedly spying for Israel.

Seven of those executed were lined up in front of a crowd of hundreds outside of the Omari mosque on Palestine Square, with bags over their heads and their hands bound.  Each was shot with automatic rifles for those present to see.  The other 11 were executed by militants at an abandoned police station in Gaza, according to YNetNews.

One eye-witness to the Omari mosque executions told reporters, according to the Independent, the executioners told the crowd those who were executed, “had sold their souls to the enemy for a cheap price.”

The names of those killed were not released to the public, as Hamas said they wanted to protect the families of those killed.

These killings are reportedly the beginning of new crackdowns on Israeli collaborators in Gaza.  According to ABC News, rally cries for people to “[choke] the neck of the collaborators,” have also been heard throughout the area.

Hamas security services made a post to their website, Al Majd, saying from now on, people who are suspected of being spies would not have a court hearing to determine their innocence or guilt.  Rather, these individuals will be dealt with “in the field,” meaning soldiers will decide the fate of those who are accused of being spies.

This same site said those who had been executed had “confessed” to their alleged crimes against the people of Palestine.  Their crimes included reporting on the movement of military commanders and providing the locations of resistance fighters throughout Gaza.

Another pro-Hamas website made a post following the executions saying, “The resistance has begun an operation called ‘strangling the necks’, targeting collaborators who aid the (Israeli) occupation, kill our people and destroy houses.”

These executions come a day after Israeli forces tracked down and killed three high-ranking Hamas commanders, according to the Mirror.

Politics

As fighting continues in Gaza, airstrikes kill Hamas leader’s wife and child

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After a week-long ceasefire was called as leaders from Hamas and Israel met in Cairo, Egypt, to hold peace-talks, air strikes have resumed and claimed the lives of over 19 Palestinians, including the wife and child of Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif.

Hamas has said in a televised address the attack was an assassination attempt on the life of Deif.  Instead, the attack claimed the life of his wife, Wedad, and their 7-month-old son Ali, but Deif was not present with them at the time.

Both were laid to rest after a day of mourning on Tuesday where, according to the Guardian, hundreds of supporters showed up to offer their condolences to those killed and their families.

While Israeli security forces and politicians have not commented on the attack, they have said, according to the Wall Street Journal, Deif is indeed a target and has been for some time.  Deif has been severely handicapped from past assassination attempts from Israeli forces, and it seems Israel will continue to make attempts on his life.

Israeli Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich has said, “There is definitely room to strike the leaders of Hamas… and if Mohammed Deif is among them, we will continue to strike them, wherever they are.”

Ceasefires have been called and broken in Gaza as Israeli and Hamas forces have fought a six-week conflict which has claimed, according to the BBC, the lives of over 2,100 Palestinians and injured at least another 10,000, while 67 Israelis have been killed.

The latest ceasefire was broken after three rockets were reportedly fired from Gaza and into Israel with no resulting injuries.  After these rockets were fired, the Israeli missile defense system known as Iron Dome, was reactivated and fighting commenced.  No Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility for the three rockets fired as of now.

Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has said the rockets which were fired broke the ceasefire agreement needed to hold the talks in Cairo, but now these talks must be cancelled.  “When Hamas breaks the ceasefire they also break the premise for the Cairo talk,” Netanyahu said Tuesday.  “Accordingly the Israeli team has been called back as a result of today’s rocket fire.”

International

Death Toll in Gaza Rises, Cryptome urges Snowden Docs to be Released to End War

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As reported previously by Benswann.com, ‪Cryptome, is planning to dump all the Snowden documents sometime this month.

Cryptome is a repository for leaked and confidential documents co-founded by John Young, who confirmed with Vocativ that he intends to release them potentially around the beginning of a hacker and whistleblower conference this month in New York City called HOPE X, where Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg is the keynote speaker. (Possibly around July 18th.)

According to Cryptome, the awaited Snowden documents and the important technical data in those documents may end the war.

 But can Gaza wait any longer for those documents to be released? At the time of this post, the death toll in the Gaza Strip is rising sharply and 81 have already been killed in Gaza. 

Crytome is urging the Snowden documents to be released now.

 

 

 

Benswann.com’s Joshua Cook asked Cryptome via twitter if the information from the Snowden docs would produce information to stop the war in Israel?

 

 

International, Politics, US

Fighting in Israel closes down US embassy in area

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Recent violence in the Gaza Strip between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, who are in control of Gaza, have resulted in the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to close down for Thursday.

The embassy website, which posted the closing,  cites the “current security situation” as their reason for closing, but also says, “emergency cases will be considered on a case by case basis.”

Due to the rocket firing over the past few days, the embassy has operated at minimum staffing levels in order to keep staff members safe.  One rocket reportedly hit a house in Jerusalem, resulting in an explosion but no casualties.

Over 300 rockets have been fired into Israel since the attacks began two days ago, but these attacks have resulted in no fatalities or serious injuries according to Businessweek.  Storefronts, groceries, and bakeries have been hit and various buildings have been damaged.

Many of the rockets have been pointed in the direction of Dimona which is thought to house an Israeli nuclear facility.  The Israeli government has not confirmed or denied these reports.

The Israeli Defense Forces have launched a full-fledged military operation in order to stop further attacks from Hamas militants on Israel.

As compared to the 300 ineffective rockets fired into Israel, the IDF has struck almost 600 of their intended targets in the Gaza Strip.  These targets have included rocket launchers, tunnels used by Hamas militants, command centers, and training camps.

According to RT, Israel’s strikes have also resulted in the deaths of at least 22 people, including eight children.

Since the attacks began, Israel has been mobilizing about 40,000 military reservists in preparation for a further push to take back the Gaza Strip from Hamas.

“Despite the fact it will be hard, complicated and costly,” Israeli intelligence minister,Yuval Steinitz, told Israel Radio, “we will have to take over Gaza temporarily, for a few weeks, to cut off the strengthening of this terror army.”