Middle East Eye

US President Joe Biden on Monday repeated that he’s a Zionist while speaking to guests at a White House Hanukkah event. He also recounted his long-standing relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the disagreements they had. Biden added that the US will continue giving military support to Israel “until they get rid of Hamas” but that they should be careful because "the world’s public opinion might shift" as a result of Israel’s actions.

In a reportage on Gaza by Channel 4 News, Abdullah, a 13 year old Gaza resident recounts and describes his experience of surviving Israeli air strikes and the current siege on his hometown. Since October 7, over 18000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel.

An Israeli report sheds light on South Yemen’s Transitional Council considering an alliance with Israel. Reported by Roi Kais of Kan 11, this development marks a significant shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics, particularly in response to the Houthi threat in Yemen. The council, led by President Aidous Al-Zubaidi, is actively seeking regional and international partnerships to secure the Red Sea navigation route.

Footage from Gaza is raising questions about the authenticity of Israeli forces’ claims regarding their operations in Gaza. The videos, initially shared by Israeli reporter Barak Ravid and later deleted, depict Moin Qeshta Al-Masry, a civilian and owner of an aluminium workshop. Al-Masry is shown in two videos standing with a group of arrested Palestinian men all stripped except from underwear. In the two videos, supposed to be for the same event, Al-Masry was coerced by Israeli soldiers into holding weapons in various staged manners. The two videos show him holding a weapon in different hands indicating the same scene was repeated in what appears to be an attempt to manipulate the narrative. These new videos seem to be part of a larger effort by Israeli forces to support their claims of arresting fighters in Gaza. The exposure of this setup by social media users, who quickly identified Al-Masry, has led to public reactions ranging from disbelief to criticism.

The Palestinians want dignity. The Palestinians want emancipation. The Palestinians want the end of the Israeli occupation.” Addressing the question, ‘Who speaks for the Palestinians?’ Professor of International Relations Fawaz Gerges, in his interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN, stated: “Hamas now speaks for the Palestinians.”

“You can see the support that is here. This is how London feels, this is what the UK is and we need the UK government to represent this energy and send a message that this is what the UK is about, and allow the rest of the world to be influenced by that.” A massive pro-Palestine demonstration took place in London, UK, where protesters demanded a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel will not have achieved the objective of destroying Hamas’ military capabilities any time over the next few months, says the former US peace envoy to the Middle East, Frank Lowenstein in an interview with BBC News night. He added that he believes, should the Israeli assault on Gaza continue at the same rate, the Palestinian death count could reach 30,000.

Khalid Abdalla, the actor portraying Dodi Fayed in 'The Crown,' inscribed a call for a 'ceasefire' and an end to 'occupation' on his hand during the show's finale gala red carpet event at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Abdalla displayed this political message addressing the Israel-Palestine war with a powerful statement.

Video released by Israeli soldiers shows them vandalise and mock a bookstore in Gaza

Recent combat operations have seen a spike in eye injuries among Israeli soldiers. Reports indicate that the count exceeds 100, with injuries ranging from serious impairment to complete blindness. Shrapnel is identified as the chief cause, aggravated by the lack of adequate eye protection. Hospitals like Soroka Eye Hospital are facing a surge in such cases.

Professor Refaat Alareer was killed by Israeli forces, his friend announced on Thursday. Alareer was a co-founder of the ‘We Are Not Numbers’ project, a professor at the Islamic University of Gaza, and one of Gaza's most prominent writers, poets & activists. We Are Not Numbers is an initiative of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, and pairs Palestinian writers with mentors to write the stories “behind the numbers of victims.”

Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), was interrupted while trying to explain the meaning of the phrase “From the river to the sea” to the Home Affairs Committee. The Committee allowed pro-Israel campaigners to talk about the phrase unchallenged. Ben Jamal was saying that the phrase describes how Palestinians' rights are deprived across all of historic Palestine and does not seek to violate anybody else's rights. PSC said in a statement: 'It is worth noting that the Chair of the Committee, Diana Johnson MP, was appointed vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel in 2020.'

“The level of love and support for Palestine runs deep.” After a unanimous vote on Tuesday, Dublin City Council flies a Palestinian flag above the City Hall building in the centre of the Irish capital to express solidarity with Palestinians. Councillor Daithi Doolan said the gesture shows the depth of support for Palestine in Dublin as well as the historic understanding between the Irish and Palestinian people.

A massive fire erupted on Friday morning in a school in northern Gaza, which provides shelter to displaced Palestinians, following an attack by Israeli forces that involved dropping incendiary and smoke bombs, as reported by a journalist at the scene.

“The gap that [US] Secretary Blinken apparently refers to is big enough to have created a graveyard for 7,000 Palestinian children so far.” Daniel Levy, president of the US/Middle East Project and a former Israeli negotiator of the Oslo Accords, said in an interview with the BBC that unless the US changes their policy towards Israel, rather than just “carefully chosen words” about how concerned they are, Israel will continue the killing. “If the American policy, which is what the Israelis are experiencing, is to appropriate funding for Israel's war, provide weapons for Israel's war, make sure that when there is discussion at the United Nations Security Council, if there's any meaningful resolution, America vetoes it. And for the US government to continue parroting key Israeli propaganda, talking points and disinformation, as long as that's the case, then I think the Israeli leadership will feel very comfortable that they have a lot of running room left to continue with the killing, whether in southern Gaza, elsewhere”

“Keir, how many more children in Palestine have to die before you call for a ceasefire?... Where is your humanity?” Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party in the UK, was confronted on his trip to Glasgow, where he is due to attend the Scottish Labour Gala Dinner.

Hundreds of people from different faiths marched across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US, calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli army released a statement on Tuesday saying that the discourse surrounding captives is “irresponsible” and “inaccurate”. The statement seemingly followed comments that were made on Monday by US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, who said Hamas refused to release female captives to prevent them from talking about their alleged mistreatment in captivity.

Filippo Grandi, the UN Refugee Chief, told AFP in an interview on Wednesday that an exodus of Palestinians from Gaza into other countries in the region would be “catastrophic”. He highlighted the urgency of a ceasefire, noting that that “a fresh exodus would be an additional burden on the refugee population, on the Palestinian population and on the region”.

"I'm not sure what we expect from contemporary theatre if we don't expect artists to engage with the issues of the day." While speaking to ABC News on Monday, Australian publisher Louise Adler weighed in on the Sydney Theatre Company’s issuing an apology after some audience members were frustrated by three actors wearing a keffiyeh during curtain call in solidarity with Palestine.

“This is really a moment for moral clarity, and I think we need to look into our hearts and ask ourselves: Do Palestinian children deserve the same safety as all other children do?” Actress and activist Cynthia Nixon explained why she has joined calls for a ceasefire in Gaza while speaking on ABC News’ The View on Wednesday.

“Palestinians here, in our city, feel particularly unseen, unheard by this country’s leaders.” San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston teared up as he quoted his American Palestinians friend’s losses and introduced a resolution at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine war

Abby Martin, American journalist, presenter, and creator of the Empire Files, appeared on BreakThrough News to discuss the war in Gaza. Martin said that the Israeli army is targeting journalists because they don’t want the world to see the truth. “That's what they're scared of. They're scared of Americans turning against this colonial genocidal project because they don't want us to see the truth. That's why they're systematically taking out the journalists.” She said that Israel is trying to end any semblance of civic society in Gaza, and that’s why they’re taking out all the best and brightest, including hospital staff, journalists, and surgeons.

Volker Turk, the UN Human Rights Chief, said on Wednesday that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living in “apocalyptic” circumstances. He urgently called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and warned of a high risk of atrocity crimes in the “catastrophic” humanitarian conditions.

“The horrible events of October 7 cannot justify this genocide which is happening right now in Gaza.” Dozens of Israelis gathered in front of a government building in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to protest against the war and call for an immediate ceasefire.