Middle East Crisis

Gaza War
Israel Drops Nine Out of Ten War Crimes Investigations

The Israeli military drops almost nine out of ten war crimes reports against its soldiers without taking action, a report by the British organization Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) shows according to The Guardian.

This includes allegations of the murder of at least 112 Palestinians queuing for flour in Gaza City in February 2024, and an airstrike that killed 45 Palestinians in a tent camp in Rafah in May of the same year.

According to AOAV, Israel is trying to create a “pattern of impunity” by dropping or neglecting to conduct investigations into the most serious allegations against the military.

Hamas: We will not disarm until a state is formed

Hamas will not lay down its arms until an independent Palestinian state is formed. This is announced by the terrorist group according to Reuters.

“The armed resistance [...] cannot be given up without the full restoration of our national rights, in particular a fully independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” they wrote in a statement.

The latest indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire stalled last week. 

Protests
Another person arrested after Gaza action in the UK

Another person has been arrested as part of the investigation into the activist group Palestine Action’s break-in at a military base in the UK, reports the BBC.

It was in June that members of the network broke into an air base in Oxfordshire and spray-painted two military aircraft. According to the British defense, the action caused damage equivalent to almost 90 million kronor.

Seven people have previously been arrested after the incident. Four of them have been charged.

The British parliament has classified Palestine Action as a terrorist group after the incident.

Palestine Action’s terror designation — the issue

• In June, the British activist group Palestine Action entered a military airbase and spray-painted planes in protest against military cooperation with Israel.
• Four people were charged for the action, which according to the investigation cost the RAF seven million pounds. No planes were permanently damaged.
• The British parliament voted on July 3 to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the group would be banned.
• Palestine Action has criticized the decision, claiming it is an abuse of power, and has promised to challenge the terrorist designation in court.
• British authorities have banned protests in support of Palestine Action outside parliament, and police have arrested demonstrators showing support for the group.