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Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza consistent with 'genocide': UN special committee

Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza consistent with 'genocide': UN special committee
By Lyndal Rowlands, Zaheena Rasheed, Alastair McCready, Federica Marsi and Maziar Motamedi
Published On 14 Nov 2024

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14 Nov 2024 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

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To read more about how Israeli maximalist demands do not paint a favourable picture for a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, go here.

To find out more about why a UN committee said Israel’s war conduct in Gaza is consistent with genocide, check this out.

And visit this page to see our latest coverage of the war on Gaza.

14 Nov 2024 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of the day’s major developments:

  • Israeli forces targeted Salah al-Din School, in the centre of Gaza City, which was sheltering thousands of Palestinians who fled the Israeli siege in northern Gaza.
  • A special UN committee has issued a new report that points to Israel’s warfare practices in Gaza being “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”.
  • The Israeli army has claimed air strikes on Syria’s capital, Damascus, that killed at least 15 people. It said they were targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group.
  • Hezbollah has claimed its first attack on a military base in Tel Aviv, some 120km (74 miles) from the border with Lebanon.
  • At least 12 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a civil defence centre in the vicinity of Lebanon’s city of Baalbek.
  • US ambassador to Lebanon presented a draft proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon to the parliament speaker, official sources told Al Jazeera.
14 Nov 2024 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

US imposes sanctions on Syria network for benefitting Iran’s IRGC, Yemen’s Houthis

The US has blacklisted 26 entities, individuals and ships that it claims comprise a network associated with Syria-based al-Qatirji Company, which has alleged ties with the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Treasury Department said the Syrian conglomerate was responsible for generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the Quds Force and the Houthis through the sale of Iranian oil to Syria and China.

The company was previously designated for allegedly facilitating the sale of fuel between the Syrian government and ISIL (ISIS). Sanctions on it are now being expanded, the US said.

The latest US sanctions include vessels with flags from Iran, Guyana, Palau, Panama and Barbados. The Treasury said some of the blacklisted vessels are managed and operated by India-based and Panama-based entities.

14 Nov 2024 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

WATCH: Why isn’t the US holding Israel to account?

Senior US officials issued an ultimatum to Israel, saying that Washington could halt arms supplies if it did not allow more aid into Gaza.

But the deadline has passed and humanitarian organisations say the situation is only getting worse.

So, why doesn’t the US act? And can anyone else hold Israel to account?

Watch the discussion below:

14 Nov 2024 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)
Analysis

Recommendations in UN special committee report binding in light of Genocide Convention

The report from the special committee of the UN’s human rights office leaves “no doubt about its interpretation”, says Triestino Mariniello, professor of law at Liverpool John Moores University.

“The committee is confirming that Israel is committing genocide through several violations of international law,” Mariniello, who is a member of the legal team representing Gaza victims before the International Criminal Court, told Al Jazeera.

These violations include mass killings, causing serious bodily and mental harm, imposing harsh conditions of life, forced displacement and deprivation.

While the report is not itself binding for UN member states, Mariniello said its recommendations are binding in light of the Genocide Convention, which obliges member states to adopt all possible measures to prevent genocide and punish those responsible for committing it.

14 Nov 2024 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Israel accuses Human Rights Watch of ‘blatant misrepresentations’

Israel’s army has accused Human Rights Watch of “anti-Israel bias and factual distortion” after the group said Israel’s displacement of Palestinians in Gaza amounts to a “crime against humanity”.

“This report, like many before it, both selectively presents information in a manner that obscures context, as well as makes certain blatant misrepresentations,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

The report said that Israeli authorities have caused a forced displacement of Palestinian people in Gaza to an extent that constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“Human Rights Watch found that forced displacement has been widespread, and the evidence shows it has been systematic and part of a state policy. Such acts also constitute crimes against humanity,” the report said.

14 Nov 2024 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Israeli far-right minister bemoans ‘attempted coup’ after attorney general calls for his dismissal

Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has written to PM Netanyahu to say he should consider firing far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over ongoing interventions into police work.

She argued that the minister’s conduct could “compromise the ability to ensure that the police act in the public interest and not in the service of political rank”.

According to the attorney general, Ben-Gvir has been misusing his power, also making appointments and ending tenure of police officers in a way that intervenes in operational matters.

The firebrand far-right minister quickly shot back, calling the move an “attempted coup” by the attorney general.

14 Nov 2024 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Congresswoman Tlaib calls on Blinken to resign after aid deadline passes

The first Palestinian American woman to serve in the US Congress says Antony Blinken must resign as secretary of state after his deadline for Israel to ramp up aid to Gaza passed without any consequences.

Rashida Tlaib, pointing to a picture of a starving Palestinian child, said Blinken set a 350 trucks per day goal for humanitarian aid, but only 57 trucks entered per day in October – even if official Israeli figures can be taken at face value.

“This week, Mr Speaker, Secretary Blinken exposed his lie by announcing that there will be no change to any policy, despite admitting that the Israeli government has failed to comply with all of their demands,” Tlaib said.

“Secretary Blinken has continued to lie to Congress and should resign.”

14 Nov 2024 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Clashes at Paris football stadium as Israel-France face off

Videos circulating on social media show Israeli football fans clashing with French spectators during their teams’ match at Stade de France in Paris.

Some of the footage, which has been verified by Al Jazeera, showed Israeli fans beating up the French fans in the stands.

Videos showed the stadium was mostly empty before the start of the match due to security concerns following violent clashes in Amsterdam after a football match last week.

Others showed fans booing and whistling while the Israeli national anthem played. Some clips pointed to clashes outside the stadium as well.

Israeli media reported that internal security agency Shin Bet’s chief Ronen Bar accompanied the Israeli team to France and was at the stadium.

Translation: Major scuffles in the stands. Israeli supporters appear to have attacked French supporters. To be continued …

14 Nov 2024 - 21:55
 (21:55 GMT)
Houthi

Hezbollah says it attacked military base in Tel Aviv

Hezbollah claims that for the first time, it targeted what it identified as the Tel Haim military base in Tel Aviv, some 120km (74 miles) from the border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah said it used “qualitative missiles” to target the base, which it said belongs to the military intelligence division of the Israeli army. It did not comment on the potential impact, and the Israeli military has not commented.

In some of the latest of its over 30 attacks today, Hezbollah said it fired rockets toward the Kiryat Shmona settlement and other communities near the border with Lebanon.

14 Nov 2024 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Letter by 88 Democratic lawmakers calls for sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers

A letter calling on President Biden to sanction far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich before he departs the White House in January has been signed by 88 Democratic lawmakers.

The letter, which was submitted on October 29 but publicised today, expressed deep concern about “the rise in settler violence, settlement expansion, and measures adopted to weaken the Palestinian Authority and otherwise destabilise” the occupied West Bank.

It said the two ministers have been fuelling violence in the occupied territory, which has consisted of multiple Israeli attacks and raids per day, during which homes are destroyed, livestock are stolen and Palestinians are killed or wounded.

“With radical officials in the Netanyahu government continuing to enable settler violence and enact annexationist policies, it is clear that further sanctions are urgently needed,” the lawmakers wrote.

Eight Jewish lawmakers are also among the signatories.

14 Nov 2024 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

Footage shows aftermath of Israeli strike on Lebanon’s civil defence centre

Footage filmed by Lebanese TV station Al Jadeed shows the aftermath of the Israeli raid that targeted a civil defence centre in the vicinity of the city of Baalbek, in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate.

At least 12 people have been killed in the attack.

Translation: Scenes of destruction in the town of Douris in Baalbek.

14 Nov 2024 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Netanyahu’s chief of staff suspected of manipulating timeline of conversations on October 7

Israeli police suspect that PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, tried to alter the timelines of the leader’s conversation surrounding the October 7 attacks.

Braverman sought to access the transcripts and timestamps of the calls between Netanyahu and his military secretary Avi Gil to change them in favour of Netanyahu, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.

Netanyahu was reportedly first informed of the Hamas attack around 6:29am shortly after air raid sirens sounded across the country, and had two conversations with Gil.

Several weeks after the attack, Gil received information that Braverman had approached a staff member in the PM’s office to gain access to one of the conversations, which took place on a secure phone. Gil reported the matter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Braverman was at the centre of a case involving the alleged extortion of a senior officer in Netanyahu’s military secretariat to gain access to the logs of meetings held early in the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens to chief of staff Tzachi Braverman during a weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office on November 17, 2019 [Gali Tibbon/Pool via Reuters]
14 Nov 2024 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)

Four paramedics killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

At least six people, including four paramedics, have been killed in an Israeli strike on the town of Arabsalim, in southern Lebanon, the Ministry of Health said.

The National News Agency reported several strikes in southern Lebanon, including one in the centre of Nabatieh that destroyed a commercial complex.

14 Nov 2024 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

Belgium condemns Israel for trying to annex occupied West Bank

Belgium’s foreign ministry strongly condemned a statement by Israel’s far-right economy minister, Bezalel Smotrich, calling for “exercising sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank.

“Annexation of the West Bank flagrantly violates international law and the rights of the Palestinian people. This unnecessary provocation only further escalates the conflict,” the ministry said.

Earlier today, Hamish Falconer, the UK’s minister for the Middle East and North Africa, also condemned the Israeli move.

14 Nov 2024 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

If you’re just joining us

Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

  • At least four Palestinians, including children, have been killed when Israeli drones bombed a tent housing displaced people in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
  • An Israeli air strike has targeted the civil defence centre in the vicinity of the city of Baalbek, in Lebanon’s Baalbek-Hermel governorate. At least 12 people have been killed.
  • A special UN committee has issued a new report that points to Israel’s warfare practices in Gaza being “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”.
  • The World Bank said damages due to the conflict in Lebanon have amounted to an estimated $8.5bn, and that it is activating an “emergency response”.
  • US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa A Johnson has presented a draft proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon to to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, officials sources told Al Jazeera.
14 Nov 2024 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)

US ‘unequivocally disagrees’ with UN finding on Israel’s genocide in Gaza

US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel has rejected the findings of the report by the UN that Israel is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“This is something we would unequivocally disagree with. We think that kind of phrasing and those kinds of accusations are certainly unfounded,” he told reporters about the report that also said Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.

Patel also questioned a report by Human Rights Watch that said Israel’s forcible displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians amounts to “crimes against humanity”.

14 Nov 2024 - 20:40
 (20:40 GMT)
Houthi

US ambassador presents draft ceasefire proposal in Lebanon

US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa A Johnson has presented a draft proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon to to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, officials sources told Al Jazeera.

The sources said the paper presented to the Lebanese official contained ideas that required further discussion and noted that communication between Beirut and Washington had been activated following progress on negotiations.

14 Nov 2024 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Hezbollah claims drone attack on northern Israel’s Eliakim

Hezbollah has claimed a drone attack on Eliakim, in northern Israel, which Israeli media earlier said had injured at least two people.

Hezbollah said in a statement that Eliakim was home to a military base that included training camps for the Northern Region Command in the Israeli army.

It said it “accurately” hit the target with a squadron of drones.

14 Nov 2024 - 20:20
 (20:20 GMT)
Analysis

UN report on Israeli conduct encouraging: BDS

The report from the special committee of the UN’s human rights office that we just described tells companies to divest from investing in Israel to avoid contributing to the war on Gaza.

The purpose of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel is to end Israeli genocide and apartheid, Shir Hever, a coordinator with the movement, told Al Jazeera.

“This is a welcome report by the UN committee. The divestment is one thing that corporations are obligated to do for moral, ethical, legal and practical reasons. But it’s not just divestment,” he said.

Hever said concerned parties must stop sending weapons or any other assistance that could be used in the war.

“The UN itself does not have the power to force corporations to take actions,” he said. “But states have an obligation to force their corporations to take this action. And also the employees have an obligation. So, this is something new and encouraging.”