Live

Here’s why the Gaza war is ‘consistent with genocide’, according to UN body

Here’s why the Gaza war is ‘consistent with genocide’, according to UN body
By Alastair McCready, Nils Adler, Stephen Quillen, Federica Marsi and Usaid Siddiqui
Published On 15 Nov 2024

This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage here.

15 Nov 2024 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

This live page is now closed.

To read how Israel is ramping up attacks on Lebanon as officials study a US ceasefire plan, read our story here.

To find out what Trump’s foreign policy team means for the Middle East, watch our video.

And check out why a UN body has concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “consistent with genocide” here.

15 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:

  • At least 37 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since dawn, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.
  • UN humanitarian official says sending aid to Gaza is more difficult with the enclave’s north almost totally cut off.
  • Nine Israeli soldiers were injured in Gaza and southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, according to the latest figures released by the Israeli army.
  • Italy said an unexploded artillery shell hit the base of the Italian contingent in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
  • An Israeli air raid in the southern Lebanese town of Ain Qana has killed a family of five, the National News Agency (NNA) has reported.
  • Syrian state-run media say Israel has attacked the upscale Mazzeh district of Damascus, the second such strike in as many days to hit the neighbourhood.
15 Nov 2024 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

People in Lebanon believe destruction, killing part of Israel’s strategy

By Zeina Khodr

Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon

The bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs – an area regarded as a Hezbollah stronghold – has been the most intense and heaviest yet as Israel escalates its war on the armed group. It’s been nearly nonstop since Tuesday.

Every few hours, the Israeli military issues a forced evacuation order and more of the people who’ve stayed in these largely abandoned neighbourhoods are forced to leave.

The World Bank says Israeli strikes have partially or completely destroyed 100,000 homes across Lebanon in recent weeks and losses amount to more than $3bn.

People here believe the destruction and killing are part of a strategy by Israel to pressure Hezbollah to agree to its conditions to end the war.

A new ceasefire proposal was presented by the US. It coincided with the arrival of Iranian official Ali Larijani in Beirut.

He reiterated Iran’s support for Hezbollah and met the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who is indirectly negotiating with Israel on behalf of the group.

Lebanon says efforts are being made to reach an understanding to end the war.

15 Nov 2024 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Israeli forces continue to attack northern Gaza

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli forces have hit homes in the Jabalia camp, while also shelling various areas in the north with artillery.

Since October 6, the Israeli military has been engaged in a withering air and ground assault on areas of northern Gaza, including Jabalia.

15 Nov 2024 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Palestinian ministry says demolition of al-Bustan centre ‘ethnic cleansing’

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the demolition of the al-Bustan Association centre in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities was one manifestation of the “large-scale ethnic cleansing that aims to demolish the entire al-Bustan neighbourhood and displace more than 1,500 Jerusalemites”.

In a statement, the ministry pointed the finger to an “official Israeli policy aimed at emptying Jerusalem of its original owners and forcing them to emigrate to replace them with settlers”.

It highlighted that international law prohibits the occupation of East Jerusalem, which “is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and the eternal capital of the State of Palestine”.

15 Nov 2024 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

EU to discuss sanctions, ‘suspending political dialogue with Israel’

Foreign ministers of the European Union will discuss proposals to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements and suspend political dialogue with Israel.

The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, announced he is proposing the measures because of the many violations of international law committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

The EU has imposed many sanctions – from visa bans and “terrorist” designations to import restrictions and sanctions – in other cases of violations of international law, but “until now Israel has been spared from any meaningful consequences”.

“This has to change. This is why I have proposed an import ban on illegal settlement products, based on the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, similar to the existing import ban on products from occupied Ukrainian territories – because even-handedness is the lynchpin of Europe’s credibility.”

Borrell said he will also propose a suspension of political dialogue with Israel to EU member states.

15 Nov 2024 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

What role do sport boycotts play in Israel’s war on Gaza?

Scenes of destruction flooded social media timelines when clashes broke out following a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

While the mainstream media framed the violence as anti-Semitic, many netizens and residents of Amsterdam say that Maccabi fans incited the violence with Islamophobic chants and the destruction of property.

On this episode of The Stream, we discuss the repercussions of blurring the lines between sport and politics and whether it could be used to call for an end to the genocide in Gaza.

Watch below:

15 Nov 2024 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Hezbollah targets Israeli forces near Lebanon border

Hezbollah says its fighters attacked a gathering of Israeli forces on the southern outskirts of the town of Hanine with a drone.

It also claimed a rocket attack on Israeli soldiers in the southern town of Maroun al-Ras.

 

15 Nov 2024 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

WATCH: What does Trump’s foreign policy team mean for the Middle East?

Trump’s foreign policy team is quickly taking shape. But who are the nominees and what are the implications for the Middle East?

Watch the video below:

15 Nov 2024 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

France condemns demolition of al-Bustan centre

France has strongly condemned the demolition of al-Bustan Association centre in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities on November 13.

“Supported and financed by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and 21 French local authorities, this centre has provided more than a thousand children and young people with cultural and sporting activities as well as essential academic and psychological support,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

France called for accountability over the demolition, describing it as part of Israel’s illegal settlement policy, which it said “threatens the two-state solution and the status of Jerusalem”.

15 Nov 2024 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Israeli settlers raid occupied West Bank town: Report

Israeli settlers have put up a caravan on Palestinian-owned land in the Masafer Yatta region south of Hebron, while carrying out attacks on residents, the Wafa news agency is reporting.

According to the report, settlers dressed in Israeli uniforms also raided the Sada al-Thalabah community in Masafer Yatta.

 

15 Nov 2024 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Israeli air raid hits Lebanon’s Baalbek

Lebanon’s National News Agency has reported that an Israeli air raid hit the southern outskirts of the city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley.

The agency also reported a separate strike on the town of Jennata and the al-Khader area.

In southern Lebanon, raids also targeted Arnoun, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, al-Tairi and Kunin.

15 Nov 2024 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Not enough dialysis treatment for Gaza’s kidney patients

Kidney patients in Gaza increasingly struggle to get care because just one crowded medical facility offers dialysis in the central part of the enclave.

“Before the war, we used to reach the hospital with comfort. Now we cannot even transport my husband on a donkey cart,” said Yousra Saleh, whose 70-year-old husband requires dialysis.

“I have to push his wheelchair all the way to the hospital on rough terrain flooded with sewage and under Israeli bombardment,” she said.

Once at the hospital, treatment is limited.

“Each patient is receiving only half the amount of treatment they need,” said Tareq Abu Azra, a nurse in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital’s kidney ward, describing the care as life or death.

15 Nov 2024 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)

Two Palestinian prisoners die in Israeli prisons

Sameeh Eleiwi from the occupied West Bank’s Nablus city and Anwar Esleem from Gaza have died in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs cited by the Wafa news agency.

Eleiwi, 61, passed away last Wednesday, six days after being transferred from the Ramla prison clinic to Israel’s Shamir Medical Center near Tel Aviv.

He had been in Israeli prison since his arrest in October last year.

Esleem, 44, died yesterday while being transferred from the Negev Prison to the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Wafa reported.

15 Nov 2024 - 20:40
 (20:40 GMT)

Casualties following Israeli assault on southern Gaza

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that a number of Palestinians were injured in an Israeli attack targeting a residential apartment in the Sheikh Nasser area, east of Khan Younis.

Earlier, our reporters on the ground reported that the Israeli military carried out an attack on the town of al-Nasr, northeast of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, killing two people.

15 Nov 2024 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

UCLA urged to enhance protest readiness amid major protests: Review

The University of California, Los Angeles should develop clear plans and policies, communication lines and decision-making authority in advance of major protests such as the one against Israel’s war on Gaza, according to an outside review.

The report released on Thursday by 21st Century Policing Solutions, a national law enforcement consulting agency, described a highly chaotic response in late April and early May doomed by the university’s lack of preparedness and critical communication failures.

The institute requested it after its controversial handling of the protests.

Clashes between protesters and counterprotesters on the campus led to more than a dozen injuries, and more than 200 people were arrested at a demonstration the next day after hundreds defied orders to leave.

Police face off with pro-Palestinian demonstrators inside an encampment on the UCLA campus [File: Jae C Hong/AP Photo]
15 Nov 2024 - 20:20
 (20:20 GMT)

WATCH: ‘Bring captives home and prevent another October 7’

15 Nov 2024 - 20:10
 (20:10 GMT)

UN urges unhindered access for humanitarian aid in Gaza

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reiterated that international humanitarian law mandates that civilians must be allowed to receive assistance “wherever they are”, spokesperson for the UN chief said.

“The World Health Organization tells us that Israel authorities continue to deny the agency’s request to access the Kamal Adwan and the al-Awda hospitals in north Gaza governorate,” Stephane Dujarric added.

“Last week, all three attempts to deploy an international emergency medical team were blocked.”

Palestinians displaced from shelters in Beit Hanoon cross the main Salaheddine road into Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip [File: Omar al-Qattaa/AFP]
15 Nov 2024 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs warns Israel stepping up demolition of Silwan

The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs has warned that Israeli authorities are rapidly demolishing the al-Bustan neighbourhood in Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, Wafa news agency has reported.

The ministry said in a statement that a significant escalation in demolitions in the city was affecting the al-Bustan neighbourhood in particular.

It said Israeli authorities demolished more than 183 buildings in occupied East Jerusalem this year, including 33 in Silwan, where the largest number of demolitions were in al-Bustan neighbourhood.

15 Nov 2024 - 19:50
 (19:50 GMT)

Unexploded Israeli shell hits UNIFIL base in Lebanon

Italy said an unexploded artillery shell hit the base of the Italian contingent in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and protested Israeli attacks against its personnel and infrastructure in UNIFIL, an Italian statement said.

Tajani said the safety of the soldiers in UNIFIL had to be ensured and stressed “the unacceptability” of the attacks.

UNIFIL said that deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are a grave violation of humanitarian laws.