Israel trying to pass the hospital bombing off as Palestine doing it is utterly disgusting and guarantees Netanyahu a spot in the deepest pit of Hell for all eternity, obviously, but do not forget that
a) the only reason why Westerners will believe it is because they want to believe it - they are not being brainwashed and this is not some masterful propaganda being weaved around us to turn kind-hearted people into monsters,
b) no Westerner opinions matter at all. In most Western countries there is no real anti-Israel option to vote for even if they did realize that Israel was a giant factory for crimes against humanity, and Westerners protesting against things in general almost never achieves anything (tens of millions protested for BLM in 2020 and not only did the situation not change, it got worse), and
c) the people whose opinions do matter (both the people in the region, and the leaders who aren't already Zionist compradors) already know that Israel is full of shit and that they just murdered nearly a thousand civilians in a single bomb attack.
It is despair-inducing to think that the genocidal Zionist entity is so brazenly, so smugly getting away with bullshitting this away into a cloud of confusion, as they release their metaphorical squid ink just like they did with the stupid babies story, but the propaganda and the media narrative that they are creating isn't what matters. It cannot address the fundamental contradictions ripping the country, the region, and the world apart any more than masterfully-applied makeup can fix a stab wound. It can merely obfuscate.
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA daily-ish reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news (and has automated posting when the person running it goes to sleep).
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
Various sources that are covering the Ukraine conflict are also covering the one in Palestine, like Rybar.
The Country of the Week is still Palestine! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants.
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
The weekly update isn't coming because I'm sick and too focussed on the collapse of the Zionist entity.
Links and Stuff
The bulletins site is down.
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can.
Resources For Understanding The War
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Last week's discussion post.
UNRWA Report # 9 Friday, October 20, 2023
https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/situation-report-9-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem
spoiler
SITUATION REPORT #9 ON THE GAZA STRIP AND THE WEST BANK (INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM)Friday, October 20, 2023
All information valid as of 19 October 2023 @19:00
Day 13 of the War
General Updates
Two more UNRWA colleagues were confirmed killed in the Gaza Strip bringing the total number to 16 since the war began.
UNRWA continues to advocate at the highest levels for sustained and unhindered humanitarian access for much needed supplies, including fuel, food, water and medicines, into Gaza.
UNRWA also continues to advocate for adherence to international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure and UN facilities.
UNRWA shelters, housing over half a million people, are overcrowded, especially in southern Gaza; some of the displaced have reportedly started returning to other areas.
In the West Bank, at least ten Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israeli Security Forces continue arrest and search campaigns in the West Bank, including of Palestinians labourers from Gaza, who were deported to the West Bank by Israeli forces. Over 60 labourers from Gaza were arrested yesterday in Bethlehem alone.
OVERALL SITUATION
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 3,785 people have been killed since 7 October, and another 12,493 injured, including 3,983 children and 3,300 women.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, at least 64 Palestinians have been killed and at least 1,230 injured since 7 October (OCHA).
The number of people killed in Israel is 1,300, with at least 4,562 wounded (OCHA).
The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) across the Gaza Strip is estimated at around one million, more than half of whom are sheltering in UNRWA installations in the five governorates.
HUMANITARIAN ACCESS & PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS/UNRWA INSTALATIONS
At least 16 UNRWA colleagues have been killed since 7 October and another ten staff have been injured. The actual number is likely to be much higher - these figures include only those that the Agency has been able to confirm.
Since the beginning of the war, nearly 100 IDPs sheltering at UNRWA facilities have been injured and eight killed.
There have been 33 confirmed reports of UNRWA installations across the Gaza Strip impacted by the Israeli Air Force strikes.
An UNRWA school in Nuseirat Camp, in the Middle Area, was affected by collateral damage due to a nearby strike. Three internally displaced persons sheltering at the school were injured.
In the West Bank (including in East Jerusalem), UNRWA staff continue to face severe access and movement restrictions, due to closures, checkpoints and roadblocks by the Israeli Security Forces.
At least 10 Palestinians were reported killed in Nur Shams camp, including two children, by Israeli forces. Roads in the camp have been bulldozed and a large number of camp residents were detained and interrogated on site. Explosions were reported and houses inside the refugee camp were raided; some were taken over by Israeli Forces. Water and electricity were cut during the operation.
In the last 24 hours, a 17-year-old Palestinian boy in Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem and a 16-year-old Palestinian boy in Tulkarem were also killed.
Since 7 October, at least 74 Palestinian households, comprising 545 people, have been displaced from 13 herding/Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank. Israel retains near exclusive control in these areas, including over law enforcement, access and movement, and planning and construction. This displacement has come amid intensified settler violence and access restrictions. Half of those displaced are children.
UNRWA RESPONSE
In the Gaza Strip
Shelter
UNRWA shelters are overcrowded and have very limited supplies of food, drinking water, hygiene and cleaning supplies and potable water. The dire conditions, compounded by trauma due to the war, have started to fuel tensions among IDPs.
UNRWA shelters are severely impacted by the water crisis due to the dwindling and, in many cases, lack of availability of fuel supplies. Fuel is needed to operate water pumps and desalination plants. Many UNRWA shelters do not have any water supply. The potential public health risks due to lack of water and poor sanitation are high and rising.
The 4,000 IDPs who were sheltering in the UNRWA school in Maghazi which was directly hit on 17 October were evacuated to other nearby schools, resulting in those shelters becoming more overcrowded.
17,000 IDPs are sheltering at the UNRWA Khan Younis Training Centre, where living conditions are dire, with very overcrowded rooms and very limited water and sanitation facilities. Over 8,000 IDPs are also sheltering at UNRWA logistics base in Rafah, including many UNRWA staff who were evacuated from North and Gaza areas.
Approximately 367,600 IDPs are sheltering in 90 UNRWA shelters in Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas.
Nearly 160,000 IDPs were sheltering in 57 UNRWA schools in the North and Gaza areas as of 12 October 2023, before the evacuation order. UNRWA is no longer able to assist or protect the displaced in those areas and does not have information on their needs and conditions.
UNRWA is working with WFP to ensure that bread continues to be distributed to the displaced people in shelters in middle and southern Gaza.
WASH
Some solid waste collection from the camps and from emergency shelters and transfer to landfills continued in Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas. The scarcity of fuel and staff is impacting solid waste management activities.
Water wells in Jabalia, Khan Younis and Rafah are functional.
Health
Only eight (out of 22) of UNRWA health centres in Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah are providing primary health-care services to critical outpatient cases and patients in need of treatment for non-communicable diseases.
On 18 October, over 3,900 patients received medical services at UNRWA health centres and through 69 mobile medical teams. 73 mobile medical points are fully operational to provide primary health care to those displaced in shelters. 9,000 people at shelters received health care in the last 24 hours.
Initial health assessments conducted by the mobile medical teams reveal that, among IDPs, there are over 13,600 persons with non-communicable diseases (NCC) and over 3,100 pregnant women, requiring medical attention.
195 health staff (21 per cent of total health staff) are present at the health centres.
Stocks of medicines are very depleted, with around 15 days’ supply remaining overall and one week’s supply of insulin. Some items may run out sooner based on needs at shelters.
Fuel stocks in the functional health centres are also depleted, hampering the provision of primary health care in UNRWA’s health centres.
The West Bank
UNRWA resumed its operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, on 19 October, after one day of closure due to the security situation and operational constraints.
Schools were opened in most locations in the West Bank, except for Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, due to the large-scale Israeli Forces’ operations. At least six schools and 1,875 students were affected. Schools in Jiftlik and Hebron remained closed and continued with remote learning.
Attendance rates in other refugee camps in the West Bank ranged between nearly 37 per cent (in the south) and nearly 86 per cent in the north.
Most UNRWA health centres and health points operated, except for those in Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps, Azzun, Jerusalem Old City, Hebron and Budrus.
Solid waste continues to be removed from refugee camps. Through some coordination and protective presence, some compactors have managed to reach dumping sites.
@Frank@hexbear.net water supply mentioned again in this report, problem is rising. With that said there is this line:
Thank you.