In a new heinous Israeli crime, occupation forces killed a Palestinian man by throwing him off a roof in the town of al-Dhahiriya, south of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank.Rebhi Mansiya's father said his son was heading to work early this morning before being detained by IOF in Batn al-Aqra' neighborhood. Mansiya was among other workers in a vehicle on their way to their jobs when an Israeli force pursued them and blocked their path. According to the father, occupation soldiers chased his son into a building, where they detained him after brutally assaulting him. They then dragged him to the roof before pushing him off the building, leading to his martyrdom. The Israeli aggression against the West Bank has skyrocketed since the launch of the war on Gaza last October. Palestinian towns and cities are subjected to daily raids, alongside extensive arrest campaigns, resulting in an increase in the number of martyrs and injuries from Resistance confrontations with the occupation forces. A joint report issued by the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Club earlier this week revealed an alarming increase in the number of arrests since October 7, reaching 8480.

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The Occupied Palestinian Territory is enveloped in a spiral of unstoppable violence, with stories Palestinians and other witnesses relay adding new depths to atrocities the world has witnessed since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza over six months ago, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese said today. “The pace and intensity with which this violence has spread to the rest of the occupied territory confirms that no Palestinian is safe under Israel’s unfettered control,” Albanese said, concluding a visit to Egypt and Jordan. The Special Rapporteur said Israel had once again arbitrarily denied her access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, compelling her to report on the situation of Palestinians under occupation from neighbouring states. Albanese said her visit demonstrated that the situation in Gaza is worse than previously assessed, with serious and multi-layered long-term implications. Most victims she met had endured catastrophic injuries, witnessed family members killed and experienced the effects of Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure, even after 26 January 2024, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling ordering Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza. Patients that previously arrived in Egypt primarily with explosive and war injury-related symptoms are now joined by patients with chronic diseases and/or malnutrition, especially children, arising from Israel’s intentional humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. “Photos from a mere eight months ago show a chubby-cheeked 8-year-old Hamid, now rake thin and spending his days in excruciating pain due to pancreatitis developed through the harsh conditions of the siege,” the Special Rapporteur said. “Those who have left Gaza come out fractured and wracked by ‘survivors’ guilt’ and severe trauma,” Albanese said. “Just 50 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip, crucial, life-sustaining aid and goods, including water desalination equipment, first aid kits, oxygen cylinders and portable toilets – paid for by taxpayers across the world – languish in warehouses, barred entry into Gaza on the pretext of use by combatants.” “Humanitarian measures implemented so far – airdrops and maritime corridors – are a mere palliative for what is desperately needed and legally due,” the expert said. “These measures are grossly inadequate to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe that Israel’s assault has created.” “At this point, Israel has reneged on its international obligations to a degree that warrants a call for sanctions,” Albanese said.

30th of April 2024

Reuters: Gaza hospital staff questioned by ICC war crimes prosecutors, sources say

Prosecutors from the International Criminal Court have interviewed staff from Gaza's two biggest hospitals, two sources told Reuters, the first confirmation that ICC investigators were speaking to medics about possible crimes in the Gaza Strip. The sources, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, told Reuters ICC investigators had taken testimony from staff who had worked in the main hospital in Gaza City in the north of the enclave, Al Shifa, and the main hospital in Khan Younis in the south, Nasser. The sources declined to provide more details, citing concerns about the safety of potential witnesses.One of the sources said that events surrounding the hospitals could become part of the investigation by the ICC, which hears criminal cases against individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression. The ICC's office of the prosecutor refused to comment on operational matters in ongoing investigations citing the need to ensure the safety of victims and witnesses. The ICC has said it is investigating both sides in the conflict, including both the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters on Israel and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza. During the conflict, the two main Gaza hospitals have both been high profile Israeli targets - surrounded, besieged and stormed by Israeli forces who accused Hamas militants of using them for military purposes, which Hamas and medical staff deny. In recent days, Palestinian officials have also demanded investigations after hundreds of bodies were exhumed in mass graves at Nasser. The two sources were not able to say whether such graves formed part of any questioning.

KFC has reduced its operations in Malaysia, shuttering more than 100 restaurants temporarily after months of a persistent pro-Palestine boycott of US-linked businesses triggered by the ongoing war in Gaza. QSR Brands, which owns and operates the KFC fast-food franchise in Malaysia, is suspending operations of 108 outlets nationwide, the Nanyang Siang Pau Chinese-language daily said, based on information from Google Maps. The maps show which KFC stores have had their status updated to show “temporarily closed”.

“KFC is not on the BDS list of targeted companies. But many Malaysians see any American fast-food operator to be related to Israel including KFC,” said Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail, chairman of pro-Palestinian group Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Malaysia.

KFC and a few other US-based brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s have been facing boycotts because of their perceived link to Israel since the war in Gaza started on Oct 7, 2023. KL-listed Berjaya Food, which owns 400 Starbucks stores in Malaysia, reported a net loss of RM42.6 million from October to December 2023, with owner Vincent Tan reportedly considering taking the company private.

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