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Investigation reveals Israeli commander behind killing of Palestinian child Hind Rajab, paramedics

The Cradle | October 21, 2025

A new Al Jazeera documentary released on 20 October has identified the Israeli soldiers and officers who were directly involved in the killing of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and her family last year, as well as the rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.

The investigation reveals the involvement of the Israeli army’s 401st Brigade. This includes Lt. Col. Daniel Ela and field officer Maj. Shon Glass.

According to the report, Glass was the one who ordered Israeli troops to fire the tank shells that killed the Rajab family in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa. He also ordered the attack on the ambulance teams sent to the rescue.

The soldiers belong to a unit calling itself the “Vampire Empire.”

Evidence analyzed by Forensic Architecture, as well as satellite imagery, found that their tank was within around 400 meters of the car carrying Hind and her family. The evidence also ruled out any crossfire.

A Forensic Architecture investigation from last year confirmed the Israeli army’s responsibility for the massacre of the Rajab family, refuting Israel’s denial that its forces were in the area and at the time of the killings.

Hind and her relatives were killed on 29 January 2024 while fleeing their neighborhood in Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the area. Their bodies were finally recovered 12 days later.

After the Israeli tank gunner killed Hind’s 15-year-old cousin Layan, Hind was the only person left alive in the car. PCRS dispatchers sent paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun in an ambulance to rescue her. When they reached the site of Hind’s car, they were immediately killed.

Over 330 bullets were fired at the car carrying the Palestinian family.

The Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), named after the six-year-old victim, was founded months later and launched a global effort to legally pursue Israeli soldiers involved in war crimes in Gaza.

HRF has announced submitting a full legal case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Glass, Ella, and dual Israeli-Argentinian citizen Itai Shukerkov, who took part in killing Hind.

Another 21 soldiers “who directly participated in or facilitated the attack” are also being pursued, HRF said.

“The Hind Rajab Foundation calls on the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC to … expand the investigation to include the Vampire Empire Company, the 52nd Armored Battalion, and the 401st Armored Brigade and issue arrest warrants for the 24 identified perpetrators,” HRF said.

Natacha Bracq, Head of Litigation at HRF, said the submission to the ICC “establishes a direct chain of command, operational control, and deliberate intent.”

The NGO also took part in the Al Jazeera documentary.

The new investigation confirms that Tel Aviv has launched an organized effort to smuggle wanted soldiers out of foreign countries via private planes and military bases, before they can face legal action.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has helped soldiers vacationing abroad escape legal action.

According to HRF, over 1,000 legal cases against Israeli soldiers and officers have been filed across the world.

Al Jazeera has also revealed a document containing a list of the names of nearly 30,000 Israeli Air Force pilots and personnel who took part in military operations during the genocide in Gaza.

October 21, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , | 1 Comment

The real ISIS

By Muhammad Jamil | MEMO | October 19, 2025

The people of Gaza Strip lived through two years of an unprecedented genocide in the history of warfare, leaving more than seventy thousand dead, tens of thousands more wounded and mutilated, and the territory itself reduced to rubble. Amid this devastation, a few conscienceless individuals emerged. They were collaborators who assisted the occupier in killing, looting, and abduction. They were also war profiteers whose crimes were no less vile, hoarding essential goods and extorting the starving with outrageous prices.

History, whether ancient or modern, shows that when wars end, the enemy swiftly abandons his agents to their fate. That is exactly what Israel did in the first minutes of the ceasefire, just as it did to the South Lebanon Army (LAHD) when it pulled out of southern Lebanon in 2000.

There were, by all accounts, only a few hundred collaborators and profiteers. Despite the magnitude of their crimes, retribution in Gaza was limited, that after field trials, a handful of those directly implicated in killings were executed. There was no sweeping revenge, but rather patience and dignity, which prevailed over the pain.

This is not to justify summary executions but to explain the extraordinary circumstances of a shattered society emerging from unprecedented destruction, where emotions run high and restraint is hard to find. By comparison, the European purge after the Second World War, what the French called the “épuration sauvage “, saw thousands killed without trial. Women accused of “horizontal collaboration” with German soldiers had their heads shaved and were publicly humiliated.

Wars always rupture the social fabric, where the occupier targets the communal web to achieve military ends. Gaza is not unique in this; its unprecedented unity during the two years of genocide made it a particular target. Israel used every devious method to tear it apart, spreading rumours, forming gangs through bribery or intimidation, even calling entire families, clan elders and sheikhs to demand collaboration under threat of bombing their homes.

On 27 September 2025, for example, Israeli intelligence phoned members of the Bakr family in the Shati camp in western Gaza, promising safety if they would form a militia modelled on the Abu Shabab gang in Rafah. The family refused; at dawn their houses were struck, killing nine people, including women and children.

Western newspapers and bulletins seized on the single field executions and raids on collaborators to revive the narrative Israel launched at the start of its onslaught which claimed that “These are the ISIS-like extremists we warned you about; what happened proves our story.” In the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe, this single episode was what interested them. Rather than pushing to enter Gaza after two years of being barred and seeing the destruction with their own eyes, they returned to their usual role of hijacking the truth to smear the victims.

Their hypocrisy and obsession with demonising Gaza’s residents in order to portray the occupation and its collaborators as “innocents” blinded them from seeing the tonnes of explosives that turned Gaza to ash, to the tens of thousands killed and wounded, the displaced and the hungry. They focused on a single incident because it could be made to echo the videos of ISIS beheadings and executions in Iraq and Syria that once shocked the world.

The Arab normalisation platforms, newspapers, and TV channels, which from the very beginning promoted and supported the occupation’s narrative, were the most eager to portray the event as an “ISIS-like” act, fuelling the fire of sedition and inciting the population to internal conflict. What is striking is that these outlets hosted tribal leaders and elders from the Gaza Strip on their programs, assuming they would go along with their narrative that labeled the criminals as “opposition” and innocent civilians. Instead, those leaders shattered and refuted the narrative, explaining the danger of these gangs and the crimes they had committed.

They ignored the real ISIS-like elements within the occupation army who proudly filmed themselves blowing up whole residential blocks, while arresting hundreds and stuffing them into stadiums and open pits, then transferring them to prisons to disappear them forcibly. After some were released, especially following the recent agreement, these people told horrifying stories of torture, some leaving permanent disabilities and some dying in cold-blooded field executions. We saw the bodies handed over by the occupier showing signs of brutal torture, ropes tied around their necks, and in some cases their organs had been stolen.

The bitter truth is that we find ourselves forced to highlight certain scenes of the massacre to prove that these are the true ISIS, even their masters, in order to counter the false propaganda. It has become lodged in people’s minds that killing by slitting throats with a knife or shooting at point-blank range is what is called “cold-blooded” murder, an unforgivable crime. But what about killing by bombing for two years, collectively striking entire residential blocks so that women and children are killed, their bodies torn apart and burned? Is that “hot-blooded” killing? Is what matters the way of killing not the outcome?

Damn the propaganda that planted in the minds of the gullible the idea that one act is different from the other. Whoever is psychologically prepared to drop tons of bombs on civilians, killing women and children and destroying homes, schools and hospitals, is no different from someone who uses a knife or a rifle to kill. Both actions express the same criminal intent, equally willing to kill by bombing, shooting or slaughtering.

The real surprise came from Trump’s statements, which silenced everyone. He expressed his satisfaction with what had happened, saying that he was the one who had allowed it to confront “dangerous gangs,” adding that he “did not find it particularly troubling.” He further noted that the situation reminded him of what had happened in other countries, such as Venezuela, where the United States had dealt with Venezuelan gangs, some of whom were sent to America, in the same manner.

In all cases, field executions are unacceptable under any circumstances. Every accused person must be granted a fair trial in accordance with the requirements of the law, no matter how grave their offense. Emotions and anger must not take control when dealing with those who have harmed society, whether in times of peace or war.

Discipline and adherence to the rule of law are what distinguish law enforcement officers from criminals and present a bright image of society as civilized and cohesive, unshaken by the actions of such individuals.

Finally, as a tribute to the great sacrifices made by the Palestinian people throughout two years of extermination, we must avoid any actions that can be used to falsify reality, awareness or distort the truth. We want the story of sacrifice and heroism during the extermination to be told without any blemish in a manner that expresses the brutality of the occupation and of everyone who collaborated or conspired with it.

October 19, 2025 Posted by | Corruption, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

Netanyahu says Rafah crossing to remain closed until further notice

Press TV – October 18, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed “until further notice” in a clear violation of the recently brokered ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

In a statement released on Saturday, Netanyahu’s office emphasized that the reopening of the Rafah crossing is contingent upon Hamas fulfilling its obligations as per the ceasefire deal, including the return of all dead captives and the implementation of the agreed-upon framework.

Conversely, the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt has indicated that the Rafah border crossing will reopen on Monday, allowing people to return to Gaza.

However, the embassy noted that the crossing will continue to be closed for individuals seeking to leave the besieged territory.

Israel had sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and further deepening Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis since March 2, when the regime violated a previous ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

A US-mediated ceasefire went into effect last week. Aid deliveries were expected to begin on October 12, once the Rafah crossing with Egypt reopens under the terms of the ceasefire.

Israel seized the opportunity on Tuesday to tighten its grip on Gaza by violating the terms of the ceasefire, using delays in the return of captive bodies as justification for keeping the Rafah crossing closed and halving the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

Hamas has already fulfilled its part by releasing all 20 remaining living Israeli captives and 11 dead Israeli captives.

The resistance group said it needs heavy machinery and excavating equipment to search for the remaining bodies under the rubble.

Hamas confirmed Saturday evening that it will hand over the remains of two more Israeli captives tonight under the ceasefire agreement.

October 18, 2025 Posted by | Deception, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

New footage exposes Israeli support for anti-Hamas militias in Gaza: Report

Ashraf al-Mansi (c), the leader of the so-called People’s Army, an anti-resistance terrorist group operating in Gaza. (Photo via social media)
Press TV – October 18, 2025

Two new videos have revealed that the Israeli military is actively supporting anti-Hamas terrorist groups in Gaza with weapons and provisions, according to a report.

The videos, recorded earlier this month and authenticated by Sky News, capture a nighttime convoy of pickup trucks transporting supplies from the direction of an Israeli military base to militia-controlled areas in northern Gaza.

The footage places the convoy about 1.4 kilometers inside Israeli-controlled territory near the Erez border crossing, an area where, according to official data, no humanitarian aid has passed since February.

The vehicles, carrying fuel, water, and food, move through devastated streets before arriving at an abandoned school identified as the headquarters of the so-called People’s Army, led by Ashraf al-Mansi.

Al-Mansi recently released a video warning Hamas against entering areas under his control, saying his group is one of four anti-Hamas militias operating inside Gaza, all within zones still monitored by Israel.

Sky News had previously reported that Israel facilitated the supply of weapons, vehicles, cash, and food to another faction, the so-called Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab in southern Gaza.

The new evidence strongly suggests that Israel is now extending the same support to northern factions, flagrantly undermining the ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas on October 9.

The two videos, uploaded by a member of al-Mansi’s group on October 9 and 11, show convoys following the same route from a location less than 400 meters from an Israeli military base.

Although the footage does not show the loading of supplies, several containers on the trucks display the SOS Energy logo, an Israeli fuel supplier.

Neither the Israeli military nor representatives of the so-called People’s Army responded to Sky News’ requests for comment.

Israel’s support for Gaza-based terrorist groups continues as Hamas strives to restore order in the region following the ceasefire.

On Thursday, the Israeli news outlet Mako reported that Hamas had seized 45 pickup trucks, large sums of cash, and hundreds of weapons from Israeli-backed terrorist militias, citing unnamed sources within the Israeli military.

October 18, 2025 Posted by | Corruption, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , | Leave a comment

No evacuation for Palestinian gangs collaborating with Israel in Gaza: Report

With a ceasefire in effect, ISIS-linked smuggler Yasser Abu Shabab and his militia face an uncertain future

The Cradle | October 9, 2025

Palestinian collaborator with Israel and Wall Street Journal columnist Yasser Abu Shabab and his “Popular Forces” will stay in Gaza following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to a report by Israel Hayom on 9 October.

The Hebrew news outlet noted that Abu Shabab’s militia is deployed in areas that will not be evacuated by the Israeli army in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, allowing the group to enjoy further Israeli protection, at least temporarily.

The Popular Forces established a base under Israeli guidance in the area east of the destroyed city of Rafah on the Gaza border with Egypt.

This area is far behind the “yellow line,” to which Israeli troops must withdraw, according to the map detailing US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan.

Abu Shabab’s men are also behind the “red line” of withdrawal, up to which an international force will allegedly be deployed. Areas occupied by the group in the destroyed cities of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, and eastern Khan Yunis, are also behind the yellow line.

In early 2024, as Israel was imposing its starvation siege on Gaza, Israeli intelligence armed and funded Abu Shabab’s militia, tasking them with attacking and looting convoys carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza, including from the UN.

Israeli officials then blamed the attacks and chaos on Hamas, using the excuse to seize control of aid distribution in Gaza via the deadly Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Abu Shabab was arrested by Hamas in 2015 and sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of drug trafficking and theft.

He escaped in October 2023 after Israeli airstrikes hit the prison where he was being held. Leaders of Abu Shabab’s Tarabin clan publicly disowned him and have called for his killing for collaborating with Israel.

Hossam al-Astal, the Popular Forces commander in eastern Khan Yunis, claimed the group would remain in Gaza, while Hamas would be forced to leave.

“The Hamas dogs will not be happy, we exist and they are (the ones) leaving,” Astal claimed.

On the other hand, a security source in the Ministry of Interior in Gaza told Quds Press on Thursday that members of Abu Shabab’s militia fear being prosecuted after the genocide ends.

The source said members of the group have recently begun communicating with several families and tribal leaders, in hopes of opening indirect channels with the Ministry of Interior to resolve their legal and tribal status and ensure they are not subject to prosecution.

The source explained that this communication took place in secrecy, via intermediaries from local and tribal leaders, who relayed messages between the police leadership in Gaza and the militia members who wished to settle their status.

A specific mechanism was agreed upon for them to surrender and stand trial, while ensuring the confidentiality of the proceedings, the source added.

Sources also revealed to Quds Press that Abu Shabab’s group had helped Israeli forces arrest Dr. Marwan al-Hams, the director general of field hospitals, from a medical facility in Rafah about two months ago.

The sources said that additional information regarding the militia’s crimes would be revealed “in the coming days.”

October 10, 2025 Posted by | Corruption, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , | 1 Comment

Pakistan’s Gaza assignment: Policing resistance for Trump’s ‘peace’

By F.M. Shakil | The Cradle | October 9, 2025

Washington is looking to draft Pakistan into a sweeping plan to reshape Gaza under the guise of a 20-point “peace” initiative led by US President Donald Trump. At the heart of the proposal is an International Stabilization Force (ISF) tasked with enforcing “internal stability” in the devastated Palestinian enclave – a euphemism for dismantling resistance and tightening Israeli control.

Trump, standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a September press conference, laid out a scheme to forcibly relocate Palestinians and reconstruct Gaza as a neoliberal outpost he previously branded “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Pakistan’s public backlash builds

Details of the initiative have raised alarm in Pakistan, where any military collaboration with Israel is a red line for the establishment and the population, given that Islamabad does not recognize the state. Public backlash has intensified since revelations surfaced of Pakistan’s potential participation in the ISF, alongside forces from Egypt and Jordan.

The people of Pakistan would not accept Washington’s plan to deploy joint military forces from “like-minded Islamic countries” to eliminate resistance forces in Gaza. The opinion-makers, intellectuals, and political circles have already questioned the authority of the rulers to enter into a process that is aimed at transforming Palestine into a part of a “Greater Israel.”

Facing mounting domestic scrutiny, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar revealed in a 30 September press conference that the 20-point plan diverged sharply from what was initially agreed in Washington. His statement came amid growing demands for transparency from political leaders and civil society, many of whom accuse Islamabad of capitulating to Washington’s demands without a national consensus.

Pakistan’s refusal to join the Saudi and UAE-led coalition against the Ansarallah-aligned forces in Yemen still looms large in public memory. In 2015, Islamabad’s parliament voted unanimously to remain neutral, citing the dangers of waging war on a Muslim country and the risks of further sectarian entanglement. That restraint is now being contrasted with the military’s apparent willingness to deploy forces into a conflict zone tightly controlled by Israel.

It is equally important to note that, despite Tel Aviv’s lack of trust in Pakistan’s military establishment and the latter’s threats to target its nuclear assets in solidarity with Iran, it still chose to assign Pakistani forces a leading role in the proposed ISF. This suggests that Pakistan’s military leadership has offered significant, and so far undisclosed, concessions to Washington.

Pakistan’s business community is equally concerned about the reports regarding the US investment in Pasni Port terminals, located 120 kilometers from Iran and the Chinese-built Gwadar seaport. If the investment targets naval or military bases, there are concerns that it could draw regional ire from both Tehran and Beijing.

Imtiaz Gul, Pakistan defense analyst and Executive Director of the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad, tells The Cradle:

“By all indications, Pakistan is likely to be part of the multinational Islamic force, albeit in a zone that will be totally at the mercy of and surrounded by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). To what extent this force can neutralize and eventually eliminate Hamas, which has backing from Iran, Turkiye, and Qatar, is difficult to forecast at this time.”

Gul adds that since Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan are all military-run states, they may coordinate more easily to oversee Gaza under occupation. The hope, he says, is that this cooperation might at least put a stop to Israel’s relentless slaughter of Palestinians.

From sanctions to red carpet

Pakistan’s sudden centrality to Trump’s Gaza plan is underpinned by a marked shift in Washington’s tone. Since the brief Pakistan–India skirmish in May, the US has rolled out the red carpet. Last month, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir were hosted in the Oval Office for a high-profile meeting with Trump.

The recent developments concerning West Asia have unequivocally revealed the transformation in Washington’s diplomatic approach toward Pakistan. President Trump expressed a strong belief that additional Muslim nations will soon become part of the Abraham Accords and commended Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Munir for their full alignment with his peace initiative.

“Formally joining the Abraham Accords may be difficult currently, but informally following the path that the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar pursued looks quite probable,” Gul says. He asks if countries around Israel and Palestine can reconcile with ground realities, then why should Pakistan have a problem with a country that is not even a distant neighbor?

“The challenge is whether Pakistan can stay stable and can develop a national consensus on engaging with Israel – even if informally,” he explains.

Minerals, money, and military ports

Islamabad’s apparent rapprochement with Washington is not limited to Gaza. In October, Pakistan delivered its first shipment of enriched rare-earth elements to US Strategic Metals (USSM), part of a $500-million deal signed with the Pakistan army’s commercial arm, Frontier Works Organization (FWO). The minerals will feed a new polymetallic refinery funded by Washington.

The recent delivery to the USSM on 2 October has catalyzed a notable transformation in the dynamics of the Pakistan–US relationship.

Concurrently, reports surfaced of the aforementioned strategic proposal to build a port terminal in Pasni, Balochistan, submitted to US authorities by Pakistan’s military-linked business interests. Any such move carries profound strategic implications for China and Iran, which view Pasni’s proximity to Gwadar and Chabahar as vital to their own maritime interests.

Gwadar serves as a crucial component of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), featuring China’s strategically constructed Gwadar seaport.

On 4 October, senior security sources informed a select group of media representatives in Islamabad that Pakistan will not be extending an invitation to the US for a naval base in Balochistan. The reports circulating in foreign media regarding potential future public-private partnerships are simply proposals.

The security sources pointed out the immense potential of Pakistan’s coastline for both large and small commercial ports, noting that nations globally evaluate such partnership proposals.

“We shall uphold the primacy of Pakistan’s national interest in this framework. The nature of what defines the interests of the US holds no significance for us. Our primary concern is the advancement of Pakistan’s interests,” a defense spokesman remarked.

The official clarification only added confusion, claiming the port terminal proposal came from private business collaboration, even though the FWO is not a private entity but an army-run unit, raising questions about how such sensitive decisions are made.

Former Karachi Chamber of Commerce president Majyd Aziz tells The Cradle that it was imperative to limit the foreign military utilization of Pasni Port to uphold regional stability and prevent any discontent from Tehran and Beijing:

“Pakistani entrepreneurs are hesitant to invest in maritime sectors, leading to a dependence on foreign investment. This situation subsequently attracted the US interest in Pasni Port, which may carry serious implications for China’s influence in the region.”

Aziz adds that Gwadar’s underperformance has made smaller ports like Pasni, Ormara, and Jiwani more attractive. These offer lower costs, shorter routes, and better local integration. With over 85 percent of Pakistan’s trade dependent on maritime routes, diversifying port infrastructure is seen as essential to economic resilience.

Peace, under the boot

Trump’s so-called peace formula, presented alongside Netanyahu, aims to weaken Palestinian resistance by severing its supply chains and installing a proxy security apparatus.

The US-led ISF, with a significant Pakistani component, is the linchpin of this plan. But critics argue the operation is little more than a smokescreen for Tel Aviv’s next phase of territorial expansion.

As the details unfold, Islamabad faces a stark choice: yield to US pressure and risk regional isolation, or heed domestic voices warning against entanglement in a colonial project masquerading as peace.

October 9, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gaza Civil Defence: Israel using car bombs in strikes on residential areas despite Trump’s calls for halt

MEMO | October 9, 2025

The General Directorate of Civil Defence in the Gaza Strip said Wednesday that Israeli forces continue to deploy car bombs packed with large quantities of explosives against residential neighbourhoods, despite recent calls from the US President Donald Trump to stop bombing the enclave.

In a statement, Civil Defence officials reported that Israeli forces are using an average of ten car bombs daily in densely populated areas, including Al-Nasr, Sheikh Radwan, and Al-Daraj neighbourhoods, as well as in Tal Al-Hawa and Al-Sabra.

According to the statement, each explosion causes widespread destruction within a 300-meter radius, with damage extending as far as 500 meters. Shrapnel reportedly travels over a kilometre, inflicting severe injuries on civilians, including displaced families and patients in nearby hospitals.

The Civil Defence said some of the blasts reached areas less than 200 meters from Al-Thalathini Street, one of Gaza City’s main arteries, calling the strikes a deliberate targeting of infrastructure and residential zones regardless of civilian presence.

The Directorate described the use of car bombs of this scale as “an unprecedented development in modern warfare and a flagrant violation of international laws prohibiting the targeting of civilians.” It also held the international community responsible for its “deafening silence,” warning that inaction amounts to tacit encouragement for further bloodshed and destruction.

October 9, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , | Leave a comment

From Sabra and Shatila to Gaza: The vicious cycle of US-Israeli ‘peace’ ploys

By Ramzy Baroud | MEMO | October 8, 2025

The history of Zionism is fundamentally one of deception. This assertion is critically relevant today, as it contextualises the so-called ‘Trump Gaza proposal,’ which appears to be little more than a veiled strategy to defeat the Palestinians and facilitate the ethnic cleansing of a significant portion of Gaza’s population.

Since the start of the current conflict, the United States has been Israel’s staunchest ally, going as far as framing the outright slaughter of Palestinian civilians as Israel’s “right to defend itself.” This position is defined by the wholesale criminalisation of all Palestinians—civilians and combatants, women, children, and men alike.

Any naive hope that the Trump administration might restrain Israel proved unfounded. Both the Democratic administration of Joe Biden and the Republican administration of his successor have been enthusiastic partners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s messianic mission. The difference has been primarily rhetorical. While Biden wraps his staunch support in liberal discourse, Trump is more direct, using the language of overt threats.

Both administrations pursued strategies to hand Netanyahu a victory, even when his war failed to achieve its strategic objectives. Biden used his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, as an emissary to broker a ceasefire fully tailored to Israeli priorities. Similarly, Trump utilised his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, among others, to concoct a parallel ploy.

Netanyahu deftly exploited both administrations. The Trump era, however, saw the US lobby and Israel seemingly dictating American foreign policy. A clear sign of this dynamic was the famous scene last April, during Netanyahu’s White House visit, when the ‘America First’ President pulled out a chair for him. The summoning of Blair, who once headed the US-controlled Quartet for Peace, to the White House alongside Kushner in August, was another foreboding signal. It was evident that Israel and the US were planning a much larger scheme: one not only to crush Gaza but to prevent any attempt at resurrecting the Palestinian cause altogether.

While ten countries were declaring recognition of the state of Palestine to applause at the UN General Assembly between 21 and 23 September, the US and Israel were preparing to reveal their grand strategy, with critical contributions from Ron Dermer, then Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs.

The Trump Gaza proposal was announced on 29 September. Almost immediately, several countries, including strong supporters of Palestine, declared their backing. This support was given without realising that the latest iteration of the plan was substantially altered from what had been discussed between Trump and representatives of the Arab and Muslim world in New York on 24 September.

Trump announced that the proposal was accepted by Israel and threatened Hamas that, if it does not accept it within “three or four days”, then “ it’s going to be a very sad end.” Still, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who, along with the UN, has largely failed to hold Israel accountable, declared his support for the Trump proposal, stating that “it is now crucial that all parties commit to an agreement and its implementation.”

Netanyahu felt a newfound elation, believing the weight of international pressure was finally lifting, and the onus was shifting to the Palestinians. He reportedly said that “now the whole world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the conditions.” Comfortable that the pendulum had swung in his favor, he openly restated his objectives in Gaza on 30 September: “To release all our hostages, both the living and the deceased, while the IDF remains in most of the Strip.” Even when Arab and Muslim nations protested the amendments to the initial Trump plan, neither Netanyahu nor Trump relented, the former continuing the massacres, while the latter repeating his threats.

The implication is stark: regardless of the Palestinian position, Israel will continue to push for the ethnic cleansing of the Strip using both military and non-military means. The plan envisions Gaza and the West Bank being administered as two separate entities, with the Strip falling under the direct control of Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace”, thus effectively turning Blair and Kushner into the new colonial rulers of Palestine.

History is most critical here, particularly the history of Israeli deception. From its onset, Zionist colonialism justified its rule over Palestine based on a series of fabrications: that European settlers held essential historical links to the land; the erroneous claim that Palestine was a “land without a people”; the assertion that indigenous natives were intruders; and the stereotype that Arabs are inherently anti-Semitic. Consequently, the state of Israel, built on ethnically cleansed Palestinian land, was falsely marketed as a ‘beacon’ of peace and democracy.

This web of falsehoods deepened and became more accentuated after every massacre and war. When Israel faltered in managing its military efforts or its propaganda war, the United States invariably intervened. A prime example is the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, where a ‘peace deal’ was imposed on the PLO under US pressure. Thanks to US envoy Philip Habib’s efforts, Palestinian fighters left Beirut for exile, on the understanding that this step would spare thousands of civilian lives. Tragically, the opposite occurred, directly paving the way for the Sabra and Shatila massacre and a prolonged Israeli occupation of Lebanon until 2000.

This historical pattern is repeating itself in Gaza today, though the options are now more stark. Palestinians face a choice between the guaranteed defeat of Gaza — accompanied by a non-guaranteed, temporary slowdown of the genocide — and the continuation of mass slaughter. Unlike the Israeli deception in Lebanon four decades ago, however, Netanyahu makes no effort to mask his vile intentions this time. Will the world allow him to get away with this deception and genocide?

October 8, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tony Blair’s Gaza “Peace” Board: When War Architects Become Reconstruction Consultants

By Tamer Mansour – New Eastern Outlook – October 7, 2025

Here’s the conundrum facing Gaza’s Palestinians. Having endured devastating military operations, they now face “reconstruction” overseen by someone whose interventions have consistently produced what results, exactly?

Tony Blair’s Gaza “Peace” Board

When Tony Blair was announced as co-chair of Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza reconstruction, you might wonder whether this represents a genuine peace initiative or simply another iteration of a pattern that’s been refined over two decades across multiple Middle Eastern theaters.

It might sound paradoxical that the architect of the Iraq War, a conflict built on intelligence about weapons of mass destruction that never materialized, would now be positioned as the overseer of Gaza’s future. But in reality, that’s how these appointments work in the Western establishment.

Previous failures seem to qualify rather than disqualify candidates for new ventures.

The Iraq Blueprint

If you want to understand what awaits Gaza under Blair’s stewardship, the Iraq experience offers an instructive template. The Chilcot Inquiry found that Blair “misrepresented intelligence” and “failed to exhaust all peaceful options” before launching the 2003 invasion.

What’s particularly revealing is that British intelligence agencies knew evidence used to justify the war came from individuals who had been tortured, yet the decision to proceed was made regardless.

Blair and his administration spent a decade denying British complicity in the CIA’s torture programs, only to eventually face uncovered evidence that proves the UK’s deep involvement in the rendition programs. Not to forget the major role the UK played in creating a war that killed over a million Iraqis, further destabilized an already inflammable region, emboldened the mutation of what they called “Al Qaeda” into multiple versions, most famously ISIS, and caused a refugee crisis that Europe complains about the most.

Yet Blair has never faced legal accountability. Instead, he has been rewarded with lucrative consultancy contracts and, incredibly, now oversees yet another Middle Eastern territory devastated by military operations.

No wonder some observers view this appointment with skepticism, is there?

A Consultant’s Portfolio

Since leaving office in 2007, Blair has built what might be called an “advisory empire,” serving various governments. His client list makes for interesting reading, doesn’t it?

In Kazakhstan, Blair advised former President Nursultan Nazarbayev following the December 2011 massacre of at least 17 protesting workers. Leaked emails revealed Nazarbayev paid an estimated £20 million for Blair’s counsel on how to “present a better face to the West.

Blair chose to provide no response on two different occasions to Human Rights Watch when they requested a detailed account of his “consultancy” work and the results it has achieved.

Moving on to Rwanda, where Blair has built a special relationship with Paul Kagame’s regime, which has lasted for decades, dismissing UN reports directly accusing Kagame of committing war crimes in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and during his infamous involvement in the Second Congo War, which lasted for almost 5 years and was called by some “Africa’s World War,” as it involved 8 African countries and 25 armed militias and caused the death of millions of Africans.

Blair’s response to such accusations directed at him and Kagame would put Niccolo Machiavelli to shame, as he said literally, “Our consultancy is not to tell the people of Rwanda what to do, but to help get done what the president wants.”

The Tony Blair Institute’s accounts show income reaching $121 million in a single year, with much of it from advising what reports described as “repressive”.

The pattern seems consistent: Blair provides Western legitimacy to governments willing to pay for it, while actual democratic reforms remain notably absent from the list of deliverables.

The same Western establishment that positioned itself as guardian of international law regarding various conflicts now promotes Blair for Gaza oversight. Yet Blair’s record demonstrates repeated bypassing of the UN Security Council when it suited Western objectives.

In Kosovo in 1999, Blair established his template: bypassing UN authorization, working with militias whose leaders now face war crimes charges, and claiming humanitarian motives afterward. The NATO bombing campaign never received Security Council approval and killed at least 488 Yugoslav civilians.

That intervention transformed NATO from a defensive alliance into an organization “prepared to initiate war beyond the UN.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov continues to reference NATO’s “illegal use of force” in Kosovo when responding to Western criticism.

The rendition operations tell their own story. Blair’s government was involved in the 2004 kidnapping of Abdul-Hakim Belhaj from Malaysia, delivering him to Gaddafi’s torture facilities. The UK government eventually paid £2.3 million in compensation to Sami al-Saadi, though characteristically, it never formally admitted wrongdoing or apologized.

The Gaza Plan: “Investment” or Control?

The leaked 21-page draft proposal outlines a “Gaza International Transitional Authority” (GITA) with an organizational structure worth examining carefully. At the top sits “an international board of billionaires and businesspeople,” while “highly vetted ‘neutral’ Palestinian administrators” occupy the lower administrative positions.

The plan describes Gaza reconstruction as a “commercially driven authority, led by business professionals and tasked with generating investable projects with real financial returns”. Previous reporting linked Blair’s institute to proposals for transforming Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” featuring resorts and manufacturing zones, with mentions of relocating up to 500,000 Palestinians.

Various analysts, both Arab and non-Arab, have expressed concern that the plan is designed to sideline any form of Palestinian governance, in favor of international bodies brought in to carry the load.

And with someone with Tony Blair’s record at the helm, one can understand these concerns only by reminding oneself of his previous tenure as the Middle East envoy of the “Quartet” between 2007 and 2015, a period during which he hardly did anything to stop the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and nothing that might remotely achieve anything for of statehood for Palestine.

The structure Blair proposes: wealthy foreign decision-makers controlling Palestinian land and resources while Palestinians serve in subordinate administrative roles. This bears a resemblance to governance models from a century ago.

Whether this represents “investment” or simply foreign control with better branding is a question worth considering.

Here’s the conundrum facing Gaza’s Palestinians. Having endured devastating military operations, they now face “reconstruction” overseen by someone whose interventions have consistently produced what results, exactly?

If they accept the Blair plan, they get foreign control disguised as investment, with Palestinians in subordinate roles while “billionaires and businesspeople” make strategic decisions. If they reject it, they risk being portrayed as obstacles to peace and reconstruction, potentially losing access to funding and international support.

The Accountability Gap

Despite the Chilcot Inquiry findings about Britain’s role in the Iraq War, despite compensation paid to rendition victims, and despite documented intelligence manipulation, Blair has never faced legal consequences. Instead, he’s built a consulting empire worth hundreds of millions and has now been appointed to oversee Gaza’s future.

The British government has paid millions in compensation to torture victims without formally admitting responsibility. Blair himself has declined to comment on specifics regarding what he knew about torture programs and when.

This pattern raises questions about international accountability mechanisms. If the architect of the Iraq War faces no consequences, what message does that send about international law?

If involvement in rendition operations results in consultancy opportunities rather than prosecution, what does that suggest about deterrence?

The Accountability Question: The double standard regarding UN authority is worth examining.

The Destruction/Reconstruction Façade

But the pattern seems difficult to ignore. Now I think it’s logical to pose these questions, regardless of political affiliations or personal opinions about the various conflicts discussed here:

  • What exactly is Blair bringing to Gaza that couldn’t be provided by someone without his particular history?
  • Who benefits from his appointment to this role?
  • Does the international community have mechanisms for accountability, or do Western leaders operate under different rules?

Gaza’s Palestinians deserve better than to have their future determined by someone whose previous interventions left trails of destruction across multiple continents. Whether they’ll get better is another question entirely. The pattern has been consistent: promise reform, deliver foreign control, profit from reconstruction contracts, and move on before accountability arrives, or do not respond to it at all.

There’s no particular reason to expect Gaza will be different, unless something fundamental changes about how the international system operates instead of it trying to convince anybody with such a destruction/reconstruction façade, or what one might comfortably call “investment imperialism,” that is being imposed by genocidal force on Gaza.

But for this change to happen, “We the People” worldwide need to wake up and realize who should be in control.

Tamer Mansour is an Egyptian Independent Writer & Researcher.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Militarism, War Crimes, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spain to file ICC complaint over Israel’s mistreatment of Sumud flotilla activists

Press TV – October 7, 2025

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has suggested that legal measures might be pursued at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following reports from Spanish citizens on board the Global Sumud Flotilla regarding mistreatment by Israeli guards during their custody.

“I am concerned as a minister, and I am concerned as a Spanish citizen, and simply as a person, about any violation of a fundamental right, evidently. But for that, there are also legal channels: the International Criminal Court and also the Spanish courts when it concerns national citizens,” Marlaska said in an interview with public television broadcaster TVE on Monday.

He reiterated that criminal liabilities regarding individuals who might have been victims will be assessed and dealt with through the relevant national and international legal frameworks.

Marlaska also emphasized that boarding ships in international waters is subject to an international criminal law classification, as defined by clear conventions and also recognized within the national legal system, because “this would be a deprivation of liberty, absolutely illegal, for the people who were victims of these acts.”

Marlaska noted that the foremost priority is for the final 28 members of the flotilla to return to Spain “safe and sound.”

He underscored that the Spanish government “is absolutely proactive” in this case, “appearing before the International Criminal Court to defend the fundamental rights and public freedoms of Spanish citizens and other citizens.”

“There will be time to respond from a legal perspective. The Spanish government has already stated this from the very beginning, as I mentioned, appearing before the International Criminal Court,” the senior Spanish official said.

He also said that the attorney general’s office has initiated investigative proceedings as well.

“I believe that, in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, no one can say that we have not been defending them from minute one,” he said.

The remarks come as the Gaza flotilla activists were deported from the Israeli-occupied territories amid numerous accounts of their mistreatment in Israeli detention centers.

According to the Spanish EFE news agency, they reported a lack of access to legal counsel and were also unable to contact their families.

The activists added that armed personnel entered the cells accompanied by dogs, directing them towards their heads.

They said they were deprived of sleep, moved between cells to prevent them from resting, and were treated “worse than animals.”

Approximately 450 individuals involved in the flotilla were detained from last Wednesday to Friday as Israeli forces intercepted the vessels, which aimed to breach a naval blockade of Gaza and provide aid to Palestinians in the besieged region.

Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, which is inhabited by nearly 2.4 million individuals, for nearly 18 years.

According to the health ministry of Gaza, Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of at least 67,160 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, in the besieged Gaza Strip since October 2023.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Subjugation - Torture, War Crimes | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Al-Azhar University levelled in Gaza amid intensified Israeli strikes

MEMO | October 6, 2025

Israeli airstrikes on Sunday levelled Al-Azhar University in Gaza City as part of a wave of attacks across the besieged enclave, according to Palestinian sources. The strikes left several civilians injured and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure.

The Palestinian News Agency, citing local sources, reported that Israeli aircraft also targeted tents sheltering displaced people near Asdaa city, north of Khan Yunis, wounding multiple civilians.

Elsewhere, Israeli artillery shelled crowds waiting for humanitarian aid east of Wadi Gaza, while air raids pounded the Al-Sabra, Al-Jalaa, and Al-Thalathini neighbourhoods around Tayaran Junction, striking residential buildings and damaging nearby homes.

In central Gaza, Israeli aircraft hit the Maghazi refugee camp, leaving injuries and further destruction to civilian property.

The bombing of Al-Azhar University marked the most significant strike of the day, with the landmark institution reduced to rubble. It comes amid a broader campaign targeting Gaza’s infrastructure and civilian facilities.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , | 1 Comment

Hamas official welcomes Arab-Islamic support for movement’s response to Trump plan

MEMO | October 6, 2025

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau, on Monday welcomed a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of several Arab and Islamic countries, describing it as “important support” for efforts to end Israeli military operations in Gaza and advance negotiations toward a ceasefire.

Speaking to Quds Press, al-Rishq said the ministers’ declaration reinforced the Palestinian position in ongoing talks and could help secure a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the entry of humanitarian aid, paving the way for reconstruction under a Palestinian administration backed by Arab and Islamic states.

“We look forward to further Arab and Islamic support to stop the aggression and genocide against our people in Gaza, to end the occupation, and to achieve the aspirations of our people for an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.

In their joint statement, the foreign ministers of Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt welcomed Hamas’s steps in response to US President Donald Trump’s proposal. The plan calls for ending the war in Gaza, releasing detainees on both sides, and launching immediate negotiations on implementation mechanisms.

The ministers also praised Hamas’s announcement that it is ready to hand over the administration of Gaza to a transitional Palestinian committee of independent technocrats. They stressed the urgency of moving forward on all elements of the proposal to end the humanitarian and political crisis in the enclave.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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