Reports suggest that negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza may have gained momentum this week. But are these efforts genuine, or merely a smokescreen enabling Israel to continue its genocidal assault? Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have escalated, targeting what remains of Palestinian civil society in northern Gaza.
Our correspondent, Tareq Hajjaj, has filed several harrowing reports detailing the Israeli military’s siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia. He wrote:
For 75 days, the hospital has been under siege by the Israeli army, which has banned the entry of food, medicine, and water, while periodically cutting off communications inside the hospital, preventing doctors and patients from communicating with the outside world.
Since publishing that report on December 25, the Israeli army has seized the hospital, expelling patients and detaining staff. Some staff members were reportedly killed. The hospital is no longer operating.
This horror is part of a devastating 15-month campaign, during which the U.S. government has consistently shielded Israel as the Israeli army carries out ethnic cleansing in plain sight of the global community. While incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed a desire for a ceasefire before his January 20 inauguration, expectations for his second term remain grim for Palestinians. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has even speculated about the lucrative real estate opportunities on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast once Palestinians are displaced.
As 2024 draws to a close, it is staggering that this violence has been allowed to continue unchecked. It feels as though we are sleepwalking into the collapse of what little remains of international order. Now, more than ever, civil society worldwide must resist the complicity of governments enabling this catastrophe as we prepare to enter 2025.
Mondoweiss remains steadfast in our mission to deliver critical, independent reporting. Over the past few weeks, you’ve likely seen our flurry of fundraising emails. We know you may be receiving similar appeals from other essential organizations, and we thank you for sticking with us.
The reality is we still need to raise about $130,000 by year-end to sustain and expand our work. The demand for our coverage continues to grow, as do the threats to independent media like ours. We are working diligently to prepare for these challenges, but it requires resources.
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– Dave Reed, Publisher
Must Read: The day after: How Hamas envisions the future of Gaza
Jamil Mazen Shaqura and Saif Alislam Eid: As hopes for a ceasefire draw closer, plans for the “day after” in Gaza are being debated. In interviews with Mondoweiss, Hamas representatives lay out their visions for reconstruction and post-war governance, and the obstacles that lie in their way.
Catch-up
🇺🇸 Mitchell Plitnick: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, is a man whose legacy will forever be inextricably linked to Israel and Palestine. Yet that legacy will be built as much on myth as on reality.
👩🎓 Alice Rothchild: UCSF placed Dr. Rupa Marya on leave and threatened her medical license after she questioned admitting students who served in the Israeli military. She is right to raise ethical concerns about those who could have participated in genocide.
⚖️ Jeff Wright: Forensic Architecture’s latest report documents the extent and intent of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, strengthening South Africa’s case in the International Court of Justice charging Israel with the crime of genocide.
📈 Vish Soroushian: Organizers in Alameda County, CA, scored a BDS victory in December when the Board of Supervisors voted to develop an ethical investment policy that could divest tens of millions of dollars from companies profiting off Israeli genocide and apartheid.
🏥 Tareq Hajjaj: The Israeli army raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, with more than 350 people inside at the time of the attack. Female staff told journalists that they were forced to strip off their clothes by soldiers and were beaten if they refused. Tareq also wrote about children in Gaza dying of hypothermia during the winter.
🍎 Michael Arria: The Drop the ADL from Schools campaign seeks to challenge the role the Anti-Defamation League plays in promoting anti-Palestinian racism in K-12 schools across the U.S.
🇨🇦 Yves Engler: Palestinian Authority security forces are violently suppressing the resistance in Jenin, and those opposing Israel’s holocaust in Gaza. Most Canadians are unaware that our country assists them.
🇺🇸 Nadia Ahmad: On December 12, the Biden administration released its National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate. But as Biden speaks of “countering hate,” he continues to expedite the shipment of weapons that are being used to kill Palestinians.
🇮🇱 Jonathan Ofir: A new report by Israeli news outlet Ynet reveals a disturbing picture: as Palestinians in north Gaza face starvation and extermination, a nearby ‘resort’ has been established for Israeli soldiers to relax and unwind in between their deployment.
✊ Bayan Abu Ta’ema and Synne Furnes Bjerkestrand: Leila Khaled reflects on her lifetime of resistance, the significance of October 7 for the global solidarity movement, and the way forward for Palestinian liberation.
