Protest march in Aleppo calls for action for Afrin under Turkish occupation

Masses protested in Aleppo against the Turkish occupation of Afrin and the crimes against humanity committed by the Turkish state in the city, as well as the silence of the international community.


OCCUPATION OF AFRIN
ANF
ALEPPO
Monday, 18 March 2024

A march was organised in Aleppo on the 6th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Afrin.

During the march, participants displayed photographs of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and Martyrs of the Resistance of the Age, as well as banners with the inscriptions "No to Turkish occupation", "No to Turkish attacks on North and East Syria", "No to the occupation of Afrin", "Afrin is our honour, let's protect it" and "Rise up against the Turkish occupation and expel it from all Syrian lands".

The young people marching at the front carried the letters of the name "Efrîn" made of olive branches.

On the main streets of Şêxmeqsûd (Sheikh Maqsoud) and Eşrefiyê (Ashrafiyah) neighbourhoods, the slogans "Bê Serok jiyan nabe" (No life without the leader), "Şehîd namirin" (Martyrs are immortal), "Bijî Berxwedana Serdemê" (Long live the resistance of Serdem), and "Bê Efrîn jiyan nabe" (No life without Afrin) were chanted.

Addressing the crowd, Behcet Ebdo, a migrant from Afrin, commemorated the Martyrs of the Resistance of the Age. Stating that Russia and Iran also played a role in the invasion of the Turkish state, Ebdo said, "All states occupied our lands with their silence."

Calling for action to lift the darkness over Afrin and establish peace, Ebdo said, "Let us defeat the occupation and return proudly together with our military forces (HRE)."

Remziye Salih al-Kurdî, a member of the Council of Martyrs' Families, recalled the crimes committed in Afrin and called on the UN and democratic forces to end the Turkish occupation by upholding their responsibilities and to ensure the people’s safe return to Afrin.

Thousands march in Shehba on the sixth anniversary of Turkish occupation of Afrin

On the sixth anniversary of the occupation of the Kurdish city of Afrin by the Turkish state, thousands of people participated in a protest march in the Shehba region.


OCCUPATION OF AFRIN
ANF
SHEHBA
Monday, 18 March 2024, 

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the occupation of the northern Syrian city of Afrin by the Turkish state and allied mercenaries.

The brutal campaign began on 20 January 2018, when Turkey launched air strikes on 100 locations as the onset of an invasion they dubbed ‘Operation Olive Branch.’ After two months of resistance, civilians fled and the SDF retreated to avoid further losses as hundreds of civilians died during the course of the genocidal campaign in violation of international law.

Efrin and Shehba Canton Council organised a protest march in the Ahdas district to mark the sixth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin. The demonstration was participated by thousands of people from Shehba and Afrin IDPs who took refuge there after the occupation of their homes and lands.




The demonstrators carried olive branches, photographs of the martyrs of the Resistance of the Age, images from the massacres committed by the occupying Turkish state and its gangs against the people of Afrin and Shehba.

The march to the ‘Leader Öcalan Garden’ was followed by a rally, where Xedîce Îbo, member of the Assembly of Martyrs' Families in Afrin and Shehba Canton addressed the crowd and said: "The occupying Turkish state wants to revive the Ottoman Empire and implement the Misak-ı Milli [Project for establishing the borders of the Ottoman National Pact].”

Xedîce Îbo called for the expansion of the struggle for the liberation of Afrin.

Fewzî Mistefa, Co-Chair of the Ehdas District Council of Efrin and Shehba Canton, reacted against the international powers that remained silent against the occupation and the crimes committed in Afrin and said, "The occupying Turkish state is committing genocide crimes in front of the eyes of the world and the Security Council."

Fewzî Mistefa emphasised that they would struggle until Afrin and all other occupied territories are liberated.


YPG: Our struggle will continue until Afrin and all occupied regions are liberated

In a statement on the sixth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin by the Turkish state, YPG Command said that they will "continue the struggle until the liberation of Afrin and all occupied regions."


OCCUPATION OF AFRIN
ANF
NEWS DESK
Monday, 18 March 2024

Afrin Canton was the westernmost canton of Rojava and North and East Syria, home to 200,000 ethnic Kurds. Though the population was overwhelmingly Kurdish, it was home to diverse religious groups including Yazidis, Alawites and Christians alongside Sunni Muslims.

On 20 January 2018, Turkey launched air strikes on 100 locations in Afrin, as the onset of an invasion they dubbed ‘Operation Olive Branch.’

The Turkish Air Force indiscriminately shelled civilians as well as YPG/YPJ positions, while a ground assault was carried out by factions and militias organised under the umbrella of the Turkish-backed National Army.

By 15 March, Turkish-backed militias had encircled Afrin city and placed it under artillery bombardment. A Turkish airstrike struck the city’s only functioning hospital, killing 16 civilians.

Civilians fled and the SDF retreated, and by 18 March Turkey was in de facto occupation of Afrin. Between 400 and 500 civilians died in the invasion, overwhelmingly as a result of Turkish bombing. Other civilians were summarily executed in the field.

Prior to the Turkish invasion, Afrin had been one of the most peaceful and secure parts of Syria, virtually never seeing combat during the civil war bar occasional skirmishes between YPG/YPJ and jihadist forces on its borders. As a result, Afrin offered peaceful sanctuary to over 300,000 internally displaced people from elsewhere in Syria.

The YPG (People’s Defense Units) Command released a written statement on the sixth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin and stated that the occupying Turkish state organised a comprehensive attack on Afrin for 58 days in 2018 with the support of international forces and the most advanced war technology with the involvement of gang groups.

"It is clear that the Afrin attack was carried out with the approval of the imperialist powers that have influence in Rojavayê (Western) Kurdistan and Syria. Afrin Resistance of the Age is an unprecedented process and event in history. The sacrifice and resistance of our people and forces in Afrin put a strain on the occupying state and proved once again that our people can defend themselves against any attack with their own power. Hundreds of our comrades and the people of Afrin, taking part in the relentless resistance with limited means, such as Avesta Xabûr, Îlan Dara, Artêş Hakkarî and commander Karker Êrîş, were martyred whilst fighting with great sacrifice."

Reminding of the crimes against humanity committed by the Turkish state and its gangs for six years, the YPG Command stated the following:

"In the last 6 years, the demographic structure of Afrin has changed, the Kurdish people have been displaced, the human rights granted by international laws and agreements to which the Turkish state is a party have been violated, and the Kurds in Afrin have been deprived of their rights. Afrin is being cleansed of Kurds and the aim is to change the identity of the region. For this purpose, Kurds who want to return to Afrin are subjected to pressure and attacks by the occupying gangs. For this reason, we, as the YPG, reaffirm that we will continue our struggle until Afrin and all occupied regions are liberated. We respectfully commemorate all our comrades who were martyred in the Afrin Resistance of the Age, and we reiterate once again that we will enhance the struggle for freedom in their footsteps."


Autonomous Administration: We will mobilise all our means for the liberation of Afrin

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced that they will mobilise all their means for the liberation of Afrin, which has been under the occupation of the Turkish state for six years.


OCCUPATION OF AFRIN
ANF
NEWS DESK
Monday, 18 March 2024, 

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria made a written statement on the sixth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin and presented a six-point road map.

Stating that Afrin was occupied as a result of conspiracies and negotiations by international and regional powers, the Autonomous Administration noted that the region has been experiencing a tragic situation since the occupation.

The Autonomous Administration said, "The reason for this situation is the practices of the gang groups acting under the directives of Turkey, disregarding all moral principles, international law and laws. The demographic structure of the region is being changed; massacres, abductions, all kinds of torture, rape and killing practices against women continue. While historical artefacts are being destroyed, the geography is being destroyed."

Noting that the presence of the Turkish state and its gangs in Afrin also means the occupation of Syria, the Autonomous Administration said, "The path of the martyrs and heroes of Afrin will be our path to victory and the liberation of the occupied areas. In this context, we wholeheartedly salute the resistance of our people in Shehba."

The struggle to be waged for the liberation of Afrin and other occupied areas was listed in five points:

1- The liberation of Afrin and other occupied areas is our strategic option. We will mobilise all our means for the liberation of Afrin and the honourable return of our people.

2- There can be no solution and peace in Syria without the liberation of Afrin and other occupied areas. We call on all nations to support our forces for the expulsion of Turkey from the region and the liberation of Afrin.

3- What is happening in Afrin is the trampling of all values. We call on the relevant international institutions and organisations to investigate the facts in Afrin and bring those responsible, including Turkish officials, to justice. The crimes committed there are happening on the directives of the Turkish state. International law and human rights organisations must fulfil their moral duty.

4- We want to inform the Syrian public opinion that the presence and practices of the occupying Turkish state in Afrin have exceeded the borders of Afrin.

5- We call on all Syrian national forces to form unity and support the resistance of our people by mobilising their means for the liberation of Afrin. The liberation of Afrin and other occupied areas is the liberation of all Syria from the politics of discord, contradiction and fragmentation.

KNK: New Turkish threat, same old war

The KNK said that "whenever the Turkish state faced economic, social, domestic, and foreign policy crises, it utilized warfare against the Kurds to distract the Turkish people from its own failures."


KNK POLITICAL ANALYSIS
ANF
NEWS DESK
Tuesday, 19 March 2024,

The Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) released a comprehensive analysis titled "New Turkish threat, same old war".

We publish excerpts of the first part of the analysis. Excerpts from part two will be published tomorrow.

The analysis recalled how "since 1978, the Turkish state has been engaged in an armed conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Over the past four decades, the Turkish military has burned down more than 4,000 Kurdish villages. Historically, the goal of such war crimes has been to “defeat the PKK.” But in actuality, Turkey’s genocidal policies are as old as the Republic itself (founded in 1923). For the last century, Turkey has tried to discredit Kurdish freedom struggles, both within Turkey and to the outside world, slandering resistance leaders as uncivilized bandits, criminals, and separatists. The Turkish state has used such defamation as pretexts to commit many atrocities, such as the Zilan Massacre (1930) and Dersim Genocide (1938), and to hang Kurdish leaders such as Sheikh Said (1925) and Seyid Riza (1937)."

The document underlined that "the Kurdish people’s leader, Abdullah Öcalan, was abducted in 1999 and has been held in a state of illegal and inhumane isolation on a Turkish prison island for the past 25 years. Moreover, since March 25, 2021, Mr. Öcalan has been intentionally disappeared, as Turkey has barred him from speaking with his lawyers or family, while providing no public information on his health or safety. It pursues this policy of incommunicado detention and solitary confinement - defined as torture under international law - to cause psychological trauma to the Kurdish people and to collectively punish them for following his political philosophy of liberation."

Indeed, continued the KNK, "whenever the Turkish state faced economic, social, domestic, and foreign policy crises, it utilized warfare against the Kurds to distract the Turkish people from its own failures. To justify its attacks, the Turkish state has weaponized a new epithet against the Kurds: “terrorists.” Today it uses this term much as it once wielded the terms “bandits” and “separatists” but with much more potent affect. Turkey has invested huge amounts of its wealth in propping up the notion that the Kurdish activists who protested its torture chambers, as well as the murder of Kurdish journalists in broad daylight by JITEM death squads, were all “terrorists” with no human rights to due legal process.

The Kurdish struggle for self-determination resulted inevitably from such depravities and continues to this day, but regrettably, a nationalist backlash and Kurdish phobia has also emerged within Turkey. The PKK, like its predecessor movements, is not the cause but the consequence of Turkish colonialism and the brutalities it inflicts in order to sustain its own power. But unlike other mass uprisings of the last century, the PKK enjoys the sympathy and support of Kurds in all four parts of occupied Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora. This is because the PKK has given the Kurds a sense of national self-confidence and motivates them to unapologetically fight for their destiny against all obstacles."

Turkey plans a renewed war on Kurds

The analysis then continued, underlining that "since October 2023, Turkey has been carrying out a relentless barrage against the Kurds of Syria and Rojava, in an attempt to eradicate all infrastructure and means of productive life in the region. On February 29, 2024, the internationally renowned organization Human Rights Watch published a report showing that Turkey is responsible for apparent war crimes in occupied Syria.

Now Erdoğan’s regime is planning a renewed war against the Kurds. A military offensive in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is set to begin immediately after the local elections on March 31, 2024. Turkey will launch a major military attack on the PKK guerrillas in the mountains of Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). Already some 161 villages in the region have already been forcibly evacuated and a further 602 are facing imminent displacement, journalist Botan Germiyanî reported.

After a cabinet meeting on March 4, Erdoğan declared: “Hopefully, this summer, we will have permanently resolved the issue regarding our Iraqi borders. Our will to create a security corridor 30-40 kilometres deep along our Syrian borders remains intact. We have preparations that will give new nightmares to those who think that they will bring Turkey to its knees with a ‘terroristan’ along its southern borders.”

Turkey’s governing coalition of AKP-MHP Islamists and ultranationalists needs external support for this new war, geopolitical cover for this unprovoked planned aggression. So diplomatic traffic between Ankara and Washington, Ankara and Baghdad, and Ankara and Erbil has recently intensified. Meanwhile, the Turkish intelligence agency MIT, the foreign ministry, and the army have been preparing for the covert illegalities and assassinations that typically accompany such operations.

On March 6-8 the Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan visited Washington to help plan the new war against the Kurds. Relatedly, the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK ) issued a response to allegations made by US Secretary of State Blinken Concerning the PKK” and asked for clarification: Was the United States giving the green light for future Turkish military aggression?"

The KNK underlined that "Turkey is trying to force the Iraqi government to actively participate in its renewed war on the Kurds, as revealed in a barrage of diplomatic traffic between Ankara and Baghdad. The Kurdish issue has thus risen on the agenda of Iraqi politics as well, as The New Arab has announced with the headline: Turkey is considering a military incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan, aiming to penetrate 40 kilometers into the region to pursue PKK militants.

On 14 March the Foreign Relations Committee of KCK (Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union) warned of a Turkish war against Southern Kurdistan and Iraq and called on all organizations to refuse to be a party to the Turkish state’s calls for genocide, proclaiming: The Turkish state under the fascist chief Erdoğan is the biggest security threat for Iraq."

KDP will not participate in the elections

"We will not comply with the decisions of the Iraqi Federal Court. We will not participate in the elections that are illegal, unconstitutional and overshadowed by an imposed system,” said the KDP, referring to the Iraqi Federal Court ruling.


KURDISTAN REGION ELECTIONS
ANF
HEWLÊR
Monday, 18 March 2024, 


In February 2024, the Iraqi Federal Court issued a new ruling declaring the quota number of seats in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament unconstitutional and ordered the division of the Kurdistan Region into four constituencies. With the new ruling, the number of seats in the regional parliament was reduced from 111 to 100. The court also stated that oil and all other revenues of the Kurdistan Region should be handed over to Baghdad.

In light of the decisions, the election date was set as 30 June.

Following the decisions taken by Baghdad for the Kurdistan region, which has not renewed its parliament for years and has not established a regular election system, the KDP announced that it would not participate in the elections.

The KDP Politburo stated, "We will not comply with the decisions of the Iraqi Federal Court. We will not participate in elections that are illegal, unconstitutional and overshadowed by an imposed system."

Although the Kurdistan Region Parliament and the government have been in office for nearly two years, the KDP was not in favor of the elections. The elections were repeatedly postponed on arbitrary grounds and various disagreements.

Some observers are skeptical about the KDP's decision and think that the KDP chose the "boycott" route as an escape since it will not be able to get the desired result from the elections.

KDP says 'unconstitutionality' is why it will boycott Iraqi Kurdistan region's parliamentary elections

The KDP’s political bureau firmly expressed its stance against participating in an electoral process it views as fundamentally flawed and imposed.

Dana Taib Menmy
Iraq
19 March, 2024

The KDP, led by the Barzani family, dominates Erbil and Duhok provinces. [Getty]

In a decisive move, the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced on Monday its refusal to partake in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, scheduled for 10 June.

This decision was made in protest against what the party deems as "illegal" and "unconstitutional" alterations to the region's electoral framework by Iraq's Federal Supreme Court, specifically the elimination of minority quota seats.

The KDP's political bureau firmly expressed its stance against participating in an electoral process it views as fundamentally flawed and imposed.
RELATED

Main Iraqi Kurdish party to boycott local elections
MENA
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

On 23 February, Iraq's Supreme Federal Court ruled that the Kurdistan region parliament's minority quota seats are "unconstitutional", stating that the region's parliament consists of 100 lawmakers, thus terminating the existence of eleven quota seats for the Turkmen, Christians, and Armenian minorities in the region that have been enacted in the legislature since 1992.

The court's recent decisions stemmed from lawsuits filed by politicians from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK— a rival party to the KDP—challenging the constitutionality of the Kurdish region's election law.

Labelling the court's decision as part of a broader trend of unconstitutional rulings against the Kurdistan Region over the past four years, the KDP criticised the move as a "blatant violation of the region's constitutional rights and an encroachment on its autonomy."

The party emphasised its commitment to upholding the democratic principles and federal system enshrined in Iraq's constitution.

Furthermore, the KDP underscored the importance of fair electoral laws that ensure the representation of all segments of Kurdish society. The removal of minority seats, according to the party, contradicts the will of the people and undermines the integrity of the electoral process.

Last week, political parties representing the Christian and Turkmen communities in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region announced they would boycott the elections.


Citing provisions of the Iraqi constitution recognizing the Kurdistan Region's federal status and the supremacy of its laws in disputes, the KDP argued against the implementation of an unconstitutional ruling and the imposition of a system without the consent of the region's populace.

Additionally, the KDP warned about potential repercussions, including withdrawal from the political process in Baghdad, should the State Administration Coalition fail to fulfil its constitutional obligations and honour political agreements within the current Iraqi government.

The 10 June election, set to take place amidst these controversies, represents a departure from past electoral practices in the Kurdistan Region. With fewer legislative seats, a revamped constituency system, and federal oversight due to internal Kurdish disputes, the election poses significant challenges to the region's political landscape.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Independent Electoral High Commission (IHEC) remains undeterred by the KDP's boycott, asserting its commitment to the scheduled election date of 10 June. Despite the challenges posed by the KDP's refusal to participate, IHEC reassures the public that preparations for the parliamentary elections are proceeding as planned.

On her part, Alina L. Romanowski, the United States Ambassador to Iraq, expressed her concern in a post on the X platform, previously known as Twitter. She urged the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) "to ensure that elections are free, fair, transparent, and credible."

Minorities to boycott Iraqi Kurdistan's general elections

"All the people of Iraqi Kurdistan Region should have a voice in determining their future," she added.

The KRG is a coalition among the two main ruling and rival parties: KDP and PUK. The KDP, led by the Barzani family, dominates Erbil and Duhok provinces, while the PUK, led by the Talabani family, rules Sulaimaniyah and Halabja provinces.

The PUK politburo convened late Monday to discuss the KDP's decision and is yet to announce its formal stance on the issue.

Both parties have separate peshmerga forces and security and intelligence agencies. They fought an internal conflict from 1994 until 1998, in which thousands of fighters and innocent civilians from both sides were killed, wounded, and displaced.

The parliamentary election, held in September 2018, witnessed a low turnout of 57% and was marred by alleged large-scale voter fraud by the two main rival parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The KDP is often accused by the PUK and the opposition parties of manipulating the minority's quota to claim the majority in the parliament. In all past elections held in the region, all minority seats were allocated to Erbil province, while there are minority populations in other Kurdish provinces.

The minorities refuted those claims and stressed that 99% of Turkmen, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Assyrians, and Armenians reside in the provinces of Erbil and Dohuk.

Canadians Fighting in Gaza: Charge the Genocidaires

March 13, 2024 

Engler: Dozens, possibly two hundred, Canadians are currently fighting in Gaza. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Yves Engler

Imagine growing up in a comfortable Toronto or Montréal home and deciding to cross the globe to slaughter a long-colonized people. It’s appalling Canadians are killing Palestinians, but can they be held criminally responsible?

Canada’s legislation on universal jurisdiction is weak but individuals can be pursued for war crimes committed abroad. Dozens, possibly two hundred, Canadians are currently subjugating Palestinians in the West Bank and slaughtering them in Gaza. Global, National Post, Le Devoir, CBC, La Presse and CP24 have reported Canadians fighting in the Israeli occupation forces.

A Canadian Jewish News article quoted the parent of a genocidaire in Gaza and cited Israel’s consular general in Montreal saying he meets regularly with Canadians in the IOF. According to CBC, 230 Canadians were in the IOF in 2017 while in 2020 the embassy counted 78.

Six weeks ago, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East sent a letter to Justice Minister Arif Virani. It says, “Canada must take action to discourage Canadian involvement in the Israeli military, which carries the risk of complicity in criminal activities, and ensure that any person who is involved in the commission of war crimes is held accountable.” The letter points out that the Department of Justice and RCMP operate a Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program, which should be tasked with investigating Canadian Genocidaires.

In December a French parliamentarian made a similar appeal to the Justice Minister. “It is imperative that France examines the culpability of its nationals involved both in Gaza and the West Bank,” wrote Thomas Portes of La France Insoumise. “I therefore request your intervention, under your general powers of inquiry, for French nationals, including dual nationals, guilty of war crimes to be brought before French justice.”

In a number of other European countries, there are efforts to charge their nationals for killing Palestinians. Two months ago a new group was formed to “initiate legal proceedings against all Israeli soldiers holding dual Belgian or Dutch citizenship.”

The March 30 Movement assisted an individual’s complaint against Dutch-Israeli citizen Jonathan Ben Hamou who has allegedly engaged in war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Last month they posted images of Hamou in Amsterdam and demanded the authorities detain him. The March 30 Movement also lodged a complaint to Dutch authorities against Leah Rachmani. Their complaint outlines allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and potential genocide.

In the UK, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians has asked the government to clarify the legality of British nationals fighting in the IOF, warning they may be complicit in war crimes.

South Africa’s foreign ministry has said South Africans risked being stripped of their citizenship for serving in the IOF. Recently Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told the Pan-African News Agency that South Africans participating in combat with the Israeli army will be prosecuted.

Considering the wanton destruction in Gaza, it’s hard to imagine that someone fighting there hasn’t committed war crimes. The International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling that it is “plausible” Israel is committing genocide bolsters the prospects of prosecuting Canadians in the IOF.

The first step in holding Canadians participating in war crimes accountable is compiling their names. Philip Eden, Nir Maman, Noy Leyb, Nir Koren, Temima Silver and Michael Zenou are some of the Canadian Genocidaires. The Canadian Jewish News mentioned group chats for the parents of Canadians fighting. Activists should scour social media for information on Canadians in the IOF and create a database of names and actions.

At the same time progressive MPs should be pressed to echo CJPME’s call to investigate those fighting. In a recent interview NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice agreed with me that Canadians fighting in Gaza should be investigated for war crimes. We need lawyers to instigate legal complaints.
While individuals should be pursued for violating international law, the IOF promoting network also needs to be challenged.

In 2020, a formal legal complaint and public letter signed by numerous prominent individuals were released calling on the federal government to investigate individuals for violating the Foreign Enlistment Act by inducing Canadians to join the Israeli military. According to the Act, “Any person who, within Canada, recruits or otherwise induces any person or body of persons to enlist or to accept any commission or engagement in the armed forces of any foreign state or other armed forces operating in that state is guilty of an offence.”

The Trudeau government effectively ignored the public letter and legal complaint even though it was published on the front page of Le Devoir. Then Justice Minister David Lametti responded by simply saying it was up to the police to investigate. For their part, the police refused to seriously investigate. Partly in response to the police’s unwillingness to take the matter seriously, a case was launched through a private prosecution against Sar-El Canada, which brings Canadians to volunteer on Israeli military bases.

A Justice of the Peace agreed the evidence warranted a hearing, but the Crown interceded to dismiss the case against Sar-El. By failing to enforce its own laws, the state is complicit with the Canadians assisting the IOF.

The significant number of Canadians killing Palestinians are also an indictment of a network of institutions that indoctrinate young Jews into wanting to enforce occupation and slaughter Palestinians. Various schools, community institutions and wealthy individuals induce Canadians to join the IOF. Canadian Genocidaires are also celebrated by community leaders and media outlets.

Last week, the Canadian Jewish News published a sycophantic interview with a Canadian who describes spending four months terrorizing Palestinians in Hebron and preparing to enter Gaza.

The IOF promotion network must be challenged through both political and legal means. Criminal proceedings must be initiated against Canadians participating in Israel’s war crimes.

 – Yves Engler is the author of Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid and a number of other books. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. Visit his website: yvesengler.com

‘Bloody Massacre’ – 50 Palestinians Executed, 180 Detained by Israel at Al-Shifa Hospital

March 19, 2024

50 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 arrested by Israeli forces at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. (Photo: via WAFA)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff 

“Hundreds of Israeli occupation soldiers armed to the teeth, with police dogs, dozens of tanks, drones, and helicopters participated in the raid on the Al-Shifa Medical Complex”.

Israeli forces killed 50 Palestinians at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City and detained at least 180 more, the Israeli army said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Battles are taking place between Israeli forces” and Palestinian fighters, the statement added.

The Gaza government media office slammed the Israeli ‘bloody massacre’, calling on the United Nations and the international community to urgently intervene.

‘Clear War Crime’

“The Israeli occupation army admitted to committing a bloody massacre by executing more than 50 Palestinian civilians and arresting about 200 others in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its vicinity in Gaza City,” the Gaza office said in a statement.

According to the office, a number of children were also executed.

“Hundreds of Israeli occupation soldiers armed to the teeth, with police dogs, dozens of tanks, drones, and helicopters participated in the raid on the Al-Shifa Medical Complex,” the statement said.

Israeli Raid

On Monday morning, Israeli occupation forces stormed the largest hospital in the Strip, took control of the complex and detained scores of people.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif reported that Israeli occupation forces detained displaced men and youth after storming a number of schools in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Complex.

Israeli troops reportedly ordered all women to head to Deir Al-Balah via Al-Rashid Street.

Israeli occupation forces also besieged two schools in the vicinity of the medical complex.

Footage circulating online shows the presence of Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers inside the Shifa Medical Complex with bulldozing operations inside the square.

The siege is now continuing for the second day in a row, and Palestinian civilians are trapped inside the building, with no access to food or water.

Gaza authorities called for “an immediate and urgent intervention by all United Nations and international organizations,” the statement said, adding, “we call on all countries of the free world to stop the genocide war and halt the aggression on the Gaza Strip, which specifically targets civilians, children, and women.”

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,819 Palestinians have been killed, and 73,934 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘Please Help Us’ – Palestine Chronicle Speaks to Two Palestinians Inside Besieged Al-Shifa Hospital

March 18, 2024 

Israeli tanks surrounding the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City.

 (Photo: via WAFA)


By Abdallah Aljamal – Gaza

The Palestine Chronicle spoke with two eyewitnesses, who are still trapped inside the hospital when Israeli forces raided the building.

Many Palestinians were killed and wounded as a result of the attack carried out on Monday morning by Israeli occupation forces on the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City.

Daniel Hagari, the spokesman of the Israeli army, said early on Monday that Israeli occupation forces were “conducting a high-precision operation in limited areas of Shifa hospital based on (…) intelligence information indicating the use of the hospital by senior Hamas terrorists to command attacks”.

Hours later, the Israeli army stormed the largest hospital in the Strip, took control of the complex and detained at least 80 people, including journalists.

Israeli occupation forces also besieged two schools in the vicinity of the medical complex.

The Palestine Chronicle spoke with two eyewitnesses, who are still trapped inside the hospital when Israeli forces raided the building.

For security reasons, we will use their initials instead of their full name, in order to keep their identity private.

Just before Suhoor

“Just before our suhoor meal (just before dawn – PC), we were surprised by the incursion of Israeli special forces into the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, amid heavy gunfire,” H.S., one of the Palestinians who were besieged inside the hospital, told The Palestine Chronicle.

“The quadcopter drones surrounded the compound, firing at anyone attempting to leave,” he added.

H.S., who preferred not to disclose his full name for fear of reprisal from the occupation forces, continued: “We were taken aback by the fact that Israel decided to storm Al-Shifa for the second time.”

The medical compound is currently hosting thousands of displaced Palestinians, including children, women, elderly, in addition to hundreds of patients.

“None of us could leave the place, so we all sought refuge inside the building. The place was extremely crowded, we heard children’s cries echoing, relentlessly. Fear was paralyzing, and the sounds of shelling and gunfire continued for hours.”

As the news spread regarding the storming of Al-Shifa, people in Gaza started worrying about the fate of their relatives, trapped inside the hospital.

“Our families called repeatedly to check on us, but we were in an extremely difficult situation,” H.S. explained.

“The chances of being killed, injured or arrested were very high”.

“They (the Israeli army – PC) demolished the tents of Palestinian journalists and they detained a large number of them. All those arrested were stripped of their clothes, handcuffed, blindfolded, and placed in a room inside the complex for several hours,” the eyewitness said.

“My house was bombed earlier. That’s why I decided to evacuate with my family to the Al-Shifa Complex because we thought that the Israeli army had concluded its military operations there, but this morning, we were surprised by its return”.
My Injured Daughter

M.S. is another eyewitness to the Israeli army raid at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. On Monday morning, he went to the hospital to get some medication for his injured daughter.

He explained to us that the only reason why he could not reveal his full name is that he is the only provider in his family at the moment.

“I am the father of three martyrs, while both my daughter and I were injured by an Israeli bombing that targeted our home, in a residential area in Gaza City,” M.S. told us.

“My daughter’s foot was amputated, and she suffers from severe malnutrition due to the lack of proper medication and treatment,” he said.

“On Sunday night, I went to Al-Shifa Medical Complex to get some medications and medical supplies for my wounded daughter. However, following the intensification of the shelling around the compound, I couldn’t return home, so I was forced to stay overnight.”

M.S. told us that, like all other displaced Palestinians, he was just looking for some medicine, some food for suhoor and some water to drink before the Fajr prayer.

“But the occupation forces surprised us,” he said. “I went there to get medical supplies for my daughter, but now I am trapped with thousands of people inside the complex, surrounded by death, Israeli shelling, and destruction from all sides.”

M.S. told us that there is no food or water, and that Israeli bulldozers keep destroying everything in the vicinity of the hospital’s main building.

“We only wish for their withdrawal so that we can leave the complex. There is no safe place in Gaza. We call for urgent intervention to rescue the displaced, the wounded, and the medical staff trapped inside the complex.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Abdallah Aljamal is a Gaza-based journalist. He is a correspondent for The Palestine Chronicle in the Gaza Strip.

Israel turns Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital into battleground

The raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his intentions to invade Rafah in Gaza's south

The New Arab Staff & Agencies
18 March, 2024

Thousands of civilians have been forced to evacuate Al-Shifa and its surrounding area by the Israeli military [Photo by Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images]


The Israeli army launched a renewed attack on Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, with witnesses reporting air strikes on the devastated neighbourhood where it is located.

Witnesses in Gaza City told AFP they saw tanks surround the hospital site.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war have sought shelter in the complex, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

The Israeli army had also carried out a November operation in Al-Shifa, sparking an international outcry.

The government media office in Gaza condemned the operation, saying that "the storming of the Al-Shifa medical complex with tanks, drones, and weapons, and shooting inside it, is a war crime".

The health ministry in the besieged territory said it had received calls from people near the hospital site who claimed there were dozens of casualties.

"No one could transport them to the hospital due to the intensity of gunfire and artillery shelling," the ministry said.

The Israeli army has carried out multiple operations in and around medical facilities across the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.

Israel claims that Hamas is running military operations from hospitals and other medical centres, but Hamas denies this.

Breaking bread in Gaza has become a matter of life and death

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after the Palestinian group launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 2023, killing an estimated 1,160 Israelis, most of them civilians.

Israel has since then launched a brutal and indiscriminate attack on the Gaza Strip, targeting schools, hospitals, and residential areas and killing at least 31,645 people, most of them women and children. A further 73,792 have also been injured.

Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign captives during the October 7 attack, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.

Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 - eight soldiers and 25 civilians - who are presumed dead.

Israel said that there was "no obligation for the patients and medical staff to evacuate" during its attack on the Al-Shifa Hospital and that it would avoid targeting hospital facilities and equipment.

However, Israel has since instructed those residing in and around the hospital south to the Israeli designated "humanitarian zone".

Following its November 15 operation on Al-Shifa, the Israeli military said it had found weapons and other military equipment hidden in the site - claims Hamas has denied.

It also claimed it had found a 55-metre tunnel in the basement and shared footage that it claimed proved hostages had been held there, which Hamas also denied.

According to the UN, 155 health facilities in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the war began.

'Where should they go?'

The health ministry said early Monday that dozens of people had been killed across the Gaza Strip overnight.

Over the weekend, 12 members of the same family were killed when their house was hit in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Palestinian girl Leen Thabit, retrieving a white dress from under the rubble of their flattened house, cried as she told AFP her cousin was killed in the strike.

"She's dead. Only her dress is left," Thabit said.

For several weeks, the focus of Israel's attack had been on southern Gaza, where around 1.5 million people who have fled the remainder of the devastated territory have sought refuge since the start of the war.

Allies of Israel, including the United States, have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government against launching a full-scale operation in Rafah near the Egyptian border.

Israel's no-state solution and the endurance of Palestine

Rafah is the only urban centre in Gaza where Israeli ground troops have yet to enter.

Visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters that if such an offensive resulted in "a large number of casualties" it "would make any peaceful development in the region very difficult".

Israel has insisted, however, that its war aim of eliminating Hamas cannot be achieved without an attack on Rafah.

On Sunday, Netanyahu vowed civilians crammed into the south of the strip would be able to leave before troops enter in pursuit of Hamas militants.

The office of Netanyahu had on Friday said he approved the military's plan for an attack on Rafah as well as "the evacuation of the population".

"Our goal in eliminating the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah goes hand-in-hand with enabling the civilian population to leave Rafah," Netanyahu said at a press appearance alongside Scholz.

"It's not something that we will do while keeping the population locked in place."

As others have done, Scholz raised the question:

"Where should they go?"

'Out of harm's way'

The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has said it wants a "clear and implementable plan" to ensure civilians are "out of harm's way".

Gaza is facing the threat of famine, according to the UN, and many residents of the territory have faced displacement multiple times in recent months.

There has been no indication yet of where those crammed into Rafah could go, and any suggestion of Palestinian dispersal outside the Palestinian Territories is highly contentious in the Arab world, raising fears of a second Nakba.

A Hamas proposal for a truce calls for an Israeli withdrawal from "all cities and populated areas" in Gaza and for more humanitarian aid, according to an official from the group.

International envoys were planning to meet in Qatar soon to revive stalled talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Israel plans to attend the talks, and a cabinet meeting meant to decide the delegation's mandate took place on Sunday night, Netanyahu's office said.

As a result of the meetings Israel's chief of the Mossad intelligence agency is heading to Qatar to secure a six-week truce and the return of 40 Israeli captives according to Israeli officials speaking to Reuters, although it is unknown how many Palestinian's will be released as part of a deal.

The real reason Israel stormed al-Shifa Hospital yet again

Israel's latest attack on al-Shifa Hospital and the successful delivery of food aid to northern Gaza are connected. Here's how.

BY MONDOWEISS EDITORS 

MARCH 18, 2024 

AID ARRIVES AT UNRWA FACILITY IN JABALIA, NORTHERN GAZA, MARCH 17, 2024. (PHOTO: ASHRAF AMRA/APA IMAGES)

In the past two days, a number of things happened that seemingly had nothing to do with each other. At 2:00 a.m. on Monday, the Israeli army stormed al-Shifa hospital, entering with tanks and heavy gunfire and killing and injuring dozens. It was the fourth invasion of al-Shifa since October, resulting in the arrest of over 80 people.

The day before, 13 aid trucks arrived in northern Gaza for the first time in four months without being turned back by the Israeli army or resulting in the massacre of starving Palestinian aid-seekers. People flocking to the UNRWA warehouse in Jabalia refugee camp to receive the aid stood in uncharacteristically orderly lines and patiently waited for the handouts of flour, rice, and other foodstuffs. Many could be seen cheering once the aid arrived, a scene captured by Al Jazeera’s coverage.

But what few people know is that this successful delivery of sorely needed food aid to northern Gaza is what led the Israeli army to launch its deadly raid on al-Shifa Hospital the next day.

The connection between these two events can only be explained by understanding who Israel was targeting in the raid — the now-martyred Faiq Mabhouh.

FAIQ MABHOUH (PHOTO: SOCIAL MEDIA)

Mabhouh was the Director of Operations of the Gaza police force, a part of the Gaza government’s civilian administration. Unlike Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, Mabhouh did not operate clandestinely at the start of the war, because he didn’t have to — he was in charge of civil law enforcement. Hamas released a statement after his death confirming that he “engaged in purely civil and humanitarian activity.”

Yet to hear Israeli military spokespersons and the Israeli media, Israel had launched a “precise operation” on al-Shifa to target a “top Hamas operative,” or a “senior Hamas commander,” who the army alleged was planning attacks on Israel.


The attack on al-Shifa was an assassination operation aimed at breaking down civil order in northern Gaza to facilitate Israel’s genocidal project.

Making such brazen claims without evidence to justify attacking hospitals and shelters has been a hallmark of the Israeli army’s conduct throughout its genocidal assault. But the true significance of the attack lies not in its desire to empty northern Gaza’s largest civilian refuge, which houses 30,000 people, but in foiling Faiq Mabhouh’s pivotal role in coordinating the delivery of humanitarian aid to starving civilians in Gaza while restoring a semblance of social order to the north.

In other words, the attack on al-Shifa was an assassination operation aimed at breaking down civil order in northern Gaza. It aimed to facilitate Israel’s genocidal project and pave the way for total control over the area without resistance.

The unfolding events of the past few days expose Israel’s intentions of engineering famine and contributing to social breakdown. It reminds us that this is not only a war against Gaza’s resistance but also against its people.
Delivering aid while avoiding another ‘flour massacre’

On March 17, images of pamphlets circulated on social media bearing the signature of the “Palestinian Security Forces” addressed to all civilians in northern Gaza. In order to “ensure the secure arrival of aid” in the north, the notice barred all people from gathering at the Kuwaiti roundabout and Salah al-Din Street, the main entry points through which humanitarian aid reaches the north. In most previous attempts, throngs of starving people gathered at those locations and rushed aid trucks as they arrived.

Israeli forces fired on the crowds many times, killing hundreds of people, most infamously during the “Flour Massacre” on March 3. On occasions where Israel did not mow down the desperate crowds, it stopped aid trucks and turned most of them back, citing spurious “dual use” claims.

Yet what is most remarkable about the circulation of this notice is that the starving people of northern Gaza complied. The aid convoy arrived in Jabalia refugee camp at a UNRWA facility shortly after midnight on March 17, unmolested and to much popular fanfare.

The convoy was accompanied by an escort of masked gunmen whose identities were unknown. Much speculation as to who they were abounded, with Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul commenting that the aid convoy was coordinated by Gaza’s clans. Later on that same day, as the aid was being distributed, Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif said that the convoy was organized by “local committees and monitoring committees comprised of clans, notables, and elders, who oversaw the arrival of the aid.”

Yet that same broadcast showed images of those processing the handouts, who used laptops to register aid recipients with their ID cards and entered them into a registry. These were the tell-tale signs of the bureaucracy of Gaza’s civil government.

AL JAZEERA BROADCAST OF DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD AID.

 (PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM AL JAZEERA YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

Al Jazeera’s footage also depicted long, orderly lines of people receiving aid, in sharp contrast with the chaotic and bloody scenes that had predominated in previous incidents at the Kuwait roundabout and Salah al-Din Street. The scene was clear in its implication: attempts were being made to restore civil order in northern Gaza and to improve the lot of the suffering population.

Not 24 hours later, in the predawn hours of March 18, Israel invaded al-Shifa. The news emerged that the army had assassinated Faiq Mabhouh, and that an Israeli soldier had been killed after Mabhouh reportedly refused to surrender. Suddenly all news sources were saying the same thing: Mabhouh had been behind the effort to coordinate the arrival of the aid.

Mabhouh’s role

The information available on Mabhouh’s duties remains scant, often blending fact with speculation regarding his activities and the reason for his assassination. Most media sources agree that Mabhouh organized the delivery of the aid convoy, which he did in coordination with Gaza clans, UNRWA, and international organizations.

Crucially, that coordination entailed meeting with officials from those groups. One of the widespread pieces of speculation holds that it was at those meetings that Mabhouh’s location was exposed and supposedly leaked to Israel’s intelligence, likely through one of those international organizations. Haaretz speculates that this intelligence leak “may explain Israel’s urgency to launch an immediate operation at the hospital.”

Being the head of a civilian police force, Mabhouh operated publicly earlier on in the war, but as Israel continued to target members of the local police, the need for secrecy became more apparent. According to Axios, the Biden administration asked Israel back in February to “stop targeting members of the Hamas-run civilian police force who escort aid trucks in Gaza, warning that a ‘total breakdown of law and order’ is significantly exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.”

Israel never stopped targeting them and indeed went above and beyond in massacring hundreds of civilians seeking food. This context explains why the police force apparently switched to operating clandestinely and why the gunmen accompanying the convoy were masked. It also explains why the public narrative around the distribution of the aid was that it was organized by the clans.

But mention of the clans is not incidental here. One of the most important aspects of Israel’s supposed “day after” scenario for Gaza is that day-to-day activities would be managed by local families and tribes. Gaza’s traditional clans used to hold greater sway in the coastal enclave prior to Hamas’s ascendancy to power in 2007, some of them acting as lawless gangs that engaged in criminal activity. Hamas severely curtailed their role during its period of rule over the Strip, but during the latest genocidal war, many of these families took advantage of the chaos to commandeer aid convoys and hoard food aid or sell it on the black market.

Israel has not only welcomed the development but actively encouraged the state of lawlessness. Its continued targeting of Gaza police escorts only reinforced the phenomenon. At around the same time, Israeli officials began to float the idea of postwar tribal rule in Gaza.

PALESTINIANS GATHER IN FRONT OF UN AGENCY FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES (UNRWA) BUILDING TO RECEIVE FLOUR IN JABALIA, GAZA CITY, MARCH 17, 2024. 

(PHOTO: ASHRAF AMRA/APA IMAGES)

This relates to the second part of the speculation surrounding Mabhouh’s assassination — that he was involved in cracking down on clans that seized food aid, likely to be the same clans who would be contenders in Israel’s vision of postwar rule in Gaza.

One unsubstantiated rumor was widely circulated on social media in Arabic and picked up by the Israeli media: Hamas had supposedly executed the unnamed head of the influential Doghmosh clan in Gaza for allegedly stealing humanitarian aid and being suspected of collaborating with Israel. The Doghmosh clan put out a statement strongly denying the claim, asserting that the clan chief had been martyred during an Israeli airstrike on November 16, 2023. An investigation conducted by Al Jazeera revealed that the name of the family’s head (the mukhtar) was on the list of the dead from that airstrike.

Regardless of the veracity of the speculation, what has become clear is that Israel’s genocidal war has taken on a new dimension — it is encouraging societal collapse in Gaza. Its engineering of famine and the enablement of lawlessness is simply a continuation of its military campaign through other means. And when members of the civilian government attempt to ameliorate the famine or try to work to restore social order, Israel launches a war against them, too.

Thanks to Jehad Abusalim for contributing crucial insights to this report.