Gaza Under Attack

A message of defiance: the appointment by Hamas of Yahya Sinwar, the man widely believed to have masterminded Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, as its political leader. Keeping up the pressure: continued Hezbollah retaliatory operations on the northern side of the Israeli-occupied territories over the genocide in Gaza. Also, a new push for a ceasefire: a joint statement by Qatar, the US, and Egypt calling for a renewed commitment to ceasefire negotiations. Should we hold our breath? Martyrs of journalism: a silent protest at a train station in Oslo, Norway, for journalists killed by Israel in Gaza. Elsewhere, Turkey says it's joining South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The UK government continues to insist on the importance of de-escalation as the world awaits a retaliatory attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran on Israel. Also, in Europe: all words and no action: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel calls the deliberate starvation of civilians a war crime.

The world continues to hold its breath in anticipation of an Iranian response to the Israeli regime's violation of its sovereignty and the assassination of Hamas political bureau leader Ismael Haniyeh. Also, the appointment of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's top official in Gaza as Hanieh's successor and the message it sends. Ongoing Hezbollah drone and rocket strikes on northern Israel in retaliation for the regime's assassination of the resistance group's chief of staff, Fuad Shukr, last week and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Israel's allies are calling on Iran and Hezbollah to de-escalate. The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy warns of devastating consequences for the region—no such warnings to the Israeli regime.

The fallout from the assassination of Hamas's Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran continues with Israeli fingerprints all over it. His killing came a day after Israel murdered a commander of the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut. Both Iran and Hezbollah have promised a harsh response. Tehran has also said the US bears responsibility for supporting Israel. The Americans say a broader war in the Middle East is not inevitable but reaffirmed US support for the Israeli regime. To many, the recent killings raise the specter of an all-out war in the Middle East. But how will Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas respond? And what does all that mean for the ongoing US-Israeli genocidal war on Gaza? And, UK foreign secretary David Lammy is on a surprise visit to Lebanon purportedly aiming to de-escalate the growing regional tensions.

A region on the brink: The Israeli regime has assassinated the political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Unending Israeli attacks, frequent evacuation orders, and forced displacements have further devastated the battered health system in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, aka UNRWA. In Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis, Israel has killed over two dozen Palestinians, with reports of the regime's snipers targeting everyone across the city. New revelations show that Washington has provided the Israeli regime with over 25,000 bombs and missiles since October last year. Also, in the US, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris claims she will "not be silent" about the "suffering" in Gaza. The response from the Israeli regime: There will be no truce, Madam Candidate. In Europe, the UK dropped its planned legal challenge against arrest warrants that the International Criminal Court is seeking for the Israeli regime's top officials. Germany and some other European countries are yet to support the court's decision. And, in the wake of a China-brokered national unity deal supported by Iran, will the rival Palestinian movements reconcile their differences and lobby for an end to the Israeli regime's occupation?

The US-Israeli genocide in Gaza grinds on unabated. At least fifty-five Palestinians have been killed in the coastal strip in the past 24 hours or so, pushing the death toll since October last year to more than 39 thousand. Israeli raids in the Occupied West are also ongoing. Occupation forces have killed at least four Palestinians during a raid in Qalandia refugee camp and other areas. Lebanon's Hezbollah has conducted multiple operations against Israeli military outposts in response to a deadly Israeli airstrike on a region in southern Lebanon that killed a commander of the resistance movement. Palestinian unity in the face of genocide. It's called the Beijing declaration: a reconciliation accord brokered by China signed between Hamas, Fatah, and other Palestinian factions and welcomed by the UN. Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the US to address Congress, where he's expected to face a number of empty seats. Among those not attending: Kamala Harris, the most high-profile Democrat who's now running for president. Outside Congress, protesters are saying Netanyahu isn't welcome. On this side of the Atlantic, France has deployed a thousand police officers ahead of the Israel-Mali Olympics football game amid demands to exclude the genocidal regime from the competitions.

The Israeli forces have bombed the ninth school shelter in recent days, with the most recent in Gaza City on Friday. There were multiple casualties from the latest strikes. Israel has been widely condemned for deliberately targeting areas sheltering large numbers of displaced Palestinians fleeing the devastation inside Gaza. In another development, Britain's new Labour administration has pledged to resume funding UNRWA. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament that he is reassured that the UN Palestinian refugee agency has taken steps to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality. Britain funds UNRWA to the tune of $27m. Worst to come is the polio virus detected in sewage samples in Gaza, according to health officials in the besieged strip. The findings of the UNICEF-backed tests highlight the growing risk of a "new health disaster" if the disease is left untreated.

The Israeli killing spree in Gaza continues unabated.

After one of the deadliest days in Gaza in weeks, Israeli strikes killed at least 12 more Palestinians in Gaza with munitions provided by the United States and European allies.

The unrelenting US-Israeli bombardment continues unabated across the Gaza Strip. In Khan Yunis, the Israeli occupying forces have targeted safe zones, killing at least seven Palestinians and many more elsewhere in the West Bank. This episode of Gaza under Attack focuses on new developments in US-Israeli genocide in Gaza and brutal violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.