Please take the time to watch this interview with Bruce Gagnon about Trump’s ominous Golden Dome. Coordinator of Bruce is the coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, a walking encyclopedia on the militarization of space and a very good friend. (Click the link, not the image.)
From Middle East Eye April 4, 2025 By Pauline Ertel
Palestinians posting on social media say they don’t think they will survive Israel’s bloody bombardment across the strip
Palestinians are posting final messages and letters of farewell on social media, expressing their fear they will not survive amid the intensity of Israel‘s carpet bombing of the Gaza Strip.
Many Palestinians in Gaza have turned to social media since the start of Israel’s onslaught in October 2023 to communicate with one another, document Israeli attacks and their daily experiences, and share their thoughts, hopes and lives with international audiences in a period when media outlets, social media platforms and arts and education institutions stand accused of censoring information and muzzling freedom of expression related to the war.
Over the past 24 hours however, posts expressing hopelessness amid the severity and destructiveness of the attacks and fear that people in Gaza might not survive this time, have soared.
On Thursday, Israel killed at least 112 Palestinians, in what has become the deadliest day since Israel resumed its war on the besieged enclave on 18 March.
A video posted by Nour, a woman from Gaza, shows an Israeli strike on a building nearby amidst an entirely destroyed neighbourhood as a woman sobs in the background.
“It seems we won’t survive this time ..” the caption reads.
Journalist Abdallah Alattar from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, shared: “it seems that we won’t make it this time” on Friday morning, which has been widely circulated and reshared.
Abubaker Amed, a football journalist from Deir al-Balah, expressed in a post that the people of Gaza “know the world has let them down and thus feel their killing is a matter of time”.
Several users have also called on the people and global powers to pay attention and speak up for the people in Gaza, facing not only bombing, but also starvation due to Israel’s blockade on food and essentials.
“Bombs above, hunger below—Gaza is suffering. How much longer can we endure this?” wrote one Palestinian. “The world must act NOW!”
Israel’s war on Gaza continues to be supported and funded by its allies, most notably the US.
On Thursday, independent US Senator Bernie Sanders attempted to bring forward two joint resolutions of disapproval to block $8.8bn worth of offensive weapons sales to Israel that were already approved by the Trump administration.
Only 15 senators, including Tim Kaine and former presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, voted to move forward and the vote to block the weapons transfers failed.
Prayers and self-eulogies
Several users have also used their social media accounts to post a farewell messages and prayers in case they should die.
Writer and pharmacist from Gaza Omar Hamad, on Thursday night posted a farewell message on X, saying that he felt his posts did not make a difference.
“At first, I was eager, sharing everything my hands could write,” he said. “But I do not know what you need to see or read to finally rise against all that is happening – not for our sake, but for your conscience, for your faith, so that you do not struggle with your conscience when you go to sleep.”
I have never felt death drawing this close to me throughout the entire genocide as I do these days,” Hamad wrote in a separate post on 3 April.
Hamza Alsharif, a medical doctor at the European Hospital and the Al-Aqsa Hospital posted on X that bombings “are intensifying across all areas of the Strip”, and that “blood is everywhere”.
“If I die, I am not a number, I am a planet in itself, I have dreams and ambitions that I wanted to achieve. Don’t forget me in your prayers and keep talking about me,” Dr Alsharif wrote in a post pinned to his profile since 18 March.
Last month, an Israeli missile targeted and killed 23-year-old Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat in Beit Lahiya just hours after Mohammad Mansour, a correspondent for Palestine Today, was killed in an Israeli air strike which targeted his home. His wife and son were killed alongside him.
Hours after Hossam’s death, his colleagues posted a message written by Hossam himself, indicating that he had a sense that he would be likely targeted.
“If you’re reading this, it means I have been killed – most likely targeted – by the Israeli occupation forces,” said the 23-year-old.
Hossam’s self-written eulogy was reminiscent of renowned Palestinian poet and academic Refaat Alareer, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in December last year and whose widely circulated poem ‘If I must die‘ became a symbol of hope and resistance amid Israel’s war.
Israel massacred 24 civilians attempting to return to their homes on the agreed date for the IDF to leave Lebanon, and shot and wounded 132 more.
This our sixth short documentary looks at that day and at the wider effects of the Israeli occupation.
I am very proud of it. I think the team have done a remarkable job, and I am confident you will too. News you will not get anywhere else.
~ Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and Rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010.
NEW STUDY: GAZA’S CHILDREN FACE SEVERE PSYCHOLOGICAL TOLL AMID CATASTROPHIC WAR December 11, 2024
A new report out of Gaza lays bare the profound psychological impact of the ongoing war, particularly on children who are injured, disabled, separated from their families, or unaccompanied.
The study, Needs Assessment Study of Children with Disabilities, Injured and Separated or Unaccompanied, was conducted by the Community Training Centre for Crisis Management (CTCCM) with support from the War Child Alliance. It paints a harrowing picture of children’s mental health under Israeli bombardment and blockade.
“We met with injured, separated, and disabled children and their caregivers to hear from them about the toll of war on their lives. What they shared was devastating – but sadly, not surprising. This study reinforces what we have seen, heard and witnessed over more than a year. Children are traumatised by this war, and we must respond,” says a spokesperson and Project Technical Coordinator from CTCCM in Gaza.
The findings in this study are stark. Caregivers report that 96% of children feel death is imminent, and nearly half believe they will die because of the war. Many children exhibit symptoms of aggression, fear, withdrawal, and severe anxiety, alongside a pervasive sense of hopelessness. Years of displacement, loss, and relentless bombing have left children psychologically scarred and their families in dire circumstances.
The survey of 504 households reveals that 88% of families have been displaced multiple times, with 21% forced to move six or more times. Most families live on less than €122 a month, grappling with soaring prices for food and essentials due to the ongoing blockade and restrictions on humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, 80% of breadwinners are unemployed, reflecting the devastating economic consequences of the war.
“For children in Gaza, nowhere is safe. They have seen homes destroyed, loved ones killed, and schools turned to rubble. Even so-called evacuation zones are not spared from bombing. The mental health of Gaza’s children is under constant attack,” says Rob Williams, War Child Alliance CEO.
Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed that Israel recently managed to obtain some footage from one of its spying satellites that was monitoring Russian military activities in Syria.
The images are reportedly showing a sophisticated Russian reconnaissance plane. Information has also been provided on the alleged “sophisticated boost” of Damascus’ air force capabilities by Russia. It is now estimated that Damascus and Moscow have a rather extended control over the whole region.
Some sources claim, latest discovery might affect the relations between Russia and Israel.
The sophisticated Russian reconnaissance plane is being dubbed as “A-50” and is capable to control and provide details of at least 10 other planes in the vicinity, in addition to being able to hit the ground targets in the distance of 300 kilometers or set the goals of hitting them in the distance of 650 kilometers. The plane can last a flight of about 1000 kilometers distance.
According to the researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the base in Lattakia is located about 700 kilometers north of the Israeli Air Force Hatzor Airbase, meaning the aforementioned Russian plane can identity any Israeli plane that takes off from Hatzor.
At least 26 A-50 reconnaissance planes are said to be operated by the Russian Air Force.
The details of the Israeli Air Force attack on the position of the Syrian Arab army (SAA) in the in Quneitra Governorate have been disclosed.
As it turned out, Israeli aviation attacked Syrian government troops with unmanned aerial vehicles. The soldiers of SAA’s 90th Infantry Brigade were under fire.
The Israeli Air Force planes struck a missile attack at the positions of the Syrian army in the Khan Arnabeh district of Quneitra Governorate. It was also reported earlier the blow was carried out to the east of the village of Ein Ayshaa.
Two missiles were fired at 06.45 p.m. when government forces were repulsing Al-Qaeda’s attacks in the vicinity of the city of Quneitra.
The remnants of an Israeli missile that hit SAA Golan regiment’s tank.
The incident led to heavy losses of equipment and material in the Syrian Arab Army.
There are reports that Al-Qaeda terrorists infiltrated Quneitra from the Golan Heights occupied by Israel with the aim to strengthen the front in Madinat al-Ba’ath.
Al-Qaeda terrorists infiltrated
Apparently, Israel had prepared and launched a missile strike in order to provide artillery support to Al-Qaeda terrorists. The Israeli drones recorded in the province of Quneitra make it possible to conclude that Al-Qaeda is provided with reconnaissance information from the battlefields with Israel help too.
Sophie Mangal is a co-editor at Inside Syria Media Center.
General Command of the Syrian Armed Forces confirmed to the media that the Syrian air defense systems shot down an Israeli jet that violated Syrian airspace in the Bureij area near the Lebanese border on Thursday night.
The statement reads:
“Four Israeli jets violated Syrian airspace at at 2:40 am in the Bureij area, located next to the Lebanese border and targeted military positions in the direction East of Palymra in the central province of Homs.
The air defense system responded and shot down the jet inside in the Occupied Territories, hit another one and forced the rest to flee.
This blatant assault is only helping ISIS to boost their morale and their terrorist activities amid the catastrophic results the terrorist group is facing at the moment.”
The statement further added that the “General Command of the Syrian Army is determined to counter any possible future violations and acts of aggression, coming from the Israeli side”.
During the past three years, Israel occasionally violated Syrian airspace and bombed Syrian Army positions in the areas of Damascus province, often while the Syrian Army was in the midst of battle with the terrorist groups.
[Disclaimer: This information has not been confirmed by NATO or related persons or bodies]
During the intelligence activities by the “Odessa” brigade it became known that military exercises under the auspices of NATO will be held on the territory of the Kherson region in the first half of June. Such countries as Ukraine, USA, Turkey, and other contingents of NATO forces will take part.
Military equipment and heavy weapons involved in the above event will arrive and be unloaded at the deep-sea ports of Odessa and Nikolaev. With the above mentioned ports, it will spill over into the territory of Kherson region, namely the venue of military maneuvers.
One of the notable nuances is that the Western-controlled media is silent about these exercises. This occurs despite the fact that previously such plans were preceded any public statements or publication in the news.
In addition, another factor is that the accumulation of troops and military equipment will be in close proximity to the state border with the Russian Federation, namely the Crimean Peninsula.
Also, attention should be paid to the fact that over the past week Israeli vessels, in very small volumes and with an urgent speed, exported concentrated vegetable oil and grain through the Nikolaev seaport. It was very similar to the desire in short notice to remove liquid assets from certain territories. At the same time, given the agility of the Israelis, all this can have an ulterior motive.
The “Odessa” brigade focused on the fact that because of a combination of the information received in light of the aggressive policy of the West, the vassal government in Kiev, and also the created and supported armed groups, it looks quite alarming. Thus, there is a definite probability of a possible aggravation of the military-political situation in the southern regions of Ukraine in the form of armed aggression against the Russian Federation, namely Crimea.
Translated from Italian by Tom Winter, February 2, 2016
“In Latakia, the hunt for Russian missiles”. Israeli Institute publishes satellite photos. Moscow: “That’s how we fight jihadists.” The images, which will be shown on Tuesday by the Fisher Institute* at a conference on space research in Herzlyia, Israel, show how Moscow has deployed eleven Sukhoi 24s, ten Sukhoi 25s, seven Sukhoi 34s and four Sukhoi 30 – all combat aircraft, plus S400 batteries and SA22 missile systems. It has been known for months that they were, but now they will also be visible.
Moscow has deployed a large number of warplanes and missile batteries in Latakia, Syria, where Russia has pledged to support the regime of Bashar Al Assad. This is revealed by a series of satellite photos that will be displayed Tuesday by the Fisher Institute at a conference on space research at Herzlyia.
In particular pictures show S400 missile batteries as well as SA22 missile systems. On the tarmac there are 30 Russian fighter jets.
The Israeli institution said in a communique that it has been analyzing the photographs which were taken days ago by the Israeli satellite Eros, which is run by the ISI (ImageSat International).
According to the director of the Tal Inbar Space Research Center, the S400 batteries are now operational, and SA22 batteries are in place beside them. It is an upgrade of the defensive measures, due perhaps – the director feels – to the fear of a possible military escalation with Turkey.
On the day that the photos were taken, according to the Fisher Institute, on the Latakia tarmac were noted eleven Sukhoi 24s, ten Sukhoi 25s, seven Sukhoi 34s and four Sukhoi 30s — all Russian air combat planes.
According to analysts, it is possible that on that day there were other planes not on field, but out flying missions. Among the gear that the Kremlin’s military leaders have placed in Latakia are some Sukhoi 24s that have been re-engined due to wear during the repeated attacks carried out against the Islamic State and the rebel forces that are fighting the Damascus regime.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed deploying its newest jets in Syria, the Su35s, spearhead of the Russian Air Force. The ministry has also let it be known that its use of long-range bombers prevented the jihadists from “assaulting” the area of Deir ez-Zor.
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*Founded by the Israeli Air Force Association. For more on the Fisher Institute, click here.
Kurdish and Turkish smugglers are transporting oil from ISIS controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and selling it to Israel, according to several reports in the Arab and Russian media. An estimated 20,000-40,000 barrels of oil are produced daily in ISIS controlled territory generating $1-1.5 million daily profit for the terrorist organization.
The oil is extracted from Dir A-Zur in Syria and two fields in Iraq and transported to the Kurdish city of Zakhu in a triangle of land near the borders of Syria, Iraq and Turkey. Israeli and Turkish mediators come to the city and when prices are agreed, the oil is smuggled to the Turkish city of Silop marked as originating from Kurdish regions of Iraq and sold for $15-18 per barrel (WTI and Brent Crude currently sell for $41 and $45 per barrel) to the Israeli mediator, a man in his 50s with dual Greek-Israeli citizenship known as Dr. Farid. He transports the oil via several Turkish ports and then onto other ports, with Israel among the main destinations.
In August, the “Financial Times” reported that Israel obtained 75% of its oil supplies from Iraqi Kurdistan. More than a third of such exports go through the port of Ceyhan, which the FT describe as a “potential gateway for ISIS-smuggled crude.”
It’s been well-established that Turkey is a major transportation hub for ISIS oil smuggling operations. But where is the oil sent? Someone has to buy it. The answer, apparently, is: Israel.
Al-Araby published an extensive investigation which lays out in detail how oil is transported from ISIS-controlled wells to Israel via Turkey.
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