God bless them all – Peter A child given a single painkiller a day after her legs were blown off, a teen killed by tank fire while getting bread and 30 members of one family gone in a single strike highlight the dire situation in Gaza.UNICEF global spokesman James Elder has called for an end of callous indifference to children suffering in the besieged strip after more than two years of war.Mr Elder recounted harrowing examples of grievous atrocities from his six missions to Gaza in

The United Nations reported that Israel rejected 107 requests for entry of aid into Gaza since the ceasefire began, including blankets, winter cloths, sanitation, and hygiene services.God of Justice, we bring the people of Gaza to you as they continue to suffer an assault on their dignity. We pray for the ceasefire to actually be implemented and for an end to blockade that for so long has denied the people of Gaza their basic rights and humanity. Increase our commitment to action so that justice and accountability may soon come. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer Last week, Jewish

God help all Palestinians – Peter Washington: President Don¬ald Trump expects a US-coordinated international stabilis¬ation force to be on the ground in Gaza “very soon”, following two years of war in the territory between Israel and Hamas.The multinational force – likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates – is part of Mr Trump’s post-war gov¬ernance plan for Gaza.The plan helped lead to a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group on October 10, but the humanitarian crisis in

by Jonathan Kuttab The biggest news this week was of the amazing victory of Zohran Mamdani, who decisively won the race for Mayor of New York City. The victory itself was quite significant as it showed the ability of determined people to buck the system, confound established dogma and conventional wisdom, and challenge entrenched centers of authority and powerful monied interests. An unknown young man, an immigrant, a Muslim, and a self professed social democrat was able to take on the powerful in the heart of

This week, we had two big wins for Palestinian justice. Firstly, leaked news told us the Department of Defence finally instructed Australian defence manufacturers to stop exporting weapons directly to Israel.  This is a much-needed win after two years of genocide, and two years of relentless protest, community action, and solidarity. But the fight isn’t over. This export ban, while desperately needed, doesn’t address Australia’s role in the global F-35 fighter jet supply chain, or our continued exports to third countries and companies that supply Israel

God bless him – Peter Of the thousands of bombs that have fallen – and fall still – on Gaza, there is one to which Navi Pillay returns: a lone shell, fired by the Israel Defense Forces at the Al-Basma fertility clinic in December 2023. A single strike that wiped out 4,000 embryos in a moment.The strike was “intended to prevent births” among Palestinians in Gaza, says Pillay, the former chair of the UN’s Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Territory of Palestine and Israel.“That clinic

by Jonathan KuttabMany of us are quite confused, after the announcement of the Trump Plan and the exchange of prisoners/hostages. We genuinely wonder whether the genocide and the extreme horrors of the Gaza situation have truly ended. Is there even a ceasefire in effect, however shaky? This is particularly true in light of its apparent breakdown and the Israeli claims that the war is back on in full force (before announcing once again that it was back in effect). All of us had breathed a sigh

God bless them – Peter The Trump administration has reportedly sent a draft resolution to UN Security Council members which would establish an international security force in Gaza with a two-year mandate.The draft resolution would give the US and participating nations a broad mandate to govern Gaza and provide security through the end of 2027, with the possibility of extensions, the Axios news site reported.A senior American official told Axios that the draft resolution will be discussed this week among the members of the UN Security

Sadly it occurs every single day but not often on video – Peter Masked guards pull a blindfolded prisoner to his feet from a face-down position on the floor.He is marched into a corner, where Israeli soldiers have formed a barrier with riot shields, blocking the man from the view of a nearby security camera. He is surrounded, and as military guard dogs bark, there is movement from behind the shields.The leaked footage does not make events entirely clear, but the Palestinian man – a suspected