Surprise, surprise, Israel manipulated evidence
Iran FM calls for oil embargo, expelling Israeli envoys
Raisi: US veto of UNSC resolution
‘double oppression’ on Gazans
A fresh report from a Turkish institute reveals that Israel’s official footage of the bombing of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza is highly edited, while military experts around the world cast doubt on how a purportedly conventional rocket could have killed people but not leveled the hospital.
At least 500 people were killed and hundreds injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said. Yet, Tel Aviv and its Western supporters push the narrative that the missile was hit by a wayward projectile fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement.
However, experts at Turkey’s Center for Countering Disinformation meticulously analyzed a recent video shared by Israel’s official state account on social media, showing that it had undergone editing with manipulative intentions before being shared with the public and raising serious questions about the video’s authenticity and the narrative it aims to convey.
Upon a detailed analysis of the unedited footage, the center has reached the conclusion that the missiles launched from Gaza were aimed at Israel, and the hospital that suffered the devastating strike was not situated in the path of those missiles.
The centre’s Thursday report also raised important questions regarding the munitions used in the hospital strike. “It is seen that the munition capable of causing extensive damage is not the type that Hamas has ever used,” the report
stated.
Valeria Scuto, lead Middle East analyst at Sibylline, a risk assessment company, told BBC that Israel has the capacity to carry out other forms of air strike by drone, where they might use Hellfire missiles. These missiles generate a significant amount of heat but would not necessarily leave a large crater, which explains the rather small crater that was found in the parking lot of the hospital.
She also says uncorroborated footage shows a pattern of fires at the hospital site that was not consistent with this explanation. Scuto’s confusion is valid as the report from the Turkish institute later revealed that the footage had been manipulated by Israel.
Tehran calls for harsher measures
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian urged Islamic countries to take “practical measures” against the Israeli regime in the face of its “war crimes and genocide” in Gaza, including by imposing an oil embargo and expelling Israeli ambassadors.
Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on the sidelines of an urgent meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Saudi city of Jeddah, IRNA reported.
He emphasized the need for practical measures and a strong statement from the summit condemning the Zionist regime’s atrocities in Gaza.
Referring to the bombing of a hospital in Gaza, Amir-Abdollahian explained that practical measures would mean that Islamic countries that have normalized diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime immediately sever their ties, expel Israeli ambassadors, and halt all oil exports to the regime.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also said the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a pause in Israel’s attacks and crimes against the people of Gaza is “double oppression” against the Palestinians and humanity.
The US on Wednesday vetoed the resolution that had been drafted by Brazil and had sought to broker aid access to Gaza amid the incessant Israeli airstrikes and shelling against people in the tiny strip of land, Press TV wrote.
Victims pile up, supplies drain
Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip early Friday, hitting areas where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town near the border with Lebanon, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant ordered ground troops to prepare to see Gaza “from the inside,” hinting at a ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas’s fighters nearly two weeks after their bloody incursion into Israel. Officials have given no timetable for such an operation.
Over a million people have been displaced in Gaza, with many heeding Israel’s orders to evacuate the northern part of the sealed-off enclave on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called areas in south Gaza “safe zones” earlier this week, Israeli military spokesman Nir Dinar said “There are no safe zones.”
“The strikes, coupled with extremely difficult living conditions in the south, appear to have pushed some to return to the north, despite the continuing heavy bombing there,” Ravina Shamdasani, said the spokesperson for the UN human rights office.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rafah crossing — the territory’s only entry point not controlled by Israel — on Friday and appealed for the quick movement of aid into Gaza, calling it “the difference between life and death.”
Gaza war spillover to cost
West economically: Iran MPs
Economists believe that continuing the war in Gaza and expanding the scope of war on new fronts, apart from the increase in casualties and the creation of insecurity in the region, will have a devastating impact on the global economy, leading to rising inflation and worsening economic conditions in various parts of the world, especially Western countries.
They argue that the Middle East region, which holds nearly 50% of the world’s oil reserves and about one-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas, with nearly 25% of the world’s total oil consumption passing through the strategic chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, is crucial to the United States and Western industrialized countries, which rely on the region’s fossil fuels. More than anything else, the expansion of war in the region puts pressure on the economies of the United States and Western countries.
Seyyed Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Economic Committee of the Iranian Parliament, discussed the economic implications of the continuation of the Zionist regime’s attacks on Gaza, saying, “The continuation of the war in Gaza will have far more negative economic consequences than the conflict in Russia and Ukraine. During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many European countries heavily relied on Russian gas and grain, and the outbreak of this war caused significant turmoil in the European economic market and led to inflation in many countries that had not experienced the economic consequences of inflation before the war.”
He emphasized that the world’s economic situation is not prepared to accommodate another widespread war and cannot endure it. Toghyani said, “In any case, the United States and Western countries, whose economies are highly dependent on Middle Eastern fossil fuels, will be heavily burdened by the continuation and expansion of this war. This is because the issue of fuel and transit of goods through the region is vital, and if the war expands, it will affect fuel and transit in the region.”
Gholamreza Marhaba, another member of the Economic Committee of the Iranian Parliament, commented on the possibility of new fronts opening against the Zionist regime and the expansion of war. He stated, “The more pressure is exerted on the Zionist regime by the world’s countries, the possibility of a change in their strategy in Gaza and the cessation of their war crimes will be greater. When a discussion of sanctions and restrictions on oil exports comes up, or if the expansion of war does not allow oil exports from Middle Eastern countries, the price of oil and energy will naturally rise significantly, because the issue of fuel and energy prices is greatly influenced by political factors.”
Ali Rezaei, another member of the Economic Committee of the Iranian Parliament, said to Iran Daily: “The outbreak of war in any corner of the world has economic repercussions, and the expansion of the Gaza war will certainly impact global oil and energy prices and other areas. A major shock has entered the region, and if the conflict continues, freedom-loving and anti-oppressive countries worldwide may join the war in support of the Palestinian people’s plight, and then the consequences of the expanding war will become apparent.”
He emphasized the dual and contradictory behavior of the United States in relation to the Gaza war, saying, “On the one hand, US officials condemn the war, while, on the other hand, they supply military weapons to the Zionist regime and provide them with financial support, knowing full well that continuing the war does not benefit them in any way.”
Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, explained the situation in Gaza and stated, “Palestine has been the top issue in the Islamic world from the past until today. What we are witnessing today, a humanitarian crisis and a war crime in Gaza, makes the Gaza war a top priority for Islamic countries.”
He added, “Any involvement in the unstable region leads to one of the areas of instability, especially in economic and energy matters. Because the conflict in the region, in the first place, will destabilize the oil export market, especially to Western countries, and will lead to an increase in oil prices. Therefore, in my opinion, it is in favor of the West and Western economies to try to minimize tensions in the West Asian region, and the only solution is to quickly halt the war machine and destruction of the Zionist regime.”
Rezaei noted the United States’ concern about the impact of the war on fuel and energy prices, saying, “One of the problems for Americans in recent years has been their inefficiency in foreign policy matters, which we have repeatedly seen in the discussions about the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal), and it is one of the reasons for the failure of nuclear negotiations during President Biden’s term.”
He continued, “Since the beginning of the recent war initiated by the Zionists against Gaza, we have witnessed the conflicting positions of the Americans regarding the continuation of the war. At first, they had a strong stance in support of the Zionist regime’s attacks, but gradually they retreated in this regard, and we have seen milder positions from them. Perhaps this retreat is due to economic interests, particularly the issue of fuel. However, verbal positioning alone for reducing military attacks by the Zionist regime on Gaza is not enough; we expect the United States to promptly halt the crimes of the Zionist regime and stop the war.”
Resolute response imperative to halt Israeli acts in Gaza
By Syed Ali
Hassan
Iran Daily’s correspondent
in Pakistan
A significant tragedy is unfolding in Gaza, a crisis in human history. Despite the dire circumstances caused by Israeli airstrikes on Palestinians, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives, the international community and the Muslim world have been slow to react effectively and curb Israel’s actions. While Iran’s diplomacy has thus far prevented a ground invasion by Israel, the duration of this restraint remains uncertain.
Gaza is now grappling with a severe shortage of food and water. Israel’s cessation of electricity, oil, and the flow of essential supplies has caused innocent women, children, and men to suffer from the lack of basic necessities. Distressing videos on social media depict people being compelled to migrate due to hunger.
The world is still divided on the justification of Hamas’s attacks on Israel and Israel’s response. The Israel-Palestine conflict has persisted for seven decades. Israel’s actions, such as drone strikes and airstrikes, often disregard the lives of civilians and the destruction of property.
Two days ago, the disputed bombardment of a Gaza hospital led to the tragic loss of medical staff and patients. This act should not only be condemned but also met with accountability.
The condition of the Muslim world is deeply troubling. While Pakistan stands as the only nuclear power in the Muslim world, its authorities describe Israel’s aggression against Palestinians as a conflict between Hamas and Israel. At this critical juncture, Pakistan should openly support the Palestinian cause.
It is essential for the Muslim world to unite in solidarity with the Palestinians during these challenging times. The actions of the Mahmoud Abbas administration, with its limited powers, must be criticized as it separates the Palestinian Authority from Israeli aggression in Gaza.
In India, the Modi government’s stance on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza is also worthy of condemnation. Modi’s support for Israel compromises India’s status as a major democratic nation. A democratic state should not stand with a country like Israel, which openly violates human rights.
Furthermore, the Western world continues to support Israel. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, of Indian origin, visited Tel Aviv to express solidarity with Israel, sharing in its sorrow during the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In this critical moment, it is imperative for the Muslim world to unite and take action to halt Israel’s actions while providing much-needed assistance to the suffering Palestinians in
Gaza.
International Desk