Israeli Top Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed a joint consultation of the US Congress as his nation conducts a battle on Gaza through which greater than 39,000 Palestinians had been killed.
Netanyahu on Wednesday introduced a defence of Israel’s battle, introduced on October 7, the past Hamas and alternative Palestinian armed teams performed assaults on Israeli field through which 1,139 community have been killed.
The high minister spoke of a plan for what he termed a “de-radicalised post-war Gaza” however presented few main points past the statement that Israel would reserve safety regulate over the strip. Outdoor Congress, in the meantime, protesters known as for him to be prosecuted for alleged battle crimes as households of a few Israeli captives held in Gaza have been evicted from the development for challenging solutions from the Israeli premier.
So what have been the important thing claims Netanyahu made in his accent, and the way true have been they? Al Jazeera fact-checks the high minister’s cope with:
On Rafah assaults
Netanyahu: “Remember what so many people said? If Israel goes into Rafah, there’ll be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of civilians killed. Well, last week, I went into Rafah. I visited our troops as they finished fighting Hamas’s remaining terrorist battalions. I asked the commander there, “How many terrorists did you take out in Rafah?” He gave me a precise quantity: 1,203. I requested him, “How many civilians were killed?” He mentioned, “Prime minister, practically none. With the exception of a single incident, where shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot and unintentionally killed two dozen people, the answer is practically none.”
The info: A minimum of 45 community, together with kids, have been killed in only one assault when Israel fired missiles at a camp housing displaced Palestinians within the southern Gaza town in overdue Might. As vile scenes from the bloodbath emerged, drawing international condemnation, the United International locations mentioned Rafah was once like “hell on Earth”.
Through after, a majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million community have been filled into the town and its neighbouring boxes upcoming getaway alternative portions of the enclave on account of the battle and Israel’s orders to evacuate. From Might 6 to Wednesday, Israel has killed greater than 4,300 community within the strip occasion again and again focused on faculties and Israeli-designated “safe zones”.
Israel additionally killed dozens, if no longer loads, of community in Rafah in rocket assaults sooner than its forces entered the town.
And occasion Netanyahu mentioned the Israeli army had killed 1,203 Palestinian warring parties, there was disagree detached verification of the statement that the ones described as “terrorists” have been certainly folks belonging to armed teams.
An Israeli offensive in #Rafah would ruthless extra civilian struggling & deaths. The aftereffects could be miserable for 1.4 million community@UNRWA isn’t evacuating: the Company will conserve a presence in Rafah so long as imaginable & will proceed offering lifesaving backup to community pic.twitter.com/8anQ8Eq6Gv
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 6, 2024
On backup vehicles to Gaza
Netanyahu: “Israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza. That’s half a million tonnes of food. And that’s more than 3,000 calories for every man, woman and child in Gaza. If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren’t getting enough food, it’s not because Israel is blocking it. It’s because Hamas is stealing it.”
The info: Firstly of the battle, Israel applied a complete blockade of the already besieged Gaza, which incorporated a stop on meals, aqua, drugs and alternative crucial provides. Year this was once quite eased next underneath international drive, the info at the grassland – as reported through the UN, Al Jazeera’s personal protection and alternative detached organisations – are a long way got rid of from the image painted through Netanyahu.
Sooner than the battle began, Gaza gained a mean of 500 backup vehicles consistent with past. Because the battle began, the UN has recorded a complete of 30,630 backup vehicles — no longer 40,000 as Netanyahu mentioned. That averages out to 104 vehicles consistent with past, just a 5th of the pre-war quantity.
And opposite to the Israeli high minister’s declare that there was once plethora meals for the community of Gaza, UN professionals in July declared that famine had unfold all the way through Gaza.
On anti-Israel protests
Netanyahu: “We recently learned from the US director of national intelligence that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America. They want to disrupt America.”
“For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now outside this building – not that many, but they’re there – and throughout the city. Well, I have a message for these protesters: When the tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
The info: Netanyahu didn’t handover any proof that Iran is investment protesters.
On July 10, Avril Haines, the United States director of nationwide judgement, did say that Iran’s executive was once secretly encouraging American protests in an bid to spark outrage sooner than US elections in November.
“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in its efforts to influence foreign affairs, aiming to sow discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions,” Haines mentioned.
However Haines didn’t point out investment.
Antiwar protests erupted on faculty campuses throughout the United States and world wide in April. Tensions escalated when Fresh York police made pile arrests right through protests at Columbia College.
On focused on civilians
Netanyahu: “The ICC [International Criminal Court] prosecutor accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians. What in God’s green earth is he talking about? The [Israeli military] has dropped millions of flyers, sent millions of text messages, made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to get Palestinian civilians out of harm’s way. But at the same time, Hamas does everything in its power to put Palestinian civilians in harm’s way. They fire rockets from schools, from hospitals, from mosques.”
The info: As of Monday, the Israeli army had marked 83 % of the Gaza Strip as unsafe for Palestinian civilians. This portion of the enclave has both been declared a “no-go zone” through Israel or citizens had been issued evacuation orders, as reported through the UN. Complete neighbourhoods in northern Gaza had been demolished occasion the “safe zones” in southern Gaza are shrinking.
Civilians evacuating their neighbourhoods on Israel’s orders have again and again come underneath fireplace. This was once additionally the case when Israeli forces issued an evacuation series affecting 400,000 community in Khan Younis on Tuesday.
“The evacuation order was issued in the context of ongoing attacks by the Israeli military and gave no time for civilians to know from which areas they were required to leave or where they should go. Despite the evacuation order, Israeli military operations continued in and around the area unabated,” the UN Administrative center for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) mentioned in a press drop.
Fresh evacuation orders as of late in Khan Younis ruthless extra struggling and displacement. Households needed to store what’s left in their property and run, amid bombardment, and with nowhere cover to proceed.
Society in #Gaza are exhausted, dwelling in inhumane situations, without a protection in any respect. pic.twitter.com/LSYTEBxMRM
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 22, 2024
Israel has additionally relied closely on “dumb bombs”, which don’t seem to be intended to strike actual objectives however purpose destruction over immense boxes. In December, amid escalating assaults within the besieged Strip, a US judgement overview unhidden that almost part of the munitions worn through Israel in Gaza have been unguided bombs.
“The revelation [that] almost half of all bombs dropped on Gaza by Israel are unguided dumb bombs completely undercuts their claim of minimising civilian harm,” Marc Garlasco, a former battle crimes investigator for the UN wrote on social media.
There have additionally been cases when infantrymen have killed unarmed civilians keeping white flags. Through June, OCHA excepted a document pronouncing greater than 76 % of faculties in Gaza required “full reconstruction or major rehabilitation”. One by one, consistent with Palestinian government, 8,572 scholars have been killed in Gaza from October 7 to July 3.
On ceasefire negotations
Netanyahu: “The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages, but if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’s military capabilities, end its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.”
The info: Netanyahu has again and again indicated that he would no longer conform to any do business in that stipulates an finish to the battle except Hamas is destroyed. The objective of getting rid of Hamas has been described as unachievable through Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson of Israel’s personal army.
Through the years, Hamas has on more than one events presented bliss offers in change for the realisation of a separate, detached Palestinian atmosphere.
Israel has unacceptable the ones offer, arguing that Hamas may just no longer be depended on to stick to any long-term ceasefire and insisting that the proposals for momentary pauses in combating have been insincere and strategically aimed most effective at serving to the armed motion regroup from losses.