Israel's threatened ground offensive in Gaza is still on hold, almost three weeks after the devastating Hamas raid into southern Israel. Independent journalist Sam Husseini and veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier argued that fear of another defeat was holding Israel back. | Israel fears a second military defeat by Hamas if it goes ahead with an offensive to destroy the Palestinian group and free hundreds of hostages, two journalists say. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called up some 350,000 military reservists after a surprise Hamas attack from the Gaza Strip left almost 300 Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops and over 1,000 civilians dead, with more than 200 taken captive. ● Earlier this week, US media reported that US President Joe Biden's government was pressuring Israel to delay its ground invasion in the hope of negotiating the release of dual US-Israeli nationals taken hostage there by the Hamas movement. But journalist Sam Husseini told Sputnik that it was not Washington holding the IDF back, but Israel's fear of taking heavy casualties in the assault. He said Netanyahu's vow to destroy Hamas in return for the October 7 attacks was merely a "pretext" for ethnic cleansing and a land-grab. 💬 "Israel is doing what it's long wanted to do, which is to go after the civilian Palestinian population, to decimate Palestinian society as much as possible in order to drive out more and more Palestinians from their lands so they can take it, so they can take the resources, the gas reserves off the coast of Gaza, for example, as well as just another ethnic cleansing as they did in 1948, 1967," Husseini said.

Latypova and Watt Iceland presentations, excerpted by Dave Ratcliffe of Ratical.org, uploaded to Odyssey, Substack and Rumble. Lots of LINKS (SASHA LATYPOVA + KATHERINE WATT)

Following previous examples of mockery targeting besieged Palestinians for their lack of access to basic necessities like food, clean water, and electricity, there are now reports of some Israelis making derogatory comments about Palestinian mothers who have lost their children during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | An Israeli SFX makeup artist, Eve Cohen, created a TikTok video that has gained significant attention on social media. In the video, she attempts to suggest that Palestinian mothers aren't genuinely losing their children due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. ● In this video, Cohen, dressed as a Palestinian mother, uses ketchup and baby powder for inexpensive SFX makeup to simulate fake blood and debris, which she applies to her face. In one scene, she feigns being a Palestinian martyr by smearing ketchup on her forehead. ● In another, she portrays an injured Palestinian mother holding a make-believe baby with a fruit for a head. Throughout the video, Cohen adds a director's command, shouting "Cut!" in the background, and the clip concludes with the sound of applause as she discards the fruit and smiles. ● The video faced substantial backlash from online users who criticized her for displaying insensitivity towards the gravity of the Israel-Palestine conflict. ● This video comes in the wake of another incident involving an Israeli TikToker who created a 'Get Ready With Me' video that was perceived as mocking Palestinians who have been affected by the ongoing conflict. She deleted her video following a backlash from the online community.

■ The Mask Comes off: Israeli Officials Show True Nature of Conflict (Hal Turner)

Israel is looking into flooding Hamas’ tunnel system before starting its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said, citing sources. 💬 "A well-informed American official told me that the Israeli leadership is known to be considering flooding Hamas's vast tunnel system before sending in its troops, many of whom have had only a few weeks of training in the maneuvers and coordination required for the invasion," Hersh said in his column published on Substack. Hersh said Israel is in the process of turning Gaza City into rubble, via constant bombing, and is also planning to begin the ground invasion soon. Flooding the tunnels could mean that Israel was ready to "write off the hostages still in jeopardy," Hersh said.

■ Israel Plans to Turn Gaza Into 'Hiroshima' But Without Nuclear Weapons (Seymour Hersh)(Sputnik News)
■ Zionist think tank publishes blueprint for Palestinian genocide (Kit Klarenberg)(The Greyzone)
■ List of war crimes and crimes qualifying as genocide committed by Israel in Gaza between 7th & 14th October 2023

Majed Abusalama | I am writing this letter as news continues to reach me of relatives, neighbours, and friends being killed in Gaza by Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment. | I, like millions of Palestinians, am living through the worst nightmare of yet another round of mass death and destruction unleashed on our people – something you would often simply call “an escalation” of the “Palestinian-Israeli conflict”. ● As I write these lines, al-Ahli Hospital was bombed, killing hundreds of children, men and women, who had sought safety on the premises of the hospital. Hours earlier, the news of the death of my friend Mohammed Mokhiemar, his wife Safaa, and their three-month-old baby Elyana reached me. ● They were killed after evacuating with other families to the southern part of Gaza, following Israeli orders. They and 70 other Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes. ● The only word I can think of that comes close to what I feel right now is “qahr” in Arabic; it is not just pain, anguish and anger. It is the feeling passed on through generations, accumulated more than 75 years of ethnic cleansing, mass killings, injustice, oppression, colonisation, occupation and apartheid. It is a feeling ingrained in every Palestinian, something we have to live with all our lives.

M. V. Zakharova (Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman) | Those in power in Washington and other capitals of the countries of the "collective West" obsessed with anti-Russian sentiments. | Speculation is spreading in Western countries regarding the next round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in an attempt to accuse the Russian Federation of involvement in supplying Hamas paramilitary structures with weapons and ammunition. There are even fantastic insinuations about the alleged establishment, with Russian assistance, of the production of small arms and light weapons and ammunition on the territory of the Gaza Strip. In this regard, I would like to say the following. ● The Russian Federation has established one of the most effective and well-tried, in practical and legislative terms, export control systems for the realization of military-technical cooperation (MTC) with foreign partners. ● In contrast, the worldwide hunt for Soviet/Russian arms and ammunition by NATO countries, their partners and satellites, as well as their unrestrained desire to support the Kyiv regime's armed formations by any means possible through the supply of increasingly advanced Western military equipment, testify precisely to their irresponsible approaches and double standards in matters of export-control regimes in the sphere of interstate transfers of military products. ● There is also blatant forgery and the use of "gray" schemes in the purchase on the world market of everything that could in any way support the armed formations of the Kyiv regime. We are talking about using unscrupulous brokerage companies, front companies, fictitious contracts and end-user certificates, and other supply documentation. ● In reality, everything supplied to the thoroughly corrupted Kyiv regime by its Western masters is being distributed uncontrollably around the world. Not only Ukrainian officials and criminal structures are profiting from this, but also transnational criminal syndicates and, naturally, those in power in Washington and other capitals of the countries of the "collective West" obsessed with anti-Russian sentiments. (Translation: DeepL.com + Proofreading: grammarly.com) (Original article in Russian: Комментарий официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой относительно снабжения вооружением палестинского движения ХАМАС)

Russia Accuses US Of Stoking "Escalation" By Mideast Force Build-Up As Pentagon Blames Iran | The United Nations has revised its grim figure of the rising death toll from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, saying that it has surpassed 5,000 as of Monday. It stands at 5,087. Separately, over 90 Palestinians have been killed in escalating West Bank violence, which over the weekend included Israel launching a rare airstrike on Jenin. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are still holding at least 222 Israeli and foreign captives – a number which has again been revised upward. ● European Union foreign ministers are meanwhile gathered in Brussels for an urgent meeting to take up the contentious issue of a ceasefire. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has been calling on world bodies to back a ceasefire. In response, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, “Personally, I think that a humanitarian pause is needed in order to allow the humanitarian support to come in and be distributed, seeing that half of the population of Gaza has been moving from their houses.”

■ U.K. Prime Minister Sunak’s Message to Israel: Carry On with the Slaughter (Peter Oborne)(Global Research)

■ The Mask Comes off: Israeli Officials Show True Nature of Conflict | Over the past 24 Hours, the "real" face of Israel has begun to show; Genocidal rhetoric from Israeli officials:

💬 "We are dropping hundreds of tons of bombs on Gaza, the focus is on destruction, not accuracy”
-Daniel Hagari, Israeli Army Spox.

💬 “Now there is only one goal: Nakba. A Nakba in Gaza that will dwarf the Nakba of 1948”
-Ariel Kallner, Israeli politician of Likud

💬 “Wipe out their families, their mothers and their children. These animals must not be allowed to live any longer”
-Ezra Yachin, Israeli army veteran

💬 “Jericho missile! Doomsday weapon! That’s my opinion. Powerful rockets to be fired without borders, Gaza to be smashed and razed to the ground. Without mercy!”
-Tally Gotliv, Israeli politician of Likud

💬 “It is an entire nation who are responsible. This rhetoric about civilians not being involved is absolutely untrue…and we will fight until we break their backs.”
-Israeli President Herzog

💬 “I want to tell the world what they have long known about me in Israel: I don’t care about Gaza. I literally don’t care about Gaza. They can go swimming in the sea”
-Maya Golan, Israeli Minister of Women’s Affairs

Yet Joe Biden says Israel is doing everything to avoid civilian casualties, when the stated goal is destruction of Palestinians in Gaza?

Crimean parliament speaker Vladimir Konstantinov told Sputnik, commenting on a recent report by an American newspaper, that the intelligence services of three countries were behind the two deadly attacks on the Crimean Bridge. | On Monday, the news agency reported, citing sources, that naval drones used by Kiev in July to strike the bridge that links Crimea to mainland Russia were developed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other Western intelligence services. 💬 "The strike on the bridge is a well-planned, well-calculated operation, including with the help of military aircraft and reconnaissance drones. As in the first terrorist attack, three countries took part in this [the second attack] — besides the SBU [the Ukrainian Security Service], without the CIA and MI6 [the UK Secret Intelligence Service], this could not have been carried out. They won't trick us with tales about their innocence," Konstantinov emphasized. The intelligence services of the United States and United Kingdom are accomplices in the crimes committed by Kiev, he added. ● Konstantinov also described the Washington Post's investigation as misinformation, adding that Ukraine had long lost its independence and acts on direct instructions of Western countries. ● The Crimean Bridge has been a target of Ukrainian attacks since the start of Russia's military operation. Last October, a truck bomb exploded on the bridge, killing the driver and four civilians and damaging the bridge. Ukraine initially denied having anything to do with the bombing, but later acknowledged the attack was carried out by its security service. In July, Ukraine attacked the bridge with sea drones, killing a couple who were driving across when the bridge was bombed and injuring their teenage daughter. The bridge was damaged as a result of the strike.

Peter Szijjarto insisted that the EU is a political and economic bloc, not a military alliance | Hungary does not support the idea for the EU to take part in the production of arms and training of soldiers in Ukraine because that would mean the bloc’s member countries being drawn into military operations against Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said following a meeting with his EU counterparts in Luxembourg. 💬 "The production of weapons or training of servicemen on the territory of Ukraine, in the combat zone, is absolutely unacceptable for us, because such a decision would immediately draw the European Union into war," the minister told Hungarian journalists in televised remarks. He insisted that the EU is a political and economic bloc, not a military alliance.

■ EU member objects to ‘fast track membership’ for Ukraine (RT.com)

The total number of children martyred has reached 2,055 and the number of martyred women has reached 1,119 and over 217 senior Palestinians. | According to the government media office of Gaza, the number of martyrs has reached a total of 5,087 and the number of wounded has reached 15,273 citizens since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7. ● The total number of children martyred has reached 2,055 and the number of martyred women has reached 1,119 and over 217 senior Palestinians. ● The statement highlighted that the number of martyrs in the southern Gaza Strip reached 1,652, despite the fact that the Israeli occupation claimed that the areas of southern Gaza were considered safe and not targeted. ● Furthermore, horrific massacres are being committed forcing the displacement of Palestinians to roads, homes of relatives, and shelters, which has caused the disappearance of over 1,500 people including 830 children. The total number of those displaced has now reached 1 million and 400 thousand citizens, nearly 70% of the Gaza Strip.

■ LIVE UPDATES: At Least 2,000 Children Killed in Gaza Strip in 17 Days (Sputnik News)

The first Debate on excess deaths anywhere in the world. This was the first time, a government minister anywhere in the world answered concerns about the global problem of excess deaths. (From Hart Group via Aletho News)

“Russia supports the enemies of Israel…and Russia will pay. We will win, and then we will help Ukraine win,” says senior Likud official. | A senior member of Israel’s ruling Likud Party appeared on the Russian government’s English-language mouthpiece RT (formerly Russia Today) and threatened Moscow over its [alleged] support for Hamas and the enemies of the Jewish state. [Hamas is Israel's creation. -Ed.]

[For those of you that may want to go deeper, and sound the depths of this atavistic hatred of Russia, we would like to suggest the following link: ■ The Hidden History of the Incredibly Evil Khazarian Mafia -Ed.]

■ Netanyahu Bragged About Zionist Support for Hamas (Kurt Nimmo)

Nir Barkat has said drastic action will be taken against Tehran if its ally Hezbollah joins the war | Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat warned on Sunday that the military is ready to “eliminate” the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and strike Iran if they open up a “northern front” in the current conflict. 💬 “The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts. If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran,” Barkat told The Mail on Sunday. He added “the ayatollahs in Iran are not going to sleep good at night” if they move against Israel. Barkat warned that Lebanon and Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran, “are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay.” Israel would go “after the heads of Iran” if necessary, the minister said. “Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, look what's happening in Gaza – you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth.” The statement came after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that the security situation for Israel may worsen very quickly. “If the war crimes against the Palestinians are not immediately stopped, other multiple fronts will open and this is inevitable,” he said. The Iranian diplomat later doubled down, warning the US and Israel that, if they do not stop mistreating the Palestinians, “anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control.” Amir-Abdollahian added that further escalation would have “far-reaching repercussions.”

■ Russia Smacks Israel: Gives Iran Access to Landing at Khmeimim Air Base, Latakia, Syria (Hal Turner)
■ Gaza conflict may spin out of control – Tehran (RT.com)

In many countries, births drop sharply nine months after peak COVID vaccine uptake. Let’s look at how this happens. And will these populations recover? | Since the beginning of COVID, vital statistics as reported by governments around the world are hard to come by. Spotty availability hinders analysis and understanding. For example, even today in the United States, Massachusetts and New York, Illinois and Washington are four of the states that, at this writing, have not updated births data since 2019 [1] and 2020. ● Nineteen European Countries - By August 2022, Raimond Hagemann, Ulf Lorré and Dr. Hans-Joachim Kremer had compiled data on birth rate changes in 19 European countries and produced an extremely important paper. [5] In country after country, the inflection point of reduced births is consistently at the end of the year 2021. This was nine months after the spring zeitgeist to take the COVID vaccines. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia, as well as Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Serbia, all show this pattern. Nine months after peak vaccine uptake, the births decline. ● The corresponding graph for each of the 19 countries has a similar pattern: peak uptake of COVID vaccines in spring of 2021, followed by precipitous birthrate declines beginning nine months later.

The massacres are still ongoing, and considering “Israel’s” brutality, more are expected to take place. | The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza released new figures, today, Saturday, revealing the number of massacres committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip, in its ongoing brutal aggression against the Strip for the fifteenth day in a row. The Ministry revealed in a statement that the Israeli occupation committed 550 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of 3,353 members of these families since the beginning of the aggression. [...] Meanwhile, as the aggression continues indiscriminately, 4,385 Palestinians have been martyred so far in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, including 1,756 children and 967 women, in addition to 13,561 wounded. “70% of the total victims of the Israeli aggression are children, women and the elderly.”

A few days after killing hundreds of people by bombing a hospital in the Gaza Strip, Israel has threatened to attack yet another such facility in the coastal sliver, which has come to house thousands of Palestinians. | On Friday, Reuters cited the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) as saying that the Israeli military had warned it to "immediately evacuate" Gaza's al-Quds hospital. The facility is currently rendering services to more than 400 patients. It has also turned into a refuge for around 12,000 Palestinians, who have fled there amid a relentless Israeli war that has been pounding the Palestinian territory since October 7. The war has so far claimed more than 4,000 people. The PRCS described "70%" of the displaced Palestinians inside the hospital as "children and women," saying they "are in imminent danger."

■ Two war crimes with one stone: 'Israel' bombs Gaza refugee-full church (almayadeen.net)

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has deployed its submarine fleet across the Middle East, Doron Kadosh, a military correspondent for the IDF’s Radio Galatas, revealed on October 19. | Kadosh said on the X online social network, previously known as Twitter, that the deployment of the submarines was ordered to prepare for a possible confrontation with Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, both of which are key allies of the Hamas Movement who led the October 7 surprise attack from the Gaza Strip against Israel. ● The Israeli military correspondent also said that the IDF also destroyed mini unmanned submarines of Hamas and intercepted several rockets which were fired from Gaza at Israeli gas and oil rigs using the Iron Dome air defense system. The IDF is yet to confirm or deny these claims. ● The Israeli Navy currently operates five Dolphin-class submarines, which were specially built in Germany. The newest two of the submarines are equipped with air-independent propulsion systems, which allow them to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen.

Italy has issued an emergency order to ban Bill Gates’s lab-grown fake meat products after the nation’s top experts warned of “serious health concerns.” | Numerous studies found the lab-grown fake meat products cause “turbo cancers” in humans. Meanwhile, in the US the Biden administration has fast-tracked approval of the controversial products for public consumption. Italy’s Health Minister Orazio Schillaci announced: 💬 “Italy is the first nation to say no to synthetic food, to so-called ‘synthetic meat’. “It does so with a formal and official act. “The resolution calls for a commitment to ban the production, marketing, and import of synthetic foods within our territory. “These regulations aim to regulate situations where the environmental public health could be at risk, or when there is uncertainty regarding the effects of certain products that are being or will be introduced to the market or consumed,” Schillaci continued. “It is crucial to have measures in place to address these potential risks and ensure the safety of the environment and public health in such cases,” he concluded.

Greta Thunberg made a social media post in support of Palestine. Hours later, she deleted the post and re-posted the photo, but with slight editing. | The 20-year-old activist tweeted, “Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.” But a stuffed animal in the photo drew public backlash, with several X users accusing Thunberg of sending out an “anti-semitic message”. Propaganda cartoonists have often used the image of an octopus to warn of a global Jewish conspiracy. It was a caricature deployed by the Nazis. ● Greta Thunberg deleted the social media post and shared the photo again after editing out the stuffed toy. She wrote, “It has come to my knowledge that the stuffed animal shown in my earlier post can be interpreted as a symbol for antisemitism, which I was completely unaware of. The toy in the picture is a tool often used by autistic people as a way to communicate feelings.”

“It took my breath away.” —Dr. Drew on the new study shows 50% of young men who got myocarditis after the vaccine now have permanent heart damage and he doesn’t understand why this isn’t front page news. And he recommends injured students sue any school that mandated it. pic.twitter.com/rlUgKhCS2l

— Te𝕏asLindsay™ (@TexasLindsay_) October 19, 2023

Two prominent American doctors have spoken out to warn the public after a recent study found that young people have “permanent heart damage” after receiving Covid mRNA shots. | The disturbing study was published in the renowned peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation. Researchers found that 50 percent of young men who developed Covid vaccine-induced myocarditis were left with permanent heart damage. Dr. Drew Pinsky addressed the study last week on The Megyn Kelly Show. Pinsky told Kelly that he was stunned by the lack of coverage of the research.

David Miller | How lobbying works | This is how Zionist lobbying works, Zionists are seeded throughout the economic, political, and cultural fabric of society – sometimes via the agency of only one family unit like the Jon and Nicola Mendelsohn – and can then be called upon to play both ends of any relevant game. All in all, the case of Mendelsohn shows that the peaks and troughs of Zionism from “right” to “left” are a mirage. What unites all Zionists is Zionism – a commitment to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

Mike Stone | If you're taking a side in the current Hamas/Palestine/Israel conflict, you're being played. That's because Hamas is Israel. | Hamas is Israel in the same way that Al-Queda is Israel, and that ISIS is Israel. ISIS literally stands for Israeli Secret Intelligence Service. Israel funds and runs those three organizations and many more. It's called Controlled Opposition. Remember those fake ISIS beheading videos that were found on John McCain's computer? McCain was heavily involved in running and funding that whole operation. He was also involved in running and funding the overthrow of the government of Ukraine. Those are only two of the reasons why President Trump had him executed for treason. What you're seeing right now on the television set is nothing but theater. Theater with deadly consequences for some, but theater nonetheless. All those boot-licking, "conservative" pundits and commentators that you currently see, demanding that we "stand with Israel" are part of the same theatrical production. They're part of the Mockingbird Press, and they are being paid handsomely to spread their propaganda.

■ War Report on Israel 10/20/23 (Rumor Mill News)
■ Israel BOMBS Oldest Christian Church in Gaza (Hal Turner Show)
■ Israël bombarde l’église Saint-Porphyre à Gaza, 16 morts et de nombreux blessés (Le Média en 4-4-2)
■ Backing the Slaughter & Silencing the Critics (Elizabeth Vos)
■ Israel’s Culture of Deceit (Chris Hedges)
■ US Warmongers Keep Pushing The Narrative That Hamas Is To Blame For All Deaths In Gaza (Caitlin Johnstone)
■ I“A False Flag”? Their Objective Is “to Wipe Gaza Off the Map” (Global Research)
■ Criminality Beyond Description: Netanyahu Supports both Hamas as well as Al Qaeda Terrorists (Global Research)

The president of Türkiye has declared a three-day mourning period to honor the Palestinians that have been killed in the Hamas-Israel conflict | Türkiye will observe three days of national mourning in solidarity with Palestinians killed in the ongoing escalation between Israel and Hamas, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced late on Wednesday. ● The number of Palestinians who have died in the latest outbreak of violence in Gaza has almost reached 3,800 people, the Turkish media reported on Thursday, citing a statement by the Gaza Health Ministry. Around two thirds of them were women and children, the statement added.

■ Israel recalls all diplomats from NATO country (RT.com)

Refusing to toe the ideological line in the West is already directly punishable, as can be seen from the fact that it is permissible to express condolences to Israelis but not to Palestinians, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said. "Going beyond the buoys of the ideological trend is already directly punishable in the West. It is allowed to express condolences to Israelis, but not to Palestinians. They shouldn't be pitied. They are all some kind of terrorists and they can die by the thousands. Children, women, old people are simply expendable," Medvedev wrote. In a post on his Telegram channel, the Russian politician commented on the situation with French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen, who condemned soccer player Karim Benzema for posts in support of Palestine. ● Gerald Darmanen earlier said that the winner of the "Golden Ball" footballer Benzema has ties with a terrorist organization. Earlier, Benzema, who plays for the Saudi club Al-Ittihad, published a post in support of the residents of Gaza. ● Dmitry Medvedev believes that the US-led world "continues to slide into the deepest abyss," that the decisions of the United States are evidence of a loss of conscience, and that describing military aid to Ukraine and Israel as a "wise investment" is "beyond good and evil".

■ Biden's Address to Nation: Shameful Hypocrisy a Final Nail in America's Coffin (SIMPLICIUS)
■ The rank hypocrisy and double standards of the West (Xymphora)

An article published on Substack back in September accused the Australian government of mass murder during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. | The Sept. 9 post by the writer under the pseudonym ExcessDeathsAU argued that Canberra's actions during the pandemic were tantamount to democide, the intentional killing of unarmed people. The author allegedly spent months researching the Australian government's actions during the height of the pandemic in the Land Down Under. They outlined a series of troubling allegations against the Australian government, complete with supporting documents.

First, the government allegedly collaborated with tech giants like Twitter and Facebook "to censor, digitally corral, de-platform and target Australian citizens." In turn, this collaboration infringed on the freedom of speech and access to information during the pandemic.

Second, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) allegedly imposed restrictions on hydroxychloroquine prescriptions for COVID-19. The TGA is the country's equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Third, the government launched the "Arm Yourself" vaccine media campaign that tapped celebrities, sports stars and pastors to manipulate the Aboriginal group on COVID-19 vaccination. The said campaign ran from 2021 until 2022.

Fourth, public leaders like former Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan called people who refused the COVID-19 vaccine "drongos," "idiots," "morons" and "absolute cretins." Such coarse and derogatory remarks, ExcessDeathsAU noted, were seen as harmful to public discourse.

■ 2020-2022: Australia’s covid response (ExcessDeathsAU)
■ Covid democide: a primer (ExcessDeathsAU)

American commanders have reportedly taken over the command of Israeli operations against the Gaza Strip given the deep-running confusion among Israeli military echelons. | Citing sources in the occupied territories of Palestine who are familiar with the matter, Tasnim News said, “Considering the mental and psychological disorder of most of the Israeli military commanders, some American commanders have taken over the leadership of ‘some of their operations’ since the beginning of the Zionist attacks against the Palestinian citizens in Gaza.” The American commanders, Tasnim said, are working hand in glove with their Israeli peers. ● “The extreme psychological pressure caused by the extraordinary operations of the Palestinian resistance (the Al-Aqsa Storm) and the unprecedented losses inflicted on the Israelis have caused this psychological and mental confusion in such a way that many Israeli commanders are unable to make decisions,” the sources said. ● According to the Tasnim report, operations leading to the massacre of Gaza citizens are also carried out jointly by America and Israel. Some of these American commanders participating in the attacks are advising their Israeli comrades to refrain from entering Gaza by land because the possibility of a heavier blow is very high and this battle is not considered a right risk.

■ Biden tells Netanyahu US ‘fully in support’ of Israeli ground invasion of Gaza (PressTV)

The White House has been discussing the possibility of using military force if Hezbollah joins the war in Gaza and attacks Israel with its huge arsenal of rockets, three U.S. officials and one Israeli official with knowledge of the situation tell Axios. | Lebanon-based Hezbollah joining the war would dramatically escalate the Middle East's worst conflict in decades — raising the likelihood of mass civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon and possibly drawing in the U.S. The Israeli military — now focused mostly on Gaza — would have a significantly more difficult time fighting on two fronts simultaneously while missiles rain down on its bases and Israel's population centers.

The attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital on Tuesday left several hundred people dead | The strike on a Gaza hospital that left hundreds dead should serve as a signal both to Palestinian armed groups and Israel to end the hostilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. ● Speaking to journalists at China’s Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Putin described the powerful explosion that rocked Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, killing at least 500 people according to local authorities, as a “tragedy” and a “terrible incident.” ● “Hundreds of dead and wounded, of course, this is a catastrophe... especially in a humanitarian place. I expect this to be a signal that this conflict should end as soon as possible. In any case, it should lead to the start of some kind of contacts and negotiations,” he said.

■ LIVE: Israel accused of committing a ‘crime of genocide’ after hospital bombing, which killed hundreds (MEE)

■ Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) | The monstrous attack on the hospital in the Gaza Strip is certainly a war crime. And the final responsibility for it lies with those who cynically capitalize on wars in different countries and on different continents. Who recklessly hand out huge sums of money for weapons, loading their military-industrial complex. Who falsely broadcast their global mission to protect democratic values. The United States of America. (T)