Middle East Eye

Mahasen al-Khateeb used her talent in illustration and character design to document the horrors of Israel’s war on Gaza since it erupted last October.

On Saturday, she posted her last artwork, depicting the 19-year-old Shaban al-Dalu, who was burned to death during the Israeli bombing of al-Aqsa Hospital a few days ago.

Shortly afterwards, she was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted her neighbourhood in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.

Mahasen and her family were at home when the attack happened. In a Facebook post, she shared that there was no safe place left in Gaza to escape to, having already evacuated multiple times with death constantly looming.

For the last 15 days, the Israeli army has been invading northern Gaza under relentless bombing, which residents describe as the most violent incursion since 7 October 2023.

“The house was full of displaced people when Israel launched a series of intense attacks on the neighbourhood,” Mahasen’s uncle, Hosam al-Khateeb, told Middle East Eye.

“Mahasen was killed instantly and eight individuals were injured, some critically,” Hosam said.

Ambulances and civil defence crews struggled to reach the area due to heavy artillery shelling.

Mahasen was a painter, storyboard artist, freelance character designer and digital art mentor, supporting her family through her work. She used her talent to advocate for Palestinian rights and raise awareness of Israeli violations in Palestine.

Even during the war, she launched free online courses in freelance digital art to help those with internet access create a source of income.

Despite the continuous bombardment and poor internet connectivity, the artist used to depict and share the reality in Gaza on her social media.

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6 hours ago | [YT] | 5,065

Middle East Eye

The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will not deter the Palestinian people from resisting Israeli occupation and fighting for their “freedom and dignity”, a senior Hamas official told Middle East Eye.

Sinwar, who had served as the top Hamas leader in Gaza since 2017, was killed on Wednesday during combat with Israeli forces.

His killing was announced on Thursday when the Israeli military released drone footage showing the Hamas chief flinging a stick in the direction of an approaching drone in a partially destroyed house. Shortly afterwards, the Israeli army shelled the building, killing the 61-year-old leader.

The Israeli military’s video went viral across social media and was accompanied by quotes from Sinwar’s past speeches in which he said he would rather die in battle than surrender.

Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ political wing, told MEE that while it was “distressing to lose beloved people”, the killing did not mark the end of the Palestinian movement.

“It seems that Israel believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and end of the struggle of the Palestinian people,” he said.

On Saturday, three days after Sinwar was killed, the Israeli military dropped leaflets in southern Gaza showing an image of the Hamas leader lying dead on a chair, with his finger severed and blood running down his forehead.

“Sinwar destroyed your lives. He hid in a dark hole and was liquidated while escaping fearfully,” the leaflet said.

But Wael al-Saqqa, the secretary general of the Jordanian Islamic Action Front (IAF) party, said the manner in which Sinwar was killed set him apart from many of his predecessors who were also assassinated by Israel. Following the announcement of Sinwar’s death, Hamas’ Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, vowed to escalate its fight with Israel and Iran, which supports both groups, said Sinwar’s death would strengthen regional “resistance” to Israel.

Several analysts told MEE that, despite the celebrations by Israeli and Biden administration officials over Sinwar’s killing, Hamas would regroup and continue its resistance against Israeli occupation.

8 hours ago | [YT] | 21,919

Middle East Eye

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said he has ordered his ministry to start legal proceedings against French President Emmanuel Macron after France banned Israeli firms from participating in a military naval trade show.

Euronaval, which is organising the show taking place between 4 and 7 November in Paris, said last week that the French government had informed it that Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or show equipment, but could attend the event. The French decision affected seven firms.

Katz said in a statement on X: "I have instructed the Foreign Ministry to take legal and diplomatic action against the decision of [Macron] to prevent Israeli companies from showcasing their products at the @SalonEuronaval exhibition in Paris next month.

"The boycott of Israeli companies for the second time, or the imposition of unacceptable conditions, are undemocratic measures that are not acceptable between friendly nations. I urge President Macron to cancel them entirely."

12 hours ago | [YT] | 2,643

Middle East Eye

An Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya, a town in northern Gaza, killed at least 73 Palestinians on Saturday evening, according to the enclave's government media office.

More than 100 others were wounded and several people missing.

Israeli air strikes targeted a multi-floor building and damaged a number of nearby houses, medics in the Gaza Strip reported.

The government media office said that Israeli forces had bombed overcrowded residential areas in Beit Lahiya, adding that women and children were amongst the casualties.

"This is a war of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The occupation has conducted a horrifying massacre in Beit Lahiya," the media office said.

The attack shook the entire western part of the town, and buildings collapsed while people were inside, Al Jazeera reported. Residents were given no warnings to leave their homes.

Many people were left trapped under the rubble, with paramedics and civil defence crews unable to immediately reach the area due to the intensity of Israeli bombardment.

Hossam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, said that many of those wounded in the attack had died due to a severe lack of resources, medical supplies and specialised personnel at the facility.

He added dozens were missing under the rubble, and could not be rescued "due to the lack of resources and ongoing strikes".

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli forces surrounded and shelled the Indonesian Hospital, which is also located in Beit Lahia.

Israeli forces targeted the upper floors, where over 40 patients and medical staff had been present, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Marwan Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, said: "Israeli tanks have completely surrounded the hospital, cut off electricity and shelled the hospital, targeting the second and third floors with artillery."

Saturday's attack come as Israel's total siege on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza entered its 15th day. No food or clean water has arrived in the camp during that time.

Mohammed al-Hajjar, Middle East Eye's correspondent in Gaza, reported that Israel's military had targeted "any place where movement is detected" in Jabalia. He added that many people were trapped inside their homes, suffering from hunger and thirst.

In the south of the enclave, Israeli planes dropped leaflets showing a picture of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's body, accompanied by a message stating: "Hamas will no longer rule Gaza."

1 day ago | [YT] | 4,709

Middle East Eye

An Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya, a town in northern Gaza, killed at least 73 people on Saturday evening, according to the government media office in the enclave.

Israeli warplanes carried out several air strikes on a residential complex in Beit Lahiya, Wafa news agency reported.

In addition to at least 73 deaths, scores of others were wounded.

The government media office said that Israeli forces bombed overcrowded residential areas in the town. It added that women and children were amongst the casualties.

1 day ago | [YT] | 2,823

Middle East Eye

India’s largest business conglomerate, Tata Group, is complicit in Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestine and should be dropped as the lead sponsor of the New York City Marathon, a group of activists said at the launch of a new campaign targeting India’s involvement in the war on Gaza.

The TCS New York City Marathon, organised by New York Road Runners (NYRR), a non-profit based in the city, is considered the largest marathon in the world. In 2023, more than 51,000 runners participated in the event.

The campaign, dubbed “Tata Bye Bye”, was launched on Thursday by the New York City-based South Asian Left (Salam). It accuses Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a subsidiary of the Tata Group, of playing “a critical role in enabling Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.

The group alleges that the Indian company, through its various arms, maintains several business relationships with the Israeli government, including the manufacturing of weapons as well as the provision of IT and cloud services for the Israeli military.

“We are demanding Tata disclose all its connections with the Zionist entity and divest from them. We are demanding the NYRR to drop TCS,” said Aman, an organiser with Salam, who spoke to Middle East Eye and asked to be identified by their first name.

The organisers said Tata invests in Israel’s high-tech and financial ecosystems and has a history of supporting start-ups working on potential defence applications.

The decision to target Tata in New York City, the organisers explained, stemmed from the company’s visibility in the US and its significant role in the American economy.

Aman said Tata is heavily involved in defence projects and collaborates with Israeli contractors, contributing to military operations in occupied Palestinian territories. “At the same time, it has a very benevolent image. And it uses this image to whitewash its crimes,” Aman added.

According to TCS, the company works in Israel’s public sector on various digital ventures, including Project Nimbus, which provides cloud storage for the Israeli government, including the defence ministry and military.

✍️ Azad Essa

1 day ago | [YT] | 15,058

Middle East Eye

Thousands of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square, London, for “The Day of Action” organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Palestinian Forum in Britain, to demand the country end its complicity in Israel’s actions in Palestine, including the bombing and ground invasion of Lebanon.

The latest death toll of the Israeli war on Gaza has reached more than 42,500 Palestinians, with over 99,546 people injured and at least 10,000 missing, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.


Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon, which has killed over 2,350 people in Lebanon since 8 October 2023, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced, with Prime Minister Najib Mikati saying it may be the worst displacement in the country’s history.

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1 day ago | [YT] | 17,398

Middle East Eye

Malaysia's prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has condemned the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

"Once again, the international community has failed to uphold and ensure peace and justice, further worsening the conflict," he said on Facebook on Saturday.

He urged the international community to demand an immediate halt to Israel's killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

Ibrahim also mourned Sinwar's death, describing him on social media platform X as a "fighter and defender of the Palestinian people" who was "brutally murdered by the barbaric Zionist regime"

1 day ago | [YT] | 39,952

Middle East Eye

#BREAKING: A drone launched from Lebanon targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in the northern Israeli town of Caesarea on Saturday.

His spokesman said Netanyahu was not in the area and there were no casualties.

The Israeli military said that multiple drones were launched from Lebanon and that one had hit a building

1 day ago | [YT] | 27,014

Middle East Eye

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and one of Israel’s most wanted figures, was killed during an Israeli military operation in Gaza on Wednesday, the Israeli military said.

The Palestinian movement confirmed his death on Friday.

Following the announcement of Sinwar’s killing, social media exploded with a mix of sympathy, mourning, admiration and criticism. The hashtag #Sinwar went viral on X, formerly Twitter, with over two million shares as users discussed his legacy and his final moments.

Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK, US and European Union. Sinwar is widely ascribed as the architect of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, in which more than 1100 people were killed and around 250 taken captive by Palestinian fighters.

✍️ : MEE/Imene Guiza

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2 days ago | [YT] | 37,535