Organizing and actions to resist the moral, environmental and financial bankrupting of the U.S. through wars against the poor, at home and abroad.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Lucrative Real Estate Deals Built Over A Mountain Of Corpses Of Martyred Palestinians?
This might be the most disgusting photograph I can imagine. I see frat boys gloating and licking their greedy Zionist chops over the prospect of lucrative real estate deals built over the mountain of corpses of martyred Palestinians.
As the joy and love of returnees to northern Gaza mingles with sorrow, grief, and rage, it's a time to take stock and pull together disparate pieces of information to paint a truthful picture of what happened.
For a time this winter the Revolutionary News Network telegram channel took a break from translating and disseminating statements by Hamas and other resistance groups. I was very glad to see they are back now; I can't read Arabic and am dependent on such services to access primary sources.
Here then in is the summary statement issued by Hamas and translated into English, as shared on a blog I've come to depend on for not only the facts but the context to understand them, Palestine Will Be Free:
The Government Media Office in Gaza held a press conference on, Sunday, February 2, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and gave an assessment of the damage inflicted on the besieged enclave during the 471 days of genocidal Israeli assault, which was funded, aided, abetted and diplomatically shielded by the West with the United States at the forefront.
The true extent of the human loss will take still some more time to be fully accounted, however, the Gaza administration has revised the death toll to over 61,709 — which is likely still an undercount. After analysing the data for the first nine months of the genocide, Lancetestimated that Gaza health ministry undercounted the death toll by 41 percent. Up to June 30, 2024, the official death toll stood at 37,877. Lancet’s estimate put the toll between between 55,298 and 78,525 by that time. The genocide went at full pelt for another six and half months, which would put the toll from traumatic injuries well above 100,000 at a minimum.
More grotesque numbers were revealed at the conference. Since Israel disproportionately targeted children and women, 17,881 children were slaughtered, 214 of whom were born and killed during the genocide. The occupation killed 12,316 women. The UN said last November that 70 percent of the dead were women and children.
The genocidal occupation targeted professionals as a matter of unstated policy. It killed 12,800 students, 800 educational staff, 205 journalists, 1,155 medical personnel, 194 civil defense workers, and 736 aid workers.
The Israeli terrorists left over 38,000 children orphaned. 2,092 families were completely wiped off from civil records, while 4,889 families have only one surviving member.
In line with Netanyahu’s October 2023 declaration, where he stated, “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible; and we do remember,” the barbaric Israeli military has caused devastation of Biblical proportions, leading the Gaza government to assert, “No human, stone, or tree was spared.”
Here’s the press conference in full (transcribed by RNN):
At the outset, we pray for mercy upon the souls of our martyrs who were killed by the occupation in the genocide war waged against our people for 471 days, during which it spread killing, destruction, and devastation across all aspects of life. We also wish a speedy recovery for the wounded and injured, and freedom for the prisoners.
We extend our salute of reverence and pride to our heroic, patient people — the true champions and makers of this legendary epic. On the rock of their steadfastness, the occupation’s illusions shattered, and before their determination, all the goals of the occupier’s army and its supporters dissipated. They endured, sacrificed, and gave their all for the sake of Allah, belittling their sacrifices and rising above their wounds. May Allah reward them on behalf of Palestine, Al-Aqsa, and the prisoners with the best of rewards.
We salute our resistance, which fulfilled its duty to defend our people and our land, confronting with its bare hands the most formidable military arsenal, backed by all the forces of evil and tyranny. Through this, it demonstrated to the entire world the authenticity of our people and their deep-rooted connection to this land.
Today, we stand here at this place — the witness and the martyr — on the ruins of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, which was burned, destroyed, and ravaged by the Mongols of this era. We present the preliminary report on the direct damages and losses caused by the Zionist-American genocide against our people, their national resources, and vital sectors. This crime was carried out with direct sponsorship and unprecedented support from the former US President Biden’s administration, along with complicity from other international forces, amidst Arab, Islamic, and global incapacity and neglect. No human, stone, or tree was spared.
The Gaza government has revised the number of martyrs to 61,709.
Humanitarian losses
The martyrdom toll from this war has exceeded 61,709 martyrs, including 47,487 martyrs whose bodies have reached hospitals, while 14,222 martyrs remain missing under the rubble or on the roads.
The number of injured has reached 111,588.
More than 6,000 detainees have been arrested by the occupation, subjected to the most horrific forms of abuse and torture, with dozens martyred under torture.
Forced displacement has affected more than two million people, some displaced over 25 times, in conditions devoid of essential services.
This means that 8 percent of Gaza’s population has been direct victims of the genocide war — an unprecedented percentage in history’s worst wars and massacres. To put this into perspective, applying this percentage to the global population would mean 640 million people affected.
The occupation committed 9,268 massacres against families, leading to the complete erasure of 2,092 families from civil records.
It killed 4,889 families, leaving only a single survivor in each to bear the agony of loss and separation.
Israel disproportionately targeted children and women during its Gaza genocide.
A genocide whose prominent features included the targeting of children and women:
Among the martyrs were 17,881 children, including 214 infants born and killed during the aggression.
Over 38,000 children were orphaned, including 17,000 who lost both parents.
The occupation killed 12,316 women.
Destruction of humanitarian service providers in the genocide:
1,155 medical personnel were martyred.
205 journalists were killed by the occupation.
194 civil defense workers were killed by the occupation.
736 aid workers were killed by the occupation.
More than 3,500 government employees were also martyred.
Economic and infrastructure losses:
The war of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity carried out by the occupation army, under direct instructions from its political leadership and with the approval and supervision of Biden’s administration, have resulted in over $50 billion in direct damages and losses across various sectors. These preliminary estimates are based on field assessments:
Housing sector:
450,000 housing units were damaged
170,000 units completely destroyed
80,000 severely damaged
200,000 partially damaged
Estimated losses exceed $25 billion
Health sector:
34 hospitals were put out of service, including Al-Shifa Medical Complex, depriving all residents of the Gaza Strip of even the most basic healthcare services.
80 health centers, 212 medical institutions, and 191 ambulances were damaged.
Losses exceed $3 billion.
Education sector:
1,661 educational institutions were damaged
927 schools, universities, kindergartens, and educational centers completely destroyed
734 partially damaged
The occupation killed 12,800 students and about 800 educational staff
785,000 students have been deprived of education
Estimated losses exceed $2 billion
Government institutions:
216 government headquarters and facilities were completely destroyed
60 government offices were heavily damaged
Estimated losses exceed $1 billion
Public services and infrastructure:
3,680 km of electricity networks damaged
2,105 electricity transformers destroyed
350,000 electricity meters, 538 generators, and 16,266 solar projects damaged
335 km of water networks, 496 desalination plants, 111 central water tanks, and 1,698 wells damaged (717 completely out of service)
655 km of sewage networks and 65 treatment plants damaged
3,916 km² of roads and streets destroyed
Estimated losses exceed $4 billion
Israel damaged 1,129 mosques, of which 983 were completely destroyed.
Over 30,000 vehicles and means of transport damaged
25,000 cars
1,000 fishing boats
1,000 municipal and civil defense vehicles
Total estimated losses $1.5 billion
Telecommunications sector:
579 km of communication networks and lines damaged
Total losses reaching $1.5 billion
Social sector:
1,129 mosques damaged, 983 completely destroyed
3 churches damaged, one completely demolished
19 cemeteries destroyed, with the occupation looting hundreds of remains and the bodies of martyrs
1,062 charitable, sports, and cultural institutions damaged, 488 completely demolished
Total estimated losses $2 billion
Israel killed 205 journalists in Gaza during its genocide.
Media sector:
262 media institutions were affected, including 182 that were completely destroyed, encompassing television channels, radio stations, and media production companies.
Total estimated losses $600 million.
In light of this catastrophic humanitarian situation, we affirm the following:
We declare the Gaza Strip a humanitarian disaster zone, where all means of basic survival are absent. This places an urgent responsibility on the international community and its institutions to intervene immediately and rescue more than 2.4 million people facing death from hunger, thirst, cold, and disease.
We hold the occupation, the Biden administration, and all those who provided any form of political, economic, or military support to the occupation responsible for this humanitarian catastrophe that has befallen our people — an unprecedented crisis in history.
We emphasise that the plan for Gaza’s reconstruction, with its various phases and required needs, has been formulated in partnership between government institutions, civil society organisations, and international institutions. We call for the immediate implementation of urgent relief and housing measures, including the entry of 200,000 tents, 60,000 mobile homes, and all necessary shelter supplies.
The government is currently focused on assessing and documenting the damage, providing services, restoring what can be salvaged of the deteriorating infrastructure, opening main roads, and preparing shelters. However, this effort cannot meet the immense needs of the population, especially given the lack of necessary resources. Therefore, we urge the immediate entry of teams, equipment, and machinery needed to carry out these tasks.
We reject all plans for displacement and forced expulsion. We know that our people, who have thwarted the occupation’s goal of forced displacement despite mass killings, bombings, and destruction, will remain steadfast and will foil any further attempts to impose this plan. We also commend the official and public stances that have rejected these schemes and refused to cooperate with them
We affirm that we have not and will not hesitate to fulfill our ethical, functional, and national duty in serving our people. We will not allow any administrative vacuum in Gaza. Just as we stood alongside our people during the aggression, sacrificing our best government leaders and personnel, we will stand together in the battle of rebuilding and reconstruction. We also affirm our openness and full readiness to adhere to any nationally agreed-upon framework that our people accept for managing their lives and affairs.
We once again salute our people, who have demonstrated the highest examples of sacrifice and heroism, writing with their blood an epic that history will record in letters of light.
The international community must not close the doors of hope to our people or block their access to a dignified life. Our people deserve a free and honorable life, free from occupation.
Mercy to the martyrs, healing to the wounded, and freedom to the prisoners and Al-Aqsa.
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