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Israeli armed forces opened fire and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to harm fences at the Gaza Strip-Israel barrier, according to a written statement by the Israeli military on Sunday.
Palestinian medical teams had stepped in to help the injured person, however, the Palestinian succumbed to his/her wounds, the statement added.
Palestinians have been protesting along Gaza Strip-Israel barrier against the decades-long Israeli occupation and an 11-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its more than million inhabitants of many basic commodities.
More than 170 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army troops since the protests began in late March.
After the 2013 military coup that took place in Egypt with the instructions of the U.S. and Israel, Egypt has most recently signed the death sentences of 75 people, again under the tutelage of these two countries.On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on $1.2 billion in foreign military funding to Cairo. The timing of the release of the aid is of significance and is being evaluated as an award to Egypt’s junta regime.An Egyptian court on Saturday delivered death sentences to 75 people, including prominent figures of the Muslim Brotherhood, Essam al-Erian and Mohamed Beltagi, over a 2013 sit-in that ended with security forces killing hundreds of protesters.The sentencing, which included jail terms for more than 600 others, concluded a mass trial of people accused of murder and inciting violence during a protest at Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo.The decision can be appealed within 60 days.Death sentence for Muslim Brotherhood leadersAmong those who received the death sentence are the Deputy Head of the Freedom and Justice Party Islam al-Uyran, Muslim Brotherhood Shoura Council Member Abdulrahman al-Ber, Muslim Brotherhood leader Muhammed Beltagi, Al-Jamaatu al-Islamiyyah leaders Abdulmajeed and Tarek al-Zumer.Those who have been sentenced in absentia will be retried in the case that they are arrested or voluntarily turn themselves over to the police.The coup regime’s “mufti” approves sentencesOn July 28, an Egyptian court handed down a preliminary death sentence against 75 defendants in connection with the dispersal of a major protest camp in Cairo in 2013, according to a judicial source.The court referred the defendants to the so-called “Grand Mufti” of the Sisi regime, Egypt’s top religious authority, for consideration of the death penalty against them over charges ranging from murder to blocking roads.Egyptian law requires courts to refer cases to the Mufti for consideration of the death penalty ahead of a final verdict, although his decision is non-binding.Death sentences have been handed down to hundreds of Sisi’s political opponents on charges such as belonging to an illegal organization or planning to carry out an attack. Often the sentences are not carried out, but rights groups say hangings have increased in recent years, with dozens taking place each year.Egypt sentences 75 people to death over 2013 sit-inEgypt court sentence 6 to death for ‘violence’Heavy sentence against Morsi’s son A total of 374 defendants were slapped with aggravated jail sentences reaching 15 years, including Mohammad Morsi’s son Usama who was slapped with a sentence of 10 years in jail. Twenty-two defendants were given 10 years each in jail, while Mahmoud Abdulshukur, who was filming the protests, received 5 years in jail, along with 215 other defendants. Five defendants were cleared after passing away before the verdict.Mohammed Badie gets life sentenceIn total, sentences were handed down for 739 people, 300 of whom are detained, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Mohamed Badie and MP of the Al-Wasat Party Essam Sultan who were both among the 47 people receiving life sentences.Rabaa square was the single most deadly incident in unrest which followed the 2011 popular uprising that toppled Egypt's longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.Since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities launched a relentless crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds of his supporters and sending thousands behind bars. 
Egypt sentences 75 more to death in compliance with US, Israeli instructions
Israeli police on Sunday detained two Palestinian girls as they left East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.“Police forces held my 15-year-old daughter shortly after leaving the mosque,” her mother Jihad al-Razzam told Anadolu Agency.She said her 21-year-old niece was also detained.No information was yet available about the reason of their detention.Earlier, Israeli forces arrested an employee with Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordan-run organization responsible for overseeing the city's Islamic sites.Tension has mounted in the Palestinian territories -- including occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa is located -- since U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the flashpoint city as Israel's capital.
Israeli police arrest 2 Palestinian girls in Jerusalem
Around 140 artists have called for a boycott of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, which is to be held in Israel.A letter published by The Guardian, a British daily, signed by 140 musicians, writers, actors, directors, novelists, and poets demanded the song contest to be boycotted if it is “hosted by Israel while it continues its grave, decades-old violations of Palestinian human rights."Among those who signed the letter were 6 Israeli artists Aviad Albert, Michal Sapir, Ohal Grietzer, Yonatan Shapira, Danielle Ravitzki and David Opp."We, the undersigned artists from Europe and beyond, support the heartfelt appeal from Palestinian artists to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 hosted by Israel," the letter read.The letter said that “until Palestinians can enjoy freedom, justice and equal rights, there should be no business-as-usual with the state that is denying them their basic rights.""On 14 May, days after Israel’s Eurovision win, the Israeli army killed 62 unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza, including six children, and injured hundreds, most with live ammunition.“Amnesty International has condemned Israel’s shoot-to-kill-or-maim policy and Human Rights Watch described the killings as 'unlawful and calculated.'"Musician Roger Waters, director Ken Loach and author Yann Martel are also among those who signed the letter.The letter said the European Broadcasting Union “should cancel Israel’s hosting of the contest altogether and move it to another country with a better human rights record,” as changing the location from Jerusalem to a “non-divisive” location would not be sufficient.In May, at least 62 Palestinian demonstrators were martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza-Israel fence, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.Thousands of Palestinians had gathered on the Gaza Strip’s eastern border to take part in protests marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel -- which Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, Arabic for "Catastrophe" -- and protest the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.Since the Gaza rallies began on March 30, more than 100 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred by Israeli army gunfire.The Israeli government came under international criticism over targeted killings during the protests but it claimed the border protests constituted a “state of war” in which international humanitarian law does not apply.
140 artists boycott 2019 Eurovision contest in Israel
Israeli defense officials have suggested establishing an alternative for UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, to head off a humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to Israeli Haaretz newspaper on Sunday.On August 31, Washington ended all of its funding for UNRWA as part of a broader policy by the U.S. administration to cut aid to the Palestinians.The U.S. was -- by far -- UNRWA's largest contributor, providing it with $350 million annually -- roughly one quarter of the agency's overall budget.By the end of September, donor countries for Gaza will hold a meeting in New York.According to Haaretz, an Israeli delegation to the meeting will ask donors to guarantee the continued delivery of food, operation of UNRWA’s schools and paying their salaries.Established in 1949, UNRWA provides critical aid to Palestinian refugees in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Israel seeks alternative to UNRWA in Gaza
Palestinian Health Ministry warned on Sunday of grave consequences of the fuel crisis on hospitals in the blockaded Gaza Strip.“Generators are about to shut in major hospitals in Gaza due to shortage of fuel,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement.“There is no response from all parties so far [to solve the crisis],” he said.On Tuesday, the ministry warned of collapse of medical services in hospitals in Gaza due to lack of fuel needed to run generators in hospitals.Home to nearly two million people, the Gaza Strip boasts a total of 13 Ministry-run hospitals and 54 primary health care centers that account for roughly 95 percent of all health services in the coastal enclave.Gaza, which continues to groan under Israeli siege, has struggled with severe electricity shortages since 2006.
Gaza hospitals to stop services over fuel crisis
Israeli army forces rounded up four Palestinians near border of the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the Israeli military.A military statement said the four were arrested as they “attempted to break through the security fence from Gaza into Israel”.According to the statement, a knife and an ax were seized from the four Palestinians.The arrests come amid weekly Palestinian protests along Gaza-Israel border against the decades-long Israeli occupation and an 11-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its more than million inhabitants of many basic commodities.More than 170 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army troops since the protests began in late March.Galeri: 'Great March of Return' protests continue in Gaza
Israel arrests four Palestinians near Gaza border