October 25th News Bulletin

Screen Grab from Video of BBC journalist in the Al Sahel Hospital.

BBC tours hospital Israel says sits above millions in Hezbollah gold

BBC

“The BBC’s Orla Guerin has been taken on a tour of Al Sahel Hospital in Beirut where Israel claims millions of dollars in cash and gold are kept in a hidden Hezbollah bunker underneath. Doctors denied the allegation and took the BBC through the building, including to the first and second level below ground. They insisted there is nothing underneath. On Monday night the hospital had to evacuate around 50 staff and 15 patients - none of them critical - when Israel made its claim. Hospital officials have insisted that Al Sahel has no connection with any organization, or group, or faction.”

Top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine is dead

ABC News

“Hashem Safieddine, a strongman who rose through the ranks of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over decades to become the second-most powerful person within the organization, has died. Safieddine, who was about 60, was killed in early October in a series of Israeli airstrikes in a southern suburb of Beirut that shook much of the Lebanese capital, part of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah. Israel said Tuesday that Safieddine had been killed in the strikes; Hezbollah confirmed the death Wednesday.”

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli strike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 22, 2024.

Deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut and Gaza as Blinken returns to push for peace amid spiraling warfare

BBC

"Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel Tuesday to make another push for a cease-fire in the close U.S. ally's multi-front war with Iran's so-called proxy groups. Just hours before he landed, air raid sirens pierced the morning quiet in Tel Aviv and operations at Ben Gurion airport were briefly suspended, heralding the latest attempted attack by Hezbollah in Lebanon, this time with about 20 rockets or drones aimed at northern and central Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces."

More than 442,000 children in central and southern Gaza received the second dose of the polio vaccine earlier this month.

North Gaza polio vaccinations delayed due to strikes and displacement

BBC

“UN agencies say they have postponed an emergency polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza due to intense Israeli bombardments, mass displacement and lack of access. The final phase of the two-stage rollout - prompted by Gaza’s first case of polio in 25 years, which left a baby boy paralyzed - was due to begin on Wednesday."

CMEP issued a statement this week on the U.S. Brokering a Regional Ceasefire and Prevent Further Escalation in Lebanon and Beyond. That statement can be read here. In addition - CMEP joined more than 150 international NGOs in calling for UN Member States to immediately secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and across the region.  You can read that call here. 

 Mini-Series: Holding on in the Dark: Palestinians Pursuing Justice Under Occupation

Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) for a five part mini-series featuring stories from several notable Palestinian Christian cases currently making their way through the challenges, injustices, and frustrations of the legal system under occupation. Over the course of the series, we will hear from the families and loved ones of Palestinian youth in detention, families whose lands are at risk of annexation, experts on the Israeli government’s use of legal proceedings, and CMEP staff and board members. Each week, will also include action-steps for how Americans can support and advocate for Palestinians in the U.S.

October 28th Mini-Series #3: Holding on in the Dark: Spotlight on Layan Nasir

Layan Nasir was detained on April 7, 2024 when around 20 Israeli soldiers hammered on the door of her parents' house in the West Bank town of Birzeit near Ramallah, before her mother, Lulu Aranki Nasir, opened it. Then on the 15th of April, Israeli intelligence placed Layan in administrative detention for four months without charges. By the end of July, Layan’s administrative detention was extended by an additional four months, putting her family in a state of desperation. In this mini Webinar, Lulu Nasir, Layan's mother, will call on the international community to take action. She will also share her concerns about her 23 year-old daughter and some updates about Layan’s case. The Nasir family is an Anglican Palestinian Christian family who are supported by The Episcopal Church and Churches for Middle East Peace who have been advocating for Layan's release. Join us on October 28 to hear about the details of Layan's detention, the hearings that have taken place since then, and steps of advocacy we can take in the United States to support calling for Layan's release.

Learning from Palestinian Catholics: Hardship & Hope in Israel-Palestine (Session at the 2024 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice)

Join the Catholic Advisory Council (CAC) of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) for a special breakout session at the 2024 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington DC entitled, “Learning from Palestinian Catholics: Hardship & Hope in Israel-Palestine.” This special breakout session will be held from 7:30-8:30 PM on the opening night of the conference, October 26th, and feature remarks from the CAC’s Julie Schumacher-Cohen and Shaddy Maklouf, a Palestinian-American Catholic Student.

And Still We Rise

And Still We Rise 2024 (ASWR2024) provides a safe space for Palestinian/ Middle Eastern and American/ international women to build community, invite transformation, grow in ecumenical faith, and take action. The ASWR Summit seeks to support the convening and elevation of Palestinian Christian women leaders.

Drone image shows displaced people in Jabalia, October 21. Avichay Adraee via X

Hospitals under fire as Israeli forces deepen operations in northern Gaza

Reuters

“Israeli military forces besieged hospitals and shelters for displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday as they stepped up their operations, preventing critical aid from reaching civilians, residents and medics said. Troops rounded up men and ordered women to leave the Jabalia historic refugee camp, they said. An Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia killed five people and wounded several others, medics said.”

Palestinians wait for aid lorries to cross into the central Gaza Strip in May. AP

Democrats push Biden to demand media access to Gaza amid Israeli aid block

The National

“More than 60 Democratic legislators on Monday sent a letter to US President Joe Biden demanding “unimpeded media access” to Gaza amid growing warnings that Israel is intentionally starving Palestinians there. Led by Jim McGovern, the members of the House of Representatives said that Israel's restrictions on foreign media “undermine the very foundation of press freedom and democratic accountability”.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) meets Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 9. Saudi and Iranian officials have met three times in one month. Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Anadolu/Getty Images

Washington’s Arab allies engage with Iran as US efforts to stem Middle East violence falter

CNN

“Growing unease over the United States’ inability to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East is prompting some of Washington’s closest Arab allies to significantly increase engagement with its primary regional adversary: Iran. Over the past few months, Arab nations have been leveraging their revived relations with the Islamic Republic to ward off a wider regional war as the US fails to contain an impending regional escalation.”

Civilians fled several central neighbourhoods of Tyre shortly before the strikes.

Israel strikes Lebanon's Tyre, close to site of ancient Roman ruins

BBC

“Israel has carried out at least four air strikes on the historic Lebanese port city of Tyre, hours after expanding its evacuation orders to cover several central neighbourhoods, Lebanon’s state news agency says. Videos showed huge clouds of black smoke rising from a seafront area that is only a few hundred metres from a Unesco World Heritage-listed Roman ruins. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.”

Holding on in the Dark #1: Overview of the Israeli Legal System Under Occupation (ft. HaMoked)

On October 15th, CMEP held the first installment of our five-part mini-series "Holding on in the Dark: Palestinians Pursuing Justice Under Occupation." To open the series, the first conversation featured Jessica Montell, the Executive Director of the Israeli human rights organization HaMoked and longtime human-right activist and expert. In conversation with CMEP's Kyle Cristofalo, the episode provided a glimpse into the systems of occupation, legal challenges for Palestinians within the Israeli system, and the cases we will be highlighting in the weeks to come. Rewatch it here!

Updates from the Ground: Insights from CMEP's October 2024 Middle East Travel

On October 17th CMEP's Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon shared insights from her October 2024 Middle East travels. During her travels she met with a number of prominent religious leaders, government officials, and more. 

October 21st Mini-Series #2 Holding on in the Dark: Spotlight on Al-Makhrour

Over the past several months, the Al-Makhrour valley has been subjected to increased violence, including the forced seizure of the Kisiya family’s land and the establishment of an illegal outpost at Al-Makhour. On July 31st, 2024, settlers, escorted by Israeli military forces, invaded the Kisiya family home and physically removed the family and their belongings from the property. Alice and her mother were taken into custody after confronting extremist settlers who violently expelled them from their land. On October 21st CMEP heard more about the case of Al-Makhrour from Rev. Richard Sewell of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, and directly from Alice Kisiya about her experience. Rewatch it below!

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