#battle of gaza (2007)

[a-modernmajorgeneral]

Hong Kong (CNN)  — 

Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas and Fatah have signed an agreement on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity” in Beijing, China said Tuesday.

The announcement followed reconciliation talks hosted by China involving 14 Palestinian factions starting Sunday, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, which come as Israel wages war against militant group Hamas in Gaza and as Beijing has sought to present itself as a potential peace broker in the conflict.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the agreement was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions.”

“The core outcome is that the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people,” Wang said, adding that “an agreement has been reached on post-Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government.”

It was unclear from Wang’s comments what role Hamas, which is not part of the PLO, would play in such an arrangement, or what the immediate impact of any deal would be. The talks were held as the future governance of Palestinian territories remains in question following Israel’s repeated vow to eradicate Hamas in response to the group’s October 7 terrorist attack on its territory.

The PLO is a coalition of parties that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993, and formed a new government in the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Fatah dominates both the PLO and the PA, the interim Palestinian government that was established in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after the 1993 agreement known as the Oslo Accords was signed. Hamas was not party to the accords and does not recognize Israel.

Mustafa Barghouti, president of the Palestinian National Initiative, who was at the Beijing talks, said “all the parties” have agreed that they should join the PLO, and that the organization is the only legitimate representative of the Palestinians.

There is a long history of bitter enmity between Hamas and Fatah. The two sides have tried – and failed – multiple times to reach an agreement to unite the two separate Palestinian territories under one governance structure, with a 2017 agreement quickly folding in violence.

The PA held administrative control over Gaza until 2007, after Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections in the occupied territories and expelled it from the strip. Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza and the PA governs parts of the West Bank.

Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo in October 2017 under pressure from the Arab states, led by Egypt. Under the deal, a new unity government was supposed to take administrative control of Gaza two months later, ending a decade of rivalry that began when Hamas violently evicted the Palestinian Authority from Gaza in 2007.

But the deal’s lofty aspirations quickly collapsed. When Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Gaza in March 2018, he was the target of an assassination attempt when a bomb detonated near his convoy. Hamdallah’s Fatah party immediately blamed Hamas for the attack.

[captain-price-unofficially]

Video published by Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas) allegedly showing them tracking an officer in the elite Shaldag unit, Yitzhar Hoffman, before he was killed by a sniper. Hoffman is said to be responsible for the siege and storming of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

Translation:

A unit of the occupation forces is holed up in Gaza City. The images obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera allow the location of the concentration to be determined. The field command center was established in a sports club, about one kilometer away from Al-Shifa Hospital, and located within the Jawazat area, which witnessed fierce clashes between the Israeli army and the Resistance factions for weeks.

This is Yitzhar Hoffman, a platoon leader in the Shaldag Special Unit. He was responsible for drawing up a plan to besiege Al-Shifa Hospital and then storm it last November. According to photos obtained by Al Jazeera, which are being shown for the first time, the Al-Qassam Brigades monitored Hoffman's movements after storming the hospital. At the end of last January, the Al-Qassam Brigades waited for the Israeli army to announce the killing of Hoffman so that they publish pictures of the operation and identify the targeted person.

The Al-Aqsa flood was not the first confrontation in which the Qassam Brigades used sniper weapons. The developed Al-Ghoul rifle that mimics the specifications of the Austrian-made Steyr rifle, caliber 12.7 mm, has the capabilities and features of an assault rifle with an adjustable system, to transform from an assault rifle into a sniper rifle.

The Al-Qassam Brigades were able to manufacture it locally and it bore the name of one of the most prominent symbols of military manufacturing in Al-Qassam: the martyr Adnan Al-Ghoul. With the rifle, Al-Qassam produced the appropriate ammunition to enhance the rifle’s effectiveness and feasibility.

The ammunition was manufactured with three specifications:

1- Training that enable the preparation of fighters within the special units.

2-Ammunition designed to target flammable materials.

3-Used to deal with the armor and fortifications used by the Israeli army.

The impact of the locally manufactured weapons is show on battlefields, in a way that the bullet penetrates the helmet worn by the soldiers and explodes after penetration. The bullet can also penetrate the protective vest, which is supported by a metal plate that shatters when hit to cause damage to the upper area of the body. It can also penetrate and disrupt devices and systems used by the occupying army.

To put the weapon into use, the Al-Qassam Brigades trained special units of fighters within its combat formations, as the photos obtained by Al Jazeera show. Training takes place after selecting fighters who have qualities that enable them to withstand long periods of waiting to capture a potential target, the ability to work under extreme pressure in difficult field conditions, the flexibility of concealment, determining the importance of the target and making the decision of execution.

The Qassam had previously used sniper weapons in field combat in battles before 2007, when it seized medium-caliber rifles like the Russian Dragunov and Brezhnev models and the Belgian FN FAL rifle. But it suffered from limited availability, scarcity of ammunition and its high cost. Then, heavy snipers including the Austrian Steyr and the Chinese M99, were brought into the Gaza Strip through supply lines. And documented operations were carried out using them.

The Ghoul rifle is the latest weapon in the resistance’s arsenal, which according to Al Jazeera’s information, recorded a verified hitting distance of 1800 meters in Al-Aqsa Flood Operation.

[this-lovely-universe]

Introduction post

please don't send me Gaza donations asks. I can't donate, they stress me out and most people who will see it won't be able too either.

Post limit account: @brookfinleyanastasia

Brooklyn Hayward

Colour: Pink

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Birthday: 28th june, 2007

Godly parent: Aphrodite

Status: Dating my super hot amazing wonderful partner @childofthewargod and my other amazing hot goreous boyfriend @forbiddensonoftheseagod🥰

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Powers: Healing with love (Physical affection heals people), Biokinesis (Can change my appearance), Emotional Influence & Enhanced Hearing

Weapon of choice: Two daggers that have purple handles

Fatal Flaw: Blames herself for everything

time at camp: 4 months

Face claim:

Anastasia Baird

Colour: Red

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Birthday: 9th may, 2009

Godly parent: Chaos, Legacy of Ares

Status: Single

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Powers:

Ares: Insane reflexes, heighten senses, Telumkinesis, Odikinesis, Necromancy (Limited to soldiers on the losing side of a battle), Enhanced strength

Chaos: Pyrokinesis (limited to primordial flames), psychokinesis, can see through mist, Teleportation/Shadow travel (though she prefers shadow travel), element control (limited), object summoning, temporary power copying, immortality (limited), healing, night vision? (can see past true darkness), can see and understand gods and goddesses true immortal forms, blessings (can bless other demigods and boost their powers), Necromancy (yes again), can see the past present and future, and can enter and exit the underworld and Tartarus.

Weapon of choice: a ring that turns into a dagger if she turns left or a sword if she turns right

Fatal Flaw: Perfectionism

time at camp: 2 months

Face claim:

Finley Zavala

Individual Blog: @braving-the-storm

Colour: Blue

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Birthday: 3rd of August, 2007

Godly parent: Zeus

Status: Single babes single

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Powers: Atmokinesis (weather control), Electrokinesis, Aerokinesis (air manipulation) and weather prediction.

Weapon of choice: mid length sword

Fatal Flaw: Lack of self worth

time at camp: 3 months

Face claim:

Dorothea Baird

Colour: Green

Age: 13

Gender: Female

Birthday: 2nd march, 2011

Godly parent: Poseidon

Status: I have no friends 😀👍

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Powers: Hydrokinesis (duh), Telekinesis (Limited to ships for some reason?) Underwater breathing (Once again, obviously), Zoolinguism (Limited to sea creatures and horses), I just defy physics when water’s involved (DeFYiNg GRaviTY), I'm built different in water, Air bubble creation, I also defy wetness (Yes, sometimes as a child I’d just choose to not get wet and make bath time very frustrating), Night vision (Limited to underwater), Healing (with water) Liquid manipulation, Atmokinesis (Limited), Siren voice (Basically charmspeak but I can find fatal flaws and deepest desires and manipulate people. Don’t worry, I don’t do it often, that’s too much effort), water traveling (Water is like a portal for me. Ik mad flex), Body water manipulation (I can manipulate the water in people’s body and use them as a puppet. Once again, I don’t use this often cause creepy. Also can do this on dead bodies so…)

Weapon of choice: The blood of my enemies (literally) but I have a celestial shank (don’t ask how I got this)

Fatal Flaw: I don’t think before I act

time at camp: 2 hours

Face claim:

M

Colour: Purple

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Birthday: 13th of June, 2008

Godly parent: Unclaimed

Status: Single

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Powers:

Weapon of choice: Battle Axe

Fatal Flaw: can't let herself enjoy anything

time at camp: just got here

Faceclaim:

Important posts:

Aesthetics

lore drop collection

My OC's and their issues

ooc:

Hello

I've made one account cause I was sick of switch blogs and accidently reblog from the wrong account so I have made one

the other accounts will stay up, don't fear

All OOC will be in normal text

All dividers by @saradika-graphics

List of Tumblrs I run

Tags used (If you care about that thing):

Individual:

#brook has entered the chat

#finley needs your attention now

#anastasia says hi

#thea makes a splash

#m needs friends

other:

#oh my gods bro I got an ask will still be used for asks

#lovely talks for ooc

I am a minor also keep that in mind when interacting

I'm also asexual so any NSFW isn't allow (mainly because minor) and will probably be clowned on

[mariacallous]

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has reportedly selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in a move aimed at energizing the Democratic Party’s progressive base in Midwestern battleground states ahead of a tight presidential election in November.

Walz, a 60-year-old second-term governor as well as a former high school teacher and congressman, was relatively unknown on the national stage before U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Harris as his successor on July 21.

Since then, Walz has emerged a leading voice in Democratic lines of attack on Republicans, repeatedly referring to former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as “weird.”

Walz now faces an uphill battle of expanding his national visibility in a fledgling presidential campaign with less than 100 days to go until Election Day. The rival Democratic and Republican tickets reflect vastly different views on the United States’ role in the world, though it’s unclear how much foreign policy will be a factor for voters in the upcoming elections.

Trump and Vance have expressed skepticism toward U.S. alliance systems, and Vance in particular has become a vocal critic of continued U.S. aid to Ukraine as it fights its war against Russia, arguing that the United States should instead direct its military resources to countering China. Harris is expected to continue the Biden administration’s policy of supporting Ukraine. On the Middle East, however, Harris is facing mounting pressure from the progressive flank of the Democratic Party to reassess the U.S. relationship with Israel as it carries out its controversial war in Gaza—a driving issue for Arab American voting constituencies in battleground states such as Michigan.

Some progressive groups proactively campaigned to keep Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro—whom Harris was also considering as a potential vice presidential choice—off the Democratic ticket because they opposed his support for Israel.

Walz has hewed to the mainstream Democratic position of supporting Israel, but he has criticized Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and called in March for the United States to push for a cease-fire. “I’ve asked for these humanitarian pauses to get folks out. … I want this thing to end; I don’t want a cease-fire to last for a week or something like that. We need a permanent solution,” he told Minnesota Public Radio at the time.

Walz grew up in Nebraska and worked as a teacher first in China, then in Nebraska, and finally in Minnesota. He also served for 24 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, rising to the rank of command sergeant major. During his time in Congress from 2007 to 2019, Walz served on the House Armed Services Committee, overseeing U.S. military policy and spending, where early on he became a sharp critic of the Iraq War and opposed sending additional U.S. troops there.

In 2009, Walz visited Syria and met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as part of a congressional delegation that unsuccessfully tried to pressure Syria to stop the flow of arms to militant groups in Iraq, where Minnesota National Guard troops were deployed at the time.

He later opposed then-President Barack Obama’s plan to order military strikes on Syria in 2013 in response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons, citing opposition from constituents to further involving the U.S. military in conflicts in the Middle East. “This man [Assad] is a monster and the situation is horrific, but that is not compelling enough to come up with a plan that is not well thought out and in the best interest of this nation,” Walz said at the time.

Walz won his seat five more times before stepping down to run for governor in 2018.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Tim Black

Published: Oct 19, 2023

Over the past two weeks, the same phrase has been uttered by countless politicians: ‘Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.’ US president Joe Biden has said it. British PM Rishi Sunak has said it. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, which rules over the West Bank, has said it (before his speech was redacted).

But something far stronger needs to be said. It’s not that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. It’s that Hamas is against the Palestinian people. It’s the enemy of the Palestinian people. Its interests as an Islamist terrorist movement, dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Islamic state in its place, stand in direct opposition to the interests and lives of the Palestinian people.

Make no mistake: Hamas has always treated the Palestinians like dirt. Since it seized power in Gaza in 2007, it has ruled as one would expect it to – as a brutal, oppressive, theocratic regime. It has tortured and killed those who deviate from its strict ‘laws’, and who dissent from its quasi-fascist ideology. Homosexuals have been regularly persecuted, tortured and killed. And political opponents have frequently been murdered, sometimes under the cover of its intermittent battles with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Perhaps most despicable of all, Hamas has constantly sacrificed Gazans in its multiple conflicts with Israel, deliberately placing them in harm’s way. It has stored rockets in schools, mortar shells in hospitals and munitions in mosques. And, with incredible callousness, people have been ordered to remain in their homes during Israeli attacks, even when being told by the IDF to evacuate. This is still happening now. The IDF is telling those living in the north of Gaza to evacuate, while Hamas is ordering them to stay put.

Despite Western sympathisers’ attempts to downplay this horrific ‘tactic’, or to dismiss it as Israeli propaganda, Hamas has always been open about it. As one of its leaders boasted in 2008: ‘For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry… The elderly excel at this, and so do… the children. This is why they have formed human shields of the women and children.’ During the 2014 conflict with Israel, another senior spokesman told Palestinian station al-Aqsa TV that wilfully sacrificing Gazans ‘attests to the character of our noble, jihad-loving people, who defend their rights and their homes with their bare chests and their blood’.

Hamas uses the phrase ‘human shields’, but this unjustly dignifies this tactic’s depravity. For Hamas, Gazans’ bodies are not shields – they are media fodder. Their lives are worth less to Hamas than their deaths – the images and videos of which offer valuable propaganda material to be circulated around the world as proof of Hamas’s victimisation at the hands of evil Israel. Again, this is what Hamas is doing right now. As the Israeli military readies itself for a ground invasion, Hamas is happy to turn hundreds of thousands of Gazans into bloody war propaganda.

Every dead Palestinian is useful for Hamas. Just consider the explosion at the al-Alhi Arab hospital earlier this week. This was immediately held up by Hamas spokespeople as proof of Israeli war crimes. They claimed that 500 innocent people had died in the blast. Yet it now seems likely that Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another Islamist terror group, was responsible. All too often, rockets fired at Israel fall short of their targets and end up killing Gazans instead. But this is of no concern to Hamas, which can exploit and weaponise these deaths to its own abhorrent ends.

There is no question that Gazans have suffered greatly over the past two decades. But their oppression and exploitation has only benefitted Hamas’s leaders. They have happily reaped the rewards of their reign of terror, growing rich on their control of the Gazan black market, the largesse of their regional backers and no doubt some of the billions of dollars Gaza receives in international aid. Long-time Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh pledged to live on ‘olive oil and dried herbs’ after he led Hamas to victory at the 2006 Palestinian elections. In 2019, he shook off his asceticism and left Gaza to go on what Hamas announced was a ‘foreign tour’. He has never returned. The multibillionaire now lives in luxury in Qatar. As does some-time chairman of Hamas, Khaled Meshal. Meshal and his family, estimated to be worth something in the region of $2.5 billion, own a Doha real-estate firm, four residential towers and a 20-story mall. And all the while, the vast majority of Gazans live in extreme poverty.

Hamas is clearly corrupt, brutal and nasty. Yet we rarely hear much about just how vicious a regime Hamas runs, because Hamas also arrests, tortures and detains journalists. It is eager for the local and international press to carry stories and images of Gazans’ deaths at the hands of an Israeli missile. But less keen for the media to carry stories and images of its own treatment of Gazans.

That Hamas can treat Gazans so callously and brutally should not surprise us. Formed by the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, Hamas does not share the interests of the Palestinian people. It is not concerned with establishing some form of Palestinian statehood, or securing rights and freedoms. No, its goals are near-enough apocalyptic – and genocidal.

Like the larger Islamist movement of which it is part, Hamas wants to wage war – perhaps the final war – against the Jews. It wants to destroy Israel, to cleanse the land of Jews ‘From the river to the sea’, as the slogan goes. ‘Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious’, reads one of the opening lines of Hamas’s 1988 founding charter. Hamas, it says, ‘is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy [Israel] is vanquished and Allah’s victory is realised’.

This genocidal anti-Semitism doesn’t just pose a danger to Jews in Israel – it also makes any sort of political resolution of the Palestinian question near impossible. After all, how can Israelis be expected to make accommodations with a group that openly calls for their extinction? Meanwhile, the lives of the Palestinians are treated as mere fodder in this obscene, racist campaign.

And yet there are still many Western leftists proudly celebrating Hamas right now. There are many ‘radical’ academics cheering on Hamas’s pogrom of Jewish civilians as an act of resistance. And there are many poseurs flooding social media with Hamas-style anti-Zionism. These are not friends of the Gazans. They are friends of Hamas. And that makes them the enemies of the Palestinian people.

==

Free Palestine... from Hamas. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the biggest victims of Islam are Muslims. Hamas needs to be hunted down and exterminated so that Palestinians can find peace with Israel. It's impossible with fundamentalist terrorists in charge, because they're conducting a divine holy war.

The same way Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban need to be wiped out, and the Iranian regime torn down.

Also, defund Gender Studies.

[eretzyisrael]

by Seth J. Frantzman

This statement by Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari must be read, it shows how Hamas took over Shifa hospital in Gaza, returning even after the IDF cleared the area in November. It's important to understand the criminal aspect of Hamas here, how it likely had advise from its hosts/handlers/patrons abroad to go back to the hospital...that they thought they would be able to stop any action again in the same place. This isn't just hubris. It is how Hamas felt secure at the hospital. It knew that the intl NGOs, UN and others would never oppose it or speak out about hundreds, or almost 1,000 terrorists being there. Hamas leadership relaxes in a country that is a western ally. Hamas feels safe because of the West. This is a fact. This is how Hamas became so powerful, with the backing of int'l organizations and a sense of impunity granted by the West and also by Iran-Russia-China-Turkey-Doha. It's important to understand this. Hamas today is an empire of terror created with backing from abroad. The criminal group illegally took over Gaza and was systematically rewarded by the int'l community since 2007. This is a fact.

STATEMENT BY HAGARI:

The operation at the Shifa Hospital continues. This is the operation with the largest aggregation of terrorists we have apprehended since the beginning of the war. So far, we have apprehended over 500 suspects, 358 of which are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

They are surrendering, we are interrogating them, and they are providing us with very valuable and important intelligence.

We apprehended the chain of command of the Islamic Jihad, including:

1. Muhammad Jundia – Commander of the Shejaiya Battalion of the Islamic Jihad and the Deputy Commander of the terrorist organization’s Northern Brigade

2. Samir Ziad Abd Abu Odeh – Commander of the Al-Shati sector in the rocket unit of the Islamic Jihad.

3. Ahmad Samara – responsible for tunnels and underground terror infrastructure of the Islamic Jihad in the Northern Gaza Strip.

We apprehended senior Hamas figures, including:

1. Hamdallah Ali and Omar Azida– Azida, a senior official in the West Bank Headquarters, responsible for directing Hamas terrorist activity in the area of Nablus. Ali, who advanced Hamas activity in the Qalqilya area. The two are senior officials in the West Bank Headquarters of Hamas, they acted within their roles to advance terrorist attacks from Judea and Samaria, directed the transfer of weapons and funds to terrorists. This group operated under Saleh al-Arouri.

2. Mahmoud Kwasma - an operative in the Hamas West Bank Headquarters, planned and financed the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014, Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach, may their memory be a blessing.

In addition, we apprehended additional senior officials in Hamas' Internal Security forces.

Many terrorists in Shifa, especially from the Islamic Jihad, surrendered to our forces. This is a very hard blow to the Islamic Jihad - many of its operatives in the north, who are the majority of its significant operatives, either surrendered or were eliminated in the operation so far. With a number of them, we exchanged fire until they surrender or are eliminated.

During the last 24 hours, we entered the Qatari Building [in the Shifa compound]. This is a building that we also operated in during the previous operation in Shifa. This time, terrorists were hiding there. Shayetet 13 searched the building. During the scans on the basement floor, they encountered a terrorist cell. Our soldiers eliminated the terrorists without our forces being harmed. In another battle, another terrorist surrendered; after these battles, several terrorists surrendered. Among them are very senior officials - I still cannot publish their identities because they hold significant intelligence – after we finish interrogating them and find the intelligence with them, we will publish the identities of these terrorists. Senior Hamas officials understand well the significance of the operation and as the picture of the apprehended and of the eliminated terrorists becomes clearer - the pressure on them will increase.

At the beginning of the war, we destroyed the underground infrastructure dug under the hospital, and we confiscated military equipment and weapons hidden in it. The terrorists' command center at the Shifa Hospital was dealt with then. The terrorists fled in the previous operation when we called to evacuate the compound.

This time we operated differently. This time we operated by surprise. We raided the compound by surprise. The operation, led by the 162nd Division and carried out by special forces units led by Shayetet 13, in full cooperation on the ground, shoulder to shoulder with the ISA and Unit 504 for intelligence extraction in the field. We used deception tactics in this operation, and it was this that led to the success and apprehension of all 358 terrorists and there are more still inside this compound who haven’t managed to escape. This led to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad being severely damaged as a result of the operation. Those who did not surrender to our forces fought against our forces and were eliminated. Among them also the head of the Special Operations Directorate of Hamas' General Security - who chose to fight against our forces openly and our forces eliminated him.

The fighting continues inside the hospital buildings - inside the buildings at the hospital. There are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who decided to barricade themselves - they are currently barricading themselves in the area of the emergency room. At this stage, we are evacuating the patients - there are about 220 patients there - to another building. We are creating infrastructure for them, with appropriate medical equipment so that all the patients and doctors can be safe. For the past 24 hours, we continue to call upon the terrorists in the building to surrender, those who surrender will stay alive, those who do not we will fight against until we eliminate them.

Even at these hours, our soldiers are scanning the buildings, evacuating the wounded, and continuing to operate in the compound. There will be more ongoing combat here - there will be several more days to this operation.

Last night, when we visited the soldiers in the field during the operation, from all the special units - as I said, the Commander of Shayetet 13 briefed us, but there was also the ISA, also Unit 504 and also the senior command that came with us to the field. They told us something very very important - they emphasized to us, the soldiers and the commanders, that they will do everything necessary in this operation or another in order to bring about the release of the hostages. They emphasized - this is the most important thing to us.

We do not forget that in Gaza there are 134 hostages. It is our duty to continue and make every operational and intelligence effort, and also in negotiations, in order to bring them back home. This is what we are doing, and this is what we will continue to do. This is our responsibility.

I want to also send encouragement this evening to the families of the hostages. You and your loved ones are with us all the time.

[idahomag-com]

War Erupts: Israel Responds to Gaza's Large-Scale Attack

 A Day of Devastating Conflict

Israel is plunged into a state of war as Palestinian militants launch a massive surprise attack from Gaza, targeting civilian and military sites in Israel. The onslaught, which began early Saturday, has resulted in a tragic loss of life on both sides, with hundreds dead and an unspecified number of Israelis taken hostage.

Israel's Defiant Stance

In a resolute address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledges to eradicate Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza since 2007. He vows to dismantle every location where Hamas operatives seek refuge, emphasizing Israel's determination to retaliate against those who pose a threat. However, the situation remains dire for the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, trapped under a strict blockade for over 16 years.

Palestinian militants execute a multifaceted offensive, infiltrating Israel via paragliders, amphibious operations, and breaching border fences using explosives and heavy machinery. Concurrently, they launch a barrage of thousands of rockets into Israel, causing widespread panic and chaos. Fierce ground battles unfold in several southern Israeli communities, leaving communities in fear and casualties in their wake.

Global Responses

Internationally, leaders from various countries, including the U.S. and Israel's Arab neighbors, call for de-escalation. President Biden reaffirms unwavering support for Israel's security while unequivocally condemning terrorism. Top U.S. officials engage in discussions to assess the situation and provide appropriate assistance. However, the escalated conflict could potentially jeopardize diplomatic efforts, such as the U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

 Uncertain Horizons

As the conflict rages on, uncertainty looms over the restoration of peace and the actions Israel might take in response to this invasion. The situation remains highly volatile, with the potential to further destabilize the region and impact global diplomacy.

Conclusion

In the aftermath of this large-scale attack, Israel faces a turbulent period marked by intense fighting, casualties, and an unpredictable future. The international community watches with bated breath, hoping for a swift resolution and an end to the bloodshed. The coming days will prove crucial, shaping the trajectory of this conflict and its far-reaching implications for the region and the world.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.27 (after 1930)

1932 – Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York City. 1935 – Regina Jonas is ordained as the first female rabbi in the history of Judaism. 1939 – The 7.8 Mw  Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). At least 32,700 people were killed. 1939 – Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet attack in the Battle of Kelja. 1945 – The International Monetary Fund is created with the signing of an agreement by 29 nations. 1949 – Indonesian National Revolution: The Netherlands officially recognizes Indonesian independence. End of the Dutch East Indies. 1966 – The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital crewed mission to the Moon. 1968 – North Central Airlines Flight 458 crashes at O'Hare International Airport, killing 28. 1978 – Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of fascist dictatorship. 1983 – Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square. 1985 – Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria. 1989 – The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest. 1991 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751 crashes in Gottröra in the Norrtälje Municipality in Sweden, injuring 92. 1996 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan. 1997 – Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 2002 – Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia. 2004 – Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet. 2007 – Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident. 2007 – Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis. 2008 – Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches three-week operation on Gaza. 2009 – Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators. 2019 – Bek Air Flight 2100 crashes during takeoff from Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, killing 13.

[lightelfearthling]

Gaza - Fatah-Hamas: The Battle For Gaza June 2007

[bloghrexach]

🗞️ … HERO!! … 🗞️

“An independent Palestinian photojournalist whose social media coverage of the war in Gaza gave millions of people around the world a view of life and death in the besieged territory, has evacuated after surviving 108 days of reporting amid relentless bombings and battles.

Motaz Azaiza covered Israel's destructive bombardments of the Palestinian territory since Israel declared war against Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 militant attacks on Israeli communities.

In a video posted on his social media accounts Tuesday, Azaiza told his nearly 20 million followers he was laying down his blue "Press" flak jacket — for now. His caption read that he had to leave Gaza "for a lot of reasons," but he did not explain further.”

@hrexach

[whereareroo]

THE TOLL OF WAR

WF THOUGHTS (12/4/23).

It’s been nearly two months since Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. For good reason, most Americans support Israel. That support is so strong, and so widespread, that folks are extremely reluctant to say anything negative about Israel. Now that we’re almost 60 days into this phase of a battle that has been ongoing since the Israeli blockade of Gaza in 2007, it’s time for a brutally honest assessment of Israel’s behavior since October. Friends need to be honest with friends- -even if the truth hurts and causes discomfort.

Before I start, let me restate an obvious point. There is no excuse for terrorism. Terrorism is never justifiable. The Hamas attack on Israel was horrific and it must be strongly and universally condemned. As we reflect upon this awful situation, we must always remember that Hamas caused the current conflict. Hamas killed 1,200 innocent Israeli people and kidnapped another 200 hostages.

We must also remember the basic facts. The Gaza Strip is the size of Philadelphia. It has a population of 2 million people. Only 1% of those people are terrorists. The other 99% are innocent civilians.

Now, let’s look at the hell that Israel has unleashed on this small piece of land the size of Philadelphia. Israel has conducted one of the most brutal bombing campaigns in world history. In the first week alone, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs into Gaza. As a point of reference, you should know that at the height of our war against terrorists in Afghanistan, America dropped 7,400 bombs in an entire year- -and those bombs were dropped over a vastly wider area. In this tiny area, over a time period of less than 60 days, Israel has bombed more than 12,000 locations. The latest reports indicate that Israel has dropped more than 25,000 tons of explosives into the Gaza Strip. That’s the equivalent of two nuclear bombs. Let me repeat that. Israel has effectively dropped two nuclear bombs on a place that’s the size of Philadelphia.

When you’re dropping that many bombs into that small of an area, there is no way to minimize the collateral damage. The bombs have hit residential settlements, apartment buildings, commercial centers, schools, hospitals, and religious centers. Some say that Israel has intentionally targeted the civilian population of Gaza. Even if that’s not true, it’s clearly reckless to drop that many bombs into a small area. The Israeli government knew that it would be killing civilians. It’s a war crime to kill civilians.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip has been sickening. In less than 60 days, more than 15,000 people have been killed. Most of them had nothing to do with Hamas or terrorism. More than half of the dead have been women or children. On the first day of bombing after the recent ceasefire ended, Israel killed 700 people in Gaza.

Let’s take a look at the war in Ukraine. It’s been underway for more than two years. Russia has made little or no effort to protect the lives of civilians in Ukraine. In the 22 months of the conflict, 9,700 civilians have been killed in Ukraine. In less than 60 days, the death toll in Gaza (15,000) is much higher. The world has been outraged by the slaughter of civilians in Ukraine. That outrage is one of the reasons that more than 40 countries have contributed to the defense of Ukraine, and why 141 countries at the U.N. supported a resolution condemning Russia and demanding a ceasefire.

If Israel continues with her bombing campaign, the civilian death toll in Gaza will grow by the thousands. Why is there no international outrage? Why is there no U.N. resolution calling for the bombing to end? Why does the world condemn Russia’s slaughter of civilians and stand silent while Israel slaughters innocent civilians? Are innocent lives in Ukraine different than innocent lives in the Gaza Strip? How many innocent civilians must die in Gaza before the world has the guts to speak out? 30,000? 50,000? I can’t stay silent any longer. I’m speaking out. You need to evaluate your stance on this issue.

Keep in mind that Israel has one of the most capable fighting forces in the world. Also, keep in mind that the Gaza Strip is only 140 square miles. Instead of widespread and uncontrolled bombing, why isn’t Israel putting boots on the ground and going block-to-block to eradicate Hamas. Even if they only cleared 2 square miles a day, which seems reasonable, they could clear the whole Gaza Strip in 70 days. If Israel sincerely wishes to minimize wholesale killing of civilians in Gaza, isn’t this the obvious way to go? Brutal air strikes are not the only tool in their arsenal. Israel’s decision to rely on indiscriminate bombing is proof that Israel is knowingly killing civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Some of you might be uncomfortable with this post. So be it. I realize that Israel was the victim of a horrendous terrorist attack. That doesn’t give Israel the right to commit war crimes. It’s a war crime to knowingly kill civilians. Supporting Israel, and her need to eliminate Hamas, doesn’t mean that you have to turn a blind eye towards the slaughter of innocent civilians. It’s possible to stand with Israel and to stand with all innocent civilians throughout the world. It’s very easy for me to do both. Israel is diminishing herself by engaging in this barbarism. The bloodshed must stop.

If any other country killed 15,000 people in less than 60 days, the outcry from the world would be deafening. For historic and political reasons, we’re all very sympathetic to Israel. I’m happy that we support Israel. She’s a key ally. She’s the only democracy in the Middle East. Friends must speak the truth to each other. As a friend, the United States must tell Israel that it’s time to switch gears and conduct the war without engaging in the widespread slaughter of civilians. I don’t want my tax dollars used to slaughter innocent people. How about you?

[metamoonshots]

[ad_1] Hamas’ latest assault on Israel and the next declaration of war by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resulted in over 5,000 deaths between each nations thus far. Sadly, this violence and destruction is more likely to proceed, inevitably leading to numerous extra harmless lives being misplaced. Israel Gaza struggle newest casualty figures — Aljazeera Battle. What's it Good For? Many are drawing similarities between this struggle and the struggle in Ukraine, arguing that the destruction occurring is because of the actions of leaders who don't have any drawback utilizing their residents as pawns of their lethal struggle video games.  Sadly, that is nothing new, as Main Common Smedley Butler identified in his 1933 speech on interventionism: “Battle is only a racket. A racket is greatest described, I imagine, as one thing that's not what it appears to the vast majority of individuals. Solely a small inside group is aware of what it's about. It's performed for the advantage of the only a few on the expense of the plenty.” In 1933, info was a lot more durable to come back by. However, with how related the world is at present, we're capable of collect and analyze information at a a lot quicker fee, enabling the “plenty” to attract conclusions about what advantages “the only a few” could also be gaining from the wars they orchestrate.  For the reason that begin of the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. has allotted over $110 billion in aid for Ukraine. That is some huge cash, even for a rustic that controls the world’s reserve foreign money. In April, 2023, nevertheless, U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh alleged that Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been embezzling tens of millions from this help. He studies that “one estimate by analysts from the Central Intelligence Company put the embezzled funds at $400 million final yr.” If Hersh’s findings are true, then this can be a prime instance of the “racket” MajGen Butler was referring to. Within the Israel-Hamas battle, issues are sadly not a lot completely different. According to former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, U.S.-supplied weapons, doubtless obtained by way of the black market, are being utilized by Hamas forces. Johnson added that “there are authorities officers and firms that additionally profit economically from [the black market sales of weapons].” Unsurprisingly, a minimum of 51 U.S. politicians in Congress maintain inventory positions in firms that immediately profit from struggle within the Center East, in accordance with information from Unusual Whales. these two examples, it’s not arduous to determine that struggle is sweet for one factor: making MajGen Butler’s “only a few” very wealthy. How Does Inflation Relate to Battle? In 2016, the Obama administration signed an settlement to offer Israel $38 billion in army help. The funds have been, and can proceed to be, distributed to Israel in annual funds by way of the top of 2028. This settlement changed an outdated memorandum of understanding, by which the U.S. gave Israel $30 billion in help between 2007 and 2018. Add this on to the $75 billion the U.S. has given Ukraine prior to now two years, and that’s over $135 billion in help that the U.S. has given to simply two international militaries prior to now 15 years. For perspective, that is nothing compared to the $5.5 trillion the U.S. has spent in 2023 alone. The place is all of this cash coming from? If historical past is any indicator, these wars are doubtless being funded by way of inflation. In easy phrases, the government borrows large sums of money to pay for the widespread killing occurring in different components of the world. Borrowing in giant portions like this considerably will increase the cash provide, inherently devaluing the dollars in your checking account. To make issues worse, this course of has develop into cyclical, leading to additional depreciation of the greenback. There's loads of proof to assist this

declare; all it's important to do is have a look at the change in worth of the greenback over the previous 15 years. For instance, $100 in 2007 can be worth $148 in 2023. You possibly can additionally check out the U.S.’s deficit, which almost reached $2 trillion in 2023, to see how wars could be funded by way of inflation. Regardless of the historic deficit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has claimed that the U.S. can “definitely” afford to assist each Ukraine and Israel. This assertion makes it clear that the U.S. has no indicators to decelerate its struggle spending any time quickly.  According to Earl J. Hamilton, the late financial historian from the College of Chicago, “wars and revolutions with out taxation to cowl the prices have been the principal causes of hyperinflation in industrial nations within the final two centuries.” After the U.S. Civil Battle, which was primarily financed by inflation, the Union noticed costs improve about 120%. From 1913 to 1920 (World Battle I) costs elevated 120% in america, 145% in Canada, 200% in Nice Britain, and 400% in France. Hamilton argues that one of many primary causes inflation is used to fund struggle is as a result of in the event that they had been funded by way of different means, akin to taxation, then the true value can be revealed to the general public and the struggle can be ended. So as an alternative, governments are complicit in funding struggle by way of inflation, which permits them to bypass the necessity for widespread public approval. Associated studying: Bitcoin Is An Unstoppable Non-Violent Resistance Movement Bitcoin Makes Battle Unaffordable In an ideal world there can be no extra struggle, however as we all know, the world is much from good. So, we must always a minimum of search for higher methods to fund these wars. As beforehand talked about, one different to funding wars by way of inflation can be funding them by way of taxation. This poses a number of issues, nevertheless, as taxes could be, and sometimes are, averted. Furthermore, it's a lot more durable to persuade the general public that a struggle is useful to them when the funding for stated struggle is taken immediately out of their pockets. One other, maybe extra lifelike, answer can be funding struggle with arduous cash, or cash that may’t be printed at will. That is considered one of Bitcoin’s greatest promoting factors, as its provide is limited to 21 million. In a world the place bitcoin is the reserve foreign money, governments can be unable to rob you thru inflation. They wouldn’t be capable to fund wars that solely profit themselves as a result of they wouldn’t be capable to borrow the sum of money wanted to take action. The U.S. authorities’s deficit would really imply one thing, as that cash must be paid again with cash that they really earned; they couldn’t simply borrow more cash to “settle” their money owed. Successfully, if the world had been on a bitcoin normal, struggle can be unaffordable — except the general public determined that it was vital and value paying for. Fixing our monetary system is a big first step in fixing the world. It is very important perceive that cash is info, a manner of recording how a lot worth you might have supplied. If somebody wants a brand new roof, they pay you for the service, or worth you might have supplied to them. In flip, you'll be able to use that cash to pay others who present worth to you. When governments have the power to create cash out of skinny air, they're disrupting this technique. It offers them the power to pay others who present worth to them (e.g., weapons producers who produce bombs to be used in Gaza), with out having supplied any worth to others with a purpose to earn stated cash. Not solely does this devalue the cash you might have really earned by way of contributing worth, nevertheless it additionally permits governments to behave with out the necessity for public approval.  If we take away the federal government’s

capacity to print and borrow cash with out limitation by switching to bitcoin (aka arduous cash), then the federal government will even lose their capacity to fund wars that most people needs no half in. Associated studying: [ad_2]

[ieshayuniceapineda]

THE CREATION OF HAMAS GROUP

In 1987, the Palestine formed the Hamas, a terrorist group who hated the PLO for being too secular. They boycott the election in 1996 and did suicide bombings in Israel.

In 2002, violent protests took place and more than 100 people died on the borders of both countries.

In 2006, they won the election against Fatah, a political party under PLO.

In 2007, the Fatah-Hamas Conflict or Battle of Gaza occurred. The Hamas took over Gaza and the PLO ruled the West Bank.

[mental-mona]

Excerpt:

(July 28, 2022 / JNS) Hamas’s battle doctrine calls for installing terrorist-military capabilities underneath and close to sensitive civilian locations, said Israel Defense Forces officials on Wednesday while exposing the locations of new combat tunnels dug underneath civilian neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip.

Operatives from Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, have been digging tunnels near medical clinics, schools and mosques, stated officials.

...

Rocket-launchers, for example, are installed underground next to a mosque; upon being activated, a multi-barrel launcher will rise out of the ground, fire its projectiles at Israeli civilian areas and flip back down.

...

An additional IDF official shared footage of three previously unknown areas of Hamas tunnels and weapons storehouses, including near the Islamic University of Gaza, where an opening to a network of terror tunnels is located, including a tunnel that runs adjacent to a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school and a franchised Pepsi bottling factory, and one running close to a medical clinic and ambulance center.

The goal of sharing such information is to raise awareness of the complexities of the conflict between Israel and terror organizations, said the officials.

“I don’t believe another country is subject to direct rockets launched at cities by terrorist organizations. The last attack occurred two-and-a-half weeks ago,” said another source. “The strategy of Hamas is to employ civilians as human shields … it’s a method.”

Some of the footage shared by the military showed a combat tunnel creating an unstable hole in the ground close to the UNRWA school.

“The tunnels are not stable; they can collapse at any time, endangering U.N. workers and civilians,” said the official.

...

In any future war, another official assessed, Hamas will attempt to influence the narrative of the international community with such tactics, while in Israel, it will attempt to infiltrate using drones, tunnels and overland raids in order to “gain some narrative points.”

More than 60 miles (some 100 kilometers) of underground tunnels were destroyed by the Israeli Air Force during the 11-day conflict last May.

“We have developed these strike abilities in the last 10 years in the IDF,” said the official, referring to “the capability of destroying underground targets. Hamas could have put efforts and resources to enable civilians to recover, instead of building a terrorist city underground.”

“All of these rockets have been incorporated into neighborhood schools and mosques. And they’re going after our cities—not military targets,” said the source. “They’re targeting the center of Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot and Kiryat Gat.”

Since Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in 2007, Israel has been facing a geopolitical crisis, stressed the official, listing five major armed campaigns fought by Israel against Hamas and PIJ since that time.

He listed five major issues facing Gaza: governance by an illegal regime, terrorist rockets, the Hamas-Fatah dispute, a bad humanitarian situation and Hamas’s military build-up.

“Even if we go to a Gaza campaign, the potential to make progress on the national security of Israel is very small” due to those issues, said the source.

...

“I would compare Hamas to a scorpion that must sting. They are not aware of any other options. Because they are subject to a security siege on the sea and air, they have built an internal industry in Gaza, including missile factories. And for them, it’s good morning, let’s build rockets,” said the source.

The quantity of cement that has entered the Strip in the last 15 years for civilian construction could “build a quarter in Manhattan,” but instead went to building “hundreds of miles in Gaza under the ground and thousands upon thousands of rockets. There will be no sewage, no jobs—only tunneling, rockets and underground safe havens.”

Israel’s strategy in dealing with Gaza, said the source, is building a credible military threat and offsetting enemy capabilities, while also improving the civil-economic conditions in Gaza.

Retaking the Strip is not an Israeli interest, he said, while disengaging from it and waiting to see if it can “turn into Singapore” would likely lead to frequent wars. The remaining option, he argued, lies in military campaigns of deterrence, which are separated by as long a time period as possible, thereby enabling the western Negev to prosper and grow.

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

Writing “We Didn’t Start The Fire 2“

I’ve been working on a sequel to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” which would explore world history and culture from 1989 to the present.  I got distracted while doing research, sending myself down an information rabbit hole for the last 3 hours, so I haven’t written anything besides the first few lines.

What I have written is the start of comprehensive list of major events since 1989 to include in the song.  I started by listing major events I could recall off the top of my head, then went down each year’s Wikipedia article to find more.  Each article would remind me of a dozen different events from different years, so I’ve been hopping up and down the list, filling it out randomly.  I stopped researching at 2002 because I need to take a break, but I will continue it later.

If you have any suggestions for major events to add, let me know

1989: Tienanmen Square protests, Berlin Wall falls, Seinfeld premiers, The Simpsons premiers, Game Boy released

1990: German reunification, Hubble Space Telescope, World Wide Web

1991: Gulf War, USSR collapses, Boris Yeltsin, Apartheid ends, Cold War ends

1992: Bill Clinton elected, Rodney King riots

1993: StART II, Jiang Zemin (President of China), WTC bombing, Pablo Escobar dies

1994: Nelson Mandela becomes president of South Africa, Rwandan Genocide, Republican Revolution (Newt Gingrich), Kim Jong-il, Amazon founded, Play Station 1

1995: Yitzhak Rabin assassinated, Christmas Shutdown (96 - 96), OJ acquitted, Oklahoma City bombing, 6 year old Panchen Lama kidnapped by the Chinese government (whereabouts still unknown), Galileo probe orbits Jupiter

1996: Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (not in force), Benjamin Netanyahu (96 - 99), Mir space station completed, Unabomber arrested, N64

1997: Princess Diana dies, UK transfers Hong Kong to China, Pathfinder and Sojourner, Jeanne Calment dies at 122 (oldest person ever), Madeleine Albright, Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov

1998: Pakistan gets the Bomb, impeachment, ISS begins construction, Seinfeld ends, Google founded, Northern Irish Parliament founded, the Troubles end, Pinochet arrested

1999: Euro introduced, Star Wars prequels, Vladimir Putin, JFK Jr. plane crash, Scottish Parliament founded, Welsh Parliament founded, Columbine shooting, US leaves Panama

2000: Y2K, Bush v. Gore, SCOTUS picks the president, first long-term mission to the ISS (it has been continuously inhabited ever since), Peanuts ends, Play Station 2

2001: 9/11, Afghanistan War, first iPod, Mir decommissioned and de-orbited, George Harrison dies, first artificial heart implanted, Enron goes bankrupt, Game Cube,  Xbox

2002: SpaceX founded

2003: Iraq War #2, Hu Jintao, Columbia Disaster, Mars Express (ESA), Elon Musk buys Tesla (claims to have founded it), Shenzhou 5 (first taikonaut)

2004: Ronald Regan dies during Pride Month, Facebook, Spirit and Opportunity rovers

2005: Pope Benedict XVI, Hurricane Katrina, Israel “ends occupation” of Gaza Strip (still controls airspace and coast), YouTube founded, Xbox 360,

2006: North Korea gets the Bomb, Milosevic dies at the Hague, Pluto demoted, Twitter founded, Wii, Play Station 3

2007: Great Recession, Battle of Gaza (Hamas), first iPhone

2008: Barack Obama elected, Dmitry Medvedev (Putin’s puppet), Russo-Georgian War (Russia “provides military aid” to Abkhazia and South Ossetia)

2009: Netanyahu is back (09 - ~21), Swine Flu (09 - 10)

2010: Haiti earthquake, BP oil spill

2011: We Got Him! (Osama), Kim Jong-un, “the rapture,” Fukushima disaster, Space Shuttle program ends

2012: Mayan calendar, Putin’s back, Sandy Hook shooting, Curiosity rover, Wii U

2013: Xi Jinping, Margaret Thatcher finally dies, Pope Francis, Ebola (13 - 16), Mars Orbiter Mission (India), Play Station 4, Xbox One

2014: Russia annexes Crimea

2015: Star Wars sequels, Obergefell v. Hodges (gay marriage), New Horizons flies by Pluto, Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko spend a year in space (15 - 16)

2016: Pulse nightclub shooting, SCOTUS seat stolen, Brexit begins, Donald Trump elected

2017: Las Vegas shooting, Charles Manson finally dies, Switch

2018: longest shutdown in history (18 - 19), Stoneman Douglas shooting (deadliest mass shooting in US history)

2019: impeachment (Ukraine), Hong Kong protests, “space force,” International Criminal Court investigates Israeli settlements (war crimes against Palestine)

2020: COVID, George Floyd, hurricanes, wildfires,  Play Station 5, Xbox X/S, Joe Biden elected

2021 (tentative): Perseverance rover/Ingenuity helicopter, Tianwen-1 Mars rover (China), Emirates Mars Mission (UAE), 2020 Olympics, Brexit finally happens

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.12 (after 1940)

1942 – World War II: RMS Laconia, carrying civilians, Allied soldiers and Italian POWs is torpedoed off the coast of West Africa and sinks with a heavy loss of life. 1942 – World War II: First day of the Battle of Edson's Ridge during the Guadalcanal Campaign. U.S. Marines protecting Henderson Field are attacked by Imperial Japanese Army troops. 1943 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is rescued from house arrest by German commando forces led by Otto Skorzeny. 1944 – World War II: The liberation of Yugoslavia from Axis occupation continues. Bajina Bašta in western Serbia is among the liberated cities. 1953 – U.S. Senator and future President John Fitzgerald Kennedy marries Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary's Church in Newport, Rhode Island. 1958 – Jack Kilby demonstrates the first working integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments. 1959 – The Soviet Union launches a large rocket, Lunik II, at the Moon. 1959 – Bonanza premieres, the first regularly scheduled TV program presented in color. 1961 – The African and Malagasy Union is founded. 1962 – President John F. Kennedy delivers his "We choose to go to the Moon" speech at Rice University. 1966 – Gemini 11, the penultimate mission of NASA's Gemini program, and the current human altitude record holder (except for the Apollo lunar missions). 1969 – Philippine Airlines Flight 158 crashes in Antipolo, near Manila International Airport in the Philippines, killing 45 people. 1970 – Dawson's Field hijackings: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists blow up three hijacked airliners in Zarqa, Jordan, continuing to hold the passengers hostage in various undisclosed locations in Amman. 1974 – Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, 'Messiah' of the Rastafari movement, is deposed following a military coup by the Derg, ending a reign of 58 years. 1977 – South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko dies in police custody. 1980 – The 43rd government of Turkey is overthrown in a coup d'état led by General Kenan Evren. 1983 – A Wells Fargo depot in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, is robbed of approximately US$7 million by Los Macheteros. 1983 – The USSR vetoes a United Nations Security Council Resolution deploring the Soviet destruction of Korean Air Lines Flight 007. 1984 – Dwight Gooden sets the baseball record for strikeouts in a season by a rookie with 276, previously set by Herb Score with 246 in 1954. Gooden's 276 strikeouts that season, pitched in 218 innings, set the current record. 1988 – Hurricane Gilbert devastates Jamaica; it turns towards Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula two days later, causing an estimated $5 billion in damage. 1990 – The two German states and the Four Powers sign the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany in Moscow, paving the way for German reunification. 1992 – NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47 which marked the 50th shuttle mission. On board are Mae Carol Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese citizen to fly in a US spaceship, and Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space. 1992 – Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path, is captured by Peruvian special forces; shortly thereafter the rest of Shining Path's leadership fell as well. 1994 – Frank Eugene Corder fatally crashes a single-engine Cessna 150 into the White House's south lawn, striking the West wing. There were no other casualties. 1995 – During the Gordon Bennett Balloon Race, an American balloon is shot down by the Belarus military. 2003 – Iraq War: In Fallujah, U.S. forces mistakenly shoot and kill eight Iraqi police officers. 2005 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the Israeli disengagement from Gaza is completed, leaving some 2,530 homes demolished. 2007 – Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada is convicted of plunder. 2011 – The National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City opens to the public. 2013 – NASA confirms that its Voyager 1 probe has become the first manmade object to enter interstellar space.